Let's be honest, AJ Burnett's tenyer in pinstripes have been less than a romance. Through the highs and the lows he has left Yankee fans hoping there is an express exit off of this ride. And tonight he will start game 4 of the ALDS, an elimination game for the Yankees...
(Oh boy...)
I want him to go out there and pitch a gem, I really do. I want the bats to come alive, I really do. I want the Yankees to win, I really do. But I don't want public opinion on AJ to change if he pitches well tonight, I really don't.
All too often in sports the perception of an athlete can change from one week to the next based on performance in big spots. (i.e. Tony Romo) This really bothers me. And to be honest, frightens me. If AJ Burnett throws a great game tonight and saves the Yankees season there is a legitimate chance he will become the darling of Yankee fans. If this happens, although I will be happy for both him and the Yankees, it will make me sick. He has done nothing but prove to the team and fans that he doesn't have what it takes to be an effective, consistent MLB starter.
So let me make this short and sweet.
Fellow Yankee fans, let us come together in hope that Burnett can save the season for the bombers tonight. BUT! I implore you to not become prisoners of the moment! Don't fall for his flirtations with success. No matter what the result tonight may be, keep your current opinions of AJ and don't fall for the same crush we've been battling with for years now. Yankee fans, join me in hoping AJ is a solid contributor in the immediate future but is NOT part of the not so immediate future. Yankee fans, join me in avoiding the AJ 180. Yankee fans, join me in rational thought!
Class Dismissed,
Student of Sports
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Showing posts with label New York Yankees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York Yankees. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Not So Sweet Caroline
On my remote controller, a typical Comcast remote, there is a button located to the right of the directional pad and underneath the menu button, it is labeled 'last'. The purpose of this button is for me to be able to go back to the channel I was previously watching with one click. Safe to say last night, that button got A LOT of action.
Last night was probably one of the single greatest nights in baseball, if not sports, history. On the last day of the season both the American and Nation League had there respective wild card bids up for grabs and had 2 teams each in contention. And better yet, all 4 teams had games starting at the same time and 3 of which (Boston/Baltimore, Atlanta/Philadelphia, and Tampa Bay/Yankees) were all available to watch on national TV. When I sat down to watch these games I expected I was in for a great night of baseball, but what ensued was unfathomable.
If you are a fan who may not want to relive last nights occurrences, skip the next couple paragraphs.
Right off the bat, in the game not on national TV, the St. Louis Cardinals took a 5 run first inning lead off of the abysmal Houston Astros so that game seemed well in hand putting pressure on the Braves to force that one game playoff. The Tampa Bay Rays fell behind early to the Yankees 7-0 in what we thought was a death sentence for Tampa. And both the Red Sox and Braves, two teams needing victories, were leading in close games entering the 9th inning. (Note: The Red Sox had to deal with a rain delay of about an hour in the middle of there game)
Well, that's when the wild shenanigans and pandemonium began.
In what seemed like a split second the Cardinals win there game with ease. The Rays stormed back against the Yanks to take them to extras. Braves rookie closer Craig Kimbrel blew a save to the Phillies and sent that game to extras. And in a sort of poetic rhythm that only sports can illustrate, the Phillies beat the Braves, Jonathan Papelbon blew the save and the Red Sox lost, and Evan Longoria hit a walk of homer in the bottom of the 12th for the Rays.
Wow.
OK, forsaken Red Sox and Braves fans.. You can join in now.
Just like that, a matter of moments, we had 2 of the worst sports collapses in history come to a head in one night. Braves fans, I am sorry. That must have felt like putting your heart through a blender and then soaking it in radioactive waste. (Don't test this, you will die.) But, for the sake of time and creative integrity, I will spend the rest of this post discussing the team you eternally be tied to. The Red Sox.
Yes, I know, I am a Yankee fan so there is a deal of predisposed bias against Boston. But in the past decade I have grown to not only respect the Red Sox, but fear them as well. Since the start 2004 ALCS the Red Sox had completely changed their identity. They were no longer the lovable losers, victims of the curse, underdogs. Since that post season the Red Sox had become all that they hated about the Yankees, successful.
People will talk about last night's events and talk about all the history that it created, but I think the more important thing is the future it will create. The future, that in many ways, mirrors the past. The past that bandwagon fans know nothing about. And the one thing that all true (God bless their souls) Red Sox fans fear the most. The return of the disheartened Boston Red Sox. The return of your older brother's, father's, grandfather's, great grandfathers, and even greater grandfather's Boston Red Sox.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the Red Sox will rebound next season to win the World Series. Who knows? But I do know one thing, I've been a baseball fan long enough to know more than any bandwagoner. I know what the past of the Red Sox fans has been like. And more importantly, I think the past always has the potential to repeat itself..
I guess all I can say know is LET'S GO YANKEES! And if you don't mind, I'd like to end with a song..
Class Dimissed,
Student of Sports
Last night was probably one of the single greatest nights in baseball, if not sports, history. On the last day of the season both the American and Nation League had there respective wild card bids up for grabs and had 2 teams each in contention. And better yet, all 4 teams had games starting at the same time and 3 of which (Boston/Baltimore, Atlanta/Philadelphia, and Tampa Bay/Yankees) were all available to watch on national TV. When I sat down to watch these games I expected I was in for a great night of baseball, but what ensued was unfathomable.
If you are a fan who may not want to relive last nights occurrences, skip the next couple paragraphs.
Right off the bat, in the game not on national TV, the St. Louis Cardinals took a 5 run first inning lead off of the abysmal Houston Astros so that game seemed well in hand putting pressure on the Braves to force that one game playoff. The Tampa Bay Rays fell behind early to the Yankees 7-0 in what we thought was a death sentence for Tampa. And both the Red Sox and Braves, two teams needing victories, were leading in close games entering the 9th inning. (Note: The Red Sox had to deal with a rain delay of about an hour in the middle of there game)
Well, that's when the wild shenanigans and pandemonium began.
In what seemed like a split second the Cardinals win there game with ease. The Rays stormed back against the Yanks to take them to extras. Braves rookie closer Craig Kimbrel blew a save to the Phillies and sent that game to extras. And in a sort of poetic rhythm that only sports can illustrate, the Phillies beat the Braves, Jonathan Papelbon blew the save and the Red Sox lost, and Evan Longoria hit a walk of homer in the bottom of the 12th for the Rays.
Wow.
OK, forsaken Red Sox and Braves fans.. You can join in now.
Just like that, a matter of moments, we had 2 of the worst sports collapses in history come to a head in one night. Braves fans, I am sorry. That must have felt like putting your heart through a blender and then soaking it in radioactive waste. (Don't test this, you will die.) But, for the sake of time and creative integrity, I will spend the rest of this post discussing the team you eternally be tied to. The Red Sox.
Yes, I know, I am a Yankee fan so there is a deal of predisposed bias against Boston. But in the past decade I have grown to not only respect the Red Sox, but fear them as well. Since the start 2004 ALCS the Red Sox had completely changed their identity. They were no longer the lovable losers, victims of the curse, underdogs. Since that post season the Red Sox had become all that they hated about the Yankees, successful.
People will talk about last night's events and talk about all the history that it created, but I think the more important thing is the future it will create. The future, that in many ways, mirrors the past. The past that bandwagon fans know nothing about. And the one thing that all true (God bless their souls) Red Sox fans fear the most. The return of the disheartened Boston Red Sox. The return of your older brother's, father's, grandfather's, great grandfathers, and even greater grandfather's Boston Red Sox.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the Red Sox will rebound next season to win the World Series. Who knows? But I do know one thing, I've been a baseball fan long enough to know more than any bandwagoner. I know what the past of the Red Sox fans has been like. And more importantly, I think the past always has the potential to repeat itself..
I guess all I can say know is LET'S GO YANKEES! And if you don't mind, I'd like to end with a song..
Class Dimissed,
Student of Sports
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
AJ and the Goldfish
I wasn't anticipating writing this post today because I intend on doing an NFL preview tomorrow but something has been nagging at me that I just have to let out...
AJ BURNETT DOES NOT HAVE THE TOOLS TO BE A SUCCESSFUL MLB PITCHER!!!!!!!!
Ohhhhhhhhhhh yeah.. that felt good. The proverbial rock has been lifted off of my shoulders. I feel like I could run a marathon, climb a mountain, I'M AS FREE AS A BIRD!
Geez, these last couple posts have certainly brought ouy my sarcastically enthusiastic side..
But seriously, I am so sick and tired listening to and reading what people say about AJ Burnett. We all now that in terms of stuff, he is very talented. But since when in sports has physical ability alone been all you need? If somebody born with all the physical tools to be a great player was automatically supposed to be the best player, why isn't Vince Carter one of the best players in basketball? Why was Jamarcus Russell such a ginormous failure? Do you want to know why? They only have half the tools. Because they lack what makes guys like Tom Brady and Derek Jeter great. Mental toughness.
Do you know who knew this better than anyone? Earl Woods. He made sure that there would be nobody mentally tougher than his son, Eldrick. (aka Tiger for those of you who haven't figured this out yet.) Unfortunately for Tiger, he discovered that just like physical ability, you can injure your mental toughness. But, like him or not, in his prime Tiger Woods was the perfect example of mental toughness.
And that brings us to AJ.. Who, by my guess, has about as much mental toughness of a goldfish (I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to the goldfish community), only has half of the tools. Not all the tools, half the tools. And with only half the tools you need to be a successful Major League Baseball pitcher, how good is his potential really? It seems to me like his potential is about a 13-11 season with an era around 4. (His average season according to Baseball-Reference) And if that's what his true potential is than there is no point in us, as fans, to expect anything more out of him.
Mental toughness doesn't seem to be something you just pick up like a new pitch one off-season, this is something you're born with or develop shortly after birth. You either got it or you don't, and for our poor AJ.. He don't. When I look at AJ Burnett I don't see an insanely gifted pitcher who is just not putting all the pieces together, I see a pitcher with good physical ability but will just never be good enough mentally to be a front end starter. I see a run of the mill, 4th or 5th starter.
Do you know why I'm confident that I'm correct? Confident AJ has hit his peak as a starter? The guy has been a .500 starter his entire career with an era under 4 only 5 times in a 13 year career! He's only had one good season.. Only one year where you can say he was definitely better than that 13-11 4.00 stat line I threw at you before. Plain and simple, AJ Burnett is just not that good. He doesn't have all the tools and the worst part is that, due to age, he's beginning to lose the only tools he used to have.
It's sad actually that such enormous expectation have been put on somebody with no chance of fulfilling them. He was set up to fail.
So as a Yankee fan I have a bit of advice for my fellow members of Yankee Universe. Next time AJ Burnett makes a start put the aspirin, stress ball, bottle of scotch, and pistol away and just accept him for what it is. Stop setting yourself up for disappointment and stop setting him up to disappoint. Face the facts, he's just not that good and never will be.
Class Dismissed,
Student of Sports
SoS
AJ BURNETT DOES NOT HAVE THE TOOLS TO BE A SUCCESSFUL MLB PITCHER!!!!!!!!
Ohhhhhhhhhhh yeah.. that felt good. The proverbial rock has been lifted off of my shoulders. I feel like I could run a marathon, climb a mountain, I'M AS FREE AS A BIRD!
Geez, these last couple posts have certainly brought ouy my sarcastically enthusiastic side..
But seriously, I am so sick and tired listening to and reading what people say about AJ Burnett. We all now that in terms of stuff, he is very talented. But since when in sports has physical ability alone been all you need? If somebody born with all the physical tools to be a great player was automatically supposed to be the best player, why isn't Vince Carter one of the best players in basketball? Why was Jamarcus Russell such a ginormous failure? Do you want to know why? They only have half the tools. Because they lack what makes guys like Tom Brady and Derek Jeter great. Mental toughness.
Do you know who knew this better than anyone? Earl Woods. He made sure that there would be nobody mentally tougher than his son, Eldrick. (aka Tiger for those of you who haven't figured this out yet.) Unfortunately for Tiger, he discovered that just like physical ability, you can injure your mental toughness. But, like him or not, in his prime Tiger Woods was the perfect example of mental toughness.
And that brings us to AJ.. Who, by my guess, has about as much mental toughness of a goldfish (I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to the goldfish community), only has half of the tools. Not all the tools, half the tools. And with only half the tools you need to be a successful Major League Baseball pitcher, how good is his potential really? It seems to me like his potential is about a 13-11 season with an era around 4. (His average season according to Baseball-Reference) And if that's what his true potential is than there is no point in us, as fans, to expect anything more out of him.
Mental toughness doesn't seem to be something you just pick up like a new pitch one off-season, this is something you're born with or develop shortly after birth. You either got it or you don't, and for our poor AJ.. He don't. When I look at AJ Burnett I don't see an insanely gifted pitcher who is just not putting all the pieces together, I see a pitcher with good physical ability but will just never be good enough mentally to be a front end starter. I see a run of the mill, 4th or 5th starter.
Do you know why I'm confident that I'm correct? Confident AJ has hit his peak as a starter? The guy has been a .500 starter his entire career with an era under 4 only 5 times in a 13 year career! He's only had one good season.. Only one year where you can say he was definitely better than that 13-11 4.00 stat line I threw at you before. Plain and simple, AJ Burnett is just not that good. He doesn't have all the tools and the worst part is that, due to age, he's beginning to lose the only tools he used to have.
It's sad actually that such enormous expectation have been put on somebody with no chance of fulfilling them. He was set up to fail.
So as a Yankee fan I have a bit of advice for my fellow members of Yankee Universe. Next time AJ Burnett makes a start put the aspirin, stress ball, bottle of scotch, and pistol away and just accept him for what it is. Stop setting yourself up for disappointment and stop setting him up to disappoint. Face the facts, he's just not that good and never will be.
Class Dismissed,
Student of Sports
SoS
Friday, September 2, 2011
Hurricanes, Assassins, and Obnoxious Clapping
Long time no read! or write.. I guess that all depends on what perspective you're coming at this from. So maybe it would be better to start off with..
Long time no write for me and no read for you! ..OK that admittedly doesn't have the same ring to it, no pop. But that's all irrelevant because there are far greater matters afoot! (Pardon my corny and overblown enthusiasm)
This is a pretty HUGE couple of weeks for me as a sports fan. It all started last weekend for me while the destructive and sinister Hurricane Irene terrorized much of my area. I managed to isolated myself in a protective four walled abode, also known as my room, and partake in my annual fantasy football draft. This year it was a 12 team snake where I had the 8th pick. I'll let you guys figure out if my draft was a success, here are my picks:
8. Jamaal Charles KC RB
17. Roddy White Atl WR
32. Miles Austin Dal WR
41. Ahmad Bradshaw NYG RB
56. BenJarvus Green-Ellis Ne RB
65. Josh Freeman TB QB
80. Jonathan Stewart Car RB
89. Steelers D/ST
104. Johnny Know Chi WR
113. Michael Bush Oak RB
128. Matt Cassel KC QB
137. Tony Gonzalez Atl TE
152. Danny Ammendola StL WR
161. Jerome Simpson Cin WR
176. Stephen Gostkowski NE K
185. Montario Hardesty Cle RB
So there it is, my team. You guys can probably tell that I used the strategy of loading up on as many WR/RBs as possible, because that is how you win. You go into every season knowing what you'll get from the QBs but it's the WR and RBs that are volatile positions. So my recommendation for those of you participating in upcoming drafts is if you can't get one of the top QBs wait as long as you can to the point where you can still get a QB you can trust, get a marquee RB and WR, then fill in the rest of your roster with as many RB and WRs as possible. Believe me, you don't need depth at TE, D/ST, or Kicker so there is no point in drafting depth there. Any by the way my team name is The Social As5a5sans. (Yes, it's from Curb Your Enthusiasm and yes, I realize how not cool the 5a5 sequence is in the middle. Unfortunately ESPN.com wouldn't allow the use of Assassins.)
Then as you all know the Yankees just wrapped up a series with the Boston Red Sox. The impact this series had on me as a fan can not be understated. Don't get me wrong, I love my Yankees but to be honest with you up to this point it's kinda been a lethargic season for me as a fan with only a couple moments of real excitement. ( i.e. DJ3K) This series however, was captivating. From an obnoxious clap from Fransisco Cervelli resulting in a bean ball and cleared benches to Jesus Montero getting called up to Adrian Gonzalez leaving the bat on his shoulder for the final out against the almighty Mariano. This series got me re-hooked and begging for a Yankee/Red Sox ALCS. The best part about it was that the Yanks actually grew a pair and took a series from Boston, it's about time! Listen, it doesn't matter who wins the Wild Card or who wins the division and I think both teams feel that way. But, if the Yankees and Red Sox are playing each other, it's all good.
And that leaves the thing I am the most excited for... We are a week away from real football. Oh yes, let hat sink in, real unfiltered NFL football. Watching the Giants along with the rest of the league is my favorite part of the year and to say I'm excited would be a colossal understatement. I don't know what this season will bring or how my Giants will do, but watching it all unfold will feel so damn good. Let's go G-Men!
Class Dismissed,
Student of Sports
SoS
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