Alex Rodriguez had to leave last night’s Yankee-Red Sox game earlier after getting smacked in the kisser by the ball. A throw from Hideki Matsui bounced off of Brian Daubach’s foot and proceeded to bite Rodriguez right in the face. Ouch. The ball landed just under Rodriguez’s eye. He left the game, but x-rays were negative and he should be OK. The Yankees won the game, 8-6.

Speaking of the Sox, I’ve got a two-part interview with Howard Bryant, columnist at the Boston Herald, and author of “Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston,” over at The Hardball Times (Part One and Part Two). If you get the chance, let me know what you think of ’em.