...and his name is AJ Burnett.
With absolutely outstanding performance by Ivan Nova last night and the masterpiece by Phil Hughes earlier, Burnett looked like a thorn between two roses. The sports media keeps wondering whether the Yanks will send Nova back to Triple-A or perhaps send Hughes to the bullpen, instead of asking the real question: How can they eliminate AJ from the rotation?
Of course, we know that the number one reason is money, AJ being owed some $40 million from now through 2013, and he does have electric stuff, but is that worth risking a season because you have a glaring weakness in your rotation? Of course not. To trade him probably means eating a good size portion of his salary, or to quote Jim Bouton in his book, Ball Four, "Boys, it's a big s**t sandwich, and we're all gonna have to take a bite." I hope the Yankee front office is hungry because we fans are hungry for a World Series ring. I have been an advocate for AJ in the past, mostly because of the quality of his stuff, but I've turned a corner. There have been a lot of talented players in the majors who couldn't turn their talents into winning baseball; I believe now that AJ is one of those.
***YANKS SWEEP THE WHITE SOX***
The beat down was so overwhelming, that even Ozzie couldn't get up the energy to perform. Has he ever gone four straight games with out even making an appearance on the field? The White Sox are not a good team and what they lack in talent, they augment by playing thoughtless baseball. They made a number of mental mistakes in the four games, but frankly, the Yanks didn't really need them.
I mentioned the sad case of Adam Dunn earlier this week, but why doesn't Ozzie do something? Is it really worth having him in the cleanup spot hoping for a worthless solo home run after the game is out of reach? Obviously not.
Here's a thought: trade AJ Burnett for Adam Dunn even up. The Yanks have a good hitting coach--in Scranton.
***THE BIG WEEKEND***
The Yanks and the Sox head for three major skirmishes at Fenway starting tonight. Both team have lined up their starting pitching rotation, but I think the big key is the bullpen. Both teams like to draw out at bats, forcing pitchers to throw an unusually high number of pitches. If this holds true to form, we might see relievers entering the game as early as the 6th inning. If this happens, the Yanks have an advantage with the slightly better bullpen, especially in middle relief. Most analysts say Boston has an advantage because of all their left-handed hitters and the Yanks only have one lefty starter and one lefty reliever, but Colon handles lefties very well and Garcia's "junk" doesn't rely on overpowering anybody, including the catcher. Rivera's history against left-hander hitters is well known. On paper, the Saturday game (Sabathia vs Lackey) looks weighted heavily in the Yanks favor, so tonight's game is the key. It's a must-win for the Yanks.
AROUND THE NATIONAL LEAGUE:
Philly continues to roll, winning 7 in a row, Pittsburgh continues to fall, losing 7 in a row. The Giants lack of offense is starting to hurt them. Arizona is only a half-game back in the NL West.
***THEY SAID IT***
"A man jumped the White House fence Tuesday but was quickly tackled. D.C. oddsmakers immediately installed the Secret Service as 7 ½-point favorites over the Redskins." -- Dwight Perry
"White Sox throw at Adam Dunn's head during batting practice." - SportsPickle.com
"Ford recalled 1.1 million pickups because of faulty gas tanks: "Picture 1.1 million pickups — it looks like the parking lot at a Texas Tech home game." -- Brad Dickson
"Rodriguez is on the disabled list after having knee surgery in July, so he’s got time on his hands and no excuses for not showing up promptly at baseball’s New York offices to answer questions — other than having to leave Cameron Diaz alone on a beach somewhere, which is always a risk." --Norman Chad
CP-
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