With his Christmas arrest, Andruw Jones re-establishes the rules of scandal: When they mess up, they’re always “ex-Yankees.”

Andruw Jones -- who played 12 seasons with the Atlanta Braves, hit most of his 400 home runs in Atlanta, won his Gold Gloves in Atlanta, lives in Atlanta, and was arrested in Atlanta on Christmas Day -- of course, is identified in news accounts as an "ex-Yankee."

Listen: I don't mean to make fun of Andruw's arrest. He was charged in a domestic violence dispute, and there’s nothing funny about it.

But I can't help but note the First Rule of Identifying Ex-Ballplayers for Bad Behavior.

I. Thou shalt always be an ex-Yankee.

Consider the case of Roger Clemens, the ultimate "ex-Yankee." Doesn’t matter that he spent more time in a Boston uniform, or that he's linked forever to the Redsocks. He gets in trouble for steroids, and he's "ex-Yankee Roger Clemens."

Do something bad, or just be accused of it, and you’re an old Yankee.

Sidney Ponson? Ex-Yankee. Jim Leyritz? Ex-Yankee. (Can't fault that one.) A relapse by Darryl Strawberry or Doc Gooden? They're ex-Yankees. 

Somebody should tell Youk: Whatever happens, the Redsocks are off the hook.