Burnett 'Pumped' For His First Yankee Injury

This afternoon in Baltimore when A.J. Burnett leans in to glare at the Orioles' batters, his mind will focus far beyond the 60 feet, six inches that separate the mound from home plate. He'll have his gaze fixed hungrily on the disabled list.

"It's something you dream about your whole life, your first big injury in pinstripes," gushed the righthander as he arrived at Camden Yards for his maiden Yankee start. "You imagine your name being mentioned alongside Carl Pavano and Kevin Brown. Well, today I get my shot, and I couldn't be more pumped."

Excited as he is, Burnett has long known that enthusiasm alone won't deliver his goal. While most major leaguers vacationed all winter, Burnett pursued a harsh daily routine of throwing himself down stairs, dropping heavy objects on his feet, sleeping on his shoulder wrong, and polishing a patient strategy. "You need to go in with a game plan," the pitcher acknowledges, "but you also need to be flexible. It could be a comebacker to the face, or you could blow a hammie on your follow-through. You've got to be ready to react fast to any opportunity."

Captain Derek Jeter has his new teammate's back. "We've talked a bit, and I think A.J. knows that New Yorkers can be a little impatient," says Jeter. "If he gets through six innings without a scratch, he'll see it on the back pages, he'll hear about it from the fans."

At least one admirer shrugs those worries off. "Until A.J. came to camp" says skipper Joe Girardi, "I never saw anybody so prepared to get hurt from day one."