My colleague, Johnny Goodtimes, is among a group of misguided optimists who believe that because Andy Pettitte is pitching on 3-days rest tonight he will be ineffective. It’s an easy storyline to get behind: “37-year old man pitches on short rest;” think about it, the old fogie goes out there with a tired arm, both because of his age and the fact that he’s only had 3 days to digest all his geritol. In reality, this assumption is at best wishful thinking and at worst, the sports equivalent of jingoistic thinking.

Let’s look at the facts. Andy Pettitte will be opposed by Pedro Martinez tonight. It is true that Pedro has more rest than Pettitte (which would seem to be an advantage for the Phillies right hander) but let’s not forget the fact that Pedro is no spring chicken himself. In fact, he’s older than Pettitte. I would be more comfortable with the anti-Pettitte argument if he’s been going on short rest consistently but the fact is that tonight will be the first start he will have had all season with fewer than 4-days rest.

What’s more, Pettitte’s start in Game 3 (let’s not forget he won that game) only saw him pitch 6 innings and throw 104 pitches, hardly a herculean effort. In his last 3 starts including Saturday’s game, he’s thrown 95, 99 and 104 pitches. None of those outings would suggest that Pettitte over-exerted himself. If anything, he may be the most reliable Yankees starter after having recorded 3 wins in his 4 playoff starts this year (including an 81-pitch win against the Twins in the ALDS). And let’s also keep one other small thing in mind: Andy Pettitte has won more postseason games than any pitcher in baseball history.

I’m not trying to suggest that Pettitte is in line for a magnificent start or even that the Yankees will win the game. I certainly hope A.P. goes out there and gets rocked by the Phillies. But without even talking about Pedro Martinez and what he’ll bring tonight, I make this point simply to show why mortgaging the house on the assumption that Andy Pettitte is pitching on short rest is probably making a mountain out of a molehill.