5 BOROUGH SPORTS

After Phil Hughes’ debocle of a third inning, I came to the conclusion that the Yanks were going to get swept by the awful A’s. I was preparing myself for the annual Yankees week-long August slump. But then out of nowhere, this became the most absurd games of the season. Three grand slams in one game, a feat that’s never happened in baseball? In the cheesy words of Michael Kay, “History in grand style!” This was an important game for the Yanks. The Red Sox seem to have found their groove again, so the Yankees can’t afford any hiccups during the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, a game like this can get the Yanks out of this unusual slump and “back in the game.”

…And that’s the final straw folks – I have officially given up on A.J. Burnett. For the past year and a half, I’ve put up with his inconsistency. But since I knew his potential to have the best stuff on this staff, I’ve had a ton of patience with AJ. Plus, Burnett was a huge factor in the Yankees’ 2009 playoff run – but that’s long gone now. This year, AJ has a mediocre 4.96 ERA, but that’s not what kills the Yanks. The guy this year has been a prime example of what I call a pitcher who throws to the “rhythm of the game.” If the Yankees are on an offensive tear in his start, he manages to have a miserable start. If the Yanks aren’t swinging the bat well on his day on the bump, he manages to pitch well, but not good enough (usually giving up 1-2 more runs than the opposing starter). He hasn’t been mentally tough enough to be a shut down guy when needed to. This shows that the 4.96 ERA is actually deceiving. A few of his starts may look good on paper (7 IP, 2 ER, 6 K, etc.), but this is usually when the Yanks would lose a low scoring game.

If I were Girardi and the Yankees ended their season today, it wouldn’t be a question that Burnett would be out of the starting rotation for the postseason. So here’s my starting four if the season ended today:

1. C.C. Sabathia (obviously)

2. Bartolo Colon (even though he has struggled lately, he has been the second most consistent pitcher on the staff)

3. Phil Hughes (he’s getting hot at the right time)

4. Ivan Nova (will be between Nova and Garcia – whoever is the hotter pitcher at the end of September will get the fourth start)

You guys agree with this rotation?

Remember when the baseball world was complaining about how Derek Jeter was so overrated? Two months ago, almost every baseball writer in the country was bashing Jeter about how he was “washed up” and his offense was “atrocious.” Where are the shitty New York Post and Daily News journalists? Where are the Red Sox fans now?

For all of the Jeter-haters out there, here are some stats:

• Jeter is hitting .326 since his return from the Disabled List
• Derek is third in the majors with a .373 batting average against lefties this season
• Since his return from the DL, Jeter is batting .341 with RISP…Captain Clutch
• In his last 35 games, Jeter has 13 multi-hit games

So for all of those baseball “experts” who thought Jeter’s career was dwindling, you’re fuck’n wrong. According to these stats, it seems that Jeter is headed for a strong finish this season…sorry, truth hurts. With another win tonight, the Yanks continue to hold the best record in the American League. As for the Mets, the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers come into town for a three game series at Citi Field. In other news, Alex Rodriguez was back with the Yankees tonight after a six week stint on the DL with a torn meniscus in his right knee. So to welcome A-Rod back to the team, here’s an interview with him and Jeter from 1998:

Boom.

It seems that everyone this summer has been raving about the Red Sox and the Phillies dominating baseball. Don’t want to disappoint any Yankee haters, but the Yanks are leading the AL East and have the best record in the American League. Remember back in February when every baseball “expert” claimed the Yankees had no chance of winning the division this year? Sucks for all the Yankee haters…again! I find it hilarious that the Sox stole the show in the offseason acquiring Adrien Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, while the Yanks signed washed up pitchers Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia. I guess it’s not about the money after all. No lie – I’ll take this Yankees squad over the Red Sox any day. I know according to the WAR stat (whatever the fuck that is), Dustin Pedroia is better than Cano. If anyone told me they would rather have Pedroia than Cano, I would lose all respect for their baseball intelligence. Unlike other sports, you can’t always go by the books in baseball. According to those same bullshit WAR stats, Nomar was a better player than Jeter in the late 90’s. Hilarious right? To be honest, the Red Sox have by far a better team on paper than the Yankees. But who cares? The Yanks are currently in 1st place…and that’s just baseball.

Speaking of Cano, did anyone see that at bat he had tonight in the 4th inning? It was undoubtedly the best AB of the year. In a 13 pitch at bat, Cano fouled off seven straight foul balls…then hit a go-ahead three run bomb to deep center. Any of you baseball nerds have an answer for that stat? Fuck WAR.