SignonSanDiego - What's the price of being a Boston Red Sox fan?  For David Sanborn of Oceanside, at least, it's about $25,000.  Sanborn was involved in a bar fight at the Grand Avenue Bar & Grill in Carlsbad SD on July 3, 2006, with New York Yankees fan Mario Melendez.  Melendez sued for damages in Vista Superior Court – for injuring his hand when he punched Sanborn.  On Tuesday, a Vista jury awarded Melendez $15,297 for medical costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Yesterday, the jury ordered Sanborn, who hails from Massachusetts, to pay an additional $10,000 in punitive damages.  Melendez testified last week that he injured his right hand on Sanborn's teeth during the fight, saying he was acting in self-defense.  “He grabbed me . . . and picked me up,” he told jurors. “I really thought he was going to body-slam me.”  At the time, the 6-foot-1 Sanborn was 210 pounds and 38 years old. The 5-foot-7 Melendez was 260 pounds and 49.  Melendez said Sanborn was drunk and belligerent at the bar, where both men went to root for their hometown teams on television.  Although the Red Sox and Yankees weren't playing each other that day, that didn't keep the two from exchanging words shortly after Yankees slugger Jason Giambi hit an early home run against the Cleveland Indians.  Sanborn arrived at the bar about 11 a.m. Melendez showed up about 4 p.m. with his 82-year-old father and a friend, according to court records.  Melendez said Sanborn, Sanborn's wife – a waitress at the restaurant – and two other men taunted him, yelling a profane version of “Let's go Yankees,” a popular chant in the Bronx. Melendez, who is originally from Brooklyn, New York, said he was also singled out for wearing a sleeveless jersey of Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.

If this guy doesn’t fit the description of a stereotypical NY fan than nobody does.    It’s almost like God decided to sit down one day and mold the perfect Yankees fan out of clay and boom Mario Melendez was born.   I mean  5”7, 260 lbs and wearing a sleeveless Derek Jeter shirt?   Does it get any better than that?  I don’t blame the Red Sox fan for picking a fight with him at all.  He probably didn’t want to do it.  Felt like he owed it to him.    Regardless you got to be a real pussy to sue somebody because your hand wasn’t tough enough to punch them in the face.    Seriously, toughen up.

- Thanks to Vince for the tip