The Hot Corner: Ghosts of October

Derek Jeter used to say the ghosts come out in October (or at least that line has been attributed to him). According to legend, Jeter said this to a light-hitting corner infielder named Aaron Boone in the late innings of Game Seven of the 2003 American League Championship Series (ALCS). Not long after, then-Yankees manager Joe Torre put Boone in to pinch-run for Ruben Sierra. Torre was certainly hoping the game would be over before Boone’s spot came up in the lineup, and he was probably pessim

The Hot Corner: Chicago Cubs

On Monday afternoon, the Chicago Cubs dropped the National League Central tie-breaker to the Milwaukee Brewers, losing by a score of 3-1. The loss cost the Cubs a chance to win their division for the third straight year and forces them into a win-or-go-home match against the Colorado Rockies in the National League Wild Card game. Baseball playoff predictions are always a hazardous business, but one imagines that Cubs fans do not feel all too good about their team’s chances this month. A ligh

The Hot Corner: NFL's New Rules

It is not an easy time to work for the National Football League (NFL). That is not to say that the people toiling away in the offices on Park Avenue have done much to make life easier for themselves. But, they are faced with several tasks that can be characterized as either Herculean labors or Sisyphean misadventures, depending on your view of the matter. Though neither characterization is optimistic, the latter is still the most accurate. The NFL’s hierarchy, at present, is attempting to find

The Hot Corner: Acuña Vs. Ureña

There’s a reason that rules are usually written. We learned this last month, when Atlanta Braves left-fielder Ronald Acuña stepped into the box to lead off during a home game against the Miami Marlins. The 20-year-old Acuña, who is about the age of a college junior, has torn up the National League East in his rookie season. He is hitting .290 with 24 homers since being called up in late April, and is the favorite to win the National League’s Rookie of the Year award. The game on Aug. 15 was th

The Hot Corner

On an icy night in Fenway, the century-old rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees added another ugly chapter to its already checkered history. In the top of the third, the Yankees — ahead 5-1 after Sox starter David Price’s disastrous one-inning start — were threatening with runners on first and second and nobody out. Tyler Wade laid down a bunt, hoping to move the runners over. Sox third baseman Rafael Devers fielded the bunt and fired it to second. His throw was somewhat off t