WHY THE YANKEES NEED THE HUNGER AGAIN

It’s the off-season early for the New York Yankees and all of us Yankee fans are walking around aimlessly with nothing to do. Yes, we could watch the postseason without the Yankees, and yes, I’ve told you numerous times that if baseball is on, I watch, no matter who’s playing.

But let’s face it, this is October and the Yankees aren’t playing, and I don't want to watch. I want to scream like Mark Wahlberg in the Other Guys, I cannot take it. Sometimes I feel like the more we try to do things right, the more we screw them up. The Yankees need that hunger back and the fans are craving it.

The Yankees looked like scrubs out there as I reflect on the ALDS, with the exception of Jorge Posada and Brett Gardner and even Derek Jeter to some extent. Where was the hunger? Where were the bats? I firmly believe that hot teams move forward and it all has to do with momentum. I don't necessarily believe great teams win it all. I think great teams need to be hot to win it all. The Yankees were great with 97 wins going into the ALDS, but they weren't great and hot, plain and simple. Now all we’re doing is sitting in front of our computers, looking at Twitter and bitching at each other.

I long for the days when Steinbrenner would put out a press release, thanking the Yankee fans for their support and apologizing for failing to win it all. Then, weeks later, we’d go out and find the top free agent out there and all would be well in Yankeeland again, we would forget, just for the moment, that we blew it.

Time is running out for some of our icons. Yes, Jorge Posada was close to possibly getting a 5^th ring, but we fell short. Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera are close to retirement; wouldn’t it be nice to get one for championship before they sail into the sunset? It would, for all of us.The pitching rotation will be a priority again this year, just like it is every year and while Cashman preached patience and picked up Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia and had lightening in a bottle, that charade won’t work this winter; fans get impatient, Yankee Brass gets impatient and I expect a big splash. Yes, Cashman needs to agree to a deal, but once that is done, CC Sabathia is next and then after what, who? I'm a fan of Mark Buehrle and I would love to get him, but who else? CJ Wilson? Matt Cain? Yu Darvish? Felix Hernandez?

Look, Felix is my top name after CC Sabathia. I’m not too big on “Pretty Boy” Wilson because I hate his pompous attitude. I’m also not sold on him. Matt Cain, yeah, he good, but we need him to be great. Yu Darvish…we’ve been through that Japanese pitching thing before. Felix Hernandez is the guy and if that means waiting until he’s a free agent, so be it; If it means being creative with you we unload for him, so be it. I have no desire to trade off someone like Jesus Montero for the King. After seeing him hit, it reminded me a hell of a lot like Miguel Cabrera. I can’t part with the guy.

Something needs to be done about Nick Swisher, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira. Look, no doubt they are pissed that they didn’t deliver and they looked foolish in the ALDS, but let’s face it, they always do. 2009 is long gone, these guys get paid a fortune to perform, bottom line and October is the biggest show on earth, and they need to show up. They didn’t and it’s pathetic. If I’m the Yankees, I pick up Swisher’s option and I’m bringing in a bright young outfielder this spring and have him compete for Swisher’s job. Light a fire under Nick’s ass and let him know, no job is safe.

Alex is Alex and he’s owed a ton of money. You can’t eat his contract and you can’t trade him and the Yankees won’t, they want him to hit 700 and they want him the break the home run record in pinstripes... he’s not going anywhere. I also believe ARod wasn’t healthy and while nerves were a factor in the ALDS, he’s not better yet because of injury. Hopefully a long winter’s nap will heal this guy and in Spring 2012, he’ll be back.

Mark Teixeira seems to shrivel up at the wrong time...October. Not sure what happened to this guy. He’s a great hitter…when he hits, and I would never suggest we cut Tex lose for someone better, because; let’s face it, who’s better? Tex is one of the best defensive first basemen we’ve ever had; he just needs to get his swing tweaked by the King of Swing…Kevin Long. Maybe the pressure gets to Tex, who knows, but something‘s got to happen.

The Yankees hunger is gone while the hunger by the fans grows. We need something drastic, a shakeup… so we can stand up and say, “The Yankees put the best on the field and we will return to win it all.” Because, let’s face it, 1 championship in 11 years is not a dynasty, it’s average.

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WHY THE YANKEES WILL RISE AGAIN

I woke up early today. I went to be around 2am this morning but I couldn’t sleep and woke up at 5. I decided to go into work early this morning. While I traveled, I kept thinking about everything that could have been done differently in Game 5. The reality is, everything was done right, except of course the timely hit that would have propelled us into the ALCS.

I’m mad at the Yankees right now. I’m not sure why, I understand baseball. John Sterling says it all the time, “It’s baseball Suzyn, you can’t predict it.” Bottom line, last night’s game was ours for the taking and we didn’t take it. But, like a real Yankee fan, I did what I was supposed to do this morning; I threw on my Yankee jacket and walked out the door to go to work. After all, I’m a Yankee fan, I’m a true Yankee fan and I’m not going to NOT wear my jacket because they lost. I’m not ashamed, I’m just disappointed. My family was asleep when I left and I knew that when my son found out this morning, he'd be crushed. I put his 2011 Topps Yankee set back on his nightstand with a note "It didn't work this time, we'll try again next April," I wrote. He gave it to me to put next to the television last night for as he put it "Good luck for the Yankees." Man, I'm superstitious, but it must be rubbing off. He’ll be disappointed and I get that.

I received a text from a good buddy of mine this morning. He’s a huge Tigers fan. He wrote “Tough one.” Yeah, it was. The dude wasn’t rubbing it in. We have a mutual respect for each other’s teams. He could have razzed me, he could have told me the Tigers were much better. He didn’t. He understands defeat, so while he was just texting me as one baseball guy to another, it stung, but with win comes loss. I get it. That’s not even a baseball thing, it’s a life thing.

My iPod this morning had a song called Goodnight, Goodnight by Maroon 5. While the song itself has nothing to do with the New York Yankees, I just found it ironic and the first set of lyrics I heard hit home to how I was feeling:

“I licked my wounds but I can’t see them getting better. Something's got to change... it cannot stay the same.”

Change is needed and we'll be hearing about it soon enough. We can try and blast Joe Girardi but personally, I don't think you can. You definitely can’t blame AJ Burnett this time Ladies and Gentlemen, he was the best pitcher for the Yankees ironically… 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in this ALDS. You can’t blame Granderson, Cano, Jeter, Gardner… and you can't blame the bullpen, no. What about our hero this ALDS... Jorge Posada? Nope, they were all terrific.

I know... when we lose, we’re always looking to blame someone. You want to blame Ivan Nova for being hurt? You can’t. How about CC Sabathia for giving up the 3^rd run? Personally, I wouldn't.

Blame the Yankees for not having the timely hit. That’s it. Blast Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher for being the heart of the lineup and giving us absolutely nothing, but then, may I suggest, you don't blame them either... instead, let's just move on. Bitching about those guys won’t change anything. Season’s over. Steinbrenner said it best: "Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing."

Take a minute and applaud Brian Cashman. After all, every move he made this season turned to gold. We fell in love with Russell Martin... the Freddy Garcia & Bartolo Colon combination was amazing. How about Nova, huh? Remember when he almost went to the Mariners last season? We had 97 wins… the best record in the American League, that’s a great run.

We have nothing to be ashamed of... being disappointed is another story, but one thing you can't do is hide the interlocking N-Y. Don't NOT wear the Yankee cap like you're punishing the Yankees. Instead, embrace it. I wore my gear proud today. I was looking for someone to say something. I wanted to engage. I wanted to get it off my chest and move on. Yes, we're the Yankees and we blew it, but we rise above it. Bottom line... we lost, we didn't die. It could be worse... we could be Red Sox fans.

So yeah, as I was writing this, ironically another close pal just sent me a a text. He knows I’m a gigantic Yankees fan. He wrote “Sorry about your Yankees. You’re the biggest fan I know and I know you’ll rise above it. They’ll be back.”

Damn. It is crazy how things happen. I believe in my New York Yankees, no matter what and he’s right, we will be back, it’s the Yankee way. So, take a day or 2 and forget about the loss, but don't be ashamed of our New York Yankees...EVER. After all, we had a great run... all of us... together in Yankeeland.

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WHY LOSING JUST SUCKS

There is nothing that can be said to console me today. Our Yankees fell short of #28 and, right now, there is no "silver lining" for me. Casey summed up the game perfectly and I feel reflected the feelings of most Yankee fans in his piece, THE DAY THE LAUGHTER DIED. One of the points Casey made was that the Yankees beat themselves and I couldn't agree more. So after two cups of coffee this morning and taking a few deep breaths, I wanted to rant just a little about this nightmare of an ALDS...

Who would have thought that the only pitcher that would hurt us in relief last night would be CC Sabathia? I know we didn't hit but that third run CC gave up just killed us. When Jackson scored I was just scratching my head. What happened to CC? When did he become an average starter because for the last two months that is exactly what he has been. Is it the weight? Is there some hidden injury? Did the six man rotation throw him off? I don't know what's up with him but unfortunately the Yankees played down the stretch and headed into the playoffs with an"ace" who didn't pitch like an "ace". If CC does get resigned/extended by the Yankees, which I suspect he will, I hope he comes into Spring Training with a new fire in his eyes.

The other player Casey mentioned in his piece was Nick Swisher. Look, I'm so angry about last night's game that I don't want to blog something I will regret in a few weeks so before I wrote this next part I actually stepped away from my computer, took some more deep breaths, and counted to 10...Nick, you have been a fun Yankee. We know you love wearing the pinstripes and we loved having you represent the Yankees but bro, it's over. The Yankees are not about 162 regular season games, we are about post season and post season ONLY and you have not done the job. You have now had 100 AB's in the postseason with the Yankees and only have 16 hits with 5 RBI; that's a .160 AVG. But here is the number that really hurts the most: Nick Swisher has 1 hit with Runners In Scoring Position(RISP) in 31 postseason AB's with the New York Yankees. One! That's just not going to cut it.

ARod, ARod, ARod. What can you say fellow fans? Is he playing hurt, maybe. But I really think there is more to it. When ARod struck out to end the season last year against the Rangers I remember thinking, okay, it could happen. I mean it sucked but it never crossed my mind that we may be looking at an aging ARod. But you know what? After this ALDS and the way he struck out three times last night, I am now seeing the writing on the wall. Arod is declining, and, there is nothing we can do about it. ARod said many things last night at his locker after the game and one of the things he said was that he would "come back next year with a vengeance". Now does that mean 50 HR's and 140 RBI during the regular season? Or does "come back next year with a vengeance" mean he will step it up and lead us through the 2012 postseason? I guess we will have to wait...

And here is my last rant. We all know that this may have been the last time we see Jorge Posada in pinstripes. Last night while he was being interviewed in the locker room Jorge got very choked up and began to cry when he was asked if this is it for him as a Yankee. So for all you Jorge haters who thought he did not care about his team or being a Yankee after that whole "Posada-gate" I hope you took notice! Jorge BLEEDS YANKEE BLUE and always will! We love you Jorge Posada and want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a GREAT Yankee!!!

--Mikey Blue, BYB Senior Writer
Email: DonnieBaseball2323@gmail.com
Twitter: @MikeyBlu23


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THE YANKEES ARE ALIVE!

The Yankees had their backs against the wall and no one was hitting Burnett was to pitch...and all day today, it was the only thing on my mind. Then, like I said in WHY I'M IN AN EMPIRE STATE OF MIND, something happened. I felt better because my iPod was telling me something. Why else would Empire State of Mind just randomly play on shuffle? It was a sign...The Yankees are back and tonight proved it.
(Photo: AP)
The first inning for AJ Burnett was horrendous, but I had hope. After walking 2 and 1 more intentionally, the bases were loaded with 2 outs. Don Kelly then hit the crap out of the ball to deep center and Curtis Granderson made a tremendous catch. Brian Anderson, the announcer called the play a "big break" for the Yankees. A big break? He also called it "kind of a mis-play". How about an outstanding catch? I'll never understand the TBS guys. I will give Ron Darling some credit. He's complimentary to the Yankees while trying to give constructive analysis. Smoltz is terrible. Sorry John.

The top of the second inning, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher went fast. One positive though, Alex and Tex hit the ball hard, which led me to believe they are close to snapping out of their rut. The bottom of the second went quick for AJ. Thank God. He started to get into a rhythm and actually looked good.

The top of the 3rd was beautiful. The Yankees actually had Ducks on the Pond and got them home. Jorge Posada was hit by a pitch. Russell Martin then singled. Brett Gardner stuck out on a lousy, high third strike call and then Derek Jeter came up. He cranked a double to center field and Posada and Martin scored. Martin's slide was sweet around Avila and touched home with his hand as he slid by. He was pumped.(Photo: AP)
The 4th inning just showed me Nick Swisher striking out and looking ridiculous. Let's face it, Swish can't do a thing in the postseason right now. The bottom of the 4th Victor Martinez took the ball yard. He just crushed it, there was no doubt about it. At this point, the score was 2 to 1 Yankees. Then Jhonny Peralta doubled. This is right about the time where AJ starts to feel the pressure. Right around the second time around the order, the opposing team sometimes gets to AJ. At this point, I was wondering what was up Girardi's sleeve. Then, AJ struck out Wilson Betemit stranding Peralta... inning over.

In the 5th inning Russell Martin singled again. Man was he pumped tonight. Then red hot Brett Gardner singled moving Martin to second. At this point there were no outs and Jeter coming to the plate. Jeter bunted and give credit to Rick Porcello, he threw to third and nailed Martin. 1 out. Curtis Granderson then rips one down the right field line, base hit and it scores Brett Gardner. Jeter moves to third. Robinson Cano was then intentionally walked to load the bases. Alex comes up the plate and you know he had home run on his brain. Instead, he sacrificed and Jeter scored. 4-1 Yankees. Mark Teixeira shit the bed and stuck out. Between he and Swisher, I really don't know who's worse at this point.

The bottom of the 5th, Austin Jackson singled to left. Then a quick double play and a beautiful scoop by Teixeira in the dirt to complete the double play. Delmon Young then knocked it back to AJ and the inning was over. Nice work so far AJ.

In the 6th, Nick Swisher now came up for his third time of the night. A hit to second and out number 1. I tell you... I have no use for Swish right now, what is going on with this guy? Will he ever hit?

In the bottom of the 6th with 2 outs, Girardi came out and relieved AJ of his duties. At this point I was excited to see the team pat him on the shoulders and tell him "Good job." We fans tend to forget that these guys are human. Rafael Soriano came in and his first batter cranked one to center field. Now I've seen outstanding catches in my 40 years of life, but seeing Granderson horizontal and making that catch to end the inning is something I have never seen. You think the Yankees want to win this one? I do.

The bottom of the 7th was smooth for Soriano who got out of the inning fast, 1,2,3.

In the 8th inning Alex Rodriguez finally got a hit. I said it earlier, you can tell by the swings, he was going to get a hit soon. Now, all I wanted is for that to rub off on Teixeira and Swish. Then a dribbler for Tex down third and suddenly 2 men on and no one out for Swisher. Then, it happened... Swisher got a single. See? There are 2 things that are addictive in baseball, losing and hitting. The Yankees are hitting in this Game 4 and now, everyone is starting the hit. That's a good sign.

Jesus Montero came to the plate with the bases loaded as a pinch hitter. It's good to see this kid in a postseason game. Phil Coke was replaced by Al Alburquerque and suddenly, a balk. ARod scores and it's 5-1. Montero crushed a single through 3rd and Short and Tex scored. 6-1 Yankees at this point. Alburquerque was replaced by Schlereth and Gardner keeps on hitting and another run comes into score. At this point I cracked open a beer and sat back. I felt the need to finally relax. With the bases loaded, Jeter came to the plate and struck out. Then a wild pitch brings in a run... 8-1. Cano came up to the plate and looped a single over shortstop. 2 runs scored and at that point it was 10-1. Another pitching change and then Alex came up and cranked a single. He hit it hard...he's hitting now. Like Ron Darling said, the bat speed is there now, Alex is back. Remember I said that.

Mark Teixeira then ripped one to right field and deep, but it was caught to end the inning. "Mark" my words, pardon the pun, Tex is back too.Phil Hughes came in and he got the Tigers 1,2,3. He looked great and it was a relief to see because who knew what he'd have. Girardi used him perfectly, a non-pressure situation to get some confidence and it worked.

In the 9th, Jesus Montero got postseason hit number 2. Martin then hit into a double play and the inning was over. The bottom of the 9th brought in Boone Logan. I knew it was 10-1, but why was I nervous? I shouldn't have been, Logan struck out the side.

Final Score: Yankees 10 - Tigers 1

The Yankees are going back to the Bronx, and Jose Valverde can suck it. The New York Yankees are back and just in time, we have everyone hitting and we're headed home, just where I love to clinch. I believe. I know we can do it.

I leave you with this:



Looking forward to seeing my guys clinching the ALDS at home in the Bronx bitches!!!!! Go Yankees!

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2011 ALDS YANKEES VS. TIGERS GAME 4 PREVIEW

I said last night wasn't a must win. You know why? Because if the Yankees lost, which they did, there's still a tomorrow, which is today. Well ladies and gentlemen, after last night's grueling, gut-wrenching 5-4 loss, tonight is literally a must win game. AJ Burnett is on the mound for the Yankees. Yes, I know it's not the ideal guy we want on the mound, but let's be honest, it's all we've got right now. But, A.J isn't the only guy on the team who needs to step up. The offense needs to step it up too. You know who you are Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira. Rodriguez and Teixeira have combined to go 1 for 21, an ugly .047 average while combining for no homers and just two RBI thus far in the ALDS.But all in all the spotlight will be on AJ Burnett. I mean, he is the starting pitcher and he's the guy who the Yankees need to pitch well to win this game. Burnett has struggled in his career against the Tigers going 4-2 with a 6.33 ERA. But look at the bright side, he made two starts against the Tigers this season, one on April 2 at the Stadium in which he picked up his first win by going 5 innings and allowing three runs while striking out six. His second start against Detroit came in Comerica Park on May 5 in which he went 7 innings, allowing five runs--two earned--while striking out five. So at least there's recent success for Burnett against the Tigers. If he can pitch like he did in those first two games against the Tigers, there's a good chance the Yankees win.

Now, although Burnett has a career ERA over 6.00 against Detroit, there isn't a batter in Detroit's lineup that has handled Burnett regularly. Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez have each hit .214 (3 for 14) and .259 (7 for 27) against AJ Martinez has one career homer off Burnett and three RBI. Delmon Young, Magglio Ordonez, and Brandon Inge have combined to hit .384 (10 for 26) in the series, but have combined to hit .227 (10 for 44) in their career's against A.J Burnett.

The Yankees will be facing Rick Porcello in this game. All the naysayers say the Yankees are doomed because AJ Burnett is going for the Yankees. Not so fast, Porcello isn't Cy Young himself either. He's won 14 games, but he has a 4.75 ERA while allowing 210 hits in 182.2 innings in the process. He's gone 2-2 in his four career starts against the Yankees with a 5.56 ERA. He did pitch against the Yanks this year in Comerica Park on May 5. He went 7 innings while allowing just two runs. I mean, the guy isn't a scrub, but he's certainly hittable.There are a number of hitters in the Yankee lineup who have had good success against Porcello, although they're in small sample sizes. Robinson Cano is a .455 hitter (5 for 11) against Porcello. Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada are hitting .300 (3 for 10) and .333 (3 for 9) each against the 22 year old right hander. But the two guys in the Yankee order with the biggest spotlight, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira, hit a combined .142 (2 for 14) with no homers or RBI against Porcello.

Like I said, this is a must win. If the Yankees win, they'll send it back to the Bronx for a winner take all Game 5. If not, they go home for the winter wondering what went wrong. Can A.J Burnett step up and pitch well? Sure he can, but it's certainly no guarantee. But, I think he'll have a representative start. But, according to Joe Girardi, he'll have a short leash. Read HERE.

Either way, he'll need his offense and bullpen to back him up. It's going to take a team effort as usual to win this game, but it can most definitely be accomplished.




--Jesse Schindler, BYB Staff Writer




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THE YANKEES GREAT WHITE HOPE

AJ Burnett gets the ball tonight in what is being called do-or-die for the New York Yankees. It is... it really is do-or-die and the most ironic thing about it is the guy we've slammed all year... the guy we all told Yankees management to dump, to trade, to bench is our great hope. Funny how things take a turn like this.

All of Yankeeland will be focused in on AJ Burnett. HE, my friends is who we all need to depend on. He, a Yankee fans nightmare, a punching bag and now, we are putting our faith in this guy to win a game to tie the series and bring the ALDS back to New York. I have news for you, don't give up yet.
AJ wants the ball. This is the biggest stage of his life and he knows if he fails, well, then it's over for him in pinstripes. The Detroit Tigers are not a great ball club, but their a damn good, feisty ball club and they can get to AJ. So, whatever head games and issues AJ has had in the past, he needs to dig deep, focus and know that the Yankees need him now more than ever. Everything we've said and did with AJ is in the past. Everything he's down lousy is long gone. We have a clean slate tonight and AJ is our leader. So instead of thinking it's the end Ladies and Gentlemen, let's turn the page and suggest it's the beginning.

We tried our best guy in CC Sabathia last night, and with the help of lousy calls of balls and strikes, and a not so grand CC, the Yankees lost last night. Forget it. You have to. Now it's go time, and it's a MUST WIN.

But let's back up for a moment. It's not just AJ that all of Yankeeland should be depending on. What about the Yankee bats? It hasn't only been about pitching, it's been about missing perfect pitches and popping them up. It's about becoming TOO dependant on the walk. There's a formula in the batter's box and you need to have a balance. Something's a miss. Where are my Bombers?

Earlier this weekend, I posted something about Nick Swisher referring to his “over amped” anxiousness at the plate during the playoffs. He even stated that he needed to channel his energy so he’d be able to perform. Yes, in the late innings of Game 2 in the Bronx, he was finally able to relax a bit and crank out a solo shot and I thought hopefully that would start a little run for Nick. But it didn't, Swisher looked stupid in Detroit last night. If he's hoping to stick around in the Bronx after this season, that's no way to do it.

Then I started thinking about Alex Rodriguez, and Mark Teixeira. Yes, Girardi pointed out that ARod had 2 RBIs and walked last night, but look, let's face it, even Ramon Santiago is playing bigger than ARod. What the hell is going on with my New York Yankees?

Alex and Mark and just a few examples. These guys are some of the top hitters in the league and I know Alex was out for nearly 63 games with injury and surgery, but you have to think something’s coming. Right? Look, sometimes I think I’m being unfair. I reminisce about 2009 and how hot Alex and Teixeira were. Then I get annoyed because I realize expecting too much from these guys is exactly what I’m supposed to do. I’m a fan, these guys need to perform, it’s the playoffs!

The biggest problem we are having right now are “Ducks on the pond.” That’s a baseball expression that has to do with men on base. The Yankees need to get those ducks OFF the pond… and bring them home. It has to do with timely hitting. A perfect example is Game 1 and Game 3… Brett Gardner got a 2 run hit in both games at the right time to put the Yankees ahead or in last night's case, we tied it. He understands... get the Ducks OFF the pond. I hate to sound like an angry fan, but I am. Runs need to score or the Yankees don’t win. Long balls are great, but they need to happen when men are on base.

Jorge Posada, the guy everyone told me was too old for the playoffs has done his job. Yet, Robinson Cano hasn't shown up since Game 1. You know what I mean? Where’s the small ball, better yet, where’s the baseball? You need to move the runners over and I almost feel like the Yankees have forgotten that.

Now, we’re in Detroit, a place I don’t like, plus we're down 2 games to 1. There are feisty fans and when the Tigers are on, they will drown out any potential Yankees rally. So, there are keys to a Yankee victory. We really need to deliver now…we need to take the Detroit crowd out of it. That only happens if there is timely Yankee hitting and AJ, our sweet AJ does his job tonight. If not, it's over.

So pray to the Yankee Gods tonight, rally, put on your lucky jersey, kiss your Jeter poster, whatever you need to do, but most importantly put your support behind the guy who needs us now more than ever. AJ Burnett. It's time to dig deep AJ. This game's for you.

Go Yanks!

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