Confirmed: The New York Yankees Are Evil

Confirmed: The New York Yankees Are Evil. A panel of trademark judges in Washington, D.C., sided with the Yankees in a legal battle over the trademark of the phrase “Baseballs Evil Empire.” To win, the Yankees had to embrace the phrase coined by Larry Lucchino back in 2002. The judges wrote: “In short, the record shows that there is only one Evil Empire in baseball and it is the New York Yankees. Accordingly, we find that [the Yankees] have a protectable trademark right in the term … as used in connection with baseball.”  [WSJ]

The Inevitable Column That Makes Ben Affleck’s Oscar Win About Boston. The opening line of Ty Burr’s column: “We’ve got our Ben back. And, good Lord, what he had to put us through, and go through, to get here.” Put on your seatbelts because Affleck’s decisions and career and life choices are all about us.  [Globe]

Catholics On Cardinal O’Malley As The Next Pope. The reactions to the prospect of the next Pope hailing from Boston seem to be a mixed bag.  [WBUR]

Winning Bid for Curt Schilling’s Bloody Sock Is $75,000. Plus an extra $17,000 or so in fees, and Pete Siegel is the proud new owner of Schilling’s dirty laundry from Game 2 of the 2004 World Series. Siegel’s wife is not so thrilled.  [Herald | CNN]

Worcester Man Builds a Massive Igloo/Man Cave. Each winter, Michael Kozlowski builds a man cave, which he says is “all done by hand—caveman method.” Thanks to a bit of help from Mother Nature, Kozlowski says this is his best one yet. It includes a couch and a TV.  [NBC]