NFL playoffs

seeing as how the most intresting thing going in baseball right now is that andruw jones may be traded I figure lets talk a little football. (Alex will be back the 5th of Jan.)

My picks for the week

Atlanta -1 Arizona- I know Arizona has been playing like crap lately, but there offense is much better at home and even though Matt Ryan has been amazing he is still a rookie.

Philadelphia -3 Minnesota- Philadelphia is the sure pick here. The Vikings were only able to beat the Giants second string team by one point in a game that was a must win for them. Tavaris Jackson will not be able to get anything going against the eagles secondary and if Mcnabb plays as he has been he should have problems against the Vikings pass rush.

Baltimore -3 Miami- This one is gonna be intresting coming down to how well the Ravens secondary plays. If they play like they did against the colts week 6 its going to be a long day for the Ravens. I also doubt Flacco is gonna be able to do much of anything or even given the chance to for that matter.

Indianapolis pk San Diego- The colts.. I just don't see the argument for the chargers here. The Chargers secondary has been dreadful the entire year and they have not beat a single decent team all year. LT just isn't the same with his injured toe, atlhough I will give Phillip Rivers credit, he really has developed into one of the better quaterbacks in the NFL.

Happy Holidays!

Coast to Coast baseball won't be posting for a few days to spend time with our families.

...and sorry if the above image made you seizure out...

Happy Holidays!

*Edit*

Rinku and Dinesh's first Christmas...

We not believing in Santa Claus, but JB sir say it true. Santa sir deliver us sweat shirts in night. we find morning. we still think JB sir. Dinesh write note for the thanks and JB sir say you send letter North Pole. We going on line and see no one living north pole. very crazy american festival.

tell me that didn't make your day.

Teixeira is NY bound

Well, while i was in a deep sleep the last few hours, Mark Teixeira seem to have agreed to a contract with the Yankees.

-What does this mean Yankee fans? I am calling a "world series sweep. 4 games. See ya."

-In other news... Bernie Williams made his debut in Winter ball... he went 1-3 with a line drive single up the middle.

-Meanwhile... Rinku and Dinesh love Chinese food...


gotta love these guys... and did i just get a CC Sabathia sighting?

-If you are interested in learning the type of guy Phil Hughes really is check this out, really cool story.

-back with more thoughts on Teixeira later...

Future of the Yankees

Us Yankee fans have gone through some tough times being ridiculed for selling away our young players and buying our talent, so we as fans more than anyone would love to see our young guys win us a world title in a few years.

Watching the Yankees in the mid to late 90s was magical, it really was. With the genuis signings of Scott Brosius, Bam-Tino and Paul Oneill as well the emergence of true Yankees Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams and Mariano Rivera. Well, times have changed since then, the Yankees are a new ball club, they tried resorting to their old habits in 2008, but it just didn't work out.

Now, for the first time in years, our farm system is in tact and looks like we have a bright and young future ahead of us.

Projected lineup in a few years...

Brett Gardner-LF
Austin Jackson-CF
Austin Romine-C
Alex Rodriguez-3B (he'll be hittin dingers till the day he retires)
Jesus Montero-DH
Shelley Duncan-RF (unlikely, he's 28 and i couldn't think of anyone else)
Robinson Cano-2B
Juan Miranda-1B
Derek Jeter-SS (i know it's tough to think about, but even the greatest of hitters decline and are moved from the top of the lineup to the bottom, look at Bernie Williams).

Rotation-

CC Sabathia
Joba Chamberlain
Phil Hughes
Dellin Betances
Phil Coke

I officially have no love for Ian Kennedy, he's shown to us last year he is a good AAA pitcher, but can't seem to make it in the bigs.

Jesus Montero is said to outgrow the catching position, i placed him as a DH because he's not a 1B, even though that's what he's projected to turn to after catching.

I've always really liked Austin Romine, maybe as a Joe Mauer type hitter, he hits the occasional homer, but will hit for average and drive in runs. In my eyes, he's our catcher for the future.

Juan Miranda can develop power, and if he does we may have a nice 1B for years to come. If he can give you a 280 BA, 25 HR, 90 RBI ... i think we've got a keeper.

Brett Gardner and Austin Jackson will be the Yankees 1,2 guys in the future, i'm commited to that. Many see Austin as a lead off guy, but i see him more as a number 2 guy where Brett is clearly lead off material. Like it or not, Gardner gets his walks and he can sure run.

Dellin Betances had a great second half in the Yanks farm system last year after a terrible start, if he works on his command, he may very well be a stud.

I didn't mention the bullpen, but Mark Melancon as your closer maybe Jeremy Bleich, Kevin Whelan, Alan Horne all seen as late inning guys.

Of course this roster is not likely to happen, mainly because the Steinbrenner's won't let it happen, watching the 08 season, i wouldn't blame them.

Teix wants to be a Yankee?

That's what really is coming to mind right now, i know he hasn't come out straight forward and said it, but think about it.

Mark said he wants to play on the east coast and he wants to win. Teix has had complications in the past with the Red Sox, and they've grown farther and farther apart as the offseason goes on. The Angels, who i thought were the best suitors for Mark, just pulled their offer from the table, who does this leave... the Nationals, Orioles and the Yankees.

Mark also has said he wants to be on a contending team, counting out the Orioles and Nationals. The way i see it, is once Mark gets a solid offer from the Yankees, he's going to take it.

Mark wants to make his decision before Christmas, reasonably so, the guy has to get situated in. The Yankees had better make a solid offer soon, or we may end up seeing Teix playing for the Orioles, and the AL east is hard enough as it is.

I personally would love to see this guy in pinstripes next year, and for the first time i kind of think it's a possibility. I was so dead set on Mark Teixiera heading to the Angels (ever since we signed AJ and CC), that i didn't even think of us signing him.

How's this for a lineup Yankees fans (yes i do enjoy putting up theoretical lineups):

Jonny Damon-LF(i just totally forgot how to spell his first name, is it Johnny, jonny, johny? brain fart at its finest)
Derek Jeter-SS
Mark Teixeira-1B
Alex Rodriguez-3B
Jorge Posada-C
Hideki matsui-DH
Xavier Nady-RF
Nick Swisher-CF
Robinson Cano-2B

That IS a world series team.

AJ Burnett-check Daniel Cabrera-check Roy Halladay-no check

Now all we need is for Roy Halladay to head to the NL...

There's no hiding the fact that Daniel Cabrera and AJ Burnett have dominated the Yankees on many occasions throughout the last few years, now that they are non factors, what does this mean to the Yankees.

In all serious-ness, combined AJ Burnett and Daniel Cabrera started 10 games against the Yankees in 08, not making it easy on us. Many say the Angels put the Yankees out of contention for a playoff berth, maybe so... but these two had a large contribution as well.

Daniel Cabrera is now a National, AJ Burnett is now a Yankee, i'm a very supersticious guy and the way i see it, is the Yankees should feel better about facing both the Orioles and the Blue Jays now, knowing that they won't have to face Cabera and Burnett.

Of course Halladay and many other pitchers lurk within the AL east who have had success against the Yankees, but this sure made me breath easier.

Oh, and hey if you want to look like a monk and feel rediculous... here ya go..

...Seriously??

Feeling better about things...

Well, i haven't kept it a secret at all this off season, but as most of you know i did not want the Yankees to sign AJ Burnett. He had been on the DL 7 times throughout his career, and even was on the DL the one time his team made it to the post season, 2003...

However; listening to AJ Burnett for the first time yesterday, he really made me feel comfortable towards having him as our number 2 guy. He explains how Roy Halladay changed his philosophy, how he doesn't have to throw a constant 98 MPH and that 94 was more than enough to get people out (about 8 MPH more than enough looking at how Mike Mussina dominated last year).

Ofcourse we Yankee fans got a great look at AJ last year, seeing as how he dominated us in 5 starts. But for the first time since the signing, i feel really good about AJ in the starting rotation.

AJ likes the big stage, and he made it clear that he wanted to take his game to another level. Players say it all the time, but he really showed that he can pitch on the big stage with his performances against both the Yankees and the Red Sox last year. What's different from pitching in Toronto? Every game with the Yankees is a big game.

Rinku and Dinesh Q&A

Rinku and Dinesh are the first indian born players to sign a MLB contract (with the Pirates). Both Rinku and Dinesh have their own blog and it's very entertaining, check it out. They both accepted to answer a few questions for the blog.

Alex H- What is your favorite American food?

Rinku = Pork Ribs and Banana Pancakes
Dinesh = Pizza

Alex H- What is your favorite American movie?

Rinku = Bad boys
Dinesh = Wanted

Alex H- Who is your favorite baseball player?

Rinku = Favorite Pitcher is Cliff Lee and Cole Hammels - favorite
hitter = Jim thome
Dinesh = favorite pitcher Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia - Favorite hitter -
Derek Jeter

Alex H- What do you both, Rinku and Dinesh do in your spare time?

R & D-We calling friends on the Skype and watching many movies. We watch
Baseball Tonight, but it not on now.

Alex H- The music here in America is great, what bands/songs have you been introduced to, which do you like, dislike?

R & D-We love all American music... most like Hip Hop, Eminem, BDP, No
Doubt. In America all music different. we like.

Alex H- Was the transition from cricket to baseball difficult?

R & D-We not playing the cricket in India. We javelin throwing there.

Alex H- Thankyou Rinku and Dinesh.

R & D- Remember to cheer for the pirates...

Alex H- I don't know if there are any fans left unfortunately...

Brian Giles What the Hell

For those of you who don't know I (Ace) am a huge Padres fan, so while i was looking for information regarding the offseason I saw that his ex girlfriend was suing him for alleged beatings. At first I thought nothing of it and figured she was just looking for any money she could get after a bad break with him just before their wedding... then I saw this..



All i can say is WOW, I know all the details aren't known yet but this is pretty damn convincing. I've always supported Brian Giles as I felt he was the best offensive player on the team, but after seeing this I want nothing to do with him anymore. I don't care how trashy his girlfriend was and even if she started the fight by throwing a punch at him while she was drunk. When your girlfriend is pregnant with your baby THERE IS NO EXCUSE for physical abuse. I'm calling for Brian Gile's contract to be voided and hope other fans of baseball are as outraged about this as I am.

Edit: After more reading it appears she has had two miscarriages possibly caused by the alleged abuse.. wow

Man-Ram + Pinstripes = Win?

Sorry for not getting in a post yesterday, was in some sort of bad funk. But this morning i read in an article by Mark Feinsand that the Yankees may be going hard for Manny Ramirez.

This also may be why the Mike Cameron deal is on hold, if the Yankees get Manny Ramirez, alot of their problems will be solved. Their ailing offense is going to need a bat with the loss of Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi, Ramirez will fill that void.

At this time last year, every single Yankee fan (be honest) would not want Manny Ramirez anywhere near the starting lineup. Manny's heroic performance with the Dodgers really showed what he can do in a comfortable environment, not that New York is a comfortable place to be, but i think Manny can handle it.

Man-Ram has always said he wants to play in New York, and the Yankees may actually be able to push a 3rd year on him. The third year may be pushing it with a player like Manny, he's getting older, his defense isn't great, but if worse comes to worse, maybe see if he would accept a deal for 2 years in the 50 MM range with a club option.

No question Manny Ramirez will make the Yankees a better team, and perhaps one of the favorites for winning the AL East.

Here's a realistic opening day lineup:

Jonny Damon-CF/DH
Derek Jeter-SS
Alex Rodriguez-3B
Manny Ramirez-LF
Jorge Posada-C
Xavier Nady-RF
Hideki Matsui-DH
Nick Swisher-1B/CF
Robinson Cano-2B

Now that is a lineup i can feel comfortable with.

Your opinion didn't matter Kenny Lofton...

*phone rings*

CC Sabathia- I wonder who that could be...

Amber Sabathia- I have no idea, let me answer it... Hello? CC... it's for you...

CC Sabathia- Hello?

Kenny Lofton- Hello, is this CC Sabathia?

CC Sabathia- Yes, who is this?

Kenny Lofton- That's not important... so, i heard you were thinking about accepting the Yankees offer.

CC Sabathia- Yes i was considering their offer... why?

Kenny Lofton- Don't do it man, they're bad people over there.

CC Sabathia- What are you talking about? Who is this?!

Kenny Lofton- I was signed to play the outfield a few years ago... the Yankees are bad news... they're racist against black people!

*click*

CC Sabathia- Wow...

Amber Sabathia- Who was that?

CC Sabathia- I think it was Gary Sheffield trying to convince me to not sign with the Yankees... said something about them being racist?

Amber Sabathia- Who gives a shit, just take the money CC.

Tim Dierkes Q&A

I asked Tim Dierkes if he would answer a few questions on the Yankees for the blog, he gracefully accepted. For those of you who don't know, Tim runs a wonderfull blog called MLB trade rumors.

Alex H- The Yankees have spent about a quarter of a billion dollars on AJ Burnett and CC Sabathia, is there any hope of signing a bat like Mark Teixeira or Manny Ramirez?

Tim D-I see Teixeira as highly unlikely for them, with maybe a 10% chance for Manny if he settles for a two-year deal in the $50MM range.

Alex H- If the Mike Cameron trade actually gets completed, do you see someone like Brett Gardner moved to the bench, or maybe involved in a trade to acquire a reliever, starter or even a utility guy?

Tim D-I don't think he would be terribly appealing to other teams; the Yankees would probably just use him as a bench guy.


Alex H- Any chance the Yankees risk signing Ben Sheets to be their 5th starter, or is there too much risk having both AJ Burnett and Ben Sheets in the same rotation?

Tim D-That would be a lot of injury risk...it seems that they prefer Derek Lowe, who usually makes all of his starts. Still, Sheets for two years with Hughes on standby isn't a bad idea.


Alex H- Any chance of Hideki Matsui getting traded away this offseason, who would be his suitors?

Tim D-Seems unlikely...$13MM player, full no-trade clause, 35 in March, coming off knee surgery. It'd have to be a situation where the Yankees ate significant money (or took back a bad contract) and a team was looking for a DH. The Royals, Angels, A's, or Mariners could be fits if he'd go there...but Matsui has negative trade value right now.


Alex H- What do you feel the Yankees plans are for Phil Hughes now? He had a miserable 08, plagued by injuries, and it seems that they don't want him to be a part of the rotation in 09. Do they let him develop more in AAA and unleash him in 2010 or are they planning to trade him?

Tim D-I think they will let him re-establish health and success starting at Triple A in 2009, and he'll be the sixth man when someone goes down. The Yankees will certainly need a sixth starter at some point.

Alex H- I was hearing alot of talk about a Robinson Cano for Matt Kemp deal before the Winter Meetings, what's the update with that trade?

Tim D-Every time that rumor crops up it seems that it gets shot down. The last word was that those two teams have not spoken for quite a while. Keep in mind that Kemp's trade value is significantly higher than Cano's right now.

Alex H- Thanks Tim.

Production problem...

The Yankees lost two key members of their offense last year in Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi. Even with those two the Yankees offense ranked 7th in the AL, so one can not expect Nick Swisher alone to pick up the pieces.

It was reported today that the Yankees were still very interested in the two biggest bats in the free agent pool despite spending almost a quarter of a billion dollars on pitchers already.

Making an offer to Mark Teixeira would be smart; however he is looking for a long term deal, can the Yankees really afford that considering what they've already spent? Manny Ramirez is also out there, and has even said he would love to play in New York, a shorter term deal would be available, but still, the price would be extremely high.

Realistically, the Yankees should look at other options, in case they are unable to sign Mark Teixeira and Manny Ramirez. Players like Adam Dunn or Milton Bradley can be signed worth far less. Just imagine if the Yankees signed BOTH Mark Teixeira and Manny Ramirez... that would be crazy.

Let me just give you a mouth drooling theoretical opening day lineup...

Jonny Damon-CF
Derek Jeter-SS
Alex Rodriguez-3B
Manny Ramirez-LF
Mark Teixeira-1B
Jorge Posada-C
Hideki Matsui-DH
Xavier Nady-RF
Robinson Cano-2B

Now that you're salivating over that lineup... take a look and enjoy your opening day starting rotation.

CC Sabathia
Chien Ming Wang
AJ Burnett
Joba Chamberlain
Andy 'Big game' Pettite

I don't know about you Yankee fans, but i'm anxiously awaiting opening day 2009 wether Mark Teixeira or Manny Ramirez are Yankees or not.

Kei Igawa... a true Yankee

Born July 13 1979, Igawa sought to strive as a proffesional ball player, and he did... in Japan. Drafted in 1998 by the Hanshin Tigers, whom he played for until 2006 and had a very succesfull career. Somehow he led his league in strikeouts 3 of those years, and was elected to Japan's All-Star team. Though Igawa's success in Japan was great, his true purpose in life had yet to come.

The Yankees were watching something that Kei Igawa did correctly in Japan... apparently, and signed him to a Major league contract just before the 2007 season. Many believe that this was just a signing to possibly counter the Red Sox signing of Daisuke Matsuzaka, of course that wasn't true... of course...

Kei Igawa performed up to expectations in 2007...durring spring training... but when the season came around, we saw a new side of the K-man.

What Yankee fans don't know, is if Igawa hadn't been a Yankee on April 7 2007, would Alex Rodriguez be a Yankee today. I say this because durring that game, Alex Rodriguez hit a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 9th. According to Alex Rodriguez, that homerun really got him settled into New York, and took alot of pressure off of him to succeed in 07.

Igawa gave up 7 runs in 5 innings durring that game, who knows... i'm not one to play God, but... had the Yankees not signed Igawa, A-Rod would not have hit the grand slam, and maybe would not have won the 07 MVP and possibly could have decided not to resign with the Yankees after opting out of his contract.

Now Yankee fans, i know you don't like Kei Igawa, with good reason; however, think of him in a different light now. Kei Igawa's total suck gave us 10 more years of Alex Rodriguez, arguably the greatest player of all time.

So thank you Kei Igawa, a true Yankee! (I know... I just blew your mind)

It's not my day...

Well, of course it happened with CC, now it had to happen with AJ Burnett, just 5 minutes after i said in a previous post that the Yankees should NOT sign AJ Burnett to a 5 year deal... they sign him.

Here's the article, Jerry Crasnick reports.

The Good:
-AJ Burnett is a quality pitcher coming off of a quality season, he has attitude, and that's what Yankee fans love.
-AJ Burnett has had success in the AL East.

The Bad:
-AJ Burnett has not won more than 12 games once in his career... and that was last year.
-AJ Burnett is very injury prone, and is friends with Carl Pavano, just a bad omen.

The Ugly:
-AJ is signed for 5 years, Carl Pavano was signed for 4, imagine having Pavano for another year... i know, i don't want to think about it either.

The Yankees rotation looks good however:

CC Sabathia
Chien Ming Wang
AJ Burnett
Joba Chamberlain
????

Maybe that 5th spot goes to Andy Pettite, maybe it goes to someone like Ben Sheets or Derek Lowe... or MAYBE they sign both Ben Sheets and Andy Pettite, and move Joba Chamberlain to the bullpen to be the set-up guy for Mariano Rivera.

Personally i see Joba as a starter, and i want him there, but the Yankees need a true set-up guy. Jose Veras and Brian Bruney are good later inning guys, but not set-up material.

Some thoughts...

Well, i broke my ankle today and i will have plenty of time to make posts now... the first thing that came to mind, is what i would do if i were the Yankees.

First of all, i'll start with what i will NOT do:

-Sign AJ Burnett to a 5 year deal, the guy hasn't pitched a full season more than once, and that was his last year... before last year, AJ hadn't won more than 12 games, and in his career year his ERA was 4. Not to mention he dominated the Yankees 5 times.

-Sign Derek Lowe to a 4 year deal, he's 36, and he has been out of the AL for a few years now, bringing him in for 4 years would be a bad idea.

-Sign Andy Pettite for anything more than 10 Million dollars... his ERA in the second half of last year was close to 6, if he thinks he deserves any more, he is insane.

-Trade for Mike Cameron, he's 36, he strikes out alot, and i do not want to see him starting CF for the Yankees on opening day 09.

-trade for Rick Ankiel; however i would prefer him over Mike Cameron, i don't want someone who used to be a pitcher, as my starting CF, it just doesn't feel right.

These are all ideas that have been thrown around by the Yankees, and are strong possobilities...

Now, onto what i WOULD do:

-Sign Ben Sheets to a 2 year deal worth close to 28 million dollars, when healthy, he is one of the best pitchers in baseball, if the Yankees want to bring over one of CC's friends from Milwaukee, why not this guy?

-Involve Hideki Matsui in a deal for a quality Center fielder, i.e Shane Victorino, Curtis Granderson or even David Dejesus, Hideki Matsui is getting old and he is beginning to get injured more often.

-Sign Adam Dunn to a 2 year deal for about 15 Million a year to play 1B, he gets his walks, he hits homeruns, and he drives in runs... what's not to like (besides the terrible strikeout ratio).

-Trade for Huston Street, i know the bullpen is looking good right now, but it would be good to have a true set-up guy, maybe involve someone like Ian Kennedy or Juan Miranda in the deal.

-Sign Andy Pettite to the 1 year deal worth 10 million, even though he had a terrible 08... i still can't think of one other guy i would give the ball to in a MUST win game.

Now... all that i said is easily obtainable if the Yankees wanted to get it done, notice i didn't mention Mark Teixeira or Manny Ramirez in any of my plans. It's because i just can't see the Yankees obtaining them, as well as fixing the rotation, not that i don't want them.

Jumping the gun.

I... like i'm sure many other diehard Yankee fans were up and about early this morning to check if there had been any new Yankee news while we were dreaming about CC winning us a World championship. I was scared to see that the Yankees had traded for Mike Cameron; however, some mlb reporters seemed to jump the gun on that deal, and is now being said that the chances of a trade are... remote.

Well, i don't know about you guys... but.... Pheeeeeeeeew! I did not want this guy to be anywhere close to the Yankees opening day lineup. I would much rather risk Brett Gardner playing there full time than have this 36 year old CF who is far past his prime.

I know the Yankees may have seen this deal as killing two birds with one stone, make CC Sabathia more comftorable and fill the CF hole, but seriously... Mike Cameron? CC Sabathia is an outgoing guy, as is the entire Yankees team, he will fit in with everyone just fine, he doesn't need Mike Cameron there to be his bud.

There are far more important things the Yankees should be doing right now, than trading for Mike Cameron, like...

-Signing Ben Sheets
-Trading Kei Igawa for eggs
-Making an Omelet with those Igawa eggs

... you see, far more important things than trading for Mike Cameron... especially getting those eggs for Kei Igawa.

Mike Cameron traded to the Yankees...

According to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News the Yankees acquire Mike Cameron for Melky Cabrera. However, the deal may not be finalized and Bill Hall may be included somewhere as well.

I will update this post with my thoughts later...

*Update: 9:56 AM* Jon Heyman is reporting the Yankees are back into the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes.

You're Welcome!

Yes,well, ofcourse CC would sign with the Yankees after i specifically said that he wouldn't just a few hours before, so you can thank me for that :)

Please, all Yankee fans... join me in letting out all of your excitement... WOOOHOOO YESS! We have a true ace again!I haven't been this happy since we got Randy Johnson(be honest, you were excited too when that deal went down).

Now, the Yankees should move onto Ben Sheets (who is a far better option than AJ Burnett with less risk). Lock Sheets up for 2 years and close to 30 million, maybe then we can feel really good about our baseball team again, out with the old and in with the new!

Yankee fans, go enjoy the rest of your day... i know i will.

Need new Sheets...

As a Yankees fan... i can honestly say...

I want Ben Sheets!

Well... more than AJ Burnett...

in 8 seasons, Sheets has pitched 30 games for the Brewers 4 times... not exactly great, but it is far more comforting than looking at Burnett's 3 in 10 years.

The Sheets deal is a shorter commitment type deal, i really can't see AJ Burnett staying healthy with the Yankees, and if we lock him up for 5 years... yikes.

If the Yankees sign Sheets, they can focus on Derek Lowe (though i still want CC, i just don't see it happening anymore, will elaborate shortly...) Having signed both Sheets and Lowe, they can then focus their attention on Mark Teixeira, not necessarily giving him the 10 year deal he wants, but letting him know his time in NY will be worth his while...

back to CC, Yankee fans, i haven't yet given up hope... but it truly looks to me like he is keeping the offer on the table to get more money from a West coast team like the Angels or Dodgers. To me, if he was actually considering playing for the Yankees, he'd have taken that whopping 140 million dollar contract.

I still haven't given up hope though... anything is possible, they could make a 'Jack in the box' in New York, let's be honest, that's the only reason he wants to stay on the West. Come on Hal... make it happen!

*Update Wednsday: 7:07 AM* Looks like there was some agreement last night to build Sabathia his own 'all you can eat buffet' eatery, and has started looking more like he is going to sign with the Yankees.

Oh, my indian friend...

If you want a good blog to read, check out Rinku and Dinesh's of the Million dollar arm contest.

Perhaps the funniest quote from them so far...

One very, very bad thing about the news is that they say I on the BABEWATCH this not true. i not watching girls. i only pitching, training, eat, watch baseball/Movies and sleep. American women very dangerous and very crazy. I like only Indian woman. Dinesh and JB, Sir have been harrassing me about this BABEWATCH. I do not like the BABEWATCH

If that quote isn't funny enough for you, here's the link that Rinku is talking about...

Nothing in that article says that Rinku is in love with American women,but this girl admires him, Rinku just mis interpreted the quote...

Babewatch was not saying that Rinku was watching women, but that this girl was calling him a 'babe'... he may want to learn a little more english before getting so upset over nothing.

Winter Meetings tomorrow!

I can't wait, even if nothing happens, you just know that from that point on, anything can happen.

So, i was browsing Rinku and Dinesh's blog which is always a great read... and i found this quote...

This week I discover 3 new sweets that i like very much. i like boston kreem donut. i like napoleon. And i like the oreo ice cream cake. these are all very tasty. I guess in the USA people are fond of giving the sweets because people keep bringing Rinku and I sweets to celebrate. I think this good custom.

and that is why America is overwheight...

Anyway, Video 10, the final video... i decided not to go with a very funny video, but really found this cool.

I'd like to see him try that again...

By the way, i did a Q&A with Peter Abraham, you can see it in the post right under this one.

Peter Abraham Q&A

So, i asked Peter Abraham if he could answer a few questions for the blog, and he gracefully accepted.

Alex H- When do you see Andrew Brackman actually starting for the Yankees, he's not as young as some other 1st round draft picks, could he make some impact out of the bullpen in 09'?

Pete A- 2010 maybe. He has very little pitching experience.

Alex H- Can you see Nick Swisher as the Yankees opening day 1B? Talking to many Yankee fans, they seem to be dead set on acquiring Mark Tiexiera. Is it really that bad if the Yankees have Swish at first?

Pete A- Yes. They acquired him to play first. I don't think they can fix their rotation and sign Teixeira unless his price comes way down.

Alex H- Who follows Jorge Posada? Jesus Montero, Austin Romine or Other?

Pete A- Impossible to say as of now until we see how the kids develop the next two years. I'd say Romine catches and Montero ends up at 1B.

Alex H- Will Melky Cabrera be in the Yankees opening day starting lineup, or do the Yankees see Brett Gardner as their CF?

Pete A- I would hope not. Melky is a 4th OF at best.

Alex H- How many Yankee blogs do you check every day? What are your most visited?

Pete A- Every day? Just the other beat writers. But I visit many others when I have a chance.

Alex H- Thanks Pete.

I'll be back with video 10 later today...

Videos 8 and 9

Sorry for not getting a post in yesterday... (the first time i hadn't posted atleast once a day since i started this blog) I just haven't been in much the last two days.

So, since i missed yesterday's post... i'm going to put up 2 funny videos to make up for it... I really don't have much to say about baseball at the moment... but i'll get that back up and kicken once the winter meetings start...

...and 2 days until the winter meetings!

Video 8:


Video 9:


Yes, i do enjoy the Jimmy Kimmel Live show...

Sick..

So, i am sick... and i am not in a 'great' mood right now so i won't make much of a post today... but all i can say is....

4 days until the Winter meetings!

here is video number 7:


...this video actually made my day

Becasue I really don't care about anything else...

Well Dustin Pedroia was signed to an extension and AJ Burnett is going to get a 5 year offer from the Braves... but because i could care less about something that doesn't affect the Yankees... here is Video number 6.

I am officially counting down the days to the Winter Meetings... 5 boring days left!

Cano is Ripped

The Yankees were worried about Cano's size for a second baseman for some time now, and Cano seemed like he may outgrow the position.

Well, Kevin Long was with Robinson Cano in the Dominican Republic working on his swing for the last few weeks, and Long only had good things to say...

I was as impressed with what he looks like as I have ever been in my whole life

Cano reportedly hired a personal trainer to whip himself into shape, says George King in a recent article. So for everyone who thinks the Yankees should go off and sign Orlando Hudson and trade Cano... think again, because you may be seeing more of that 342 BA Robinson Cano that we all used to know and love.

Anyway, another day where the Yankees didn't sign anyone... so... video number 4... incoming...

What was she thinking... seriously

A Real Nightmare...

So, just felt like i should share a very interesting dream i had last night... i don't remember the whole thing, but basically the Yankees missed out on all 3, CC,Lowe and Burnett... aswell as signing Mark Tiexera but his leg was blown off a week before the season was going to start(god knows how that happened).

CC Sabathia signed with the Red Sox along with Derek Lowe
AJ Burnett signed with the Orioles

Oh, also A-Rod and Madonna ran off to another country and were never seen again...

glad to see i am dreaming posotively on the Yankees.... i mean... come on Mark Tiexera's leg got blown off??

anyway...here's funny video number 3 because nothing happened again with the Yankees today.



It never gets old... honestly.

Video 2...

Well, i wasn't in at all today.. and when i got home.. i noticed that there was yet another boring day of Yankee rumors, but i hear Plaxico Burres shot himself in the leg or something??? nice...

so... here's funny video number 2... enjoy:



Some of the stuff they show to kids... it's really quite hilarious

Also, here is a quote from Rinku and Dinesh... they really do have a great blog if you want to check it out, they post often, and it's never a dissapointment (http://www.themilliondollararm.com/blog/)

JB Sir drove us to Barry Bonds house to meet with him. It was awesome.

Mr. Bonds sir has the finest house anyone could ever imagine. He has many animals that he has hunted and preserved to display. He has his own real movie theater. he also has many cars and a gym just like the one at USC. He even has a mirror that turns into a TV! GAZAB!

Mr. Bonds sir studied our pitching with us and gave us many strategies of how to improve.

I don't know if Barry Bonds is the greatest person to be teaching these young guys how to pitch... mainly because... he's not a pitcher? But hell, the guy may know a thing or two about pitching... i have no idea

Just another boring day in the offseason...

So, i am now comitting to posting one funny video every day until something interesting happens with the Yankees... i.e someone signs or gets traded... If there is other news to report... i will post with a video underneath...

...enjoy todays funny video...



"That even smell like letter 'F' ... Ohhh ##%*&*#%&!"

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, now let me brighten your day with a little quote from Rinku and Dinesh...

We are even learning some slang talk. like the other day one of the players on USC team saw another player eating and he said, “What are you cracking on DAWG.”

In America that means what are you eating my friend. Friends call each other DAWG here. Very weird.

... now go stuff your faces!

Rinku and Dinesh...

Rinku Bhramdeen Singh, on the left (LHP,19) and Dinesh Kumar Patel, on the right (RHP,19)won 1st(Rinku) and 2nd(Dinesh)place for a contest in India called the 'Million Dollar Arm' contest... considering the population of India... and these two won the contest, they must have something to offer.

both Rinku and Dinesh signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates becoming the first people from India to sign a Major League contract, it opens up a door for other players from India who may take an interest in baseball as Rinku and Dinesh develop into proffesional MLB pitchers.

If you're curious, Rinku and Dinesh have their own blog (link at the bottom of the page) they post on (thanks to 3:10 to Joba for turning me onto this) and it is really very entertaining...

We went with JB sir to breakfast at a great American breakfast eatery called Dennys. Rinku ordered a breakfast aclled the Lumberjack. We now know that a Lumberjack is a person who works as a tree cutter in the forrest so they must eat a lot of food. this breakfast was quite huge. It had eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, potatos, breads, and pancakes. I had French Toast and both meals were very fulfilling.

Oh do they have alot to learn about the American Culture...

They go on to talk about the rest of their day in the U.S.A seeing the movie 'Rock N' Rolla' saying it SUCKED...

It will be really interesting to see where these two end up in a few years.

http://www.themilliondollararm.com/blog/

Fighttttttt

Nolan Ryan... ain't nothing to fuck with

Just a thought...

What is one thing that you never hear about that happens ALL the time in baseball games...


Who doesn't want to see a drunk fan run onto the field and get tackled by security...

...no one? exactly...

and not just in baseball, but in all sports...

come on there is nothing i'd rather see more than an angry Red Sox fan run on the field at Yankee stadium and get DESTROYED by Yankee security...

Can i get an amen people?

Yankees as of Opening day 2009...

Now, i'll post what i think is going to be the actual lineup as of Opening Day... and one i would hope is the lineup(barely realistic...unlikely)

Actual Prediction-

Lineup
Jonny Damon-LF
Derek Jeter-SS
Hideki Matsui-DH
Alex Rodriguez-3B
Jorge Posada-C
Xavier Nady-RF
Nick Swisher-1B
Robinson Cano-2B
Brett Gardner-CF

Rotation
CC Sabathia-1
Chien Ming Wang-2
Andy Pettite-3
Joba Chamberlain-4
Phil Hughes-5
other options(internal)... Phil Coke, Alfredo Aceves, Ian Kennedy and kei Igawa(JUST KIDDING)

Bullpen(options)
Dan Giese-LR (i'm too lazy to look up how it's spelled... just hoping the 'I' before 'E' rule works out...)
Phil Coke-LR
David Robertson-MR
Edwar Ramirez-MR
Jose Veras-MR
Brian Bruney-SU
Damaso Marte-SU
Mariano Rivera-CP

Now onto my Yankees dream lineup for 09...

Lineup
Jonny Damon-LF/DH
Derek Jeter-SS
Mark Tiexera-1B
Alex Rodriguez-3B
Manny Ramirez-LF/DH
Jorge Posada-C
Xavier Nady-RF
Robinson Cano-2B
Shane Victorino-CF (acquired in a deal sending Hideki Matsui and Ian Kennedy for Victorino and Chad Durbin)

Rotation
CC Sabathia-1
Chien Ming Wang-2
AJ Burnett-3
Derek Lowe-4
Joba Chamberlain-5

Bullpen
Dan Giese-LR
Phil Coke-LR
Jose Veras-MR
Edwar Ramirez-MR
Chad Durbin-MR(acquired in deal with Phillies, see above)
Brian Bruney-SU
Damaso Marte-SU
Mariano Rivera-CP

This dude is my hero...

THINK before you throw at this guy again...

and seriously, why don't people take out the catcher and then go after the pitcher?

Don't ask...

So, i was bored today... and was thinking to myself... how would some of the chubbies in the MLB fare against one another.

Names that came to my mind:

CC Sabathia- 290lbs-6'7''
Prince Fielder- 270lbs-5'll''
David Ortiz- 230-6'3''
David Wells- 248-6'4''
Sidney Ponson- 258-6'1''
John Kruk- 250-5'11''

Round 1:
CC Sabathia
vs.
Prince Fielder

Winner-CC Sabathia-Prince Fielder forfitted his match complaining he saw too much "meat" on his opponent CC Sabathia. (Prince Fielder, substituting beef with fruit roll-ups does not help you lose weight!!).


David Ortiz
vs.
Sidney Ponson

Winner-David Ortiz- the fight lasted 2 seconds, which is just a few seconds shorter than how long he(Sidney Ponson) averages on a professional baseball mound before getting knocked out...

John Kruk
vs.
David Wells

Winner-No winner- both men left to help the rest of the over-weight people on ESPN advertise another weight loss trick

Final Round-
CC Sabathia
vs.
David Ortiz -

Winner...David Ortiz-CC Sabathia came to his senses and accepted the Yankees contract offer of 140 Million dollars for 6 years and decided it would be smart to just skip the fight and bathe in his fortune...

But seriously CC... accept the offer already... please?

Phil Franchise...

So, for those of you who havent heard from Phil Hughes lately, he really has been impressive in his last two starts in the AFL (his final two starts in the AFL).

November 14th- 5 innings 2 hits 0R 1 BB 6Ks
November 19th- 5 innings 2 hits 0R 0 BB 10Ks (76 pitches, 53 strikes)

I'm sure all Yankee fans are ecstatic about the recent success of Phil, and you should know he's been throwing alot more strikes than earlier on in the AFL season.

I also still think Hughes will be a key part to the Yankees 09 rotation... especially if they sign AJ Burnett (you can't honestly expect him to stay healthy... can you?), so look for Hughes to make a serious run for a spot out of spring training.

Pat Venditte won MiLB.com's best reliever for class A short-season, he really is an interesting story, an ambidextrious pitcher... just try throwing a strike with your opposite hand... i dare you! (http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081026&content_id=3646262&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb)

New owner... Hal Steinbrenner

Yeap, it's official, George Steinbrenner reigns no more, though it was one hell of a ride, we've gone through glorious decades of winning division titles, AL pennants, World series titles... and one decade... well not so glorious... (but we don't mention the abomination that was the 80s to early 90s) George led us to 6 world series championships and 10 AL pennants in his time as owner... (35 years)

One comforting fact to all Yankee fans... Hank Steinbrenner will not be handling any of the financial part of being the owner of a team... that's Hal's job.

Moose, you will be missed...

Like i had stated in an earlier post, Mike Mussina is in fact going to retire to spend more time with his family (Ken Rosenthal reports)

Not that this comes as a shock to any Yankee fans... but this still is a sad thing to hear, after several great years... even though he didnt get us a championship, he still fought hard and performed at his highest potential...

I certainly hope Mike Mussina has a good rest of his life...

and in other news... Bernie Williams is not retired?(http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spbernie195933362nov19,0,1716737.story?track=rss) yeah ok...

Peavy Predictions

So unless you've been living under a rock these past 3 weeks you have probably heard a lot about the chance of this, uhh decent pitcher called Jake Peavy being traded. Multiple times it’s been said that a trade was imminent between the Padres and the Braves only for it to be reported nothing was close a few hours later. So that bullshit only went on for THREE WEEKS, until the Braves declared they were moving on. A few days after this and it yet again looks like the Braves are the most likely target.

So let’s take a look at where we are today. Peavy's short list is known to contain the Dodgers, Astros, Braves, Cubs, and potentially the Yankees and Angels. Alright so we can cross off the Astros and Cubs (now that Dempster was resigned). Can also most likely cross out the Yankees, I doubt they will give up anymore young talent. And the Angels don't seem to have shown any really interest. So that leaves us with just the Dodgers and the Braves. Now I doubt Peavy will really be traded in division unless the Dodgers are willing to give up a much larger package, which is unlikely as it goes against Dodgers GM, Ned Colletti’s philosophy on how to build a team.

So we end up with only the Braves as a potential suitor. Now lets look at the Braves situation this offseason. The Braves have about 45 million to spend this offseason and are looking to add two quality starters (most likely one high end and one mid end like Paul Byrd) as well as a quality left field bat. Let’s take a quick look at the FA pool for high end starters. After the Ryan Dempster signing CC Sabathia, Derek Lowe, and AJ Burnett are the only high end starters left. CC will almost surely end up in New York with the Yankees ridiculous offer of 140 million for 6 years. AJ Burnett will most likely follow suit, with reports that the Yankees will be offering 80 mil for 5 years, substantially more than the Jay's offer of 54 mil for 4 years. So that leave's Derek Lowe, with reports that the Mets, the Yankees, and the Red Sox will be in on the bidding for him. So if Derek Lowe does sign elsewhere, which seems likely, who does that leave the Braves? Let's see, they could try signing Ben Sheets this seems unlikely though, they are trying to get away from injury prone pitchers (i.e. Mike Hampton). So we return full circle to Peavy as the only potential ace left. Now I can see playing out one of six ways...

1. Frank Wren tells Kevin Towers that the Braves are just no longer interested, and signs two mid tier starters such as Oliver Perez and Randy Wolf.

2. Frank Wren agrees to reengage in discussions and Peavy is dealt for a package revolving around Escobar and some other high end prospect, most likely pitching (not Hanson).

3. Frank Wren decides to low ball the Padres and they are eventually forced to agree due to the economic situation as well as John Moore's divorce.

4. The Padres and Brave's agree to a trade but, refuse to give Peavey the no-trade clause he wants, as the braves as an organization are traditionally against no-trade clauses, thus Peavey rejects the deal.

5. Kevin Towers tells Peavey unless he adds more teams to his short list he will be playing for a rebuilding Padres team. Peavy agrees to add more teams and is dealt elsewhere.

6. Kevin Towers tells Peavey unless he adds more teams to his short list he will be playing for a rebuilding Padres team. Peavy doesn’t care and ends up the Padres opening day starter.

Out of all of these I see 2 as being the most likely. I think a combination of the Padres wanting to dump his salary coupled with the Brave's strong desire to return to the playoffs after three years will provide enough momentum for the trade to happen.

Fight night?

So, i noticed every blog had their own special thing they do for their site every once in a while... and i thought, how about once a week... i stage a fake fight between players... tell me what you think...

Fighter 1: Alex Rodriguez

Fighting style: Open palm slams.... come on you saw what he did to Jason Varitek.

Special Ability: he throws flaming dollar bills... why? because he can.

Strengths: he can sure deal out the damage when his enemies are down, and make sure they stay down... hmm sounds alot like how he plays baseball...

Weakness: Reminding him of his good 'friend' Madonna will put him into a depressed mind state therefore leading him into a slump where he will strike out... err i mean be vulnurable to any sort of attack.

Fighter 2:Manny Ramirez

Fighting Style: He doesnt have one, he sends in a stunt double to do the fighting for him... and he just comes in at the end so it looks like he was fighting the whooole time...

Special Ability: He can put you in a choke hold with his hair!

Strengths: You won't have to worry about him suffering any kind of injury, he won't accelerate to a speed higher than... slow jog?

Weakness: His hair, you cut it off and he will begin to weep uncontrollably giving his enemies enough time to pin him to the ground and win the fight.

Winner: A-Rod... come on... he shoots flaming dollar bills... the guy has millions of them (Manny's hair sure does look flammable... he never stood a chance).

Because theres absolutely nothing going on

Heres a fight that never gets old.

Bring me back something nice...

Yankee fans... you can breath easy... because...

Darrel Rasner got sold to Japan!!! wait... what?

yea... you heard me... Darrel Rasner got sold to a Japanese baseball team for 1 million dollars (according to his agent)

But don't think this was done in an effort to ditch the guy, not that they needed him or anything, but Darrel Rasner apparently wanted to get traded to Japan (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3705150&campaign=rss&source=MLBHeadlines)

Now that we've gotten rid of one of them... what to do with that other guy... yeah, that guy who got knighted... he's round and kind of looks like a pig?

yeap... that's him...

Joba Chamberlain at 'Last Licks' in NY

So i met Joba Chamberlain today, took photos, got autographs... and even with the VIP status it took an hour and a half of waiting on a line... still, it was worth it.

oh, Joba Chamberlain likes strawberry smoothies... who knew?

Free Agent Prediction's (update)

With the information now available I figure now is a good time revisit my free agent predictions

CC Sabathia- Initially I thought he was going to sign with a west coast team, but with the money the Yankees are offering I really can't see him signing elsewhere anymore.

Mark Texeira- I still think he will end up an angel. His price might be a little lower now that the yankees appear to be uninterested

Manny Ramirez- I still think he will end up with the dodgers, they just need him to badly to compete at the level they did this year.

Derek Lowe- I'm gonna have to say the mets. He has shown his strong desire to pitch back on the east coast and the mets certainly need an additional front line starter, especially if they are unable to resign Oliver Perez

A.J. Burnette- Another player willing to most likely go to the highest bidder AKA the Yankees

Rafael Furcal- I'm gonna say the A's, with the Matt Holliday trade they've shown there willing to bump up payroll in order to compete. He would be a very nice addition to there anemic offense

Adam Dunn- I'm thinking the Nationals for him. He is already on good terms with the National's GM Jim Bowden, and the Nationals are looking to spend some money on a clean up hitter.

Ryan Dempster- I think the Braves will end up with Dempster, especially now that the Peavey trade appears to have fallen through.

Milton Bradley- The Blue Jay's look like the best for him. Hes free to play DH, and the Blue Jays are in desprate need of a hitter with some power.

The one major flaw I can see in my predictions is that the Red Sox are no where to be seen. It just seems to me other teams will be willing to overpay, while the Red Sox with their already strong core will not be willing to commit to any expensive long term deals quite yet. If anyone has any ideas about what they think the Sox will do this offseason, aside from drive up the price on every single player the yankees want, please leave a comment.

Nick Swisher traded to the Yanks

Ken Rosenthal reports the Yankees traded for Nick Swisher and pitcher Kanekoa Texeira. Jeff Marquez is reportedly involved in the deal, other players such as Wilson Betemit are said to possibly be included.

Not a bad deal for the Yankees here, put Nick at 1B so you don't have to spend the big bucks on getting Mark Texiera, and i looked up Kanekoa Texeira's minor league stats, in 61 IP he had a 1.33 ERA for Chicago.

Here's a video with Toby Hall and Nick Swisher, the guy is pretty funny.

The lefty signs...

Or, mlb trade rumors is reporting it atleast...

I like this move by the Yankees, it really bolsters their bullpen, adding a dominant lefty that you can plug into a tough late inning situation. I know he wasn't great to start for the Yankees, but he finished off strong and showed he can survive in the AL east. Not to mention this could let the Yankees test Phil Coke as a starter...

Ofcourse the deal is not official yet, but should be announced later today... nice pickup for the yanks. Deal was reported to be 3 years 12 million, the Yankees declined an option on Marte that was 6 million dollars.

Trade Review

In case you've been living under a rock these past two days Matt Holliday was traded to the Oakland A's in exchange for Carlos Gonzalez, Greg Smith, and Huston Street. So lets take a look at these players..

Carolos Gonzalez- This past year he hit .242 with four homers and 26 RBI in 85 games for the A's, striking out 81 times in 302 at-bats as a rookie. He has the potential to be a 5 tool player who can play center or left field. The only problem is his number of strike outs, which will most likely decrease with an increase of playing time.

Greg Smith- A left handed pitcher with an 85-88 mph fastball but a knack for changing speeds. He is praised for his command and went 7-16 with a 4.16 ERA with a decent ratio of hits (169) to innings pitched (190 1/3). He issued 87 walks to go with 111 strikeouts. He is a flyball pitcher with groundball/flyball ratio of .78. Honestly, I just don't see him being sucessful in Coors Park, his off speed stuff will not move the same due to the climate and he definently does not have the fastball to save him.

Huston Street- The closer/setup man for the Oakland A's the past few years. This past year was an off year for him, as he was plauged with a groin injury.He appeared in 63 games with recording 18 saves with a 7-5 record and 3.73 ERA. He will most likely slide into the setup man role as Manny Corpas moves to the closer role due to the loss of Brian Fuentes.

This trade looks to be pretty even, with the Rockies getting three young players all with a decent amount of upside as they attempt to rebuild. While Oakland recieves a year of Matt Holliday and the 2 draft picks that will inevitably come with him.

BA Yankees top prospects...

1. Austin Jackson
2. Jesus Montero
3. Andrew Brackman
4. Austin Romine
5. Dellin Betances
6. Zach McAllister
7. Alfredo Aceves
8. Phil Coke
9. Mark Melancon
10. Bradley Suttle

...well there it is Yankee fans, the 10 guys you should be keeping track of...

when i first saw the list, i thought... Alfredo Aceves? I didn't know there could be 30+ year old top prospects... and then i remembered, not all hispanic players lie about their age... but seriously, the guy looks like he could have been in Miguel Tejada's High School graduation class...

I'm glad that Austin Romine is not completely overshadowed by Jesus Montero, even though he is behind him on that list... here's why i am actually more excited about Austin Romine... he's actually predicted to be the Yankees catcher of the future, not grow out of the position and become a 1B.


I'm a bit suprised that Humberto Sanchez wasn't included on that list, but he hasn't exactly been good at all in the AFL, if that could have impacted BA's decisions.

Becasue there's nothing better to post about...

Enjoy...

The mystery that is the indecision of Mike Mussina's retirement...

Mike Mussina's feeling to retire or stay with the Yankees has been changing throughout the season. In the beginning of the season, when Mussina looked like he was going to continue with another bad season, it looked like he'd certainly retire. Ever since that point, Mussina had posted an ERA under 3 and won 20 games and looked like he may just be in for another 3 years.

Now, the reasons for him wanting to retire are obvious, the guy wants to live his life, he has a family and he hasnt been with them on a regular basis in a long time.


(Mike Mussina and his son after a spring training game)

Mussina at several points said he would like to pitch in the New Yankee stadium next year and retire... 'and'? seems like a little indecision for our guy Moose here, i mean who wouldnt be indecisive if you are 39, miss your family and just came off of one of your best seasons ever?

Myself and i know most Yankee fans would love to see Moose atop our rotation next year, he provides a great veteran presence for younger pitchers like Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain.

Hopefully he doesn't retire, but if he does, good for him, he's had a great career and could very well be a hall of fame pitcher.

No one likes you Kei Igawa...

... and if i see one Yankee fan sporting this Igawa jersey, i will shove you into the ground(they really make those?)...

So Brian Cashman was recently asked if anyone's had any interest in the funny looking lefty... his answer: "No".

Now, here is a list of what you need to do durring the offseason Mr. K:

1. Actually work out and be prepared for spring training.

2. Cut your hair, it's putrid (hopefully i used it correctly, in honor of George King!)

3. Stop whining about how unhappy you are to be with the Yankees.

4. Stop wearing sunglasses... your numbers are kind of better without them, and you look absolutely rediculous.

5. grow a giambi mustache... if you can (if you can't i have one of those fake mustaches they gave out at Giambi support the stache day).

Seriously though... if the Giambi mustache doesnt work, nothing will...

He Called it!

The face on the monkey says it all...

George King was actually correct on one of his assumptions... Damaso Marte's 6 Million dollar option was declined.... I know!!!

I am honestly more shocked that he was right, than i am the Yanks declining his option.

hopefully the Yankees work out an extension with Marte, truthfully he is not a 6 Million dollar pitcher... if Marte decides not to accept whatever contract offers they present him with, just offer arbitration and get the draft picks.

Back to George King! I think a celebration is in order

just replace the Obama chants with George King...

Mike Mussina wins 7th Gold Glove

Congratulations to Mike Mussina for winning his 7th gold glove. If he does choose to retire, what a great way to end his amazing carrer.

Other American League Gold Glove Winners:

C, Joe Mauer MIN

1B, Carlos Pena, TB

2B, Dustin Pedroia, BOS

3B, Adrian Beltre, SEA

SS, Michael Young, TEX (Seriously? he is -7 on the Dewan plus/minus scale, meaning he made 7 less plays than the average shortstop this year)

OF, Torii Hunter, LAA

OF, Grady Sizemore, CLE

OF, Ichiro Suzuki, SEA

Maddux Wins 18th Gold Glove Award

Congratulations to Greg Maddux, who picked up his 18th career gold glove award today. This has to be one of the most respectable records in baseball, with Maddux winning the award the last five years in a row and 13 in a row from 1990 through 2002.

To be a 42 year old pitcher with the stats he has, and to consistently be the best fielding pitcher in your league puts Greg in a league of his own.

This last feat may all but close the great pitcher's 23 year hall of fame career since his agent, Scott Boras, stated he intends not to return next season and retire. If this is the end of the line Greg, thanks.

Other National League Gold Glove Winners:

C Yadier Molina STL

1B Adrian Gonzalez SD

2B Brandon Phillips CIN

3B David Wright NYM

SS Jimmy Rollins PHI

OF Carlos Beltran NYM

OF Nate McLouth PIT

OF Shane Victorino PHI

Elias Rankings

Elias Rankings are out and can be found at...

http://www.nypost.com/seven/11042008/sports/yankees/al_player_rankings_136998.htm (AL)

http://www.nypost.com/seven/11042008/sports/mets/nl_player_rankings_136999.htm (NL)

Let’s see, of notable interest in the NL...

John Smoltz loses his type A status- Probably irrelevant as the braves are his likely suitor next year

Oliver Perez gained type A status- this could definitely decrease interest in Olli if he is unable to resign with the Mets and declines arbitration. Rumors are he is seeking over 12 million a year. A high end Draft pick and over 12 million a year is a bit pricey for someone who logged an era of 4.22 with a WHIP of 1.402 this past year.

Rich Harden gained type B status- This should give the cubs a nice sandwich pick, if he does end up signing elsewhere.

Trevor Hoffman has maintained his type A status despite a mediocre year- It should be interesting to see what happens with this, as the padres are looking to cut payroll and Hoffman has not gotten back to the padres on the 4.5 million offer they have reportedly given him. If he doesn’t accept the deal I'm sure the padres will offer arbitration and look to pick up some nice draft picks.

And in the AL...

Andy Pettite still has type A status- With Rumors that Pettite is seeking a 2 year deal which the Yankees are unlikely to give, it is possible that they offer him arbitration and he signs elsewhere, most likely the Astros. (http://blogs.trb.com/sports/baseball/blog/2008/11/gms_meetings_mike_mussina_and.html)

Milton Bradley only obtains type B status- This should make it a lot easier for him to find the multi-year contract he's looking for.

Jason Varitek obtains type A status- If he fails to work out a deal with the Red Sox its going to be even more difficult for him to sign. His age, combined with his poor year offensively, his ridiculously high asking price as well as desire for a multi-year contract, in addition to teams needing to give up a first round draft pick if unprotected will make it ridiculously hard for Varitek to sign for what he's looking for.

Pudge falls to type B status- This isn't that unexpected, although it should be interesting to see if the Yankees do offer him arbitration, there is a risk of him accepting.

That’s about it for notable changes in the Elias rankings; it should be fun to see how things play out.

The American Idle...

...or the biggest Free Agent bust so far in the 21st century.

I remember the day the Yankees signed Carl Pavano, i was happy... (love the irony in the caption below Carl Pavano... "Could Wright be Wrong?" we didn't listen!!)

Then this happened...


Carl Pavano suffered every injury known to man ... he even is currently suffering from several diseases that have yet to be identified.

So.. what's this i hear about the Yankees wanting to bring back our Idle? What else has to go wrong where the Yankees will need to re sign Carl Pavano? CC Sabathia, Derek Lowe, AJ Burnett, Ben Sheets, Andy Pettite sign elsewhere, Mike Mussina retires, Joba Chamberlain gets arrested for yet another DUI and Chien Ming Wang Breaks his foot again while Jogging? I think i'd rather give Sidney Ponson another chance.

just kidding...

Seriously, there has to be an upside to this guy, so if they do sign him... maybe that won't be the worst thing in the world (again.. just kidding).

(American Idle joke via Peter Abraham)