'Kudos & Wet Willies,' June Edition: Better Late Than Never

A little family vacation to Cape Cod got in the way of getting out the end of the month 'Kudos & Wet Willies' a couple of days ago. But, we all have to have a little R&R sometimes. Anyway, here is your belated look back at which New York Yankees deserve our worship -- and which deserve to be whipped -- for their work in June.

Kudos to ...

• Mariano Rivera: The man simply never ceases to amaze. You think maybe, just maybe, he is starting to act like the 40-year-old he is. Then, WHAM! A month like June, that reminds us how great Rivera is -- and how there will probably never be another pitcher like him. Mo was 2-0 with seven saves over 11 appearances -- with a puny little ERA of 0.00. Manager Joe Girardi even called on the ageless wonder to go two innings twice in June, something the Yanks are loathe to do unless it's October at this point.
• Robinson Cano: The amazing Cano keeps stamping himself as the best player on this team, and a legitimate MVP candidate. He hit .333 in June with four home runs and 13 RBI. To tell you how great a season he is having, the batting average and RBI totals were his worst for any month yet in 2010.
• Brett Gardner: Are there any Yankee fans out there who still don't get how important Gardner is to this team? If so, you're either wearing blinders or you simply want to hate the guy and you don't care what he does. Gardner hit .383 in June with a phenomenal .472 OBP, an OPS of 1.006 and six more stolen bases, bringing his total to 24 on the season. He is hitting .321 with a .403 OBP for the season.
• Javier Vazquez: Turned his season around in June, going 3-2 with a 3.23 ERA. Batters hit just .187 off the rejuvenated Vazquez in June. The Yankees need more of that from Javy.
• CC Sabathia: The big man was really big in June, posting a 5-0 record with a 2.19 ERA. CC always seems to start somewhat slowly, but when he gets rolling it sure is fun to watch.
• David Robertson: After two brutal months, he pitched to an ERA of 1.00 in June, surrending one run in nine appearances covering nine innings. With Joba Chamberlain limping along with his ERA above 5.00, Robertson is going to pitch lots of important innings throughout the second half of the season.

Wet Willies to ...

• Francisco Cervelli: Oh, how much I hate to have to do this. But, it has to be done. Our man may have gotten his own Pinstripe Alley t-shirt in June, but he also hit .180 with just six RBI while starting 17 games and playing in 21 as Jorge Posada eased his way back into the lineup. Ah, Frankie, that might be good enough to send Chad Moeller packing. It won't be good enough to keep Jesus Montero and Austin Romine at bay forever, though.
• Derek Jeter: Another one I hate to give. Shoot, I always hate to lambaste The Captain. But, a .243 average in June has to earn Jeter a 'Wet Willie.' C'mon, Jeets, you can do better. OH, and quit cheating so far to your left that A-Rod has to play about four area codes away from the foul line.
• Alex Rodriguez: Boy, I'm hating all of these so far. A-Rod hit just .244 in June. I know he isn't 100 percent, I know he's showing signs and I know he has gotten some big hits. But, .244 is .244. He has to be better.
• Nick Swisher: Hit just .240 in June, though he did manage to knock in 19 runs. 
• A,J. Burnett: Well, 0-5 with an 11.35 ERA has to put A.J. here. Maybe A.J. should get double 'Wet Willies' for this month. He was AWFUL! And it can't all be because Dave Eiland wasn't around. The guy is pitching in his 12th big-league season, and he spent the whole month looking like a rookie who had no friggin' clue what he was doing. Gotta do better than that, A.J.

Kwillie (Half 'Kudo,' Half 'Wet Willie')

• Jorge Posada: Working his way back from the foot injury, but months where Jorge hits .203 are not good ones. But, he did have those back-to-back games with grand slams. So, gotta give him some props.