It sounds like the Yankees are sticking to something that resembles my plan - a 3 man rotation in the ALDS, with a sprinkling of A.J. Burnett going forward as needed.
I still can't understand why this is controversial. Yes, if every series went to the max, CC Sabathia would be making 6 starts on short rest. But in the Division Series era, do you know how many teams have played the maximum number of games in a single postseason?
Zero. In fact, of the 30 teams to have participated in the World Series since 1995, only 6 have have come within 2 games of the max.
The postseason is a gamble, frankly. You need to win 11 out of 19 games, and you need to win them in somewhat of a set order. Of course, every team in baseball (except maybe the Pirates) won 11 out of 19 games at some point this season, so you have to take some chances, cross your fingers, and put yourself in the best position to win. But what is really the bigger gamble - counting on CC Sabathia to perform well on short rest, or counting on A.J. Burnett to perform well, period?
- It's About The Money gives us a rational guide to the postseason:
Here’s a prediction for this year’s post-season: the media will seize upon one or two decisions made by a team’s manager, and analyze these decisions to death....My advice is not to take this kind of analysis too seriously. The analysis is almost always outcome-based: the manager decided to pull the starting pitcher for a relief pitcher, the relief pitcher walked the next batter, so the manager’s decision must have been wrong....Sure, it’s possible for a manager to make a mistake, but chances are high that your team’s post-season fate will be determined by what takes place on the field, and not on what goes on in the dugout.
- LoHud looks at CC Sabathia's scouting report from 2001. Sometimes can't-miss prospects actually do pan out.
- Baseball Prospectus tells us how similar Joe Torre and Casey Stengel really are (hint: it's not because they both managed the Yankees).