WOULD YOU GIVE THIS RING BACK?

     Many of you who know me, personally, and even if you read this blog, you'll know that I'm a die-heard Yankees fan since the beginning of time. If you're a baseball lover, you'll also know about the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry that's been going the Yankees got Babe Ruth in a trade from the Red Sox. Well, recently, a Yankee fan found a 2013 Red Sox World Series ring in the bathroom of a New York City eatery and he actually gave it back. I have to be honest, I might've given it back too. No matter how much I disliked the team. I would probably look like the bigger A-Hole for keeping the ring or at least, hocking it. 

     Restaurant owner Luigi Militello couldn't believe his eyes when he found the shiny 2013 championship ring on a restaurant sink at Luke's Bar and Grill on Thursday night. He says that it was the real thing too, with diamonds, sapphires and rubies, set in 14-carat white gold, with the Red Sox emblem, a Boston Strong logo and an image of the team's bearded ballplayers. Militello told the Associated Press, "I was like, geez, it's big. Who would leave this here? I'm a big Yankee fan. What are the chances of this happening?"

     It turns out; the ring belonged to Drew Weber, a New York businessman who also owns the Lowell Spinners-a thriving Red Sox Class-A minor league team in Massachusetts. Weber dined at the restaurant earlier in the evening. Big league teams often reward executives throughout their organization with World Series rings. My friend Betsy has one from when the Yankees beat the Phillies back in 2009. The Red Sox have not put a value on these pieces of jewelry, bit the rings presented for winning the 2004 World Series was worth about $30,000. 

     Weber said that this was the first time he'd worn the ring outside. He says, "I went looking around my apartment and started having palpitations. Sweat was pouring off my forehead. I'm looking at my finger and it's not there." Yeah, I think I might have an anxiety attack too if I lost a ring like that somewhere. Hoping against hope, Weber called Luke's after midnight and Militello answered the phone and relieved Weber telling him he had the ring. Militello said, "But this being Yankees-Red Sox, I started razzing him. I told him he wasn't getting it so easily. I was playing with him a lot." Weber answered, "Who am I dealing with?"

     Weber and Militello quickly put their rooting interests aside, met the next day at the restaurant, the ring was returned to its rightful owner, and the two spent 25 minutes talking baseball. Militello insistently would not accept any cash reward for finding the ring. He did, however, try to persuade Weber to call into a local sports radio show and disparage the Red Sox, but Weber was having none of that. Instead, Weber and the Red Sox have invited Militello to make his first trip to Fenway Park for the regular season finale on September 28, which is also scheduled to be the final game for retiring Yankees superstar Derek Jeter. Now, that it better than any reward and Militello would agree. When he asked Weber if he could wear any of his Yankees paraphernalia, Weber said that he couldn't answer that question. Weber is also making a contribution to a charity of Militello's choice and he chose a charity that helps relief efforts for Superstorm Sandy's damage on Fire Island. 

     I have to admit, even as a Yankee fan, who might not have given back the ring, this was a pretty great story. I might be the A-Hole, but I'd be the A-Hole with a World Series ring on my finger. It would have been Weber's loss for leaving it on the sink. Why would you take off an expensive piece of jewelry like that and leave it on the sink of a NYC restaurant of all places. You might as well leave your wallet there too. He's lucky an honest man picked it up and was honest enough to give it back. If I found it, he might not have been so lucky. Then again, Derek Jeter's last game does seem appetizing. 

WHAT DOES DEREK JETER AND TEMPUR-PEDIC BANANA HAMMOCKS HAVE IN COMMON?

     Move over Victoria! It looks like Captain Clutch has an even bigger "secret" and it's not women's lingerie. It turns out, future Yankees legend, Derek Jeter has his retirement plan in place and it includes becoming an underwear mogul, according to Page Six in the New York Post. "D.J.", as us Yankees fans like to call him, is apparently a secret co-owner of Frigo RevolutionWear, a customized men's underwear that has been branded as the "Tempur-Pedic banana hammock." These high-tech undies go for about $100 a pair and include a "soft lock adjustment system" plus a "patented pouch" which is being dubbed as the "Frigo Zone." Do I really need to tell you where this Frigo Zone is located? Let's just say it's where your bat and balls are stored. 

Photo by William Perlman

     D.J. has endorsed these expensive undies in the past, but his reps have been trying to keep it under wraps that he's even an investor in the top-shelf drawers. Apparently, the Yankees are concerned that Jete will become the next Jim Palmer. For those of you who are too young to even remember, Jim Palmer was a Hall of Fame  pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles, who was the spokesperson for Jockey underwear, where he became the face of the company appearing in print and TV ads and a even a billboard in Times Square wearing tight bikini briefs of every stripe back in the 1970s. In other words, he kind of became the laughing stock of the league, which I'm sure the Yankees are looking to avoid since this is Jeter's final season. Then again, I'm sure Jim Palmer got a lot of tail after that ad. Not that D.J. ever had a problem in that area. 

     Jeter is unlikely to appear in any ads as he told Page Six himself last year at a bash for a Frigo pop-up store, "It'd be too embarrassing." Jete allegedly attended the event because he's pals with Frigo CEO Mathis Ingvarsson, who Page Six recently found out has the same stake in the company as the Yankee captain. Ingvarsson explains the product as "It separates your genitals from the rest of your body. It lifts a little bit so guys feel the comfort." I don't know about you, bit I don't really want to separate my genitals from the rest of my body. The products marketing materials further explain the expensive undergarments: "Unlike other garments that keep things in place by compressing your package inward, Frigo provides support from behind so you won't feel constricted." 

     Jete has apparently been spotted wearing Frigo-branded outerwear, and has offered his endorsement without ever letting people know that he has ownership stake in the company. Jete's not alone when it comes to celebs having stakes in this company. Newly re-signed New York Knick Carmelo Anthony has some stake and so does entrepreneurial rapper 50 Cent, who doesn't know how to throw a baseball. Anyway, so what Jete is part owner in this company? Who's to say that he can't have a life outside of baseball. As far as a retirement plan after baseball this year, this might not be a horrible move for him. I have to admit; now, even I'm a little curious to try these undies on for size. Come on! Tell me you're not thinking it......

YOU SNOOZE, YOU LOSE!

     Originally, I was going to write about how Target Field in Minnesota unveiled the first ever self-serve beer stand at their stadium, but this story, which I saw yesterday, pissed me off so much, that I need to vent about it. Then again, maybe I shouldn't poke fun at this chump since he seems to be suing people who make fun of him sleeping at a baseball game! Don't get me wrong. I know that baseball isn't the most exciting sport to watch at times like football and hockey are with it's non-stop action. But to fall asleep at a Yankees/Red Sox game? You deserved to be mocked and ridiculed on national TV. You literally fell asleep during baseball's biggest rivalry. Who does that? Why go to the game? Stay home and let someone who will enjoy the game have your seat!

     Anyway, Sleepy Dwarf, Andrew Rector has filed a $10 million dollar defamation suit against the New York Yankees, ESPN, it's play-by-play announcer Dan Shulman and the colorful John Kruk, who he claims unleashed an "avalanche of disparaging words" over his nationally televised nap. Wait a minute! How is it everyone else's fault that you fell asleep on national TV? If it's one thing that I hate more than anything, it's when people make their problems, your problem without taking any blame themselves. That's Andrew Rector. You fell asleep, pal! The Yankees, ESPN, Dan Shulman or John Kruk didn't make you fall asleep in front of 50,000 people. You fell asleep and now you're embarrassed about it. Too bad! 

     Rector admitted in the Bronx Supreme Court suit that he "briefly slept" during the April 13 night game between the Yankees and Red Sox, but Rector's typo-ridden suit says that Shulman and Kruk's "false statements" include suggestion Rector is "not worthy" to be a Yankee fan and "is a fatty cow that needs two seats at all time and represent the symbol of failure." The statement also said that Rector was made out to be "a confused individual that neither understands nor knows anything about history and the meaning of rivalry between Red Sox and New York Yankees." Um, yeah. I watched the video footage and didn't hear any of that. They made fun of the fact that he fell asleep in the fourth inning and how his friend was paying more attention to the game than him. No one called him fat or a symbol of failure. Regardless, the used-car dealer claims to have suffered "substantial injury" to his "character and reputation" as well as "mental anguish loss of future income and loss of earning capacity." His filing on July 3 also names Major League Baseball as a defendant. 

     Now, it's my turn to say something to Andrew Rector...You're an asshole! You fell asleep at a Yankees/Red Sox game and your making it everyone else's problem. You're wasting the court's time, the Yankees time, and ESPN's time. They didn't defame your character. You defamed your character because you fell asleep at a ballgame. Last I checked, that it public domain. You call asleep there, then you deserve to be mocked. Dan Shulman and John Kruk didn't say anything about you that the person next to you or behind you wasn't saying. Sorry you're feelings were hurt, but I fail to believe that it cost you any loss of future income because you were probably a hack used-car salesman anyway. I hope that the court is smart enough to see through this and that you're just looking for a quick pay day! Like I said, you're just an asshole looking to make your problems everyone else's! At the end of the day, you just have to remember, you snooze, you lose!

Take a look at the ESPN footage and let me know what you think: 

YANKEES 2012: A TEAM OF EXCUSES

By the looks of this week's results, it seems many of you really like reading about sex and marijuana! Now, normally, I don't like to write about my favorite sports teams in my blog because any opinion that I will have will be biased, which is another reason why I don't include politics in my blog either. I want everyone to come here to get pissed off or for a good laugh or sometimes maybe even a tearjerker. Anyway, anyone who knows me knows that I am a diehard Yankees fan, and have been since as long as I can remember. I was never a bandwagon like most of you out there. I still rooted for my Yankees in the 80s when they were horrendous. My favorite player was Dave Winfield, but I also appreciated Donnie Baseball and watching guys like Graig Nettles, Chris Chambliss, and Bobby Murcer play. I used love watching Louisiana Lightning, Ron Guidry pitch while Goose Gossage got a ride in from the Dodge Bullpen car. Those of you who are bandwagon fans won't remember any of these guys or these moments because you only started rooting for the team when they became the Great New York Yankees again. You never suffered like I did, and if you did, then being swept by the Tigers and getting knocked out of the playoffs by them should be no surprise. 

With that being said, now that you know where I stand as a Yankees fan, I picked up the Daily News today only to read a headline that read "Yankees Player Says Team Was Rocked by Booing During Game 2 of ALCS." WHAT? The paper didn't release who made this statement, but whoever said it needs to be traded out of New York! This is the New York F**king Yankees! Don't they listen to the parting song after every home game? If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere? It's no secret that we Yankees fans will turn on you at the drop of a hat if you're not performing to our liking! Does it mean we will cause physical harm to you? No! It means we are just expressing our disgust with your performance. The second you do something big for the team, all is forgotten. It happens all around in sports. It just so happens that New Yorkers are much more vocal and much harsher about it. 

 Here was the problem, and I've said it on Facebook many times over the past few weeks, this year's Yankees were just going through the motions to get to the World Series. They were playing with absolutely NO heart whatsoever! During the ALDS, I seriously wanted to punch Nick Swisher in the face for smiling after he grounded into a double play with bases loaded. How is that funny? Where's Paul O'Neill when you need him? Punch a water cooler or something! Show us that you want to be there and that you deserve to be there! Everyone was putting the blame on A-Rod, who definitely wasn't hitting his way out of a paper bag, but he's one of nine players. How come nobody got on Swisher's case? Or Curtis Granderson? Or Robbie Cano? Or Russell Martin? Or Mark Teixeira? How about the .185 batting average the team posted on in the post season? Up until Game 4 in Detroit, the Yankees pitching staff had been stellar, so that was obviously not their problem. The Yankees did suffer a big blow when the heart and soul of the team, Derek Jeter went down with a broken ankle in Game 1, but again, he's one person! If anything, like someone said to me on Facebook, the team should have rallied around Jeter and won the damn thing for him. Instead, they just folded like an accordion.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that yes I am disappointed that the Yankees are out, but the only ones to blame are the New York Yankees. They can't point fingers at the “boos” they received for poor performance. If you can't take the heat, then get the f**k out of the kitchen! You can't only blame A-Rod on your post season woes, though it's been consistent for him except for when he was with Kate Hudson in 2009 (hmmmm....). There were other players this season that hit just as well as A-Rod did. Getting knocked out of the post season was a team effort and not a finger pointing on one person. The pitching was great, but there were no runs to support those great performances. I have to admit the only player that showed any heart at all was Raul Ibanez and at first, I hated the fact that they went out and got him, but once again, he was one player. I just want to beg the Steinbrenners, Brian Cashman, and Joe Girardi to please put some heart back into this team in the off season and stop pointing fingers! It's not the fans' fault and the blame shouldn't fall on one player! I know I'll catch a lot of flack for this blog from my fellow Yankees fans, but this is MY blog and MY opinion! Plus, I needed to vent after the Yankees pathetic performance in the post season, but as a diehard Yankees fan, sometimes you're just conditioned for disappointment.

A GIANTS FAN WHO WANTED BRANDON JACOBS BACK THIS BAD....

Every day, I write about some news story that really irks me in some way or another because I think as a society, we are some pretty stupid people. Then today, I read this story about 6-year-old Joey Armento, and I feel that there is still hope for us yet! I also chose to write about this because many of you might not even get to see this story in the newspaper because it might be overshadowed by nonsensical stories like Hannah Montana getting engaged or something like that. By the way, as I write this, everyone has to know that I am in no way a New York Giants fan, by any means, but I felt where this kid was coming from because when the Yankees parted ways with Dave Winfield when I was a kid, I wish I would've had the courage to do what little Joey did.

So, here's what happened; everyone who follows football knows that superstar tailback Brandon Jacobs parted ways with the New York Giants this off-season after the Giants won the Super Bowl, and he signed with the San Francisco 49ers. One New York Giants fan was so upset about the defection that he opened his own wallet, or piggy bank, to try and get Brandon back. Little Joey Armento asked his mother why Brandon left the team, and she explained that the Giants did not have enough money to keep him. So, 6-year-old Joey decided to write Jacobs a letter, with a little help from his mom, Julie, and enclosed $3.36, which was everything in his piggy bank! How can you not love this kid? The letter read, "Dear Brandon Jacobs, So you could go to the Giants, here is my money. Love, Joe."

Brandon Jacobs was so captivated by the gesture that he Tweeted a picture of the letter and the sandwich bag that held the cash. He asked followers to 'read this note and tell me what u think." The usually intimidating running back then tweeted, "I almost cried. I'm still holding it in. I may have to pay him a surprise visit." Jacobs also promised in a later Tweet that he would repay the youngster, but not the exact money that he sent. Apparently, he's keeping that as a sentimental reminder of his fans in New York.

At around 1 a.m. EST this morning, Jacobs then Tweeted a promise to take his own 5-year-old son and little Joey on a trip to Chuck E. Cheese to make up for his departure from Big Blue. Like, I said, I'm not a fan of the Giants, but you have to love this story and the fact that Brandon Jacobs is going to show his appreciation for it, shows that he's really a class act. When I was younger, whenever my favorite players left my favorite team, I was sad for months or maybe even the whole season. I never would've thought to do something like this. I even stopped watching the Knicks when Patrick Ewing left the team, I was that heartbroken. Then I started to understand the greed of some of these ball players, and my love for just one player just ended. Now, I just root for the teams as a whole, but I don't think I can afford to do what little Joey did for a whole team. I love what he did, though!

You can actually Tweet Brandon Jacobs via Twitter @gatorboy45.

WHAM-BAM-THANK YOU-DEREK JETER?

I saw this story, and just could not stop laughing. On the baseball field, Yankees legendary shortstop, Derek Jeter is as classy as they come. He's an amazing baseball player, and he is known for giving back to his community with all of the charities he works with. Well, it seems those charities also include those who benefit in his bedroom.

Jeter, who might be one of New York's most eligible bachelors since splitting up with actress and long-time girlfriend, Minka Kelly, has been bedding a bevy of beauties in his Trump World Tower bachelor pad. That doesn't sound so bad, right? Well, here's the funny part; once Jeter is done getting his groove on, he coldly, sends these women home alone with gift baskets of autographed memorabilia. How did Jete's classy move come to light? It turns out, he mistakenly pulled the same stunt twice on the same woman. A woman who had actually been an earlier conquest.

According to one friend, Jeter usually has the girls stay with him in his New York City apartment, and then he would get them a car to take home the next day. Waiting in the car would be a gift basket containing signed memorabilia from Jeter, which was usually a signed baseball.

Derek Jeter is the type of ball player who likes to keep his private life private. He doesn't go out much, and in fact, keeps his partying to a minimum, by having small parties at his apartment for a small circle of friends. He rarely goes out with girls. He chooses to have them come to his house instead for quiet dinners. When Jeter does take his female companions out, he'll take them to some hole in the wall bars that his friends own, and then he and the girl would head back to his apartment for some heavy hitting! The girls who visit Jeter usually come through the back-door entrance of Trump World Tour to avoid paparazzi.

Though, Jete's parting gifts might seem like a cold gesture, I guarantee those autographed baseballs are selling like hot cakes on eBay right now! In fact, if you look, they're probably going for a few thousand dollars. Does that make these women hookers since they're technically getting sort of a payment for sleeping with the shortstop? I'll tell you what; at least Christian Lopez didn't have to sleep with Jeter to get his Jeter memorabilia. He just had to catch his historic 3000th hit. How can you not love this story?

DAMN YANKEES DISAPPOINT AGAIN THIS YEAR!!!

Once again, I really wanted to blog about my rip-off trip to Cancun, Mexico today, but last night's Yankees Game 5 loss to the Tigers really pissed me off! For the past week, I was living it up in Cancun missing the majority of the baseball post season because of the lack of Internet accessibility. Well, we made it home to see a 'do-or-die' Game 5, which I was pretty excited about. I thought that the Yankees had this one in the bag. Their rookie pitching sensation Ivan Nova pitching against the Tiger's Doug Fister, and the Yankees coming off of a 10-1 Game 4 onslaught in Detroit? The stage was set for a huge Yankee win. It was a familiar feeling as I sat down in front of the TV to watch the game. Unfortunately, that familiar feeling that I had was of the same old Yankees in the playoffs; from getting runners on base and not driving them in to not delivering the big hit in an elimination game atmosphere. The last time we actually saw that was Aaron Boone's walk-off home run in Game 7 against the Red Sox in 2003.

The Yankees got into trouble early in the first inning when Ivan Nova gave up back to back home runs to Don Kelly and Delmon Young, but as most Yankee fans know, a two-run lead is not nearly enough to hold this potent Yankee offense down, but when Tigers pitcher Doug Fister decided that he wanted to pitch like Tiger ace Justin Verlander on this night, two runs WAS more than enough. Yankee manager Joe Girardi pulled Ivan Nova in the second inning due to a muscle tightening, forcing Girardi to go to the bullpen early, but did he really have to treat it like a little league team where he tried to put in every pitcher that he had in the bullpen? I guess at the end of the day, Girardi's bullpen was not the problem, as they were lights out. It was the Yankees offense that killed them! I mean, the Yankees had bases loaded twice in this game with one out, and they could not drive in the big runs. How can their high paid slugger, Alex Rodriguez, strike out with bases loaded? I'll tell you how! Besides A-Rod's history in the post season going 0 for baseball every year, the guy missed half of the season due to injuries. How about keeping him off of the post season roster this year and go with what got you there? Maybe using Eduardo Nunez or Eric Chavez at third? I bet they would've helped out offensively better than a gimpy A-Rod!

Then there was Nick Swisher, who also struck out with the bases loaded, and hit only .211 in this post season. That's probably the best he's hit in the playoffs since becoming a Yankee. The Yankees offense was absolutely horrendous, and I knew after three innings that this Yankees team was not winning this game. When I was on facebook last night, many of my fellow Yankees fans were trying to stay optimistic saying things like, "don't worry, they'll rally back!" or "the umps were making some bad balls and strikes calls." The bottom line is that the Yankees as a team were not getting good swings against this Tigers pitching staff. You can tell right away, there would be no rally in the future, and there might have been some blown balls and strikes calls, but there were also a lot of pitches right down the middle that weren't even swung at. You have to swing the bat to get the hits! The almost 'sigh of relief' came when Captain Clutch, Derek Jeter came up in the eighth inning and almost hit a two-run homer to put the Yankees ahead by a run, but that ball came up short of the wall to end the inning! Oh, where were you Jeffrey Maier when we needed you? Once again, our Yankees have let us down!

Big changes are coming, but what are they? Is Brian Cashman stepping down? Did Yankee lifer, Jorge Posada play his last game in pinstripes? Will CC Sabathia opt out of his contract and play elsewhere? What will this team look like next year? I really thought we would see a Yankees and Phillies rematch, the way the two teams had been playing all year. All I have to say is, "Let's Go Cardinals!"

Troy Davis, Mark Suckerberg, and The New York Yankees!

There were actually 3 Big News Stories that caught my eye yesterday. Some of you might not agree with their importance, but this is 'my' blog and are you really here for actual news anyway? You're reading this because it's entertaining, informative, and real! I'm not in the business of beating around the bush, plus I'm writing this to entertain you, the blog reader, and by the way, please feel free to comment on any of these blogs past, present, or future, as I value all of your opinions!

So, back to my 3 Big News Stories. The first one consists of the Troy Davis case, which had the AP Newswire alerts on my phone ringing all day long. Were they going to execute this guy or weren't they going to execute him? Was he wrongfully accused?

For those, like me, who weren't really following this case, or could pretty much care less, Troy Davis was convicted of murdering off-duty police officer, Mark MacPhail, in Savannah, Georgia, back on August 19, 1989.

Apparently, the off-duty officer was working as a security guard at a Burger King restaurant when he intervened to defend a man being assaulted in a nearby parking lot when he was shot and killed. During Davis's trial back in 1991, witnesses claimed to have seen Davis fire the shots at MacPhail, while two other witnesses testified that Davis confessed to them about the murder. Although, the murder weapon was never recovered, Davis convicted of murder and sentenced to death in August of 1991.

In giving you the Cliff Notes version of this case and fast forwarding 20 years, Davis escaped his fate on numerous occasions appealing the decision and having the execution dates pushed back in 2007 and twice in 2008. Apparently, a few of the witnesses recanted their testimonies and evidence was still not found to prove that Davis had even done this shooting. Prosecutors argued that it was too late to recant or present evidence. Well, just yesterday, Troy Davis was scheduled to be executed and once his supporters started to spread the word of his possible innocence through social media sites, protests all over the country began showing up to stop Davis's execution. When the witching our came, and Davis had not been executed, the protester cheered thinking they had won, but in actuality, the Supreme Court just delayed their decision as they mulled it over, and late last night, their decision became final and Troy Davis was put to death. Now, was he wrongfully accused? Was justice served? Did it really need to take 22 years to figure out if he should've been executed or not? Why couldn't the justice system just let this guy rot in prison with a life sentence rather than kill him if they weren't really sure he committed murder? I guess we'll never know, but I'm sure the family of Mark MacPhail feel that justice has been served, though Davis's execution still won't bring back their son and husband.

Big News Story Number 2 that caught my attention was the hatred of the new Facebook layout. I thought that it was hilarious how many people hated the new 'newsfeed' feature on the right side of your computer screen. I mean, when I first signed on yesterday, I thought that my eyes were playing tricks on me when the screen moved down, but it was just new statuses being piled on top of old statuses. Did we really need this? Or are Facebook users just disliking change? Trust me, I've been using Facebook from the very beginning and it's gone through many changes through the years. Maybe that's why I thought nothing of the new changes. I mean, it doesn't really make anything more difficult. The layout is just a little bit weirder to look at, but like everything else Mark Suckerberg does, I'm sure everything will turn out fine. As long as it doesn't follow down the road of a myspace, which by the way, also went through many changes and no one uses anymore. That might be something to think about, Suckerberg! No one likes change! Keep it simple enough for people to keep liking and using your product!

And Big News Story Number 3! My favorite sports team in the world since I was like 4-years-old, the New York Yankees clinced their 17th American League East title yesterday with a day/ night doubleheader sweep of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. After the day game, the Yankees had only clinched a playoff berth, but the combination of winning the evening game to sweep the doubleheader and our foes in Boston losing to the Baltimore Orioles (thank you, Buck Showalter), the Yankees captured the American League East title. The Red Sox aren't out of the picture just yet. They still lead the wild card race as they pull into Yankee Stadium for a weekend series, where the Yankees actually have an opportunity to put them out the playoff picture for good! This is just the first step towards number 28! Let's Go Yankees!!!