A couple weeks ago, the New York Post ran a story about the budding relationship between A.J. Burnett and Chien-Ming Wang.  A.J. chides Wang that he should really consider getting a tattoo.  (AJ, a man’s man, has several.)  Wang blushes, giggles, and says he could never–his mom would just kill him.

But, theirs is a dynamic that transcends playful banter.

A.J. offers pearls of wisdom about changing pitch speeds among other things.  And with all the eagerness of youth, Wang listens up and takes it in.   A.J. is the Sensei to Wang’s grasshopper. A lover of Bruce Lee, I figured that this was an analogy that A.J. would especially appreciate.

These pitcher mentor-mentee relationships are not at all uncommon.  Mo, in particular, has been known to take younger guys under his wing.  With Mo, I think it tends to be less about tattoo jokes and more about encouragement and the word of the Lord.  I remember how much I enjoyed his special interest in Tanyon Sturtze–a pairing even stranger, if possible, than the one between Wang and Burnett.

At the end of the day, notwithstanding the implosion of Tanyon Sturtze, a great team is built on these kinds of veteran-youngster alliances.  It’s what makes a team function as a team, and any veteran worth his salt will know that well enough to take it upon himself to make a project out of at couple of the younger guys.  Help one player, help the team.

Save the cheerleader, save the world.  (If you watch Heroes, you know what I’m talking about.)

For this reason, I was glad to hear of Wang’s recent efforts to stay in A.J.’s good graces.  How?  The way anyone stays in anyone’s good graces-the giving of gifts.  In this case, it was a present related to AJ’s aforementioned interest in anything related to Bruce Lee. Oh, I’m sorry.  Did I say interest?  Because I meant super intense and kind of weird obsession.

There is, of course, the Bruce Lee tattoo on his arm.  He credits the tat with protecting him from getting injured by a comeback ball a couple weeks back.  He also keeps a library of Bruce Lee books on hands in his locker so that he can always have a quote available for any occasion.  I’m sure that doesn’t get annoying.

In another display of his admiration, Burnett also has a poster of Lee in his home weight room, which I admire.  I like a grown man who has the confidence to rock a poster of another man without worrying about how much it makes him seem like a teenage girl.

Wang’s gift came in the form of a Bruce Lee figurine–an addition to the half dozen or so that A.J. keeps in his locker.  Adorable.  Move over Sturtze and Rivera, I think you may have found your replacements.

I hope to see this relationship continue to develop throughout the season.  Burnett seems to have a solid wok ethic and he certainly has a ton of fire on the mound, and I think it can only mean good things for Wang.  Plus, it’s like someone once said, “Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.”

I’m pretty sure that same person also said, “You just wait. I’m going to be the biggest Chinese Star in the world.”