Former Cy Young winner Rick Sutcliffe alleged on the air two weeks ago that right before pitches Alex Rodriguez was tipping the location of the catcher to Mark Teixeira from the on-deck circle, a claim that prompted Teixeira and Rodriguez to confront the ESPN commentator in the Yankees’ clubhouse before Tuesday’s game, according to the Daily News.

Teixeira and A-Rod pulled Sutcliffe aside when they saw him in the clubhouse last night, expressing their displeasure with his charges.

"Me, Alex and him talked about it," Teixeira told the Daily News, confirming that the conversation took place. "No doubt it’s disappointing when someone makes an accusation like that. Whatever. I can’t control what they say."

Teixeira said he has known Sutcliffe "for years," adding that he’s always considered him to be "a great guy and a great pitcher." Teixeira wouldn’t comment any further on the tone of the conversation, although he and Rodriguez were clearly upset with Sutcliffe’s words and let the former All-Star know it. Sutcliffe will be part of ESPN’s broadcast team for tonight’s game.

"You can ask him about it," Teixeira said.

OK, and maybe he’ll tell us whether or not you actually denied doing it? The article says they expressed their "displeasure with his charges," but at no point does either player deny they’re doing it — only that they’re disappointed with the accusation

When Mark Teixeira played in his hometown Baltimore last week, he was lustily booed by deluded Orioles fans, many of whom obviously believed that a guy who used to attend O’s games wearing a Don Mattingly jersey was going to give a hometown discount to a team he didn’t like. Frankly, the charade was rather pathetic. It was like watching band geeks boo the homecoming queen.

"Dude, you had no chance with her, so show a little pride."

I have the same advice for my fellow Sox fans. We had no chance with Teixeira, who only led us along to siphon more money from the Yankees, so please, please, don’t boo her. Don’t give her the satisfaction of thinking she mattered.

Seriously, you want to disrespect a person? Ignore them. Treat like like they’re nobody. Show them your back. But for god’s sake, don’t boo them.

Fire Brand of the American League breaks down the Joe Mauer-to-Boston prospects in today’s column. Mauer isn’t a free agent until after the 2010 season, but the Twins might follow the route of the Rangers who traded Mark Teixeira to Atlanta with a year and a half left on his deal, feeling they’d get more in return based on their superior negotiating stance.

Frankly, a lot depends on Jorge Posada, me thinks. If the Yankees catcher, who signed an astronomical extension before the 2008 season and then got injured, can’t return to form, the Yankees won’t allow the Sox to outspend them for Mauer. Then again, the Yankees probably don’t have the combination of prospects to send to Minnesota in a swap for the all-world Mauer.

No doubt Twins fans love all this talk.

The economy might dictate the moving of Mauer midseason if the Twins aren’t in the race. A lot of teams have and will have financial troubles. As the season progresses and the outlook of the team and economy become clearer, you may find people making money or on the cusp of it being moved simply for those reasons.

Also, you might be wondering why the Twins would move Mauer if he’s not a free agent until after 2010. It’s the same theory that Texas followed by unloading Mark Teixeira onto the Braves: you’ll get more value for a season and a half of Mauer rather than just a season or less. Texas reaped the rewards in that trade and will contend for years to come because of it.

The New York Times reports that Mark Teixeira will be rooting for the Red Sox for the next eight years. Granted, this Mark Teixeira is a drummer who lives in Rhode Island, and not the Maryland native who used to attend Oriole games wearing a Yankees hat.

As Sox fans, we’re a little tired of hating on A-Rod, aren’t we? I think the bashing reached its peak when Sox fans donned those blond-haired masks two seasons ago, after news broke that A-Rod liked the she-male muscular type. After that, it’s been largely humorless, if only because the Yankees couldn’t even make the playoffs last year. I mean, A-Rod and Madonna? Only dating Cher could have made him less interesting.

Well, if hating on #13 has gotten a litte stale, enter Mark Teixeira, who jilted the Red Sox this offseason and joined the Yankees. How exactly did the Sox lose out on the free-agent first baseman? As Tony Mazz outlines in his Globe column, we’ll probably never know. Frankly, I choose to believe the story about Teixeira’s wife. Namely, that she and her family are huge Yankee fans, so she couldn’t stand the thought of rooting for the Red Sox. Why do I believe this particular tale? Because it makes the best story, and it cranks up the rivalry a little bit more.

I mean, sticking it to the Sox because the Yankees offered more money? Yawn. But joining the Yankees because you’re a p-whipped Marylander? Now that’s more like it.

Cam Martin also writes for CBS Sportsline and BugsandCranks.com.

The Red Sox couldn’t get a deal done with the Rangers in 2003, so the Yankees swooped in and stole Alex Rodriguez. The Red Sox couldn’t get a deal done with the Damons in 2005, so the Yankees swooped in and stole Captain Caveman. The Red Sox couldn’t get a deal done with Mark Teixeira in 2008, so the Yankees swooped in and stole the prize first baseman. 

The thing is, do the Red Sox regret how things played out with A-Rod and Damon? Certainly not. Will they regret how things played out with the Teixeira negotiations? Time will tell. Still, he didn’t make sense in Boston, not when the team would have to trade Mike Lowell.

It’ll be interesting to learn the behind-the-scenes dealings here, but the bottom line is this: Teixeira makes sense for the Yankees. He didn’t make a lot of sense for the Red Sox.

If the Red Sox were like the Yankees, they would have overpaid for a player they didn’t need — simply to spite their rival.

John Harper of the Daily News wrote an interesting column yesterday about the prospect of Manny Ramirez landing in the Bronx. Interesting because it overlooks the most important factor in acquiring Ramirez, which is this: The Yankees would once again be trying to reclaim the "eff you cup" in the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry. Ya know, the thing they tried to retain forever when they traded for A-Rod. And the thing they tried to reclaim (post 2004) when they signed Johnny Damon.

Did they really need those guys? No, they had more pressing needs at those respective times. But the Yankees can’t help themselves — they love trying to stick it to the Red Sox, and mostly because they think it will play well with fans. Once upon a time, that was certainly the case. But are A-Rod and Damon beloved Yankees? Far from it.

Harper says that adding Ramirez would be a boon to the Yankees lineup, especially if the Red Sox end up with Mark Teixeira. He says Manny would take some of the heat off A-Rod. He says Yankee fans should be willing to hold their noses about Manny Being Manny, since Ramirez is a proven clutch performer. It’s definitely grist for the mill, but if it comes to pass, it only proves one thing: The Red Sox are really in the minds of the Yankee brass, because they’ve essentially convinced them to acquire their own poison pill.