It's All About AJ

It was too easy last winter to be lured into thinking that this Yankee Season was about CC Sabathia or Alex Rodriguez or Mark Teixeira. After all those are superstars, but let us not lose sight of what is really the linchpin of this team, it's AJ Burnett.

Perhaps never before has an overrated number two starter meant so much to a team as otherwise dominant as the 2009 New York Yankees.

But as I meander around a wet Yankee Stadium this evening, all my hopes for this season will be entrusted into the freakishly powerful, talented but disturbingly inconsistent arm of Burnett.

Yes, I am aware that this is just game 2 of the ALDS. Yes I know the Yankees will win this series regardless of whether Burnett succeeds or falters and yes, I know that whether or not he's successful, the Yankees have him signed for a ridiculous amount of money over the next four seasons. But this start means an awful lot more than meets the eye.

This is Burnett's first ever start in the postseason and while as a fan I have to give him the benefit of the doubt, the facts don't leave me very optimistic. He doesn't exactly seem to be the headstrong type that can settle down after an error. He tends to get overanxious in tight spots and misses drastically with his fastball and Joe Girardi has inadvertently and inexplicably put an enormous amount of added pressure on Burnett by starting the Beer League Softball Masher, Jose Molina behind the plate in place of Jorge Posada, one of the Yankees' all time greats.

If you have read the New York papers this week, it's clear that Burnett is being blamed for not being able to pitch to Posada, forcing Molina into the game by Girardi's hand. This presents two problems.

If Burnett struggles, he will get blasted even harder, I don't know if his fragile mold can handle that. But more importantly, what do the Yankees do if they reach a game 5 and Burnett has to pitch?

Do you start Molina and leave Posada on the bench? How do you sit one of your team leaders, especially when he's had such a great offensive year? How do you appease Burnett at Posada's detriment and what happens in future rounds?

Girardi has some work to do, but with all the chaos surrounding AJ Burnett, you can see his importance to this postseason.