Being bossed around surely won't sit well

You know we're going to hear from him soon. I say George Steinbrenner emerges before the first runner leaves Hopkinton tomorrow morning.

How long before he releases one of his breathless memos? The ones where he quotes General MacArthur and assures all that the Yankees will not go down without a fight? When will the team's principal owner turn this into an episode of "The Apprentice" and order people to pack their bags and catch a cab?

It's only April -- for those who don't have a history of quick hooks and overreaction. Keep that cellphone on your hip, Brian Cashman. Chances are it will be ringing in a few hours, if not right now.

The Red Sox and Yankees are halfway through their four-game series, and the Sox are winning on points and style. On Friday night, they treated Javier Vazquez's fastball as if it were one of those meaningless meatballs thrown during batting practice. They won, 6-2.

Yesterday they were facing Mike Mussina, even if the man on the Fenway mound pitched like Mike Maddux. He scuffled through five innings, had a 38-pitch second, and was fortunate to be tagged with just three earned runs. This time the Sox won, 5-2.

It's only April -- for those who didn't spend $185 million to see a start like this.

After a whole bunch of talking during an "offseason" that wouldn't take a break, the Yankees have come out flat. Not that anyone in New England is complaining. At times, Sox fans can be creatively cruel with their hopes for the pinstripes, but who would have thought of this? Name a Yankee acquisition -- well, other than Kevin Brown -- and it hasn't turned out well for George.

The Sox and Yankees are those neighbors who are constantly peeking over the other's fence to see what's going on. Now it's as if the Yankees have had a housewarming that's gone all wrong. Their new deck has collapsed. They have an expensive No. 13 Ferrari that won't start. And there is mysterious debris floating in their pool.

Everyone knows the refrain by now ("It's only April"), but can you believe Alex Rodriguez is hitting .171? There isn't a human being I respect more in baseball than Tony Clark, even if Clark's bat appears to be a couple years past its prime. Yesterday, Clark was more dangerous than his $252 million teammate. Something about that doesn't seem right.

Sox manager Terry Francona knocked on wood yesterday when he was asked about the Rodriguez struggles. He said lots of players start slowly before finding their rhythm, and the same is true of the man who could have been The Rhythm of Boston.

It makes a lot of sense. But I can think of someone who won't be that rational if the Sox manage to win their third game in a row against New York. George will ask why no one convinced him to pick up Manny Ramirez, who asked to be a Yankee once upon a time. Ramirez's major flaw was a heavy paycheck, which is not a flaw at all to an owner who doesn't bother to weigh his payroll. Ramirez has hit home runs the past two days.

George will slip into his alter ego -- "Baseball Tonight" analyst -- and remind all that he wanted David Ortiz a long time ago. He'll also wonder why the Yankees weren't in Arizona in November, talking baseball with Curt Schilling. Sox general manager Theo Epstein was there. He learned that Schilling is a serious baseball historian who wanted to be part of something as significant as the sports/cultural showdowns between New York and Boston. Schilling explained his day-of-game ritual to Epstein, and the GM knew it would play in New England.

Schilling threw 121 pitches at the Yankees over 6 1/3 innings. When Francona walked toward him, he cursed at the thought of coming out of the game. He stood on the mound for a few seconds, seemingly shocked that he wasn't going to be able to finish his work.

A couple days ago, Francona said Schilling is "a miserable bastard" on the days he pitches. Epstein didn't say it like that, but, "I don't talk to him on the days he pitches."

Schilling was miserable and he won. George was somewhere miserable because his team is flopping. It looks like an overpriced bust that would be panned by critics if it were running on Broadway.

How long before he makes the boldest of bold charges, and criticizes hitting coach Don Mattingly? How long before he hints that Derek Jeter acquiesces -- as captain -- and allows Rodriguez to play short? Maybe he'll sleep on all of this and conclude that, somehow, John W. Henry and Larry Lucchino are to blame for his problems.

This crisis won't last long, but it is amusing short-term entertainment. The Sox have said all along that their pitching is good enough to keep up with the excesses of New York. They've proven themselves so far. Tim Wakefield and Schilling have been good. Derek Lowe gets his chance to be good today.

No, it doesn't mean a lot after 10 games. But it's not bad for April.

Michael Holley is a Globe columnist. His e-mail address is holley@globe.com.