Well, I guess I shouldn't be shocked. First, Bernie wasn't great and now, the Yankees are the "Ugly Americans." Murray Chass has ripped the Yankees for their stance on the WBC.

... Any time the Yankees are involved in a joint venture, they take a position most advantageous to themselves, often at the expense of others. This is the case with the Classic, the 16-team tournament that will be played in March. ...

Steinbrenner's attitude has not been lost on his players. For their own stated reasons, Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Randy Johnson have said they will not play. Gary Sheffield may still join that crowd.

In so many words, he accuses us of being self centered, selfish, etc. etc. We've been over this. SG reacts similarly and Alex says he's the ugliest of them all.

Rivera was another [in addition to Matsui] Yankees player who insulted his country. He said he would not play for Panama because Panama didn't have a chance to win the tournament.

Please. This is offensive. Talk about insulting, that's insulting to Rivera and Matsui. I don't know Mo, of course. But, as much as I can say about any other baseball player from everything that I have seen, I would have to say that you will not find a better guy. To accuse him of insulting his country over this is nonsense. That all goes for Matsui, as well, who (from everything I have seen), I would have to say has great respect for his own position, being from Japan, but now playing in America.

As an aside:

"Every player has a right to play or not to play," Gene Orza, the union's chief operating officer, said Monday. "You only hope the player who says no has a full understanding of the tournament and the consequences of his nonparticipation, especially when it's a player who wouldn't be here and who wouldn't have the new contract he has but for the association."

Combined with his comment about A-Rod (showing a serious lack of respect for A-Rod), does anyone else have a growing distaste for the man? I don't know...