Yanks Grind Sox Into Pine Tar

I realize that, as I write this, on Friday night, the Yankees are laying an egg at home to Anaheim. But, with a busy day, I didn't have time to write about the finale of their Boston series until now. So, bear with me.

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The Yankees showed some character in bouncing back from the Sox' bullshit over Michael Pineda's pine tar. Not that the charge was bullshit -- it wasn't -- but that the Sox, with all the cheating they've done since 2003 (and possibly before), are in no position to be making the charge.

CC Sabathia pitched 6 strong innings, and the bats helped him out. Ex-Scummer Jacoby Ellsbury got 3 hits; Derek Jeter, Alfonso Soriano, Brian Roberts and Yangervis Solarte, 2 each; Carlos Beltran, Mark Teixeira and Brian McCann, 1 each. Brett Gardner was the only Yankee starter without a hit, but he drew 3 walks and reached on an error, and ended up scoring 4 runs.

It got so bad that reserve infielder Mike Carp came in to pitch for the Sox. Problem was, he couldn't find the plate with a GPS. Well, actually, it wasn't a problem for the Yankees, it was a problem for his own team!

In spite of the 14-5 whupping the Yankees laid on The Scum, there was only one home run: Teixeira hit his first "Teix message" of the season in the 3rd. It was like the 1978 "Boston Massacre" series, where the Yankees outscored the Sox 42-9, but only 2 homers were included (both in the 2nd game, by Lou Piniella and Reggie Jackson).

WP: Sabathia (3-2). No save. LP: Felix Doubront (1-3).

So the Yanks ground the Sox into pine tar, and took 2 of 3 at Scumway Park, and return home in 1st place. Just the way I like it.

We don't play them again until June 27, over 2 months. Good riddance.

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Days until the Red Bulls play again: 1, tomorrow night, at 7:30 PM, away to the Columbus Crew. This past Wednesday night, they beat the Houston Dynamo, 2-0.

Days until Arsenal play again: 3, next Monday afternoon at 3:00 (8:00 PM, London time), home to North-East giants Newcastle United. Yesterday, they won 3-0 over East Yorkshire club Hull City, the same team that they will play in the FA Cup Final next month. Arsenal can still finish in 4th place in the Premier League, thus qualifying for the qualifying round of the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League; with Manchester City slipping up with yesterday draw to North-East club Sunderland, Arsenal have a shot at finishing 3rd, thus qualifying for the Champions League without needing the qualifying round.

Days until the FA Cup Final, Arsenal vs. Hull City, at the new Wembley Stadium in London: 22, on Saturday, May 17. Just 3 weeks.

Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 32, on Tuesday, May 27, at 10:00 PM Eastern Time, against former Soviet "republic" Azerbaijan, in one of the last events that will be held at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Just 1 month. This will be the first of 3 warmup matches for the World Cup, also facing Turkey at Red Bull Arena and Nigeria in Jacksonville.

Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": 43, on Saturday, June 7, 7:30 PM, vs. the New England Revolution, at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Just 6 weeks.

Days until the 2014 World Cup in Brazil: 48, on Thursday, June 12. Under 7 weeks.

Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 63, on Friday night, June 27, at 7:00, at Yankee Stadium II.

Days until the Arsenal-Red Bulls match at Red Bull Arena: 92, on Saturday, July 26. Just 3 months.

Days until the next North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham: Unknown. The next season's schedule, or "fixture list," usually comes out on the 2nd Friday in June. The new season usually begins on the 3rd Saturday in August, but derbies are rarely held that early in the season -- this season's September 1 match was unusually early. That opener will most likely be on August 16, which would be 113 days, but don't count on it being a derby.

Days until Rutgers plays football again: 127, on Saturday, August 30, away to Washington State, at CenturyLink Field, home of the NFL Champion Seattle Seahawks. A little over 4 months.

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: Unknown, as the schedule has yet to be released. Most likely, it will be on the 2nd Friday night in September. If so, that will be September 12, therefore 140 days.

Days until Rutgers makes its Big Ten Conference debut: 141 days, on Saturday, September 13, time to be determined, against old enemy Penn State.

Days until Derek Jeter's last regular-season game (barring injury): 156, on Sunday, September 28, against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. A little over 5 months.

Days until the Devils play again: Unknown, as the Devils did not make the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and the 2014-15 NHL schedule hasn't been released yet. The most likely date is the first Friday in October, which would be October 3. That's 161 days.

Days until the Devils next play a local rival: Unknown, as per the previous answer. Most likely, though, the Devils won't play either the Rangers, the Islanders or the Flyers as their season opener, or their home opener.

Days until Game 7 of the 2014 World Series -- the absolute latest you can ever again see Derek Jeter in a competitive game: 187, on Wednesday, October 29. A little over 6 months, and no more Jeter -- not as an active player, anyway.

Days until the next East Brunswick vs. Old Bridge Thanksgiving game: 216, on Thursday morning, November 27, 10:00 AM. A little over 7 months.

Days until New York City FC make their Major League Soccer debut: Unknown, but a new MLS season usually begins on the 2nd Saturday in March, which would be March 14, 2015. That's 323 days. Under 11 months. Whether it will be a home game, and thus at the new Yankee Stadium, is yet to be determined.

Days until the New York Islanders' last game at the Nassau Coliseum: Unknown, but an NHL regular season usually ends on the 2nd Sunday in April, which would be April 12, 2015. That's 352 days. Just under 1 full year.

Days until the Islanders' first home game at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn: Unknown, but an NHL regular season usually begins on the 1st Friday in October, which would be October 2, 2015. That's 525 days. That's under 18 months. Or, to put it another way, "525 Sleeps Till Brooklyn." Until then, even with their 4 straight long-ago Stanley Cups, they're just a Small Club In Hempstead.

Days until the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 710, on Friday, August 5, 2016. Less than 29 months.