You will never see it on CNN or Fox News.
It will never appear on the front page of any newspaper across the globe.
You will never see it in a documentary on Discovery or the History Channel.
It will never be spoken of in any church on any given Sunday.
Yet according to many Yankee fans and sports media alike, Andy Pettitte seemingly walks on water. He is apparently the Yankees own personal second coming and the only one that can salvage their upcoming season.
Andy Pettitte, all by himself at the ripe old age of 38 and coming off his best statistical season cut short by injury, can save the entire Yankee season single-handedly.
Apparently.
Andy Pettitte, the man that left the pinstripes for the uniform of the Houston Astros (for whatever reason you want to believe), can single-handedly save the season for Derek Jeter and company just by showing up it seems. It was apparently because he left that the Yankees never won during his absence and only when he came back did they win again. Yes, I get it. Right.
Apparently his mojo went on strike last season.
Andy Pettitte, the man who puts everyone through the same “will he or won’t he” dance every off season—the one who needs to decide every off season if he wants to play for the team that put him on the map—has, and he alone, the mojo that can fix what’s wrong with the Yankees of 2011.
Oh YES! Testify my brother!
Imagine that—Andy. Pettitte. Is. A. Super.Hero.
Newsflash. If the Yankees landed Cliff Lee, you know the other dude that apparently walks on water, the Yankees would not be calling Pettitte and the fans would not be clamoring for his return so much.
If WE GOT LEEEE!!!!!, it would be nice to have Andy too.
Now—WE DID NOT GET #%&^$ LEE!!! WE NEED #^z*(^&$ PETTITTE!
If the Yankees landed Lee, Pettitte would be playing because the pressure would be off. Without Lee, Pettitte knows he will be looked upon to be a savior. It’s not a role he wants, never has.
Who the heck wants to come back for the grind with a sketchy back at age 38 if you are expected to hoist the team on it?
Andy Pettitte is many things but stupid is not one of them.
As a Yankee fan, Andy Pettitte will always hold a special place in my heart—but Andy was the one Yankee that taught me to not get used to Yankees staying Yankees.
The Yankees “Desperately Need” Andy Pettitte?
He would be nice to have, he surely could help, but “Desperately Needed”?
Sorry but this Yankee fan refuses to drink the Kool-aid so many of you are apparently drunk on.
One can argue that Andy Pettitte is a borderline Hall of Fame pitcher right now but we know he won’t get in. He is a Yankee and well there is that lil’ PED thing. No one can argue that he is now, and will always be a legendary Yankee. No one can argue (except the BBWA and the Elitist Brethren of the H.O.F), that he has been one of the best left handed pitchers in the history of the game.
However, and with all due respect to the many columnist out there including some of my fellow Bleacher Report columnists, stating that the ‘Yankees Desperately Need Andy Pettitte” is quite frankly a joke.
Could they use him? Absolutely.
Could he help them? Sure if he stays healthy.
Will he all by his awsome-ness save the season? Umm…no.
Listen folks, I have been a Yankee fan since 1976. Andy Pettitte is one of my all-time favorite Yankees, but he is neither the saving grace or nail in the coffin of this team.
It’s time to get real.
Yes I get the fact that he not only knows how to pitch in New York, but he knows how to win in New York. I get that.
Yes I get that he is a big game pitcher and his presence on the mound motivates the players behind him.
I also understand that he is but one man. He is 38 years old. He is prone to injury. His heart is not 100 percent committed to the game or the team.
Did you get that last part? His heart is not 100 percent committed to pitching. I don’t think that when he came back from injury last year he was fully committed either. I think the injury was a wake up call that he just did not want or need to do this anymore—or at least for a whole season. I think before the season was over last year he knew that was it—or that was it for an entire season.
See where I am going? (Hint…repeated references to “entire season”…hint, hint).
The Yankees missed out on Cliff Lee, whom by the way also does not walk on water despite what the media and some fans believe, and all the sudden the Yankee Universe is coming to an end and Andy Pettitte is the only one with pinstripe tights and cape?
Shoot, why even play the season, just hand the trophy to Philly for the next five years and send everyone on vacation.
There is a reason the games are played on the field and not paper.
Come on people, this is nothing new in the world of the Yankees. Pettitte would be nice to have but the Yankees are hardly desperate here.
Let’s look at this realistically. How many games do the starters need to win the East or the Wild card and make it to the playoffs?
In a very strong East and in an improved American League in general, the Yankees, or any team for that matter, will not get into the post with anything less than 90 wins, in my opinion of course.
With a very good staff, okay we will use the Philadelphia Phillies dammit—a team can only hope for 63-65 wins max (18, 15, 12, 10, 8= 63) and that is really pushing the envelope. Most team only get 40-48 wins per starting rotation but most teams don’t make the playoffs. A good chance to dance requires a minimum of 55 wins out of the rotation with a decent bullpen backing it up.
The Yankees have, arguably, one of the best pens in the game (on paper). So what about the starters?
What can we expect given the rotation New York is fielding this year WITHOUT Pettitte?
The 2010 San Francisco “World Champions” top three starters won 43 games. They had a rotation of six and their “regular” top five starters won a total of 58 games.
More relative, if slightly less recent, we can look to the 2009 World Champion Yankees who went with a 4 man rotation most of the year and their 4 starters won a total of 55 games.
Sabathia won 19, Pettitte won 14, Burnett, yes that guy, won 13 and Joba Chamberlain (I just threw up a little in my mouth), won nine.
C.C is still around. Anyone think he can’t win, oh say 18 games in 2011?
Hughes chipped in eight wins in relief that championship season and turned in 18 wins a year later despite stamina problems the second half which should be corrected come this season. He may not win 18 games again this year but is anyone doubting he cannot win oh say 14, like Pettitte did in 2009?
Can anyone on the Yankees current Staff win 12? Yes, A.J Burnett, who averages 12 wins per season, and won 13 in 2009 when the Yankees won it all. Yes he is coming off a poor season of 10 wins but they Yankees pitching staff is focusing heavily on his mechanics and I believe he can win 12 games this season, simply because he won 13 for New York in 2009.
That’s 44 wins among three starters right there people.
“Desperate”?
How many wins will Ivan Nova notch? No one ones but I would not be scared to bet the house on eight wins.
Freddy Garcia has a decent chance to make the Roster. He rebounded last year and won 12 games for Chicago. I am not fool, so I am not expecting that so let’s be reasonable and give him eight.
Okay. Of those five starters, if that is how it falls (and who the heck knows), without Pettitte the Yankees starting rotation would notch 60 wins…
“Desperate”?
Garcia does not make it and Sergio Mitre is there? Okay—five wins for him, that’s still 57 wins by starters.
That is still two more than the 2009 World Champion Yankees and one less than the pretenders to the throne last season.
Hell, Sabathia could go down on injury in his first game and everyone else wins less than 10 games and the Yankees finish last. What would Andy’s presence do then?
There is a reason they play the game one out and one inning at a time people. No team wins games in the off season. Calm your doom engine down.
The 2011 Yankee Bull pen, on paper, is a lot stronger than the 2009 version so excuse me if I actually seem hopeful.
Pettitte, at best, would contribute maybe 14 wins, his yearly average, if healthy and playing a full season which it appears he won’t do. At age 38, the chances he works the entire season anyway given his health issues is a huge risk without enough reward for him, his family or the club.
Even if he returned and won 11 games, it is possible that Nova or Garcia can equal that total.
STOP before you go there—no way shape or form am I suggesting Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia are equal to Andy Pettitte. I am using realistic reasoning here (hopeful is another word), to get everyone off the “we need Andy or Armageddon is a coming’” bandwagon of doom.
Oh and btw, before you start on the “Andy is a big game pitcher and we will need him for the playoffs!” He is. I cannot argue with that however, no one knew when he pitched his first post season game that he would be the post season stud he has become. Another in pinstripes can be born this season, who knows.
Andy Pettitte is a big game pitcher. Andy Pettitte is one of the greatest Yankees and left handed pitchers in the history of the game.
Andy Pettitte is also one man, aged 38, coming off a great season that fell far short due to injury.
Andy Pettitte is not the answer folks. He is a cog in the machine—he is not the machine itself.
However, have faith though my friends, all is not totally lost.
Andy Pettitte is also a business man and a smart one at that. He learned something of value from Roger Clemens, his former mentor. No, I am not talking about using PEDs.
Pettitte has learned to earn a full season’s salary for half a season of work so if the Yankees are somehow still in the show at the half way mark, rest assured the call to Deer Park Texas will be made and Pettitte will once again don the pinstripes in yet another quest for Glory.
However, it would only happen under certain conditions.
The rotation the Yankees have, as rag tag as it is, is not far off from the cluster mess that showed up in 2008. If each performs up to expectations or level of talent, the Yankees will be in position to make that call for Mr. Big Game at the mid mark.
Before he answers the call, it must be right for Pettitte.
In order for that to happen the Yankees must be healthy. They need Sabathia at his ultimate Cy Young best, Hughes to live up to his hype, Burnett to get his head from out his backside and just pitch and Nova, Garcia or someone else to step up and do the unexpected .
Pettitte will be back for the stretch run is there is one and if and only if it’s almost a certainty they will get in. Andy wants to be along for the ride.
He just does not want to drive the bus.
Like I said earlier—the man is not stupid.
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