UM... WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY?

Photo: New York Daily News

I saw the game. I was truly embarrassed. I was embarrassed by the loss, and the spectacle.

I mean look, I understand tensions get hot in the heat of a baseball game. But it's a damn baseball game.  The Tigers are 15 games out of first in the AL Central.  Are we really having some type of rivalry with them yesterday where 2 major brawls break out? It's utterly ridiculous... and what does it get us... suspended players in the most important season in a while for us Yankee fans and our beloved New York Yankees.

AP writes:  "Once slugger Miguel Cabrera wrestled Yankees catcher Austin Romine to the ground at home plate, an afternoon game at Comerica Park collapsed into total chaos.

All the testiness that had been building between the Detroit Tigers and New York finally boiled over. The toll of Thursday's fury -- three bench-clearing altercations, eight ejections, one beaning and a lot of angry words...

Detroit's Alex Wilson (2-4) and New York's Dellin Betances (3-5) -- were among those tossed. So were Girardi and Tigers manager Brad Ausmus.

At one point, the ill will carried over to the Detroit dugout, where star pitcher Justin Verlander and teammate Victor Martinez appeared to get into some sort of dispute."

And the video is, while riveting... total insanity. Check it out:



Now look, it's true, Romine got shoved first.  There is nothing wrong with him flinging his mask off quickly to get in Cabrera's face, but Cabrera shouldn't have put hands on him either.  And trust me, I get brotherhood.  Watching DRob run full speed from the pen to help his teammates was incredible.  But my point is why... why the Tigers? What a waste... and now, who ends up getting suspended going into the weekend and what happens to our depleted team? Come on man...




It's stupid. In the end, The Tigers are in our head and then... the loss. As my son who is now 15 said... "What a joke."




Here's more. Have fun with this video too. Sets a great example heading into Player's weekend.  That was the irony of this video above. As the brawls and shouting is taking place, a friendly reminder about this weekend's MLB Players weekend.

Hilarious and sad.

Do I like video like this? I love it.  But it hurts the team ultimately and we need to be smarter when we're picking our enemies... especially when we are so close to getting past the Red Sox.  Why the hell are we bothering with a team 15 games out?

Seems silly to me.

TEIXEIRA'S SERVICES WILL EXPIRE

The last time Mark Teixeira was on the verge of becoming a free agent, he was one of the hottest commodities on the market and with good reason. Tex was great defensively, and still is, hit for power and average and was durable. He played in an average of 137 a season games through 2011 and played in over 150 games in six of his first 10 seasons. At the time it was a great signing for the Yankees.

Now, several years later, Tex says he wants to finish his career as a Yankee, but he has been hobbled by injuries and hasn't batted above .256 since 2009 (the shift hasn't helped). He has produced over 20 home runs in every season except for 2013, a season is which he only played 15 games, and over 30 home runs in all but three seasons of his career, not including 2013. His power numbers are still there and his OBP of .357 in 2015 was much improved from the previous several seasons.

But Tex isn't getting any younger. I am not a Tex hater. I love what he does at first base and love seeing him launch home runs from both sides of the plate. The injuries concern me for sure, but the freak broken bone last year, in my mind, doesn't count when it comes to considering him injury prone. As Forrest Gump said 'It Happens".

But what I can't see the Yankees doing following the 2016 season is signing Tex to a long term, big money deal. Victor Martinez received a four year, $68 million deal following his 35 year-old season with the Tigers and the Yankees signed Carlos Beltran to a three year, $45 million contract a few years back. That could be the kind of contract Tex hopes for with a productive and healthy 2016.

While he could still provide some good production and play some good defense, he just won't have much of a spot with the Yankees next season. Greg Bird proved he was Major League ready last August and September (and made the right decision to get his shoulder fixed this season rather than waiting) plus the Yankees have a 40-something year-old Alex Rodriguez signed through next season who can only really be utilized as a DH.

If Tex has an awful down year and he could be gotten on the cheap, maybe a one-year $7-8 million deal for example, that would have to be considered by the Yankees. Either way, Tex and his agent are more than likely going to want a Martinez or Beltran type deal assuring one more nice pay day for him.

One little side note, Tex has 396 career home runs, leaving him just 104 shy of 500. I'd bet he has that in the back of his mind thinking that if he has four or five more years, he could reach that milestone.

I really do like Mark Teixeira. I would not mind him staying in pinstripes for a couple more years but there is just no room for him on the roster next season. They have their first baseman of the future and their DH, plus Brian McCann and Jacoby Ellsbury who aren't getting any younger and may see some time at DH to get half days off as they get older.

Tex was not a bad Yankee. He was, in my opinion, a pretty good Yankee. He helped them to the 2009 World Series title and has always maintained a good attitude and provided good energy to the team.

But the time has come for the Yankees to move on, barring unforeseen circumstances.

 2017 will be the year of the Bird at first in the Bronx.

 
 --Dan Lucia
BYB Senior Writer
Twitter: @DManLucia

 

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WHO'S YOUR THIRD BASEMAN? HEADLEY OR SANDOVAL?

With everything we've learned from 2014... with old age, with lack of solid offense all season, the rumor that the Yankees would be looking into someone like Pablo Sandoval  could seem strange. Here's why:

While I love watching both he and a guy like Victor Martinez play (Read YOU CAN'T FIX AN OLD LINEUP WITH MORE OLD PLAYERS) , The truth is... on paper, the Yankees HAVE the bats... we just haven't put it all together.

Pablo Sandoval is a third and sometimes first baseman.  In 2015, the Yankees are relying on Alex Rodrgiuez to come back. OK, now, that being said, ARod most likely can't give the Yankees 162 games at third.  OK fine, in reality, we knew that already.  He's got 2 bad hips, he's older and he sat out 2014.  There's alot stacked against him.  But here's the reality of it... why not just keep Chase Headley? He's a solid third baseman and my thinking is he might be a cheaper alternative.  Am I right? Maybe, maybe not.

The youth movement is something we've been talking about all season.  Many Yankee players are old.  Ichiro Suzuki, Mark Teixeira is broken down and aging in front of our eyes and old man ARod is returning. Plus we have Carlos Beltran.

Seeing a guy like Jose Pirela show up was nice to see, and something I'd like to see more of.  So, the idea of a 28 year old Pablo Sandoval coming to New York could be a breath of fresh air, especially compared to a 30 year old Headley.  Is there much of a difference?

Well, personally, I love watching Headley play. I think he's one of the most solid 3rd baseman out there.  I just don't know what the Yankees are thinking.

Sandoval this season, he played 157 games.  He had 16 homers and 73 RBIs.  Despite his size, he's durable and young-ish.

Headley batted .262 with 6 homers and 17 RBIs when he came to New York. Overall this season he batted .243 in 135 games. He also hit 7 homers while in San Diego, which gives me the impression that maybe playing in New York may have given him alittle extra drive.  He looked good in the short time he was in New York.  He impressed with a few walk off clutch performances, but most importantly, his glove is dynamic.

The latest news about Headley comes from Jon Heyman: "There are strong indications the Yankees may have interest in bringing back Chase Headley, and if so, that what would appear to signify real concerns over Alex Rodriguez's ability to be the team's starting third baseman going forward

Should the Yankees sign Headley (or someone else for third base), it would seem that Rodriguez's more likely main role would be that of a designated hitter."

The Sandoval rumor comes from Brendan Kuty of NJ.com who quotes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe: 

"Could the Yankees pursue third baseman Pablo Sandoval? They could, according to a report from the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo, who says the Yankees might be among three teams — including the Red Sox and Dodgers — who might be willing to offer the 28-year-old $100-million, five-year deal.

The report said the best move for Sandoval's might be to put him in the American League, where he could shift to DH later in his career...The Yankees could have a third base opening."

Well, what does it all mean? Not much. I mean, Brendan's incorrect when he writes that the Yankees have 3rd base open.  ARod is the Yankees third baseman. The question is, can he still play it?  Assuming he can, the best case scenario is to also sign Chase Headley.  This way we have a rotation of Headley and ARod at 3rd and DH.  Why spend 5 years, $100 million on Pablo Sandoval if you're going to part-time him? Unless of course, the Yankees have it in their mind all along that Alex Rodriguez will be their permanent DH.

Alot of questions and you know what? I'm not the expert with the answers. I am however a fan who's trying to cut through it and I ask you... what would you want to do?

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YOU CAN'T FIX AN OLD LINEUP WITH MORE OLD PLAYERS

I admire Joel Sherman of the New York Post, and he writes a great column today where he basically suggests that he doesn't believe his source in the organization that they are done signing big contracts and they've decided to be more conservative by their spending.  Well, I'm with Joel, I don't believe them either.  His column today is If the Yankees must spend, then spend on Victor Martinez. You read that right...VICTOR MARTINEZ.  And that's where he loses me.

Joel writes: "Thus, if told I must double down, my recommendation would be to sign Victor Martinez, despite the recklessness of doing just that. He turns 36 in December. He is mainly a DH and it is possible that slot is going to be needed for two expensive pieces already gone wrong for the Yanks — Beltran and Alex Rodriguez.

Because he is a year-and-a-half younger than Beltran and is having a superior walk year, Martinez can expect more than the three years at $45 million Beltran received last offseason."

I know... you grimaced just like me. I see what Sherman's doing.  He's being provocative and sucking in the Yankee fan, like you, like me, who are looking for answers to our team that we built this offseason with superstars like Jacoby Ellsbury and Masahiro Tanaka. 

Guys like Brian McCann and Beltran.  Guys that were supposed to help this club win.  Those three hitters right there alone look great on paper, don't they?  Offensively, mixing them in with guys like Derek Jeter and Brett Gardner... we have a new, hungry club.  But we aren't.

Here's the problem though.  Now, in the desperation of all of this, do we really want to continue to "go old"? Victor Martinez is 36 years old.  We've tried that. We've tried it many times.  Can't we attempt to get some young bats in there? Come on! Sprinkle in the youth with the old. What do you say?

Yes, it's true, Martinez is having the season of his life. 30 home runs, .333 average.  He's the exact player we want, no question about it.  Here's my worry... how do we know that will translate to the New York Yankees?  We've been burned before.  It goes back to the days of Jack Clark. 

Sure, we don't know until we try, but we have to somehow stop throwing money at everyone who has 1 good season.  We need to stay inside the family.  Last time we did that Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams happened.

The idea of Victor Martinez in pinstripes with 30+ home runs and a productive bat would be glorious, but let's face it, we've had high expectations for guys like Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran too.  It hasn't happened.

Look, I don't know what the Yankees will do.  I do know that if the Yankees don't make the playoffs this year, there will be hell to pay, and there should be.  But what happens next is anyone's guess... including Joel Sherman, including you and me.

Joel Sherman ladies and gentlemen... always provocative... but I'm just afraid the signing of Martinez could be reckless and desperate.

Stay tuned.

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CARRYING THE YANKEES ON HIS BACK

Brett Gardner is our savior apparently!  I don't really know how Mariano Rivera blew his third Save in a row today, it just seems so strange to me, but when a team works together, walk-offs happen and today, Gardy helped our Mo.  A great ending to a decent series for the Yankees against a first place Tiger club.

I didn't want to watch.  I was tired and frustrated when I woke up this morning.  My Yankees aren't playing too well and I really felt like my wife and I hadn't been able to do much this summer with the kids. So, with the snap of my fingers, we went to the beach.   I love watching Andy Pettitte pitch, but not today! We shot down the Parkway and forgot about the Yankees for a few hours. Good thing I did, because if I didn't and was watching the game on TV, I would have been throwing my remote at it!  Luckily though, we won, thanks to Gardy.

Pettitte went 4.1 innings giving up 8 hits and 1 run.  Mariano ended up getting the win after he blew the save.  The hitting and run scoring for the Yankees went as follows:

Alex Rodrgiuez hit a homer run today! Yeah! Then, in the same inning, Eduardo Nunez sacrificed Lyle Overbay home.   In the third, it was ARod again, this time singling and knocking in a run.  In the 4th, Alfonso Soriano homered. 

Then, after Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez both homered off of Mariano to tie the game, Brett Gardner came up in the bottom of the 9th and homered to win it.  You can't make that up!

Final: Yankees 5 - Tigers 4

I'm happy again.

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YANKEE RUMORS & BYB: PART 28

Hideki Matsui: Since it was reported that the Tigers’ Victor Martinez was hurt and will likely miss a lot of next season, the Tigers and Yankees have one thing in common, they both could use an extra big bat as there DH. Matsui is high on the Tigers list even though they just signed Prince Fielder, Read HERE and I wonder how he’d handle Detroit. No doubt Matsui is internationally popular and so damn likable, plus he can still hit. I wonder though, would the Tigers want him strictly as a DH? At least the Athletics gave him time in the outfield. The Yankees and Matsui chatted but to be honest, I haven’t read or seen anything to indicate that Matsui is in the Yankees plans at this point. This is the last thing I read HERE. We shall see.

Tim Lincecum: I don’t know what it’s news that Harold Reynolds is suggesting that Lincecum only signed a 2 year deal with the Giants because HE thinks Tim doesn’t want to stay in San Francisco long term. Read HERE. It’s clear to anyone on this planet that Tim doesn’t wants space and probably doesn't want to be with the Giants forever and he's just keeping his options opened. The Giants offered him a long term deal for big money and he turned it down, so they changed it to 2 years, 40 million. Bleeding Yankee Blue wrote that same Reynolds theory back in November in THE LINCECUM DILEMMA.

"The San Francisco Giants have a problem. It may not be major, but it is a problem. To me, it’s concerning to not be able to lock up your ace for a long term deal and that is exactly what has happened to the Giants and Tim Lincecum. No doubt, in a perfect marriage, you want to be with your team for a career, pitch your heart out for them and stay long term. Look at CC Sabathia, look at Cliff Lee’s deal. Look at what CJ Wilson wants to accomplish this off season. You can’t sit there and tell me there is nothing wrong with the relationship between Lincecum and the Giants. If there wasn’t, a long term deal would be done by now."

It’s simple thinking Ladies and Gentlemen… it’s not news. And sure, I can ride the Lincecum train and suggest one day Tim will come to the Bronx. I want that and sure, he probably won’t but one things for sure, if he wanted to stay in San Fran forever he would have taken that sweet deal they offered in the first place.

Edwin Jackson: We suggested Scott Boras inflated 5 year $60 million demand for Edwin Jackson would ultimately mess up Jackson’s chances. Well, it did. Read WHY BORAS WILL MESS THINGS UP FOR EDWIN JACKSON. Jackson’s one of the last free agents out there to be signed. He’s a good pitcher but bouncing around from team to team and his inconsistency alone is only worth 2 years tops and certainly not $60. I wish Jackson well, and if the Red Sox sign him, they sign a decent pitcher...read that HERE. But I tell you what, I’m glad Hal and Co. passed.

Eric Chavez: Nothing from the Chavez camp or the Yankees in reference to re-signing him. What the hell is going on? I would have figured this would be a no brainer by now. I suspect that some of what Cashman was talking about 2 days ago about dangling excess pitching to get a bat may be a factor, Read HERE. If they can make a clean trade, perhaps for someone that could do what Chavez did in exchange for a Phil Hughes or AJ Burnett, then why sign Chavez? That’s the only theory I got on why Eric Chavez is not in pinstripes…at least not yet. Otherwise… I’m out of guesses.

If there are any other stories or signings involving the New York Yankees or MLB that we’ve been talking about ,we’ll bring it you right here. Thanks for reading and thanks for your support this off season. We love doing this for you.

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THE YANKEES ARE ALIVE!

The Yankees had their backs against the wall and no one was hitting Burnett was to pitch...and all day today, it was the only thing on my mind. Then, like I said in WHY I'M IN AN EMPIRE STATE OF MIND, something happened. I felt better because my iPod was telling me something. Why else would Empire State of Mind just randomly play on shuffle? It was a sign...The Yankees are back and tonight proved it.
(Photo: AP)
The first inning for AJ Burnett was horrendous, but I had hope. After walking 2 and 1 more intentionally, the bases were loaded with 2 outs. Don Kelly then hit the crap out of the ball to deep center and Curtis Granderson made a tremendous catch. Brian Anderson, the announcer called the play a "big break" for the Yankees. A big break? He also called it "kind of a mis-play". How about an outstanding catch? I'll never understand the TBS guys. I will give Ron Darling some credit. He's complimentary to the Yankees while trying to give constructive analysis. Smoltz is terrible. Sorry John.

The top of the second inning, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher went fast. One positive though, Alex and Tex hit the ball hard, which led me to believe they are close to snapping out of their rut. The bottom of the second went quick for AJ. Thank God. He started to get into a rhythm and actually looked good.

The top of the 3rd was beautiful. The Yankees actually had Ducks on the Pond and got them home. Jorge Posada was hit by a pitch. Russell Martin then singled. Brett Gardner stuck out on a lousy, high third strike call and then Derek Jeter came up. He cranked a double to center field and Posada and Martin scored. Martin's slide was sweet around Avila and touched home with his hand as he slid by. He was pumped.(Photo: AP)
The 4th inning just showed me Nick Swisher striking out and looking ridiculous. Let's face it, Swish can't do a thing in the postseason right now. The bottom of the 4th Victor Martinez took the ball yard. He just crushed it, there was no doubt about it. At this point, the score was 2 to 1 Yankees. Then Jhonny Peralta doubled. This is right about the time where AJ starts to feel the pressure. Right around the second time around the order, the opposing team sometimes gets to AJ. At this point, I was wondering what was up Girardi's sleeve. Then, AJ struck out Wilson Betemit stranding Peralta... inning over.

In the 5th inning Russell Martin singled again. Man was he pumped tonight. Then red hot Brett Gardner singled moving Martin to second. At this point there were no outs and Jeter coming to the plate. Jeter bunted and give credit to Rick Porcello, he threw to third and nailed Martin. 1 out. Curtis Granderson then rips one down the right field line, base hit and it scores Brett Gardner. Jeter moves to third. Robinson Cano was then intentionally walked to load the bases. Alex comes up the plate and you know he had home run on his brain. Instead, he sacrificed and Jeter scored. 4-1 Yankees. Mark Teixeira shit the bed and stuck out. Between he and Swisher, I really don't know who's worse at this point.

The bottom of the 5th, Austin Jackson singled to left. Then a quick double play and a beautiful scoop by Teixeira in the dirt to complete the double play. Delmon Young then knocked it back to AJ and the inning was over. Nice work so far AJ.

In the 6th, Nick Swisher now came up for his third time of the night. A hit to second and out number 1. I tell you... I have no use for Swish right now, what is going on with this guy? Will he ever hit?

In the bottom of the 6th with 2 outs, Girardi came out and relieved AJ of his duties. At this point I was excited to see the team pat him on the shoulders and tell him "Good job." We fans tend to forget that these guys are human. Rafael Soriano came in and his first batter cranked one to center field. Now I've seen outstanding catches in my 40 years of life, but seeing Granderson horizontal and making that catch to end the inning is something I have never seen. You think the Yankees want to win this one? I do.

The bottom of the 7th was smooth for Soriano who got out of the inning fast, 1,2,3.

In the 8th inning Alex Rodriguez finally got a hit. I said it earlier, you can tell by the swings, he was going to get a hit soon. Now, all I wanted is for that to rub off on Teixeira and Swish. Then a dribbler for Tex down third and suddenly 2 men on and no one out for Swisher. Then, it happened... Swisher got a single. See? There are 2 things that are addictive in baseball, losing and hitting. The Yankees are hitting in this Game 4 and now, everyone is starting the hit. That's a good sign.

Jesus Montero came to the plate with the bases loaded as a pinch hitter. It's good to see this kid in a postseason game. Phil Coke was replaced by Al Alburquerque and suddenly, a balk. ARod scores and it's 5-1. Montero crushed a single through 3rd and Short and Tex scored. 6-1 Yankees at this point. Alburquerque was replaced by Schlereth and Gardner keeps on hitting and another run comes into score. At this point I cracked open a beer and sat back. I felt the need to finally relax. With the bases loaded, Jeter came to the plate and struck out. Then a wild pitch brings in a run... 8-1. Cano came up to the plate and looped a single over shortstop. 2 runs scored and at that point it was 10-1. Another pitching change and then Alex came up and cranked a single. He hit it hard...he's hitting now. Like Ron Darling said, the bat speed is there now, Alex is back. Remember I said that.

Mark Teixeira then ripped one to right field and deep, but it was caught to end the inning. "Mark" my words, pardon the pun, Tex is back too.Phil Hughes came in and he got the Tigers 1,2,3. He looked great and it was a relief to see because who knew what he'd have. Girardi used him perfectly, a non-pressure situation to get some confidence and it worked.

In the 9th, Jesus Montero got postseason hit number 2. Martin then hit into a double play and the inning was over. The bottom of the 9th brought in Boone Logan. I knew it was 10-1, but why was I nervous? I shouldn't have been, Logan struck out the side.

Final Score: Yankees 10 - Tigers 1

The Yankees are going back to the Bronx, and Jose Valverde can suck it. The New York Yankees are back and just in time, we have everyone hitting and we're headed home, just where I love to clinch. I believe. I know we can do it.

I leave you with this:



Looking forward to seeing my guys clinching the ALDS at home in the Bronx bitches!!!!! Go Yankees!

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2011 ALDS YANKEES VS. TIGERS GAME 4 PREVIEW

I said last night wasn't a must win. You know why? Because if the Yankees lost, which they did, there's still a tomorrow, which is today. Well ladies and gentlemen, after last night's grueling, gut-wrenching 5-4 loss, tonight is literally a must win game. AJ Burnett is on the mound for the Yankees. Yes, I know it's not the ideal guy we want on the mound, but let's be honest, it's all we've got right now. But, A.J isn't the only guy on the team who needs to step up. The offense needs to step it up too. You know who you are Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira. Rodriguez and Teixeira have combined to go 1 for 21, an ugly .047 average while combining for no homers and just two RBI thus far in the ALDS.But all in all the spotlight will be on AJ Burnett. I mean, he is the starting pitcher and he's the guy who the Yankees need to pitch well to win this game. Burnett has struggled in his career against the Tigers going 4-2 with a 6.33 ERA. But look at the bright side, he made two starts against the Tigers this season, one on April 2 at the Stadium in which he picked up his first win by going 5 innings and allowing three runs while striking out six. His second start against Detroit came in Comerica Park on May 5 in which he went 7 innings, allowing five runs--two earned--while striking out five. So at least there's recent success for Burnett against the Tigers. If he can pitch like he did in those first two games against the Tigers, there's a good chance the Yankees win.

Now, although Burnett has a career ERA over 6.00 against Detroit, there isn't a batter in Detroit's lineup that has handled Burnett regularly. Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez have each hit .214 (3 for 14) and .259 (7 for 27) against AJ Martinez has one career homer off Burnett and three RBI. Delmon Young, Magglio Ordonez, and Brandon Inge have combined to hit .384 (10 for 26) in the series, but have combined to hit .227 (10 for 44) in their career's against A.J Burnett.

The Yankees will be facing Rick Porcello in this game. All the naysayers say the Yankees are doomed because AJ Burnett is going for the Yankees. Not so fast, Porcello isn't Cy Young himself either. He's won 14 games, but he has a 4.75 ERA while allowing 210 hits in 182.2 innings in the process. He's gone 2-2 in his four career starts against the Yankees with a 5.56 ERA. He did pitch against the Yanks this year in Comerica Park on May 5. He went 7 innings while allowing just two runs. I mean, the guy isn't a scrub, but he's certainly hittable.There are a number of hitters in the Yankee lineup who have had good success against Porcello, although they're in small sample sizes. Robinson Cano is a .455 hitter (5 for 11) against Porcello. Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada are hitting .300 (3 for 10) and .333 (3 for 9) each against the 22 year old right hander. But the two guys in the Yankee order with the biggest spotlight, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira, hit a combined .142 (2 for 14) with no homers or RBI against Porcello.

Like I said, this is a must win. If the Yankees win, they'll send it back to the Bronx for a winner take all Game 5. If not, they go home for the winter wondering what went wrong. Can A.J Burnett step up and pitch well? Sure he can, but it's certainly no guarantee. But, I think he'll have a representative start. But, according to Joe Girardi, he'll have a short leash. Read HERE.

Either way, he'll need his offense and bullpen to back him up. It's going to take a team effort as usual to win this game, but it can most definitely be accomplished.




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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