From this point forward, there is a direct relationship between the number of Derek Jeter fist pumps makes in the next week and a half and the happiness of SF (to choose just one Sox fan at random). It turns out the schedule-makers were geniuses this season.
A man of genius makes no mistakes; his errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.
-J. Joyce
Famous Yankee fan Jay-Z is suing David Ortiz.
Hip-hop mogul Jay-Z and his business partner sued Boston Red Sox baseball player David Ortiz on Thursday for naming a Dominican Republic nightclub after their chain of 40/40 Club sports bar lounges.
Jay-Z and Juan Perez own 40/40 Clubs in New York City, Atlantic City and Las Vegas and have plans to open further venues in Tokyo and Macau.
They have accused Ortiz of trading on the fame, value and goodwill of their name through his club Forty/Forty and its website, www.fortyforty.net, which they say has caused their business "marketplace confusion and damage," the lawsuit said.
I have to respect Jay-Z's level of fandom. If I had the money, I'd probably sue a Red Sock once a month. I slipped on Kevin Youkilis's sweat and broke my arm. Lawsuit! J.D. Drew's demeanor reminds me that life, at its core, is tedious. We are waiting, waiting, waiting for nothing. Lawsuit for emotional damages! Josh Beckett is engaged to a rocket scientist?! Lawsuit for blowing my mind!
In any case, kudos to Jay-Z for kicking a Red Sock when he's down. I'm not sure he'll win. There seem to be many clubs and restaurants with the same name, or am I the only one who's been to an O'Bama's Bar in every city in Asia? But something like this that distracts Ortiz from turning his season around can't be a bad thing from a Yanks's fan perspective.
h/t BTF
John Henry has some extremely compelling ideas on how to restore "competitive balance" to MLB. That is, they are compelling if you buy into the idea that "competitive balance" needs restoring. Click through this link for more details, there is a lot of fodder for discussion over at the Globe. The key tenet of Henry's structure for restoration of such balance is a progressive payroll tax in lieu of revenue sharing. We haven't decided how we feel about this, but it seems, on the surface, to be quite reasonable: Owners aren't penalized because of the strengths of their market or the popularity of their team, they are only taxed on what they decide to devote to talent. This only works in concert with our own favorite (and, we think essential) component of Henry's proposal: a minimum payroll requirement to any team receiving money from contributing clubs. No pocketing of the dough by the wastrel clubs, which is likely what happens in some form with the current structure.
Discuss in the comments.
(h/t krueg)
Connecticut is Yankee territory, by a whisker. We expect nothing less, what with the rudderless Joe Lieberman and his convenient allegiances setting the example.
Truly a good reverend.