A.J. Pitches A Beaute, I Pitch A Fit

Yeah, I got nowhere yesterday with Verizon. Apparently the local affiliate who carries the MY9 feed stopped providing their signal to FIOS. Needless to say I'm not happy. Basically, I'm out every game that's not carried on YES, ESPN, FOX, TBS, or the MLB Network. So as of now, it looks like I'll miss my fair share of games. Hopefully they're not all games like last night, because it was a beauty. Actually, I hope they are all like last night. I don't mind missing a game if the Yanks kick some tailfeathers.

I did catch one part of the game on the radio while I was booking to the grocery store to buy some snacks. The store is less than a mile away so I didn't hear much, but the one part I heard told me all I needed to know. I heard A.J. Burnett knock down Longoria and then whiff him looking. At the time, I didn't know it was "retaliation" for Garza knocking down Nicky Swish. I've got a lot of respect for Burnett for doing that. We haven't seen that a lot from the Yankee pitchers in recent years. Those days are over. I love it. It looks like Burnett pretty much dominated the whole night. He took a no-no into the 7th. He whiffed 9 while walking only 1. 8 innings, 103 pitches, 67 for strikes. That's a great night. That's 2 starts and 2 solid outings for Burnett. If A.J. can stay healthy, he;ll do great things. I wouldn't be shocked if he throws a no-no.

I saw the highlight of Garza knocking down Nick Swisher and then Swisher taking him yard. How awesome is that? Who is not loving Nicky Swish right now? I know there's been some light backlash on him since his relief outing (which I also missed), but come on people, lighten up. How can anyone have a problem with him keeping the ball from his first (and probably only) strikeout? Players keep balls all the time, usually, to mark a milestone or special achievement in their career. I'm sorry, but a position player pitching and picking up a K is a pretty cool thing. I'd have kept the ball too. Swisher has earned the right to start over Xavier Nady in my opinion. Swish is playing some good baseball. Nady is apparently injured, so Swisher should be a regular in the lineup. That makes me a happy camper.

Andy Pettitte makes start #2 today and if he can duplicate the outing he had the other day, expect good things. There's an obvious statement if there ever was one. A win today means the Yanks will have gone 5-4 on the opening road trip and that for me, is a good start. The home opener is tomorrow. As of now, I should be in front of the TV for it. Let's hope it stays that way.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie