''We don't throw at .260 hitters!''

It has often been said that after Bronson Arroyo hit Alex Rodriguez with a pitch that resulted in the famous 7/24/04 Red Sox/Yankees brawl, Jason Varitek told A-Rod, "We don't throw at .260 hitters." According to Varitek, this is an urban legend.

One question remains, however: Did Varitek, as rumor has it, spit out a Bartlett's-style insult at Rodriguez? Did he say, ''We don't throw at .260 hitters''?

''That's ridiculous,'' said Varitek, sitting at his locker before a recent game. ''I'm not that smart to come up with such a clever line in the heat of battle. I knew Arroyo didn't hit him on purpose, and I just told him to get along to first base.''