Because of various forces (rain, Celtics, Extra Innings blacking out Saturday’s game) I took some time away from my beloved boys in pinstripes.  Seems like CC Sabathia had the same idea.

But seriously folks, I was distressed by the injuries piling up, including the beaning Swisher took off his elbow. (Watch your back, Jered Weaver.)

I have also been distressed about the impending A-Rod book and what it’s release will mean.  And by that I don’t mean how it will affect him or the team, but the way in which the book’s release will be covered by a bunch of (almost completely) male sportswriters and baseball people.

It started right on time, Friday, when Michael Wilbon decided to call Selena Roberts’ choice to write the book “low-rent.”  I’m sorry – when the guys at the SF Chronicle were digging into Barry Bonds’ life with his mistress and taxes and whatnot, I don’t think I heard the term “low-rent.”  I must have missed it, but I also didn’t hear anyone say anything about Tom Verducci’s motives when he helped Torre focus on the negative in his recent book.

And Joe Girardi, although he has to protect his players, was positively bambiesque yesterday when he talked about players’ kids having to hear or read about their parent’s mistakes because some writer thought it was a good story. Especially with someone sitting on his bench who happens to have daughters but still thought it was a good idea to talk about cheating on their mother in a book he wrote.

Women’s motives are always questioned in sports. And even worse than that is the idea that, in the sports world, men can use gender alone to discredit someone when they don’t like what they’re saying or writing.  I know that men would like nothing better than to have all women kicked out of the Sports Treehouse. After all, this is supposed to be some sort of male sanctuary or something.

Here, then, is the solution for A-Rod. Sue the publishing company for libel. If Big Bad Selena Roberts is being mean to poor, fragile little Alex, then he should seek some legal recourse. Of course, that won’t happen because everyone knows that the best defense against libel is for the statements to be true.  And I’m willing to bet they are.