Dear Brian,

We know that, as general manager of the New York Yankees you are constantly faced with difficult decisions. One of those looms large right now, and the fate of our beloved hero, Francisco The Great, known to you as Francisco Cervelli, hangs in the balance.

We here at Pinstripe Alley, united in our devotion to Francisco The Great, are begging you not to send him back to the minor leagues.

We know you must do something when the original backup catcher, Jose Molina, is ready to come off the disabled list in a few days. No offense to Molina, Brian, but please. We don't know if we can survive without at least the possibility of a Cervelli sighting each time we sit down to watch our Bronx Bombers.

We are sure you do not understand the depth of our despair at the thought of our hero wearing a minor-league uniform. Let me enlighten you as to why the thought of Francisco The Great in the uniform of a AAA town with a hyphenated name -- Scranton-Wilkes Barre -- brings such sadness to the members of Pinstripe Alley.

• We know that it is Francisco who makes the sun shine each and every day.
• We know that Yankee Stadium is truly the House that Francisco Built.
• We know that the Yankee pitchers will never, ever get a close pitch called a strike without Francisco to help them.
• We know that those same Yankee pitchers will be completely paralyzed without Francisco around to tell them what pitches to throw.
• We know that it is Cervelli in disguise who has been hitting those home runs lately when it appears to be Alex Rodriguez at the plate.

I could go on, but this should be enough to let you see how important it is that Francisco The Great not be turned into an ordinary minor-leaguer. We petition instead for the immediate retirement of the number 29, and for a plaque to be installed in his honor in Monument Park.

If we must do without him for a period of time, we need something to make us feel capable of going on with our lives.

We are loyal Yankee fans. If you must send our hero to the minors we will do our best to continue to support the Yankees. We know, however, that it will not be the same.

We wish Molina no ill will. We know that, should be join the team, he will do his best to impersonate Francisco The Great. We know, however, that he will fall short -- as any mere mortal would.

So, please Brian, please. Don't make us face life without Francisco The Great.

We are not sure we could bear it.

-- Sincerely,

Your Friends at Pinstripe Alley