@ lisaswan:
You have me incorrectly pegged, Lisa. I don’t think failure requires castigation and exile. Even for all of the sub-par Octobers A-Rod had before this one, I wasn’t interested in killing him and I’m no more interested in doing so now with AJ (or Teixeira or Cano, for that matter).

But I don’t agree that stinking doesn’t equal choking. In two of his last three starts of the year, AJ pitched in big-moment games. In two of those three games, he stunk to high heaven. If you want to look at Game 5 of the LCS/WS as not a choke, that’s fine, but I don’t see how you can. He didn’t perform in a big spot (two, actually) and I’m not sure I get what you’re trying to say. How can you separate stinking from choking anyway?

@MJ: What is choking, anyway? Did Burnett wilt under the spotlight – which arguably was just as/if not more intense in Game 2 at Yankee Stadium? No, he just stunk – whether it be for him having less rest, or him being very bad (as he’s been known to do) or whatever. Stinking does not equal choking.

Can we all at least wait until the Yankees lose the World Series before deeming our new person to give A-Rod’s now-removed goat horns to?

lisaswan wrote:

I’ll take that choker Burnett on my team any time.

Not saying I don’t want him, just saying that to pretend he didn’t choke in Game 5 of ALCS/WS is factually inaccurate.

A.J. Burnett beat Pedro Martinez in Game 2 of the World Series, the day after Cliff Lee and the Phillies humiliated the Yankees. If the Yanks had lost that night, this series would have a very different look to it. I’ll take that choker Burnett on my team any time.

@ Evan3457:
The definition from Merrian-Webster:

“to lose one’s composure and fail to perform effectively in a critical situation.”

Hard to say that Game 5 of the ALCS/WS wasn’t a critical situation and hard to say that Burnett’s performance doesn’t meet the definition pretty accurately.

The definition doesn’t say anything about repeated failures or “choking” being a character trait. It merely says to flop in a big spot. Teixeira’s done nothing but choke in October/November, as has Cano.

I don’t think it’s wrong to say AJ has choked.

@ Evan3457:
I don’t see “choking” as descriptive word for one’s character but as a descriptive word for failing to produce in a moment of high importance. That’s just my personal definition and yours may vary.

In my mind, Burnett choked in Game 5 of the ALCS. He followed it up with a great game in Game 2 of the WS and then followed that up with another choke-job in Game 5 of the WS. In two big spots, he flopped.

Derek Jeter has choked a few times himself. So have countless others. I guess we’re just not on the same page with the definition…

I’m sorry, but if a guy comes through HUGE in one tough spot, and then fails in another big spot, I can’t call him a choker.

“Choker” is a description of a man’s character. Does a man’s character change from non-choker in Game 2 of the ALCS to choker in game 5 of the ALCS to clutch in Game 2 of the World Series and back to choker again in game 5 of the World Series?

I mean, come on, no one’s character changes that rapidly or often.

It’s just us, projecting our emotions onto the import of the moment.

Player X had a bad game when WE really needed him not to, ergo, he’s a choker.

Raf wrote:

It’s AJ being AJ.

To me, that’s exactly it. He’s the epitome of the girl with the curl.

It’s AJ being AJ. Whether that means he’s a choker or not is a different story.

I think we’ve seen two extremes in this thread. On one hand Steve is calling AJ the biggest choker and on the other people are saying AJ’s not a choker at all.

The truth is, AJ IS a choker. In his two road starts so far he’s been worse than horrible and in both spots the Yanks could’ve closed out a series. He didn’t just get beat, he got his brains bashed in and looked completely out of sorts and out of control. That’s choking.

But he’s not the BIGGEST choker. That is undoubtedly Mark Teixeira or Robinson Cano, two incredibly important players for the Yanks. Neither has been able to do a damn thing at the plate and both have come up with RISP several times thus far in October/November. Teixeira, in particular, has been a complete turd in the post-season. He looks completely lost at the plate, staring at fastballs for strike 1/2 and never trying to change the pattern, going for a hittable pitch early in the count.

Teixeira has been passive in his approach and then expands the zone when he’s down 0-2. I like him and his glove has been tremendous but his bat is worthless and he’s contributed absolutely nothing to the team offensively. That’s choking.