AJ Burnett holds on to his starting job for now

AJ Burnett pitched just well enough to keep his spot in the New York Yankees rotation. For now.

If Burnett didn’t have a solid start yesterday, it would have been him being replaced in the rotation by Javier Vazquez instead of Dustin Moseley. But in giving up three runs in six innings and striking out eight batters with his wicked stuff, AJ’s outing was sufficient to get another start in five days.

But Burnett is not out of the woods yet. He has to continue to show progress in the one or two starts he has between now and mid-September when Andy Pettitte hopefully comes off the disabled list. It's possible that the Yankees might choose to sit Phil Hughes for a start when Pettitte comes back because of the innings limit. But I think it's more likely that Pettitte would replace Burnett in the rotation if AJ is still struggling. The Yankees can't keep sending Burnett to the mound when they have 10 games in 13 days against the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox that will likely decide the American League East.

If Burnett wants to keep his job, he's going to have to step it up in September against some pretty tough competition. Let’s see if he is up to the challenge.

Yankees will pay Jeter despite his struggles

There's no need to worry about Derek Jeter's finances. He will be paid handsomely this offseason despite his baffling offensive struggles.

It's shocking to look at the stats page and see Jeter only hitting .266 with a .332 on-base percentage, well below his .314 and .385 career numbers. But he has scored 92 runs so he is making the most of his fewer opportunities on base.

In past years, when Jeter entered a prolonged slump, we usually found out later it was because of some injury that we didn't know about at the time because Jeter refuses to sit or even acknowledge that he is hurt. While I have no doubt he's playing a little banged up this year too, I wonder whether the slump is attributable to his age, whether at 36 Jeter has entered a period in his baseball career where he simply shouldn't be playing shortstop every day. It's a little hard to make that argument when his defense has been so good recently, highlighted by a 52-game errorless streak (with some help from fellow Gold Glover Mark Teixeira). But the human body was not meant for the pain associated with playing 160+ baseball games every year, especially at age 36.

Assuming he is still the New York Yankees manager next year, Joe Girardi will have to be firm with his shortstop and sit him down once a week, no matter how much he protests. Or maybe Jeter will have to be the designated hitter twice a week. Whatever he decides, Girardi is going to have to figure out a way to get Jeter some rest.

But first Jeter and Brian Cashman will discuss the Yankee Captain's worth. Despite the general manager's love of numbers, I don't think he's going to low ball Jeter based on this season. I fully expect him to offer Jeter $20-$25 million over three or four years, perhaps with the caveat that Jeter has to start a transition to the outfield.

As long as the offer is fair, Jeter will accept. It would take a real insulting offer from the Yankees for Jeter to bail on his dream of ending his career in pinstripes.

Happy go lucky routine bad idea by Clemens

Roger Clemens acted like he did not have a care in the world on the day of his arraignment on perjury and other charges, laughing with his lawyers before the hearing and playing golf afterwards. It's the wrong approach, but not at all surprising from a very stubborn man.

What many people want to see from an athlete accused of a crime is a little humility, if not remorse. Acting like he is not at all worried about the charges against him is probably supposed to come off as evidence of his innocence. Instead, it seems like evidence of his arrogance, that he is not taking the case seriously.

What's worse is that Clemens doesn't seem the least bit sorry for the mess he will drag former friends such as Andy Pettitte (and Andy's wife Laura) into. He does not seem to care that his former teammates on the New York Yankees and other teams will be hounded by reporters over the next year whenever there are developments in the criminal case. He does not care that this case (and the Barry Bonds trial) will continue to cast light on a shameful period in baseball history.

Maybe this is just an act and Clemens is really worried about his freedom. But I think he might have so convinced himself that he will be acquitted that he doesn't care how the case plays out. He really should. Even if he's found not guilty, the case is going to be very bad for him, bringing things into the light that he'd probably rather not have public.

The happy-go-lucky approach is just not a good idea.

Thanks to Keith Allison via Wikipedia for the photo.

Quick Pettitte return would boost Yankees

If Andy Pettitte can return to the rotation in two weeks, that would provide a major lift that could carry the New York Yankees right into the playoffs.

It may be an optimistic scenario, given that he has spent more than a month on the disabled list and already had one setback. But Pettitte himself was encouraged by the lack of pain during his bullpen session Sunday. Perhaps more importantly, Joe Girardi seems convinced that Pettitte was telling him the truth when he reported no ill effects from the session.

Although the Yankees have gotten solid starts from Dustin Moseley and Ivan Nova, they'd much rather have Pettitte, even at less than 100%, starting big games against the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox in late September. If Pettitte can avoid reinjuring himself during his two weeks of rehab, he would quickly reenter the rotation, which would boost the Yankees’ postseason hopes. Pettitte at less than full strength is still a better option in an important game than an erratic AJ Burnett, unreliable Javier Vazquez or one of the youngsters that have no big-game experience.

We’ll keep our fingers crossed that Pettitte continues to feel good and can help his team secure a spot for October baseball.

Nova gaining fans despite B12 controversy

Ivan Nova was so excited about winning his first major-league ballgame that he said he would get his teammates to sign the game ball for him. The way he pitched in his two starts this week, his teammates will be more than happy to oblige.

Joe Girardi was thrilled and impressed, not only by Nova’s pitching, but by his composure. The manager loved Nova’s efficiency and the good off-speed stuff that was responsible for some of his biggest outs. Girardi must have also been incredibly relieved by Nova’s outing, given the state of the New York Yankees rotation, and promised the kid another start.

But a player is truly impressive when the opposing manager goes out of his way to praise him. Ozzie Guillen, who never hesitates to criticize anybody, said Nova might have been the best pitcher the Yankees had over the last few days and expressed relief that the Chicago White Sox will not see him again unless both teams meet in the playoffs.

What I found most impressive was his ability to keep his composure with a cloud hanging over his head due to the news that Major League Baseball is investigating whether he and minor-league teammate Wilkin De La Rosa injected each other with B12 shots. Nova did not let the developing controversy bother him on the mound. From the big smile on his face after the game, he’s not going to let anything ruin his first big-league win.

Thomas, Piniella should be in Hall of Fame

It's been a big week of baseball news in Chicago, starting with Lou Piniella's early retirement as manager of the Cubs and ending with Frank "Big Hurt" Thomas having his number retired by the White Sox.

Thomas was a killer at the plate, belting more than 500 home runs in 19 big-league seasons, winning two Most Valuable Player awards and making the All-Star team five times before finally becoming a World Series champion in 2005. I'm completely bummed that I wasn't in Chicago today to cheer as his number was retired in what looked like a wonderful ceremony (and root for the New York Yankees afterward =). But I can root for him from afar to make the Baseball Hall of Fame as soon as he is eligible in 2014.

There are writers who refuse to vote any player into the Hall on the first year of eligibility and others will cast a negative eye on his overall numbers because some of them came as a designated hitter. But his resume is impressive. To me, legitimate domination of the sport should be a key criterion when analyzing a Hall candidate and Thomas was undoubtedly one of the most feared, dominating hitters in baseball in the 1990s.

Piniella will be remembered as one of the great managers of his generation and no one can accuse him of doing it the easy way. He got his start managing for the notoriously difficult George Steinbrenner, who falsely accused him of stealing furniture despite his love for his "son," according to Bill Madden's Steinbrenner biography. Piniella won the World Series for the Cincinnati Reds, took the Seattle Mariners to the American League Championship Series and managed the then-doormat Tampa Bay Rays before heading to Chicago. He ended his career 14th on the managerial win list.

Both Thomas and Piniella deserve to be in the Hall of Fame and I hope they gain entry as soon as possible.

Thanks to Drdisque via Wikipedia for the photo.

Girardi, Yankees losing patience with Burnett

AJ Burnett is really starting to wear on the nerves of the New York Yankees.

The fact that manager Joe Girardi did not dismiss the possibility of shipping AJ to the bullpen is a sign that he is clearly frustrated by managing the weekly headache that Burnett has become.

Imagine the very real possibility of Sergio Mitre or Chad Gaudin pitching key games for the Yankees against the Tampa Bay Rays or Boston Red Sox in September because Girardi & Co. simply don't know which AJ will show up on the mound at any given day. As risky as it may be, Girardi may need to trust Mitre or Gaudin more than he trusts his supposed #2 starter as the Yanks fight for the American League East.

I think Girardi's biggest frustration comes from Burnett's inability to step up when the Yankees need him, especially now with Andy Pettitte's injury taking longer than expected to heal and Phil Hughes closing in on his innings limit. The Yankees manager would much prefer to send Mitre or Gaudin to pitch the last four innings of Hughes' September starts. Instead, he may have to use them in Burnett's place and hope they can win big games in a tight division race.

It's a bad spot for the manager to be in and that's partly Burnett's fault.