Aybar Si, Verlander NO !

It’s been almost too hard to digest, all these player moves, both for baseball and football, all of them seemingly concentrated in one short week. And, speaking of “hard to digest”, there are the actions of Justin Verlander.

As for Plaxico Burress, I think he’ll be the perfect second passing option for the Jets, the first being Santonio Holmes, who was the first player the Jets went after. Burress has been working hard at staying in shape and, because he had two years rest, he’s a younger 34 than he would otherwise have been.

As for the Jets failing to sign the best available cornerback, that may also wind up in their favor, but only if they manage to re-sign Antonio Cromartie, who may have been insulted by the Jets courting of Asomuga. But what about stopping the run? Who’s worried about that? Their #3 draft choice, defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis, has some kind of deportation threat hanging over him.

The Giants have been predictably boring, like their coach and just about everything else about them. Unless you think dropping veteran offensive linemen and lying to your best pass rusher is sexy, the Giants off-season moves have been almost non-existent. And that’ll teach us to balk at ticket prices.

It’s much too early still to worry about. The Jets will be competitive at least. The Giants seem to be rebuilding. Maybe they figure the Eagles, who did get Asomugha, will be unbeatable. The Jets don’t seem too worried about the Pats acquisitions of Ochocinco and Haynesworth but I’m thinking maybe they should be.

Meanwhile, in MLB action (or lack thereof for the Mets and Yankees), some of my favorite teams made some moves that could pay off bigtime down the stretch. The Rangers got the relief pitching they desperately needed while the Pirates picked up some real live major league hitters in centerfielder Ryan Ludwick and first baseman Derrek Lee.

Meanwhile, teams I don’t particularly care for, the Phils and Cards and Braves, were also active, the Cards getting Rafael Furcal to man their shortstop position and a few relievers to help them out in the pen. The Braves picked up speedster Michael Bourne to spark their sometimes moribund offense. The Phils didn’t need much but should get more big lifts from Hunter Pence than he’s already provided.

I won’t recap all the changes though. Maybe the biggest highlights from a New York perspective were the absence of any moves by the Yankees. While everybody but the genius Cashman could have sworn the Yanks needed some starters, the Yanks are standing by their Colon, Garcia, Hughes, Burnett semi-achievers.

The Mets of course picked up nothing but cash and a pitching prospect in ridding themselves of K-Rod and Beltran, not that that kept them from playing some very decent baseball over the last five games or so. And, after I really jobbed Pagan and Pelfrey and Duda and Hairston in my last column, those guys all started to produce a little, thus proving that every dog does indeed have his day.

The most interesting baseball happening of the weekend, though, had nothing whatever to do with moves. Game action became its own soap opera in the Angels-Tigers game Sunday afternoon. It had everything you’d ever want in a baseball game and even some hockey games. And it gave me even one more player to hate, a not insignificant event.

That player, if you want to call him that, is Justin Verlander. Verlander was incensed that Angel Erick Aybar should have had the unmitigated gall to threaten his no-hitter by attempting a bunt. Yeah, he admitted later, it was just 3-nothing and it was still a game, but still…..he thinks it’s “bush”.

Well, I think Verlander is a self-important lout and moves right up there with Roger Clemens in arrogance and self-aggrandizement. I don’t care about his no-hitter. No-hitters have become a dime a dozen. People watch baseball, you giant fool of a Verlander, for the artistry and action of a baseball game.

How often has a successful bunt thrown an opposing pitcher off his game? The bunt attempt makes the pitcher move his fat butt. It throws him off his rhythm. A pitcher has to not only throw 100 miles an hour but also has to field his position. A walk’s as good as a hit and a bunt’s better than a walk when it works. That Aybar’s bunt was successful (Verlander threw the ball away) and did eventually bring the Angels within 3-2 only proves the point that Aybar was right.

I’m not much on the etymology of names, but I’m pretty sure that when northern Europeans needed a euphemism for a jackass, it was “Verlander”.

Verlander later indicated from the dugout that he’d next time plant a baseball in Aybar’s kidney. If he does carry his threat through, the gloves should come off from the commissioner’s office.

What made all this even more compelling was that Verlander’s pitching opponent was none other than Jered Weaver, who earlier had proved that Verlander would only be the second fool of the day, albeit a more disgusting one. At least Weaver had a better reason for throwing at somebody. In his mind, the Tigers were showing him up, God forbid.

Although Carlos Guillen did indeed put on a show after his home run, it was only in retaliation for Weaver’s earlier stare-down with Magglio Ordonez, who hadn’t immediately started running after his dinger. He had in fact only been watching to see if his batted ball would be fair or foul.

But Weaver gave him the long hard look that wasn’t at all appreciated by Ordonez or his teammates so, later on, when Guillen also connected, it was pretty much written in stone that he would try to rattle Weaver even further. Of course, he did, Weaver came totally undone and immediately threw one at Avila’s head.

Weaver was ejected, setting the stage for the later histrionics. But Weaver’s anger, though misplaced, was at least understandable. Verlander’s anger was just a product of enormous vanity.