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Here it goes:

1. Joba is Pedro: It says here that Joba Chamberlain is going to make the Red Sox-Yankees matchup will remain “the” force in baseball. He not only is one of the most talented in the game, but he’s nuts. We saw that last night when he, despite having pin-point control the entire six-plus innings he pitched, threw a ball at Jason Bay’s back. Bay, you probably remember, hit a monsterous 3-run homer off Joba in the first inning. Before we start claiming foul, we must remember the way Pedro Martinez plunked Yankees in the late 1990s through 2004. The point is both are as competitive as you can get, crossing the line at times. I can only imagine what would have happened if Kevin Youkilis had played (he sat out with minor injury near hip). He would have hit him again. Stay tuned here. This is going to be a 10-year classic.

2. Favre simply isn’t that good: In the past, I have written that a few athletes should cash in their chips. I’ve thought about that and wondered why I should be telling people when to hang it up. Let them decide. That being said, I will say this about Brett Favre, who most definitely will return with the Minnesota Vikings for next season. He is not that good. Favre’s decision to join the Jets last year was an interesting one. I give him credit for picking the correct team. The Jets were supposed to be decent, with or without Chad Pennington. Well, the Jets were better than that and in position to win the AFC East and be a Super Bowl contender. They beat the Patriots in Foxboro on a Sunday night and the next week they beat the undefeated Tennessee Titans. But, because of Favre, they died a quick Super-Bowl-contender death. The Jets lost four of their last five games with Favre throwing for 2 TDs and 9 ints. He blew it. So the Vikings would be best suited to look elsewhere for a “franchise” quarterback. It’s not Favre. Not anymore.

3. LeBron was MVP: There is no debate. LeBron James is a special player, in the realm of Michael Jordan. All you have to do is look at his team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. They are a good team, outside of him. But let’s be honest there really isn’t a No. 2 or No. 3 like the Celtics have. He still has a ways to go to be Jordan’s equal, with championship rings leading the way. James also needs to be a more consistent outside shooter. But that being said, he is the greatest athlete in the world, maybe ever. I’ve never seen an athlete that big and that strong and that agile. He’s also a winner.

Here’s a story that ran in the Eagle-Tribune on Saturday, not in its entirety, on former Red Sox homeplate stealer Billy Hatcher.
I called Hatcher while he was in the Reds clubhouse — he is first base coach — and asked him about the Jacoby Ellsbury steal last Sunday night and his reaction.
He was great.
Anyway, here is the story:

Bill Burt

Cincinnati Reds first base coach Billy Hatcher was home relaxing in bed last Sunday night, watching the Red Sox-Yankees telecast on ESPN, several hours after the Reds beat up the Braves, 8-2.
When he saw Red Sox baserunner Jacoby Ellsbury break for home plate, as Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte was beginning his windup, he shot up.
“I said, ‘No he isn’t! No he isn’t!,’ ” said the 48-year-old Hatcher. “I knew he was going to make it. I knew it. I got chills. My wife Karen was in the other room when it happened. I called her to come in and watch it.”
Hatcher was, of course, referring to Ellsbury’s succesful steal of home in the fifth inning of the Red Sox 4-1 win, which was the talk of baseball last weekend.
It also brought Hatcher’s name to the forefront again.
He not only was the last Red Sox player to make a straight steal of home — April 22, 1994 — but Hatcher did it twice. He also stole home on Aug. 3, 1992, less than a month after being traded to the Red Sox by the Reds.
Hatcher says the topic comes up every spring when he visits Fort Myers.
“The Red Sox fans are un believeable,” said Hatcher. “I get treated like a star. I take pictures with fans. They say they remember me stealing home. I really like it. It always makes me feel good.”
As do the memories of the steals home, the only two of his major league career.
Hatchers says he remembers both of them distinctly.
“The first one was against Juan Guzman and the Blue Jays,” he recalled. “Mo Vaughn was up at the plate. I was on third. Guzman was pitching from the windup and I noticed he didn’t look at me the first two pitches. I think I took off on the third pitch. I started running. I had a great jump. And I just started yelling, ‘Mo! Mo! Don’t hit it!’ I think I surprised him. He just looked at me and froze, and I made it.”
The Red Sox won easily, 7-1, that day.
The next one was a little more eventful. Hatcher was on third and the Sox were losing 5-4 to the Angels with two outs in the seventh inning.
Left-hander Chuck Finley was on the mound.
“Tom Brunansky was hitting,” recalled Hatcher. “The thing about Chuck was when he was in his windup he took a long time to deliver the ball. That was something I always had in the back of my head. I remember peeking at him on the first pitch, seeing how far I could get off, and he never looked over at me. On the second pitch, I just took off as soon as he rocked back. I yelled like hell to Tom, too. He said he heard me and didn’t swing.”
Hatcher’s steal tied the game, 5-5, setting up Vaughn’s walk-off single to win it in the ninth inning.
“That’s the best part, like Jacoby’s steal,” said Hatcher. “They led to a win. That makes it feel extra special.”
The fact that Fenway Park demanded curtain calls each time probably helped him remember.
“Both times the fans gave a standing ovation and came out of the dugout and gave them a wave,” said Hatcher. “I saw the fans do that for Jacoby, too. Those were two special moments in my career.”
While Hatcher was by no means a star (a lifetime .265 hitter, 55 HRs), he did have a flair for the dramatic over his 12-year career, spanning seven clubs.
In the 1986 NLCS, with Hatcher’s Astros trailing 4-3 in the 14th inning, he hit a dramatic home run against famed Mets closer Jesse Orosco to tie the score. The Mets eventually won 7-6 in 16 innings.
In the 1990 World Series, Hatcher hit .750 (9-for-12, 6 runs, 1 double, 1 triple), bettering Babe Ruth’s long-held record (1928) of .625, in the Red shocking sweep of the Oakland A’s. But the MVP trophy went to teammate and starting pitcher Jose Rijo, who allowed only one run over two victories.
“My greatest moment was winning the World Series,” said Hatcher. “But stealing home was near the top.”
Hatcher says people make such a big deal about stealing home because it rarely occurs. Before Ellsbury, Tampa Bay’s BJ Upton and Toronto’s Aaron Hill performed the feat in 2007. Tampa’s Carl Crawford and Anaheim’s Orlando Cabrera did it in 2006.
“Everything has to be perfect,” said Hatcher. “You have to have a pitcher who is really focused on the batter, that’s most important. So it helps if there is a good batter at the plate.”
Hatcher’s says stealing home has become a lost art, also, because most pitchers today throw from the stretch.
“As much as I’d love to see more guys steal home, if I was a pitching coach, I would have my pitchers throw from the stretch when runners are on base,” said Hatcher. “I wouldn’t want someone stealing home on me.”
Hatcher said he was thankful for Ellsbury bringing him back in the public eye for a few days. He also said it reminded him of his time in Boston.
“I was there three years and I can say it was one of the best places I ever played,” said Hatcher. “Even when you’re losing, those fans get you up. I heard heard a lot of bad things about Boston before I got there, but I never saw it. I will always hold a special place in my heart for Boston and the Red Sox.”
As for Ellsbury, he hopes the Sox centerfielder does it again some day.
“Everyone’s scouting report is going to say, ‘Watch for Ellsbury when he’s on third base because he might steal home.’ ” said Hatcher. “That happened to me. But there were be a time, maybe a few years from now, when everything is perfect. I hope he does it again. I love it.”

If you have any memories, bring them on …

Here are some notes about how the Sox have basically owned the league since April 15:

DURING THE STREAK
A look at where the Red Sox rank in the majors since the 8-game winning streak began in Oakland:
BATTING
BATTING AVERAGE
1 Red Sox .322
2 Dodgers .321
3 Cardinals .312
ON-BASE PERCENTAGE
1 Red Sox .412
2 Dodgers .407
3 Cardinals .398
SLUGGING PERCENTAGE
1 Red Sox .575
2 Cardinals .530
3 Blue Jays .515
RUNS PER GAME
1 Red Sox 7.50
2 Cardinals 7.25
3 Blue Jays 6.89
PITCHING
EARNED RUN AVERAGE
1 Giants 2.27
2 Blue Jays 2.72
3 Red Sox 2.75
OPPONENT BATTING AVG.
1 Blue Jays .196
2 Red Sox .217
3 Giants .229
OPPONENT OBP+SLG
1 Blue Jays .576
2 Red Sox .598
3 Giants .607
HOME RUNS ALLOWED
1 Red Sox 2
Giants 2
Mariners 2

****

Josh Beckett’s struggles against the Yankees continued, particularly against second baseman Robinson Cano.
Cano hit a two-run homer off a first-pitch curveball in the third inning.
For his career, Cano entered the game 10-for-30 (.333) against Beckett. Well, it’s now 11-for-32 (.344) with four career HRs. Beckett has only struck him out three times.
Comparitively speaking, Cano has only three hits in 17 at bats against Daisuke Matsuzaka for a .176 average. He also has struck out seven times against Dice-K.
Interesting …

Jason Bay crushed a two-run homer in the ninth to tie the game at four.

Mariano Rivera did not look sharp.

It’s in the top of the 11th at the moment. Four all.

The Sox are down 2-1 right now.

They’ve ht into four double plays, the last of which ended what could’ve been a promising rally. First and third, one out in the bottom of the fifth and boom, J.D. Drew goes 6-4-3. The Sox had six hits through five innings and one run.

Timely hits are needed. Now.