Let's trade someone. Good idea, you say. How about Andrew Eugene Pettitte? There you go. I mean, he's 5-7, for godsakes. How can we survive with such miserable pitching? I mean, sure he's worried about his had, has elbow problems, and suffered with back spasms last season. But this is New York. We don't make allowances for those kinds of things.
And while we're at it, let's just get rid of Girardi and Posada because they can't hit worth a lick, and all our left fielders except the one on the DL. Well, paint me blue and call me silly, but hasn't Derek committed more errors this season then last? Let's get rid of him, too. Oh, and don't forget about Rivera. As of late, the poor tyke just hasn't been getting the job done.
Now, now, you say, that's going overboard.
WHAT'S OVERBOARD? Perhaps the fact that there has been rummors saything that Pettitte's getting traded for Chuck Finley. Chuck Finley? F*I*N*L*E*Y???? Who'll be a free agent at the end of the season? Who'd only have a few more good years of throwing even if he did sign back on? (for larger numbers then even Jeter would demand...of course, Jete can't pitch as far as I know, but that takes all the fun out if it...)
Is it just me, or has Pettitte just had three solid seasons in a row, despite elbow problems and the trouble with his dad? I wouldn't go around crowing about his fifteen wins last season, but '96s 21 wins and cy young bid paired with his 1997 twenty-win season are pretty damn good. And while Cone's a gamer and Clemen's is a sure-thing hall of famer, Petititte's just as good a bet to pitch near-perfect in the tight spots. Lest you forget...
Four years ago, after carrying the yanks pitching staff, if not the yankees themselves, he shut-out the hard hitting Braves heading into the ninth. Certainly, we needed a terrific Paulie catch to get us out of there, but that heart-stopper can be blamed on Wetteland. In '98, he pitched a one-run ballgame against the Rangers in the division series, and a shut-out performance against the Padres in the clinching game of the series. Two gritty, gutsy, great games against an opposing pitcher who would go on to win that year's Cy Young. Not bad. Not bad at all.
Yeah, Steinny might reason, but that was years ago. Years ago, man. He aint got it, he's fallin' apart. Sure, he's had a slow start, but he's got five wins and that's enough to prove it's not all gone. Why not trade Irabu, you pay him the same! And besides, while Finley will probably be retiring before our eligible shortstop says his vows, Andy's only 27 and has yet to reach his prime. With Cone and Clemens gone in a few years, Pettitte could conceivably be the ace of the staff. But only if they work with him, to help him get his act together.