The Yankees continue to win, and are in first place in the AL East. The playoffs are not in question, but that didn’t stop Bob Klapisch from taking him to task in yesterday’s Record for how he handled the A.J. Burnett situation on Saturday night.

It’s up to the manager to prove he’s not playing favorites on this roster. The perception is that Girardi takes care of his guys – Burnett, CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira – and misses no opportunity to puncture those who cross him. Jorge Posada is at the top of that list.

Klapisch appeared on my show last night to expand on his column. I told Bob I have concerns about how Girardi handles difficult situations. He seems to flub any kind of conflict when it arises.

Here’s what Klapisch told me about his thoughts on Girardi’s leadership:

Very hard working, everything is meticulous and disciplined. In the short term it’s everything the Yankees did need.  Joe Girardi has his faults, he has his flaws. He has, so far, been unable to command that personal bond that Torre had earlier in his reign. Girardi is unable to stand in the middle of his clubhouse and ask the Yankees for an extra gear that they need in the playoffs. He couldn’t do it last year against Texas in October, and the Yankees end up losing very miserably in the League Championship Series. There is something that Torre had. Some personality trait. It’s almost hard to quantify, but I just know that Girardi doesn’t have it. I don’t think he will ever have it. He’s not that kind of manager; he’s not that kind of person. He succeeds on having a) great talent on the team, and he will always have that because the Yankees are the Yankees. And because he is a hard worker and well prepared, and he does use his bullpen extremely well. He is a good manager when it comes to moving the chess pieces. But there is other ways to measure a manager. One is the kind of personal relationships he has with his players. Is he fair, is he honest, is he hard working? Yes, Girardi’s hard working, but I don’t think he is all that honest, and I am not sure he is all that fair. 

To listen to the entire interview click here and fast forward to the 18 minute mark. Jonah Keri joined me later in the show as well.

Stay tuned for more of my thoughts on Girardi’s leadership later this morning.

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Check out this neat triple play by Nashville’s Logan Schafer. Watch closely how the ball hits him in the head in centerfield.

Do you score that 8-hat-8-4-3?

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Sandy Alderson has his work cut out for his this offseason putting together a pitching staff with appropriate minor league depth, but I think  this team should be fine offensively- assuming they sign Jose Reyes. Reyes will join Ike Davis, David Wright, and one second basemen from the group of Daniel Murphy, Justin Turner, Reese Havens, and perhaps Jordany Valdespin. In the outfield you will have Jason Bay, perhaps Angel Pagan, and Lucas Duda. Overall, that is not a bad lineup.

The big key is Lucas Duda, who continues to impress since the middle of July.

Going into yesterday’s game he was hitting .323 with 5 HRs and 19 RBI since the All Star Break. During that span his  OPS is .975. He’s also walked nearly has much as he’s struck out. In the seventh inning of yesterday’s game he would hit his 6^th homer to tie the game at 2.

Wright, Davis, Bay, and a Duda middle of the order isn’t bad. Hopefully, the team lowers the left field fence, and somehow Jason Bay rediscovers his strokes on a consistent basis.

The Mets may have two middle of the order left-handed power threats in 2012 in Duda and Ike Davis. Both are young, cost effective, and have 25-30 HR upside.

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Bob Raissman hits in the nail on the head with his analysis of David Cone in the YES Booth:

Cone has some edgy qualities, but doesn’t come off condescending like other voices who believe they invented the game. With Cone you never feel like he’s talking down to you, that he thinks he’s smarter than the rest of us schlubs.

There doesn’t seem to be enough of Cone in the YES booth rotation. I don’t know if Cone wants a full-time announcer gig. He is very good at the position since he has great stories, embraces some new ways of looking at the game, and gives a players perspective. Raissman cites a situation in Kansas City where Russell Martin looked into the Royals dugout after throwing a runner out. Cone mentioned that if he did that to his team when he played that Martin would feel his wrath next time at the plate. Those are the type of nuances I want to hear from my analysts. If I learn something new, laugh, and develop a viewer relationship with the announcer, then they’re doing the job.

I know YES likes to rotate Cone, Paul O’Neill, John Flaherty, and Ken Singleton. I don’t know exactly the formula behind their schedule, but I think Cone should be a permanent part of that booth. One of the issues I have with the YES booth is I never know who I am going to get on a daily basis. I would prefer a consistent duo or trio, like they have at SNY. I actually think a two announcer booth works well.

Free and open thinkers don’t usually last at YES. I wonder how much longer we will see Cone since it appears his position on advanced stats doesn’t sit well with Kay and the rest of the pom-pom crew.

Remember, he walked away from YES two years ago because they didn’t like his penchant for criticizing the home team.

YES has a gem on their hand. Do they even know it?

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Glad to hear that I went to bed later than Keith Hernandez on Saturday night. Mex let the audience know he was “tired” and “went to bed at 10:30 Saturday evening.” I wonder if Keith is finally slowing down in his old age, or was this just a rare night he needed to rejuvenate himself for the stretch run in the booth.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

Mike Silva

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Tags: A.J. Burnett, Bob Klapisch, Centerfielder with Triple Play Off His Head, David Cone, Joe Girardi, Keith Hernandez, Logan Schafer, Lucas Duda, New York Mets, New York Yankees, SNY, YES