With Tanaka Signed, Time For the Other Chips to Fall Into Place

Of course he's smiling, he's got a guaranteed contract.

The front offices of Major League Baseball teams around the country waited and waited. They waited until Japanese-born pitcher Masahiro Tanaka chose the team and the contract he would play for in his quest for success in the United States. With that done and pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training in a couple of weeks, it's time for the remaining free agent pitchers to find a new home or return to their existing ones.

Matt Garza didn't take long at all to decide on which team it would be (the Milwaukee Brewers), but it did take some time to get the contract finalized. With some concerns over lingering arm issues, the Brewers gave Garza a guaranteed four years and $50MM, incentives that could tack on another $4MM, and an option for 2018 that will give Garza the opportunity to earn $67MM when everything is said and the contract is done.

A.J. Burnett had trouble deciding if he wanted to play any more, but once he did the Baltimore Orioles decided to go (MLB Network's Peter Gammons tweeted) "all in" on the lanky right-hander. After the success Burnett had in the National League the last two seasons with Pittsburgh, you would think he would stay in the NL, but those offers may not be forthcoming.

FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reported the Toronto Blue Jays have looked extensively at the medical records of Ubaldo Jimenez and Ervin Santana. The Blue Jays are hoping to make an official offer to at least one of them. ¹ Both have been hoping for long term, big money deals.

Bronson Arroyo has had his name brought up by many teams, but told ESPN"s Jayson Stark that he has yet to receive an official offer. He's baffled by the lack of action.

"I get [Clayton] Kershaw," Arroyo told ESPN.com. "I get why he got all that money. But then you've got guys like Dice-K [Matsuzaka], who came over here and was good for the first couple years but then didn't pan out. And when he doesn't pan out, they all just forget and go on to the next guy who's not proven, and pay him. 

"Meanwhile, they forget about guys like me, who have done the job for the last eight or 10 years, and treat them like they've never done anything in this game. That's hard, man." ²

Scott Baker was an emerging star for the Minnesota Twins over the stretch of 2009-2011, but Tommy John surgery wiped out 2012 and most of 2013. The 32-year old signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners and was given an invitation to spring training in his comeback attempt.

Journeymen Paul Maholm, Jason Hammel, and one time stud Tommy Hanson are all still available. Back end of the rotation starters Jerome Williams, Jason Marquis, and Roberto Hernandez (the former Fausto Carmona) are all still on the market as well. Either they are holding out for guaranteed money or teams are still waiting to sign them to minor league deals.

15 more days until the sound of ball thudding into catcher's mitt. I can't wait.


1 - foxsports.com
2 - espn.com

Yes, Yankees Fans, It's Okay to Root For the Pirates

Yes, I said it. It is okay for Yankees fans to root for the Pittsburgh Pirates this post-season.  However, I will preface my statement...if you under the age of, oh, 55, it is okay to root for the Pirates. If you are over 55, there's a good chance you still harbor ill will against P-Burgh for the 1960 World Series.

I wasn't born yet, so I have never felt any malice towards the Pirates. That being said, I don't like seeing the film of Bill Mazeroski's home run sailing over Yogi Berra's head and over the brick wall in old Forbes Field.

My brother, 9-years old at the time of the '60 series, was mortified when he learned I rooted for the Pirates against the Baltimore Orioles in both the 1971 and 1979 World Series. I hated the Orioles as a kid; they beat the snot out of the Yankees time and time again.

While there wasn't the animosity that exists between the fans of the Yankees and Red Sox (and some players) today, the Orioles did much more damage to the Yankees in the late 1960's and early 1970's than Boston ever did.

The Orioles won the inaugural AL East title when division play began in 1969, and won it again in 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, and 1979. They won the AL Pennant three times and the World Series once.

But enough about Baltimore, this is about Pittsburgh. This is about a team that had its first winning record in 21 years this season. That's the same length of time since they have been in the post-season. The Pirates lost the NLCS three straight seasons from 1990-1992, twice in the 7th game.

The 1979 team, like the 1971 team, came back from a 3-1 deficit in games to the win the World Series. That was the fifth and final time the Pirates made it to the World Series and won it.

Tonight they enter as the host team for the one game wild card playoff with NL Central division rival Cincinnati. The two teams met in the regular season's final weekend, with the Pirates taking a three game sweep to ensure the first playoff home game since a 7-1 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 5 of the '92 NLCS. That series ended dramatically with former Pirate Sid Bream just beating a tag at home plate with the winning run after Atlanta rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the 9th. (Yes, some young Pirates fans know what it was like to be a young Yankees fans in 1960.) The Pirates also took the season series, 11 games to eight.

Manager Clint Hurdle, one of the front-runners for the NL Manager of the Year award, is in his third year as the Pirates' skipper. Under Hurdle's watch, the team has gone from 72 to 79 to 94 wins. The former Kansas City Royals Sports Illustrated cover boy has only one prior year of playoff managerial experience and that was with the NL pennant winning Colorado Rockies in 2007.

Hurdle's opposing manager, Dusty Baker, helmed the 2002 San Francisco Giants to a World Series title. However, Baker has won only one other playoff series in five additional playoff appearances.

The current squad hopes to get over the next hurdle with a bunch of talented kids and a good mix of veterans, including former Yankees A.J. Burnett and Russell Martin. Burnett led the team in starts (with Jeff Locke), innings pitched, and strikeouts. He is one of four Pirates pitchers that finished with double digit wins, three of which had 10 total, including Burnett.

Martin's numbers were very similar to those he produced with the Yankees. Fans wanted him gone until they saw what Chris Stewart did as a full-time player. Martin came through with walk-off winners in four home games this season and was a big influence on the youngsters.

Pitcher Francisco Liriano, one time known as the "next Johann Santana", looked like his career might done after posting 5+ ERAs in 2011 and 2012. But he resurrected his career in Pittsburgh this season with a career high 16 wins, his most innings pitched (161) since 2010 and his best ERA (3.02) and WHIP (1.224) since 2006. It will be his task Tuesday night to help the Pirates get to the division series when he squares off against the Reds' Johnny Cueto.

With Wandy Rodriguez out due to injury, the Pirates got a big boost when rookie Gerrit Cole was called up in June. Now, Yankees fans can whine about something. Cole was drafted by the interlocking NY in 2008, but he rebuked them. Cole went to UCLA instead and signed with the Pirates after he was the number one pick in the nation in the 2011 MLB amateur draft.

The 23-year old finished the season with a 10-7, 3.22 record in 19 starts and with 100 strikeouts in 117.1 IP. His performance also helped offset Locke's struggles over the last two months of the season.

The biggest star in the Steel City, though, is outfielder Andrew McCutchen. The 26-year old was the 11th overall pick in the 2005 draft and made his MLB debut in 2009. In five big league seasons he produced a slash line average of .296./380/.489, won Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards, and made three All-Star appearances.

The five-tool player averaged 20 home runs, 25 steals, and 91 runs scored a season. He led the NL in hits last season with 194 and had 185 this year. Yes, he can do it all and usually does.

He's aided in the lineup by slugging third baseman Pedro Alvarez (tied for NL lead with 36 HR), outfielder Starling Marte (41 steals), power hitting second baseman Neil Walker, and veteran outfielder Marlon Byrd, who was acquired at the trade deadline from the Mets.

Seton Hall product Jason Grilli, a veteran of 11 big league seasons got his first gig as a full-time closer at age 36 and responded with 33 saves in 35 opportunities. He averaged 13.3 strikeouts per nine innings and was named to his first All-Star game.

Mark Melancon (he and Jose Tabata are the final two former Yankees on the active roster) was Grilli's main set up man and filled in as closer when Grilli went down for six weeks with a strained forearm. He remained the closer for a short time even when Grilli returned until the veteran was back at or near 100%. The 28-year old appeared in a career high 72 games, saved 16 of them and averaged just fewer than nine strikeouts per nine innings.

Vin Mazzaro, Justin Wilson, Tony Watson, and Bryan Morris have all been solid out of the pen as well.

When it comes right down to it, the Pirates are a fun team to watch and to root for. There are no ghosts of Pirates past in PNC Park and no annoying choruses of "We are Family" (at least I hope not.) So here is one Yankees fan that hopes the Pirates get past the Reds, the Cardinals, and either the Braves or Dodgers (sorry Donnie Baseball, I hate the Dodgers.) and whatever American League opponent they may run into. The city of Pittsburgh has been waiting a long time for this.

Yankees Fans Need to Make Up Their Minds and Stop Whining: A Semi-Rant

We know how you feel El Capitan

The year 2008 was very memorable in the history of the New York Yankees. The team was playing its last season on the site of the original and renovated versions of Yankee Stadium. There was a new manager, Joe Girardi, for the first time since 1996. Most of all, the team stunk by the Yankees and George Steinbrenner's standards - 89-73, 3rd place in the AL East, eight games behind the division winning Tampa Bay Rays. The Boston Red Sox took the AL wild card, six games ahead of the Yankees. The fans were livid.

The battle cry was shouted from the rooftops around the metropolitan area. Sign great players!!! Bring in All-Stars!!! We have to win now!!! The Yankees did just that giving deals to CC Sabathia (7 years, $161MM), Mark Teixeira (8 years, $180MM), and A.J. Burnett (5 years, $82.5MM). They traded for Nick Swisher (originally to play 1st base before Teixeira's signing), who became integral after Xavier Nady was lost early in the season. And of course there was still Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, and Jorge Posada.

The Yankees immediately won their first World Series in nine years and Yankees fans were figuratively fat and happy heading into the winter. Then something happened over the next four years. Players got older, some retired, some skills deteriorated, some didn't heal as quickly as they once did. The 2013 version of the Yankees is the fan base's nightmare. An old, injury riddled team that is currently filled with players who don't have the bat speed or the fastball they once did, and youngsters who aren't ready to be playing regularly in the Major Leagues.

So what's being shouted out now? Why can't we be more like the Pittsburgh Pirates? Say What? You know how the Pittsburgh Pirates got the way they did? By losing and losing some more and losing even more. It's not hard to build a good squad when you are perennially in the bottom of the division and have draft picks in the first five picks every year. Throw in a couple of key free agents (e.g. Russell Martin) and have a bona fide home grown star (Andrew McCutchen) and suddenly life is grand.

Then when the Pirates stars are ready for big money, they'll get dispatched to other teams around the league. Just the same way the Tampa Bay Rays and Kansas City Royals do. Do you think for one nanosecond, any Yankees fan is going to put up with the seasons it would take to build a team of young talent like that? Not one, not a single one!

89 wins in 2008 and the first non-playoff team in 13 years proved that. Not a team that barely won 70 games, but a team that almost won 90 drove people crazy. It's hard to argue with the Yankees haters when they say the fans are spoiled, because, for the most part, it's true. The younger fans didn't go through the rotten years when there were no championships like the late 1960s and early 1970s, and most of the 1980's and the early 1990s.

You want to talk about bad teams? You did't have to watch guys like Jerry Kenny, Dooley Womack, and Horace Clarke. (Ever see a guy get over 680 at-bats with an OPS less than .600?) Please don't let me tell you about the 1982 "speed team".  The 1996-2000 squads gave many of today's fans a sense of entitlement. The championship is ours or the complete season is a waste. Really? And you claim to love baseball?

Many fans were ready to riot after the team lost in the 2012 playoffs...the American League Championship Series no less. Four wins from reaching the World Series, but the reaction sounded as though the Yankees finished in last place in the AL East.

Of course, the fans are right about some things, it just takes losing to set them straight. The Yankees front office did this to themselves. We all know that. They knew there were rumors about A-Rod's steroid use, but they went ahead and bid against themselves to re-sign him to a ridiculous 10-year, $275MM deal when he opted out of his current contract after the 2008 season. (Just like they knew Giambi in all likelihood was a user before they signed him to a large deal prior to the 2002 season.)

CC Sabathia's a much better person on and off the field than A-Rod could ever hope to be, but re-working his deal through 2017 wasn't a great idea. No, the Yankees didn't want to lose him when he opted out of his deal after the 2011 season, but perhaps they should have let the free agent market help decide the length and amount of the deal.  The big man has a lot of innings and pitches in his left arm and last year his elbow complained loudly about it. Sabathia has looked ordinary and has lost velocity this season. He's guaranteed $71MM over the next three seasons and can get $25MM in the final year of the deal if he stays healthy.

Teixeira has gotten beat up, pull happy, and still has three years and $67.5MM on his contract. Now, you can't count on bad things happening, but when players are on the other side of 30-years of age, things happen more often. Unfortunately, a lot of them occurred this year. But fans can't bash the same contracts they applauded before the last two seasons. (Many of these same fans wanted the Yankees to sign Josh Hamilton this past off-season - 28 RBI and a .665 OPS in 77 games so far for the Angels.)

The worst part about all those contracts combined with Hal Steinbrenner's quest to get the salary to $189MM? The Yankees are not going to be able to sign Robinson Cano. They might even be wise to deal him at this year's trade deadline. Rumor has it that Cano wants a 10 year deal. If the Yankees are dumb enough to give it to him (or for that matter if anyone is) you can expect more 2013's in the future. I love Cano, he's one of my favorite players to watch bat and field, but the insanity has to stop somewhere.

Fans are going to have to learn to live with whatever happens this year. There are no teams like the LA Dodgers to take all the bad contracts away like those idiots did last year with the Red Sox. (It's laughable that people give Boston credit for that move.) Not only aren't there teams like that, but somehow Bud Selig would find a way to not allow the Yankees to salary dump. (He shouldn't allow it either, just like he shouldn't have allowed Florida and Boston to do so last year.)

Most of all, all of us want a competitive, interesting team to watch. If the Yankees front office doesn't wise up, and I question if the current group can, attendance will continue to dwindle, ratings will continue to drop, and the Yankees will not make the playoffs, let alone win a championship, for a very long time.

Then you will really hear some whining.

Will A.J. Walk The Plank?

Could it really happen? Could the Yankees rid themselves of the enigma that is A.J. Burnett? Not long after signing his five year deal with the Yankees, which has two years and $33MM remaining, the phrase "But he has such good stuff" or a variation has been thrown out there numerous times.

CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reported on Friday that Yankees' GM Brian Cashman was in talks with several teams for Burnett's services, with the Pirates being the front runner. It's no easy match though, primarily because of the $33MM albatross hanging around Burnett's neck. The Yankees wanted the Pirates to pick up 50% while the Buccos said 10% was more to their liking.

The Yankees also asked for 30-yr old left-handed hitter Garrett Jones, who averaged 19 home runs the last three seasons. Pitt GM Neal Huntington answered that with a big fat 'NO'.

Sunday morning, ESPN's Buster Olney reported the two sides had the "framework" in place for a deal. Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal later added that the Yankees would probably have to pay $19MM-$23MM and the Yankees would receive multiple prospects, none of which are on the Pirates' 40 man roster.

Unless the Yankees can unload Burnett, the DH position could very well be filled by an Andruw Jones/Russell Branyan platoon, with the every day position players taking the spot often as well. You can bet most Yankees fans are starting a prayer circle that Burnett is gone by the time pitchers and catchers report to Tampa next Sunday.

Young Homer Puts Season On Arm Of A.J.

First cliche of the day - the Yankees have their backs to the wall. That's because Monday night, the Detroit Tigers' Delmon Young snapped a 4-4 tie in the 7th inning with an opposite field home run to give the Tigers a 5-4 victory. For the second straight night the Yankees rallied against Jose Valverde in the 9th inning, but came up short. So what do we know going into tonight's Game 4.

A. The game rests on the arm of A.J. Burnett. He can a hero or a zero. He came up with a huge game in the 2009 playoffs and he'll need to again tonight to send the series back to New York.

B. CC Sabathia was affected more from Friday's rain out than Justin Verlander. While Verlander wasn't sharp early, he dominated in the middle innings. Sabathia was off from the start. As good as he looked in the first two innings on Friday, that's how bad he was last night. Which plays in the next item...

C. Home plate umpire Jerry Davis was horrendous. His strike zone favored Verlander. Whether this was a case of seeing pitches from a lefty or righty differently or home field umpiring, Davis squeezed Sabathia and stretched the zone for Verlander. The proof is in the pudding via Brooks Baseball. Check out the pitch FX from the game.

D. Rafael Soriano was public enemy number one in New York at the start of the season. But after returning from the DL he pitched lights out baseball. That was until he surrendered Young's home run last night. Back to New York's Not Most Wanted list.

E. The Yankees big guns look more like water pistols. Mark Teixeira (1-11), Alex Rodriguez (0-10), Robinson Cano after Game 1 (1-8), Nick Swisher (2-12)

F. If indeed this is Jorge Posada's last hurrah, he's going out on top as an individual. The much maligned DH has been the most consistent Yankee through the first three games, going 4-8 with four walks (.667 OBP). Yes, he made a bad base running mistake in Game 1, what else is new, but he's shown that he should be moved up in the lineup for the remaining games.

G. Joe Girardi has done a horrible job of managing the series. He seems to be managing to not make a mistake, but he's made a bunch. Some examples - Bring in Luis Ayala in for the second straight day in Game 2. The Yankees were down 4-1 and could not afford to fall any further behind. But instead of bringing in one of his shut down relievers, he brought Ayala, who became less trustworthy as the season went on and had done a terrible job in Game 1. Sure enough the Tigers scored what proved to be a huge insurance run in the 5-3 win.

Girardi also left Sabathia in too long last night; clearly you don't want to go to the pen too early, but the left-hander's goose was cooked in the 5th inning. Yet Girardi sent Sabathia back out for the 6th and didn't pull him until he had given up another run.

Girardi made a smart move by flip flopping Cano and Teixeira in the lineup prior to the start of the series, but he's made no adjustments to the lineup to ride the hot hands.

H. Derek Jeter is overmatched against hard throwers. Though he has four hits in the series, Jeter has looked horrible against the power pitching of Max Scherzer, Jose Valverde, and at times, Verlander.

I. The Yankees are in big trouble.

Burnett Even Baffles Boston

You know things are bad when A.J. Burnett shuts you down and pitches into the 8th inning. It's no dream, it's a nightmare. One that the Boston Red Sox experienced Sunday afternoon. Save for a couple of Jacoby Ellsbury solo home runs, the Sox couldn't muster anything against Burnett and the Yankees won it 6-2.

The loss was the Red Sox 16th in their last 20 games. Combined with Tampa Bay's victory over Toronto, the Boston wild card lead is down to just a half a game (one in the loss column - if the Angels win this afternoon they will be just 1.5 back). The Yankees used their speed and took advantage of the combination of knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to grab an early 2-0 lead. Brett Gardner led off the bottom of the 1st with a bunt single and quickly stole second base. Derek Jeter reached on a bunt of his own that advanced Gardner to third. Jeter swiped second and Gardner scored when Saltalamacchia threw the ball away.

Jeter advanced to third on a passed ball and scored the second run of the inning on a wild pitch. In the bottom of the third Yankees fan may have seen Jorge Posada launch a home run for the last time in Yankee Stadium. Following a one out walk to Alex Rodriguez, Posada drilled a Wakefield deliver into the right field seats for his 14th home run of the year and a 4-0 lead. He acknowledged the crowd when they cheered for a curtain call.

Meanwhile, Burnett cruised through the Boston lineup with unusual efficiency. Ellsbury had three of the Red Sox six hits, including a 1st inning single that was erased when Burnett caught him leaning off of first base. Rookie Brandon Laird threw to Jeter to put it in the book as a caugh stealing.

Ellsbury's first home run of the day got Boston on the board in the 4th, but the Yankees got the run back an inning later. Derek Jeter, who had three hits on the day to reach the .300 mark for the season, singled to left and moved to second when left fielder Carl Crawford misplayed the ball. Alex Rodriguez then singled through the right side to plate Jeter ahead of Conor Jackson's throw.

Notes

Ellsbury's second home run of the game, in the 6th inning, earned him the honor of being the first Red Sox player to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season. Quite an accomplishment for a player who missed most of last year and is now a candidate for both MVP and Comeback Player of the Year awards.

Jeter finished the scoring off with an RBI ground rule double in the 7th.

Burnett felt the love from the Stadium crowd, something he hasn't experienced too often the last two years. He left to a huge ovation after picking up the second out in the 8th inning.

Mariano Rivera was honored before the game for breaking the record for career saves. Among the gifts presented to him was a portrait with 602 printed above his head and his baseball cards surrounding him. Jorge Posada commissioned the piece and the gift was from the team.


UPDATE 6:55 PM - The Angels chances are virtually done after they allowed four runs in the 9th inning and lost to Oakland 6-5. They remain 2.5 back of Boston with just three games to play.

Burnett Throw Seattle A Curve

Admit it, you do it too. You see A.J. Burnett is scheduled to pitch for the Yankees and you start making alternate plans. Those plans can kick in before the game starts or some time after the first pitch. You're not alone though. Last night my wife and I watched the season premiere of Parenthood on NBC. That's a show that comes on at 10 PM EDT...the same time as the Yankees first pitch for their west coast road game in Seattle.

I checked out what was going on during the commercials and put the game on after the show since it was a still a reasonable game. In fact the Yankees were up 2-1. But Burnett was struggling and then he appeared to be hurting. Flinching, flexing his shoulder until final Joe Girard,i accompanied by trainer Gene Monahan, made a trip to the mound. I fully expected Burnett to be pulled, but the trip was brief. Burnett said he was ok and Girardi and Geno departed.

Then something funny happened. Burnett beared down and started throwing a nasty hook that fooled one Mariner after another until Burnett had struck out a season high 11 hitters. At the end of the night the Yankees had a 3-2 win and a three game winning streak. The icing on the cake came when Mariano Rivera earned his 600th career save with a scoreless 9th inning. Rivera joins Trevor Hoffman as the only two pitchers to reach the 600 mark and Rivera is now just one save behind Hoffman for the all-time record.

The Yankees gave Burnett an early lead with a pair of runs in the 2nd inning. Robinson Cano got the Yankees on the board with his 26th home run of the season off of Mariners starter Charlie Furbush. Jesus Montero followed with a single and Andruw Jones moved him to third base with a double. One out later Furbush wild pitched Montero home for the 2-0 advantage. The Mariners immediately got one back on a 2-out Brendan Ryan single in the bottom of the 2nd.

Seattle tied the game in Burnett's flinching, troublesome 4th inning after they loaded the bases with a double, walk, a hit batsman. But Burnett held Seattle to just a run on a Miguel Olivo sacrifice fly and then, after a wild pitch moved both base runners into scoring position, struck out Adam Kennedy to keep the game tied.

The Yankees took the lead in the 6th when Nick Swisher doubled and Mark Teixeira singled to put runners on the corners with no one out. Cano then hit a potential double play grounder, but Seattle was only able to get one out as Swisher scored for a 3-2 lead.

Notes

It was an up and down night for Jesus Montero; he had two hits, but after a double, was doubled off second base on a line drive hit in front of him. Chalk it up to a rookie mistake, which makes you wonder what Robinson Cano was thinking when he got doubled off first base after forgetting how many outs there were.

A.J. Burnett has a 4.15 ERA in September after posting an ERA over 11 in August.

My Night On The Beat

One year ago yesterday, Sept. 1, 2010 I had one of the most exciting and memorable experiences of my life. When I was a kid I wanted to be the centerfielder for the Yankees. But as you get older and can’t hit a curveball you realize those dreams aren’t going to happen. So you look for other outlets to express your love for baseball. You play softball after college; it’s not quite the same, but there’s great camaraderie as well as beer.

Anything associated with baseball was cool. Whether it was as a bat boy (I was too young when I contacted the Yankees to be one), a beat writer, or one of the team's announcers. Growing up I read the Star-Ledger sports every morning with breakfast. Actually, I still do that to this day. The newspaper was the only place to get in-depth details about the game, the teams, the players. There were no blogs, no ESPN, no 24 hour baseball network. With the advent of blogs, I started this site to combine my love of baseball and of writing/expressing myself. I began to write for other sites as well and that’s where the opportunity of a lifetime came about. A full access press pass to the New York Yankees – Oakland A’s game in New York. For a “practice” run, I had covered a Trenton Thunder game weeks before, but other than speaking briefly with the Thunder manager, Tony Franklin, I hadn’t really interacted with any of the players. Now I was to be among the guys I watched on TV all the time, the ones I cheered on, and some who are destined for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

It was a 7:05 pm game, so I arrived at Yankee Stadium about 3:45 based on excellent advice from friend Jerome Priesler, the bestselling author and Yankees blogger for the YES Network. I actually didn’t feel TOO nervous, just butterflies of excitement. I signed in at the press gate, got my credentials and got help getting to the press box by an Oakland A’s camera man. I exited the elevator and saw recognizable faces in the cafeteria. I made way into the press area and looked out over the field. It was all I could do not to smile from ear to ear.

I found a seat next to the San Francisco Chronicles' Susan Slusser, who I got to interview this year, and started to see some of the “regular” beat guys. The Ledger’s Marc Carig, ESPN’s Wally Matthews and Andrew Marchand, the Daily News’ Mark Feinsand, Sweeny Murti of WFAN radio.

Suddenly they all got up and headed out…I naturally followed. It was time for Girardi’s pre-game press conference. As you’ve seen on TV, Girardi sits at a table facing the press. Everyone puts their recorders on the table before things begin. Media relations head Jason Zillo than conducts the presser, calling on reporters, who then have a mike passed to them. Kim Jones of the YES Network generally goes first and CBS radio’s Suzyn Waldman is always ready with a question or two. For this particular game, it seemed like Feinsand and Murti did most of the asking. I sat there quietly observing and then raised my hand. I asked Girardi how he planned to use Jonathan Albaladejo, just recalled from Triple-A Scranton, in the bullpen.

Once the presser was over it was time to head to the clubhouse. As I stood by the entrance door looking over the lineup to the evening’s game, Derek Jeter walked past me. Oh, this was very real. Players began to file in, though not everyone came into the clubhouse during media time. No Mariano Rivera sighting. The biggest topics of the day were Andy Pettitte, who was recovering from a groin injury, and was scheduled to throw a bullpen session, and Alex Rodriguez, who was working his way back from a calf Injury. Neither was in sight. It was time to head out on to the field. Here I got a chance to talk to Carig, who graciously gave me pointers throughout the night and was/is a great guy, MLB’s Bryan Hoch and Kim Jones. Fans lined up on the field to get autographs from players. Tony Pena hit fungos, Derek Jeter warmed up his arm, and players took turns in the cage. Nick Swisher greeted a young fan in a wheelchair, making the kid’s day and days to follow.

I noticed some of the press in the dugout and I decided I had to do it. I sat on one of the wooden benches at the top of the dugout and peered out. It was all I could do not to give signals to an imaginary third base coach. Suddenly it was announced that A-Rod was in the hallway, ready for questions. Reporters moved like an ocean wave during a storm, scurrying back underneath the Stadium. I stood next to the Yankees third baseman, arm stretched out. It is one thing when you stand next to a basketball player; you expect them to be literally larger than life. I was once next to the Boston Celtics 7-ft center Robert Parish. “Hello Mr. Waistline”. A-Rod is a big guy.

Once that was done, pitching coach Dave Eiland talked about Pettitte’s throwing session. Later Pettitte would entertain us himself with how his throwing went. Back in the clubhouse I talked to Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, and Marcus Thames. Teixeira assured me that his sore toe and thumb were good- they really weren’t. Granderson talked about the hitting adjustments he had made with hitting coach Kevin Long and the affect they were having. Who knew what impact there would be a season later?

Thames wasn’t the friendliest sort. I asked him about his recent hot streak and he was short and terse with his answers. I talked more with Carig and Mike Mazzeo, who was interning with the Ledger at the time and is now with ESPN New York, and Feinsand. It was just about game time, which meant back upstairs to the press area.

I got some food and gobbled it down as Michael Kay walked by and nodded to me through the cafeteria window, just before he engaged in some discussion with Waldman. Done eating, I grabbed some more caffeinated soda for the long night ahead and got back to my seat and my laptop in the second row of the press box. The first row is reserved for the big hitters. Suddenly John Sterling popped into the press box to talk with a friend. And then it was game time. One of the nice things I look back on now was hearing Bill Shannon’s announcements in the press box. Shannon worked as official scorer for the Yankees and Mets games for 32 years before he tragically died in a fire this past off-season.

The big story of the game itself was A.J. Burnett. Just as it was on September 1 of this year. Burnett had not won in August for the second straight season and the Yankees wanted/needed him to turn things around. He was a better pitcher on that night, limiting the A’s to three runs over 6 Innings and the Yankees won the ballgame 4-3.

A short time later it was back to the meeting room for Girardi’s post-game press conference. Though you can get more interesting information after a loss, I was glad the Yankees won so they would be in a better mood. That was one of the reasons I hadn’t spoken to any of the Thunder players after the game I covered. They had lost and played poorly. The faces in the locker room did not yell out, “come and talk to me”. Thankfully, Franklin was in good spirits.

Girardi was asked many of the same questions you’ve heard this year when it comes to Burnett. He had really improved in his dealings with the media and I was impressed with the way he conducted the post-game. When it was done it was back to the clubhouse where reporters were already camped out at A.J. Burnett’s locker. Burnett speaks in hushed tones and it was nearly impossible to hear what he was saying. I found an opening between media members and stuck my arm through with my recorder. Waldman was miffed at the crowd and let out some epitaph. I inwardly chuckled.

We all then gathered around Jeter, Teixeira, and anyone else who came in and had a part in the game. Then it was back to the press box to write my story about the game. It was very surreal looking out over a darkened Stadium and I reluctantly put my laptop and recorder away and headed out for the ride home. It was around Midnight.

I felt a true appreciation for how hard and tiring a beat writer’s job can be. I didn’t even have to worry about deadlines or making sure I got the quote, and it was still exhausting. But man was it worth it.

Red Sox Get Martinized

The prospects for the Yankees winning 2 of 3 in Boston were not good, considering that A.J. Burnett, he of the 13.86 ERA in his last three starts, was going up against Red Sox stud Jon Lester in the series finale Thursday night. But John Sterling is occassionally right, especially when he says you can't predict baseball. Burnett kept the Yankees in the game through his 5.1 innings and Russell Martin delivered a clutch 2-run double in the 7th inning to give the Yankees a 4-2 victory and their first series win against Boston this season.

The biggest story lines coming into the game was how would Burnett fare (or as most people figured, how badly he would fare) and the Major League debut of Jesus Montero. Burnett was going along swimmingly until he threw a high fastball to high fastball hitter Dustin Pedroia, who launched it into the center field seats to the Red Sox a 2-1 lead in the 4th. But unlike most of his prior starts, Burnett didn't melt down. Instead he beared down and tossed a scoreless 5th inning before leaving with two men aboard and one out in the 6th. Boone Logan and Cory Wade stranded the base runners and the Yankees finally broke through against the Boston bullpen in the 7th.

Jon Lester had given the Yankees a number of opportunities to score, but they couldn't get the big hit off of him. What they did do though was work the count and forced Lester out of the game after five innings and 114 pitches. Andruw Jones worked his third walk of the night against former Yankee Al Aceves to start the rally. That brought up Montero, who had already stranded six base runners on the night. He didn't deliver a key hit, but got hit when an Aceves pitch clipped his jersey.

Terry Francona brought on fireballer Daniel Bard to face Martin, but as he has done often thi season, the Yankees catcher came through in the clutch, drilling a pitch up the alley in right-center. Jones scored easily to tie the game and Montero slid across home plate with the go ahead run well ahead of the relay throw home. Eric Chavez then gave the Yankees some insurance with a pinch-hit RBI single to right for a 4-2 Yankees lead.

But you know nothing is easy in a Yankees-Red Sox series and that was exemplified in all three games of the series. Mariano Rivera came in to close things out in the 9th and walked the lead off hitter Jed Lowrie. Rivera got his cutter in enough on the hands to Josh Reddick who couldn't get the "good wood" on it as Kenny Singleton likes to say, and flied to right. Rivera blew away Jarrod Saltalamacchia with a a pair of fastballs for the second out and things seemed to be easy going. But Mariano and company had to sweat this one out. He walked Jacoby Ellsbury to put the tying runs on basis and then gave up a single to his nemesis Marco Scutaro to load the bases. That brought up the AL's batting leader Adrian Gonzalez, who also entered the game with 103 RBI.

Rivera busted one cutter after another in on Gonzalez's hand and body- in fact Gonzalez fouled a pitch into himself that looked like it might have hit him had he taken it. The final pitch of the night was a result of all those inside pitches as Rivera fired a cutter at the outside corner that Gonzalez could only watch. Home plate ump Alfonso Marquez rung him up and the game was over some four hours after it began.

NOTES

Mark Teixeira took a hard breaking pitch from Al Aceves off the back of his right knee and went down in tremendous pain. He's listed as day-to-day, but it would not be surprising to see him miss at least a couple of games. Michael Kay pointed out on the broadcast that the White Sox Paul Konerko had a similar injury and missed four games. In fact he returned in a series against the Yankees and was still having trouble running.

In addition to Montero, the Yankees brought up old friend Scott Proctor, left-hander Raul Valdes, righty Lance Pendleton, outfielder Chris Dickerson, and third baseman Brandon Laird, Infielder Ramiro Pena will likely join the team as well once he finished his minor league rehab assignment.

David Ortiz extended his hitting streak to 15 games.

The Yankees return home Friday night to begin a three game series with the Toronto Blue Jays. Ivan Nova faces Brandon Morrow in the opener.

I'm Limping Up To Boston

The Yankees may be without the services of shortstop Derek Jeter for the upcoming series in Boston and possibly longer. "El Capitan" bruised his kneecap on a foul ball in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader and was a late scratch in the nightcap for that reason.

Though you know Jeter will be fighting to get into the lineup, it's likely that Eduardo Nunez is at shortstop for most, if not all, of the seriesi n Fenway Park that begins Tuesday night.

CC Sabathia hopes his problems with the Red Sox this season are resolved this time around. Sabathia is 0-4, 7.20 against Boston and 17-3, 2.40 against the rest of baseball. He's also not been as sharp since the All-Star break. His ERA is nearly a full point higher and he's already allowed more home runs than he did prior to the break. Ironically though, his
walks and hits per nine innings (WHIP) has gone down.

Phil Hughes follows Sabathia in the series and looks to bounce back from his horrendous outing against Oakland last week.

The Yankees got Hughes off the hook with a tremendous offensive outburst in a 22-9 win. Hughes' start could also be vital since Joe Girardi plans to go back to a five man rotation after the Boston series. With A.J. Burnett going in the series finale, Hughes can take a big step up if he has a productive outing.

Speaking of Burnett and the $33MM the Yankees still owe him and will likely be stuck with - I erroneously wrote earlier that there was on $22MM left, thinking of the deal he had previously signed with Toronto - Burnett's August records as a Yankee are 1-2, 11.91 (2011 - 5 starts),0-4, 7.80 (2010 - 5 starts), 0-4, 6.03 (2009 - 6 starts).

Boston will send out John Lackey,

Burnett Must Go

It's one thing when a pitcher struggles, when he can't find his command, when he can't find any consistency. Those things can sometimes be corrected. Sometimes they cannot depending on the pitcher. A.J. Burnett has struggled with consistency and all of the above issues for his entire career. But in tonight's game, one in which Burnett was horrible from start to not-even-coming-close to the finish, he overstepped the bounds of the pitcher-manager relationship...again.

Burnett had already allowed four runs to the Minnesota Twins and had loaded the bases with two outs in just the second inning of play. When Burnett issued his third free pass of the inning, Joe Girardi had seen enough. In past starts, Burnett's body language had made it clear he was not happy with Girardi's decision to pull him from the game. Tonight, Burnett went beyond that. He walked off the mound, turned back and said "This is fucking bullshit!". Girardi didn't acknowledge his pitcher's wrath, but when Burnett took it one step further by leaving the dugout while the runners he was responsible for were still on base, Girardi had seen enough. He followed Burnett down towards the clubhouse, and though we don't know what was said (which will surely be downplayed by Girardi), Burnett returned to bench.

Burnett then saw his ERA blow up even further when all three inherited runners crossed home plate against Luis Ayala. It was a fitting punishment for the walking tantrum that Burnett has become. Last season in a fit of frustration Burnett cut both his hands when he slammed them against a shower door. It all shows that A.J. Burnett has to be gone after this season. His teammates may publicly defend him and stand by him, but behind the scenes you can bet this doesn't sit well, particularly with Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera.

Burnett may apologize, and may say all the right things, but that doesn't change things. I was critical of GM Brian Cashman's recent defense of Burnett's performance this year, but now I understand that Cashman has to keep things positive if he is to trade Burnett in the off-season. Let me re-phrase that, when Cashman trades him in the off-season. He has no choice. And with "just" two years and a little over $20MM remaining on Burnett's deal, Cashman should be able to find a taker, esp. in the NL.

The Yankees don't have the same swagger when Burnett is on the mound and you can bet they don't have confidence in him. It's no coincidence that Burnett gets so little run support. It's not a scheme, as I have joked about in the past, but a player's psyche definitely affects their play. It's no different than seeing a team's defense back on their heels because a pitcher is walking the park. When the Yankees were down 7-0, they were already beaten. Yes, they've gotten Burnett off the hook before, but to be down that much, that early, the team was literally in a no-win situation.

It's time for Burnett to languish in the bullpen. No one needs to be reminded by Girardi or Cashman about the big win Burnett had in the road to the championship two seasons ago. That's ancient history. The Yankees NEED to win the AL East and get home field advantage, at least for one round of the playoffs. That is their best shot. It's also in their best interest to be running both Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova out there every fifth day when Freddy Garcia returns.

The Yankees are almost assuredly going to the post-season, but Girardi has no idea in his mind right now who will follow CC Sabathia in the playoff rotation. But one thing is clear, A.J. Burnett is not an option.

Yankees Batter Royals

Rookie Ivan Nova picked up his 12th win last night against the Kansas City Royals, but it was thanks in large part to the pounding the Yankees' bats put on fellow rookie Dan Duffy. Nova struggled in the early going, settled down for a couple of innings, and then was pulled when the Royals had cut a three run deficit to a single run in the 6th inning.

Boone Logan, with the help of a diving stop by Mark Teixeira, kept the lead and the Yankees bullpen trio of Rafael Soriano, David Robertson, and Mariano Rivera slammed the door on any hopes of a Royals comeback.

Nova can thank Robinson Cano most of all for adding to his win total, which is second only to CC Sabathia on the team. With two aboard in the 4th inning, Cano battled Duffy through a 12 pitch at-bat until the All-Star Home Run Derby king delivered a 421 ft. blast into the right field seats to put the Yankees on top for good 8-5.

Derek Jeter (5 RBI in the first two games of the series) and Russell Martin added a pair of RBI each and Martin continued his hot play behind the plate when he gunned down Jeff Francouer on an attempt to steal second base.

For Nova it was a night off from the consistency he had shown in his last half dozen starts. But the seven earned runs he allowed in 5.1 innings shouldn't have a big impact on Joe Girardi's thinking. Nova has been better more often and longer this season (and in the stretch drive) than either Phil Hughes or A.J. Burnett.

Rivera breezed through the 9th inning for the second straight night, struck out a pair, and picked up his 32nd save. The Yankees four relievers did not allow a single base runner in 3.2 IP.

Notes

Royals manager Ned Yost was tossed in the 4th after a trip to the mound. His real purpose was to complain to home plate ump Kerwin Danley about squeezing the strike zone on his prized rookie. Danley had a bad night behind the plate with the consistency of his strike zone and drew the ire of both teams.

The Burnett Rollercoaster Continues

The A.J. Burnett debate continues - despite a shaky 5.2 IP outing, the Yankees erratic right-hander won his first game in the month of August since he's been in New York. The Yankees topped the Kansas City Royals 7-4 for their second straight win, which enabled to move into a first place tie with the idle Boston Red Sox in the AL East. Burnett would not have gotten the win if not for some timely hitting and defense though. Handed a 2-0 lead, Burnett got tagged for three runs by the Royals in the 5th inning. After loading the bases, Burnett walked former Yankee Melky Cabrera to cut the lead in half. Billy Butler then ripped a two run single to right to give KC their lone lead of the night. The play was also the first big defensive play of the inning. Right fielder Nick Swisher raced over and made a sliding stop of Butler's hit. It kept the the KC DH to a single and also kept a double play in order. And that's exactly what Burnett got, with some major help from Robinson Cano. The Yankees second baseman ranged far to his left to spear Eric Hosmer's grounder and whipped a throw to Derek Jeter to start an inning ending 4-6-3 double play. Jeter then provided the big hit when the Yankees took the lead right back in the top of the 6th. Consecutive singles by Jorge Posada, Russell Martin, and Brett Gardner tied the game at 3-3. The Jeter, who with three hits raised his average to .282, delivered a two run triple up the gap in right-center to put the Yankees back on top for good. Burnett came back out for the 6th, but Joe Girardi went to the bullpen with a man and two outs, and lefty Mike Moustakas due up. Boone Logan came on and ended the inning by picking rookie second baseman Johnny Giavotella off of first base. It went down as a caught steal as Giavotella tried to advance to second base, but was thrown out by Mark Teixeira. The Yankees went to their "big three" to finish things out. Rafael Soriano gave up a run for the first time since coming off the DL, but Mariano Rivera made quick work in the 9th for his 31st save. Notes

Jorge Posada said prior to the game that he would like to play another season even as a part-time contributor. If that is to be the case, it certainly wouldn't be with the Yankees. It would be a shame to see Posada end his career with another team, though it will be no easy task getting a job with another ball club.

Having not caught for a year, immobility, hitting barely over .100 from the right side, and struggling from the left are not things that are conducive to a new contract.

AJ Stands For Aw Jeez

It's something I thought I would never see, especially two weeks apart. The Yankees offense rolled over the competition and yet the Yankees starting pitcher couldn't last the required five innings to get a win.

The Bombers laid it on Oakland 17-7 July 22, but Phil Hughes got knocked around and exited early. The Yankees topped that total by one yesterday and pounded the Chicago White Sox 18-7. This time around it was A.J. Burnett who Joe Girardi pulled the plug on early. What made it even more disturbing/annoying/frustrating is that the Yankees NEVER score runs for Burnett, but this time around they provided him with 13 after three innings. It was the first time the Yankees had scored double figures for Burnett since his first start of the season.

Hughes bounced back from that nightmare and blanked the White Sox in a 6 1/2 inning rain-shortened victory on Tuesday night. He's already been told he's making his next start and Ivan Nova will be facing the White Sox tonight.

There's been a lot of talk about who should move to the pen, Hughes or Nova, once a six man rotation is no longer/needed wanted. Perhaps that discussion misses the mark though- perhaps it is Burnett that should be pen bound. The 34-yr old right-hander was 6-3 with a 3.86 ERA after his start on June 1. He had pitched into the seventh inning or more in six of his 12 starts and never pitched less than five innings. That was then, this is now.

In his 11 starts since his June 1 win, Burnett has a 5.29 ERA, has not complete six innings six times, and has allowed four or more rusn five times. He's allowed 69 hits and 33 walks in 68 innings. His strike to ball ratio has also been horrible lately. Like most pitchers, Burnett is at his best when he gets ahead of hitters - batters have a .593 OPS when Burnett gets ahead 0-1 and they basically have no shot (.216 OPS) when behind in the count 0-2. Unfortunately, Burnett has gotten behind in too many counts himself the last two months and hitters have taken advantage.

According to fangraphs.com, Burnett has thrown, by far, the lowest percentage of fastballs in his career and has thrown more change ups than at any time (and the highest since 2005 with Florida). A dip in velocity, lack of location, pitch count, a new pitching coach, or all of the above could contribute to Burnett's different approach this season. Whatever the reason, nothing has worked of late.

So Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman have some thinking to do. Perhaps they should call for a change up too.

Notes

Derek Jeter had two five-hit games from 1995-2010. After last night's 5-6 performance, he has two in the last month. Jeter passed Lou Brock for the #22 spot on the all-time hit list. Next up is Rod Carew, who is 26 hits ahead of the Yankees captain.

Curtis Granderson drove in 5 runs in last night's win to increase his career high to 84 RBI. With two more runs scored, Grandy will reach 100 runs for the third time in his career.

Eric Chavez hit his first home run as a Yankee. Robinson Cano had four RBI and has 11 ribbies in last five games.

Alex Rodriguez is being investigated by MLB for participating in illegal poker names with some big names like Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. A-Rod's publicist said he will fully cooperate with the investigation. There's been talk of a possible suspension, which in a word is stupid.

Burnett, Bats Come Up Short

If I were a conspiracy theorist, I would think that the Yankees' hitters got together before each of A.J. Burnett's starts and agreed, "We will not produce offense tonight." (On the flip side of the coin they make up for it when CC Sabathia pitches.) Last night the offense again pulled up lame and Burnett was not good enough as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Yankees for the first time in seven tries this season, 4-2.

After scoring 21 runs in Burnett's first three starts this season, the Yankees have averaged just 3.2 runs per game in his 19 starts since then. Burnett has not helped matters by having an ERA that has gotten progressively higher as the weather has gotten warmer. (3.09 in April to 4.83 in July). Last night was a typical Burnett start, decent, but not great and not good enough to win. He threw a complete game, snapping a streak of three straight starts that he didn't make it out of the 6th inning, and limited the O's to five hits. He also struck out 10 batters for the first time this season.

But Burnett put the Yankees in a hole early, surrendering a 2-run home run to Mark Reynolds in the 2nd inning. Derek Lee added a solo home run, the 20th allowed by Burnett this season (he allowed 25 HR's in each of the last two seasons) and an RBI double. Conversely, Jeremy Guthrie was putting up zeroes on the scoreboard, despite being one of the Yankees favorite targets. With the victory, Guthrie is still just 4-9, 5.15 in 17 appearances (15 starts) against New York.

Guthrie had everything working last night though and the Yankees couldn't take advantage of what little opportunities they had. Guthrie retired the first seven Yankees hitters before Jorge Posada and Russell Martin reached on back to back singles in the 3rd, but Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter couldn't produce in the clutch. Robinson Cano and Nick Swisher drew two out walks in the 4th, but Eric Chavez to grounded out to end the inning.Mark Teixeira finally got the Yankees on the board in the 6th inning with his 29th home run of the season.

Guthrie limited the Yankees to four hits over seven innings and Koji Uehara tossed a scoreless 8th, before the bats finally woke up in the 9th.Consecutive doubles by Cano and Swisher off of Orioles' closer Kevin Gregg cut Baltimore's lead in half. Posada drew a one out walk to put the tying runs on base, but Martin bounced into a force out and Gardner struck out swinging on a full count to end the game. The prior pitch was outside, but was called a strike by home plate ump Mike DiMuro. After he swung and missed at Gregg's final offering, Gardner expressed all of the Yankees' frustrations by smashing his bat on the ground.

Notes

As expected, Rafael Soriano was activated before the game and Steve Garrison was sent back to Trenton. Sergio Mitre was placed on the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man roster.

The Yankees and Orioles play a day-night doubleheader today. Both Orioles starting pitchers are being recalled from the minor leagues. Chris Tillman faces Bartolo Colon in the opener, while Zach Britton goes against Ivan Nova, also being recalled from Triple-A, in the nightcap.

The Yankees held a moment of silence prior to the game for Hideki Irabu, who committed suicide on Wednesday. Jorge Posada called Irabu's death "devastating".

The Yankees' HOPE week concluded with a very emotional reunion of two friends who were orphans in Russia at one time. Read all about it here.