Sunday, August 21, 2011

Yankeetorial: Girardi is right, we must stick with AJ

AJ Burnett brought to NYC a torso of trailer park tattoos and the walk-off cream pie. He pitched like a freak of nature, a human slingshot. He helped us win a World Series. He has been a loyal teammate. And today he is The Disaster, fans ready to riot against him like a Middle Eastern dictator.

Brothers and Sisters, we've hit the crossroads. We can boo this guy into Kevin Brownhood, the wretched, spirit-broken domain of the Pavanos and Igawas. Or we can attempt an animal rescue. We can stand behind him.

Trouble is, for some fans, he's being paid too much to save.

I'll never understand why Yankee fans put a price tag on loyalty.

We're Yankee fans, dammit. We waste money. Those draft picks we signed last week? Maybe one will someday bear fruit. Most will be money thrown into the ocean. That guy we signed two weeks ago and released, JC Romero? Waste of cash. You can't flush a toilet on these veterans without writing a fat check. So why the riots when Burnett collapses?

Listen: He has already paid dividends: A World Series ring.

Last night, he hit a new Yankee low. When Jorge Posada faced his, the fans mulled it, then stood up and cheered. Of course, Jorge has earned his loyalty. But booing Burnett requires selective memory. And it could cost us.

Our rotation is collapsing. The wings are falling off Colon and Garcia. Nova is a rookie, pitching later than ever before. The farm system is for next year. We have nobody else. We need Burnett.

Last night, Girardi stood up for his man.

Soon, it will be the fans' turn. Will we?
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4 comments:

  1. Bye Bye BalboniAugust 21, 2011 at 9:28 AM

    Here's what I don't get:

    AJ is a perfectly good first-half pitcher. Check his April and May record with the Yanks. Second half of the season, the wheels fall off. Why has nobody thought of, instead of demoting him to the bullpen or exiling him to Igawaville, simply sitting him down more after July 4?

    Have someone cut his finger the way they did with Freddy Garcia. Send him to hairstylists' school for a few weeks. Anything. This is the perfect time of year to do it. He could go on the 15 day DL and by the time he's back, the rosters have expanded to 40 players. If he implodes again, it's a perfect excuse to try two or three hungry young pitchers just up from Scranton. If the rest actually does him some good, it makes me look like a genius. It's a win-win situation.

    I know you're reading this, Brian Cashman. Now, will you act?

    ReplyDelete
  2. David BallelaAugust 21, 2011 at 11:12 AM

    fool me once El Duque, never again.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousAugust 21, 2011 at 2:32 PM

    get rid of him
    he's a liability in every way
    he's a head case and will never get right
    at least not in the a.l.

    ReplyDelete
  4. JMAugust 22, 2011 at 8:19 AM

    what anonymous said. and i swear, that wasn't me.

    ReplyDelete

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