How amazing is Andy Pettitte? Well, without him, the Yankees are possibly 0 for the season so far. His third game of the season start versus the rival Red Sox was declared a "must win!" by no other than the ghost of George M. Steinbrenner (see: @GeorgesGhost). Of course, had The Boss still been around, the Yankees wouldn't be in the position to rely so heavily on the old, once-retired Texan, but here we are.

Pettitte has turned himself into one of the best pitchers in the game despite not having the stuff he had when young. The old line about youth being wasted is rarely as obvious as with Major League pitchers. But not only did the crafty left-hander shut down the Bosox bats, he drove a nail into even thoughts of stealing.

Watching Pettitte from the stretch, especially with a runner on first, is something amazing. Whenever I remembered to look for it and when the TV camera angle permitted it, on nearly every single pitch to the plate, the runner on first was going back to the bag.

How big is that? First off, even if the guy wasn't attempting to steal second, the runner's momentum heading back to first can be huge. Trying to break up a double-play? Not so easy if you have to reverse course before trying to take out a middle infielder. Going first-to-third on a hit to the outfield also becomes less of a guaranteed or smart move with the kind of move Pettitte has.

Is it a balk? Most lefties have something of a balk move, but Pettitte is truly the master of it. His reputation and his seniority give him the benefit of the doubt from most umpires and make base-runners wary as all get out.

The bats have been slightly better than expected, which is something of a backhanded compliment no doubt, but one week into the season the castoffs and re-treads (Youkilis, Wells, Overbay) have been getting the job done in the early goings. Clearly, so much more is needed from the place-setters, Gardner and Ichiro I'm talking to you, so that this new "heart" of the lineup can knock some runners in.

Sabathia versus Verlander is an epic early season match-up and one the Yanks, who actually have fared well against the Tiger ace, need this one to not end the first week of the season with but the one "W" crafted by Andy Pettitte.

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Upcoming Rose news:

I'll be reading one tale from the book at the Midway/Hamline library in St. Paul this coming Wednesday, April 10th at 6:30PM.

The first stop of the book tour -- Los Angeles -- will be May 3rd-6th. I'm currently ironing out the details of the appearances and will share those with y'all as soon as those are concrete.

New York City dates should follow in June. Looks like I will be headlining along w/singersongwriternovelist, Darren Gaines, at the premier Dixon Place event night brought to you from the guy behind the great artist series at the Gershwin Hotel.

Cheers
B