MLB News

[Gregg Pathiakis]

Want to see the words of a bitter Red Sox fan? This is what a friend of mine commented in MySpace:

Hey, if any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have one. I'd like Johnny Damon, right here, tonight. I want him brought from his happy holiday slumber over there on Legends Way with all the overpriced Yankees, and I want him brought right here, with a big ribbon on his head. And, I want to look him strait in the eye and tell him: what a cheap, lying, no good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, bloodsucking, dog-kissing, brainless, d*ckless, hopeless, heartless, fat-a$$ed, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sell out sack of monkey sh*t he is! Hallelujah! Holy sh*t! Where's the Tylenol?

[KnoxVegas]

Clark Griswold is a master orator.

The long suffering of Red Sox Nation is well documented. 86 years of futility. Of management not building a team for Fenway but for the road. Of being the last team to integrate. Second fiddle, often times 4th, \o the Yankees, Orioles, Tigers, etc...

Their suffering makes me wonder what it was like for those long suffering fans in south Florida who had to wait five long, arduous years before their first World Series Title. Then their team was dismantled for scrap and they began a new hardship. Five long, tough years later they had their second WS title. Or what about the hard luck Arizona Diamondbacks? Four long, terrible years before their first WS title.

Get over it! The Red Sox will always be second best. You want to call your games with the Yankees a rivalry but it hasn't been but for the past two, three years where you have actually been winning series from them. How about this? The Red Sox are Christina and the Yankees are Joan Crawford. To paraphrase the great Faye Dunnaway in the 1981 classic Mommie Dearest:

"AH, but nobody ever said life was fair, Boston. I'm bigger and I'm faster. I will always beat you."

Merry Christmas!

[Gregg Pathiakis]

OK.. more to say about this.. Bernie Williams has signed a 1-year contract with the Yankees (maybe if they put them both in center field, together they can get the ball into the infield!). Anyways, look at this quote by Bernie's (and Johnny's) agent, Scott Boras: "He took a lot less to come back to the Yankees because he values the Yankees tradition," Boras said.

[Gregg Pathiakis]

Get over it! The Red Sox will always be second best. You want to call your games with the Yankees a rivalry but it hasn't been but for the past two, three years where you have actually been winning series from them.

Not sure what you mean by it not being a dynasty since we've(?) been winning series from them. Just want to point at the head-to-head record the Sox have had vs. the Yankees

2005: 9-10
Hmmm.. can't seem to find the records for previous years anywhere... I'm sure Benson can chime in and fill in the blanks. Anyways, my point is that this is a rivarly to the fullest. You'll never find two teams that, for the most part, have been so evenly matched in recent memory and have such a deep hatred of eachother (I know it is more Red Sox hating Yankees, but it is reciprical as well). There is no question in my mind that it is the biggest rivalry in sports. Period.

[bste_lax]

Hmmm.. can't seem to find the records for previous years anywhere... I'm sure Benson can chime in and fill in the blanks.

Is that the bat signal?!

Regular Season:

2005: 10-9 Yanks
2004: 11-8 Red Sox
2003: 10-9 Yanks
2002: 10-9 Yanks
2001: 13-5 Yanks
2000: 7-6 Yanks
1999: 8-4 Red Sox

Total since 1999: 62-57 Yanks

All-Time: 271-269 Yanks

[Gregg Pathiakis]

Hmmm.. can't seem to find the records for previous years anywhere... I'm sure Benson can chime in and fill in the blanks.

Is that the bat signal?!

Regular Season:

2005: 10-9 Yanks
2004: 11-8 Red Sox
2003: 10-9 Yanks
2002: 10-9 Yanks
2001: 13-5 Yanks
2000: 7-6 Yanks
1999: 8-4 Red Sox

Total since 1999: 62-57 Yanks

All-Time: 271-269 Yanks

Thank you Matt. You proved my point.

[ucdlax]

I am not a Red Sox fan by any means, I hate both the Sox and the Yankees, but what Damon said on Sports Center about him being the "best center fielder in the game" and that he will fit in good with the great yankee center fielders and also that George Steinbrenner is getting what he's paying for is BS. Damon needs to pull his head out of his you know what and realize that he's not *that* great of a center fielder.

Maybe it's just me that notices this but in every sport a great defense always beats a great offense, and if they Yankees weren't so busy beefing up their offense they might realize that you can't bring home a title with just a stacked lineup. Maybe they could trade a few of these bats for some relief pitchers and a decent starter or two and they might start to win some titles.

It is a fact that pitching wins, look at the White Sox. They did not have a great offense, they played NL ball and manufactured runs, got timely hits, and had great pitching and defense. The Red Sox had great pitching when they won in 04, they traded in some of their pitchers for some extra hitting (mainly losing Lowe, Pedro, Schilling not being healthy, and getting Renteria for his offense and letting Cabrera go) and look what happened, they lost. The Diamondbacks from a few years back...a great pitching and defensive team.

Now I'm not saying that you don't need hitting or that it is unimportant, but I think that the Yank's have more bats than they need and should have been in the market for some quality pitchers and guys that are less offensive minded and more defensive minded. They have enough offense that not only should they have been shopping for pitching, they should have been shopping some of their hitting for pitching. Any thoughts on this or does everyone think Damon was a great fit?

[Gregg Pathiakis]

That's a great point. It's kind of ironic that JD would flaunt his supposed defensive ability, which he has little of, and not talk about his offense, which is definitely where his strength is.

[bste_lax]

It is a fact that pitching wins, look at the White Sox. They did not have a great offense, they played NL ball and manufactured runs, got timely hits, and had great pitching and defense.

I think the main things in baseball in the past couple years is strong pitching and an average offense that gets hot in September/October.

Last year's White Sox are a perfect example of this.

Both the Marlins and the D-Backs the year they won it all had the same thing going and even the Red Sox showed some of this the year they won it all.

As a Texas Rangers fan for majority of my life, I am well aware that a potent offense means jack squat.

[laxfan25]

All I have to say is "Yankees Suck"!

[Sonny]

Pitching does win, but it can only take you so far. The Braves have had some of the best pitching in the NL (& MLB) for the last decade and they have exactly one World Series title to show for it.

Personally, I think luck plays a part of post-season success in MLB more then anyone wants to admit.

[Brent Burns]

Here is a quote of the day that is relevant to this current discussion involving Johnny Damon:

"A disgruntled Boston Red Sox fan on the New York Yankees' newest addition: 'Johnny Damon: looks like Jesus, throws like Mary and betrays like Judas.'"--"Quote of the day" from Waco Tribune Herald December 23, 2005.

[laxfan25]

I guess I would have more sympathy for those that imply that Damon was disloyal to the Sox when I see baseball owners show the same type of loyalty to their players. It's totally business to them, and they'll trade a popular player in a heartbeat if it serves their economic interest.
From what I've read, the Sox were making it clear in negotiations that they were not inclined to up the offer to Damon, and if it meant $10M more to Johnny, I don't think any of us would be troubled making the decision he did. I also think he would have preferred to stay with the Sox, but didn't want to pay $10 million for the opportunity.
And if JD is as a bad a player as people are making him out to be (which Im sure aren't just sour grapes), why such a controversy? They should be glad to be rid of such an underachieving, overpaid egotist.
I'm a lifelong BRS fan, but I can't begrudge him for looking out for his best interests - who else is? That said, I still hope the Yankees choke.
BTW, I am still shocked by the amount of money that pro athletes make. I would love to see things get back to a range that made sense, as long as teams would roll back prices to a level that would actually allow a normal family to attend a game. As long as owners bid up the price of players, i can't blame players for taking the money and running. Nobody's twisting owner's arms to pay these huge salaries - they know they can just increase ticket prices to cover. I also think one of the lesser-known considerations is the impact that accounting has on this whole process. Teams will have a huge payroll, but they then get to take equivalent huge depreciation writeoffs on those salaries. Franchise costs wouldn't continue to escalate if there wasn't money to be made in the business of pro sports.

[KnoxVegas]

My point is this:
Boston and ESPN are the only one's who refer to their games with the Yankees as a rivalry. Much like Tennessee calls Florida their biggest rival.

What you are saying is that winning two season series in seven years makes a rivalry? I guess so. Have you ever tried rooting for the Vols?

[KnoxVegas]

Pitching does win, but it can only take you so far. The Braves have had some of the best pitching in the NL (& MLB) for the last decade and they have exactly one World Series title to show for it.

Personally, not being a Braves fan, I blame Nick Esasky.