End of Week Link Roundup

The Core Four has been re-nicknamed the "Sore Four" with all the injuries they've incurred recently (and Posada is still not back). The Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx is being blamed and many have lobbied for the Yankees to put Derek Jeter in a bubble. But Bubble Wrap saw a PR opportunity and sent Derek a lot of bubble wrap to protect himself--and Sports Illustrated provided the photo today (cover jinx guilt?). As you watch The Rivalry, here are the links of the week:

Bronx Bombers

• USA Today says that, on second thought, the New Yankee Stadium is less of a homer haven than previously thought.
• FanGraphs has new stats for relievers and Fack Youk and River Ave Blues has some fun with it.
• ESPN's TMI blog says that Robinson Cano's start is no fluke.
• In honor of The Rivalry, ESPN's Rob Neyer has the Yankees and Red Sox eras and HardballTalk's Craig Calcaterra gives his thoughts.
• Brian Cashman would like Andy Pettitte to make his next start according to Craig Calcaterra
• The Wall Street Journal says that Derek Jeter gets the most strike zone love among all the Yankees.
• Steve from TYU looks at Phil Hughes and Johan Santana with a little 2008 retrospective
• For This Purist Bleeds Pinstripes the early stats for the Yankees are like candy and Rebecca is also is a big fan of the upcoming Mariano Rivera documentary
• The Yankees and Mariners will have the first 3D baseball broadcast according to Multichannel News (H/T Eric)
• I think I'm going to spend a Stubhub Saturday in the bleachers after reading NYY Stadium Insider
• Former Major Leaguer Morgan Ensberg takes on a Hall of Fame writer on his blog, Morgan Ensberg's Baseball IQ to defend A-Rod and (this is very cool) Big League Stew has 10 (actually) unwritten rules in "The Code"

Potent Quotables

• From TMI some stats on the Pinstripes you can put in your pipe and smoke: "The Yankees have won eight of their first nine series, matching the 2003, 1939 and 1928 teams as the only Yankee teams to win eight of their first nine series. Only the 1939 and 1928 teams won nine of their first 10 series (the 1939 team won 11 of first 12 and the 1928 team won 14 of first 15)...The Yankees are 19-8, their best 27-game start since 2003 (21-6). Only five other Yankees teams had more wins in the first 27 games: 1958 (22-5), 1939 (22-5), 1928 (22-5), 2003 (21-6), 1998 (21-6). All but the 2003 team won the World Series in those years. Last year, the Yankees were 13-14 in their first 27 games...Yankees starter A.J. Burnett is 4-0 for the first time in his career, and his 1.99 ERA is the lowest by a Yankee in his first six starts since Mike Mussina posted a 1.60 ERA in his first 6 starts in 2003."
• From CNBC on the Dow's drop yesterday: "In one of the most dizzying half-hours in stock market history, the Dow plunged nearly 1,000 points before paring those losses—all apparently due to a trader error....According to multiple sources, a trader entered a 'b' for billion instead of an 'm' for million in a trade possibly involving Procter & Gamble, a component in the Dow."
• From the Boston Herald via FanNation on problems in the Red Sox clubhouse: "While Theo Epstein hints at changes in Boston, Dustin Pedroia was more direct. A clear divide is opening between the veterans of the team's World Series and playoff runs and the new players who were acquired to bolster the club this winter. Marco Scutaro seems like the only truly assimilated player of the bunch. It's not hard to read between the lines. 'A lot of guys that have been here, we're not used to this,' Pedroia said. 'We'll grind it out, but we've got to find a way to start winning some games.' Twice in the series, the Red Sox had runners thrown out trying to steal third. Both times they went on their own. The first was Adrian Beltre in the opener. The second was Scutaro yesterday."
• Mediaite takes on the National Enquirer and Drudge: "Initially, the report also claimed that a surveillance tape, which showed Barack Obama and Vera Baker entering and exiting a hotel together, may exist. They have since revised their story available online to indicate that the existence of such a tape inhabits the realm of possibility, in much the same way that Sasquatch or a funny Dane Cook joke theoretically exist."

Other Sports News

• Vin Scully gave a really nice eulogy on air to Ernie Harwell and Sons of Steve Garvey has all the details
• Despite Jay's protestations, Jim Calhoun will be back at UConn according to ESPN
• Big League Stew has a post about the nicest girl in New Jersey returning a World Series ring
• Oh Lawrence Taylor. ESPN New York's Ian O'Connor says that Taylor's star has fallen a lot in the past two weeks. Oh yeah. This SI Photo Vault picture is just a bit more odd now.
• Another former Giant, Plaxico Burress, lost his recreational privileges in jail for lying to a guard according to ProFootballTalk
• Craig Calcaterra asks and answers the question of why we shouldn't just create one big MLB league
• TMI explains some important and confusing defensive statistics
• And, the baseball topic of the week: Don't tase me bro (with an AMAZING picture)
• Mark Sanchez is dating two women according to the New York Post
• Lastly, according to CNET, someone won the $1 million for pitching a perfect game

Potpourri

• Rightfully, the Executive Producers for LOST were named to TIME's 100
• From the Huffington Post: "BREAKING: Large Air Spill At Wind Farm. No Threats Reported. Some Claim To Enjoy The Breeze."
• Way too easy to make a joke about this headline from Yahoo! News: "South Korean driver earns license on 960th try"
• The HTC Droid Incredible got, well, incredible reviews (all H/T Ben): Wired, engadget, and CNET
• The Wall Street Journal has an interesting articles on business schools getting makeovers 
• Dave Duarte has the best out of office replies (H/T Wendy)
• Jersey Shore lawsuit from Movieline
• Ridiculously expensive coffee from Grub Street New York
• Law school graduates and LOST from Above the Law
• Washington DC is about to vote on legalizing marijuana according to the Washington Post (H/T Jay)
• Lastly, Business Insider has a new feature of embedding Tweets that will helps us here at NYaT