Yankee ex-coach Eiland still the story

Until some major news breaks on the Derek Jeter/Mariano Rivera/Andy Pettitte contract front, ex-coach Dave Eiland is going to remain the story for the New York Yankees.

The Yankees disavowed a report that basically blamed a rift with manager Joe Girardi for Eiland's departure. It’s possible that there is some truth to the story, but I highly doubt it, especially after hearing Girardi’s interviews last Monday. It was clear that Girardi had no idea what was coming and no input into the decision. It was completely Brian Cashman’s move. If there was a rift, it is entirely possible that Cashman unilaterally decided that a change was necessary. But I doubt Cashman would have made the move without consulting Girardi about whether the relationship could be salvaged.

But I also have doubts about the report because it came from one anonymous source. Even though I'm a journalist, maybe because I'm a journalist, I always look at sources wanting to offer off-the-record comments with great suspicion. There are two key questions when a source asks to be quoted anonymously: what is their motivation for saying what they are saying and why can't they go on-the-record with their thoughts? If they don't have a legitimate reason for requesting anonymity, I'm not at all inclined to grant it. And it’s hard to tell from the story why the source felt he or she needed to be anonymous.

I can't blame Eiland for being upset about the story. It makes him look bad and could hurt his job prospects, something I'm sure the reporter didn't take into account.

Is Eiland a scapegoat for Yankees collapse?

So I guess it’s Dave Eiland's fault that the New York Yankees did not advance to the World Series.

Or not, if you believe Brian Cashman when he said he made the decision for what he described as private reasons he chose not to discuss and firmly denied it had anything to do with the Yankees getting their butts kicked by the Texas Rangers. "It had nothing to do with looking for a scapegoat or a sacrificial lamb," he said.

But if that's not the reason, then what is? Both Cashman and Joe Girardi praised Eiland’s work and said he would quickly find another job. But if he’s such a good coach, then why did he lose this job?

“Dave helped us win a championship and I’m very grateful,” said Girardi, who clearly was not at all involved in the discussion and threw his general manager under the bus by pointing that out.

“Cash informed me that was going to be the move today,” he said. “Cash just felt we had to go in a different direction.”

Perhaps it is related to whatever personal issue kept Eiland away from the team for several weeks in the middle of the baseball season. That’s pure speculation, but it’s the only thing that makes sense if this wasn’t about his job performance or him being a scapegoat.

I tell you one thing. I don't want to hear or see any off-the-record comments from the Yankee hierarchy criticizing Eiland's job performance. Too often, the Yankees have been guilty of disparaging a guy after they've given him the boot, notably Don Zimmer and Joe Torre, to make themselves look better. If Eiland was so terrible at his job, why were the Yankees so desperate to get him back from his personal leave when AJ Burnett was struggling?

Maybe we’ll know the reason at some point in the future, just like we found out today that Andy Pettitte pitched hurt in the playoffs. I just hope Eiland wasn’t the scapegoat because I can think of many people a lot more responsible for the ugly defeat, starting with the manager.

Yankees can't trust erratic AJ in key game

With AJ Burnett tentatively scheduled to start Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, Games 1, 2 and 3 become critical for the New York Yankees.

Joe Girardi is in a really bad spot in this round of the playoffs. He can't ask a young Phil Hughes and an older, injury-plagued Andy Pettitte to go on short rest just because Burnett is unreliable. Yet, he and the Yankees can't trust Burnett to have a good outing because they have no clue which AJ will show up on the mound. Girardi and pitching coach Dave Eiland are trying to publicly muster up as much confidence as they can in Burnett, citing his solid outings during last year's playoffs. But Burnett has been a different guy this year, frustrated and uncertain on and off the baseball field.

The ideal outcome for the Yankees is to win two if not all three of the first games to ensure that AJ is not put in a high-pressure situation. Because if it comes down to Burnett pitching a must-win game, the Yankees don't have much of a chance.

Yankees trying to boost Burnett's confidence

Perhaps Dave Eiland is trying to pull off the baseball equivalent of a Jedi mind trick when he insists AJ Burnett is part of the team's postseason rotation plans.

Given his inconsistency, simply slotting Burnett into the rotation for the playoffs seems like a potential disaster for the New York Yankees. How can Joe Girardi put him in a big game when he doesn't know which AJ will show up on the mound? He's a hit-or-miss pitcher and a miss could knock the Yankees right out of the playoffs.

But Girardi and Eiland know their guy better than the rest of us. They know that the root of his problems is always in his head. Maybe they figure if they make it clear that Burnett is part of their plans for the postseason rotation it will take some of the pressure off of him. Maybe they are simply showing they have confidence in him so he can concentrate on pitching like he is capable of pitching, like he pitched during last year’s playoffs.

For the Yankees sake, I hope they are right about Burnett.

Pettitte must keep his frustration in check

Andy Pettitte is a competitive guy so the setback he experienced this week must be killing him. But he can't let his frustration overpower his good sense.

I suspect that Joe Girardi and Dave Eiland will have to work hard to make sure that their pitcher doesn't do anything to jeopardize his health. From his comments, it seems like Pettitte understands the importance of not pushing too hard. But the longer his rehab takes, the more pressure the veteran lefty will put on himself to return to the mound as quickly as possible.

It helps that the New York Yankees have broken out of their funk, with a key comeback win against the Texas Rangers and winning two of out three so far in Kansas City. If the Yankees continue to do well and keep the Tampa Bay Rays at bay, that will lessen the urgency for Pettitte to return to the rotation.

As difficult as it may be, keeping his frustration in check and not rushing back too soon is the best way for Pettitte to help his team.