Us Bruins (UCLA Class of ’71 here) know how to produce second basemen. Jackie Robinson … Chase Utley. …

Something for Yankees fans to not mull over during a break in the World Series: 100-win teams are 0-for-11 in World Series since the 1998 Bombers’ sweep over the Padres. … 

The Phillies’ stolen-base percentage has been pretty good the last few seasons. But what has been their stolen-sign percentage? … 

Seriously, some are reading way too much into Yankees catchers’ frequent mound visits to chat strategy and change signs. The only camera that has been a part of this World Series is the one Alex Rodriguez’s Game 3 home run clunked. Since 2007, the Phillies’ hitting at home has been only marginally better than on the road, nothing to support suspicions of sign thievery in Citizens Bank Park. …  

Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge: Further proofs that the playoffs aren’t always a Second Season. Sometimes, they’re just extensions of the First Season. … 

Here’s my take on the imperfect umpiring we’ve seen this postseason: I didn’t hear Tim McClelland and his colleagues rip into Nick Punto, Bobby Abreu, Scott Kazmir and others for their bonehead mistakes, so let’s cut the arbiters some slack. … 

Wait, I do have another take: How would you like to have your job performance evaluated with a battalion of high-tech devices picked up at James Bond’s garage sale? … 

I get the feeling that the more interviews he undergoes for managerial openings, the less Bobby Valentine is interested in resuming his Major League managerial career. He seems disenchanted about the game’s evolution to increased dependency on statistical analysis. He has fielded questions in those interviews that frankly have floored him. … 

How do the Pittsburgh Pirates get into any World Series conversation? Easy. Of all the teams with at least three historical appearances in the Fall Classic, those lovable recent losers have been the best at closing the deal, winning five of their seven Series. …