Posts Tagged ‘AJ Burnett’

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And We Live Another Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

That’s right. The Yankees are not dead yet – not by a long shot. Tonight was my anniversary, and Michael and I passed up a chance to go out and celebrate so we could stay home and watch the game. And what a happy anniversary it was.

Wow. So much applause to pass around.

#1. AJ

That first inning gave me a heart attack and if it weren’t for Granderson’s amazing catch I don’t know where we’d be. But whatever Larry Rothschild said during the next half inning, AJ came back out and pitched like a champ for the most part. He’ll always be a guy who walks a tightrope, but he gave us what we needed and I applaud him.

#2. Granderson

In addition to that first catch, how about the one in the sixth where he got the wind knocked out of him? It was absolutely insane. And his double wasn’t too shabby either. Big hand for the Grandy Man.

#3. The Offense

I got my 10 runs. Need I say more? Of course I need to. Not only did the bats chase Porcello but they came bursting to life in the eighth inning. I love homers to death, but there’s nothing more fun than seeing single after single after single (with a few walks and hit batsmen mixed in). A-Rod, Tex and Swisher finally showed up at the plate and my guess is the floodgates have now been opened, particularly in A-Rod’s case. Good work, guys. And congrats to Montero for his first postseason hit.

#4. The Pen

I got nervous when I saw Cory Wade warming early in AJ’s outing. I said out loud, “No! Why? Who’s next? Ayala?” But Soriano came on instead and, thanks to Granderson’s catch in the sixth, he pitched great. So did Hughes and Logan (loved the strikeouts).

#5. Mother Nature

She didn’t rain. And she’d better not pull anything on Thursday night.

So, so happy our season isn’t over – an understatement.

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I Am Not A Fan Of Scott Proctor

Sunday, September 25th, 2011

(courtesy: bronxbaseballdaily.com)

I know, I know. The Yankees offense could have made Proctor’s appearance unnecessary, but they must have sent their bats ahead to Tampa because the boys sure weren’t hitting in the second game of the doubleheader. More on that in a sec.

What a day/night of baseball. I’m exhausted and I feel like the biggest slug for sitting in front of the TV for hours, but I couldn’t tear myself away from either game.

In the opener, I was mesmerized by AJ. I kept waiting for him to screw up, but he pitched brilliantly and, as a result, notched his first “W” as a Yankee against the Sox. And Posada. Seriously. Raise your hand if you expected him to be the hitting star? Just a weird but wonderful win. I actually felt sorry for Carl Crawford after his botched play in left. He always seemed like a decent guy when he was with the Rays and yet he just hasn’t had a very good time as a Red Sock. And Wakefield looked like he was about to cry after he was pulled.

Lackey, on the other hand, looked like his usual grumpy self in Game 2. After Francona took him out, it was easy to read his lips. He needs a prescription for an antidepressant or something. Nova was coasting along for awhile, but got into trouble and should have been pulled earlier than he was – one of my many quibbles with Girardi. Other complaints include:

  1. WHY DIDN’T HE USE JETER OR A-ROD TO PINCH HIT INSTEAD OF STICKING WITH ROMINE, GOLSON, PENA, ETC. IN KEY SITUATIONS?
  2. DID HE NOT WANT TO WIN THE GAME?
  3. USING ONE OF HIS ALL-STARS TO PINCH HIT IN EXTRAS WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN ALL THAT TAXING FOR THEM.
  4. DID HE NOT GET THAT BEATING THE RED SOX WOULD HAVE FURTHER DIMMED THEIR CHANCES TO MAKE THE POSTSEASON?
  5. DID HE NOT WANT TO END THE GAME AND GET HIS PLAYERS ON THE FLIGHT TO TAMPA?
  6. AND WHY BRING IN THE AWFUL PROCTOR WHEN WE HAD AYALA AND THE KIDS IN THE PEN? (YES, JOE HAD BEEN EJECTED BY THEN, BUT STILL.)

I was mad at losing the second game (hence the all-caps above) even as I enjoyed the first three in the series this weekend. I thought we could and should have swept.

But so be it. Let’s just hope everyone stays healthy during the series in Tampa and whatever happens with the Wild Card is what it is.

Time to start thinking about next Friday’s Game 1 of the ALDS and whether I’ll be having “lucky food” again. When we won in 2009, I was counting on nightly pizza to do the trick and it worked. But I’d like to try something less artery clogging. Any suggestions?

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“These Fans Are Crazy!”

Monday, September 19th, 2011

So said Mo at his post-game press conference today, referring to the crowd’s cheers when Swisher hit into a double play, ending the Yankees’ scoring threat and insuring that Mo would come in and attempt to break the saves record. In case anyone missed it, here’s the link to the presser.

How adorable is the youngest Mo Junior? The boy alternately mugged for the media, yawned, sneezed and gazed up adoringly at his famous father. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

What a day. I was crying after the first out and then was flat out sobbing when it was all over and the hugging kicked in. Jorge looked the happiest I’ve seen him all season. Very classy job by the Twins to stand on the steps of the visitors’ dugout to applaud. I only wish Pettitte had been there, since he was around for the beginning of all this greatness. I was so glad everybody encouraged Mo to stand on that mound by himself to soak in the love. He deserves every drop of it.

As for the game itself, here’s what I wanted to do to AJ.

I’m not a violent person, but he was pitching to a bunch of kids for the most part. Just inexcusable. If Rothschild and company haven’t been able to fix him by now, they’re not going to and he should spend the postseason in Arkansas. End of story. Big thanks to our bullpen, who shouldn’t have had to bail him out so early in the game but did.

Now bring on those pesky stingrays.

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Mo, We Are Not Worthy!

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011

With the Yankees clinging to a 3-2 lead over the Mariners in the bottom of the ninth, in came Mo for save #600. And he got it in grand style. The celebration on the mound was typically low key for a man who personifies low key, but there was no mistaking how proud he was and maybe even relieved. Now it’s onto breaking Hoffman’s record and becoming the saves leader of all time.

Meanwhile, AJ was his usual enigma but with a happy ending this time. He was so shaky at first, his command totally off – from hitting batters and throwing wild pitches to issuing walks and getting into full counts. But he struck out 11 and held the M’s to two runs. Not too shabby.

Soriano was great in the seventh, and D-Rob was maddening but got the job done. (Why must he load the bases before squeaking out of trouble?)

The offense was as expected: weak against a pitcher who was unfamiliar. But three runs proved to be enough for the win. And good thing, since the Red Sox finally won one too.

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Today’s Game Was A SlopFest

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

boston.com

I was unpacking and doing laundry, but I had the TV on and kept popping in for a look. At first I felt sorry for the Yanks, given the muddy conditions and occasionally heavy rain, but then I just got irritated – from AJ’s failure to cover first base on a couple of plays to his wild pitches. He didn’t give up a ton of runs to the O’s, but shouldn’t he be better? And why do I keep expecting him to be better?

There were errors galore but it was nice to see Montero get another big hit. And for awhile, the relievers did a great job.

With the score tied at 4-4 in the 7th inning, I stopped all my domestic activities and sat down to watch. Big mistake. I started yelling at the TV each time we’d go down without scoring. And Girardi’s intentional walks got on my nerves. And why did he use a lot of the veterans late in the game but not Jeter? Ultimately, it was Eduardo Scissorhands’ error in the 11th that really pissed me off.

I know the boys can’t win every game. I get it. But this one felt winnable. Damn.

At least my clothes are clean.

Okay, I do feel sorry for the Yanks, who now have to play the Orioles again tomorrow in Baltimore. These teams must be seriously sick of each other.

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Where Has This AJ Been Hiding?

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

Apparently, he and Larry Rothschild worked on a slight change in mechanics since the last start – and the result was a very good performance tonight in Boston. Why didn’t they come up with this change in, say, July? Don’t ask me. All I know is that he was impressive and deserved some run support. My guess is he’ll stay in the rotation and Hughes will go to the pen.

Tonight’s marathon (it felt like 10 hours) was really two games.

Game 1, in which the Red Sox led 2-1, was an exercise in futility as the Yanks kept leaving men on base – again.

Game 2, in which we went ahead 4-2, was a thrill ride that nearly gave me a nervous breakdown. Great defensive plays by Granderson, Gardner and Tex. Great relief pitching by Logan, Wade, Soriano and Robertson. Great at bats by Jones, Martin and Chavez. Great but nail biting ninth by Mo. Not a great debut by Montero, but he did score a run. Great winning this series. Whew.

What wasn’t great was watching Tex get hit on the knee – by old friend Aceves yet. I’m relieved the injury wasn’t more serious, but with A-Rod out we really didn’t need another bat going AWOL. Hopefully, “day to day” means “any day” in his case.

And now I’m going to bed. Who can stay up for these ridiculously long contests? Or am I just old and cranky?

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What’s Left To Say About AJ?

Friday, August 26th, 2011

I missed tonight’s game. I went to a dinner party and only checked the score once between courses. When I saw that the O’s were beating up on AJ, I went back to the table and had more wine.

On the drive home, I heard a clip of Girardi’s post-game comments and he was rambling about his pitcher’s “mechanics.” Who cares about mechanics at this point? Just stick the guy in some back room and forget we ever signed him.

As for Hurricane Irene, I hope everyone stays safe and dry this weekend.

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OK, Just One More Shot At AJ……

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

I do love the “It Is High…” blog.

And I do miss “The Sopranos.”

Here’s hoping all the Yankees are having a good time tonight, whatever they’re doing. I want them rested and relaxed (but not too relaxed) this week – especially on Thursday. They better not lose that day. And it better not rain.

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“This Is F*@$ing Bull#*^t”

Saturday, August 20th, 2011

You didn’t have to be a lip reader to make out what AJ said to Girardi after he was lifted in tonight’s game with the bases loaded in the second inning. What a “performance.” I’ve tried to hang in there with the guy (AJ, not Girardi), but tonight was pretty ugly. Not only couldn’t he get outs, but he acted surprised and insulted when his manager came out and took the ball.

I get being pissed at the manager if you’re a pitcher who wants to stay in the game. I get being pissed at yourself if you’re a pitcher who stinks it up – especially against a team that doesn’t hit a ton. I even get being pissed at the situation; would Joe have pulled CC in the second if he’d been the one to give up four runs?

But I don’t get turning to look back at the manager and mouthing off at him for everybody to see – and then trotting into the clubhouse instead of waiting for the end of the inning. I figured Girardi would follow him down the stairs and drag him back to the dugout. I’d give anything to have been a fly on the wall during that brief conversation.

Oh, wait. According to both Girardi and AJ, NOTHING – NOT A SINGLE HARSH WORD – happened between them. It was all about striking out Joe Mauer. If you believe that, I have this to sell you.

Bottom line? Ayala and new Yankee Laffey were unimpressive and the Yankees lost. Fortunately, so did the Red Sox.

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Dumb And Dumber

Tuesday, August 9th, 2011

I only wish I meant the above movie characters.

Sadly, I’m talking about two of the Yankees in tonight’s series opener against the Angels.

AJ may have become a platinum blonde, but it didn’t change anything. He had his usual flashes of brilliance only to have that one bad inning that too often sends him to the showers (with a lack of run support from his teammates, I should add). He seems incapable of hanging onto a lead, however slim.

But the Yankees clawed their way back to tie the game, with Cory Wade and Dave Robertson delivering more great pen work.

And then Mo. The horror.

No, I’m not calling him dumb. Never. He’s going through his usual rough patch. It happens every August, doesn’t it? I just hope he’s not hurt.

The dumb one was Granderson. Yes, I know. He put us on the board with his homer, but with Tex up in the bottom of the ninth he gets picked off? Seriously? Way to kill a rally and lose a ballgame.

Too bad this one didn’t get rained out. Ugh.

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