“If I knew, I’d probably go out there and tell him”
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Aug 27, 2011 
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So much about last night’s game looked the same as always, and so much of it sounded the same as ever. Joe Girardi talked about Burnett’s raw talent pregame, then Burnett fell apart in the second inning, then Burnett tried to stay positive and the Yankees tried to stay supportive postgame.
But I actually thought last night’s game felt different. At least, I thought postgame felt different. Burnett was still focusing on the positive, but he seemed legitimately embarrassed by the negative. Girardi committed to Burnett in the rotation, but it had the sense of desperation, not the ring of an endorsement.
“With all these doubleheaders, we gotta play games,” Girardi said. “We need six men.”
There was also a genuine effort to point out flaws, and although Burnett, Girardi and Russell Martin focused on different things, it’s hard not to wonder how many of these things are connected: The command to the mechanics, the mechanics to the confidence, the confidence to the aggressiveness, the aggressiveness to the command.
Russell Martin
“If I knew, I’d probably go out there and tell him something to change what he’s doing. It’s really just location at this point. He’ll make a couple of good pitches with his fastball, and then the next one will be belt-high and guys at this level, they don’t miss it. I think the biggest thing is falling behind in counts. He’s not the type of guy that has the best command of his offspeed stuff, so hitters are more selective. They wait for fastballs. If you get in a fastball count and you get a fastball that’s in the zone to handle, they’re going to hit it.”
Joe Girardi
“If you’re struggling this bad, you’re going to be mentally frustrated, no matter who you are in any walk of life. It comes down to mechanics for me. It’s everything being on time. Pitchers walk a fine line. If they don’t throw it on the corners and the outer edges with a lot of movement, they’re going to get hit hard. I don’t care who you are. Right now he’s making mistakes in the middle.”
A.J. Burnett
“I think I need to pitch in more. I think guys are sitting away and sitting hook. In the past ,I could get away with a lot of that throwing 97, 98. I have great stuff still, but I don’t throw that hard, so I need to start using both sides of the plate a little more and I think that’s going to help with the hook and getting them off the fastball away… If guys are comfortable out there, they’re going to take good swings off you. And guys are comfortable out there. I can see it. I pitched in after that second inning, and I saw some differences. Guys taking pitches and the hook was better. I definitely learn from that, pay attention to that, and use it. And use it as a weapon.”
Associated Press photo
“In the past ,I could get away with a lot of that throwing 97, 98. I have great stuff still, but I don’t throw that hard, so I need to start using both sides of the plate a little more and I think that’s going to help with the hook and getting them off the fastball away”
Duh
Everyone knows why AJ struggles…..fixing it isn’t an easy proposition though because either he has to throw 96 again…..or a guy that’s never been able to repeat his delivery and have plus command is going to have to suddendly figure out a way to do that at age 34
1 month left and only now he knows. And now, he will start against boston.
Re: AJ
Posada couldn’t help him
Eiland couldn’t help him
Molina couldn’t help him
Cervelli can’t help him
Martin can’t help him
Girardi can’t help him
Rothchild can’t help him
AJ can’t help himself
What is there left to say that hasn’t been said already ?
MTU,
Not much
yankeefeminista August 27th, 2011 at 6:06 pm
Last thread….:lol:
blake,
see anything in alex’s swing that suggests that he won’t return to previous form? looks to me like his timing is off, but his bat is still fast and his swing is right. what do you think?
Blake-
Why not give someone else a chance ?
Could they really be much worse ?
MTU August 27th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
The canyon didn’t swallow you whole ? Lock, stock and barrel !
VY-
Not this time. It was a great escape from the Summer heat.
Kd,
Not really….as you say he just needs his timing. I still think he’s capable of putting the offense on his back at any given moment.
MTU,
That’s the 85 million dollar question
Blake-
Gotcha !
I thought it was all about maxing out your chances to win.
Oh well. I see I was wrong.
He needs stem cells and protein shakes!
let some of the kids, noeisi, manban, betances, pitch in the double headers. can’t be worse than last night
worst case scenario, they damage their trade value. let aj clear his head
MTU August 27th, 2011 at 6:49 pm
Good for you, any more waterfalls ? Film @ 11 ?
Don’t know if this has been posted…..but the Sox tried to start their 2nd game today without finishing their first game after a rain delay but Joe Torre wouldn’t let them….
Agreed, not much left to be said. I’m sure it’s very frustrating for AJ – as it is for anyone who struggles this much.
Money talks, more talent sits. ( rhyme ? )
VY-
See for yourself. Film now.
https://picasaweb.google.com/109721757058432487394/KannarraCreeKSlot?authkey=Gv1sRgCPzFt9Pe0NmMrAE
“What is there left to say that hasn’t been said already ?”
***********
Take the over against Boston.
MTU:
I should know better by now, huh ?
WC:
No riding my coat tails !
You wear a coat? Fedora? Silk scarf?
VY-
I guess. My only gripe was that there were a lot of other people with the same idea.
Hardly ever see a soul but today was like the Utah version of Grand Central Station.
Like everyone had the same idea at the same time.
It was still wonderful nevertheless.
MTU:
Nice…………good to see some greenery and white water instead of the desert. Too hot for that I bet. WC would like it if I could get my animal pix up that quick.
You have animals?
VY-
Picassa makes it easy.
Free download from Google.
West Coast Yankee Fan August 27th, 2011 at 7:00 pm
A dress and a cape big boy ?
Same lame excuses as his previous starts and the probability of a turnaround is bleak. He is what he is.
I’m a positive thinker but nothing indicates that he can suddenly change. The same mechanics that get more out of whack as the game goes on and he’s a 2-pitch pitcher. Russell Martin is being kind as a teammate but in truth the hitters know that once his one errant breaking pitch gets a count in their favor, they can just sit and wait on the fastball.
Our Mr. Burnett is a lost cause. Too old to start over; his mechanics are atrocious. Every delivery is different; sometimes his shoulder flies open, some deliveries he slings the ball, others he overthrows and on and on.
When you basically lead the league in walks and wild pitches that pretty much tells one how severe the issues are. No control, no command. Hitters sit fastball knowing he’s not going to get them looking with his breaking ball or off-speed stuff.
And if he does pitch a decent 6-7 inning game, he’s almost a lock to not do it again his next time out. It’s time to ring him up and go young it could not be any worse.
Better to eat $20 million than $32 million.
MTU August 27th, 2011 at 7:05 pm
Lets just say I am not the most techno savvy guy. Remember the Baseball pix (Giants – Phily) that I posted, took me quite a while, captions etc. WC walked me through it on the phone. I need to spend more time getting used to it.
Better to eat the salary in the offseason
VY-
It’s very easy to learn and very user friendly.
It does most of the work for you.
And best of all it’s FREE.
Jacob Ruppert August 27th, 2011 at 7:11 pm
Better to eat the salary in the offseason
***********
I agree JR. If you can find someone to take him. Arizona? Washington? Pittsburgh? $6 million a year?
Jake:
You go take a nap ?
San Diego, Seattle, Houston, Florida……………….Baseball purgatory.
MTU:
Thanks, it will get easier as I go.
Perhaps AJ should consult a Tarot Card reader, or a fortune teller ?
Does anyone know a good psychic ?
Hypnosis ?
If he pitches against Boston, there will be plenty to say. Tired of his act and his mental collapse. Ship him out with Irene!
No Yankee game, almost time for NASCAR at Bristol, TN. Good bumping and grinding when they race at Bristol.
Both games tomorrow have been postponed.
My crystal ball and Quija board aren’t telling me anything about AJ’s issues.
Throwin’ the bones the same.
Aladdin’s lamp anyone ?
NYY fan in NH August 27th, 2011 at 7:18 pm
Take the over, it should be about 10.5 / 11. Maybe Wakefield will oppose him to make it an easy one.
MTU August 27th, 2011 at 7:21 pm
Did you see the site posted here this morning with pix of AJ’s house ? He is probably blind from everything being bright white at home.
VY-
You sure it wasn’t a hospital ward ?
West Coast Yankee Fan August 27th, 2011 at 7:14 pm
$6 million a year?
_________________________
Although I agree with the idea of cutting our losses with AJ, I think you may be under estimating what it might take. If AJ were a FA this winter would any team sign him at $6m a year? I dont think so. He would most likely have to come back with some team on a minor league deal (ala Barto and Freddy) with a mlb salary of say $1m-$2m if he could make the team out of ST.
AJ is owed $33m over the next two seasons. If Cashman can find another GM that will take that contract off his hands at around 10 cents on the dollar, he had better jump at it. He just might not get a better offer than that.
MYU:
It could have been, including padded white walls. Even the photos were blinding, everything brite white, every room, blinding. So much so I probably missed the guys in the white coats with the butterfly nets waiting for him to walk in the front door.
AA in Toronto was able to unload Rios and Wells. 2 of the more onerous contracts around.
If he could pull that off then Cashman ought be able to deal AJ.
Especially if he is willing to eat a lot of the contract.
MTU, I think he would have to eat a lot of it.
I agree but whatever he saves is found money.
Better than losing it all.
Yes I agree. Save what he can. I just think he might have to eat more of it than some think.
Have a good evening.
Catch you all later.
Eat a lot of it, save what you can, but just cut ties with him. Trade him to a NL team and he might succeed, but success with Yanks is never going to happen.
Is Red Sox game blacked out for anyone else on both feeds?
Hey GB
Not sure if you saw this.
http://www.time.com/time/natio.....?hpt=hp_t2
Tar reporting for duty.
lol mick
The Rays have the best record in the AL this month. “Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.”
Leaving AJ in the rotation can very well impact the season.
For those having baseball withdrawals like me, Angels at Rangers (Santana vs Wilson) coming up on MLB channel.
NEXT====>>>>>
E chihuahua. Boy did that go to hell fast.
mick, I think you may have overreacted because Tar had responded to you in a positive way in an earlier post but you may not have seen it. Because he had already responded, and because he was conversing with another poster, I seriously don’t think he had you on ignore or used multitasking as a cop out.
That said, I guess I’m not so great a peace broker. That makes me sad but it is what it is.
Jacob, part of staying out of the fray is also not laughing at someone else’s expense (7:54 p.m.) You’re either only going to comment on baseball or you’re going to chime in when someone’s being degraded. It is obviously your choice, but I think if you are going to remove yourself from the drama you need an entirely clean break.
JMO
****************
I have the Sux game on NESN. Maybe this is the Saturday game of the week and is on FOX?
mick, I think you may have overreacted because Tar had responded to you in a positive way in an earlier post but you may not have seen it
============================
what you may not have seen was his admission that he lied to me bc of you…I didn’t need to see that as I already saw through him.
go back and read the posts…
Maybe ignore each other? That’s as healthy as anything rather than goading each other, right?
Boy, Russ Mart. said it the most plain and simple I have heard anyone discuss the issues with AJ. That’s exactly the reason I have always thought AJ needs a 3rd pitch. Not speaking on a mechanical side, but a more practical side, Russell nailed it. The guy has been a stud with this staff this year as well as giving the Yankees a respectable arm from behind the plate. Props to Russ.
“That’s exactly the reason I have always thought AJ needs a 3rd pitch. ”
He does have a 3rd picth, the changeup, he just does not use it much.
He should also develop a splitter.
It took Burnett 2 years to figure out that batters were sitting on his fastball? I’m not agreeing or disagreeing with his self assessment, but simply pointing something out that a scouting reporter would be bale to figure out within 3 batters. The guy is a complete joke.
-pft2 August 28th, 2011 at 12:49 am-
Exactly. When was the last time you saw him throw it? We heard so much about it last spring training and he never uses it. Not really a 3rd pitch if you never throw it, is it?