Fight Club

I love Max Kellerman. Really. He's passionate and genuine, the latter being increasingly unique in the world of talking heads. He doesn't know dick about baseball, though.

This afternoon, Max and Brian Kenny were discussing the Yankees in the context of their recent brawl with the Devil Rays. They suggest that the Joe Girardi Yanks won't get pushed around like Joe Torre's teams. And maybe I buy a little bit of the argument that the gentlemanly elder Joe's persona rubbed off on his squad. A little. Might have helped that those teams were usually so much more talented than their opponents that rah-rah fake motivation wasn't necessary.

And so, an interesting back and forth kept me entertained during my lunch break. Until Kellerman strode deeply into the pages of revisionist history. Max Kellerman claims, with a straight face and a heartfelt belief, that Alex Rodriguez was seconds from flipping Jason Varitek on his back and pummelling the Sox' catcher during the duo's fateful donnybrook on July 24, 2004 before the scrum reached both men and toppled them to the ground. Here's what I wrote at the time:

When this team looks back after clinching the World Series title this fall,
Saturday, July 24 will be the single most important date in team history.
It's the day Jason Varitek decided to impose his will upon this season and upon
his teammates - and upon the Yankees, smashing his open hand into Alex
Rodriguez' well-paid mug, then lifting the Yankee star by one leg and
frog-hopping him 10 feet before collapsing under a pile of Sox and Yankees.

Let's just say that my memory of the incident and Kellerman's differ materially. It's possible that we're both biased. And after a winter of Hank Steinbrenner's whining, Kellerman's rant is but the cherry on top of the sundae. My, how the worm has turned.

At least until we find out that Josh Beckett's back injury is serious.

(Editor's Note: Team MLC has been deeply preoccupied with our alma mater's surprising run through the CAA basketball tournament and apologizes for neglecting our duties here. At least that's the excuse Whit, TJ, and I are going with - Nick's still pissed at the Phillies for underpaying Ryan Howard. With the season mere weeks away, we're stretching out and rubbing Icy Hot on places where we shouldn't. We promise to do better soon.)