And in his eyes two saphires blue

Susan/Circle:
Is it me or does Sheffield referring to A-Rod as "our jewel" sound, er, not quite right.

 

---

Mike:
It's totally creepy yet, somehow, totally fitting.

 

---

Susan/Circle:
It's like Sheffield is the big bro protecting his pretty 15 year old virgin sister or something.

 

---

Mike:
"Don't worry a pretty little hair on your head, my precious jewel. If that stud Varitek lays a hand on you, I'll jack him up good, sweetie."

 

---

Susan/Circle:
Christ, how friggin' sad is it that Slappy's own teammates think of him as a sissy?

 

---

Mike:
Meanwhile, it's obvious Sheffield has some anger management issues to work out.

 

---

Susan/Circle:
Absolutely. I think he needs a hobby to channel his energy. Something pleasant and relaxing.

 

---

Mike:
True. Something soothing and lulling like creating car crash bonzai.

 

---

Susan:
Without a doubt there is nothing quite the fuck like car crash bonzai to work through the resultant trauma of being pimp slapped by the Red Sox in last yeah's ALCS.

 

---

Mike::
C'mon, Sheff, how about it? Grab hold of the sheahs and branch bendahs and let the emotional healing begin. If not for yourself, then for your teammates.

 

---

Author's Notes:

Anyone care to guess what the title of today's strip references? Hint: 80s song by a one hit wonder.

Comments

[Follower of Tito]

I'll take a stab: Wang Chung? Dance Hall Days? I should remember, but then again....maybe not so much..I was in college when the drinkin' age in Mass was still 19. Enough said.

As for the absurd comment by BigFri about everyone outside of the Hub thinking A-Fag was being competitive when he SLAPPED the ball away from Bronson....and that the rest of the country thinks V-tek was not within his right to protect his pitcher...Dude, there are medications for your condition...are the cockroaches in your Mom's basement starting to talk to you yet?

[NolaSox]

Wouldn't WC be more of a two hit wonder. "Across the Nation, around the world"

[h.b.]

Correct in all respects regarding Wang Chun. Well done.

And the link to the content of the post, of course, is Wang Chun's frequent references to "jewels" in the song Dance Hall Days as well as the imagery of Wang Chun as Sheffield singing to his love A-Rod.

[SawxSince67]

It's almost like Sheff's searching for a rallying point or something. Christ, if he believes that the Sox are more interested in antagonizing Slappy than taking 3 of 4...

"...bush league psyche-out stuff. Laughable - ha!"

--Jesus Quintana, The Big Lebowski

I'd guess the rest of the NYY Clubhouse is rolling their eyes at that one.

I like the '68 Plymouth Barracuda Bonsai Crash the best, but it is sold out...

Wang Chung: Preposterously audacious on two counts.

*They called themselves Wang Chung. "Wu Tang" makes perfect sense, but "Wang Chung"?

*They even made it a verb--an obscure "fun" activity, if I may--and it worked!

"everybody Wang Chung tonight!"

[pawsoxpop]

Someone told me Wang Chung was recently on "Hit Me Baby One More Time," that "American Idol"-style TV show for oldies bands. As for Sheffield, the dead-tree edition of the NY Daily News yesterday had the story about his refusal to play in the World Cup, along with a great sidebar headlined "Mad At the World" with pictures of him mixing it up with umpires and fans, along with a timeline of the various incidents in which he's failed to play well with others. A true role model for the youth of the Empire.

[illegitimate son of dwight evans]

"My season is when I get paid". And people wonder where the "yankee mystique" went. Right out the window when Steinbrenner started buying up all the mercenary all-stars he could find. Did anyone see the photo of Joe Torre trying to keep Sheffield off the 1st base ump who called him out on the routine grounder he didn't beat out? Torre totally had a look like "what the hell am I doing here. At least Paul O'Neill would've batshit in the dugout." Yanks fans ought to be terrified when Torre calls it a day, and I'm betting he does at the end of his contract.

[pawsoxpop]

Right you are, Dewey Jr. The same Daily News edition that chronicled the Sheffield diatribes also had an article about Torre enjoying himself at a golf tournament for his charity instead of managing at the All-Star game. His foundation fights domestic violence, and at the end of the article he mused about how he thought anger and bad feelings were mounting everywhere, even in baseball among fans, players etc. (he did not mention the Yankee front office, but ...) Sounds to me like somebody who's ready to retire.

[Bob Shiffrar]

Those "two saphires blue" will perfectly match his slappy mc-lips. Oh, Sheff, can I go to the bachelorette party?

[BigBri]

h.b - great strip. The Bonsai stuff is very funny. And you are right. A-Rod is JUST like a 15 year old virgin girl. Provided that girl could hit the shit out of the ball! How will it feel to be bested by a 'girl'? You can tell me later.

Follower of the guy who isn't returning to the World Series this year - That's right, I'M the one who's crazy. Me and the rest of the world are nuts while Red SAWX NATION sees it all so clearly.

PAWSOXPOP - Do you REALLY want to start a list of SAWX players who are bad examples for our youth? Did SHEF ever have to be pulled out of the FOXY LADY when he was SUPPOSED to be playing baseball??? Was V-Tek REALLY a shining example to the youth of BAHSTAHN when he Pearl Harbored A-Rod with his mask on last year?

Bastard Son - You can't pick up a paper or turn on the T.V without seeing people complain about the absolute STUPIDITY of the World Baseball Tournament. Don't put that on Shef. And Steinbrenner started by 'mercenaries' back in the 70's. Hasn't really hurt the 'mystique' much over time. Or haven't you been paying attention? Torre is going to quit at the end of his contract. Holy Nostra-fuckin-damuns! Did you put that one together all by yourself or do you have a team of monkeys working that one out at some research lab at MIT?

[Kirsten]

There are two types of men who refer to themselves as "Big." Those with two raisins and a baby corn for a package, and those who weigh 400 pounds and need an oxygen tank to climb the stairs out of mom's basement. Any takers on which category BigBri falls into?

[SawxSince67]

"two raisins and a baby corn for a package"

HB, do we have an award for Kirsten?!?!?

[SawxSince67]

You can’t compare the Yankee approach to free agency in the 70’s to their approach today. You are such a fraud.

The only late- 70’s Yankee All Stars signed as FA’s were Reggie Jackson and Goose Gossage…Munson, Lyle, Guidry, Nettles, Randolph were homegrown or acquired by trades.

"You can tell me later."

As a Yankee. Slappy’s had 135 AB – 17 RBI v. the Boston Red Sox…that’s an RBI every two series.

So, I guess he’s due?

"...V-Tek REALLY a shining example to the youth of BAHSTAHN."

Every fucking day. AS Tito says, Tek plays the game with honor.

"Pearl Harbored A-Rod..."

Slappy called him out, you tremendous dope.

[pawsoxpop]

As for Mo Vaughn, his antics at the Foxy Lady were why he ultimately did NOT get the big free agent money from the Sox but had to settle for the big money but no post-season glory from the Angels and Mets. If you're going to post on Sox fan sites, please at least get your Sox facts straight, BigBrain.

[da kine]

I know this is inviting him to write yet more, but Big Bri, what is the obsession with Tek wearing his mask? If a catcher takes off his mask, that is an invitation to party with fists; it is similar to when a hockey player chucks his gloves. Tek was just trying to escort A-Fraud to first without incident, hence the mask. Slappy decided to keep talking shit and he had to be dealt with. Tek didn't keep his mask on to avoid getting punched (slapped?) in the face: it was rather an indication that he had no intention to throw down. Too bad for you guys that they did. First, the Spankees got whooped in the scrap, then they got beaten in the game, then the incident served as a catalyst for the team going to the World Series and winning it all.

I realize there is a possibility that you are obsessed with Tek's mask for another reason. I dunno, maybe you'd prefer him in a gag ball and leather mask with you holding the riding crop. I'm just saying that throwing the same talking points around over and over again does nothing to elevate the level of discourse here between fans of our respective teams.

[illegitimate son of dwight evans]

"You are such a fraud." ha! well said.

Oh BigBri, how I waited for this day. Here's my best imitation:

you may have noticed that nobody really takes you all that seriously on this blog. That is mainly because:
1- You fail miserably in your attempts to present anything even vaguely resembling a point.

2- Your responses to me, more often than not, having nothing to do with the point made by me in my original post, regardless of the subject.

However, I can't help myself any longer. So....here goes. I'm going to take you through this slowly in the hopes you are able to learn something here today. I apologize to the other readers of this blog AND to Al Gore for wasting valuable internet bandwidth, but I think this is important. In much the same way that hugging a participant at the end of a race in the Special Olympics is important.

my statement: "'My season is when I get paid'. And people wonder where the 'yankee mystique' went. Right out the window when Steinbrenner started buying up all the mercenary all-stars he could find."

you counter with "You can't pick up a paper or turn on the T.V without seeing people complain about the absolute STUPIDITY of the World Baseball Tournament. Don't put that on Shef."

Did I say anything anywhere about the World Baseball Tournament? No. I just mentioned that $heffield's comments are typical of what kind of player inhabits the clubhouse in the uptown boogie down. Do you see how none of that adds up to make any sense?

And as for Tek "pearl harboring" the ballslapper, that's about as apt as saying the Allies "pearl harbored" Saddam Hussein after he invaded Kuwait. I don't know what kind of show they have over there on the yankeeography (it probably ends in bluelips singlehandedly pounding every Red Sox player and then pitching three shutout innings to close out the game), but the video I've seen has the overpaid whiner all but asking for the beatdown. And when he had a chance to exact his revenge on Arroyo, instead of "dropping a shoulder" on him all he could do was drop a slap like they brought out the wrong caviar.

We all know what kind of "ballplayers" el slapparino and $heffield are. They're Yankees.

[pawsoxpop]

I didn't know pearlharbor was a verb anyway? But while we're on the topic, does anybody here remember Pearl Harbor and the Explosions? An excellent and terribly underrated band of the late '70s. I think i still have their vinyl album lying around somewhere. And the more I think about it, the more I believe the Mo Vaughn-Sheffield analogy is bogus anyway. Mo Vaugn in his prime could have staggered out of the Foxy Lady at 3 a.m. and hit circles around Sheffield. As a role model, Sheffield is more like Carl Everett would have been if he had taken steroids and not had such a great personality.

[scott12xu]

I saw Pearl Harbor & the Explosions at the Agora Ballroom in West Hartford CT in early 1980 opening for Talking Heads. I thought they were pretty good although a lot of the crowd were giving them the finger. Pearl Harbor later became Paul Simenon (sp?) (The Clash's bassist) girlfriend... there's another "whatever happened to" (Pearl Harbor, not Simenon)

Good comebacks, kine and dewey. Why is it everytime Bri writes his idiotic screes, I have an urge to turn the volume down? Or get an Advil...

[Devine]

While we're at it, BigBri, how would the Red Sox losing at the end of this season make all of the talky talk here wasted or whatever the fuck you said it would be? Isn't it just fans being fans? I see pain, joy, laughter, etc. depending on the day. How is that hubris? Does that make all the Yankee blogs last year wasted and full of hubris? (Well, you know...some of them were hubristic with all that "The Red Sox are done" chatter...but not all of them.)

Seriously, write what you think. You doing that is certainly what's provided entertainment in the past...

[NV in SD]

Shitfield as Carl Everett on steroids- Fucking spot on PSP! Another close comparison could be Albert Belle, but that would be a knock to Belle's skills.

I'm convinced that bribri is a glutton for punishment. As you mentioned, Dewey Jr, he continues to post innane comments that have nothing to do with the subject at hand and everything to do with making himself sound more and more like the braindead MFY fan he is. Now he's got the ladies taking him to task (nice one Kirsten).

My guess is that he got kicked off all the MFY boards he tried to post on because he was making the others stupider just because of his presence. Now he has to display his LilBrain here. I guess one can only post comments to themselves on their own blog for so long...

[d56]

ARod: (stares down pitcher) "That's [BS], that's [BS]"
Tek (reportedly): "Yeah, like we'd intentionally put on a guy who hits .260" (check arod's line at the time)
ARod: [f-bombs begin, leading to the huge photo adorning my office]

Blue lips will take one this weekend, there's almost no doubt about it - and Manny will as well, but only one of the two has marked success putting the retaliation balls onto the ramp across landsdowne. It's not ARod.

[pawsoxpop]

Thanks for the flashback to the Agora, Scott. That must have been a great show. NV, I think you're right about BigBri being kicked off the Tankee boards. I work in NYC amid hordes of MFY fans, and I have not met too many that present such a caracature of pathetic obnoxiousness and twisted illogic. I mean they still hate the Sox and all, but they are able to grudgingly admit that we won it fair and square. I think the key is that most of them have lives outside of being a sports fan ...

[BigBri]

Sawxsince67 - You absolutely can compare the 70's Yankee approach to today. In fact, the Yankees have ALWAYS spent more than anybody else. In the early days of free agency, obviously, less players moved around. The approach has always been the same - get the best players and sacrifice youth if necessary. Sometimes it works (Most of the 20th century) and sometimes it doesn't (the 80's).Tek is a punk-assed bitch and everyone outside Bahstahn knows it. You can repeat the same old tired bullshit all you want. Don't change the facts. Never will.

PAWSOXPOP - the facts are straight. Vaughn was a beloved SAWX player who behaved poorly. There are others. I can name them if you like...

dakine - "throwing the same talking points around over and over again does nothing to elevate the level of discourse here between fans of our respective teams."

And discussing ball gags, leather masks and riding crops does??? If you say so...

Bastard Son - You poor (self admitted) bastard. I can see that the literary bitch-slapping you received a couple of weeks ago has really stuck with you. I can see that you are very excited to jump in the game here and do some bitch slapping yourself. Alas, it is not to be. Just not in the cards this time. Keep trying though. Sometimes the EFFORT is beautiful, even if the result is a jumbled fucking mess - like your fuckin' post.

Shef's comments, when viewed in context ARE related to the World baseball Tournament. I was TRYING to help you out and connect the dots for you. Did I go to fast? I'm sorry. Maybe you should try the Sylvan Learning Center.

Going over the Tek stuff is REALLY getting tiresome. Arroyo plunks A-Rod and pisses A-Rod off. Tek steps in to help the 15-year-old-virgin-girl Arroyo and goes after A-Rod without ever taking his mask off. Punk.Ass.Move.Period.End of story. It doesn't matter how the Beantown Spin Masters try to play it off and it never will.

Now do your best to put this latest bitch-slapping behind you. Perhaps you should invest in some Bonsai Sheers or Branch Benders. I hear they work wonders ;-)...

[da kine]

"throwing the same talking points around over and over again does nothing to elevate the level of discourse here between fans of our respective teams."

Big Cry, that particular chunk of my narrative was meant to be deliciously ironic following so closely on the heels of BDSM talk. In my humble opinion, it worked quite well. I should have spent time to explain it as you aren't the sharpest knife in the drawer. You still mention the mask. What about the fact that taking off his mask would have shown that he wanted to fight? Isn't that standard protocol in MLB? Answer the bloody question.

[illegitimate son of dwight evans]

"I can see that the literary bitch-slapping you received a couple of weeks ago has really stuck with you."

It sure did. I just can't compare to someone who can link completely different topics with a simple "when viewed in context" rejoinder. I'm sure you could say "when viewed in context, the Yankees signing A-Rod was a pyhrric victory", or even "when viewed in context, their last world series win was before some people were born." But I dare not make such statements. I haven't the minerals. I'm certainly dealing with a monstrous intellectual talent. But I wish you'd lay off the easy pickings like myself, the special olympian, and move on to the big topics, such as why such a fantastic group of players like Jeter, bluelips, ratboy the catcher and the steroid twins had to make a late surge to get six games over .500, or why Rivera has blown more saves against the Sox than any other team, or why the Yankees think they can win with the tin man in center field every day. Such questions are more befitting such a powerful new york mind. I mean, you've managed to lampoon everyone else but like a poor marksman, you keep missing the target. BigBri, I'm laughing at the superior intellect.

[NV in SD]

He just. Dosen't. Get it.

Don't you have something else you should be doing bribri- like moving your shit out of your parent's basement. Making the same post over and over and over and over again does nothing to help your weak-ass, shortsighted, one-sided argument.

The closest comparison I can make to bri bri is Special Ed on Crank Yankers. Regardless of what is said on the other line:

"I've got mail! Yayyyyy!"
"I've got mail! Yayyyyy!"
"I've got mail! Yayyyyy!"
"I've got mail! Yayyyyy!"

[pawsoxpop]

Swami Bri, you can list all the former Red Sox you want who have behaved badly; I stand by my observation that Sheffield is more like Jurassic Carl on steroids than he is like Big Mo.

Mo Vaughn never fought with fans or used steroids, he was just a funloving guy who ate, drank and liked his nightlife too much. Sort of like Babe Ruth and many other ballplayers. The difference is, the Sox did not give Mo the big bucks after his overeating and carousing started to affect his game. The Yankees, on the other hand, still owe $82 million big ones to Juice-on Giambi and for better or worse they're also stuck with Cleary Sheffield, the poster child for inadvertent 'roid rage, because nobody is going to want to trade for him either.

[pawsoxpop]

OH and Bri, in your tiresome going over of the "Tek stuff" you forgot the wonderful ending. $25-million-a-year superhero with the NY on his cap comes up with a runner on first and a chance to do some real damage against a "15-year-old-virgin-girl" and can do nothing more than hit a weak squibbler back to the pitcher and slaps the ball out of the virgin's hand. I mean, even a stripper at the Foxy Lady should be able to hit a 15-year-old virgin's pitch out of the infield. HB, are you sure this BriGuy is not your own uberCrankeefan automaton??

[pawsoxpop]

And for all you sensible folks out there who want the last word on who REALLY are the most loathesome fans in baseball land, check out this info that was just passed on to me by a coworker:

http://www.islandportpress.com/damnedyankees.htm

[mud]

I know this is not the appropriate place to ask, but I thought someone here might know if I, as a nonmember, will still be able to lurk on the new Sons of Sam Horn board...Any details?

[SteveG]

Has it occurred to anyone that BigBriBaby gets way too much attention here? I mean, he's a child with no home, no career, no life and no clue. His daily moment in the sun is to come on here like the proverbial brat in the playground, getting into screaming matches while saying absolutely nothing. But people engage him instead of discussing the strip. This is how stalkers get their jollies, the attention, the connection.
He has nothing to offer, not a thought worth argument. Ignore him like the nothing he is.

[Devine]

I know, SteveG, I know. The incoherentness of his arguments and the rate at which he has double standards should make me not bothered by the consistency of his appearances, but he still hasn't (ineffectively) answered MY question of today yet. How is all the talking on this board somehow retroactively invalidated or hubristic IF the Sox lose this year? And are all the Yankees blogs and conversation from last year therefore now invalidated and/or hubristic? See my earlier post for elaboration on these questions.

But you're right, SteveG...high road, high road, high road.

You sure are a pisser, BigBri. Congratulations on being the buzzing of a mosquito near our collective ears. This is the last time I'll address you: fuck you and your bald-faced unwillingness to ANSWER A GODDAMN QUESTION or speak with anything like objectivity. You cunt.

h.b.: great strip, as always. I want to buy that "I got your 1918..." shirt, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Has anyone seen that "The Godpapi" shirt? Classic. I caught it on The Joy of Sox blog.

[BigBri]

As ususal, I'll address you all one at a time.

Devine - I never said the inevitable demise of the SAWX would make all this talk a waste. what I SAID was, when the SAWX DO fall on their sorry asses, this blog will serve as an archive to all your foolishness and hubris. Are there Yankee sites out there that display hubris as well? You betcha. But I'm not posting on them. I'm posting here.

Da Kine - your narative was neither 'delicious' nor ironic. It was just stupid. Here's the answer to your'bloody' question: Taking off his mask WOULD have shown that he wanted to fight. In much the same way that shoving his glove in A-Rod's face showed that he wanted to fight. What makes him a punk-ass bitch is the fact that he did the latter, but was too much of a pussy to do the former. If you want to start a fight, go ahead and do it. Just don't keep your mask on. It marks you forever as a pussy. The fact that every SAWX fan in America thinks he's a hero for doing what he did says all that needs to be said about you people.

Bastard Son - I'll do my best to lay off easy pickins like yourself. But to answer your question it doesn't MATTER why the Yankees have underperformed in the first half. it doesn't matter at ALL. What DOES matter is that they are going to KICK YOUR ASSES in the second half. And I'll be here to remind you all through August and September. YOu won't need any reminding in October. All the SAWX will be playing golf and the rest of you will be collecting maple syrup somehere in New Hampshire...

NV - I.Don't.Get.It. - Yeah, that must be it.

PAWSOXPOP - Dude, I'll give you this. You are PRO-fuckin-LIFIC! Please don't compare how the SAWX have done things over the years to the Yankees. Can you REALLY argue with the results?

I checked out the book. Sooooo, print media hacks from New England, when they back up YOUR premise are ok. Otherwise they should be ignored? Got it. Thanks for clearing that up!

Steve G. - This blog is not my daily moment in the sun. Most of the time I leave you guys alone. I don't butt in when you are all going ga-ga over Mark Bellhorn or lining up to be V-Tek's personal ball washers. I feel sory for you, but I mind my business. It is only when h.b or one of the folks who comments here hammers the Yankees that I step in and set things straight. It's really a public service. YOu guys should thank me. I mean, KIDS might be reading this! DO we really want them to have such a distorted view of baseball? I don't think so... If my views mean nothing simply becasue they are different than yours, what a WONDERFUL person that makes you.

And finally Devine(again) - There is no place on earth where double standards are embraced more warmly than in BAHSTAHN. Please see the Tek issue and A-Rod Arroyo issue for details. Sorry you won't be addressing me again. I answered your goddamned question. If you don't like the answer that's your problem. Cunt.

To all of you - Your distorted view of baseball, the SAWX and Yankees is laughable. I'm clearly more than the 'buzzing of a mosquito' to you all because deep in your black little hearts you know that I represent a rational, alternative view. You, normally, live in a cacoon where it's OK to love the SAWX at all costs and say whatver you want about the Yankees. Any issue, can be spun in such a way to make the Yankees the bad guys. You poor your derision on the Yankees because they have been so successful for so long and you can't handle it. It drives you, literally, insane. Be prepared to go even crazier. Your summer of despair has begun...

[SteveG]

Did... somebody hear something? Uh, me neither.

[illegitimate son of dwight evans]

"This blog is not my daily moment in the sun."

Spoken like someone who's not at the computer at quarter to midnight with nothing better to do than check and see what's been said about him. Clearly we're more than the 'buzzing of a mosquito' to you.

[illegitimate son of dwight evans]

oh and good job dodging the questions. Maybe you should get back with the rest of the "rational, alternative points of view" who are presently considering how the Yankees expect to do fuck-all with half a rotation that can't pitch batting practice and whiny superstars who underperform and overtalk.

[bigbri]

I've got mail!!!!

Yayyyyyy!!!!!!!!!

[BigBri]

Bastard Son - "Spoken like someone who's not at the computer at quarter to midnight" - You wrote those words at 12:46 AM. What a friggin tool you are. ALL the questions have been answered nothing has been dodged. FOr more answers, tune in to the 2nd half of this season, A.K.A the "Summer of Your Discontent"

[h.b.]

BigBri,

I guess what I find most frustrating about your diatribes here is the notion that even if things go badly this season that we'll all be depressed.

I can't speak for all fans, but, honestly, the joy of what took place last season is going to glow for a long, long time inside me.

I really doubt you have any sense of how incredible that felt and still feels.

Indeed, I really think that is where most of your annoyance with Red Sox fans is rooted. As a Yankees fan you cannot ever, ever know what it felt like and feel like to spend your entire life waiting for something to happen and then see it happen.

And not just happen but happen the way it did. Ohmigod, BigBri, you just can't even imagine.

Seriously, the Sox could lose every game the second half this season and sure, I'd bitch and moan, and the characters in the strip would be going ape shit, but, still, I'd be smiling inside.

[BigBri]

h.b. - sounds like you (and some others around here) are taking a couple of steps back from your original 'We have nothing to worry about with regard to the overpaid, underperforming Yankees' line you were all so dedicated to just a few short weeks ago.

I understand that the joy of 2004 is going to stay with you for a long time. Remember, I'm also a N.Y Rangers fan. I absolutely can imagine how you felt last year. I can close my eyes an picture Messier with the cup over his head and it ALWAYS makes me smile. Always will. Till the day I die. Trust me. I get it.

But you guys have talked a LOT of smack about the Yankees this year. Biggest choke in history.Overpaid.Underperforming.Can't come back from last year's bitch-slapping. Blah,blah,blah.

When things don't go your way this year, I think you should all be forced to eat a little shit. That's where I come in. I'm your Head Waiter and the Chateau Merde.

I believe you when you say 2004 will keep you smiling inside. I don't believe I ever said otherwise. I have never taken issue with anyone's love for the SAWX. What I do take issue with is the way you guys treat my beloved Yankees and the way last year is described as some titanic shift in power in baseball. I think it was a fluke and I think the 2nd half of this season will prove me to be correct.

Finally, h.b. - thanks for always keeping the debate above board and for maintaining one of the finest blogs in the blogosphere.

[pudge]

What I do take issue with is the way you guys treat my beloved Yankees

Fuck the Yankees, now and forever, amen.

and the way last year is described as some titanic shift in power in baseball.

It was not. That happened a few years ago when they started losing in the World Series. Last year was just the culmination of it. The Yankees are worse now than they have been in years, and it has been a progressive slide down since Schilling and Johnson beat them in 2001.

Since 2000, they have been the Buffalo Bills of baseball. Obviously, not as bad, since they won quite a few before that. But, like the Bills, the last few years have had sliding excellence marred by losing it all in the end, and followed by mediocrity, which I can only hope persists for years to come.

[elapp]

big bri what's a cacoon?????????????? Guess there aren't many of them in Red Sox Nation.

[JasonO]

You guys call Rodriguez "slappy?" It's more like "choppy," as in a shorter, powerful swing with which to hit 3 HRs in 4 games against the Red Sox.

Perhaps the Sox should be slapping themselves after being dominated by Al Leiter.

Cheers and we'll see you in September.

[BARRY]

Where can I find naked pictures of Hazel mae

[Brad]

As long as the Yankees are parading Pavano, Wright, Leiter, and Kevin Brown out there whenever they are in need of anything, the only chance the Yanks have of seeing the Sox in September is if they buy a ticket.
And yes, the Sox should be slapping themselves for being dominated by Al Leiter, Kind of like the Yanks should slap themselves for being dominated by Fossum, Benson, Moyer, and best of all - Chan Ho Park!...so let's not get carried away with remarks of being taken advantage of by bad pitchers.
The Red Sox have tried the "beat them to death with out bats" approach before, and it serves well against bad pitching performances, and that's it! If you tell me right now that the Yanks are going to win post-season games with Moose, Pavano, and Al Leiter, well, I will have to laugh at you...a lot.
And yes, the only thing better than Boston winning the world series is, well nothing - so fuck the Yankees and all the money well spent, tie all 26 rings together, and hang yourself with them. Please talk shit when you stop getting your ass beat in playoff and championship games, because as it stands now, you've been beat like Tina Turner in the last couple futile attempts.

[Jason O.]

Excellent analogy for the Yankees: Tina Turner went on to have unprecedented success after the Ike relationship.

Cheers and we'll see you in September...I recommend polishing up on your analogies until then so they don't contradict the point you're trying to make!