New York Yankees

Get the headline? I know, I'm hilarious.

As for the idea that Alex Rodriguez could turn the Yankees season around, as a Red Sox fan, it's no laughing matter.

I don't care what he's done in the post-season, how many steroids he's taken over the years, or that he just had hip surgery.

He's still Alex Rodriguez.

Unlike Bucky "Bleeping" Dent or Aaron "Bleeping" Boone, A-Rod has done little to earn a swear as a middle name, but that's not to say he doesn't have time.

Sixteen years ago, I was living through a remarkable time in my life. I didn't have any gray hair yet, and my 30-foot jump shot still traveled 30 feet. Heck, back then, I could actually stoop to pick something up and then stand back up without help.

Ah, the good old days.

I had a camera store and photo studio, which I thoroughly enjoyed running, and had a string of some of the best part-time jobs you could find.

You probably remember him as being one of the league’s top pitching coaches on baseball’s last dynasty. Yet as marvelous a job he did, during the darkest years in New York Yankee’s history he was one of the league’s top hurlers.

In this great game of baseball we have nearly every imaginable stat at the tip of our finger so we can best determine a player’s worth. However, there are certain intangibles you could never measure statistically that go a long way from separating the mediocre players from the great.

Heart. Passion. Intensity.

Well, after the embarrassing sweep at the hands of the Red Sox two weekends ago up at Fenway Park, the Sawx travel down to the Bronx for their first games in the New Yankee Stadium.

In honor of this occasion tonight, I have come up with another edition of the Smoking With Hank Top Five, where we take a look at the top five moments between the Yankees and the Red Sox to take place at the Old Yankee Stadium. Enjoy!

According to Peter Abraham of the Journal News, the Yankees have called up 27-year-old right-handed pitcher Alfredo Aceves in place of Anthony Claggett, who was called up when the Yankees put Damaso Marte on the DL.

Amongst several other allegations regarding Alex Rodriguez, it has been reported that Alex has tipped pitches to opposing hitters. It was part of “slump busting,” to boost stats during times when Alex or other hitters were slumping.

Allegedly, it was always done late when the games were basically already decided and was done for the benefit of other middle infielders, who Alex thought would “return the favor” when he was going through a slump.

As an athlete and in most things I do, I consider myself to be a middle of the packer. An average hitter, with average speed (in my day of course) and an arm maybe slightly above average.

As a distance runner, the thoroughbreds win, the plow horses bring up the rear and I am at best a Clydesdale. And in football, the half back scored, the full back opened the holes and I was a situational back.

There is no questioning it, C.C Sabathia was unstoppable last year for the Brewers. Through 17 starts, he only gave up more than three runs once and threw seven complete games. He was by far the most dominating pitcher in baseball.

Mark Teixeira had a superb year last year. He was aggressive and highly productive for both the Braves and Angels, batting .308 with 33 homers and 121 RBI. He also boasted a superb on-base percentage of .410. He was right up there with the best offensive players in the league.

Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang has once again shot himself in the foot.

I mean this figuratively, of course, and am in no way insinuating another Plaxico Burress nightmare.