I hate A-Rod. You should too.

Baseball has been played for a long, long time. Certain unwritten rules have been obeyed and respected over the course of the last century. All players abide by these rules with very few exceptions. The good thing about baseball is there's a pretty good way to police these rules. You break an unwritten rule, the pitcher throws at your ear hole next time you step to the plate. This doesn't happen that often, because most baseball players have some shred of class.

Remember when ARod tried to slap the ball out of Bronson "I'm a long relief pitcher in the AL but a Cy Young favorite in the NL" Arroyo's glove? That was bad, but it was even worse when he said it was a smart play afterwards. That's bush. There should have been a honing target in his eye socket for the rest of the series, but fortunately for him, too much was at stake during this particular playoff series. This particular playoff series was of course the one where the Red Sox, down 0 games to 3 in a best of seven series came back to win the last 4. But that's not my point. Hating ARod is my point.

ARod has outdone the purse slapping bit. No, I'm not talking about bouncing around the clubs the other night with some blonde bimbo and taking her up to his hotel room in front of several photographers (couldn't they have taken separate elevators at least? Do you think his wife has figured out what one half of a ten-year, $250 million dollar contract is?). I'm talking about last night's performance in the ninth inning against the Blue Jays with the Yankees clinging to a one run lead and desperately trying to avoid a sweep to fall 15 games behind the Red Sox. That's right, 15. I use the numeral version of this number as opposed to spelling it out since it is greater than ten (I learned that in English class at some point). So ARod is at third base and the batter hits a weak pop up to the third baseman. ARod yells something along the lines of "My ball", and the third baseman backs off, thinking the shortstop was calling him off. Ball drops, Yankees rally for four runs, win the game in the cheapest, weakest way possible.

Said Yankee Johnny Damon "I wasn't sure that was allowed. If it is, maybe we'll keep doing it."

Yep, that's Yankee baseball. Yankee Pride.

Fortunately for ARod, that was the last game of the series, and the Yankees probably have several weeks before playing the Blue Jays again. I'm guessing the Blue Jays pitchers don't forget this move and several baseballs slip out of their hands, and straight into his lipstick applied, puckered little lips. I've seen this move in little league, and it inspires furious rage from my inner soul. When I'm coaching my son's little league team several years from now, if I hear some kid in the dugout or on the basepaths yell "Mine!", I am going to go into the stands, find that kid's father, and punch him in the stomach.

ARod, you deserve what's coming to you.