Pettitte would be great Plan B for Rangers

Nolan Ryan denied a report that the Texas Rangers would seek to pry Andy Pettitte away from the New York Yankees, especially if they lose Cliff Lee. But it's a great Plan B for the Rangers if they are considering it.

Pettitte has already left the Yankees for Texas once before when he took a lot less money on the open market to sign with his hometown Houston Astros. The pull of family could make him receptive to an offer from the Rangers to play closer to home. But Pettitte has admitted he missed the intensity of the Yankee Stadium atmosphere while he was in Houston, which makes it unlikely that he would consider again abandoning his pinstripes, unless he can be convinced that the Rangers are primed for a return trip to the World Series.

For the Rangers and Ryan, acquiring Pettitte makes a lot of sense. They wouldn't have to commit the years and dollars that they must if they really want to retain Lee since Pettitte is perfectly happy going on yearly contracts. Pettitte is a lot older than Lee, but also a lot cheaper and has a proven record as a postseason winner. And signing a local star like Pettitte would take the sting out of losing Lee for the Rangers fan base and give them a reason to keep coming back to the ballpark.

Do I think Pettitte would sign with the Rangers? No. Despite what would be a really attractive offer from the Rangers, I believe Pettitte means it when he says he will either sign with the Yankees or retire. So all Pettitte needs to decide is whether he has one more season left in him. I really hope he does because the Yankees still need him.

Robinson Cano will get another shot at MVP

Robinson Cano will have to be content with his Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards, at least for now.

In what seemed like a foregone conclusion, Josh Hamilton won the American League Most Valuable Player award by a pretty hefty margin over Cano and the other candidates. Despite missing 28 games at the end of the season, Hamilton put up strong enough numbers to clearly convince the writers of his value to the Texas Rangers. It must feel like a particularly gratifying achievement after all the troubles Hamilton has endured.

But I must admit to being very surprised by the lack of first-place votes for Cano considering the New York Yankees actually made it to the playoffs while the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays both watched from home. Ever since Alex Rodriguez started winning MVP awards during his time with the Rangers, it has become clear that some writers will cast their votes for the players with the gaudiest numbers rather than the players who are actually most valuable to their teams in helping them get into postseason play. I have no problem with Hamilton winning, but the writers who put Miguel Cabrera and Jose Bautista ahead of Cano really missed the boat. Granted, those guys put up fantastic numbers this year, but Cano kept the Yankees in contention when ARod went down and other big-time players such as Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter struggled.

But Cano’s MVP loss doesn't matter much in the grand scheme of things. And Cano is young and has become one of the best players in baseball. He will get another shot at an MVP award eventually.

Hail to the King, Felix beats CC Sabathia

This was a good week for the monarchy. Prince William gets engaged and King Felix wins the American League Cy Young award.

By a decisive margin, Felix Hernandez beat out David Price and CC Sabathia for the honor of being named the best pitcher in the American League in 2010. It’s an impressive feat considering he played for an inferior Seattle Mariners team and his 13 wins were well below CC’s 21 victories and Price’s 19.

It's also a victory for the stat geeks as Hernandez dominated most of the major pitching categories, except wins of course. While I fully appreciate the skill it takes to pitch to a 2.27 ERA in the American League, I can't help but wonder how many fewer runs Sabathia and Price would have given up had they not been pitching regularly for or against the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays.

I doubt Sabathia is broken up about this loss. He already has a Cy Young award and a championship ring. CC is probably more upset about losing to a Texas Rangers team that went down in five games in the World Series than losing the Cy Young award to a talented youngster.

But personally, I agree with Roy "Doc” Halladay, who upon winning his second Cy Young award a few days ago, remarked that wins matter. His implication, of course, was that the high victory totals for Price and Sabathia should carry more weight than the sparkling stats of Hernandez. I would have no problem if CC had lost to Price, who helped propel the Rays to the AL East division title. But losing to Hernandez is galling because it diminishes the importance of actually winning games compared to compiling nice stats.

But I guess it's a moot point now. Long live the monarchy!

Learning about the next Yankee (hopefully) pitcher

The Daily News did fans of the New York Yankees a great service by going to Cliff Lee's hometown in Benton, Arkansas and speaking to everybody who knows him.

Okay, maybe they didn't speak to everyone, but it sure seems that way from the extensive profile they produced chronicling his life from talented kid to superstar pitcher and premier free agent. We now know a lot more about the guy who would be the next (hopefully) Yankee superstar.

I especially love the opening anecdote about Lee being afraid of speaking to a friendly crowd of 500 people because I can relate to that fear. I recently participated in a panel discussion in front of about 150 people and was terrified. I'm far more comfortable behind a computer instead of in front of a microphone, just like Lee is far more comfortable throwing a baseball, which he does better than everyone, except maybe 5 to 10 pitchers in baseball.

The story doesn't give us insight into whether Lee will ultimately sign with the Yankees or choose to stay closer to home by continuing his career with the Texas Rangers. But it does a great job in helping us understand what makes Lee tick.

Thanks to Red3biggs via Wikipedia for the photo.

Robinson Cano building his trophy collection

Robinson Cano may not win the Most Valuable Player award this year, but the way he's going he will get one in the not too distant future. He can clear a space for it right next to his well-deserved Gold Glove award.

For the first time in his career, Cano took home the prize for being the top defensive second baseman in the American League. Given his sparkling play in the field for the New York Yankees, it was not at all a surprise that AL managers and coaches chose him for the highest honor for a defender.

Cano made some plays this year that defied belief, mostly because he made them look so easy and they never were easy. But he has a smoothness and grace to his defense that looks so effortless. His defense was beautiful to watch this year and critical in preventing countless runs. For that, Cano definitely deserved recognition.

The Yankees second baseman is probably going to lose the MVP award to the Texas Rangers Josh Hamilton (unless the voters penalize Hamilton for missing the last month of the season compared to Iron Man Cano who kept the Yankees afloat when key players kept succumbing to injuries). But it won't be his last chance to add the MVP award to his trophy collection. Robby has gone from a great talent to a terrific baseball player right before our eyes and I think he'll be in the MVP conversation for many years to come.

Let the courting of Cliff Lee begin!

We may not know how it ends for a while, but the courting of Cliff Lee began with a simple phone call. With baseball’s free-agent market officially opening for business yesterday, it was not even a little surprising that Lee’s agent heard from the New York Yankees on the first day.

During the courtship, the Yankees will invite Lee and his wife for guided tours of their relatively new stadium and the nicer neighborhoods of the New York metropolitan area. They will give advice and information about the best schools for the Lee kids. They will enlist CC Sabathia to tell his good friend Cliff all about how awesome it was to win a championship with the Yankees in New York and how much Cliff would enjoy the ride down the Canyon of Heroes and the immense love and gratitude he will receive from the Yankee faithful if he puts on the pinstripes and puts the Yankees back on top.

The Yankees will apologize profusely for the behavior of the morons who harassed Mrs. Lee and the other Texas Rangers wives last month, probably with some flowers, candy and a note expressing their embarrassment (if they haven't already done so). They will assure the Lees that such behavior is not tolerated at Yankee Stadium and will not happen again.

Will it be enough? I hope so because the Yankees really need Lee. Stay tuned and maybe send some flowers.

Thanks to Red3biggs via Wikipedia for the photo.

Girardi must earn back trust of fans, media

Finalizing a deal to remain the manager of the New York Yankees was never going to be a difficult task for Joe Girardi, especially since Brian Cashman wanted him back. It's what he does in the second phase of his tenure at the helm that matters now.

The deal for Girardi to return as manager, likely official Friday, was inevitable since Cashman quickly announced Girardi's return after the Yankees were thoroughly outplayed and embarrassed by the Texas Rangers in the American League Championship Series.

Just to be clear, I don't think Girardi should have been fired for losing that series. But his managing during the regular season and the playoffs did raise legitimate questions about his job performance, namely about his over reliance on statistics and matchups and seemingly being incapable of telling when a game was about to get out of hand.

I don't blame the entire series loss on Girardi, but he has to take responsibility for two key decisions: failing to get AJ Burnett out of Game 4 with the score tied (if the Yankees win that game, the series could have ended much differently) and bringing in David Robertson in Game 6 with the game on the line. Yankee fans are like elephants, we never forget, and it will be a long time before the fans get past those maneuvers.

The media is another story. The beat reporters were already tiring of Girardi's post-loss testiness and getting suspicious about his injury reports, a distrust that's going to grow to a whole new level now that Girardi has admitted he shuffled his ALCS rotation around because of Andy Pettitte's injury. The open hostility already started with Joel Sherman's column earlier this week. But it's going to get worse as reporters feel free to question Girardi more intensely after his failure in the playoffs. Of course, Girardi has the security blanket of his new three-year contract so he may not care if reporters like him or not. But if the press is motivated to go after him, they could subtlety turn fans against him and that could make things very uncomfortable for the Yankee skipper.

Girardi’s going to have plenty of major decisions to make in his own clubhouse: Should Jorge Posada be more of a designated hitter? How often should he sit Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez? But his managerial style and interaction with reporters will also need some work if he wants to win back the trust of the fans and the media.

Go SF Giants! Sorry, Texas Rangers

Just to be clear, I'm not rooting for the San Francisco Giants to beat the Texas Rangers in the World Series just because the Rangers trounced my New York Yankees (although I wouldn't be upset if the Giants were able to avenge that loss).

I'm rooting for the Giants because I've been rooting for them through the entire playoffs (against Atlanta and especially Philadelphia). I'm rooting for the Giants because I'm rooting for the underdogs, for the misfits. Plus, I can't wait to hear what closer Brian Wilson says next. The guy is a total loon, but a lovable one.

The Rangers have to be the favorites because they have a well-rested Cliff Lee ready to pitch two, and possible three, games. Plus, the Rangers proved against the Yankees that they are masters of exploiting another team's weaknesses.

But the Giants are no pushovers, having defeated the Phillies' supposedly indestructible troika of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. They play solid baseball, hit in the clutch and have their own ace in Tim Lincecum, the youngster with the weird, but effective delivery.

Can San Francisco pull it off? I hope so. Go Giants!

Thanks to Bryce_edwards and UCinternational via Wikipedia for the photo.

Who I would dump from the 2010 Yankees

The three Core Four New York Yankees eligible for free agency have gotten most of the attention, but nearly half the roster is eligible or could be non-tendered. Here's who I would dump:

Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte will all be back if they want to be, but how much it will cost to keep them is a separate question. I would love to see Kerry Wood back if the Yankees can work out a cheaper deal with him, but I think he will get plenty of offers in the offseason.

Nick Johnson and Javier Vazquez are the easiest to wave goodbye with Johnson hurt again for most of the year and Vazquez not even making the postseason roster (That Kelly Clarkson song Already Gone just popped into my head).

For me, Marcus Thames is the toughest call among the free agents because he was such a productive offensive player and he is pretty cheap. But I think the Yankees really need to free up the designated hitter spot for Jorge Posada, Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. Lance Berkman will simply fade away, having fallen short in his one chance to win a World Series before his career comes to an end. Austin Kearns did nothing to impress me and I would let him walk away. Hell, I didn't even want him on the postseason roster.

Of the six guys eligible for arbitration, Chad Gaudin, Dustin Moseley and Sergio Mitre could be non-tendered. I would only keep Moseley because I think he has shown enough promise as a potential fifth starter. Gaudin and Mitre have been disappointing and they aren't much value to the team if they are relegated to mop-up duty.

Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Boone Logan are also arbitration eligible, but they will all be back barring a trade. I can't wait to see the number Hughes' agent puts forth in arbitration after he won 18 games at the bargain price of $447,000. Coming off the year he had, it would be difficult for the Yankees to fight him although they could point to his increasing ERA through the year and his two losses to the Texas Rangers in the playoffs.

Some guys will remain on the team because they are simply untradeable, namely AJ Burnett with three years and another $60 million on his contract. Both Joe Girardi and Cashman expressed confidence that Burnett would have a bounce-back year in 2011. On what they are basing this assessment, I don't really know.

So I will be sad to see Wood and Thames go, but most of the others are expendable (And now the Stallone movie just popped into my head so I'll have to get rid of that image).

Fight for Cliff Lee could be over before it starts

Everyone in the baseball world assumed the New York Yankees would have an edge in the battle for Cliff Lee because of their bottomless wallet. But the fight for his services could be over even before it starts, thanks to some idiot fans.

The media has painted a portrait of a money-hungry Lee who will chase the last dollar because he supposedly wouldn't even consider a discounted contract offer from the Philadelphia Phillies one year away from free agency. (Don’t you think the Phillies regret trading Lee now that they are sitting at home watching him pitch in the World Series?) While this portrayal may be partially true, I have my doubts that he will sign with the Yankees just because they can offer him the most money, especially now that his wife has been badly mistreated in the Bronx.

Sure, Lee will want as much money as he can get as the premier free agent, but he seems to have developed a genuine attachment to his town and team even though he has only been there a few months. Arlington is a lot closer to his offseason home in Little Rock and he and his wife are obviously happy in his new baseball home. If the Texas Rangers can come somewhat close on the money, I could definitely see Lee saying no to a few extra million from the Yankees and staying in Texas.

It's also hard for me to imagine any decent husband wanting to push his wife into living in a town she is clearly uncomfortable in. And if I were Kristen Lee, I would probably tell Cliff to tell the Yankees to take their money and shove it.

Sure, Lee and his agent will play spin doctors to keep up the perception that the Yankees are still in the battle for his services and raise his asking price. But if Mrs. Lee tells her husband that there's no chance in hell she's moving to New York, the fight for Lee could well be over before it starts, leaving the Yankees in a real mess.

Thanks to artolog and Fui in terra aliena via Wikipedia for the photo.

Cashman takes his share of blame for defeat

Brian Cashman rightfully took his share of the blame for the New York Yankees falling short of their goal of repeating as World Series champions.

He didn't take all the blame for the ugly defeat at the hands of the Texas Rangers and he shouldn't have because he put together a team that was more than capable of a long, successful run in the baseball playoffs. But he was honest about how some decisions he made in the offseason ended up hurting the team in the regular season and October.

The move that obviously hurt the most was thinking Javier Vazquez could be a key cog in the Yankee rotation. Because Vazquez was never able to put everything together in New York and lost the faith of his manager, he was never an option for the playoffs and that really limited Joe Girardi's choices. Cashman has been vocal about accepting complete responsibility for that move, leaving the pitcher off the postseason roster even though that made it clear the offseason trade was a bad decision on his part.

But Cashman made some moves that were sheer brilliance, namely picking up an injured Kerry Wood, who helped the Yankees secure a postseason berth with some solid set-up work for Mariano Rivera. He deserves a lot of credit for that one. He was also under a lot of pressure to trade Phil Hughes for Johan Santana a few years ago and his reluctance to do so paid big dividends when the kid became a key member of the bullpen last year. Despite his rough postseason, the Yankees wouldn’t have even made the playoffs this year if their fifth starter Hughes hadn’t won 18 games.

I look at the Curtis Granderson trade as a mixed bag with solid potential for next year as he showed in September and October the kind of player he is capable of being. Cashman’s pursuit of the younger, more athletic outfielder could prove to be a good move in the future.

Unlike Joe Girardi, you get the impression that Cashman is perfectly willing to take a hard look in the mirror and learn from his mistakes. So I expect no more signings of injury-plagued players, unless they are willing to sign for low-dollar, incentive-laden deals (So long, Nick Johnson!). No more expensive bullpen guys, unless Wood is willing to settle for being Rivera's set-up guy in exchange for another shot at the World Series.

Cashman has a lot of tough choices to make and is somewhat limited in revamping his roster, but the one thing we now know is that he will be the first guy to the microphone to take the blame when things don't work out.

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.

End of the road for Yankees Core Four?

Will the Core Four no longer be a core next year?

That is a disturbing proposition for fans of the New York Yankees, with Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte all free agents.

Of the three of them, Pettitte is the most obvious candidate to leave because he's always talking about walking away from baseball to be with his family. It's hard to gauge which way Pettitte is leaning. He proved this year that he was one of the top pitchers in the American League when healthy, when healthy being the key phrase as he spent most of the second half on the disabled list. But he came back in time to give the Yankees exactly what they needed in the playoffs and would have won both of his starts if he hadn't been up against Cliff Lee, who the Yankees hope will be Pettitte's teammate next year.

Despite all the fretting about Jeter's regular and postseason, I still think he and the Yankees will come together on a new contract. Jeter has been unequivocal about his desire to keep playing for the Yankees, the only professional team he has ever known, and the Yankees know they have to sign him so I expect a quiet, relatively quick contract negotiation.

The wild card is Mariano. In the exhilaration of last year's World Series win, Mo talked about pitching another five years. But it was clear as this year went by that Mo is getting tired of the side stuff that comes with being a professional baseball player, namely the traveling. Could Mo decide enough is enough and go home with his legacy as the greatest closer of all time completely secure? I surely hope not. Despite a shaky September, Mo proved he is still one of the best closers in the game and it's hard to imagine him leaving on such a sour note.

Posada still has one year left on his contract, but it's clear that there will be major changes at the catching position in 2011. He just can't throw people out anymore and opposing teams are wreaking havoc on the bases, unnerving Yankee pitchers and creating tension between Posada and his staff. Brian Cashman doesn't have much room to maneuver with his roster, but one move I definitely expect is for him to free up the designated hitter spot for Posada, Jeter and Alex Rodriguez and either bring up one or two of his stud catching prospects or make a trade.

For the Core Four, knowing they might not all be back next year must have made the ugly loss to the Texas Rangers a bitter pill to swallow.

Yankees revamp can't just revolve on Lee

The New York Yankees are setting themselves up for potential trouble if their entire plan to revamp the team revolves around Cliff Lee.

Most of the baseball world assumes that Lee will take the biggest contract he can get, which undoubtedly will come from the Yankees. But what if, after vanquishing the Yankees, Lee sees the Bronx Bombers as a team on the decline, with an aging roster and many problems despite their massive payroll? What if new owner Nolan Ryan, a legendary pitcher himself, knows what he has in his ace, has visions of a possible dynasty and refuses to let him leave, emptying his pockets with a contract offer that Lee finds reasonable? What if Lee decides he has finally found his baseball home in Texas after multiple trades and pulls a Roy Halladay, signing for a lot less than he can get on the open market?

Lee wouldn't be the first stud pitcher to reject the Yankees. Future Hall of Famer Greg Maddux declined to wear the pinstripes, preferring to remain in a more sedate baseball home in Atlanta. Roger Clemens famously spurned the Yankees, even after lifting weights with George Steinbrenner, until he realized he couldn't win that elusive World Series ring without them.

Lee is widely depicted in the media as a hired gun aiming for the biggest score. What if it's not true? What if Lee is not willing to let money be the biggest factor in deciding where he will play the next five years of his baseball career? If that's the case, the Yankees better put away the wallet and come up with a back-up plan, one that doesn't revolve getting the best guy on the market.

Thanks to artolog and Fui in terra aliena via Wikipedia for the photo.

Yankees can't fight to save their season

I would be mad about the Texas Rangers bouncing the New York Yankees right out of the playoffs, but the truth of the matter is the Yankees were never really in it.

It turns out the well-pitched, well-played games against the Minnesota Twins were just an illusion. In the American League Championship Series, the Yankees played more like the team they looked like in September. Perhaps that's the team they really are rather than the world beaters they looked like against the Twinkies. In the ALCS, they got outpitched, outhit and really out managed.

Game 6 was a clear example of how the Rangers played better than the Yankees in every way possible. Phil Hughes struggled right from the start, not that it really mattered. He held the Rangers to one run through the first four innings before imploding, but had to watch helplessly as the offense acted like Cliff Lee was on the mound instead of Colby Lewis. And when Joe Girardi pulled Hughes with the game on the line, the bullpen call went to David Robertson instead of Kerry Wood or Mariano Rivera. I know it was only the fifth inning, but that was the season right there and Girardi made the wrong call.

The Rangers earned the right to represent the American League in the World Series by playing like superstars. The Yankees couldn't put up a fight to save their season and that's why they are going home.

Thanks to Red3biggs via Wikipedia for the Colby Lewis photo.

Yankees live to fight another day

Glad to see the New York Yankees still had some fight in them.

I was beginning to worry that the Yankees would go quietly into the night with the way their offense (except Robinson Cano) and pitching (except Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera) abandoned them. But they got a gutty outing from CC Sabathia to win Game 5 of the American League Championship Series and stave off elimination. The Yankee ace wasn't sharp by any stretch of the imagination, but he battled to get through six innings only giving up two runs by summoning the right pitch when he needed it.

The Yankee offense finally showed up in a performance that bodes well for the rest of the series, with Cano getting some help from his crew. Glad to see the hitters respond to that APB before the Bronx Bombers faded away.

So all eyes turn to Arlington where the Yankees will attempt to take two games from the Texas Rangers in their own home. I expect to see Phil Hughes bounce back from his disastrous Game 2 start to pitch well, supported by a resurgent offense. If the Yankees win Game 6, they will still have to contend with Cliff Lee in Game 7. It's a tough chore, but I'm a lot more optimistic about their chances today than I was before yesterday's game. Surviving elimination will do that for you.

Girardi's bad moves cost Yankees the game

Even though his offense has disappeared, Joe Girardi must take responsibility for the ugly loss that has put the New York Yankees on the brink of elimination.

Having secured a solid outing through five innings from the unreliable AJ Burnett, Girardi should have been ready to remove him from the game at the first sign of trouble. And that came right away in the 6th inning with yet another leadoff single. But in what was one of the worst moves I've ever seen from Girardi, the Yankees manager intentionally walked a batter to get to Bengie Molina and left Burnett in to face the Texas Rangers catcher.

This is not a second guess. As it was happening, I was yelling at the television wondering what the hell Girardi was doing. From watching Burnett all year, it was obvious that Girardi could not put an extra runner on base when his pitcher has been so erratic on the mound. The only thing that would have made it a decent move was if Girardi was going to lift AJ after the walk. But for whatever reason, he didn't do it.

What is so puzzling about Girardi's failure to pull Burnett is that he was so quick to take pitchers out in the regular season. He pulled Javier Vazquez and Dustin Moseley one out from victory in consecutive games. There was so much more at stake last night. So why didn't he pull the trigger? It can't be that he had that much more confidence in AJ Burnett. If that was the case, Burnett's start wouldn't have been as big an issue as it was heading into the game.

Girardi relied on his usual comments about liking the matchup and the way his pitcher was throwing the ball. He also mentioned that he would have been second guessed if he took out Burnett and the pitcher he brought in gave up some runs. Nobody would have faulted Girardi for counting his blessings and getting AJ out of there. He got all he could have hoped for out of Burnett to that point and should have pulled him with the lead still intact. His failure to do so may cost the Yankees their season.

Posada must put benching frustration aside

Jorge Posada must be livid about being benched tonight for AJ Burnett's start, even though he had to know it was coming.

I'm not at all convinced that Burnett will have a good game just because Francisco Cervelli is catching him. He has had plenty of bad starts with his personal catcher behind the plate. But Joe Girardi can't take any chances. He has to make Burnett as comfortable as possible. The New York Yankees manager can't risk the fiery Posada doing anything to upset his sensitive pitcher.

But Jorge must share some of the blame. He has not looked good behind the plate, most notably screwing up the rundown in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series that allowed the Texas Rangers to score their first run. If not for Phil Hughes' implosion, that play would have gotten a lot more attention.

Of course, the Yankees are also losing Posada's more dangerous bat by sitting him tonight in such a critical game. But like the rest of the Yankees lineup, with the notable exception of Robinson Cano, Posada has been ineffective at the plate with only two ribbies and nine strikeouts in 21 at-bats.

As proud as Posada is, he must be terribly disappointed by his benching. But for the sake of his team, he must bury that frustration as deep as possible.

Time for AJ Burnett to shock the world

AJ Burnett can really shock the baseball world if he steps up with a quality outing.

For AJ, of course, quality is a relative term. I think the New York Yankees will live with four runs in roughly six innings. But it also depends on when he gives up those runs. If the Texas Rangers knock him around for four runs in the 1st inning, he will not see the 2nd inning. Joe Girardi will pull him faster than the Yankee Stadium crowd can muster the energy to boo him off the mound.

The Yankees have done everything they can to prepare him for this start and express as much confidence as they can publicly demonstrate without choking on the words, even though their spoken faith in him seems tenuous at best. They named him as the Game 4 starter even after he hit two guys in a simulated game, which showed his long layoff would create a major control problem. They didn't back down even after falling behind two games to one in the American League Championship Series.

Now it's up to AJ to surprise the experts, the fans and even his teammates with a nice start in the pressure cooker that is the baseball playoffs. For the Yankees sake, I hope he can do it.

Loss puts Yankees in a terrible bind

The New York Yankees were throttled by Cliff Lee in a loss that puts them in a terrible bind.

Now the Yankees have to win tonight or risk facing elimination and a quick end to their World Series title hopes. That will be an extremely difficult assignment; with AJ Burnett scheduled to start Game 4 of the American League Championship Series and the Yankees offense sleeping the series away. Yes, Lee can induce a slumber in the best hitters, but this really goes back to Game 2 and the Yankees inability to do much against the pitching of the Texas Rangers.

Andy Pettitte was his typical reliable self yesterday, only giving up two runs in seven innings. But the runs came too early in the game and the Yankees were never able to recover. Once that ball left Josh Hamilton's bat heading for the seats, the game was over. The next 8 1/2 innings were just a formality. A six-run outburst put the game well out of reach in the 9th, but the Yankees were done long before then.

By the way, if Lee was auditioning for Yankee fans, consider me on board. The man will get paid handsomely after the way he's pitched, especially in the playoffs, and the Yankees will be first in line with their checkbook.