Seriously, did something happen off the field that we don’t know about? Everyone from the Yanks to Terry Francona & Mike Lowell on the Sox are saying that there’s no way Joba is throwing at someone’s head with a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning. Then again, Joba came back to strike out Kevin Youkilis and then also rung up Mike Lowell and JD Drew. Intimidation? A Roger Clemens kind of crazy?

Or was it all just personal? Three times at a guy’s head in two years in the baseball equivalent of slapping a guy in the face, stealing his wife and then dropping a load on his chest….What the hell gives, Joba?

Still, the Yankees have needed a guy who will not only match zeros with another club’s ace, but will also make batters think twice about stepping in with him. Perhaps that’s one of the things that can make a guy an ace in the first place…Nolan Ryan, Clemens, Walter Johnson (I never saw the guy pitch or anything, but word is he was a nasty S.O.B.)…these guys made a living on fear. In fact, some say Mike Mussina has revived his career because he has started to work inside. I actually believe his arm is healthier than it’s been in years, but I also like the inside pitching theory.

Round two tomorrow. Pettitte and Wakefield…I can’t wait to see if there’s a 65 MPH knuckler with A-Rod’s name on it…payback can be funny.