New York Yankees

With A.J. Burnett taking the mound tonight the Yankees will need their offense to show up more than at any point in this series.

Tonight is a very big game for the Yankees. I don’t like to throw around the cliche that it is a must-win game until it actually becomes a must-win, but tonight is pretty close.

Tonight is a very big game for the Yankees. It is not a must-win, but it is pretty much as close to it gets to one.

Unfortunately they have A.J. Burnett on the mound too, which makes things so much harder, but they don’t really have much of a choice.

Here are some notes:

A.J. Burnett has the fate of the New York Yankees in his enigmatic hands when he takes the hill tonight in the Bronx.

However, this time he may accomplish what he sets out to do.

Burnett is not your ordinary pitcher. He possesses above average pitches for everything he throws, especially his fastball-curveball combination. Scouts would genuinely tell you that Burnett has the best curve in the majors, which is a testament to his raw ability.

There's no way you can take away from what Cliff Lee did last night.

Trust me, I'd love to. I wish I could say it had something to do with his "magic" hat, a pact with Satan, or some potent HGH cocktail guzzled before first pitch, but I just can't.

I know most people are calling for CC Sabathia on three days' rest, including some national sportswriters.

I am not a Yankees fan, but I truly believe in order to win this series, the Yankees have to pitch A.J. Burnett in Game 4 and hope for the best. 

There are several reasons why pitching Burnett is the right decision.

Reports are in that the Chicago Cubs have taken off the interim tag from manager Mike Quade.  Quade, the 53-year-old manager who has been serving as interim manager since the retirement of Lou Piniella after the season, is finally getting his shot at managing the big leagues.

The cubs reportedly signed Quade to a two-year deal with a club option for the 2013 season, according to ESPN.

From Buster Olney:

“Breaking news from ESPNChicago: Mike Quade is getting a two-year deal to stay as the Cubs manager.”

The Rangers' Cliff Lee was masterful yet again last night in New York, striking out 13 Yankees in eight innings without allowing a run as he helped push Texas ahead, two games to one in the American League Championship Series.