I signed into twitter on my phone as I normally do. I actually signed on to tweet about the game (Yankees vs. Athletics) but that never happened since I saw tweets about Amy Winehouse. According to reports, she had died in her London home. Most of the tweets were ‘R.I.P. Amy Winehouse’. Simple and to the point. Others were more in depth about her music and how it changed some people’s lives. She died at age 27 so some mentioned how she is now a part of the ’27 club’ (Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison all died at age 27). Then of course, there were tweets that I found offensive. I’ll just throw out a couple below. And I won’t mention twitter names.

forgive me if i dont cry for a talentless drug addict like Amy Winehouse but choose instead to think of the 90 kids murdered yest in Norway

Amy Winehouse was a drug addict who died of an overdose. Her death is a shame, NOT a tragedy

Amy Winehouse died because she was a drug and alcohol addict and couldn’t control her own desires. Now it’s all over the news and people are crying about it.

Why is everyone so sad over Amy Winehouse? A drug addict died of an overdose, how did people think she would die? In her sleep at age 80?

RIP Amy winehouse…thats what happens when you’re a drug addict and an alcoholic.

Yes, those are all actual twitter quotes. I didn’t change them at all. They are word for word by the person who wrote them. I couldn’t make them up if I tried.

I’m not here to defend her as a musician. If you liked her, great. If you didn’t, that is fine too. Personally, I wasn’t a fan of hers as her type of music is different than what I normally listen to. Not saying she wasn’t talented; actually from what I did listen to, she was a talented musician. And I’m sure her fans will miss her terribly. But again, this is not why I’m here.

I’m here for a different reason. What gets me most about all the tweet mentions above is that every single one of them in one form or another claimed that because she was a drug and alcohol addict she deserved to die and got what was eventually going to happen to her.

Why does it matter that Amy Winehouse was a drug addict? She is DEAD. The woman was probably fighting her own demons and couldn’t get out of her own way! Who are you to judge her?

Drug addiction (just like any addiction) is a disease. To those who said her death was ‘preventable’ or ‘self-inflicted’ you clearly know nothing about drug addiction. If Amy Winehouse’s death was so preventable, she would still be alive. But she isn’t so clearly nobody could prevent it. Repeated drug use alters the brain and causes long-lasting changes to the way it looks and functions. These changes interfere with your ability to think clearly, exercise good judgment, control your behavior, and feel normal without drugs. These changes are also responsible, in large part, for the drug cravings and compulsion to use that make addiction so powerful. Long exposure to drugs can make it extremely difficult for the addict to simply quit on sheer willpower, which most people on twitter believe can happen in the blink of an eye. Some people battle the addiction their whole lives (with or without help) and others are able to overcome it with therapy, medication and other treatments.

On a more personal note, someone in my life has battled with drug addiction their whole life. He/she has sought treatment but to this day has been unable to overcome it. Do they have their good days? Of course they do. But sometimes the bad overshadows the good. I love them regardless. That being said if the person I love were to die (for whatever reason) and people said that he/she deserved it because of their drug addiction, I would be crushed. Think about the people who loved Amy Winehouse. Her closest friends and family. Would you tell them that her death doesn’t matter because she was a drug addict? I didn’t think so.

I would also like to address the people who claimed that I made Amy’s death to be more important than the 92 children who died in Norway. I said that neither death was ‘more important’ than the other. You can’t compare the two. One was tragic and one was sad. But death is death and no life is worth more than another. That said, I do understand what people were trying to get across. When a celebrity dies, all other deaths (no matter how big or small) take a backseat. I have several friends who are oversees (army/marines) that see death every day. But we don’t hear about them except for maybe when it is a slow news day.

I wasn’t defending Amy Winehouse on twitter because I thought her death was worth more than those innocent civilians who lost their lives in Norway. I was defending her label as a drug addict. To say she deserved what she got because she was a drug addict was just pure ignorance to me. That’s why I talked about it. Because I can imagine what her family and friends must be feeling right now. And it isn’t a nice feeling. Trust me.

R.I.P Amy Winehouse || I hope you find the peace in Heaven that you couldn’t find here on earth. My hearts goes out to friends & family.

My prayers are with Norway & the families of the innocent victims in the terrible tragedy that happened yesterday ;; may you all R.I.P

AJ Burnett & Co. defeated the Twins 4-3 on Thursday. As mentioned earlier, Burnett pitched through an illness on Saturday when he defeated the Tigers on Saturday. AJ went 6 innings, gave up 2 walks, allowed 2 run and struck out 5.

Brett Gardner walked in the third and went on to steal second base. On Jeter’s ground ball he advanced to third and scored on Swisher’s sac fly to right field. In the bottom of the 4th, Alex Rodriguez walked and Robinson Cano singled. Jorge Posada and Andruw Jones struck out but Russel Martin hit an RBI groundout. Gardner brought in the 4th Yankees run with a single.

The Yankees will face the Red Sox (who are currently 0-6 in the standings) this weekend. Should be fun to see who comes out on top. *fingers crossed* The Yankees won’t disappoint!

Notes:

The Yankees, who hit 13 homers in their first 5 games, earned all four runs today without doing so.

Including the postseason, the Yankees have now won 32 of their last 39 at home against the Twins.

They have won 10 consecutive regular-season home series against Minnesota in a streak that dates back to May 8-10, 2001.

They finish the season-opening homestand with a 4-2 record.

Tuesday’s (4/5/11) paid attendance of 40,267 was the lowest announced in the brief history of the new Yankee Stadium, edging Monday’s announced attendance of 40,311.

With his 2,929th career hit on Tuesday (4/5/11), Jeter surpassed Al Simmons for sole possession of 35th place on baseball’s all-time list. Jeter is 3-for-18 (.167) this year.

Yankees batters have hit 13 home runs through the first five games of 2011, tying a franchise record set in 1932.

Seven different Yankees have homered: Robinson Cano, Granderson, Jones, Martin, Jorge Posada, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira.

Source

Notes:
Mark Teixeira collected his 8th, 9th, and 10th RBIs of the year.

Andruw Jones became the 13th Yankee to homer in his first at bat with the franchise.

In the first inning, the Tigers got their 2 runs on one swing from Miguel Cabrera and thanks to Jorge Posada so did the Yankees. Jorge went on to slug another two-run homer in the fifth against Scherzer. Scherzer gave up six runs on nine hits in five innings.

Mark Teixeira blasted a solo shot for the third straight game in the third. 3 must be his lucky number and he has to be loving April right now! Cano’s solo shot came later in the third that barely made it over the right field wall.

But the bats weren’t enough for the boys to win as Phil Hughes lasted just four innings. New York won the series, 2-1 but lost the game 10-7.

Notes:

1. Teixeira is the first Yankee to go deep in the first three games of the season since Dave Winfield did it in 1983!

2. The Bronx Bombers are staying true to their name by setting a franchise record with 9 homers in their first 3 games. The previous record was that of eight set in 1932 and 1981.

3. Today was Posada’s 17th career multi-homerun game. His last? September 1, 2009.

Also, go here if you would like to see a preview of the Minnesota Twins at the New York Yankees.

AJ pitched five good innings, helping the Yankees defeat the Tigers 10-6. Considering that he was battling a sinus and throat infection and his last season stats that he’s probably trying to forget, I’d say he did a great job. He did say in the post-game that he couldn’t even swallow in the last inning.

Mark Teixeira blasted yet ANOTHER 3-run homer. Yes, in his second straight game. Not to be outdone, Russel Martin also connected for a 3-run run shot. And Alex Rodriguez blasted his 614th career home run!

As I’m sure all of you know, Boone Logan flubbed in the ninth which required Mariano Rivera to pick up his 561st career save! Not that I’m complaining – I love when I can tweet ‘Enter Sandman’ – but Boone should have been able to close it out!

Also a notable accolade, Derek Jeter had two hits in the game. Any Yankee fan knows that he is on a chase for his 3,000th hit! He needs 72 more to become the 28th member of that elite list!

I think Alex wrapped the game up nicely, “Hitting is contagious. It definitely helps everyone else when everyone is swinging the bat well.”

No matter how cold it is (36 degrees to be exact!) or how much rain is falling from the sky, the Yankees are never to be outdone, especially on ‘Opening Day’. They went on to beat the Tigers 6-3 with a little help from Teixeira and Granderson. Tex belted a 3 run shot off Verlander in the third and Granderson gave the team a lead with a solo shot off of former Yankee, Phil Coke, in the 7th.

CC Sabathia took to the mound in his 3rd Opening Day start for New York. He held the Tigers to 3 runs. Joba Chamberlain got his first win of the season after a scoreless 7th and Rafael Soriano made his debut in the 8th. Per tradition, Mariano Rivera wrapped it up for the Yankees in the ninth, notching his 560th save!

I’ve never been to an ‘Opening Day’ game at Yankee Stadium. The closest I’ve ever come was Opening Weekend – which I will be missing this year after two straight! Maybe one day I will be lucky enough to attend but for now I guess I have to settle with watching from the convenience of my own home! No matter I am or what day it is, a Yankees win always puts a smile on my face!

Stay tuned for an ‘Opening Day’ post!