(AP Photo / August 31, 2007)

Nice piece today updating the status of "jersey-gate" from Buster Olney, one of my favorite sports writers.

Olney reports that Sox manager Terry Francona has not yet received permission from Major League Baseball to wear a pullover instead of a jersey, a move Francona wishes to make because the jersey disrupts his circulation.  More specifically, Francona has poor circulation in his legs, which caused him to be hospitalized during a 2005 Yankees series.  If you recall, this issue of Tito's blood flow and his desire to manage jersey-less was thrust into the spotlight last season when he was questioned about the "dress code" by a "security agent" in the middle of an inning during an important game at Yankee Stadium.  The sharp-witted Francona iterated after the game, "Unless that [expletive] RSA can keep Jeter close, he needs to stay out of the dugout."  Well done, Terry.  ESPN's Peter Gammons called the 2007 situation "a disgrace" and it seems that Tito now has another ESPN employee on his side.

Says Olney of the unfortunate state of this situation, "This situation is approaching absurd and threatening to move into the territory of embarrassing...  Look, it's nice to have rules and it's important that everybody follows the same rules (as in the case of the base coaches wearing helmets), but this is nuts, and something that can and should be addressed quickly by the commissioner."

Now, I'm as much of a baseball purist as anyone out there - you saw my rant on Billy Crystal (and if you didn't, there it is... nothing wrong with plugging our own stuff) being signed to a one-day contract, getting an at-bat in an actual spring training game, and in short, making a mockery of the entire game of baseball - but what's going on here is something far different from upholding the integrity of the game.  We're not talking about Manny running around in the outfield with pants measuring 50 inches in the waist and 40 inches in the leg (an exaggeration, I admit, but probably not by much) or Papi coming to the plate with the back of his jersey hanging out of his pants; Terry Francona almost DIED as a result of these circulatory problems, so as a result, he wears looser fitting clothing, special socks and a pullover (and trust me, I guarantee he'd rather have the jersey, both out of respect for the game and a desire to be in full health).  Who are we - and most importantly, who are the Commish and the employees of the Damn Yankees - to question him for it?

After this fiasco with coaches' and staff members' compensation for the Japan trip that almost resulted in a Red Sox boycott, Selig et. al. better handle this situation with Francona with the utmost caution and understanding.  Don't need one of the MLB's most popular and lucrative teams on your bad side, Bud.