Gordon Edes from the Boston Globe is doing the blogging for Extra Bases today while Amalie Benjamin is off on a special assignment. He shared an email he got from a reader, which is absolutely hysterical.

Geez who ever okayed you to write about a ball game — wiasted their time> I certainly wouk ldn”t “but ” a boston globe for your wriong aint worth the newspaper price .. F quoting words u used today__flat tire–nascar —Iwoukdnt read further –it weas pooer -stupid writing a waiste of my time!!!

get a few examples of good wroting –read other writers marratives —& oldies pre war or of the 40″s To 50″&60″s

According to a Quinnipiac University Poll, over 43% of the people they surveyed in Connecticut are New York Yankees fans. Red Sox fans account for 37% and sorry Mets fans, you only make up 10% of the people surveyed.

The survey was conducted in Connecticut from May 2 to May 7 and 1,653 adults participated. The results are different geographically in Connecticut based on the proximity to New York.

In Fairfield County, Yankees fans account for 53%, Mets fans 24% and Red Sox fans just 11%. In New Haven County, where I currently reside, 49% surveyed are Yankees fans, 31% are Sox fans, and just 10% are Mets fans (Sorry Christa). Middlesex County is also included in those numbers as well.

When you head up to Hartford County, which is closer to Central Massachusetts, 52% are Red Sox fans, 36% are Yankees fans, and just 3% are Mets fans. In Tolland, Windham and New London counties, all which are close to Massachusetts and Rhode Island, 65% are Red Sox fans, 27% are Yankees fans and just 2% are Mets fans (Sorry Steve Cline).

Major League Baseball announced on Monday that it was moving the start of the World Series to a weekday night instead of the normal weekend start. Instead, the World Series will now start on Wednesday October 24th.

The main reason for this is because the ratings have been down in the past years. I guess this really means advertising revenues were down since ratings were low.

“Major League Baseball is pleased to make these amendments to the postseason schedule,” said MLB President & Chief Operating Officer Bob DuPuy. “Starting the World Series in the middle of the week, when television viewership is historically higher, will provide more fans with the opportunity to watch the games. The additional off-days throughout the postseason will give us greater flexibility to facilitate travel and protect against poor weather.”

Here is a link to the full press release and if you click on the more button, you can see the TV schedule.

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It seems as though I’ve had a famous visitor come over to SOX & Dawgs today.

If you look at line #53, it comes from Curt Schilling’s blog administration page. Just thought I’d share that with everyone.

It’s kind of funny. After reading Schilling’s latest blog entry about his start against the Orioles on Saturday afternoon, I got to thinking. This was the first time that Schilling faced a team he has already pitched against this season. Well, it seems I wasn’t the only one who had this same idea. Steve Buckley, a columnist at the Boston Herald, penned an article about this that will be in today’s Herald.

Schilling all but dismissed this idea.

“There’s nothing in there that’s going to help them,” said Schilling. “I don’t even know what I’m going to throw in my next start.”

After thinking about it a little, I don’t see how the blog would help them. It details his pitch sequences to a particular hitter but in this day and age of video, a hitter would be able to see on the video what was being thrown.

So I guess in writing this post, I have contradicted my whole premise of why I was writing it. Oh well, you can’t win them all.

Lizzy at Babes Love Baseball tells us what she thinks of Roger Clemens.

Anthony over at the Oriole Post has one for the idiot file that happened right in front of him at an O’s game this week.

Jason at My Baseball Bias tells us why Roy Halladay went to the DL.

J.D. at Sportech Matter wants you to know that Ricky Williams fell off the pot wagon.

Curt Schilling had a rough week off the field.

Deadspin has some video of Extreme Baseball.

The fine ladies at Ladies… tell you about some of baseball’s finer assets.

Kissing Suzy Kolber has a good article on who Peyton Manning attended the Kentucky Derby with.

Oops. What I meant to say is let Taco Bell help you propose to your special someone. Although if you win the Grand Prize, you get $500 Taco Bell Bucks which you could use to cater your wedding.

In all seriousness, Taco Bell is giving you a chance to propose on a nationally televised FOX game on 7/7/07. All you have to do is head over to TacoBell.com and click on the 7 Layers of Love button to tell your seven reasons why the person would be lucky enough to marry you.

One Grand Prize Winner will be able to propose marriage, using virtual signage behind home plate, during a nationally televised Major League Baseball game on FOX on 7/7/07 (weather permitting and subject to scheduling) and one year’s supply of Taco Bell food (awarded in the form of $500 in Taco Bell Bucks). Six Runners-Up will each receive a year’s supply of Taco Bell food.

So if your thinking of proposing, get your ass over to TacoBell.com and tell your story.To see the press release click the more button.

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I am sure there are a few people reading this who are asking themselves, “Who is Larry Doby?”. So I will answer that for you.

While Jackie Robinson was the first in all of baseball as we all know to break the color barrier, Doby broke it in the American League on July 5, 1947 when he made his debut just two days after being signed. He had been playing for the Newark Eagles of the Negro League.

With Robinson’s 60th anniversary being honored this season, the Cleveland Indians asked Bud Selig and MLB for permission to wear Doby’s number 14 to honor the late great legend, whose 60th anniversary is also this year. MLB and Bud obliged. Each member of the team (Indians) will wear it.

Because the Indians will be on the road on July 5th, they have decided to honor Doby on August 10th during Cleveland’s Hall of Fame/Heritage Weekend. The festivities will include Andre Thornton, former UCONN great Charles Nagy, Jim Bagby Sr, and Mike Garcia being enshrined into Heritage Park. Also, Larry Doby, Jr. will be throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

Heritage Park is the new home of the Indians Hall of Fame and is located out in centerfield.

“We need to let everybody know he was the first black player in the American League,” C.C. Sabathia said. “Not taking anything away from Jackie Robinson, because he changed the world. But Larry Doby deserves recognition, too.”

“He was in the same boat,” Josh Barfield said of Doby. “He had to go through all the things Jackie Robinson had to go through. It’s a shame he doesn’t get the same recognition. The average fan hasn’t heard of him before.”

“He meant a great deal to Major League Baseball and a great deal to the Indians’ organization,” Eric Wedge said. “It’s historic, in terms of what he means to baseball. I think there can only be one first. But Larry had another first because it was the American League. As years have gone by, I think Larry’s been recognized more and more, and that’s the way it should be.”

Each individual jersey will be signed and auctioned off. The proceeds of the auction will go towards the Larry Doby RBI Program, and the Larry Doby Cleveland State University Baseball Scholarship Fund.

Just another class move by the Indians and Major League Baseball for honoring a great legend who often is forgotten.

I am watching the Red Sox right now and besides the fact that Mike Lowell just hit a 3 run homer for his third in three days, you have to check out this headline from Nick Cafardo from the Boston Globe. It’s so good that I’ll excuse his spelling error of Roy Halladay’s name.

I got to thinking after this whole Roger Clemens ordeal about who could possibly be the next “Roger Clemens”. And I don’t mean as a great pitcher but as the biggest mercenary in sports. Logically, I can really come up with one person.

Curt Schilling.

I know this whole idea may piss some people off but hear me out on this. I have absolutely nothing against Schilling. I have the utmost respect for him and everything he means to his family, the Red Sox, and others. His blog, 38 Pitches, really has transcended how athletes deal with the media. And that even gives me more respect for him.

My reasoning has to do more with his contract situation right now. Schil is a free agent after the season and if he keeps pitching as well as he is, he might command a lot on the free agent market. But what’s to say that he might want to take a few months off at the start of the season. It would give him time to be with his family and also spend time at 38 Studios.

The Red Sox have already stated that they won’t talk with him until the season is over and he has said he would test the free agent market.

So why couldn’t he be the next Clemens?

As much as he doesn’t want to be in the media spotlight but yet is all the time, what better way than to be the next mercenary.

Just a note to add. This is more of a hypothetical question than anything. I really hope Schilling finishes his Hall of Fame career in a Red Sox uniform.