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It will not really surprise you that some of the usual suspects in New England are ready to jump out the window over Alex Rodriguez in the Evil Empire's fatigues, will it?

Consider Dan Shaughnessy, of the Boston Globe, and the author of -- what else? -- The Curse of the Bambino, writing a day before Bud Selig approved the deal:

"A-Rod to the Yankees? It's instant folklore alongside [Babe] Ruth to the Yankees, [Sparky] Lyle to the Yankees, [Bucky] Dent into the screen, [Roger] Clemens to the Yankees, and New England burning down while Grady Little slept.

"And now this: the Valentine's Day Massacre of 2004 ... A-Rod to the Yankees represents [George] Steinbrenner at his diabolical best/worst. It's like having your best girl agree to marry you, finding out you can't get married because your church won't allow it, then watching her marry the guy you hate most in the world. Hide the sharp objects and post guards at the Zakim and Tobin bridges."

All he left out were half of the rest of the 1919-21 Red Sox to the Yankees. Lighten up, Dan. Inhale. Remember your very own words, in the middle of the foregoing schpritz:

"Sox fans can try to find a bright side here. Let's remind everyone that Alfonso Soriano, the player bound for Texas, still could be the next Hank Aaron. Let's laugh at that Yankee payroll of more than $200 million, and King George's outrageous luxury tax payments. Let's remember that the Yankees haven't won any of the last three World Series and just lost 60 percent of their starting rotation. Let's remember that Kenny Lofton, Gary Sheffield, and Kevin Brown never will win clubhouse congeniality awards. Adding A-Rod doesn't necessarily vault the Yankees back ahead of the Red Sox (Vegas wiseguys last week had the Sox favored to win it all.)"

Now, perhaps, pay a little closer attention to your former Globe colleague, Peter Gammons:

"Boston felt it had to get money back from Rodriguez, the Yankees did not, and getting money back involves the rules. So when Boston had its window -- that time when Yankees general manager Brian Cashman admitted he was "scared" because of Theo Epstein's remarkable complimentary move to get Magglio Ordonez to replace Manny Ramirez -- the Red Sox made their decision that the additional $4 million to $6 million difference between Rodriguez and Ramirez was not worth it. When the Yankees had their window, well...

"Of course, talk is cheap, A-Rod isn't and the $72 million infield isn't, and the Diamondbacks, Angels, and Marlins have won the last three World Series...

"What the Yankees privately say they learned from the Red Sox/Rodriguez negotiations was how not to handle them. "Those negotiations were all public, on both sides," says one New York official. "When a deal like this is negotiated publicly, it has too many ways for it to fail. So we tried to keep it under the radar screen, and work it privately, and nothing came out until the last 48 hours."

It should be noted, too, that a point came at which Tom Hicks dropped his demand for cash as part of the A-Rod-for-Manny Ramirez deal. Any way you care to look, the Red Sox blew this one several times over. But worry not. The Olde Towne Team is not exactly going into this season looking like weak sisters.

Meanwhile, there was Pope Bud I. He is very concerned about the large amount of cash consideration involved, and how many years the cash will be paid. We know because he said so:

"I want to make it abundantly clear to all clubs that I will not allow cash transfers of this magnitude to become the norm. However, given the unique circumstances, including the size, length and complexity of Mr. Rodriguez's contract, and the quality of the talent moving in both directions, I have decided to approve the transaction."

I must have missed the part where it said His Holiness was very concerned about the large amount of dollars involved when it looked like the deal was getting done with the Red Sox. I must have missed the part, too, where it said His Holiness was very concerned about the image of, arguably, the best player in baseball at this writing.

Ken Rosenthal of Sports Illustrated was very concerned:

"No longer should anyone believe a word out of the mouth of Alex 'Captain' Rodriguez. His stated desire to stay with the Rangers was as comical as the Rangers' stated desire to keep him. And if you believe A-Rod will be content moving from shortstop to third base with the Yankees, you probably think Jack Nicholson would be willing to accept second billing to Ben Affleck."

But I'm pretty sure I got the part, found somewhere between the lines, that Selig -- whose family haven't yet sold the Milwaukee Brewers, though they have proclaimed their intent to do precisely that -- is very happy to have another dip into the Yankee tax pocket.

Don't get too swept up in handing the Yankees the postseason by default just yet. Yes, the Yankee payroll might blow a hole in $200 million. But there are still little side matters to beware. They only begin with whether a Kevin Brown/Javier Vasquez-led rotation is enough to overcome the loss (and boy, did the Yankees blow that one) of Andy Pettitte/Roger Clemens, or the Red Sox's wheeling forth Curt Schilling/Pedro Martinez/Derek Lowe.

Did I mention that third base may not exactly be a breeze, even for an Alex Rodriguez? "I used to get hit in the cup all the time at third," Hall of Famer in waiting Cal Ripken, Jr. once recalled. "Then I moved to shortstop, and I didn't get hit there for 15 years."

Set your sights westward ho, Red Sox Nation -- where Albert Pujols is not exactly guaranteed to be getting the longterm deal he wants from the St. Louis Cardinals, the fools.

How about the Red Sox make damn sure Nomar Garciaparra is made happy and wanted once again and go seduce Albert Pujols, instead? Won't that be a kick in the Steinbrenner head?

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