Response to one of my readers

Dear Theo Epstein Disciple (TED),

First, I'd like to thank you for your support and kind words. I must agree with you that Crooked Cap may fold like a cheap tent in a wind storm under the glare of the NY lights. His track record for big games is highly suspect, and unfortunately, he has career-wise, crumbled when he pitched against the team from New England. Yesterday wasn't a pretty start to his Yankee career.

That being said, it reminds me of Randy Johnson, who was another big pitcher that crumbled like aged cheese when it came to dealing with the NY media. Though he didn't fare well in the Big Apple, he still won 17 games in each of the 2 seasons he played there (and was 5-0 against Boston). 17 wins for the Crooked One may seem bloated, but if he's at least slightly above average, he should at least achieve that. Andy Pettitte won 14 games last year and he was terrible. Hell, Boston's own pitcher, Matsuzaka, is allergic to wood bats, pitching and weaving and bobbing his way through 5 innings and 183 pitches a game just to have his pitches avoid any contact with the bat. He won 18 games last year! So, yes, I do think 17 wins on a team like the Yankees is achievable.

As for AJ's nickname, I'll reveal it after his first bad start.

TED, I look forward to you keeping me honest this year.

Sincerely,

Yankee Bomber