Jeter Stinks, Coco Crisp Good.

Ok, so I've been taking a beating lately from anonymous Giants fans. It doesn't matter to them that I don't even know them, or that most of my friends are Giants fans, or that my wife and most of my in-laws are Gaints fans. All that matters to them is that I'm from Boston and therefore should be yelled at, screamed at about the supreme choke of the Patriots, the inepitude of Thom Brady, and the peeping of the Hooded One. Not one of them actually ever mentions the merits of the Giants. They are completely fixated on the Patsies. In fact, I think these yahooes are closet fans and I never miss the opportunity to tell them so. Which ironically is how they so often describe Sox fans as fixated on the Yankees. Hmmm. Well, I usually don't go in for the Yankee baiting, but this one is too good to pass up:

Derek Jeter is the Worst Shortstop in Baseball.

According to the NY Post, "[T]he numbers prove it, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania said yesterday at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in Boston." Ahh, Boston, the Athens of America.

The study says, "Alex Rodriguez was the best everyday shortstop in the league, saving 10.40 runs each season for the Texas Rangers. Derek Jeter, the New York Yankees shortstop who is often hailed for his defensive prowess and has won three Gold Gloves, ranks dead last in the majors, coughing up 13.81 runs per season. "

The Cap'n has faced this sort of appraisal before. His response:

"I'm the worst? I don't think I would say that. But I couldn't really care less what some mathematical equation comes out with. How do you rank defensive shortstops? I don't see how a formula can evaluate how somebody plays. You get a strikeout pitcher on the mound as opposed to a ground-ball pitcher, it's going to affect the statistics you use to evaluate defense. So I don't really think you can."

The annual meeting of AAAS which concludes tomorrow also presents such topics as "Ocean Iron Fertilization and Carbon Sequestration: Can the Oceans Save the Planet?" But, somehow I don't think that will get as much play on ESPN.

Also featured in the report was former Yankee Bernie Williams cited as one of the worst outfielders in baseball during his time and Red Sox outfielder Coco Crisp and former Sock Trot Nixon as among the best.

Baseball season has begun officially with the first salvo launched from Beantown.

Here is a synopsis of the findings at all positions according to SI.com:

The top three, and the worst, fielders (some of whom are no longer playing), based on the SAFE rankings, were:

• First base: Best, Ken Harvey, formerly with Kansas City; Doug Mientkiewicz, now with Pittsburgh; Eric Karros, formerly with the A's and Dodgers; worst, Fred McGriff, formerly with Tampa Bay.
• Second base: Best, Craig Counsell of the Brewers; Brandon Phillips of the Reds; Chase Utley of the Phillies; worst, Enrique Wilson, who last played with the Cubs.
• Third base: Best, Damian Rolls, formerly with Tampa; Counsell; Placido Polanco of the Tigers; Worst, Travis Fryman, formerly with the Indians and Tigers.
• Shortstop: Best, Clint Barmes of the Rockies; Rodriguez; Jason Bartlett, traded from Minnesota to Tampa Bay in the offseason; worst, Jeter.
• Left field: Best, Crisp; Reed Johnson of the Blue Jays; Carl Crawford of Tampa Bay; worst, Higginson.
• Center field: Best, Michaels; Andruw Jones, now with the Dodgers; Darin Erstad, now with the Astros; Worst, Williams.
• Right field: Best, Matthews; Trot Nixon, who played with the Indians last year; Dustan Mohr, who last played for Tampa Bay; Worst, Pena.