Sometimes, in my more wistful moments, I feel kind of bad for Carl Pavano. Who knows how different the public view of him would be if the Yankees had attributed his 2006 spring training injury to, say, a strained lower back, instead of the infamous “bruised buttocks”? His old teammates openly mocked him and his ex-girlfriend is calling him a headcase in press conferences (albeit a competitive one). Pavano just grinned when he was booed during Cleveland’s introduction on Thursday, but what else could he really do?
Still – you don’t get the sense that he actually feels too much regret over taking $40 million from New York, and giving back a 9-8 record with a 5.0 ERA. Maybe that’s because he gave it his all and was just the helpless victim of cruel circumstance… or, maybe it’s because he’s a complete jackass. The mystery endures.
Anyway, Pavano pretty much dominated the Yankees for six-plus innings today, in what could have been a completely excruciating, soul-sucking loss, had things gone a bit differently. A.J. Burnett did not have his good control, walking six, hitting a batter, and letting fly a couple wild pitches, but he kept things from getting out of hand – and when the mighty Pavano left the game, the Yanks were able to rally, thanks to a key home run from Jorge Posada in the seventh. (I imagine that Jorge Posada, of all people, was not going to deal particularly well with losing to Carl Pavano).
At the end of the day it was a 7-3 win for New York. I suppose the outcome is all that matters, but it’s still too bad the Yankees couldn’t take their revenge on Pavano – and this was probably the last chance they’ll get, since one can only assume the guy will be back on the DL by the end of May.
