TOO EARLY TO TELL

What a maddening display put on by the Red Sox in their series finale against the Yankees. Time and time again, the team came up short when a blooper would have broken the game open. Until the seventh inning, there was considerable concern that the team would somehow figure out a way to lose the game.

The reason I will remember the game is the gruesome scene of Hideki Matsui breaking his wrist breaking his wrist trying to catch the sinking liner from the bat of Mark Loretta in the top of the first inning. I may hate the Yankees (I do not like the team, the organization, and the uniform, not the individual players, who we respect despite their misguided choice to play for the team, as I try to teach my son & daughter. Of course, the fact that Derek Jeter is the most over-rated player in baseball since Joe DiMaggio held the distinction is self-evident), but I wish personal injury on nobody. Hideki Matsui is good for baseball. He keeps his mouth shut, he hustles, and he is clutch. I would LOVE to have him on the Red Sox. His loss for three months or more will hurt the Yankees more than anyone realizes right now.

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FYI:

To all those morons, idiots, and bozos who filled papers, blogs and the airwaves with idiot drivel, I have only two points to make as I make sure no moronic rant is allowed without someone calling these dips on their foolish opinions and bluster:

* Mark Loretta is hitting .280, while the last time I checked, Tony Graffanino could not start regularly for the worst team in the league and was hitting well under .200; and

* Last night, Bill Mueller air-mailed errors number seven and eight last night and is hitting a robust .252 (and not to put to fine a point on it, but he does not have 19 doubles right now!). Not to denigrate Billy Ballgame, who was one of my favorite Red Sox players in his tenure here, but Theo is paid the big bucks to make tough decisions and improve the team. Suffice to say, the team is better at third base than they were last season.

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PATIENCE:

Sure we can crank the Guns N Roses full blast (Can anyone name another song from GnR Lies album? Me neither. Probably the most rushed-out, capitalize on the huge hit album ever.), but for me to have a little patience while waiting for Coco Crisp to return is excruciating. Once Coco is in place in centerfield, the Lenny Harris era should end, Wily Mo Pena should begin taking at-bats away from Trot Nixon on a regular basis, and Dustin Mohr can complain his way out of town by July 31 ala Jay Payton.

The Red Sox truly are treading water until Coco returns, and the summer should be one to remember with the personable, able young star patrolling centerfield, sparking the Sox attack, and giving the team someone who can steal bases, go from first to third on a single, or score from second on a base hit.

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NEW YORK STATE OF MIND:

If I were a Yankees fan (and I am proud not to be), I would be sending this letter to the Yankees HQ in Tampa:

Dear George Steinbrenner:

If I am paying $200 million in player salaries, the day I have Miguel Cairo (yes, Miguel Freaking Cairo!) at first base (yes, First Freaking Base!) is the day it is time to blow up the roster and make some wholesale changes. Who is it that convinced you that Brian Cashman is smarter than Theo Epstein? What depth this Yankees team seems to have!

The scary part is that when (and no if allowed. This is a definite WHEN) Bernie Williams is suspended for a significant amount of time, the Bronx Bombers could be looking at an outfield of Johnny Damon, Bubba Crosby, and Melky Cabrera. That is truly a gang of idiots.

Forget A-Rod, Jeter, and Giambi. A-Rod is the true Mr. May (apologize to Dave Winfield RIGHT NOW, Steinbrenner), Derek Jeter is a second baseman on his best day in the field (how did he not get an error on that Loretta grounder in the seventh inning?), and Giambi is one failed steroids test away from disappearing like Mark McGwire. Trade them all and build around Robinson Cano. Spend some money on the draft and scouting and bring in some talented, young, hungry ballplayers.

Sincerely,

Joe Yankees Fan

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Thankfully, Steinbrenner is too old and will pay for this crashed car after Joe Torre finally bolts right before the wheels completely fall off. I figure 2008 is the year it finally comes crashing down. And, yes, I am grinning in evil anticipation as I type this.

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