Today marks the second installment of Sox Fan vs. Yankees Fan. Noted blogger and Red Sox fan Jim Dawson comes back for more, matching wits with sports editor Terry Nau, who roots for the Yankees when he’s not working. Next week, sports writer Brendan McGair will represent the Sox point of view against an opponent from the Evil Empire.

Five questions for Jim Dawson:
1.) Is Daisuke going for the Cy Young this season?

 Of course, Terry-San, though Matsuzaka will have major competition from teammate Josh Beckett who should have won the Cy last year. Matsuzaka, like Beckett, will benefit from his second year with the Red Sox now having learned not to shake off the pitches called by Captain Jason Varitek. 

2.) Did the media bury Bill Buckner, as he claimed after his weep-a-thon on Tuesday? Or was it the fans?

It was both. Some fans made Billy Buck the scapegoat for the 1986 loss when in fact there were many others who shared in the defeat. Like John McNamara who usually replaced Buckner late in the game with Dave Stapleton. As my leftfielder Bob Smith once pointed out to me, Buckner's error occurred in the 10th inning. The Sox blew the lead in Game #7 too. There were many media members who wouldn't let Buckner forget his mistake. But Bill Buckner can go on with his life, head held high. Maybe after the next World Series Championship, the Sox can invite John McNamara back.    

3.) Are you sticking pins in a Yankee voodoo doll to injure Jeter and Posada before they can play at Fenway this season?

No but thanks for the idea. Posada (almost 37) and even Jeter (34 in June) are getting up there in years. Jeter won't be out long. Now Posada has a tired arm. The Royals stole 5 bases on him Tuesday. I thought only pitchers got tired arms. He never could throw out anybody anyway. That 4-year contract may be the next albatross for NY.

4.) Are the Orioles for real?

No and the Birds will come back to earth soon. They don't have the starting pitching, but they have a good bullpen now with the additions of Dan Wheeler (last year) and closer George Merrill, whom they got in the Erik Bedard deal. Merrill already has 4 saves. But the Orioles will plummet, shot down by their starting staff. 

5.) Is Bartolo Colon an injury waiting to happen, or does he just want to spend some time with Curt Schilling on the DL?

My understanding is that Bartolo pulled his oblique muscle leaning across the post-game buffet table. No more injuries are expected as manager Ron Johnson has been assigned to get Colon anything he wants from future post-game spreads. At least Bartolo didn't hurt his colon.
 

Jim's 5 Questions for Terry:

1.) Saturday's NY Times (4/5) did not have even one story about the Yankees. Is this because the Times picked the Red Sox to win the AL East and they don't consider the Yanks newsworthy any more?

You read the New York Times? That doesn’t quite fit the image I have of you. But to answer your question, the Times also owns The Boston Globe. From what I hear, last week’s decision not to write a word about the Yankees is the first step in a process to attract more readers. This summer, The Globe will write only about New York teams and The Times will write only about New England teams. As the Guinness commercial characters say … Brilliant!

2.) Since Joe Girardi is fiery, unlike the placid, even-tempered Joe Torre, will Girardi be able to handle the hammering from Hank Steinbrenner when the Yankees struggle?

I don’t even know if Girardi can handle the rain in Kansas City yet. He pulled a Gene Mauch on Wednesday night and wouldn’t start Ian Kennedy based on his reading of a weather radar map. Maybe Girardi is going to outwit everyone this season. Reminds me of Charlie Dressen, who once told his Dodgers to “keep the game close and I’ll think of something.”

3.) Did Joe Torre ever miss managing two games in a row for the Yankees because of an 'upper respiratory infection'?

No, but he missed the first few weeks of the 1999 season while recovering from surgery for prostate cancer. Don Zimmer held the fort. Girardi’s sidekick is Robbie Thompson, former Giants shortstop. Advantage, Torre.

4.) Baseball America lists MLB's Top 100 Prospects. The Red Sox have 7 (RHP Clay Buchholz, OF Jacoby Ellsbury, 1B Lars Anderson, RHP Justin Masterson, SS Jed Lowrie, RHP Michael Bowden and OF Ryan Kalish). The Yankees have only 4 (RHP Joba Chamberlain, OF Jose Tabata, OF Austin Jackson and RHP Ian Kennedy). Doesn't this mean that NY's farm system is more suspect than prospect?    

It means you should be spending more time at The Hot Club and less time on the Internet. Top 100 lists in baseball are even more suspect than the first three rounds of the NFL Draft.

5.) Supposedly the plan is for Joba Chamberlain to switch from set-up man to starter. This seems to be robbing Peter to pay Paul. Who bridges to Mariano Rivera if Chamberlain starts, since neither Kyle Farnsworth nor LaTroy Hawkins has been up to the task in the past?

Finally, an intelligent question! Goose Gossage addressed this issue earlier in the week in Kansas City when he stopped by the Royals’ park. Goose was great as a rookie reliever for the White Sox so they moved him into the rotation and he went 9-17. That was the only year he ever started and he made the HOF as a reliever. Goose said you keep Joba in the bullpen because he has the “mentality” to get outs late in a game. Those other two turkeys you mentioned look like deer trying to cross the road after dark down in South County.