AL EAST Steinbrenner blasts Sox after series

The Yankees owner said Boston hasn't won anything yet.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- George Steinbrenner added zest to the already spicy Yankee-Red Sox rivalry Monday, issuing a statement saying that the Red Sox "haven't won anything yet" after Boston took a weekend series from the Yankees at Fenway.
Until they came from behind Sunday night to take two of three from the Yankees this weekend, the Red Sox had not won a post-All-Star break series at Fenway against the Yankees since 1999. In fact, the Red Sox had lost eight straight to the Yankees at Fenway in the second half before winning Saturday's game.
Steinbrenner was sufficiently irked by the back-to-back losses to release a statement through his personal public-relations firm that both criticized the Yankees and tweaked the Red Sox, thrusting himself into the middle of the fray for the second time in a month.
"We didn't play well in Boston, but I'm not getting down on anyone," Steinbrenner said. "It's a long season and a long way to go.
"They haven't won anything yet."
Coming closer
But the Red Sox, who are hoping to end a streak of five straight second-place finishes to the Yankees, did trim the Yanks' lead in the American League East to 11/2 games. The Yankees play the first of their final six games on the West Coast tonight against the world champion Angels while the Red Sox are in Texas.
"I think it was an unusual thing for him to issue a statement, but I'll have no comment, other than to say we will keep our perspective about where we are in the season," Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino told the Boston Herald. "And I like where we are with 58 games to play, so that's all I have to say about what Chairman George said."
Steinbrenner's statement is another bizarre chapter in Yankee-Red Sox lore. Earlier this month, Steinbrenner wept when the Yankees won the final game of a four-game series at the Stadium to earn a split. Then he went after Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez for hitting Derek Jeter and Alfonso Soriano, saying, "I don't know what was going through his mind, but if it's what it looked like, it's not good. It's not good for his team, not good for baseball."
In the spring, when Steinbrenner and Lucchino were exchanging verbal jousts, commissioner Bud Selig told the duo to knock it off. The teams competed to sign Jose Contreras and most in baseball think the Yankees got involved in a three-way trade with the Expos and White Sox to keep Bartolo Colon from going to Boston.
Keeping perspective
After Sunday night's loss, several Yankees stressed that they had to leave the Boston games in Boston and concentrate on Anaheim, the team that eliminated them from the playoffs in the first round last year, and the A's, who the Yanks play this weekend.
There are pitfalls for the Yanks out West -- in two previous trips to play AL West opponents, the Yankees are only 7-5.
For the season, they are 3-3 against the Angels -- who are struggling -- and 2-4 against pitching-rich Oakland, which is coming on. Overall against the West, the Yankees are 11-13.