AJ brings down himself and Yanks
NEW YORK – If you can name a more frustrating pitcher to watch in baseball than AJ Burnett, I would love to know who it is.
You watch him and you see the talent he possess. But at the same time, you see everything that has made him incapable of harnessing it.
Saturday, Burnett took it one-step further.
As if Yankee fans could not take any more drama from the enigmatic right-hander, Burnett decided to take it upon himself to put himself before the rest of the team, further infuriating the few public defenders he was already losing.
For some, it may already be the last straw.
For others, they will continue to give him a chance mainly because they have to.
The problem with all of this is that in order for the Yankees to win, they have to put their faith in his right arm.
This would be great, but the fact is Burnett cannot be trusted under any circumstances.
Tampa Bay already struck for four runs against him through the first two innings. In both of the frames, Burnett retired the first two men of the frame before the runs scored, a problem that speaks more to inability to concentrate fully when he is out there.
After hitting Evan Longoria in the third inning, followed up by a wild pitch and an RBI single to center by Carlos Pena, Dave Eiland and Joe Girardi came to the mound to remove him from the game with an “injury”.
The cynic watching had to conclude that the injury related exit had more to do with his performance than anything else, if only to avoid the excessive ensuing boo-fest set to take place under normal circumstances.
Two innings later, reports surfaced that Burnett told Eiland before the third inning that he lacerated his right hand while slipping up the stairs. The sudden control problems in the third inning in their minds were a byproduct of the “slip”.
I was not buying any of it.
Suddenly by the end of the game, the new story was that Burnett slammed both of his hands through a clubhouse door, opening up cut on the palm of each of his hands, a plastic lineup cardholder shattering the impact from an even worse injury.
Had it been worse, Burnett would have likely seen time on the disabled list, all of his own making.
It was once again another example of his inability to control his emotions and get the most out of his talent instead of the least. They got the best of him again as they have done his entire career, doing little to change the notion that he is in fact nicknamed “Mental Case” and “The Underachiever”.
Nothing is worse than a player who fails to live up to their God-given gifts that far exceed that of their other peers.
There are those who do more with less.
Burnett does less with a lot more.
The dynamic in play is that when is good, he is as good as any pitcher in baseball.
At different points over his first year and a half in pinstripes, they have seen that.
While he had valleys during the course of last year, he had many peaks, dominating opposing offenses with the repertoire he has.
In October, he will always be remembered for his best performance, Game 2 of the World Series when the Phillies did not have a chance against him.
But there was also the bad, namely Game 5 of both the ALCS and World Series.
Good AJ and Bad AJ.
Welcome folks to the AJ Burnett experience. The Yankees were able to win it all because of and despite him all at the same time.
It was around June of last year when we had the same conversation that we are going to have right now.
The Yankees were in Boston attempting to remove the “donut” that was on their ledger in the season series with the Red Sox.
84 pitches, 44 balls, 5 runs, 2 2/3 innings, and a kicked water cooler later, he took an early shower.
“Bad AJ” had made another appearance.
Many hope that he will “find it” and turn things around. History states that at some point he will go through a stretch where he pitches well.
He is the worst kind of pitcher to root for. You wonder when he will show mental toughness and figure everything out until you realize that at 33 years of age, he never will have his epiphany. He does not have the ability to grind out a game when he does not have his best stuff. When he is not bullying the opposition and in full control. Put even the least bit of adversity in front of him and he melts like ice cream when the weather turns 100 degrees.
Perhaps J.P Riccardi, Burnett’s former general manager when he was with Toronto said it best when he called him, “a roller coaster ride”.
Riccardi paid $55 million back in 2005 thinking he too could find a way to unlock his potential only to find out he could not.
The Yankees thought they could do it and their attempts have come up unsuccessful with things only set to get worse as his $16.5 million salary becomes an albatross as the team receives performance that equates to nothing more than a number three or four starter.
Before it was having Jorge Posada as his catcher. Then it became not having his pitching coach. It was always something with others receiving the blame for his failure to perform.
As we have all finally concluded – the problems start and end with Burnett and Burnett only.
Burnett is like the girl that you date that is incredibly hot. Her looks are so tantalizing that you are willing to except many of her flaws.
The girl also brings plenty you plenty of agita, to the point where you consider strangling them. You want to break with them but continue to give her a chance and put up with all of this because, in the end, she is still hot.
You go so far to put up with everything she brings to the table right up until the point when she does something so egregious that you cannot take it anymore.
The Yankee fan equivalent for this would be seeing Burnett blow up in the postseason.
It would not be a surprise.
Yet, we all could see it coming.
NEW YORK – If you can name a more frustrating pitcher to watch in baseball than AJ Burnett, I would love to know who it is.
You watch him and you see the talent he possess. But at the same time, you see everything that has made him incapable of harnessing it.
Saturday, Burnett took it one-step further.
As if Yankee fans could not take any more drama from the enigmatic right-hander, Burnett decided to take it upon himself to put himself before the rest of the team, further infuriating the few public defenders he was already losing.
For some, it may already be the last straw.
For others, they will continue to give him a chance mainly because they have to.
The problem with all of this is that in order for the Yankees to win, they have to put their faith in his right arm.
This would be great, but the fact is Burnett cannot be trusted under any circumstances.
Tampa Bay already struck for four runs against him through the first two innings. In both of the frames, Burnett retired the first two men of the frame before the runs scored, a problem that speaks more to inability to concentrate fully when he is out there.
After hitting Evan Longoria in the third inning, followed up by a wild pitch and an RBI single to center by Carlos Pena, Dave Eiland and Joe Girardi came to the mound to remove him from the game with an “injury”.
The cynic watching had to conclude that the injury related exit had more to do with his performance than anything else, if only to avoid the excessive ensuing boo-fest set to take place under normal circumstances.
Two innings later, reports surfaced that Burnett told Eiland before the third inning that he lacerated his right hand while slipping up the stairs. The sudden control problems in the third inning in their minds were a byproduct of the “slip”.
I was not buying any of it.
Suddenly by the end of the game, the new story was that Burnett slammed both of his hands through a clubhouse door, opening up cut on the palm of each of his hands, a plastic lineup cardholder shattering the impact from an even worse injury.
Had it been worse, Burnett would have likely seen time on the disabled list, all of his own making.
It was once again another example of his inability to control his emotions and get the most out of his talent instead of the least. They got the best of him again as they have done his entire career, doing little to change the notion that he is in fact nicknamed “Mental Case” and “The Underachiever”.
Nothing is worse than a player who fails to live up to their God-given gifts that far exceed that of their other peers.
There are those who do more with less.
Burnett does less with a lot more.
The dynamic in play is that when is good, he is as good as any pitcher in baseball.
At different points over his first year and a half in pinstripes, they have seen that.
While he had valleys during the course of last year, he had many peaks, dominating opposing offenses with the repertoire he has.
In October, he will always be remembered for his best performance, Game 2 of the World Series when the Phillies did not have a chance against him.
But there was also the bad, namely Game 5 of both the ALCS and World Series.
Good AJ and Bad AJ.
Welcome folks to the AJ Burnett experience. The Yankees were able to win it all because of and despite him all at the same time.
It was around June of last year when we had the same conversation that we are going to have right now.
The Yankees were in Boston attempting to remove the “donut” that was on their ledger in the season series with the Red Sox.
84 pitches, 44 balls, 5 runs, 2 2/3 innings, and a kicked water cooler later, he took an early shower.
“Bad AJ” had made another appearance.
Many hope that he will “find it” and turn things around. History states that at some point he will go through a stretch where he pitches well.
He is the worst kind of pitcher to root for. You wonder when he will show mental toughness and figure everything out until you realize that at 33 years of age, he never will have his epiphany. He does not have the ability to grind out a game when he does not have his best stuff. When he is not bullying the opposition and in full control. Put even the least bit of adversity in front of him and he melts like ice cream when the weather turns 100 degrees.
Perhaps J.P Riccardi, Burnett’s former general manager when he was with Toronto said it best when he called him, “a roller coaster ride”.
Riccardi paid $55 million back in 2005 thinking he too could find a way to unlock his potential only to find out he could not.
The Yankees thought they could do it and their attempts have come up unsuccessful with things only set to get worse as his $16.5 million salary becomes an albatross as the team receives performance that equates to nothing more than a number three or four starter.
Before it was having Jorge Posada as his catcher. Then it became not having his pitching coach. It was always something with others receiving the blame for his failure to perform.
As we have all finally concluded – the problems start and end with Burnett and Burnett only.
Burnett is like the girl that you date that is incredibly hot. Her looks are so tantalizing that you are willing to except many of her flaws.
The girl also brings plenty you plenty of agita, to the point where you consider strangling them. You want to break with them but continue to give her a chance and put up with all of this because, in the end, she is still hot.
You go so far to put up with everything she brings to the table right up until the point when she does something so egregious that you cannot take it anymore.
The Yankee fan equivalent for this would be seeing Burnett blow up in the postseason.
It would not be a surprise.
Yet, we all could see it coming.
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