Comfortable until it isn't

Dear Joe Girardi,

You are the putz. I realize you aren't dealing with Little Leaguers or high schoolers, you're dealing with a billion dollar franchise, the New York media, the Steinbrenners, those braces, but for cripes' sake man, you couldn't let Joba complete that meltdown? He got saddled with the loss, anyway, and Rivera looked awful, so why not?

Yes, statistically Rivera eats up left-handed hitters, but is 80-year-old Jim Thome getting around on Joba? Unlikely, at best.

Also, when will you stop pitching to Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau? Did you wrong them in some way and now you're trying to make amends. Superior pitching gets them out, maybe. Damaso Marte? He gets pelted. They aren't affected by you're lefty-lefty matchups. They're hitters, true hitters. They don't step in the bucket, they don't swing at junk.

It's been a while, so I just wanting to heave some more criticism at you.

Thanks,

John

All in all, though, the Yanks have weathered their injury storm to the point you forget they are missing their centerfielder, their (alleged) DH, and some key pitchers.

It's really a toss up as to which young Yankee is having the biggest affect on the team but it's probably Phil Hughes, who looks unhittable, then Francisco Cervelli, who's making Jorge obsolete behind the plate (Jorge, just DH!) and Brett Gardner, who is unlike anyone the Yankees have had in years, if not a decade or more.

Big series coming in the next few days. Beating the Sox is always nice, but beating the Rays is more important.