Thinking back and looking ahead
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Sep 28, 2010 
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A.J. Burnett had never pitched a postseason game before last year. He will surely be remembered at least partially for his ugly, two-inning start in Game 5 of the World Series, but he actually seemed to show the Yankees quite a bit last October.
His only win came in the most important game of the playoffs: Game 2 of the World Series when the Yankees had lost the opener at home and needed some sort of momentum heading into Philadelphia. Burnett went seven innings, one run and out pitched Pedro Martinez, who was sharp.
In his first two starts he allowed three runs and six hits through 12.1 innings. His third start began with a four-run first inning, but he settled in to roll through the next five and give the Yankees a shot. He was good, and Joe Girardi doesn’t seem to forgot things like that.
“Joe’s going to make a decision on his own,” Burnett said. “I don’t have anything to prove. He saw what I did last year in the postseason. Everybody always says that the season doesn’t matter here and the postseason does. He makes the decisions and I want the ball whenever he gives it to me.”
As inconsistent as Burnett’s been, the Yankees don’t exactly have an obvious alternative to round out a postseason rotation. Ivan Nova has also been a bit erratic, and both Dustin Moseley and Javier Vazquez have been shuttled back and forth from bullpen to rotation and back again.
To me, the question of who starts in October is a viable one, but the Yankees best answer might be to stick with Burnett — warts and all — and hope he gives them something similar to what he gave last year.
Here’s Burnett from last night.
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Associated Press photo
“As inconsistent as Burnett’s been, the Yankees don’t exactly have an obvious alternative to round out a postseason rotation. Ivan Nova has also been a bit erratic, and both Dustin Moseley and Javier Vazquez have been shuttled back and forth from bullpen to rotation and back again.”
IMO, they are still more likely to suceed than Burnett.
I think AJ will be in the rotation. They don’t really have an alternative, and there is always the possibility he could surprise you and do well. I would imagine he’ll be on a VERY short leash though. LOL
I’ve stayed pretty quiet on this debate for the past few weeks because I didnt see any way that they wouldnt pitch AJ in the playoffs. But seriously, how can they give this guy the ball? At least Nova is good for 2 times through the order. If you need to pull him after 5 good innings, I think the team would be happy with that. AJ can’t get through the order once without blowing up most times.
Erin-
Good to see you back but I hope you are wrong about the Yankees using AJ in the PS.
IMO, they definitely have better alternatives.
If the Yankees do feel the need to put AJ in the post season rotation I hope it is as the #4 starter behind CC, Andy and Phil. That would insure no more than 1 start.
And I would go with a 3 man rotation in the ALDS eliminating AJ all together. Only CC would have to pitch Game 4 on short rest.
Maybe. Given what Burnett has shown in the past year, I wouldn’t object to swapping AJ for one of those three quite frankly. Either way you’re going to have to have an offensive game. Out of the three, I’m sorry to say the best option would be to start Nova with Moseley ready to back him up. But if Girardi stays true to his loyalty card – I would probably bet AJ starts with Moseley ready if AJ collapses mid-inning and Nova ready to come in with a new inning or empty bases.
Unfortunately tho, with a short post season roster, that means carrying an extra pitcher at the expense of a defensive replacement/pinch hitter/runner.
Welcome back Erin
Sunny-
Then the hook better be be very, very short.
I’m still against it.
Hi Erin. Glad you’re back.
MTU-maybe a tribute to AJ would help
From last night’s postgame post:
Burnett is 4-13 with a 6.67 ERA since the end of May. He’s won one game since the end of July
Fran-
As soon as he earns one he’ll get one.
I’m not holding my breath though.
Seems less than 3 innings is a pretty short leash, and he gave up 7 runs.
Girardi probably didn’t pull him earlier thinking that it would mean he would have to come up with a different answer to the questions of Burnett pitching in the post season. One more win or a loss from Boston seals it. What’s Girardi going to do then? He can’t say they aren’t in it anymore.
I guess he’ll go with the division isn’t finished yet, or some other such lame thing to avoid answering the tough question.
Hey Erin!
I’m not in favor of choke chains but that’s only for use on dogs.
I’ve got no problem with choke chains on pitchers.
Hi Erin! Good to “see” you again.
upstate kate September 28th, 2010 at 9:12 am
Welcome back Erin
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thanks kate!
Erin-
How many homers is Robbie gonna hit tonite because you came back ?
2 ? 3 ? 4 ?
Repost:
Usually after a game like last night, by the next morning I can bring a different perspective to it.
This one is different because this wasn’t a one-time thing from AJ and because there’s no time left, really.
For a while I kept telling myself (and others who would listen
) that AJ had several games where he pitched well and got no run support. In actuality, that didn’t happen often enough to use it as a positive for AJ. A majority of the losses, he took his team out early. I’m actually going through box scores and through 8/15 there were only 2 games that he pitched well enough to win the game; one he lost, one he got a ND. Only 2 games after that which the Yankees ended up losing, but AJ started and was rain delayed – AJ pitching well to that point.
Time after time, he would put the Yankees in a hole, big or small, and the Yankees would fight back and AJ would give up more. And more times than not it was early that he got them down. There is no sugar coating AJ’s season. No way to do it.
AJ has pitched poorly most of the time, so I think it is fair to say he was unable to help this team. If he himself had won just 2 or 3 more games, the Yankees would be in first place with the best record, would be in a position to win the division and have HFA until the WS.
If he was supposed to be a #4 or #5 starter in the rotation, I would not feel the same way. But he was hired to be a #2 or #3 guy – a guy who you rely on to win games, important games, for your club. So I do not feel it’s overstating it to place a large portion of the responsibility for losing those games on AJ. Unless we find he has been pitching through a minor injury or major discomfort, he simply failed.
And the way I see it, what I see on the mound, is a guy who, once he “fails” – whether it’s via a walk, HBP or HR – he doesn’t rear back and challenge; rather, he seems to say “here we go again, another night where I don’t have it.” That’s what his body language seems to say to me, his post-game comments notwithstanding. I am not able to see mechanical issues – I’m not that versed and I don’t know what to look for – but even if there are mechanical issues, there is a mental component that’s not clicking. He gets down on himself too easily, it seems.
He had a good start to his season and July was a good month for him. But since then, he really has not been able to “find it.” I don’t really see how he can be expected to find it now. Perhaps the rain delays sabotaged a turn around for him, but it doesn’t matter – the end result is the same – there’s no reason to believe that he will pitch any differently from this point on than he has for most of the season. Which is to say, he is not able to protect a lead when he has one, and often gets the team into a hole from the get go so that the offense is always on the “defensive.”
Hi Fran, Doreen and Bronx Jeers!
MTU September 28th, 2010 at 9:18 am
Erin-
How many homers is Robbie gonna hit tonite because you came back ?
2 ? 3 ? 4 ?
****************************
LOL. Hmmm…good question. He’ll go 4 for 4 with 2 home runs.
This, more or less, sums of A.J.’s season:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVeFkakURXM
MTU – How was your trip?
There are no leashes short enough forAJ. When he gets in trouble, the sky falls in before you have time to react.
One advantage of keeping Javy on the PS roster, he will, IMO, give you a better chance at winning than AJ, and if you get to the WS, he has always pitched well against NL teams.
How in the world can you start a guy who has been absolutely horrible? The postseason is not the time to build confidence. AJ has been throwing batting practice for most of the season. Nothing is more deflating to a team than sending a guy out there who doesn’t give a crap, and for whatever reason, Burnett does not appear to care right now. I liked him more when he punched the wall. At this point he tosses a few innings, gives up a few walks, hit batsmen and the inevitable bomb, gets pulled and walks off the mound staring off in space.
He has all the talent in the world, but he is completely lost out there. There is no way that he should start in a playoff game. At this point I am not even sure if he should be on the playoff roster.
The “start him and give him a short leash” idea is crazy. Do that and you are asking to kill the bullpen. Not only do you lost the game that Burnett starts but you put yourself in a hole for the next game or two. A strong pen is key in the postseason.
The alternatives are not that appealing, but I will take my chances with Nova or Mosely. Even after his pathetic outing the other night, Javy might even deserve a shot in front of AJ.
CC, Andy and Hughes should be the top three. If they need a fourth starter, go with anyone other than Burnett. Burnett has been one of the worst pitchers in the American League this year. He is a complete headcase. Starting him in the postseason would be a huge mistake.
AJ has nothing left to prove.
He’s already proven that he is simply a bad pitcher.
How many times does he have to prove it to Girardi before Girardi says once and for all that AJ will not be starting in the playoffs
Doreen -
Could you go over that once more, but, in greater detail, lol.
MTU –
This is where the Girardi question comes into play. What’s the hook? A base runner? A solo homer? Consecutive hits? What if they’re all dink hits? What if an error allows a baserunner?
It becomes one of those things where you have to have the replacement warm up too. So if Moseley (let’s say) gets up to warm up – do you have him come in anyway if AJ corrects himself and gets out of a basesloaded jam by inducing a GIDP? Or sit him down again at the risk of AJ blowing up again two innings later?
Doreen,
Good post. It does seem like so much of AJ’s problem is mental. Whereas it seems guys like Andy and CC toughen up after a bad inning and make adjustments, AJ just falls apart. When Dave Eiland took a leave of absence, AJ’s problems were blamed on missing Eiland. Now even Eiland hasn’t been able to fix him.
(Re-post) With AJ it is almost all mental. Perhaps he is trying to change too much too quickly and is out of kilt. He has talent! His fastball 2 or 4 seam is awesome at times, but has found too much of the plate lately.
I think he must be tipping his off speed pitches with his delivery. Namely the changeup ro RH hitters. That could be deadly by itself. Quite often a pitcher?s delivery is slightly different to a RH vs LH batter. So it may be with AJ.
If a batter can sit dead red or know an off speed pitch is coming it is a big advantage. And it can be little things that teams have picked up on film or historical knowledge like Toronto may have.
I remember one year Yogi kept getting thrown out for trying to steal 2nd base via a pitchout. The Yanks figured it out that Yogi would talk when he wasn?t going and be silent when he was. Small things have big consequences and may even make us adjust in ways that are detrimental trying to fix something else that isn?t the problem.
Al-
Thanks for asking. It was tiring but fantastic. The “clinch” tribute is now ready.
Sunny-
I apologize for belaboring the AJ thing but I felt strongly about it.
I’m usually as optimistic as they come but even I have limits.
And you make a good point about when Joe G. and the hook. That’s another reason why I don’t let AJ near a PS unless it’s an absolute emergency. It becomes too complicated and too risky IMO.
Now I will try my best to shut up about it.
Thanks Doreen, but don’t give up on AJ just yet. The Yanks need him to succeed.
It’s always been said, a player must earn his way onto the PS roster, and AJ simply has not earned the right to start any game in the PS.
I would rather start Javy or Nova, and take my chances with either of them giving me 5-6 good innings.
As Raymagnetic said, AJ has already proven he’s a bad pitcher, time to close the book on him for any PS plans.
I also don’t think citing “they saw what I did in last year’s post-season” is necessarily good thing for AJ to do, either. Because if you look closely at what he did:
He was 3 and 2 overall.
In the ALCS he was 1-1, losing Game 5.
In the WS, he was 1-1, losing Game 5.
In both instances, Game 5 could have been the clinching game.
(Repost from prior thread; I didn’t see the new one!)
I think whether you use AJ or not in the playoffs depends on the situation.
In the ALDS, no way! Start with CC, then Hughes, then Andy (or maybe reverse Hughes & Andy). CC on 3 days rest for Game 4, and then the Game 2 starter on a full 4 days rest for Game 5.
I think you start the ALCS with the same 3 pitchers. The question then is what you do for Game 4.
If you’re up 3-0, I think you start AJ. At that point, the Yanks are in the driver’s seat, and they can take the chance. He probably still has more raw talent than any of the other alternatives, even if his velocity has diminished a little bit this year.
Who else? Vazquez? The guy they pulled out of the rotation twice this year? The guy whose last playoff experience with the Yankees was Game 7 of the 2004 ALCS? The guy who hit 3 men in a row just the other day?
Nova? The guy who was in AAA just a couple of months ago? He’s shown flashes of talent, but he blew up early against the Red Sox in a fairly big game (not as big as a playoff game!) just a couple of days ago. His outings against the Rays also blew up fairly early (4th or 5th inning). He may be a middle or back of the rotation starter for the Yankees in the future, but this year?
Mosely? Mitre? Gaudin? Career journeymen. Not what you want to see a championship team roll out in a big game.
A long shot … Joba? Hasn’t started all year, and isn’t stretched out, but has starting experience. Probably has more talent than anyone in this group other than AJ. If you could get 4 or 5 innings, might be worth it.
If you’re down 3-0, you go with CC. You have no other choice.
Up or down 2-1, you pick from one of the above. There are no good choices. I’d probably do AJ or Joba.
From “It is High”
Breaking News: AJ To Join Whitson And Brown In Three Stooges Revival
http://i55.photobucket.com/alb.....tooges.jpg
No need to apologize MTU – actually, I’m on the same page as you are. I believe AJ shouldn’t be on the PS roster but I doubt that happens, but if it doesn’t, then I too believe he should be on a short leash. It just gets convoluted when you start to think about when that hook should happen, and knowing Girardi, he’ll pull the trigger about 4 runs too late (my guess).
Anyway, like you, I’ll do my best to put this beast to bed and try to not comment about it again.
Like with all things baseball… you just got to let them play.
Jeers-
lol.
RayVT -
I don’t usually give up on players. And if everything else was strong for this team, I’d take my chances with AJ. But while I still like the Yankees chances overall, because CC and Andy are incredible competitors and Phil has shown “moxie,” the team as a whole hasn’t exactly been awe-inspiring of late. They need any starting pitcher on that mound to be at full readiness mentally and AJ is not there.
Joba will not start any games this season, he is not physically prepared to do so, and I doubt he’ll be a starter ever again for the Yankees.
AJ has been bad since May. There is no reason to think he’s magically going to pitch a great game just because it’s the post season. There is good reason to think he’ll just implode again and put the team in such a deep hole they will not be able to dig out.
No team has a great fourth starter. I’d let Nova start and give him a quick hook. He was not good against Boston the other day but he has shown more poise on the mound in the last month than AJ has shown since April or May.
I don’t know what’s going on with AJ; it does not appear to be any kind of physical issue. Perhaps he is going through a bad divorce, who knows? I sympathize up to a point but not enough to give him a start in the playoffs.
Off to walk the mops. back in a while.
JM -
AJ did have a very good July. But he couldn’t sustain it.
I think he must be tipping his off speed pitches with his delivery.
************************
Hi Ray,
If that is the case, I would think someone on the Yankees coaching staff would have noticed it up by now.
Simply put, if AJ had the ability to turn it on and off, he would already have done so. To expect that he will be a different pitcher, just because it’s a PS game, would be delusional thinking on Girardi’s part.
“Burnett has been one of the worst pitchers in the American League this year.”
In 2004, Derek Lowe allowed more runs than any pitcher in baseball. Among pitchers who pitched 100+ innings he had the lowest WAR in the AL at -1.1. A very solid argument could have been made that he was the worst pitcher in the American League in 2004. Boston didn’t include him from their postseason rotation. Guy went on to be the winning pitcher in the clinching games of the ALDS, ALCS, and World Series.
Burnett’s WAR is a Blutarski-like 0.0. He’s been awful. But you never know where your postseason heroes are going to come from. Just as we’ve talked about the team having a fringy Spetember has little or no effect on how they perform in October, the same can probably be said for a player. Like Lowe in 2004, Burnettt will likely get some chance to contribute by default. Let’s hope he capitalzes on it.
OK Fran, I’ll bite on a tribute to AJ. I don’t have any outhouse pictures, so this will have to do.
http://picasaweb.google.com/10.....9mUwKmkcg#
AJ was great in Game 2 of the WS last season but he was equally terrible in game 5 and that kind of performance has been more the norm this season.
Some suggested in the last thread that he may be tipping his pitches….well he is by getting himself into counts where he has to groove fastballs. Last night was the breaking point for me when things went south and he just started throwing fastballs down the middle…he quit on the start….had he not and held them to 4 or 5 then maybe the Yankees win the game and CC could rest today…..
Nova, Vasquez, Mosely’and even Gaudin have all pitched better than AJ has this season….roll the dice with one of them and try your best to move AJ in the offseason….even if it means eating a large portion of his contract. He’s no longer one of the 5 best starters in the system and at 33 you can’t realistically expect him to change.
I’m usually not like this but at some point cut your losses and move on…make room for the young pitchers coming up through the system.
*Boston didn’t include him IN their postseason rotation.
JCPD -
Too upscale for AJ!
If they start AJ, the CANNOT match him up against the other team’s #1 or #2.
JCPD,
Nice tribute
Maybe AJ was feeling left out and this will help since nothing else has worked.
Erin… YAY!
This is funny.
In order to qualify for MLB’s ERA stat, you have to pitch 1 inning for every game your team has played.
There are 89 pitchers in MLB who qualify.
Guess who is # 89
“Guess who is # 89″
Ummmm…..Apple Jacks Burnett?
Doreen -
If AJ pitches, he’ll match up against the #4. If we get lucky, the Yankees will either not use or need him.
But, then again, we could all be wrong, AJ pitches, and is a PS hero.
Too upscale for AJ!
*************
Hi Big Al,
It did kind of remind me of the TV show “Green Acres”.
Doreen, I agree.
I have no doubt Girardi will start AJ, but he should be #4.
And, actually in Game 2 vs. LAA, he got a No Decision, Yankees were leading 2-0 and he left after Angels tied score 2-2.
Remember you get to change the post-season roster after each round of the playoffs.
Definitely leave AJ and one or two of the other # 4 starter candidates off the roster for the ALDS. If they advance then you make a decision. In the meantime you have Burnett/Vazquez throw a simulated game and see what if anything either shows you.
I drop Gaudin, but keep Mosley and Mitre in the pen with Joba, D-Rob, Mo, Wood, Logan. Feel free to add Vazquez in place of Mosley or Mitre if you must.
Ten pitchers is plenty for the ALDS
The first eight position players are clear… leaving seven men for the bench/DH
Kearns, Thames, Berkman, Cervelli and Pena are probably locks and I’d add Nunez and Golson. I’m not a fan of carrying a third catcher in the post-season unless he can hit.
Fran -
I picture AJ with a long piece of straw in his mouth, holding a pitch fork, with a quote over his head saying, “Ya’ll wait for the post season, then I’ll show you the real AJ.”
Big Al -
It all depends on how teams can line up their rotation and how long their series go, doesn’t it, though?
So AJ was 2-2 and a ND in last year’s post-season. .500.
The answer is, make Burnett the 4th starter and only start him when it’s absolutely necessary. I’m pretty sure the Yanks can get through the postseason with no fourth starter actually but the worst case is he starts 1-2 games.
Did they ever announce who is starting tomorrow or is it still….gasp AJ Burnett?
Doreen -
If the first round goes more than 3 games, CC will go on short rest. The problem is, if it goes to 5 games, and you throw Andy, and advance, you start the second round will Phil, and AJ, or whomever is the #4 gets to pitch more games than CC or Andy, and becomes huge to your success. That could be real trouble.
“I don’t have anything to prove. He saw what I did last year in the postseason…”
what an arrogant idiot this guy is. yes, he came up huge in game 2 of the ws. but he also blew up in 2 other games where he left with such a big deficit that the yanks had no chance to come back.
sooner or later this guy will be more hated than carl pavano and he thinks he is el duque or jack morris in the post season.
If last October had more influence on Jarhead Joe than yesterday against basically a .500 non-playoff team, then we will have some 99% automatic losses to deal with in the playoffs, IMHO !
Erica in NY September 28th, 2010 at 9:51 am
Erin? YAY!
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Hi Erica!
had=has (oops)
Girardi said CC will start tonight, but did not hear about tomorrow.
BIG AL, sorry about being too upscale. I’ll try to tone it down next time.
according to the Yankees website, Andy is pitching tomorrow…don’t know how accurate that is tho
JCPD -
The pictures are great, thanks for sharing. Between you and MTU, the pictures have been a joy to review, keep them coming.
xcv -
Exactly.
You know in the glow of having won the WS, we focus on all the great moments. But AJ is forcing us to look deeper into some of the details. And they aren’t as pretty. It’s like, “AJ was great! He won that all-important game 2 (which he was and he did – can’t take it away),” but then when he says what he says last night, you look at what he did in all the other games he pitched. He’s not lock-down, and let’s leave it at that.
blake September 28th, 2010 at 9:58 am
Did they ever announce who is starting tomorrow or is it still?.gasp AJ Burnett?
*************
I could swear they said Pettitte last night
But I had major drama last night so maybe I imagined it, but I am pretty sure its Pettitte
Oh well – only three more years of it
blake – AJ probably make a go of it starting tomorrow, he didn’t even throw three full innings last night, lol. But, seriously….
I understand Bill D’s point about Derek Lowe, and you never know where your postseason heroes are coming from. However, AJ’s issues are unique to AJ here, and not knowing what’s going on in the clubhouse, I don’t know that Lowe and AJ are comparable here.
I would really love to know what’s going on between Joe, Dave Eiland, Cash, and AJ. But, us fans never will.
At this point, with the limited info that we do have, I’m in the same camp that blake described at 9:47, specifically his second paragraph about being at the breaking point. Right now, we seem to stand a better chance with Moseley, Nova, or Gaudin starting a game.
What to do with AJ longterm? That’s for the winter to decide. As Gene Michael once said, when discussing the infamous Danny Tartabull – you can trade anyone; the question is what you get back in return.
sunny615September 28th, 2010 at 8:26 amPairing up Nova with anyone else would be a major tax on the bullpen in a short series. Nova is a rookie who has demonstrated a lack of ability to handle pitching with men on base. He gets unnerved and starts nibbling and loses the strike zone or leaves pitches up in the zone.
—
I doubt he gets “unnerved”. He has demonstrated quite a lot of nerve otherwise. He loses command when he has to pitch from the stretch.
And he has not been “erratic” as this article states. He’s actually been very consistent (game to game, not inning to inning) and before his last start the Yankees won the previous five times he started, because he pitched well or at least kept the team in the game, unlike Burnett.
I wonder if Girardi will just announce his 1 and 2 for the playoffs and then see how we fair in those games before deciding what to do with AJ.
My guess is if we are 1-1, they start Phil as the #3.
If we’re 2-0, AJ gets the start.
And if we’re down 0-2 just make CC pitch again.
BTW – I was at game 2 of the Series last year, and I’ve never seen a guys stuff more electric than AJ’s was that night. He literally got better every single inning until he was done. I realize we all know how good he can be, but I just had to throw that out there. The guy is really a Forest Gump/box of chocolates situation.
Disagree completely with the thought that AJ should start in the postseason–only way would be in Yanks were up 3 zip in 2nd round and then only as last resort. He is -1 & 11 in his last 12 starts. Looks like a mental issue, his head in obiviously elsewhere and not on baseball. Never got an explanation on the black eye or possible relationship problems. Assume AJ pitched .500 over last 12 starts, Yanks would be up by 5 and probably have the\
East locked up.
I’m trying to figure out who is the worst starting pitcher in MLB this season.
And there’s lots of duds but there’s only a handful of guys that are really bad AND still make roughly 20% of their teams starts.
I can’t say AJ is the worst but here are some of the names he’s racing with.
Scott Kazimir
Kevin Millwood
Zach Duke
Paul Maholm
Rodrigo Lopez
And statistically speaking, we could only dream that AJ is as good as Dallas Braden.
Shame Spencer -
You know the problem with those boxes of chocolate? I only like one or two of the varieties. Most of them, I take one bite and toss ‘em!
no no no. burnett does not start in the playoffs. his #’s are so much worse then last year and there are almost no signs that he can succeed.
NO BURNETT DOES NOT START. GO WITH THE LONG MAN FOR 3 TO 5 INNINGS OR GO WITH 3 STARTERS THEY HAVE NO OTHER VIABLE CHOICE.,
SCREW BURNETT, HE IS A CLOWN IN DENIAL.
he sucks and is a woosie……….
i was at the angel game last year in anaheim check those numbers out. a chance to clinch and aj wet his pants…
this guy is a mnetal case plain and simple…
stop looking at the radar gun people………..
The Burnett from 2009 is clearly not the same Burnett of this year and even at that he was marginal – - save for a decent postseason last year. Simply said, he was a bad signing and a year later shows no uplifting changes. Last year was last year. He won’t suddenly become a “lights out” pitcher.
Burnett is a thrower, not a pitcher. He’s not interested in taking a page out of the book of a younger Phil Hughes and incoporate all of his pitches including a changeup.
Hitters simply sit on his fastball and if his curveball doesn’t hit the dirt, they’ll hit that also.
Neither Girardi or Eiland can penetrate his thinking.
Sorry, this guy is not fit for anything but the back end of the bullpen. He can’t be trusted as a starter.
I wont speak for everyone, but I don’t think anyone actually wants AJ to make a start in the post season. Some of us are just speculating on who the Yankees will have start in the post season. Personally, I don’t want AJ to start, but I think the Yankees will have him as the 4th starter.
Well, AJ did say he threw some changeups last night.
AJ’s comments were plain stupid and arrogant last night – and that’s what disappoints me. Last year was last year – sure he was inconsistent, but he had been better in September. This year, it’s been one of the worst pitchers in baseball…………
I don’t trust Nova, but he has a better idea of what he’s doing out there than AJ. Yes, we would have to have a shadow with him – but so be it.
Burnett: “I expect to start”:
___
Really? Well we expect you to pitch more than 2 innings and give up less than 6 runs.
Hopefully the fans arent the only ones who dont get what they want.
on a non-AJ topic, here is something that stuck me yesterday. With all the talk of the wonderful Phiilies pitching staff, where is all the uproar about the fact that the Phillies are buying a championship team??? I seem to remember J-Ro being one of the biggest whiners.
Yanks are not in a good position.
If Phil is the #2, and they lose to Liriano in game 1 (a very distinct possibility) than he’s pitching a must win. If he’s the #3 and they go down 0-2, then Phil is pitching for the season. It’s hard to believe the season turned out like this.
They can go without a 4th starter because I doubt AJ or Nova or whomever would even pitch. Up 2-1, CC will probablly go. Down 2-1, definitely CC.
Either way, the Yankees had better figure out a way to beat lefties or they will have a short ride in the playoffs and this discussion will prove moot.
burnett starts against the sux this weekend. that may be real ugly.
read shermans 3 up column today. aj cannot start in the playoffs and if they hurt his feelings to bad.
this is about winning nothing else.
phillies are buying nothing. there is no salary cap in baseball so all is fair.
http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/.....GjUcgsB4nO
2. So, of course, we get to the obvious question about Burnett: Why exactly does it appear as if he will start Game 2 of an AL Division Series. You could probably make a pretty valid point that if he did not have three more years left on his contract after this season, Burnett would have been given the Javier Vazquez treatment at some point and been removed from the rotation.
Yes, the broken record continues about Burnett’s stuff. But in as many starts now as that stuff shows up, it doesn’t. Quite frankly, the more and more I think about how the Yankees should line up for the Division Series, the more and more I am coming to believe they should use a three-man rotation that does not have Burnett, especially if the Yankees face the Twins.
Minnesota leans heavily left-handed and the Yankees can set up the rotation in a way that CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte would pitch four times if the series went five games. Only Sabathia would have to pitch on short rest in Game 4 after pitching the opener. Since there would be two off days after Game 2, Pettitte would be on a normal four-day rest to start a Game 5, if necessary.
Then I would just start Phil Hughes in Game 3. That would be after an off day, so in theory the Yankees would have their entire bullpen rested to help Hughes, if he needed it.
At this moment, if you are starting Burnett in any first-round series you are doing so, why exactly? You can’t say he has earned it. If he is starting it is because of some blind faith that the moons will align and he will have one of his good games rather than one of those games in which he removes just about any chance to win in the first few innings
JCPD-
Too bad you didn’t have any outhouse photos. A reverse tribute was in order.
Some of those collapsing barns seemed apropriate though.
You have a great way of making the ordinary seem extrordinary.
In my case, all the tributes come the old-fashioned way. They have to be earned.
I’ve got the “clinch” tribute ready to go. I hope I can present it tomorrow. This waiting is getting old.
look aj is aj, but his attitude is the problem here.
he thinks he has nothing to prove? really?
maybe in KC, his salary would cripple them if he had to be bumped, but here, if they absolutely have to, they can find a way around AJ.
This is my favorite snippet.
“I don’t have anything to prove.”
You guys ever see that SNL bit called “Really!?!”
AJ, you have nothing to prove? OK batters are literally salivating all over their uniforms waiting to face you. Really!
Teams are ordering more balls in anticipation of your starts but you have nothing to prove? Really?
The FAA is declaring no-fly zones around the stadiums you pitch in. Really!
I’ve seen cuckoo clocks that have more sense than AJ.
He’s more screwed up than wooden watch right now.
Do we need a 4th pitcher in the first round?
Hard to believe, but AJ got off to a brilliant start this year
No you don’t and I doubt the Yankees would go with one
Betsy-
Brilliant and AJ is a oxymoron.
He doesn’t have anything to prove………..delusional.
MTU, he was brilliant earlier in this season – there’s no doubt.
I still think it’s sad that I really think there’s a chance he pitches ahead of Phil. I don’t fully trust Girardi.
What guys (AJ or Girardi in this case) say to the media after a bad outing is worth less than the paper it is printed on.
AJ’s contract makes him the Yankees problem that they need to fix. If not this year then for the next few years.
They need to finesse the situation with AJ for this postseason or else they have no hope of seeing anything on the investment.
That doesn’t mean they need to pitch him in the ALDS but they have to give him some sort of a role if/when they get to an ALCS.
Embarrassing him publicly is counter intuitive to they outcome they hope to achieve.
So much for Girardi’s planning and over managing. Look where it got this team, having to pitch Sabathia when that’s the last thing in the world they wanted to do. I can remember so vividly all those games in July and August when Girardi threw a AAA lineup out there; now we are paying the price.
Joe cannot wait so long to take AJ out. Both he and Vaz can be effective pitchers for short periods but the first sign of trouble they must be removed. That can be in ining 2 or 4 but it must be done. The Yankees could have come back if they replaced Burnett after the 3rd run.
I didn’t think so..
So its CC, Andy, Phil for the first round and I’d keep them on schedule and decide what to do with AJ after the first game or two of the second series assuming we reach that point.
How in Girardi’s right mind can he say Burnett is a starter in the ALDS or even the ALCS if he stinks it up yet again in the final series this weekend in Boston ? It would be ludicrous and begging for trouble.
Any combination of who’s chosen should be the 4th starter leading up to the elite of the bullpen.
AJ Burnett – a magical sculpture of Farnsworth, Weaver and Pavano. Another Cashman masterpiece.
Thanks guys…I would think it would be Pettite as well if they are starting CC tonight but if they clinch then I guess that could change.
Joe,
How are you? If AJ continues on like this then not having to pay his entire contract would be about all the return you could hope for…its un-Yankee like but if you could get some prospects or perhaps a backup catcher and rid yourself of a portion of his salary then that would be something to consider….
Pat-
I’ve got a job for AJ. He gets a mop and a pail full of water. That’s his new job for the PS.
And if he doesn’t like it he gets to go fishing early this season.
Go figure. Neyer talks about how CC isn’t one of the best pitchers in baseball, but then he writes today about how AJ isn’t bad.
At this point, I wouldn’t even trust A.J. Burnout as a long man in the playoffs.
The idea of actually giving him a start should be dismissed with prejudice.
Since when did we start rewarding poor performance in good ‘ol America?
I was surprised to see so few of you comment on AJ’s comments (I did see yours xcv and that was my reaction!) — as if he is deserving of post-season berth.
Shame on him for not feeling ashamed of his own performances. His attitude alone would keep me (as the manager) from putting him on the post-season roster.
But based on how he’s been treated in the past, they’ll give him a start. I would have sat him down a while ago to let him see there are consequences, but Girardi chose to save those humilitating tactics for Javy instead. Interesting.
Blake-
I’m not sure there is a cure for what ails AJ. Not even my world famous lab was able to help him. When that’s the case you know it’s bad.
Yankees could have come back if they replaced Burnett after the 3rd run.
__
There was no 3rd run.
it was 2-0 then a 3 run homerun.
I wouldn’t say keeping him off the roster is embarrassing him.
If they do it it’s not to punish him. It’s because they believe there’s a pitcher who gives them a better chance to win. Which isn’t so far-fetched right now.
Bottom line. They gave him the ball last night with the opportunity to put them in the playoffs, regain the top spot in the division and rest CC who has been looking a bit worn down. And he spit the bit.
Let’s see what he does in Fenway this weekend. History is definitely not on his side.
Thinking about AJ, sometimes it seems like pitchers get worse when they come to the Yanks, then get better when they leave.
Right now I’m having trouble thinking of a pitcher who got better when he came here, and worse when he left. There must be some but I can’t remember who.
“Since when did we start rewarding poor performance in good ‘ol America?”
You gotta watch more tv buddy..
Good morning Upstate Kate and Welcome back Erin. I missed your cheery comments! Good morning MTU.
http://www.nj.com/yankees/inde.....pside.html
Both Cashman, and pitching coach Dave Eiland, said this month that they believe Burnett’s upside remains as high as ever. They believe that his curveball remains still sharp enough to generate strikeouts.
“It’s there,” Eiland said. “Absolutely, it’s there.”
***********
And this belief will get AJ a start in the ALDS or ALCS. They keep hoping and believing that AJ will reach back to even just last year – when he was inconsistent.
The Yankees think he can dominate so that’s why I think he could very well get a start ahead of Phil.
So AJ will be starting again in Boston this weekend. Let us pray that it’s not in Game 3 with the Yankees still needing a win to clinch a playoff spot. Stranger things have happened.
Burnett’s stuff has been diminished all season. It’s folly to consider starting him.
Cashman and Eiland are engaging in puffery.
Hoping and believing pretty much sums it up.
hey Comet-
Good morning to you.
How are things up North ?
MTU,
If you can’t engineer a gene to help AJ then its a lost cause
Blake-
I have all but given up for this season.
Now next year is another matter.
Derek Jeter is always fond of saying “the bottom line is pitching.” If this is true then the Yankees prospects for the post season are not as bright as we would like. If Andy, Phil and CC rise to the challenge then hopefully we can overcome the whole in the rotation that AJ has created. I think Nova is a better bet than AJ.
Sorry if someone mentioned this earlier, but I just got home and quickly scanned the comments.
Those who got them to the playoffs with wins should be pitching first. Looking back on the season, all AJ seemed to do was either 1) outright lose or 2) run up the score so high before Girardi pulled him out that the guys didn’t have a fighting chance.
If management can’t find any other way to justify relegating him to the backshelf, use that to explain to AJ why he does indeed have something to prove!
(Hated that line from him as many of you did.)
The chances of Burnett being effective in Fenway is so far outside the realm of possibility – I can’t even fathom it. There’s a better chance of Cervelli hitting a home run or Gardner stealing home running backwards.
If pitching CC tonight is a questionable decision is Maddon making the same error in judgement by starting Price tonight?
hole in the rotation (not whole)
WCYF-
GGBG IS fast enough to steal home running backwards.
Hey Rich,
Quite enjoyable:
“Cashman and Eiland are engaging in puffery.”
MTU things are good. Going to be down Phoenix the next couple of weeks condo shopping. Going to visit In and Out Burgers and Booby Q’s. Any other good ideas? How are you doing MTU?
Cashman needs to go September 27th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
The cubs are dying to get rid of carlos zambrano – he has 2 years left after this one at 19 mill per year (38 mil total) – basket case has 3 years left after this one at 16.5 per (49.5 MIL TOTAL) –
the cubs would gladly take basketcase for zambrano who’s persona non grata at this point in cub land –
i say do it – zambrano at least pitches with passion – AND you save 11 million dollars and get rid of zambrano 1 year earlier….plus he’s OK with going to the bullpen….
enough is enough already with this bleeping sack of bleep
******************************
my comments from last night..disclaimer – i’m not sure if the cubs are “dying to get rid of him” considering what he can do compared to what AJ has done his entire career
add to that zambranos stats since he came back from suspension:
7 – 0, 1.26 era, 59k’s in 68 innings pitched
for the year:
10 -6, 3.36 era, 112K’s in 123 innnings,
his career:
115 – 74, 3.50 era, 1436 k’s in 1674 innings
he’s only 29 years old – the cubs were crazy enough to sign psychopath milton bradley to a 3 year 30 million contract and then trade him for an equally bleepy contract – i could see them taking a chance on burnett as well (he does afterall bring good cheer to the clubhouse and PIES)….i guess the yankees would have to kick in about $8 million but to get rid of this garbage is worth it…
It’s all about turning lead into gold in MTU’s laboratory.
But sometimes you get pyrite. Even the best alchemists can only do so much before they run out of miracles.
MTU
September 28th, 2010 at 11:08 am
WCYF-GGBG IS fast enough to steal home running backwards.
*****************************
How does one slide backwards?
Watch the Yanks get shutdown by Drabek, lol
Thanks, Wang IS Taiwan
Shame Spencer September 28th, 2010 at 11:00 am
“Since when did we start rewarding poor performance in good ‘ol America?”
You gotta watch more tv buddy..
~~~~~~~~~~~~
But you gotta point there!
Comet-
Busy. This is prime hiking season out here, and the extra Yankee tributes keep me plenty busy.
Are we talkin’ food or sightseeing ? SAS would be good to ask. She’s already there.
If I’m Girardi, I say to AJ, your next start in Boston will determine whether or not I pitch you in the PS. I will not be making the decision, you will, based on your performance.
This way AJ either shows he’s capable of getting batters out, or he pitches himself off the PS roster. Then he has no one to blame but himself, and can’t hold it against Girardi next season.
You can pick anyone. Mosley, Nova I don’t care if you bring up a kid from AA that I never heard of. Anyone of those people. ANYONE gives this team a better chance then A.J.
When he is slated to pitch the team feels as if they have lost the game. There is no point in even playing the game as all you will do is blow up the bullpen. Start anyone and if we get down 7 zip bring in AJ to mop up. That is all he is . A dirty smelly old mop with the strings falling off. Use his arm till it falls off then throw him in the garbage where he belongs. Anyone who thinks we have no better option is certifiable.
WCYF-
“How does one slide backwards?”
Doesn’t need to. So fast he makes it standing up.
blake – gotta run, but wanted to get back to you….
I think there would be takers for AJ, though not at that salary. Cash would have to be creative, but I think it could be done. Just don’t get too picky at what the return would be. The real return would be the clearing of a roster spot.
This will be a fundamental decision this winter, what to do with AJ. Keep him/fix him, or trade him, and take the salary hit in exchange for the roster spot.
Later.
For those Sesame Street lovers….
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/.....tml?hpt=T2
Big Al- I like your idea except how do we know that AJ’s next start wont mean something like if we even make the playoffs. To think he may be pitching in Boston with our season on the line makes me want to hide under my bed. OUCH
Jeers-
I will never stop believing in miracles but they are not the stuff of Science.
Why should AJ’s next start determine anything? He’s been atrocious all year – AJ really should be sitting throughout the playoffs, but that won’t happen.
Betsy-
AJ already has his “Gone fishing” sign up. You just can’t see it.
There is zero chane Aj will rise to the occasion. He could not outpitch the Pirates if his life depended on it. He riminds me of Farnsworth. He wants out and Farnsworth dumped games on purpous to get out.
mykyl1 September 28th, 2010 at 11:14 am
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Fear not, that will be put to bed well before his next start.
Big Al — don’t you think that they had that particular talk with AJ long before and reiterated it strongly before yesterday’s game? I can only assume AJ knows where his team is in the standings, etc… Has he been paying attn at all, or just been getting beat up by someone?
I’m with Betsy in thinking that one good game (if that should happen at all) should in no way erase that crap that he’s been giving the team almost all year.
Hard to remember now how thrilled I was at AJ’s great start this year. Boy, that didn’t last long…At least last year it was up and down. This year? Up, down, down, down, down, into the abyss.
MTU, all I said was that AJ was brilliant early in the season – which is true.
No Yankee pitcher has EVER had 15 losses and an ERA over 5…..until this year.
mykyl1 -
I think you’re wrong about Farnsworth. He was responding to the faith Joe Girardi showed in him and was turning it around. Cashman was able to trade him for Pudge because of that. And Farnsworth was not happy about leaving – was pretty upset if I recall – tears and everything.
I don’t think AJ wants out either. Don’t know what his issues are.
If AJ pitched a one-hitter in Fenway I wouldn’t start him in the post-season. As a matter of fact, nothing would guaranty an implosion more than that.
I hate to give up on any player, but I truly believe AJ has proven he can’t be trusted with the ball. For Girardi, or anyone else to say he has great stuff etc., and pray that the next time out will be different, they are simply in denial.
If you don’t pitch AJ in the PS, then IMO, you have no choice but to move him in the off season. He is such a head case, not pitching him in the PS will carry over to next season, and he’ll be worse than now, then you’d have zero takers.
Jason Voorhees September 28th, 2010 at 11:13 am
For those Sesame Street lovers?.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/…..tml?hpt=T2
*************
This is the greatest story I have ever heard. LOL
Thanks for sharing
blake
September 28th, 2010 at 11:22 am
No Yankee pitcher has EVER had 15 losses and an ERA over 5…..until this year.
****************
Much less a number 2 starter on a team that has won 93 games.
Doreeen,
You know, as frustrating as Farnsworth had been to watch, I felt bad for him at the time. He did cry when he was told about the trade. Tough to see.
MTU,
True. AJ may be beyond the help of science.
It’s really too bad as well because I think they may have used up their share of “Divine Intervention” on Mo’s cutter and Alex’s swing.
There could be a chemical solution though. A little peyote or a “mushroom” pizza might get that curve dropping in the right spots.
Big AL,
I tend to agree with that. I think AJ may still have some trade value if the Yankees ate a chunk of his contract….if he has another season like this next year though then they may be stuck with him. There may be an NL team out there somewhere that thinks they can harness his talent…..I don’t know but I’d be tempted to find out this winter for sure.
Doreen,
Forgot about AJ’s brief renaissance in July. Too bad it was short-lived.
blake -
If the Cubs are still unhappy with Zambrano, I’d take a chance on his talent, and the contracts are not that far apart.
Bronx Jeers September 28th, 2010 at 11:27 am
MTU,
True. AJ may be beyond the help of science.
It?s really too bad as well because I think they may have used up their share of ?Divine Intervention? on Mo?s cutter and Alex?s swing.
There could be a chemical solution though. A little peyote or a ?mushroom? pizza might get that curve dropping in the right spots.
**********************
Let me know when, and we can declare LoHud Mushroom Pizza night!
If we traded AJ to the Cubs, that would be a huge reason for Girardi not to take the Cubs job.
I’m not ready to cut AJ loose just yet, especially with our SP up in the air for 2011. Lee is absolutely a must-get though -and the Yankees will probably find themselves bidding more for the guy than they’d like. Let’s say (even though I don’t think it’s a lock) that Lee does sign. If Andy returns, then we’re in pretty decent shape (though Andy’s injury history is a concern and how Phil reacts to his workload is a concern, too) – not fantastic. If Andy doesn’t return and Lee signs, then we’re CC, Lee, Phil, AJ…………? I don’t love it and I don’t think we can go with a kid in the #5 spot when AJ is a #5 at this point. Even if we cut AJ loose, where are we going for another pitcher? I think the Yankees have to take one more shot at trying to fix him so that he’s at least competent………..and AJ should be made aware that if he keeps pitching like this, NO team will want him and he will be out of the majors in short order.
A big NO THANKS to Zambrano and since the Yankees would never consider it, discussion is really moot
Betsy-
My response to you had a double meaning which I did not intend.
It was intended as a joke. Not as saying that YOU couldn’t see it.
Sorry for the imprecision, and you’re right that AJ was good way back when.
Blake-
Dave Duncan ? A good challenge.
MTU -
Never knew of all your hidden talents.
Wang IS Taiwan -
I felt bad for him, too. It was an unexpected reaction.
And for Pudge. Yuck.
Longoria and Price called out their “embarrassing” fanbase for lack of support
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/bl.....mlb-272868
Al-
“Never knew of all your hidden talents.”
That’s because they don’t really exist. But we sure have our share of fun pretending they do.
I do wonder if they Yanks manage to sign Lee whether they’ll then try to trade AJ at that point. I wouldn’t miss him. He’s not even a decent #5 pitcher for us at this point.
MTU, I didn’t take the comment the wrong way, so no problem!
Wang, as I posted, I would not trade or try to trade AJ at this point.
Doreen,
Sometimes the seemly big, mean guys are pretty soft inside.
Yep, I am NOT a Pudge fan either.
Sorry but Zambrano for AJ is not going to happen.
Zambrano rejoined the Cubs rotation on August 9, and over 10 starts since that time, he is 7-0 with a 1.27 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, and 55 strikeouts over 64.0 innings…. Zambrano has allowed zero, one or two earned runs in each of those 10 starts.
You don’t trade that for AJ Burnett.
Not trusting AJ during a full season and not trusting him for one start is kinda different to some degree though, isnt it?
My point being that even though we know he’s a .500 pitcher (if that) during a full season, he still has a 50/50 shot of getting it right during any given start. In that respect, knowing how good he can be when he is good (and doing my best to ignore how awful he can be..) using him for 1 game in only 2 possible series of games isn’t really that bad.
The fact that we can limit his exposure during the playoffs because of Hughes’ development is GOOD NEWS. We just need to start spinning it that way lol.
never mind the rays attendance, where were all the Jays fans last night? it was so quiet, the umpire could hear the Yankee players chirping about some of his calls…and unprofessionally (IMO) called them out on it!
Just imagine if we had the 2008 AJ…
Betsy,
I understand. There are a lot of unknowns to be sorted out, but I don’t see much value there, regardless. I’d rather take my chances with a Nova or Moseley, quite honestly.
I would try to trade him if they sign Lee, but not before. Then we’d have three solid guys. I don’t worry about Phil, and I’m just hoping Andy comes back for a final year.
Who’s going to start the pool on what team AJ will be pitching for next year.
Giardi is a “cheer-leader” but Cash is a realist and AJ is not mentally tough enough for a contending team.
Betsy -
I would rather have the best talent from the farm in the #5 position, than go through another season of “Bad” AJ.
Anyone coming up would give you a better chance of winning.
Wang, that’s way too many question marks in that rotation. Even if Lee signs, you’d have CC, Lee, Andy (IF he returns – and he’s still something of a ? because of his age), Phil and a rookie/Moseley? No, I don’t like that at all……….and that’s if Lee signs and Andy returns.
Gotta log off. You guys have a great day!
Next year’s rotation is not a concern IMO as there is plenty of time to deal with that. I believe Pettitte will come back, but let’s say he doesn’t and Burnett mysteriously disappears. Sabathia, Lee and Hughes in December works for me – coming up with another 4 and 5 isn’t that hard. It’s the Yankees. We have lots of great arms in the minors and tradeable talent.
AL, then we’ll disagree. I think there are too many ? with regards to the SP to just go with a couple of kids….
the Yanks lost every game in which A.J. blew up (0-10 when he gave up 6 or more runs.)
to his credit, he did have two great months in April & July. July in particular was just a shut-down month. somewhere in there, floating between his ears, there’s an explanation. it’s too late now though to wait for it to find its way through the fog.
let him work on it over the winter w/a head shrink.
Burnett does not merit a postseason start. He continues to act as if nothing is wrong. How he can be so cavalier I don’t know. The numbers don’t lie; he has been atrocious this year. Do not start him.
Yep, Betsy. You’re right. Lots of questions. I just don’t think he helps us, that’s all. We need someone who may not have great stuff, but that doesn’t crumble mentally. I’d like a little more of a fighter.
This time I really am logging off.
Erin – the writer of that article was spot on.
Big Al -
Hmm, can’t be too sure about that, though. IPK in 2008? Not pretty. (And I’m an IPK supporter.) At least in the last 2 seasons, AJ has gotten off to good starts, which isn’t something to sneeze at. The problem is sustainability and consistency. Last season, even though he was up and down, you didn’t have the sense of pending implosion that you get now. Just a bad, bad year.
So, if there’s nothing physically wrong with him, the Yankees may just chalk it up to a bad year and remain hopeful. I don’t know….
BIG AL September 28th, 2010 at 11:43 am
Betsy -
I would rather have the best talent from the farm in the #5 position, than go through another season of “Bad” AJ.
Anyone coming up would give you a better chance of winning.
****************
Get Dallas Braden, MR. 209 himself – yes i’m serious – check out the year he’s had – its pretty good – left handed, a bit of an attitude which yankee fans would love (sort of – you hate youkilis because he’s a redsox but would love him wearing a yankee uniform)
on a team with 3 really good starting pitchers i would think billy beane would love to trade braden and lets say a kurt suzuki for romine, nunez, cervelli and 1 or 2 of their up and coming starting pitchers (someone like ivan nova for example)
YankeesPR Tickets to potential 2010 ALDS and ALCS games at Yankee Stadium on sale tomorrow (9/29) @ 10am via yankees.com or Ticketmaster 877-469-9849.
I’ll catch you all later. I have to go and pretend to be productive for a while.
I am not ready to get rid of AJ, but I do not want him taking the hill in the postseason this year.
Giving him the winter to sort things out. He has the physical talent. He needs help with whatever is going on in his head.
Erica
What Price and Longoria did was akin to you walking into a clients office, calling the client cheap and lazy and expecting them to respond by giving you more business.
I’ve never tried that approach but I have a feeling my bosses would frown upon it.
What he says for public consumption to the contrary, I don’t think AJ thinks everything is honkey-dory. He may act like nothing is wrong, but I can’t believe that he thinks everything his fine.
The other part of this, the what he says out loud part, is how much of that is trying to convince himself that it’s not as bad as it looks?
I think it’s fair to condemn AJ’s performance, and I think it’s fair to talk about what we observe in the way of his demeanor on the mound. But we can’t know what he’s thinking or feeling. And I don’t want to condemn a guy for what he says after a bad game.
Yea I don’t think the Cubs would trade Zambrano for AJ as he’s a lot better than AJ right now.
AJ would be a nice challenge for Dave Duncan but I’m not sure how much payroll they’d be Willing to take on with Pujols contract looming. The dodgers can’t afford to do anything….I don’t know who would match up…even if the Yanks ate a lot of the contract.
Maybe the Mets will step up….they need pitching and like to do dumb things.
Why would we want Zambrano? The guy is a psychopath – Blake, even if the Cubs would do that, you would? I’m surprised……….I don’t want that guy within a thousand miles of YS
Either way, AJ sounds ridiculous……….I don’t believe he doesn’t care and I believe he’s upset with himself, but he comes across as selfish and I never believed that of him.
I still wouldn’t get rid of him, though at this point, he never sees the mound again.
Betsy,
Not really…I’m not a big fan of his either. I just don’t think the cubs would make that trade is all I was saying.
Oops, I misread the post – sorry Blake!
Either way, point still stands………….
I think Price and Longo were just frustrated. Really, what more do they have to do to put people in the seats? The Rays are an exciting young team, and the team does all sorts of promotional things. It must be hard to play meaningful games w/ no one there to watch.
and I agree w/ Doreen…I take what these guys say in the post game w/ a grain of salt. I do have to say, I really enjoy Granderson’s interviews.
All I know is that I could never root for a player like Zambrano………….
pat September 28th, 2010 at 11:54 am
Erica
What Price and Longoria did was akin to you walking into a clients office, calling the client cheap and lazy and expecting them to respond by giving you more business.
I?ve never tried that approach but I have a feeling my bosses would frown upon it.
*****************
I may have called a client cheap and lazy before, but that was at the END of the business relationship
I am not saying what they did was right, but I can certainly validate their emotions
Maybe the Mets will step up….they need pitching and like to do dumb things.
********************************
Thats actually not a bad idea – AJ Basketcase for Oliver Perez – you then put Perez on waivers for demotion to the minors (taking off the 40 man roster) and you “Igawa” Perez for the rest of his contract (i.e. let him rot in the minors) which is only 1 year at 12 million
Live chat right now.
http://www.nydailynews.com/blo.....oon-2.html
I’m not even sure AJ is tradeable at 1/3 of his remaining contract. He’s literally one of the worst starters in baseball this season.
It’s just not that difficult to find the production he’s giving at league minimum money. And pitching coaches want young guys to mold. AJ’s going to be 34 in January.
Betsy September 28th, 2010 at 12:02 pm
All I know is that I could never root for a player like Zambrano………….
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Did you root for clemens? Throwing bats at the opposition is so much worse than what zambrano has ever done (not to mention taking steriods and dating underage girls) – do you like Paul O’Neill? How about kevin brown, gary sheffield, reggie was a royal pain in the —, david wells….should i continue?
Winning games is the bottom line and zambrano will give you a better chance at that costing 11 million dollars less and having him for one less year than aj – but even the cubs (who have accepted milton bradley and carlos silva on their team) wouldn’t want aj…
Betsy -
Yes, Zambrano has issues, but, since his suspension it appears he’s been a good teammate. Maybe he’s got his issues under control. One thing you can’t take away from Zambrano is his raw talent, and he’s a much better pitcher than AJ. Given all I know about Zambrano, I would make the deal, if the Cubs were dumb enough to do it.
At some point, you may have to step back and take a long, hard honest look at AJ and realize, this is what he’s going to give you for the remainder of his contract.
Keeping him into next season is a big gamble, because if this is what he gives you next season, there will be no takers, even if the Yankees ate his salary, which they won’t.
I heard that AJ is looking for beachfront property in SoCal ? To sort out his issues ?
Please – Clemens is not Zambrano, not even close.
Good morning or should I say good noon,
This day has started out in a most annoying way, like waking up at 4 AM. Finally at 7 AM I made coffee and took out to the patio where I spilled it all over the the flagstone. Yes, I took the hose and cleaned it up, but errrrr.
I have no idea about AJ. At least for this year he is a conundrum. My solution, like someone else on here, is to have a Nova/Moseley start, but that solution didn’t go far. At the moment just looking at AJ makes me “nervous”. I don’t see how he can start in the playoffs.
As for his future, that is Cashman’s problem, and not something to be decided this minute.
Sorry Al, saying Zambrano has issues is understating it…………..and I don’t care that he’s been a good soldier. He’s a clubhouse cancer, a ticking timebomb.
Betsy -
You say you could not root for a player like Zambrano, but, if he was 19-5, with an ERA under 3.00, you’d find a way to cheer that Yankees pitcher, of that I’m sure.
A good soldier for a few starts………….no way.
Also, I’m not into winning at all costs so Zambrano not an option for me.
Al, think what you want, but please don’t speak for me. I do not want a player like that on my team , period.
I like, Cashman has to go, idea of going after a pitcher like Dallas Braden. He could have the locker next to A-Rod.
I wouldn’t worry about rooting for Carlos Zambrano.
How do you feel about Barry Zito? Because that’s about all you’re getting for AJ Burnett at this point.
Betsy -
It’s just conversation, that trade would never happen, don’t be so serious, I was not trying to talk for you.
1) If Zambrano is that bad in the NL, just think how horrible he’d be in the highly competitive AL East. Think he’d lose it more often or less?
2) The only way Zambrano gets a 19 and 5 in the AL East is if he walks 19 batters and strikes out 5 in every game (which is entirely possible).
upstate kate -
I like Grandy’s interviews, too, but if you listen, he doesn’t say a lot either – he just has a smoother way of doing it!
My mom went to two Yankees games in Tampa this season. One was a day game, the other a night game. She said the experience getting to and from the stadium for each of those games was, well, like night and day. The day game they had no issues getting in or leaving. The night game they went to – she said it’s horrendous – and we’re not talking only about the car traffic after you manage to leave the stadium – it’s getting out of the stadium itself She said they funnel everybody out in one direction and I believe she said one exit. And even the day game they went to, they parked in the available handicap parking at the stadium, which was convenient to their seats, but were not allowed to leave the same way they got in, so they ended up having to walk a long distance to the handicap parking. At the night game they were talking to a local, who said he lived 15 minutes away and it takes him an hour and half to get home after a game. That’s got to factor into why people don’t go.
I doubt AJ would even net a Zito after the year Zito’s had.
new post
I’d settle for last year’s AJ.
The Yanks basically paid $82M for Game 2 of the World Series. At this point, I thank him, but he needs to shut up and go away. If he had even had the ability to go 5 inn 3 runs last night I could deal with him starting in the postseason. No way now. Let’s not do Kenny Rogers again just because we hope he can pitch well. He can be the 5th starter next year. After that, we can at least deal him away and say we got 500-600 innings out of him…
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