Morning Report: Werth’s acts of thievery

Stealing home is something of a lost art.

In the long-ago era of Ty Cobb, it was a staple. Cobb did it a staggering 54 times in his career.

But since Jackie Robinson (who did it 19 times) retired in the late 1950s, the feat had become more rare than a UFO sighting.

Suddenly, stealing home is in vogue. Until Manny Ramirez used the wrong sexual enhancement drug, the biggest news of the season was Jacoby Ellsbury's steal of home on April 26. It helped that Ellsbury did it against the Yankees - and on national television.

But now Jayson Werth has leapt onto the front pages, the highlight shows and the Internet.

And deservedly so.

According to Baseball-Almanac.com, the last players to steal second, third and home in the same inning both did so in 1996.

In fact, Chris Stynes of the Kansas City Royals did it exactly 13 years before Werth, on May 12, 1996.

Eric Young of the Colorado Rockies matched the feat on June 30th of that year.

Rumor of the night. Now that retired coach Mike Holmgren has said he'll be back in the NFL in 2010, how long will it be before somebody starts beating the drum for him to coach the Eagles - and bring Brett Favre along with him?

Andy Reid? He'll be kicked upstairs to GM.

Donovan McNabb? Outta here.

Real dirt. The suddenly money-hungry Yankees have announced they will sell all sorts of memorabilia from the original Yankee Stadium, including seats, a clubhouse door, the foul poles, freeze-dried grass and assorted pieces of, well, junk.

The Yanks also announced they will sell dirt, including the soil used during the last game in The Stadium last September.

The cost of a piece of dirt (which is about the size of a coin) is $80.

For dirt!

"They could buy a 50-pound bag for a lot less," said Jim Kelsey, the owner of Beam Clay in Great Meadows, N.J.

Since 1952, all of the dirt used in both Yankee stadia has come from Beam Clay.

"It's nice to know something we made means that much to somebody," Kelsey told Bloomberg News yesterday. "But I can just go outside and get some myself. But it hasn't been to Yankee Stadium yet."

In case you're interested, that 50-pound bag is $5.95. A ton of the stuff is $75.

But, as Kelsey said, it hasn't been to Yankee Stadium yet.