You might wonder why you see the occasional baseball fight during July or even August, but almost never in September. For a good reason why, ask Bill Lee. (Actually don’t, because you’ll probably get a two-hour lecture on pot. Or the evil of the DH. Or both.) Even though it happened in May of 1976, him separating his shoulder during a huge brawl between the Yankees and the Red Sox caused him to miss the majority of the season (and possibly ruined his career).

So the same reason last night’s fight between the Yankees and the Blue Jays was both so compelling and ridiculously stupid. Because they were throwing real punches - not just the usual preschool pushing of most big league fights - and big-name pitchers like Joba Chamberlain and C.C. Sabathia were right in the middle, just waiting for a Blue Jay with a grudge to rip up their multimillion dollar arms. A good rule of thumb: don’t get into fights with teams who are 13 games under .500 - they don’t really have much to lose. Read more…

Can’t wait for T.O.’s new reality show to hit the tube? Maybe an E! True Hollywood Story about baseball wives will tide you over in the meantime.

(Left to right - Jennie, Heidi, Laura)

Tonight’s episode (10 p.m. Eastern, check local listings) features such baseball better halves as Jennie Finch (sexy softball star & wife of Astros pitcher Casey Daigle), Heidi Hamels (ex-”Survivor” contestant, Playboy poser & wife of Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels) and Laura Posada (ex-model- slash-actress & wife of Yankees catcher Jorge Posada).

Sounds like a killer lineup. But not everyone was so gung-ho about showing up in the show.

(More pics after the jump.)

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• Seems the WNBA is becoming more like its big brother league everyday.

• Keith Hernandez doesn’t have time to respect the Reds’ Hall of Fame.

• Fans won’t be chanting for Melky Cabrera if he keeps this kind of play up.

• No wonder the Cubs were doing so well - they cheated in the MLB Draft!

• The Baltimore Ravens draft a four-year basketball collegian who hasn’t played football since high school.

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Just when things are starting to turn around for the New York Yankees, Jorge Posada goes and gets himself put on the 15-day DL with an injured right shoulder. Worse yet, it not just some simple soreness - the Yankees catcher was discovered to have a torn labrum & rotator cuff damage. Doctors have recommended surgery.

However, Jorge doesn’t want to go under the knife just yet, not when his team is only 3.5 games out of first in the AL East.

ESPN & NEW YORK NEWSDAY both report that Posada wants to try recovery through rehabilitation before undergoing any operation: Read more…

In what I have to assume is a terrible attempt at sarcasm, Yankees catcher Jorge Posada has gone on the record saying that despite the hearings last week where Roger Clemens revealed he didn’t know what a vegan was, he completely believes that Clemens didn’t take HGH or steroids.

Posada told the DAILY NEWS, “I support him; he said he never took it and I’m behind him 100%.” Wow. It’s almost as if Posada didn’t even watch the hearings. Oh, that’s right. He didn’t. Read more…

• DEADSPIN thinks it’s safe to say that Josh Beckett hasn’t been taking steroids in the off-season:

• The KANSAS CITY STAR is spooked by the thought of the ghost of wrestler Owen Hart haunting Kemper Arena.

• HUGGING HAROLD REYNOLDS takes a secret glance at a new way to spy in the NFL.

• RANDBALL dribbles over news that Jerry Stackhouse’s big mouth isn’t helping the Jason Kidd trade, either.

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