Bigger romantics? Yankee fans or Twilight fans?

Don't answer right away. It's a tougher question than you think!
As I wrote before, the Yankees as an organization, for all the corporate pinstripe all business image they have, they are really a bunch of softies.

The organization and the fans are all about nostalgia and they can't let go of their favorite stars. They don't forgive them of their weaknesses. They don't recognize the short comings even exist.

Listen to the fans wanting the Yankees to sign Jeter to a long term deal, or making excuses for Posada quitting on the team or Pettite's PED use and tell me they are more rational than those screaming for Team Edward or Team Jacob!

It's not just that they love their players. They never want them to go away. EVER.
Bernie Williams was on the most recent Hall of Fame vote and I bet I can find a few fans who think he should still be playing on the team.

And now there is discussion of how to fill the DH hole on the team with Posada retiring. "WHY? COME BACK JORGE!"

More than one site has said the hole should be filled by either Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui.

Of course it should.
Because the Yankees need to get more players on the downside of their career clogging up their lineup.

Matsui is 38 years old and no longer an elite player. Not 100% how OPS+ works, but I am guessing "92" isn't a great score.

Damon is also 38 and his on base percentage has dropped each of the last 3 seasons.

BUT THEY WON RINGS WITH THE YANKEES!
Bring them back!

They can't let go. It's all romance.

Actually there is an obvious solution to the Yankees' DH hole.
A-ROD!

Seriously, the Yankees should just plop him at DH.

Have you noticed he hasn't played 130 games at third for a season since 2008?

Last year he played third base 89 times.

The Yankees are better with his bat in the lineup, so make HIM the DH and have a younger player who can actually play the field at the hot corner.

Ahhh but there's the rub. DH for the Yankees needs to be filled by a beloved Yankee, something that A-Rod for some reason will NEVER be.

If Matsui and Damon are like Jacob and Edward, then A-Rod is the notorious Aro, trying to bring the Yankees into the Volturi.

And if you think for a second that I have any clue what I just wrote, then you are crazier than any Twilight/Yankee fan out there.

A-Rod runs to Germany to hide from Father Time

I have no clue what Kobe Bryant suggested to Alex Rodriguez. I hope it wasn't marital advice. But the two least favorite players for Boston Sports Fans met and evidently talked about going to Germany to get some sort of blood work done that sounds strange at best and fishy at worst.

Is it legal?
Probably.

It is a red flag that he can't find someone in America to do it?
Yeah. Sort of.

But there are two things that A-Rod can't prevent no matter how many procedures he has had and how many timezones he crosses:

Age and a lack of steroids.

He's on the wrong side of 35.
Back before the days of Performance Enhancing Drugs, that was right around the time that sluggers fell apart.

Jimmie Foxx was washed up by 35.
Frank Robinson was on the decline by then.
Dave Winfield had one more great season after 35, then fought constant injuries.
Eddie Murray was still effective, but his best years were well behind him.
Al Kaline was on his last legs.
Jim Rice was winding down.
Hank Greenberg had his last great season at age 35. He was out of baseball at 37.
Willie Mays never hit 30 homers after age 35 and was never again an MVP candidate.

Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth continued to put up amazing numbers after 35.
They were both pretty good.
And they were the exceptions.

A-Rod is no longer juicing. According to A-Rod his juicing days ended when he left Texas. He took them in Texas because of the pressure. And then he stopped (because Heaven knows there is no pressure in playing in New York.)

He was caught in 2009 and turned his year around by leading the Yankees to the World Championship... an act that bought A-Rod about 3 minutes of good will from Yankees fans. Since winning the MVP (his 3rd) in 2007, his OPS has dropped every season, his home run totals have dropped almost every year (he hit 30 in both 2009 and 2010) and he hasn't been able to avoid injuries.

A drop in power and inability to recover suddenly happening in the past few years, ESPECIALLY after the positive test was revealed? Are you SURE you stopped when your days in Texas ended?

His 1.067 OPS in 158 games in 2007 has turned into an .823 OPS in 99 games last year.
And he will be a year older.
With six years left to play in his megacontract that is set to pay him $29 million in 2012, $28 million in 2013, $25 million in 2014, $21 million in 2015, $20 million in 2016 and a mere $20 million in 2017.

He'll be 41 years old in 2017.
His body is breaking down to the point where he is doing experimental blood work in Germany to get him in playing shape at age 36!

How is this going to get BETTER over the next six years?
Yeah the Yankees have tons of money, but enough to pay a player in 6 years like a superstar even though those years seem behind him NOW?

If 2009 is already a hazy memory for Yankee fans NOW, how distant will it seem in 2017?

Good luck in Germany, A-Rod.
You better hope they found the fountain of youth there... and you had also better hope the fountain of youth isn't on the list of banned substances.

Can you imagine if A-Rod ducked the press like Pujols did?

Pujols made a critical error in the 9th inning of a World Series game that his team lost.

I wouldn't say it cost the Cardinals the game but it didn't help.

And the memory of it would have faded with a quick "I screwed up, let's go get them on Saturday" comment from Albert Pujols after the game.

Yet he wasn't there. Neither were veterans like Lance Berkman, Matt Holliday and Yadier Molina. But none of them are the face of the franchise. None of them are carrying the torch lit by Rogers Hornsby and been carried by Dizzy Dean, Stan Musial, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and Ozzie Smith.

This is a historic Cardinals run and Pujols is the identity of this team. And he's been there front and center during their mind boggling charge to the playoffs.

Thursday was one of the few stumbles since the beginning of September. Pujols needed to be there. Instead it was Jason Motte and the younger players covering his butt.

According to Yahoo Sports, his response to people objecting to being a no show for the press was he didn't realize that he should have been talking to reporters. And that his "responsibility is to God and my family. I don't have any responsibility to anybody else."

Um... horse crap.

Pujols isn't a rookie. This is his 11th big league season and third trip to the World Series. Maybe he noticed that a few reporters asked questions after the game. And they tend to ask questions to the BIG STARS. This isn't a new development.

And the media savvy MVP face of the franchise should deflect attention away from some of the younger players.

And Pujols DOES have responsibility beyond the invisible creator of the universe and his wife and kids. It is to the franchise that he will be asking to pay him hundreds of millions of dollars in a few weeks.

He will be asked to be paid not just as someone to put up numbers but be the face of the team... including in front of the media when they make an error in the 9th inning of a critical World Series game.

Which brings me somehow to A-Rod.

A-Rod is someone who can do no right in New York. He's won 2 MVPs as a Yankee and led them to the 2009 World Series title. Which makes him a bum in Yankee fan's eyes.

Take a look at this headline from the New York Post after the death of Muammar Qaddafi.

(Did we EVER figure out how to spell his name?)

Look at the bottom of the headline.

"GUNMAN HAD MORE HITS THAN A-ROD."

The New York press can't even report the death of a crazy despot without taking a dig at A-Rod.

(Thanks to friend of Sully Baseball, Lisa Swan of Subway Squawkers, for pointing out the headline.)

A-Rod gets crap for stuff that happens 9,000 miles away from him.

Can you imagine if he ducked the press after a World Series game?

What kind of storm would he endure if he screwed up a relay and it set up the game winning rally? And compound that with being in the steam room afterwards!

And saying "What? I didn't know that the reporters liked to talk to the big stars after a World Series game!"

Or saying "I didn't think it was important that I talk to reporters after a critical World Series loss. Besides, they could ask those questions to Greg Golson or Jesus Montero."

Or saying "All that matters is Zeus and my daughter. My responsibility isn't to my teammates nor to the team that is putting a quarter of a billion dollars into my checking account."

He might actually be MORE hated than Qaddafi (or Khadafy for that matter) in New York.

(Then again if JETER ducked the press, he would be praised for being above the fray and bringing the dignity of DiMaggio and Gehrig back to the clubhouse, but that's another post.)

I'm not a Pujols hater. I made a video which was basically a love letter to him. I think he is one of the most exciting and best players I have EVER seen (please don't test positive.)

But this whole "What? I'm supposed to meet the media? WHY?" stance is bush league. And something for him to keep in mind as he approaches free agency.

He has 11 years of eternal love in the back in St. Louis where he could get away with this.

Everywhere else he has exactly zero.

Be accountable and don't throw your teammates under the proverbial bus. That's as much a part of being the team leader as pounding out homers.

And I don't know if there is a supreme creator of the universe or not, but if there is I'm guessing God would say "Albert, what in the name of me are you doing avoiding the press after a World Series game?"

I actually feel sorry for Alex Rodriguez

There's a great scene in All The President's Men when Deep Throat admonishes Woodward for going after Haldeman too quickly. He said "You've done worse than let Haldeman slip away. You've got people feeling sorry for him. I didn't think that was possible."

I thought of that line in the aftermath of the Yankees - Tigers series in regards to Alex Rodriguez.

Congrats Yankee fans... you've done the impossible.
You've made Alex Rodriguez a person I feel pity for.

He had a miserable series. There is no denying that. A .111 average is bad.
A .111 slugging is morbid. A .372 OPS is downright laughable.

Striking out 3 times in a do or die game is bad... especially when the last strike out feebly ends the series.

But A-Rod is not alone. The Yankees had 10 hits and 3 walks against four Detroit pitchers NOT named Justin Verlander... and scored 2 runs. One on a solo homer. Another on a 2 out bases loaded walk.

Twice they left the bases loaded. And Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira and Russell Martin had series they'd rather forget.

So would CC Sabathia who looked mediocre in his Game 3 start and didn't exactly pull a "Pedro out of the bullpen in 1999" miracle when he coughed up a critical insurance run last night.

And Girardi did a little too much managing with the relievers and not enough bringing in a fresh bat or two.

Blame goes all around.
Except it is falling on the shoulders of Alex Rodriguez.

Fans were chanting "A-Rod sucks." The internet exploded with people trashing A-Rod and saying how he's always been a choke artist.

One lunatic I saw posting about how the team is cursed because of A-Rod.

Um... didn't the Yankees win the World Series in 2009?
Wasn't Alex Rodriguez the hero of that post season? Didn't he have 2, count them TWO, home runs in potential game ending innings that tied the game?

Didn't he win the Babe Ruth Award for most valuable player of the post season?

All that is in the dumpster.
Usually leading a team to a World Series title buys you a lifetime of goodwill.

It bought Alex Rodriguez 23 months.
Now evidently he's a bum again.

Even with the steroid scandal, 29 other fan bases would KILL to have a 2 time MVP who lead their team to a World Series title less than 2 years ago.

With the Yankee fan base it is "We want more. 23 months is too long to wait for a title."

Obviously it is not every Yankee fan who thinks this. My Yankee obsessed friend (and frequent Sully Baseball guest) Lisa Swan of Subway Squawkers took her fellow Bronx fans to task in her latest post.

And yes, she is quoting yours truly in the article as the Red Sox fan. If you are a Yankee fan, then yes boo A-Rod's performance last night. It sucked.

But if you act like he hasn't EVER delivered or that 2 years is a drought worthy of angst, then know that you are why so many people root for the Yankees to lose.

Even when things are going great, it isn't enough.
The Yankee fans chanting A-Rod sucks are no different than a bratty girl screaming that she only got one pony at her birthday party.

I feel badly for Alex Rodriguez. He thought he earned your love and you are changing the rules.

He'd be a God in Seattle or Texas.

Um... Didn't A-Rod help the Yankees win a World Series?

There was a very odd article in the New York Times by Harvey Araton from the other day. The great Lisa Swan of Subway Squawkers pointed it out to me.



The premise of the article had to do with Alex Rodriguez and his body that could very well be breaking down. His multiple trips to the disabled list in the past few years seem to confirm that.



And yeah, the contract is going to last until I think 3295.



But the article is odd for two reasons.

It implies that he hasn't been an elite player for a dozen years when in fact he was the AL MVP as recently as 2007.



And he kinda sorta helped the Yankees win a World Series.

In fact he hit critical "Game on the line Game Tying Homers" in the Division Series and ALCS and clobbered a key homer in the World Series.



He won the Babe Ruth Award. He had an OPS over 1.500 in both the Division Series and ALCS. It was .973 in the World Series.



Most players who win multiple MVPs and was instrumental in a World Series Championship are kind of revered in a city.



Even one with the baggage of steroids hanging over them. (See Pettitte, Andy.)



I'm not saying that the contract WON'T be an albatross... but shouldn't the 2009 title put a LITTLE in his credit column?

10 Reasons why the New York Yankees winning the 2011 World Series would be good for baseball

In the second of my series of Why Each Team's Potential World Championship Would Be Good For The Game, I decided to tackle the toughest one and get it out of the way.



Yup. The Yankees. The team that is so universally hated and such a short hand for being the bad guys in baseball that even the enemy little league team in The Bad New Bears was called The Yankees!



And yet the Yankees are the most popular team, get the highest ratings and, oh yes, play in the biggest media market in the country. So SOMEONE must like them!



So as painful as it may be for the Red Sox fan, I have found 10 reasons. Now excuse me as I hold my nose as I type this.

10 Reasons why the

New York Yankees

winning the 2011 World Series

would be good for baseball

1. It is IMPOSSIBLE to not like Curtis Granderson



Trust me, I've tried. I try to hate EVERYONE on the Yankees. But there is something about Granderson that is just appealing.



He is respectful of the past, good in the community, clever in interviews (and will be a terrific broadcaster) and plays the game all out.



If anyone understands the Yankee tradition and where being on a championship Yankee team would mean, it is Granderson.



It's tough to root for a Yankee... but it is easy to root for Granderson.

2. A 6th Ring for Derek Jeter... and its repercussions



There will soon be a big and ugly showdown over Derek Jeter's playing time in New York. And 6 rings for Jeter will make the Jorge Posada controversy look like two people having a friendly cup of coffee together.



Can you IMAGINE the refrains from Jeter's followers if he gets benched (as most shortstops in their late 30s do)?



"He has as many rings as Jordan!"

"He has led the Yankees to World Series titles in three different decades!"

"How can you sit him?"



It might be worth sitting through a Yankee World Series parade just to see that happen.





3. Watching Girardi and Posada interact in the World Series celebration



The second worst kept secret in baseball* is the tense relationship between manager Joe Girardi and one time catcher Jorge Posada.



Posada took Girardi's job as a player and Girardi is benching Posada as the manager. And Posada, a DH who can't hit, has no power nor speed, is peeved that he *GASP* isn't playing full time.



Posada probably would be reduced to "token pinch hitting role in a blow out" this post season. That is if Posada doesn't have ANOTHER hissy fit and quit on the team again.



Would they even nod to each other in a World Series celebration?



(*The worst kept secret in baseball is the whole Kevin Costner/Cal Ripken/Cal Ripken's wife thing.)





4. It will be interesting to see how A-Rod will come out badly in after a Yankees Championship



I am telling you... A-Rod could come back from his injuries, launch a few bombs down the stretch, get a walk off shot in the Division Series, win ALCS MVP and bat .500 in a Yankees World Series victory and there will STILL be someone writing about how much he sucks.



There will be SOMETHING he does... he won't use enough pine tar. He'll foul off one too many pitches. He won't look intense when the cameras cut away to him during the game. He will actually make an out. And THAT will be what people will focus on.



And he will respond to it stupidly in a press conference.



He will never win no matter how often he DOES win!





5. A ring for Eric Chavez



Of all of Oakland's stars in the 2000s, only one of them signed a contract extension to stick around the East Bay. That would be Chavez as Giambi, Tejada, Zito, Mulder, Hudson, Damon etc all left for more green, Chavez stuck around and WORE green.



He put in 12+ seasons in Oakland but broke down and signed as an afterthought with the Yankees. He has comeback and become a valuable left handed bat and substitute for the injured A-Rod. The 6 Time Gold Glove winner deserves some jewelry.







6. It will be interesting to see who could criticize Mariano Rivera after another title



He's going to be the all time saves leader. When he became a closer, Dennis Eckersley was still compiling saves and being among the league leaders. Eck is already in the Hall of Fame.



The only way to make an analogy of Mariano's greatness is with one of Eckersley's teammates, Rickey Henderson. When he passed Lou Brock in all stolen base categories and then kept going for another decade, it was clear that we were seeing the kind of player that we may never see again.



If Rivera clinches ANOTHER World Series? And continues to pile up the saves and the super human post season numbers? How could anyone criticize him?



(Oh there will be SOME moron who will.)





7. The aftermath of Multiple Rings for A. J. Burnett



Yankee fans tend to find a players worth the same way you determine the age of a tree: Count the rings!



Was Jeter better than A-Rod? Was DiMaggio better than Williams? Was Mantle better than Mays? The refrain from Yankee fans is always "Who won more rings?"



Well imagine this scenario... A. J. Burnett with two World Series rings and Don Mattingly with zero. Who was the better Yankee? I just counted the rings.



If Burnett wins another, he will have matched the combined total of Mattingly and Thurman Munson. Who was the better Yankee?



Do rings lie?





8. Cashman would leave right after a Yankee title and a bizarre chain reaction would begin



There have been rumblings that Cashman wants out of the Yankees front office. His bizarre press conference after the Rafael Soriano signing showed he wasn't 100% happy with the direction of the club. If the Yankees win again, he gets to leave on top.



And no doubt he would get a new gig to show he wasn't just the beneficiary of the deep Yankee pockets. That's when Brian Cashman will get a very rude awakening in the off season.



"What do you MEAN we can't sign Pujols, Heath Bell AND C. J. Wilson? Just sign them. It's only money!"



"Wait a second. What exactly is a salary dump? I have heard that term before but I never understood what it was."



"Wait, you actually expect your prospects to PLAY? They are just trade bait!"



Meanwhile whichever poor S.O.B. who takes over the Yankee GM job is in for the worst time of their life. Any bad decision they make would have the "Cashman wouldn't have done that label" and anything positive would just be chalked up to "Well they are the YANKEES. ANYONE could be GM."



If Cashman fails elsewhere, it would all but confirm that.

And before long Cashman will be hired back... and fired... then rehired... lather... rinse... repeat.





9. It would give Hal and Hank Steinbrenner some teeth.





Let's face it. Hal and Hank have been a big let down. Their dad was amazing and possibly insane and made hating the Yankees a real national obsession. So when he passed away (with his team the defending champs) the baton was passed to the calculating Hal and the passionate Hank.



It looked like Michael and Sonny were running the team.

Instead it is more like Carlo and Fredo. (If I have to explain any of those names, then I feel badly for you.)



What would make this dynamic work better? A championship of their own! And once Cashman is out (kind of like when Tessio got whacked) they can scream at each other for the direction of the team.



And the two of them could claim THEY were the reason the 2011 title was won and bicker for the next 30 years. The headlines that would create would be worth one Yankee title!





10. Sometimes the Empire needs to Strike Back!



OK enough Godfather references. I need to make some Star Wars analogies here.



What made the original Star Wars movies better than the new ones? Among all the reasons you can come up with, the best answer I would say is that the bad guys were really awesome in the original ones and COULD win.



The prequels had vague villains. Phantom Menaces. Scheming about tax routes. Robots who could all be shut down by one ship blowing up. I don't even KNOW what they were fighting about in Episode 2.



But in the original Star Wars movies? Right from the start when Vader's Star Destroyer dwarfed Leia's ship you saw the Empire meant business. And sometimes the Empire is going to win. Ask the folks on Alderaan. Ask the Rebels squashed by the walkers on Hoth. Ask the pilots flying the rebel cruisers around the new Death Star in Jedi.



The times when the Yankees have been bad or not really championship quality, interest in baseball dipped. The A's, Pirates, Braves and Blue Jays just don't make for compelling bad guys!



So yeah, just like watching Duke win in basketball, or the Lakers or the Cowboys winning a title, having the big bad bully win from time to time gets everyone pumped up to BEAT THEM NEXT YEAR!



And Yankee fans who might be offended by the Empire analogy, ask yourself. Who would you rather dress up as at Halloween? A Stormtrooper or a Rebel Pilot? Count all the Darth Vaders on October 31 and compare that tally to all the Luke Skywalkers.



It's cool to be the Empire.





I am not going to lie to you. That was tough to write. But I needed to get this one out of the way. And I also know that when I write the Red Sox one, people will say "I bet you would NEVER write one about the YANKEES!"



And I would be able to say "I wrote the Yankees one BEFORE the Red Sox one."

It is a preemptive strike against my critics.



If you liked this then go ahead and read the entries for the other teams.



CHICAGO WHITE SOX

Exclusive video of MLB investigators digging up A-Rod dirt

I couldn't give less of a crap if A-Rod play poker

Look, I love it when A-Rod does stupid things. It's good for business. A-Rod gets Yankee fans angry (because after delivering Yankee fans 2 MVPs and a World Series title, enough is enough!)

And other fans hate him because he has the audacity of being handsome, talented and wealthy. And it is good to see people like that fall on their face.

But this latest controversy just seems kind of desperate.
It feels like writers are stretching out their "A-Rod controversy muscles" to make sure they don't rot via atrophy.

Let me get this straight. A-Rod played poker for a lot of money.
Well, A-Rod has a lot of money. If anyone can go play high stakes poker, it is someone who has made a quarter of a billion dollars.

Is the poker ring illegal? Um... fine. So is jaywalking. I don't really care if a grown man with a lot of money plays poker.

Lots of drug users were there? Wow. A guys with a lot of money and a lot of testosterone were doing drugs? Next thing you will tell me that people smoked pot before a Phish concert.

So now they are investigating it. OK, fine.

If it turns out that A-Rod put a lot of money on the 2005, 2006 and 2007 playoffs for the Yankees to lose (and he combined for 1 RBI in those series) then give me a call.

If they find out that A-Rod was diving face first into piles of cocaine Tony Montana style, then call the editor.

Until then, this story is more dull than The English Patient... and that's saying something.

You want to start busting players on something, then how about taking your nose out of them playing cards. How about handing out suspensions for DUIs?

How much scrutiny did Tony LaRussa get driving drunk?
Derek Lowe? Miguel Cabrera?

Or do we need another Jim Leyritz story? Or Josh Hancock?

I've never heard of a kid being killed by someone playing cards.

Meanwhile, they have still never designed a microscope powerful enough to detect how little a crap I give about A-Rod's gambling.

THE SULLY BASEBALL ALL STAR BALLOT FOR 2011

Well it is time for me to reveal my All Star ballot for the three of you who care. And as always, I have two ballots:

The roster that I think should be the actual All Star Team based on their 2011 performances.
And the roster that I think would be the worst possible All Star Team using players who for whatever reason are on the ballot.

Let's vote.

Actual All Star Team

American League

First Base
ADRIAN GONZALEZ, Red Sox

Second Base
ROBINSON CANO, Yankees

Shortstop
ELVIS ANDRUS, Rangers

Third Base
ALEX RODRIGUEZ, Yankees

Catcher
ALEX AVILA, Tigers

Designated Hitter
DAVID ORTIZ, Red Sox

Outfield
CURTIS GRANDERSON, Yankees
JOSE BAUTISTA, Blue Jays
ADAM JONES, Orioles


National League

First Base
PRINCE FIELDER, Brewers

Second Base
RICKIE WEEKS, Brewers

Shortstop
JOSE REYES, Mets

Third Base
PLACIDO POLANCO, Phillies

Catcher
BRIAN McCANN, Braves

Outfield
MATT KEMP, Dodgers
RYAN BRAUN, Brewers
JAY BRUCE, Reds

You can't accuse me of being Red Sox partisan. I have three Yankees starting! And roll up the barrels! I have three starting Brewers!

OK, let's take a look at the Anti All Star team!

The Worst Possible All Star Team

American League

First Base
DAN JOHNSON, Rays

Second Base
WILL RHYMES, Tigers

Shortstop
REID BRIGNAC, Rays

Third Base
CHONE FIGGINS, Mariners

Catcher
JEFF MATHIS, Angels

Designated Hitter
JACK CUST, Mariners

Outfield
MILTON BRADLEY, Mariners
TRAVIS SNIDER, Blue Jays
FRANKLIN GUTIERREZ, Mariners

National League

First Base
BRANDON BELT, Giants

Second Base
BRAD EMAUS, Mets

Shortstop
RAFAEL FURCAL, Dodgers

Third Base
IAN STEWART, Rockies

Catcher
J. R. TOWLES, Astros

Outfield
RICK ANKIEL, Nationals
CHRIS COGHLAN, Marlins
JASON BAY, Mets

The fact that there are so many Mariners on the Worst Possible American League All Star Team and yet are only a few games out of first place is the best possible argument for Eric Wedges' Manager of the Year campaign!

So there you have it. My ballot.
Take it for what it is worth.

Draft day parallel universes - My latest for The Hardball Times

In my latest article for The Hardball Times, I got to combine three of my passions...

Baseball
"What if?" alternate scenarios
And lame 1980s sci fi concepts like alternate universes.

If teams made slightly different choices on draft day, how would baseball history had turned out?

Would Reggie Jackson rule New York... as a Met?
Would Roger Clemens help make the strangest 1-2-3 starting pitcher combination in baseball history for the Twins?
Would Alex Rodriguez become a Dodger legend?

I spin a few alternate realities... and trust me, every single detail has been well thought out. So hard core Sci Fi fans can relax. Nobody understands the space/time continuum better than me!

To read the article CLICK HERE.

You want the computer NOW?!

Let me set the picture for you.
I am home and the Red Sox and Yankees game is playing on MLB Network, but I am not downstairs to watch it.

I'm upstairs giving the boys a bath. My wife's computer is on the dresser next to the bathroom and I dial up MLB.tv to see how the game ends. The Sox were up 6-3. I am not 100% scared but also not 100% confident. Papelbon has blown some games against the Yankees in the last few years.

So naturally he is making it harder than it needs to be.
I've washed the boys hair and they are playing with their dinosaurs and toy whales. I go back to the game.

Now it is 6-4.
There are 2 outs.
2 strikes.

A runner is on base.

A-Rod is up to face Papelbon.
Now I am grinding my teeth. This game is by NO MEANS over.

My wife walks in the room. "I need to use my computer" and she reaches over to grab it.

"NO!" I yell. You can't take away the Red Sox/Yankees game with one pitch to go or one homer to tie it.

The boys were splashing and my wife saw her man become a drama queen. Was it my best moment? No.

But 3 pitches later A-Rod was out on strikes, my wife had her computer and I was drying my kids.

Everyone won.
(Except the Yankees.)

Let's update the tally.

DODGED BULLET GAMES - 18

April 8 - 9-6 win against the Yankees. (The Sox end their 6 game losing streak with a slugfest. John Lackey stinks but Phil Hughes stinks even more.)
April 10 - 4-0 win against the Yankees. (Beckett and Sabathia duel in a game that was 1-0 until the late innings.)
April 20 - 5-3 win in Oakland. (Red Sox survive a lead off homer and two bases loaded situations and facing the tying run at the plate to win their first road game.)
April 21 - 4-2 win in Anaheim. (The Red Sox stranded 15 men on base and Josh Beckett's went 8 strong with no decision. But the Sox rallied in the 11th to win.)
April 22 - 4-3 win in Anaheim. (Peter Bourjos makes a 2 run errors and the Red Sox survive a bizarre passed ball by Jarrod Saltalamacchia that let a run scored from second.)
May 1 - 3-2 win against the Mariners. (Ichiro loses a ball in the sun that turns into a 9th inning triple for Lowrie. Crawford singles him home for the win.)
May 8 - 9-5 win against the Twins. (Dice-K lets up 3 runs in the first but settles down as the Red Sox clobber Carl Pavano.)

May 9 - 2-1 win against the Twins. (A bullpen breakdown cost Beckett the decision but Cark Crawford ended the game with an 11th inning walk off hit.)
May 13 - 5-4 win in the Bronx. (Youkilis homers off of Joba and Bard and Papelbon make it more interesting than it needed to be.)
May 15 - 7-5 win in the Bronx. (Sox fall behind 4-1 but come back as Youk, Papi and Salty all homer.)
May 16 - 8-7 win against the Orioles. (Down 6-0 after 6 innings, the Sox rally and win it with a 2 run walk off double by Adrian Gonzalez)
May 18 - 1-0 win against Detroit. (With 2 outs in the 8th, Salty doubles home Crawford from first for the only run. Papelbon gets himself in and out of 9th inning trouble.)
May 19 - 4-3 win against Detroit. (Bard blows Beckett's lead but Carl Crawford wins it with a walk off hit.)
May 24 - 4-2 win in Cleveland. (Varitek throws two runners out and homers as the Red Sox win their first game against the Indians.)
May 29 - 4-3 win in Detroit. (The Red Sox blow an early 3-0 lead but David Ortiz wins the game with a pinch 9th inning homer.)
June 3 - 8-6 win against Oakland. (Buchholz lets up 4 runs in the first but the Sox come back thanks to Carl Crawford's 2 run single.)
June 4 - 9-8 win against Oakland. (Red Sox blow a 4 run 9th inning lead and trail in the 11th before Ellsbury ties it and Drew wins it in 14.)
June 7 - 6-4 win in the Bronx. (Papelbon strikes out A-Rod to end the game with a runner on base.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 16

April 1 - 9-5 loss in Texas. (The Sox tie Opening Day in the 8th with an Ortiz homer only to have Bard implode and the Sox let up 4 in the bottom of the 8th.)

April 5 - 3-1 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox drop their 4th straight as the bats are dead in Cleveland.)
April 7 - 1-0 loss in Cleveland. (Sox blow a great Lester performance on a squeeze bunt and Darnell McDonald overrunning the bag to end the game.)
April 12 - 3-2 loss to Tampa Bay. (A solid Lester performance is wasted as Kyle Farnsworth of all people shuts down the Sox.)
April 15 - 7-6 loss to Toronto. (Bobby Jenks implodes with a 4 run seventh inning as the Red Sox waste Pedroia and Youkilis homers and a clutch RBI double by Scuatro.
April 19 - 5-0 loss in Oakland. (Pedroia gets picked off, the Sox bats go dead and waste a solid Lackey start.)
April 26 - 4-1 loss in Baltimore. (Buchholz pitches tentatively and the Sox let Kevin Gregg of all people to close out the 9th.)
April 27 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (The Sox tie the game with a 3 run 8th only to have Bard lose it in the bottom of the 8th.)
April 29 - 5-4 loss to Mariners. (Bobby Jenks blows a 7th inning lead, wasting 2 Mike Cameron homers.)
April 30 - 2-0 loss to Mariners. (The Sox strand 11 runners and let Milton Bradley double home the go ahead run.)
May 4 - 5-3 loss to Angels. (7 hours with rain delays and stranded runners. Marco Scutaro was thrown out at the plate in the 12th)
May 10 - 7-6 loss in Toronto. (8th and 9th inning heroics, including a homer by Adrian Gonzalez, are undone by a walk off sacrifice fly by David Cooper.)
May 21 - 9-3 loss to Cubs. (Up 3-1 in the 8th inning, the bullpen and defense implode. The Cubs score 8 runs while both teams wear their 1918 uniforms.)
May 23- 3-2 loss in Cleveland. (The Sox blow a 2-1 8th inning lead when the Indians rally with 2 outs. Crawford ends the game on a double play.)
May 29 - 3-0 loss in Detroit. (Verlander keeps the Sox off base and prevents the sweep.)
June 1 - 7-4 loss to White Sox. (Konerko drives in three, spoiling a game tying Ortiz homer.)

+2

And most importantly, the Red Sox are tied for first again.
Win tomorrow and win the series.

And maybe I'll listen to the game on my OWN computer at bath time.

I suppose I should have wanted the Rays to lose but...

It is too much fun seeing the Yankees unravel like this.
6 losses in a row?
Blowing a 5-1 lead?
Seeing A. J. Burnett showing that those initials stand for "Awww Jeez"?
The Posada nonsense still hanging over the team?
O-fers for Jeter and A-Rod and Teixeria?
Nearly dropping to .500?

And oh yeah, the Red Sox in a virtual tie.
It is too good.

I know the idea is to win the Division... but Yankee misery is so wonderful.

Rangers fans might not want to be throwing stones here

Hey, it's a clever sign... but remember something, Rangers fans:

You are the same team that had Rafael Palmeiro, Juan Gonzalez and Pudge Rodriguez when he was VERY pudgy.

And A-Rod admitted he did the stuff while in Texas.
(Oh yeah, they traded for Jose Canseco as well.)

Best watch out while throwing those stones.
Your walls are made of glass.

Nobody focuses on the Giants like my dad

My dad (aka Poppy) can tell you anything you want to know about the Giants.
He can casually rattle off the 1954 Giants' roster...
He can give you a scouting report on the current team...
When new players come up from Fresno, he is anticipating their arrival...
When prospects are tearing up San Jose, he has his eye on them.

He is NOT a casual baseball fan. Far from it.

But he is unique.
He has Giants tunnel vision.
I used to think he only knew about the National League.

But he really only knows the Giants and whomever they are playing THAT DAY.

A case in point.
Today the Yankees clinched the Division Series as the Twins did a brilliant impersonation of the Polish Army circa 1939.

The Yankees of course are chocked full of Superstars and many played today.

A-Rod, Jeter, Teixeira, Cano and Rivera all played.

So did All Stars Swisher and Hughes.

And former All Stars Posada and Hughes.

They had a GALAXY of stars... and stormed into the ALCS with the biggest marquee names in the show.

I got an e mail from my dad tonight.

"The Yankees
I hardly know who most of the players are!!
Should I?"

No you shouldn't Poppy... not until they play the Giants in the World Series.
(And if that happens, nobody will be able to tell you more about the Yankees than my dad.)

I COMPLETELY understand why Ron Washington let Harrison pitch to A-Rod

I was listening to Sterling and Waldman call the Yankees-Rangers game tonight and they were perplexed why Ron Washington let lefty reliever Matt Harrison (not the Lower East Side filmmaker) pitch to A-Rod with the bases loaded, 1 out and a 2 run lead.

A-Rod hit a bases clearing double that gave the Yankees the lead and Washington lifted him for the next batter.

In practice and theory it seemed odd. Texas has something like 783 September call ups, and evidently every single one of them is a reliever that they can match up hitter to hitter in the late innings.

And Washington certainly wasn't shy to go to the hook tonight, a game that included an hour long rain delay.

But there are two factors that made me realize that this wasn't such a crazy idea.

THEY WERE WEARING DOWN THE PITCHING STAFF

They had played an extra inning game the night before where they had used 11 pitchers.
Plus with the hour rain delay, Harrison was already the 5th pitcher used last night. Maybe Washington was thinking "Man, if this goes extras, I may need a few arms. Might as well take a chance now.


MAYBE WASHINGTON WANTED TO SEE HOW HARRISON WOULD DO IN THIS SITUATION

Think about it. The whole lefty/righty match ups can be overrated. Some lefties can do well against right handed hitters and vice versa. Maybe Washington wanted to see how Harrison would do in a late inning pressure situation against a big right handed hitter.

Well, he got it. Bases loaded, 2 run lead with A-Rod up.
Only the pressure was only in the game.

The Rangers are up by about a week in the standings with 3 weeks to play. The A's and the Angels aren't going to catch them without a big losing streak. So why not use this unique moment to see what Harrison has got.

What's the worst that can happen?

Well a bases clearing double is pretty damn close to the worst thing that could happen, but how do you know what you have until you give a pitcher a shot?

I totally get it.
And Rivera's melt down took Washington off the hook.
He got to experiment AND beat the Yankees in dramatic fashion.

Not a bad night. Now in the future when Harrison is up against a big right handed batter... lift him.

A-Rod hits 600... and the fans go wild

I wonder how many fans cheering for A-Rod as he entered the 600 home run club were booing Barry Bonds and saying how awful his chase of Hank Aaron was for baseball.

I wonder how many of them thought Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco is a bum.

I am guessing there is some overlap.

And basically it goes to show what I've always felt... when it comes to steroids and PEDs we only care when ANOTHER player is doing it.

I wrote the other year how the "Mannywood" section in Dodger Stadium used to be filled with people taunting Barry Bonds' interesting bulkiness.

Red Sox fans still stand for Big Papi.

McGwire still gets applause in St. Louis.

Sosa is personal non grata in Wrigley, but that's because he quit on the team.

Soak it up A-Rod. You've joined the 600 homer club. Oh there will be hand wringing when it comes to your Hall of Fame vote (it will be interesting to see how Sammy Sosa does with the voters) but he happy you did it at home.

The fans love a winner... no questions asked.

Why didn't I listen to my instincts?

When Dice-K put the Sox in a 5-0 hole, there was a twisted part of me that was relieved.

I thought "Well, at least there is no reason to watch this monstrosity!"

I talked to my former boss, Daniel, about an upcoming TV gig of mine. He's a big Sox fan and he asked me "You watching the game? Papi just hit one out."

I replied "Someday they will lower me into the ground in a box and I don't want to spend my time on Earth watching the Sox get blown out in the Bronx."

Driving home, I didn't listen to the game on XM.
Pulling into my driveway, curiosity got the better of me. I checked the score. OF COURSE it was a 1 run game.

So now I am hooked. My mother in law and I are watching the game on my couch and I see Youk and Victor each launch homers to give the Sox the lead.

I do a little dance and think "Wow... this is the biggest Dodged bullet of them all."

And then the 9th... the second the Gardner double went into left field, I thought "Either A-Rod or Teixeira is tying this game with a homer."

And lo and behold he did.

When Marcus Thames hit the walk off shot, let's face it... it was merciful. The Sox were losing this game... might as well lose it in 9.

When the game was over, I went up stairs where my wife was reading to my kids. I hopped onto the bed and started reading. The game didn't even sting...

I knew it was over from the beginning.

I should have listened to my instincts.

Tally time

DODGED A BULLET GAMES - 14

April 4 - 9-7 win against Yankees (On Opening Night, the Red Sox overcome a 5-1 Yankee lead with a game tying HR by Pedroia and a go ahead passed ball.)
April 10 - 8-3 win against Kansas City (Beckett out pitches Zack Greinke and nearly gets decapitated by a line drive.)
April 14 - 6-3 win in Minnesota. (Okajima gets Morneau to pop up with the bases loaded in the 7th and Papelbon wiggled out of a 9th inning jam.)
April 20 - 7-6 win against Texas. (Darnell McDonald introduces himself to Boston with an 8th inning game tying homer and a walk off hit in the 9th.)
April 21 - 8-7 win against Texas. (The Red Sox were down 4-0 early only to win it on Youk's 2 out 11th inning double.)
April 23 - 4-3 win against Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 3-0 lead but win it on Adrian Beltre's bases loaded walk.)

April 24 - 7-6 win against Baltimore. (The Red Sox score 6 in the 7th and hold off a late Baltimore comeback attempt.)
April 26 - 13-12 win at Toronto. (The Sox blow an early 5-0 lead but hang on for dear life in a slugfest.)
April 27 - 2-1 win at Toronto. (Buchholz holds the Jays down for 8 but it takes a bases loaded walk in the 8th to go ahead.)
April 28 - 2-0 win at Toronto. (Daniel Bard wiggles out of trouble in the 8th to help Lester shut down the Blue Jays and finish the sweep.)
May 4 - 5-1 win against the Angels. (Juan Rivera misplays Jeremy Hermedia's 2 out flyball into a 3 run game winning double)
May 5 - 3-1 win against the Angels. (Papi and Beltre homer and the Sox hang on despite squandering many potential rallies.)
May 6 - 11-6 win against the Angels. (Dice-K puts the Red Sox in a 4-0 hole before they even bat. The Sox bats respond.)
May 10 - 7-6 win against the Blue Jays. (Sox blow an early 2-0 lead, take advantage of some errors and hang on.)

TEETH GRINDER GAMES - 12

April 6 - 6-4 loss against the Yankees. (Scutaro's error leads to the winning run.)
April 7 - 3-1 loss against the Yankees. (Sox leave the winning run on in the 9th only to lose on Granderson's 10th inning homer)
April 9 - 4-3 loss in Kansas City. (Bard coughs up the lead, denying Wakefield a win.)
April 17 - 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay. (The Sox can't score with the bases loaded and nobody out in the 11th... lost it in the 12th.)
April 17 - 6-5 loss to Tampa Bay. (The Red Sox comeback falls a run short, leaving two on in the 8th)
April 25 - 7-6 loss to Baltimore. (The Sox blow a 4-1 lead, leave the winning run on second in the 9th, let up 3 in the 10th and could only score 2 in the bottom of the 10th)
April 30 - 5-4 loss in Baltimore. (Tejada ties the game with a 2 out 8th inning homer and wins it with a bloop in the 10th)
May 1 - 12-9 loss in Baltimore. (Dice-K and Wakes get pounded, wasting 2 homers from Ortiz and an early 4-1 lead.)
May 2 - 3-2 loss in Baltimore. (Varitek is thrown at home trying to score with 2 outs in the 8th. Sox get swept in the 10th.
May 12 - 3-2 loss against the Blue Jays. (The Sox rally in the 9th comes up a run short and Kevin Gregg gets an ugly save.)
May 15 - 7-6 loss in Detroit. (The Sox blow a 6-1 lead and lose it on a 2 out bases loaded walk in the 12th.)
May 17 - 11-9 loss in New York. (The Sox come all the way back from a 5-0 first inning hole to take a 9-7 lead in the 9th... but Papelbon lets up a 2 run game tying shot to A-Rod and a 2 run walk off shot to Marcus Thames.)

+2

It might be pointless to keep these up... but I will anyway

Yes, I know A-Rod was getting a ring...but...

But it was an intellectual understanding.

Actually SEEING A-Rod with a ring is kind of sickening...
Please other 29 teams, someone keep them from repeating as champs

Can Boston fans endure seeing these three win within the same year?

There was an interesting article in ESPN the magazine about NFL Fans this past week.

It seems that every single fan base for every single NFL team will be rooting for the team in their team’s conference this Super Bowl. AFC fans will be pulling for the Colts. NFC fans will be cheering on the Saints.

There was one exception… New England fans are rooting for the Saints according to their survey.

Notice I said “interesting” and not “surprising.”

I know nobody wants to give Boston fans a break after the obnoxiously successful decade that transpired between Adam Vinatieri’s kick to defeat the Rams and the Celtics victory of the Lakers in 2008.

But starting in 2009, the tide suddenly turned in Boston…

Can the region of New England bear the sight of Peyton winning in less than 12 months since Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez be crowned champions?

I wonder if it is better to swallow those pills all at once or have it spread out over the years.

Either way, if the Colts do indeed win, there will be some teeth grinding in sports bars between Harford and Boothbay Harbor.