Bronx & Beans

Yeah, Punchy Gardner really tattooed that one. I'm sure Papelbon dreads the idea of facing THAT guy for the next decade. And with the hit, the phenom bumped his on-base percentage to .208. Not bad for a leadoff guy!

As for Papelbon, he'll get another shot in Yankee Stadium soon enough. He'll be the logical choice for AL manager Terry Francona to close out the All Star Game in the Bronx.

Because, no, Francona is NOT obligated to use Yankees closer Mariano Rivera for this "historic" game. The All Star Game isn't about good will anymore - these days it counts, right? And, sure, Rivera's still a dominant closer (87 saves the last 3 seasons, to Papelbon's 98). But Mo's had his time. And who would you rather close a postseason game right now?

To the victors go the spoils, Tito. Close the game with Papelbon on the mound, Varitek behind the plate. (Well, at least Papelbon deserves it). Will the Yankees have a problem with that? Well, win the World Series.

In the meantime, the Yanks need to get to work on the Rays tonight. Most Sox fans will be rooting for them. They might be the most expensive group of spoilers ever assembled.

---Dennehy

And with a funky little 27-hopper Sunday night off "Paps" (as my New England friends Whittlebon and Dennehy say), Brett Gardner pulled a Michael Corleone and got mixed up in the family business.

With two outs in the 10th inning and the score tied at 4, Gardner got just enough of the eighth pitch he saw from Jonathan "Sollozzo" Papelbon and as the ball bounced off a diving Alex "McCluskey" Cora, the Yankees picked up the 5-4 win against the Sawx.

Welcome to the rivalry, Brett.

Let's just hope now the Yankees don't send him away (minor leagues, trade, Sicily) for a year until things cool down. As Gardner injects life into this ball club, I hope they don't package him in a deal for a 37-year-old, fading righthanded National League reliever.

It's good to see a Yankee rookie get the game-winner. In fact, it's good to see any Yankee get a game-winner. Finally, someone stepping up.

And if the Yankees do decide to make a trade for a pitcher. How about this: He's having a down year, makes a lot of money, his team is in last place and even though he didn't pitch lights out against the Yankees, he had good stuff.........Roy Oswalt. All he needs is a change of location. He's got Reggie's number. Tellin' ya, it's meant to be.

-- Fernandez

Bean Whittle has been getting a bit uppity with his Red Sox fervor/Yankees hatred around the Bronx & Beans office lately.

So it's time to check him. Sorry, Bean Whittle, but what's right is right. Click the pic and make Bean Whittle's head bobble to the hip-hop remix of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," compliments of XMbaseball.com.

Sunday night's Manny Ramirez vs. Mariano Rivera at-bat in the top of the ninth inning was what we watch baseball for: Their best against our best.

Our best won.

And he needed just three fastballs to do it. It was so one-sided that part of you wanted to feel bad for Manny Ramirez's right shoulder for the pain it must have been in by having to handle 30-plus ounces of wood for three straight pitches. Then you came to your senses and realized that Manny hits bomb after bomb against the Yankees.

Let's have a look at the strike three call, compliments of (in order) Getty Images, AP and Newsday's Paul J. Bereswill.

"Hey, did Mariano release the ball yet?"

"Oh, he did throw it already?"

"Really? Wow, I must have missed that."

OK, seriously, Robert Correia is none too bright, assuming truth in the police report that he was arrested and charged with beating up a New Yorker because he thought he was a Yankees fan.

It's one thing to talk/blog a lot of smack about each team in this rivalry, but does anyone else agree that this is just way too over the top?

I mean, honestly, who beats someone up because they're driving in Fowl Mouth, Mass. (OK, Falmouth, Mass.) with New York license plates?

(Getty Images)

Keep those Geno shirts in your closet, Bean Dennehy, because we've got the new savior in Bronx -- Brett Gardner.

Go ahead, salty Soxers. Start calling him Brett "Bleeping" Gardner. That's fine with us because that blast he hit up the middle off your precious Paps (OK, it was a seeing-eye dribbler, but whatever) will be the turning point of the season. When the Red Sox miss out on the wild card this year, look no further than the night of July 6, 2008 and that pesky at-bat by Gardner.

There's very little to cheer about in Yankeeland right now, especially as Manny Ramirez steps into the batter's box here in the top of the first against Mike Mussina.

So, we're resigned to just wishing Goose Gossage a happy 57th birthday. Happy birthday, Goose!

Strangely, his mustache is only 30 years old.

P.S. Oh good, Mussina didn't serve up the first-ever home run to go into the new Yankee Stadium.

Johnny Damon almost make a remarkable catch in left, but it end up as a bizarre triple for Kevin Youkilis.

End result: Sox tie it in the third, Damon leaves with an injury and gets replaced by Gardner.

Sorry Pinstripers, this just ain't your year.

--Whittle

It took all of four pitches before Boston leadoff hitter Jacoby Ellsbury eeked out a single over Jeter's head to start the game.

So much for the dream of another no-hitter by an unsuspecting Yankees pitcher against the Red Sox.

It's been 25 years since Dave Righetti, aka "Rags," made Wade Boggs (and everyone else) look foolish with that slider off the plate. If not for the mid-to-late 1990s, Jeter's flip to the plate in 2000, the Aaron Boone homer in 2003 and Jeter's dive into the stands against the Red Sox in 2004, this might have been the greatest Yankees moment of the past 25 years.

Alas, it's still in the top 10. And always worth a mention on July 4.

Photo from http://touchingallthebases.blogspot.com

Whoa, whoa, whoa, what do we have here? Is that Manny Ramirez during batting practice this afternoon at Yankee Stadium sporting a thin Giambi mustache?

Is he conceding the series already and showing his support for Beans Whittle and Dennehy?

Is it silly to be talking about Sox/Yanks wagers when the Rays are clearly the class of the AL East? Pretty much, yeah.

Does that mean I won't accept the bet? Not on your life.

Bronx Boys: prepare to wear some Green.

Let's take a look at this weekends' pitching matchups ...

Tonight: Lester vs. Pettitte - Lefties love the Stadium. Recently, Lester has been one of the better lefties in the AL, while Pettitte has recently come around after misremembering how to pitch. This could be the one low-scoring affair of the series, and you know who that favors. ADVANTAGE: Beans.

America Rules Day: Beckett vs. Rasner - LOL OMG. ADVANTAGE: Beans.

Saturday: Masterson vs. Mussina - There's a chance the Sox might call up Clay Buchholz for this game, but either way, Mussina has been resurgent enough to engender confidence. ADVANTAGE: Bronx.

Sunday: Wakefield vs. Chamberlain - At first glance, this matchup looks like a mismatch; a butterfly-tosser versus a fireballer. But Wake has thrown seven straight quality starts and Joba has thrown two ever. ADVANTAGE: Beans.

--Whittle

I've got to be honest. All this business about the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry and discussion of bets feels kind of silly while the Tampa Bay Rays are in first place. While we live in the past, these thugs and no-names are on the verge of sweeping the Sox. Again.

Really, who are these people?

I'm not against other ball clubs having a run at glory. (Well, sort of). And I know Boston has had its share of sports successs.

But these guys from Wade Boggs country? This teams that plays in a hideous warehouse with a playing surface that looks like a cheap pool table. Whose most famous fan is Dick Vitale. Who changed their name during the offseason, for God's sake.

Who does that? What is this, the MLS?

I'd ask a real Rays fan for their perspective on all of this, but I'm just not sure one exists. Two weeks ago I disliked (Devil) Rays fans because they didn't fork over $8 to go to the ballpark. Now I don't like them because they're treating a July series against the Red Sox like it's the World Series.

Really, cowbells?

What happened to the days when we'd enjoy a good Sox-(Devil) Rays brawl AND Greg Vaughn would strike out six times in the game?

Forget Yankees/Red Sox at the Stadium this weekend. All eyes are on Rays/Royals at the Trop!

-- Dennehy

Well, how about that? The Red Sox are playing the Yankees this weekend. We'd almost forgotten those guys!

Sorry, over here in the Beans side we had just settled in to baseball mode after vanquishing our other "traditional" sports rival (and savoring that marathon footage of Kevin McHale destroying Kurt Rambis) only to find our ballclub in a first-second battle with....the RAYS! Those pesky, thuggish Rays.

But, sure, we can still take some time for a friendly wager with our old friends in the Bronx.

Understand, if it came to it, I would probably need a while to deliver on a Giambi-esque mustache. In fact, I may only be able to resurrect the '87 Bird classic.

Sorry, though. It won't be enough to see these Yankee guys wearing Celtic green or a BEAT L.A. shirts. It's not like that would really hurt them, not really having a legitimate basketball team to call their own.

No, I'm thinking of another style statement that would still relate to the latest Celtics championship run...

I want to see Gino shirts, maybe some Gino wigs. The dance is negotiable. Hey, it's not like it's October.

Even as I make this wager, I understand this is a bet LaMonica and Fernandez may may not mind losing.

--- Dennehy

Newsday/ J. Conrad Williams Jr.

Here we go, Beans Whittle and Dennehy. Let's see if you've got the guts to make another friendly wager based on the outcome of the upcoming Yankees-Red Sox series at the Stadium.

The Wager

Should the Yankees win the four-game series, Beans Whittle and Dennehy will have to pose for a photo wearing a Giambi-esque mustache which will then be posted in the blog.

Should the Red Sox win the four-game series, Bronx La Monica and Fernandez will pose with Dennehy's World Championship Celtics memorabilia for a photo to be posted in the blog.

You guys ready to step up? To quote the Mad Dog, "Show some guts!"

BOSTON -- There's a tradition of driving past Fenway Park on I-90 and giving it the finger.

Of course, that tradition started Wednesday night, but whatever. It just feels right, doesn't it?

That tradition carried over to Thursday morning. Sitting at breakfast in a Boston hotel restaurant, oopsies, I wore my Yankees bandanna. A waitress politely asked where we were from, as if the blue, red and white Yankees logo and the script "New York Yankees" wasn't a tell-tale sign.

I pointed to the bandanna for my response.

"What are you guys doing here in Boston?" she asked.

"Giving Fenway the finger!" I responded.

She laughed. But sensing her Bostonian pride - did they have any before 2004? - was about to get crushed, she retaliated with "You know, we do that too to Yankee fans."

"Yeah, but the New York finger is so much more powerful."

"Is that right?"

"Yep. Here, I'll show you."

And with that I gave a Boston hotel restaurant waitress the finger before noon!

- La Monica

Bad news, Bronx boo-birds: the diamond will be filled with red B's, and not white interlocking NY's, when the American League all stars take the field for the final All Star Game at Yankee Stadium.

As of this writing, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia and Manny Ramirez are leading the way in the all-star votes for their respective positions. Jason Varitek trails Joe Mauer in a close race for catcher. The only Yanks who lead in balloting are A-Rod at third and that guy who used to date Mariah Carey over at short. Hideki Matsui could get the nod at DH over David Ortiz, who is leading in votes but is likely out due to injury. Johnny Damon is being a whiney baby about how he deserves a shot, but he is in sixth place in the outfield voting race, almost 300,000 votes behind 3rd place vote-getter Ichiro Suzuki.

In other words, there's a mighty good chance the whole right side of the infield will be Red Soxers at this year's Mid-Summer Classic. Meanwhile, the left side will be be occupied by two sure-thing All-Stars whose tickets to the game were punched in March. It also means five (six if Varitek makes the cut) of the eight starting position players will be Red Sox and/or Yankees. Will the Bleacher Creatures do a roll-call and conveniently skip over Man-Ram, Peds and Youkie? Probably.

Maybe a Yankee pitcher will start the game to settle the score. Oh, wait a minute.

More updates on the All Star voting are available on Kat O'Brien's blog at www.newsday.com/sports. Get into it - it's gonna be a heck of a game.

--Whittle

Yeah, Colon didn't look so hot at the plate last night, and he's starting to remind those of us in the 30-and-older crowd of Aurelio Lopez. That would be in terms of girth, not velocity.

But fear not, gentle Sox fans. Bartolo is on the DL, but the Sox have something the Yanks lack: fans who bathe. Oh, and pitching depth. It would nice to think that the Bartolo Colon of 2008 is the same pitcher who won the Cy Young Award, but let's be real. Any good performances from Colon this year were simply gravy: a chance to give Clay Buchholz more seasoning in Triple A. And with Dice-K ready to come off the DL, Bartolo's batting blunder will allow Justin Masterson (3-1, 2.90) to stay in the rotation.

The Yanks are in trouble, though. Chien Ming Wang (who, by the way, should only be mentioned in the same sentence as the word "ace" if he's going to a hardware store) is out until September. The Pinstippers have limited options; some baseball pundits have even floated the idea of promoting career minor leaguer Dan Giese to the rotation. If that doesn't work (it won't) the other options are Kei "Worst Pitcher in the History of Modern Baseball" Igawa and about eight guys with names like Steven White (6.61 ERA at AAA Scranton) and Heath Phillips (5.88 ERA at Scranton). Where are Tyler Clippard and Matt DeSalvo when you need them?

(In case you're interested - the Yanks probably are - they are with the Washington and Atlanta organizations, respectively).

--Whittle

100 points to whoever can figure out what Bartolo Colon is thinking in this picture!

(50 bonus points if you can prove you knew it was Colon and not Rich Garces or Juan Berengeur without reading the headline!)

(AP Photo / June 16, 2008)

50 points to whoever can answer that question best!

Bobby Abreu arrives at the 7th annual Heroes Of Hope gala on June 16, 2008 at The Pierre in New York City. (Getty Images)

AP Photo

Hey, I've got an idea: Let's continue with interleague play 13 years after the MLB strike that canceled the 1994 World Series.

Maybe this way, all American League teams can be at a disadvantage for 9 games a season and, if we're lucky, a pitcher who gets paid to be near the plate only with his pitches and not his feet could be thrown into a physical encounter he's not used to so maybe he'll get hurt and miss the rest of the season.

Yeah, great work Commissioner Bud. What's next, end the All-Star game in a tie? Oh wait, sorry.

Sure, I'm whining, but whatever. It smells and smells hard that Chien-Ming Wang is likely out for the remainder of the season with a Lisfranc strain.

Thanks a lot, Mr. Selig. Interleague play, yeah, great idea. Let's put an asterisk on your forehead!