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…

After second-generation ballplayer John Mayberry, Jr. launched a home run in his second major league at-bat in today’s Phillies/Yankees game on Fox, Joe Buck and Tim McCarver lavished praise over John Mayberry, Sr. (a 14-year major leaguer) and expressed how proud he must be. The camera lingered over a man in a World Baseball Classic Panama jersey and his two pre-teen children.

(Huge hat tip to Matt P of THE 700 LEVEL for helping to get this screenshot of a very focused Not Senior)

Which probably should have been a clue, really, to the Fox Sports crew on site. They picked up on their mistake an inning later and announced they had shown two minutes of the wrong man. Hey, it’s an easy mistake, right? Right?

(Video after the jump.)

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If you saw the recent Casino Royale - so much better than Quantum of Solace - this story will sound eerily familiar: A broker (possibly with an eye that cries blood) takes his client’s money and invests it in a few high-risk ventures, despite his client urging him to “keep it conservative”. The risks don’t exactly go as planned, and he loses a vast portion of his client’s money. In this case, however, instead of a machete-wielding African mercenary, the client in question is everyone’s favorite World Series announcer, Tim McCarver.

(Ruh Roh!)

A decent sum of money it was, too; McCarver reportedly lost about a cool million bucks on poor investments. And now he’s taking his broker, Morgan Keegan & Co., to court for “allegedly misleading him on just where his money was invested.” Even better, McCarver’s lawyer, Dale Ledbetter, is using the old Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer defense.

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Deciding to listen to Tim McCarver blather his way through World Series commentary on TV or turning the sound down and listening to the dulcet, confused tones of Joe Morgan on the radio is like choosing between swallowing broken glass or sliding down a razor blade hill - both choices hurt. But I went with the radio guys for Game 2, mainly because of Jon Miller. And as usual, Morgan got stuck on a mantra he kept repeating over and over throughout the game, this time about the Phillies’ not being able to hit with runners in scoring position.

Unlike many of his obsessions, he actually was right about this. But it doesn’t take a Hall of Famer to know that hitting 1-for-15 in a game (and 1-for-28 for the Series) is bad. And while they were able to find a way past the Rays in Game 1, they couldn’t on Thursday, as Tampa Bay held on for a, frankly, uninspiring 4-2 win to tie the Series at one game each.

Anyone who kept claiming that this was going to be the most entertaining Series possible can shut up now - of course Red Sox vs. Dodgers would have been more fun, and it couldn’t have been played at a more average level. This Series is less sizzling through two games as it is melting. At least we have things headed over to Philadelphia, where I’m sure the fans will be in fine spirits. Enjoy the trips, Rays!

Meanwhile, Auburn was busy just plain fizzling against West Virginia, as Noel Devine made “SEC speed” seem like a stoner going 20 miles per hour on his way to Taco Bell for some munchies. It was big run after big run, as Devine wound up with 207 yards rushing as the Mountaineers throttled the Tigers 34-17.

Think the fact that a supposedly “quality” SEC team just got waxed by an underachieving Big East squad will lead anyone to start questioning the conference’s credentials? Nah, didn’t think so either.

Here’s what else was happening while you were checking out The Flintstones’ kitchen:

• SIMON ON SPORTS wants to know: can you guess the baseball hitter just by his stance? Me either, unless Jim Leyritz is involved.
• The BOSTON GLOBE has a new online Adidas ad featuring Kevin Garnett taking a group of kids on a tour of the Garden and the city. It’s a good thing several people happened to have video camera to record this clearly spontaneous event.
• The TENNESSEAN notes that Titans’ rookie Chris Johnson was fined $10,000 for banging on some drums following a touchdown against the Chiefs. Todd Rundgren expected to lead his appeal.
• San Jose State with a piece of college football history? The LOS ANGELES TIMES says so, as the Spartans’ “Nacho Brothers” are the first siblings to lead college football in statistical categories during the same season (in this case, tackles for loss and interceptions).
• ESPN says that Florida has exonerated EliteXC of any wrongdoing in Kimbo Slice’s loss to Seth Petruzelli. I’m sure the owners will be thrilled once word reaches them in the poorhouse.
• It’s the end of the road for Allan Houston’s comeback, as the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS says he’s been cut by the Knicks and offered a role in the front office. Because he knows a lot about how to watch out for ridiculous contracts.
• Over in Phoenix, the Suns are seemingly pushing Grant Hill towards early ownership, as the ARIZONA REPUBLIC says they are benching him in favor Matt Barnes. Hill responded to the news by angrily pulling his hamstring.
• PRO FOOTBALL TALK has some burning news: Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes has been busted for marijuana possession.
• The NEW YORK TIMES has your Greg Robinson Watch update: not fired yet, but the fact that Syracuse has hired a search firm to find a replacement is not a good sign.
• Is there NFL Fever in London ahead of Sunday’s game between the Saints and the Chargers at Wembley? According to USA TODAY, not so much.

Unwitting Just For Men spokesman Tim McCarver had this to say recently about Manny Ramirez: “It’s extraordinary - the dichotomy between what he was in Boston and what he is in Los Angeles. I mean, talk about wearing out your welcome in a town, and it was a long welcome with the Red Sox. But some of the things he did were simply despicable, despicable - like not playing, refusing to play. Forgetting what knee to limp on. And now it’s washed, it’s gone.”

(Was Manny a dog in The Bean? Karros: Yep.)

Since the comment came out on Tuesday, the whole of L.A. media has cowered at Manny’s feet, castigating McCarver for his unfair characterization. Except perhaps the best-known former Dodger under the age of 80 (who doesn’t lie about hookers and meeting the pope), Eric Karros.

Karros, now a respected TV and radio analyst, not only agreed with McCarver’s comment, but also said Dodger shortstop Rafael Furcal was the key to the NLCS against the Fightin’ Phils (and yes, My Boy Barry has your LA-PHI tickets - at a discount). Read more…

• INGAMENOW has seven pieces of advice for the guy who paid $10,000 for a date with Maria Sharapova.

• Ann Killion of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS brings up a good point: Why is nobody going after Lou Piniella for being 0-6 in the playoffs, while Dusty Baker would’ve never escaped such criticism.

• Tim McCarver calls Manny Ramirez “despicable” in an interview, as reported by THE BIG LEAD. Which would be less awkward if McCarver didn’t have to cover Manny’s team for the NLCS. Maybe Scooter the Talking Baseball can help us with the meaning of “dogging it” to help Tim prove his point.

• WAITING FOR NEXT YEAR compares the Cleveland Browns to Sarah Palin. This might not be such a flattering comparison.

• The ORLANDO SENTINTEL’s Mike Bianchi complains that Florida Gator fans are never satisfied. Apparently a 38-7 win over Arkansas is grounds for thinking something is horribly wrong.

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Somebody probably should’ve informed Mouthpiece Sports’ on-scene reporter Molly Dapier that Cubs fans, particularly those in blue body paint, are insane and possibly dangerous.

On Wednesday, Dapier was interviewing people outside Wrigley Field when an enterprising, half-naked, blue Cubs fan got the idea to dump a Gatorade cooler full of water over her head. Video idiocy after the jump.

I’ll wait while you laugh hysterically. (Or, more likely, quietly wonder where it all went wrong with today’s youths.)

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Orange Julius Jones Soda - make it so, Seattle soft drink distributors!

• Arizona State is bedeviled by some snapshots of their cheerleaders showing off in their skivvies.

(Photo back by popular demand)

• Apparently, Marvin Harrison is not the calm, cool customer we thought he was.

• Jim Rice boils at Torii Hunter’s claims that Red Sox fans are racist.

• Kentucky basketball coach Billy Gillispie likes ‘em young.

• Joe Buck & Tim McCarver are taken for a ride by the Feds. Unfortunately, they brought McCarver back.

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The Justice Department has been checking into reports that US marshals got into Fenway Park during the World Series last October using their badges, hung with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver in the booth, and then escorted them back to their hotel in their government cars, possibly with lights flashing.

(Give it up, boys; it’s time to start driving!)

While it may seem odd that this topic comes up six months after the World Series ended, please understand that anyone seeing US marshals next to Buck and McCarver may have simply assumed that the two Fox broadcasters were finally being arrested for their crimes against baseball-loving humanity.

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• We mentioned earlier how Brady Quinn had to don a USC jersey after losing a bet. Now, IRISH TROJAN IN TENNESSEE has video proof of the QB’s cringing clothing change:

• Coloradoans take note: RIVALFISH cowboys up to present their top 10 reasons to hate Red Sox fans.• Ray Ratto of CBS SPORTSLINE has no comment, as the media can corner athletes into “Damned if you do, Damned if you don’t.”

• THE MONEY SHOT bangs their heads, as they compare NBA teams to ‘80s hair metal bands:

• THE EXTRAPOLATER asks the NCAA to repeat that, as they don’t understand the whole Division 1-A/Football Bowl Subdivision double-talk.• AWFUL ANNOUNCING packs their bags for the Great White North, as MLB viewers in Canada are Buck & McCarver free.

• LARRY BROWN SPORTS is in good hands, as Tony Romo takes out a $30 million insurance policy on himself:

• WTAE reports that former Pitt ESPN radio announcer John Duffy has plead guilty to child porn charges.• OFF WING OPINION counts to 10, as they’re annoyed by interruptions from ESPN SportsCenter’s 30 in 30.

• The GONZAGA BULLETIN bulldogs Rick Reilly for selling his soul to the Satan in Bristol:

• The SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE learns it’s student against teacher in Corvallis, as Stanford’s Jim Harbaugh faces Oregon State and his old pro coach Mike Riley.• SPORTS REVIEW MAGAZINE gets a tip that Bill Callahan will be bought out by Nebraska at the end of the season.