Last Sunday, there was an article in the New York Post about that Penn study of MLB shortstops that said that Derek Jeter was the worst defensive shortstop in baseball. Well, you knew that would bring in the letters from those enraged Yankee fans. Well, the Post had a few today, and one of them caught my eye, so I thought I'd reply to it here.

For your perusal:
Jeter has won multiple Gold Gloves, Rookie of the Year honors, All-Star and World Series MVP designations and he has four World Series rings.
I do not remember Alex Rodriguez diving into the crowd for a foul ball, but was watching as Jeter did.
I also do not recall Clint Barnes or Jason Bartlett holding the record for hits in the post-season or wearing the captain's "C" for the most famous sports franchise in the world.
No matter where you go in the world, you always get a handful of jerks. It just seems they all converged on this one pathetic study.
George Brennan
Ridgefield, Conn.

The news broke yesterday that Alex Rodriguez has started to talking to the Yankees about returning to the club, and that he's talked with the Steinbrenner Boys about a new ten-year deal.

What a bunch of hypocrites. On both sides.

My friend Adam is a whiz when it comes to stats, especially baseball statistics. He sends me all kinds of numbers regarding the Red Sox players and team, and a few weeks ago he sat down and did a comparison between the seasonal records of Red Sox and Yankees. My thanks to him for sending the numbers to me.

And I would much rather talk about baseball statistics than inane Super Bowl hype on the Sunday before the big game anyway.

I'm surprised that an incident that occurred last Saturday night didn't get more attention on the news, especially here in New York.

A Yankee fan and his girlfriend were in a bar in Cambridge, MA when they were accosted by three guys who were apparently Red Sox fans and started busting on him about being a fan of the Yankees (he was wearing a Yankee hat). The couple then walked out of the bar when the group of three white males attacked the Yankee fan, and he suffered head and facial injuries. Fortunately they were not serious injuries.

More on the incident: http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridge/homepage/x1637136069

I was disturbed to hear that something like this happened. There was a similar incident last October, but the team loyalties were reversed. A Red Sox fan in a bar in Yonkers, NY got into an argument with two Yankee fans, and after he left the bar they attacked him and he was seriously hurt and spent time in the hospital.

So the baseball season is officially into full swing now. After struggling early it seems like the predicted front runners are now a top of their division after a tumultuous start. Everyone except New Yorks duo of high paid and high powered teams. Yes you can throw the Tigers struggling in that mix too. But for Detroit this is new territory. They haven't been outright picked to be a World Series contender in years,while the Mets and Yankees have. As of May 7th both the Mets and Yankees are a combine one game over .500. The New York Mets are sitting at 17-15 and a 1.5 behind the surprising first place Florida Marlins. Johan Santana has only won three of his seven starts this season.

Page 3 of today's Sunday New York Post has this screaming headline: "You've Got To Be Kidding!" in a story about how researchers at Penn have concluded that the worst fielding shortstop in baseball is none other than... Derek Jeter. (My friend Jim from Professor Thom's will probably be ecstatic when he reads it.)

If you've been watching baseball closely at all the last few years you already knew that.

The researchers used a complex formula to come to that conclusion, based on a study of all balls put in play from 2002-05. It's also based on three things: the ability to field fly balls (33%), line drives (25%) and ground balls (42%). Jeter's lack of range is certainly nothing new, but in an interesting twist, guess who finished second overall in the study?

Yes, the best shortstop on the New York Yankees, Alex Rodriguez. (Clint Barmes of the Colorado Rockies was overall the best.) Here is the article: http://www.nypost.com/seven/02172008/news/nationalnews/youve_got_to_be_kidding__98050.htm

"The Yankees have one of the best defensive shortstops playing out of position in deference to one of the worst defensive shortstops," said Penn researcher Shane Jensen.

Well, you just knew that the Giants Super Bowl upset of the Patriots would bring the loonies out of the woodwork, sending really idiotic letters to the New York papers. I saw two letters in today's "Sound Off" sports feedback column in the New York Post that are true beauties. Check these out:

Dear Boston: "The Curse" is back! Love, New York.
MONTE ABRAMSON
Manhattan

Hank Steinbrenner's been shooting off his yapper once again.

And he's declaring war on the Red Sox and their supporters. He gave an interview to the New York Times where he basically trashed Red Sox Nation:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/sports/playmagazine/02play-bronx.html?_r=4&hp=&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Here's the rantings:
"Red Sox Nation?” Hank says. “What a bunch of [expletive] that is. That was a creation of the Red Sox and ESPN, which is filled with Red Sox fans. Go anywhere in America and you won’t see Red Sox hats and jackets, you’ll see Yankee hats and jackets. This is a Yankee country. We’re going to put the Yankees back on top and restore the universe to order.”

Some are calling it sacrilege, to have the final event of the hallowed house of Ruth to end up being a hockey game. But it would appear that hurt feelings of the baseball crowd asied, that is exactly what may happen on New Years Day of 2009.

Negotiations are apparently underway to feature the New York Rangers on the ice at Yankee Stadium, the next participant in the NHL’s newfound joy of playing in the outdoors.

With a new Yankee stadium set for a Spring 2009 debut, the historic old site is destined to be knocked down after this current baseball season, so time is of the essence to get an outdoor festival played in New York. A development which means that the previously rumoured outdoor game at Chicago’s Wrigley field is probably on the back burner for a couple of years at least.

My friend Adam did a study of the Red Sox and Yankees and how they've done against each other over the past four decades. I decided to expand that to include the yearly head-to-head matchup between each club, since 1969. (I thought the year the divisional system came into being was a good place to start.)

I also left out the strike years of 1981 and 1994, as those years incomplete schedules were played, so I tossed them out. I did include 1972 and 1995. Games were left off the schedule both years too, but the Red Sox and Yankees played complete schedules against each other those years, so I decided to leave them in. (Also to note that between 1969 and 1976, the two teams were scheduled to play each other 18 times; 1977-78 15 times; 1979-2000 13 times; 2001-06 19 times; and 2007 18 times.)

What I discovered is that the Red Sox dominated the season series over two long periods, from 1969-77, and from 1982-92. In the first one, they won the series every year except 1971, 1976 and 1972 (that year was the only time the two teams have been tied: 9-9). Their most dominant year in the study was 1973, when the Sox went 14-4.

In the other long stretch, the Red Sox bested the Yankees every season but three (1985, 1986, and 1991). The series' were pretty close during that second period, as the Red Sox won six them by counts of 7-6 (and lost one 6-7).

Last night's midnight deadline came and went with no agreement reached between Mike Lowell and the Red Sox.

That could be a positive or a negative regarding a possible Lowell return. Both sides made it clear that the door has not been closed as far as Lowell resigning in Boston. The sticking point seems to be a fourth year, which the Red Sox seem to be reluctant to give. Lowell will be 37 at the end of a possible four year deal. (Compare this to what the Yankees just gave Jorge Posada. He will be 37 next season, and he just got a four-year deal with them. Giving a catcher a long term deal after the age of 35 is very risky, even if he just came off a great offensive year.)

Lowell and his agents want to see what's out there. There is a sure to be a team that will offer him four years, and the Phillies, Yankees and Angels come to mind.

Hey Sportsflow readers, I am back again for another baseball personnel post. FINALLY, Johan Santana is officially not a member of the Minnesota Twins. I can’t believe the Red Sox finally gave up Lester and Ellsbury to get it done! Wait… I mean, I couldn’t believe it when I heard the Yankees gave up Melky, Hughes, AND Kennedy. Damnit… the Mariners gave up Adam Jones and Sherrill?

It was a night to remember at Professor Thom's on Friday night as the bar was packed with Red Sox fans (at least 100, probably more) as the 2007 World Series Championship Trophy made an appearance in New York, and it was a huge hit.

The Trophy spent most of the day at three different stops in Connecticut: New Haven, Waterbury and Hartford. The Thom's viewing was scheduled for 7 PM, but the rally in Hartford did not end until after 5 PM, so it looked like it might not happen for a while. (We put on the World Series DVD on the big screens to entertain the fans while they waited.

Lovely night in the Bronx, wasn't it? There's not much in sports I enjoy more than a walkoff homer at Fenway - seriously, I've probably watched Manny's Moment on YouTube 24 times - but watching a visiting team celebrate on the Yankee Stadium infield comes closer to my personal baseball nirvana than I should probably admit.

I got my copy of the 2007 World Series DVD yesterday, on the first day it went on sale. I also got it in the first store I checked in, namely the Barnes & Noble store on Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan. (The clerk told me they were selling strong on the first day of sale. Good to see the Sox fans in NYC out there grabbing it!)

The baseball world lost two pitchers over the last day who were part of two important championship teams in New York baseball history: Johnny Podres of the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers (pictured) and Don Cardwell of the 1969 New York Mets.

Johnny Podres will forever be remembered in baseball history as the pitcher who won Game 7 of the 1955 World Series, beating the Yankees, 2-0, and setting off wild celebrations as the borough of Brooklyn had its first and only championship. Podres, who was from upstate New York, was just in his third year with the Dodgers, and won just 9 games in 1955, but mowed down the Yankees and Tommy Byrne (who ironically just died last month) in that deciding game.

Many of us in Red Sox Nation are really enjoying watching Roger Clemens squirm this winter, with the Mitchell Report, the denials, his jackass lawyer, etc. But here's a real blast from the past, courtesy of my friend Adam. This clip is from October 16, 1999, which was Game 3 of the 1999 American League Championship Series between the Red Sox and Yankees at Fenway Park. It is from the bottom of the first inning, when the Sox tagged The Carpetbagger for two fast runs, courtesy of a Jose Offerman triple and a home run from John Valentin.

That day is still one of my most favorite days ever in a Major League Baseball stadium. I was sitting behind third base with my friend Greg and his son. We got tickets from Willie Randolph, then Yankee third base coach. We sat in section of Yankees' players families, and I was about the only person in that section rooting for the Red Sox. (Unfortunately it would be the highlight of that series, as it was the only Red Sox victory in 5 games.)

Today is an anniversary that I bet most Red Sox fans don't know about. It was 10 years ago today that Pedro Martinez made his debut in a Red Sox uniform, in a spring training game in Florida. (Don't ask me who it was against or how he did, as I honestly don't know.) It would be the beginning of a seven year run for Pedro in Boston. He would give the Fenway Park fans some incredible memories that will live forever in the classic ballpark.

So today, with thanks to my friend Adam, here is one of those memories, when Pedro simply dominated the National League in the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway, the same game that the immortal Ted Williams made a memorable and emotional appearance before the game. In this clip, Pedro takes care of the NL in the first inning. Pedro was right in the middle of one of the greatest seasons any pitcher has ever had in MLB history. The clip lasts just under three minutes.

Yesterday was a bittersweet day of baseball for me. I was rooting for the Rockies to beat the Red Sox and try and make a series out of things. This was obviously a disappointment. However, upon finding out that Arod had turned down the Yankees, I was ecstatic and almost proud of him. I thought it was so cool that he was turning down the evil empire to go and play somewhere else. The only problem is in the way in which he did it.

The Red Sox are playing an exhibition game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night, March 29 in the Los Angeles Coliseum to mark the 50th anniversary of the Dodgers move to the city. That contest is also being played in the cavernous Los Angeles Coliseum, where the USC Trojans play and the Dodgers played from 1958-1961.

But on that night, the largest crowd to ever witness a baseball game anywhere is expected: an incredible 115,000 fans.

Over 90,000 tickets have already been sold, and about 25,000 standing room tickets will be sold. It will easily break the old record of 93,103 for a 1959 exhibition fundraising game at the Coliseum for Roy Campanella between the Dodgers and Yankees.

This is an article I wrote earlier today for that fine Red Sox fan site I also write for, Bornintoit.com.

We've reached an exciting time of the year that many baseball fans always look forward to. Nope, it's not spring training. "The Hot Stove League" is in full swing. It's time for the Winter Meetings, and this year could very well be a very busy one.

The meetings begin on Monday in Nashville. A lot of clubs are looking for starting pitching help (you could argue EVERYONE is), and the sexiest name out there is one of baseball's best pitchers: Johan Santana.

There was no bigger "casualty" in George Mitchell's steroid report that was released this past week to MLB than Roger Clemens. There had been whispers for years that he was on the juice, but now it has been put in a report for all the world to see. And it could just be the tip of the iceberg.

Clemens was a sure-bet first-ballot Hall of Famer. His numbers are very well known: 354 wins, 7 Cy Young Awards, two World Series rings. He was arguably the pitcher of his generation.

And now it appears that his chances for enshrinement to Cooperstown may have died with that report being released.

His career now appears to be finished. I can't imagine any team taking a chance on him now. He's 45, and his body was breaking down late last September, and he threw just two postseason innings for the Yankees. They certainly don't want to be associated with him any more.

There's a part of me - the part that savors a well-pitched 2-1 ballgame, the part that appreciates a Bugs Bunny changeup that instantly turns a slugger from ferocious to feeble - that was thrilled about the prospect of Johan Santana pitching for the Boston Red Sox in 2008 and beyond. In that sense, it's a small disappointment that his immense talent and admirable approach to the game will be some other fanbase's treat for the next few seasons, provided his left elbow remains sound.

You knew this would happen. The conspiracy theorists are now having their say, and a few have taken their cases to the New York papers. 
I've now read where some Yankee fans think that the Mitchell Report is somehow "invalid" because there are no names of any "major" Red Sox stars in it. (I guess Eric Gagne and Brendan Donnelly don't qualify under "major.") And they seem to think that George Mitchell, because of his ties to the Sox, probably overlooked or covered up any big name Red Sox players who may have been juicers.
What rubbish.

Over the last few weeks, as spring training is just getting underway, I have heard over and over again about how the late-season collapse of the 2007 Mets was the "biggest choke in baseball history." I've heard it on the radio (WFAN naturally), and read it in the papers.

Let's get one thing straight here. The Mets collapse last year was simply awful and it was historic. And those who say it was the worst in baseball history are either Mets haters or just don't know their baseball facts.

It was not the worst collapse in history. Not by a long shot.

The worst collapse or choke in baseball history belongs to the boys who play across town. You may remember that the New York Yankees needed to win only one game out of four in the 2004 ALCS to take the pennant and go to the World Series. The Red Sox only staged the greatest comeback in postseason history to win the pennant, and went on to win the World Series.

1. The drive is often the best thing about traveling.
2. I love a good snuggle with my husband when I'm cold.
3. I often use pasta when I am cooking.
4. I'm reading Little Women right now; I love it.

I read on the NY Daily News web site today that Congressman Anthony Weiner wants the FBI to end the investigation into whether Roger Clemens lied to Congress last month because the government should target its resources into more serious threats, like terrorism and organized crime.

Weiner, a Democrat from New York (who ironically enough, was once my representative to Congress and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School two years after I did), doesn't seem to realize that the genie's out of the bottle, and that Clemens brought all of this on himself. Uncle Sam doesn't like being lied to, and will go after people like Clemens who think they are above the law and think they are bulletproof.

And besides, you know the usual suspects like Al Sharpton will come running out of the woodwork screaming racism if the government lets Clemens off the hook while prosecuting other athletes like Barry Bonds and Marion Jones on similar charges of perjury.

The US government will have to come up with a better excuse than "we have more important business to take care of" if they don't go after Clemens.

It was truly a night to remember as a large crowd turned out at Professor Thom's to see if the New England Patriots could indeed run the entire NFL regular season table and defeat the New York Giants.

What they witnessed was simply one of the best nights in NFL history, and one of the best games of the 2007 season.
And the champagne can now stay on ice in Miami. Uncorked.