Andrew Marchand writes a great piece about Ivan Nova and AJ Burnett and you should read it. It’s called IVAN NOVA MOTIVATED BY UNLIKELY SOURCE. What I love about it is this... Nova could have said CC Sabathia or Mariano Rivera was his mentor. He could have said a non-pitcher like Jeter or Cano was his mentor. He didn’t. He said AJ Burnett was. To me? I find this to be spectacular. Here’s why:
As I’ve said so many times, AJ Burnett needs a comfort zone and a positive atmosphere to thrive. He had it when he was with the Florida Marlins with Beckett, Penny and Willis, and we saw a glimpse of it with CC and Dave Eiland in 2009. Now, as we embark on 2011, AJ Burnett and Rothschild are tight, he’s cleared his mind and has developed more close friendships in the Yankee clubhouse. If Ivan Nova looks up the Burnett, how good does AJ feel right now? Not only is he appreciated by his teammates, he’s looked up to.
Marchand writes: “Burnett and Nova... have forged a unique and sincere friendship that could prove integral in Nova's career. It started last spring and continued when the Yankees called up Nova during the season. Nova said Burnett made him feel like his "little brother" had joined the team, showing him how everything worked in The Show.”
One thing you don’t see with AJ are his true feelings. Yes, we see he can be an emotional guy, but that stuff is on the field. We see struggle when he’s getting shelled, huge emotion when he finally achieves something special on the mound and a black eye that raises questions about whether or not there are “private” problems. I don’t get involved in that stuff. If it’s private, it’s private. (I wrote about that in WHY PRIVATE IS PRIVATE.)
What we never see with AJ is his ability to aid a teammate. This act is non-selfish, especially with AJ having his own struggles last season. Andrew Marchand did a service by putting this article out there, especially for AJ Burnett's image. It's the kind side we don't see.
The most ironic part of the article is the advice that Nova says AJ gives him. 
“’Confidence, I had a couple of bad starts and they took me out of the game, and he told me I had to keep working hard and concentrate and try to get the next one to get better than the one before."--Ivan Nova
AJ, who struggled last year didn’t seem to take his own advice of having confidence, yet, he made sure the young Nova was aware of it. Strange but true. That’s why I know Burnett will kick some ass in 2011. He knows what he needs to do and he will do it. Rothschild's there for Burnett now, so maybe this will help.
Another great human nugget from Marchand: “Burnett said that when he failed to hit 93 or 95 mph on the gun, Nova would yell at him and tell him to look confident out there. They clicked, Burnett thinks, because on the surface they might seem different, but on the mound they are similar, hard-fastball guys with a need to be reminded to believe in themselves.”
One thing I like is this strange friendship. No one would have expected it, but it makes sense. Both Ivan and AJ are teammates and both are in the same boat so to speak, working toward a guaranteed spot in the rotation. While AJ was there in the number 2 hole, that has changed, so Ivan and Rothschild will pick him up and get him back on track. Nova, who is fighting for a spot himself, will get aid and advice from his mentor, AJ Burnett, and get him on the right track as well.
Yes, it's the odd couple, but it works. Thank you Mr. Marchand for this feel good piece. I will ride this into the weekend. You da man.
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