The anti-Bonds

I have always liked Mike Piazza. He's a mensch, and he's been carrying the woeful Mets on his shakey knees since he came to New York.

And now there's another reason to dig the guy.

Before Piazza takes the field, Bourell offers him seeds and juice, reminds him to use mental checkpoints when he's stretching and tells him to breathe through his nose so he doesn't strain his lungs. After practice, Bourell stretches Piazza near a batting cage, allowing him to relax his body and clear his mind from fan and news media demands.

At night, Bourell often visits a local health food store to buy more fruits and seeds. Then he leads Piazza in a yoga session, gives him a massage and fixes a dinner consisting only of uncooked foods: a spinach salad with raw portobello mushrooms, alfalfa sprouts, a clove of raw garlic, sunflower seeds and olive oil. Bourell has never seen Piazza eat a steak or drink a beer. "I'm very spiritual about things and I believe people come into my life for the right reasons," Piazza said. "Andy has got a calm way about him. He tells me what he sees. I'm not a hard-core vegetarian, but I realize there is a philosophy to raw foods instead of cooked foods that could make a difference in the long run."

Meanwhile, via Alex Belth, our hero Curt Schilling does some hair styling -- on his own teammate.

Can you say "psychopath?" How many times do the Yanks and Sox play this season?