Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Quote of the Day (A.J. Burnett, on His Pie-Throwing Technique)


"I don't exactly go full-sprint at somebody with a pie. Stuff happens, I guess. I always try to somewhat think safety first - unless I'm snapping - even when I'm pie-ing."—New York Yankee pitcher A.J. Burnett, explaining how his celebratory pie-throwing motion has enabled him to escape injury while the Florida Marlins’ Chris Coghlan fell victim to injury, quoted in Mark Feinsand, “A.J. to ‘Pie’ On With Caution,” The Daily News (New York), July 28, 2010

Well, that’s just great. I'm really glad to hear that A.J. Burnett doesn’t lose his footing over “pie-ing” (which, incidentally, I find the worse neologism in recent memory).

But I’ll bet I’m not the only Yankee fan who wishes he didn't lose command of what’s supposed to be an awesome arsenal of pitches. And lose his mental equilibrium, too.

Let’s put it this way: A.J., your latest performance, on Sunday--four strikeouts, two walks, eight hits, eight earned runs, heading to the showers before the fifth inning—was hardly the occasion for pie-ing, let alone a demonstration of why management or your teammates should have confidence in you whenever you walk to the mound.

Hall of Fame football coach Paul Brown used to tell players intent on victory dances in the end zone, “Act like you’ve been there before.” Good advice for you to remember, A.J., whether you’re at the giving or receiving end of “pie-ing” (though at this point, it looks like it'll be a long time before the latter for you).

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