WHY BURNETT'S THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD

I had another restless sleep last night. This time, instead of sugar plums dancing in my head or visions of a packed Times Square as the ball dropped to ring in 2012….I saw Billy Beane pointing and laughing at Yankee fans everywhere. He looked so smug standing next to his new loot he acquired after trading Gio Gonzalez away to the Nationals, it was like watching an army of evil droids that escaped from Star Wars. I started to feel a little depressed, like Yankee fans everywhere were being punished for keeping our prized farmhands. How will the Yankees ever get back on top? Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks….AJ Burnett can do it!Think about it, AJ Burnett is exactly like the “Little Engine that Could,” because he is constantly saying “I think I can….I think I can,” and he just needs someone else to believe in him! The poor guy is so misunderstood, he is the red-headed step child of the entire team and needs some love. He needs people to believe in him as he gives himself all of those crazy pep talks because that is really what will help him “keep his team in the game.” Well AJ….I believe in you! You can be my #2 any day. Sure, you may give poor Russell Martin an injury or two behind home plate as he tries to block your wild pitches…but I get what you are doing! I know you are just trying to intimidate those batters up there; it’s not a mental thing or a mechanics issue for you at all. If you miss the plate by ten feet, it’s because you want to make the players just as uncomfortable as the fans watching you are. You are a genius! I wonder why no one else on the team has adopted that philosophy or why no other team wants to inherit your $16.5 million salary? Sure, you cost a pretty penny….but your uncanny ability to be so unpredictable is worth every cent.So Cashman, I understand why you would let another pitcher slip through the cracks. I mean, who would want a young lefty that would be under team control for four more years? He’s washed up anyways, it’s not like you have a good pitching coach to help develop these pitchers. I get it….stick with AJ! At least we know what we will get out of him. Don’t worry about us, we are still staying dry here at the kiddie pool since we can’t swim in the deep end yet….

“I think YOU can….I think YOU can….I think YOU can.”

(If you don't understand sarcasm, clearly you're on the wrong site.)

--Jeana Bellezza --BYB Writer and Editor



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