Burnett is 11 - 9 and he isn't very good.

Career 98 - 85:

"More than perhaps any other Yankee, Burnett could undermine a 100-plus win team come the postseason."

You never know.

Hughes might blow a save, Melky might drop a fly ball, Damon might throw a ball into the stands because he thinks it's the third out, Teixeira might leave 15 men on base in one game.


"He is penciled in to start Oct. 9, Game 2 of the Division Series."

Is he?

I'd go with Pettitte.

Though the road/home splits suggest otherwise, I'd still go with the lefty at Yankee Sadium.



"And Yankees fans already have imagined the nightmare scenario: Justin Verlander outduels CC Sabathia in Game 1 and it is up to Burnett to keep the Yankees from heading to Motown down 0-2 in a best-of-five."

Yankee fans and their nightmare scenarios.

How unimaginative.

My personal nightmare scenario usually involves a fiery plan crash combined with Suzyn Waldman's head morphed onto a talking dog. Most of my nightmares involve transmogrified animals.

Oh, and Torre winning a World Series with the Dodgers.

So ...

1. Entire Yankee team injured in a fiery plane crash, forcing the Yankees to play the ALDS with the Scranton-Wilkes Barre team.
   
2. Suzyn Waldman's head on a talking dog.
   
3. Torre's Dodgers winning the World Series.

Losing game one of the ALDS seems quite tame in comparison.


"Burnett might just be a version of David Wells or Orlando Hernandez, needing the urgency of October to fully engage a flitting attention span. So you can imagine him dominating with his awesome stuff."

Awesome stuff, dude.

A.J. Burnett's curveball is, like, so pitted.



"In his first season as a Yankee, Burnett has shown the ability to be unhittable and awful, often in the same game."

Every pitcher is unhittable every game. Except for the times when the other team gets hits against them.

"Why is Burnett so susceptible to such destructive detours? Well, he has a lot of combustible qualities that do much to negate a fastball/curve combo that at times is overwhelming.

He is tied for the most walks in the majors and has unleashed three more wild pitches than anyone else. There have been 21 stolen bases with Burnett pitching, tied for fifth worst in the majors. And he already has allowed a career-worst 24 homers. Put those all together with a wandering focus and you have a guy who pitches below the quality of top-tier stuff."

Burnett is not very good.

Never has been.

I think he'll pitch well enough to get a win in the ALDS ... if the Yankees score a lot of runs.