The Long And Winding Road

AJ, AJ, AJ…..The time has come. AJ Burnett’s most recent performance has made it abundantly clear it’s time for the Yankees to move on and make any decision that’s necessary to sever their ties with Mr. Burnett. This isn’t personal or reactionary; I have been a supporter up until now and believe Burnett has actually pitched more consistently this year, until his most recent meltdowns. The issue for the Yankees is to evaluate what to do now. Burnett’s recent implosion against what amounts to be a minor league roster (Twins) was completely unprofessional. There is really no excuse to go out and pitch without any focus, and have no ability to throw strikes at all. What this proves to me is that after all the cajoling from the coaching staff, all the support from his manager and teammates, and the patience that has been shown to him, AJ Burnett is incapable of performing at the major league level for any consistent period. of time. Like Forrest Gump said about his famous Box of Chocolates “You never know what you’re gonna get”. Forget about the fact that that the Yankees are more than 100 games over .500 during Burnett’s tenure and he is under .500 with wins and losses, or that he hasn’t won a game in the month of August for 2 years. The basic definition of a professional athlete is his ability to perform regularly at the same high level from day to day. That’s what separates them from the rest of us wanna-bees. Burnett has proven over time that he cannot do that. That’s why the Yankees need to somehow get rid of him, Maybe a trade where they absorb some of his contract, maybe an outright release, and eat the contract, They are better off bringing up one of the Killer B’s from their farm system and giving them some experience. Like Michael said to Sonny, "It’s not personal it’s strictly business"…