Morning Walk-thru - The difference between the Red Sox and Yankees in two pitches

A Rivalry Reduced...Yesterday Alex Rodriguez hit a walk-off, three run homer to beat the Indians. This was his second walk-off of the season. Nobody's hit two game winners that fast in the past five years since the all-time MLB legend Pat Burrell who had two in the first nine games in 2002.

Good for A-Rod, but Manny Ramirez also made his first dinger of the season momentous, hitting a two out, two-run homer to tie the Jays after a solid performance out of Doc Halladay. There was a key difference, however, and it involved the post contact celebration that says all you need to know about the Red Sox and Yankees.

(I wish these clips were on YouTube, but they're not, so you'll just have to bear with me.)

Rodgriguez hit his game winner and reacted like a little leaguer, tossing his bat and throwing his hands into the air in a "Do you love me now, New York?" gesture and then tossed his helmet between third and home and did the same thing before bouncing on home plate and getting all slap happy with his teammates. (Here's the post swing photo.)

Ramirez, on the other hand, did his usual "I'll just drop the bat here and walk a few steps" before breaking into a trot. That says, "I know this makes me look like a jerk, but it's not my fault. You really shouldn't thrown a pitch right there." This has always been my favorite post-home run theatric in the game. It's no longer good enough to simply "act like you've been there before."

Not with Manny around. You have to act like you do it every damn day. That's what "the walk" says, and A-Rod looked like he'd hit the first home run of his career.

What better way to lead in to the first Yankees-Sox series of the season?

UPDATE: Bob Ryan's thoughts on the rivalry in today's Boston Globe were particularly prescient.

Hate to credit the Sooners, but this is classy!...I grew up as a Nebraska fan knowing one thing: we hate Oklahoma. My first ever Husker game was the 1987 OU-NU battle and I fear that the rivalry is lost on kids weaned on the Big XII. That said, it pains me to admit that this is probably the best thing I'll see until college football actually starts in September (courtesy of the always amazing Wizard of Odds).

Former Sooner Billy Simms, a current partner in Billy Simms Barbecue, has painted the inside of his restaurant's toilets burnt orange and affixed them with a Texas Longhorns logo. That's what college football is all about. Ridiculousness camouflaged by regional pride.

I'd like to take issue with the fact that Simms has "Mini-Huskers" on his menu but I can't really do that considering OU dominated NU while he was there.

Nevertheless, I'd probably go there should I ever find myself in Oklahoma just to piss on Bevo.

Rich Hill has been extremely lucky thus far...I don't really believe that but I've been specifically asked not to mention Rich Hill's 3-0 start or his 0.64 ERA or 0.57 WHIP for fear of jinxing the lone bright spot for the Cubs and expediting the inevitable freak elbow tightness.

As a Cubs fan, that makes perfect sense.

Who's fantasy is this?...My fantasy Fruit Jar Drinkers have had a nightmarish week. Here are four players I've lost this week alone: Vladimir Guerrero, Alfonso Soriano, B.J. Ryan and Felix Hernandez.

God, this is fun.