Yankees shortstop Review

The Major league roster is easy Derek Jeter is the shortstop with either Cody Ransom or Angel Berroa as the backup utility guy. AAA-Doug Bermier was signed as a free agent and could be the starter here. Ramiro Pena would also be in the mix but i believe he was lost in the Rule 5 Draft. Reegie Corona was lost in the rule 5 and would of also figured in here. The Yankees will probably sign at least one more guy to be here or utility. AA-Eduardo Nunez could be the starter at this level. He was overrated by Baseball America a couple of years ago. Carmen Angelini and Jose Pirella are further down in the system and we will see if they ever develop and work their way up. Another guy to watch is Addison Maruszack who had a nice debut in Staten Island last year. Once again it gets harder to do these positions because the Yankees are so thin here. It would be nice to see them do better on position players in the draft now.

Yankees 2nd Base Review

The New York Yankees starting second baseman will be Robinson Cano, he has played well in the winter league working on some stuff. I do think Cano had one bad year, and if he focuses he will be just fine. I look for a big year out of him. The other second baseman would be the utility guy which will be either Cody Ransom who got some time last year or former rookie of the year Angel Berroa who was signed to a minor league deal and will compete for that utility job. AAA-Kevin Russo played great in the Arizona Fall league and he could be the starting second baseman. Cody Ransom or Angel Berroa could also be here depending on who makes the Big Club or could see time here. AA-Damon Sublett could start here but most likely will be in A again. Kevin Russo may still be here also depending on what happens in AAA. Justin Snyder is another guy to keep an eye on, but he will be in A and is a ways away from the majors. This is where it gets tough for me to do, because the Yanks are really thin in the upper levels with position prospects.

NFL Playoffs

The Baltimore Ravens play the Tennesee Titans at 4:30PM today. I expect this to be a defensive battle. They did play earlier in the year with the Titans winning by a score of 13-10. I expect a very similar game with the Titans winning 17-14. The weather will not be a factor in this game with 45 degree temperatures and no precipitation. The Arizona Cardinals travel to Carolina to face the Panthers tonight at 8:15PM. The Cardinals are 0-5 on the east coast this year and i dont expect them to get their first win tonight. The Cards may be without star wideout Boldin and that is not good for them. I expect the Panthers to win 28-14 and that may be genrous. The two games tomorrow will feature the Super Bowl Champion Giants hosting the Philadelphia Eagles who are flying high at 1:00PM tomorrow. The weather for this game will be a factor with 15-25mph winds expected and frigid temperaturs. I expect a rough and tough NFC east battle. I see the Giants prevailing by a score of 24-17. I think the Giants will get to McNabb a little and slow down Westbrook especially with the passing games being taken out by the weather. I think the Giants will run it and wear the eagles D down and control the time of posession. Tomorrow night will feature the San Diego Chargers traveling to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers. The weather will be a factor in this one as well. The temperature is supposed to be 24 degrees with 9 mph winds and a 10 percent chance of snow. I dont see anyway that the Chargers survive this game. I am calling the Steelers 21-10. If my predictions hold true we will have the 1 vs 2 seed in both conferences which will set up nicely. Enjoy the games on this cold,snowy day here in New Jersey. Go Big Blue

Sox Stay Busy,Other Free Agent Moves

The Boston Red Sox stayed busy by inking former Dodgers closer Takashi Saito to a 1 yr incentive laden deal. The Red Sox continue to pile up low risk high reward players. He is guaranteed between 1.5-2.5 million and could earn up to 7 million in incentives. He joins John Smoltz,Brad Penny and Rocco Baldelli in other low risk high reward singnees this week. The New York Mets came to agreement with starting pitcher Tim Redding on a 1 yr contract. He will recieve 2.25 million plus incentives some of which are attainable if he is moved to the bullpen. The Mets still hope to land Derek Lowe and Oliver Perez and Randy Wolf are next on the list. Redding will compete with rookie Jon Niese for the fifth spot in the rotation,Pedro Martinez recently told the New York Post he wants to return to the Mets but that opportunity may have taken a hit with this signing. Pedro and his agents still expect to meet with GM Omar Minaya next week. The World Champion Phillies are interested in Nomar Garciaparra and Gabe Kapler. The Atlanta Braves are attempting to sign Derek Lowe and Kenshin Kawakami. Kawakami has spent the past 11 seasons as one of Japans Central Leagues best pitchers. He is 33 years old and is expected to be in the US next week to finalize a deal with the Braves. He was 9-5 2.3 ERA last yr. In 2004 he went 17-7 with a 3.32 era winning Japans equivalent of the Cy Young and MVP award. If the Braves sign Lowe that will be a blow to the Mets who still need pitching help.

The American Idle Speaks

Embattled former Yankee Carl Pavano spoke to reporters day in Cleveland and had some interesting things to say. "When your down you expect your organization to pick you up, not kick you when your down. I've had to pick myself up quite a few times over the last four years. "To make it 8,10,12 years in the league you have to be a pretty motivated person." Is this guy serious he was paid 39.95 million to make 26 starts. How could he complain about the Yankees at all, the organization didn't do anything to him, the fans and media criticized him but how could they not. I just can't believe this guy, he is amazing. I wonder if the Yankees will be firing back at him. Here is more from the American Idle- "I've been through surgeries I thought I wouldn't come back from,I have won a world series, been to the all star game. I have been at the top of the game and the bottom of the barrel. I don't think i could be any more motivated then I am right now." "A lot of the offers I got wanted me to come to camp and make the team, not that I thought I was above that but I didn't want to be looking over my shoulder. There is some risk on me and I understand that. I failed in New York and the perception wasn't that great and I understand that. To have a team like Cleveland step up to the plate,how can I ask for anything more? "I expect to turn a corner this year. I'm not the first guy who has had injuries in his career, i believe in my ability to be a sucessful starting pitcher and successful teammate. The possibility of him facing the Yanks in the Yankees home opening series and Stadium opening series is intriguing, here is what he has to say about that. "That would be exciting, there would be a lot of irony in that. I have been blessed with some incredible things I have seen and been given through baseball and I appreciate it everyday. "New York is a great place to play, there is no reason for me to focus on what happened to me because it is all behind me, I'm not holding any grudges, im moving forward. This is amazing to me, this guy should be lucky to have a job at all, how can he say he didn't want to accept a non guaranteed contract, I hope he pitches against the Yanks and they boo the heck out of him, and we bomb him, like 10 runs in 5 innings or something like that. I just can't believe he really had this much to say, its just amazing.

BCS Title Game

I thought we may get some scoring and of course we didn't. It looks to me like Oklahoma was overrated, just running up the score on bad teams. I dont feel like Florida is the best team though, USC probably is and I think more then ever they have to find a way to come up with a playoff scenario. There is no perfect system and i am sure someone will always be unhappy but this system is just not working and needs to be changed now. Florida should be strong again next year with Tebow returning and boy does Notre Dame feel terrible, they thought they had Urban Meyer the Florida coach and he went to Flordia instead and has only won 2 of the last 3 championships.

World Baseball Classic-Team USA

The Team USA Tentative roster is Kevin Youkilis at first base. Mark Derosa and Dustin Pedroia at second base, Derek Jeter and Jimmy Rollins at short,Chipper Jones and David Wright at third and Brian McCann behind the plate. The outfield so far has Ryan Braun,Grady Sizemore and Curtis Granderson. The starting pitchers are Jake Peavy,Roy Oswalt,John Lackey. The Bullpen so far has Brian Fuentes,Joe Nathan,Scott Shields,Jonathan Broxton,BJ Ryan,JJ Putz,Matt Thornton and Matt Lindstrom. Davey Johnson is the manager and Jeter and the rest of the squad will report on March 2 to Clearwater,FL home of the World Series Champion Phillies. The first game for the Americans will be March 7 against Canada. They will be in Pool C also with Italy and Venezuala. Provisional 45 man rosters will be announced on Jan 19th with final 28 man rosters announced on Feb 24th. The rosters have to have a mandatory 13 pitchers. The New Major League Baseball Network will televise the tournament. I was dissappointed with Team USA the first time around but now that Arod has gone off to play for the Dominican maybe they can win, who knows.

Angel Berroa

The AP has released details of the minor league contract signed by the former AL rookie of the Year. He is guaranteed 66,000, if he makes the 40 man roster he will recieve 800,000 and an additional 300,000 in performance bonuses based on plate appearances from 100-375. He is also part of a trivia question as he beat out Hideki Matsui for the rookie of the Year in 03. Cody Ransom seems to be the only competition for the backup/utility infielder role that he is vying for. The Yankees generally announce all their signings and Spring Training invitees at the same time. I would expect to hear about the guys coming to camp in the next couple of weeks.

YES the Yanks are the Best

The Yes network put out a release today. Yes was the most watched New York regional sports network in day delivery for the sixth straight year. The average delivery of 29,000 households is comparable to the average for MSG,MSG+ and SNY combined which is 31,000. Yes was the most watched New York regional sports network in primetime which is 7-11PM for the sixth straight year. The average was 72,000 TV households. 33 Yankee games were rated 5.0 or better compared with just 7 mets telecasts. Im sorry Mets but we know who the Kings of New York are. Maybe if the Mets go get Manny that would help them narrow the gap, but they have a lot of work to do to get there. In primetime Yankees telecasts regularly outperformed programs on CBS,NBC,ABC and FOX. If your wondering where the Yankees get the money to spend this is a big reason. The Yankees are the best business model out there. The country is suffering through a major recession/depression and the Yankees are making money, maybe one of the few actually turning a profit. It's not their fault they are a moneymaking machine, the other teams can't do this oh well its not the Yankees fault. The Yankees should never have to apologize for being the Yankees. I hope they win the World Series and continue to win and everyone goes even more nuts, then everything will be right with the world again. The Yankees also signed a deal with Sony today. The New Stadium will have 550 flat panel Bravia professional LCD HD TV sets in the suites, lounges,concourses and administrative offices. They will also have playstation 3 and VAIO notebook computers available to fans in certain areas.

Andy Pettitte

I posted something on this a couple of days ago, but I see everyone is talking about this topic. My opinion is that Andy is really being a real jerk. He said at the end of the year to the New York Times, its not about the money anymore and the Yankees know he isn't going anywhere. I just dont understand what he is doing here. If he really has these other offers then go ahead and take them, but I dont see any being offered. I think he feels he is worth more but he has to remember that he took the 16 million and then told everyone about his HGH use. It seems to me that Andy isn't so honest after all. I still think ultimately he will just end up signing with the Yankees but he better decide soon. I still think the Yankees can get by with Hughes taking that spot but we do have to remember Joba is in the rotation and will be on an innings limit and Hughes will be too if he is in the rotation. They are having a good discussion on this over at http://yankees.lhblogs.com. If you go to the comments section under the Pettitte post you will see the discussion going on. I would like to see a discussion on here about this, lets see what we can come up with.

BCS Championship Game

Tonight is the College football Championship. The Oklahoma Sooners are facing the Florida Gators. Oklahoma comes into the game scoring 60+ points in 5 straight games. Florida has Tim Tebow who lost out on 2 straight heismans but is a great player. My gut is telling me Oklahoma wins this game but we shall see. Anyone have any interest or opinions on this?? Please feel free to email me or comment on this.

Mangini gets another gig

It didn't take too long for former Jets coach Eric Mangini to land on his feet. The Cleveland Browns hired him as their head coach for 4 years. It also looks like Romeo Crennel may stay on as an assistant, since they are friends from their days in New England together. In other news for the Jets,Brett Favre says he won't decide for at least a month if he will retire. I hope he doesn't drag it out again. Adam Pacman Jones was released by the Cowboys today.

MLB News

The Boston Red sox have signed veteran righty pitcher John Smoltz to a 1 yr deal and also OF Rocco Baldelli. John Smoltz will recieve 5.5 million for one year and incentives can boost it up to 10 million. I think these two signings are protection,they aren't necessarily going to have a big impact on the season. Smoltz is coming off major arm surgery and they will be lucky if he is back before June and Baldelli still has this mystery illness and it isn't known how often he can play. I think Baldelli is a good 4th OF for them, Smoltz we will see, I wonder though if they will trade a young pitcher like Bucholz for a catcher. The Sox released Charlie Zink to make room on the 40 man roster for Baldelli. The Sox did also bring in Brad Penny but that hasn't been made official yet. The New York Mets have made an offer to Tim Redding and yesterday they met with Agent Scott Boras regarding pitchers Derek Lowe,Oliver Perez,Manny Ramirez. I really think the Mets should sign Manny but the owners dont want him. Im sure if it was up to Omar Minaya the GM he would just sign him. The Mets did do a good job getting the two closers to help out their bullpen but they never go that extra step. The Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to terms with the All Time Saves leader Trevor Hoffman. He will recieve a 6 million dollar base salary with up to 1.5 million in incentives based on games finished.

The Big G

Here is a scruffy looking Big G at his press conference today returning to his roots. He said he is going to stay scruffy. He also thanked the Steinbrenners and Cashman. "I played with basically 25 superstars in New Yorkeveryday. They're incredible guys and we had the time of our life." "I'm here to win,i didn't come here to be the prom queen again and ride through the floats." Its quotes like these that will make you miss the Big G but in the end the Yankees made a good business move by getting 10 yrs younger, more athletic, better defensively and not as injury prone with Big Tex. I really do wish him well out in Oakland, it will be pretty impress with Giambi and Holliday in the middle of that order but do they have the pitching?

New York Rangers

The halfway point of the NHL season has been reached. The New York Rangers are first in the Atlantic division with 51 points. They are only one point ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers and 2 points ahead of the New Jersey Devils. The Rangers even though they have their problems with scoring and mostly on special teams meaning power play and shorthanded they are still in first place. If the Rangers can get it together and get a good seed for the playoffs they will be in good shape. They have Henrik Lunquist(King) and he always gives them a chance in the playoffs. I always like the NHL playoffs they are very exciting. Lets go Rangers in the second half.

3rd or 4th that is the question

Where to bat Mark Teixiera is the big question now. Joe Girardi was asked this question yesterday at the press conference and said he has some idea but wants to meet with all the coaches and players next month when they reach Tampa for Spring Training. I personally think Arod should bat 3rd with Tex protecting him in the clean up spot. I wonder though would Arod be insulted by this, i dont think he would and hope he wouldn't. I am sure people have many opinions on this and would like to hear what you think on this, please comment on this and im sure we can have a great discussion on it. If you go over to the http://faceoff.lohudblogs.com they are having a debate over this. Sam Borden of the Journal news and Rick Carpinello are the participants in this debate. I am sure Girardi will look at the stats and Tex does have better numbers batting 3rd and of course was unbelievable in that spot in front of Vlad Guerrero when he got traded to the Angels last year. Manny got all the attention but he batted over 350 himself and over 400 in the playoffs. Here are the career splits batting 3rd and 4th. Batting third 311BA,,293RBI,394obp,573slugging Batting 4th-278BA,77HR,247rbi,378obp,523slugging. He does have 123 more at bats in his career batting 3rd.

Yankees are Busy

The Yankees are keeping me busy today. They have signed Angle Berroa to a minor league deal. He was the AL rookie of the year in 2003 and has done nothing since. The Yankees will give him a shot at making the bench. They also signed OF John Rodriguez to a minor league deal. Peter Abraham of the Journal News is saying he heard the Yanks signed several guys that will most likely wind up in scranton, but nothing has been announced yet other then these two. Ken Rosenthal of Foxsports reported Berroa and Joel Sherman of the Post reported John Rodriguez. The Big G-Jason Giambi has agreed to a 1 yr 4.5 million dollar deal with Oakland. He has a 5 million option for 2010 or a 1 million dollar buyout. He never really lived up to his hype with the Yanks but lets wish him well, as he was a fun guy to have around. He is a very colorful person and he will do well back in Oakland where he can grow his hair out and party a little more. Watch out the Big G is loose on the West Coast. Big Tex will join CC and AJ in not participating in the World Baseball Classic. The only Yankees that will be participating as of now are Arod for the Dominicans and Jeter for USA. Wang,Posada and Matsui because of injuries will be told by the Yankees not to participate and it is allowed. This bodes well for the Yankees to keep most of the team together in the spring and try and mesh together with a lot of new guys, Robinson Cano should also not participate and really work hard and get himself in shape.

More Tex Pics

Big Tex in New Stadium with bat are the top 2 pictures,Tex with Hal and then with his Mom,Dad,Wife and Sister. The last 2 pics are Joe G,Tex,Hal and Cash and the last pic is of Joe G and Tex. That to me is a great pic, he is going to be like the perfect player for Joe G. If Girardi could create a perfect player this would be it.

The American Idle

I guess as long as you have a pulse someone will give you a chance. Carl Pavano signed a 1 yr contract with the Cleveland Indians for 1.5 million with 5.3 million in possible incentives. I wonder what those incentives are, boy that is a good agent, and I wonder if he will pitch against the Yankees in April when Cleveland opens up in the New Yankee Stadium. I am sure the fans will really razz him if that does happen. This country is really an amazing place, there is always someone dumb enough to give you a chance,I mean the guy pitched what 30 something times in the last 4 years.

Yankees News

The New York Yankees have signed pitcher Jason Johnson to a minor league deal. Joe Girardi says he will compete for the fifth spot in the rotation. I wonder if this is just a filler move, put pressure on Petitte? I thank the Journal News Sam Borden for reporting this and its on http://yankees.lhblogs.com This I think is more important, Shelly Duncan was designated for assignment to make room for Big Tex on the 40 man roster. Lets wish him well, i always liked him, how long do you think it will take for the Cards to sign him? According to GM Brian Cashman Phil Coke has been told to come to camp ready to be a starter. It looks like Phil Coke,Phil Hughes,Alfredo Aceves,Jason Johnson and Ian Kennedy will be competing for that 5th spot in the rotation. I dont know what to think of Coke as a starter, i mean he really did well in that role in the minor last yr and he is a young lefty but he looked really good as a relief pitcher last yr. I like having two lefties in the pen, but maybe with Marte they feel they dont need that.

A beaming Mark Teixera

Watching the press conference you can tell he really felt comfortable. He looks like a perfect Yankees and a guy Joe Girardi will love. He is hardworking, crew cut, comes from a military family. I really think it will be a pleasure watching him for the next 8 years. He is a guy who seems like he can really handle the media and pressure, he said he knows he struggles in April and if he does and they get on him, it won't bother him because he knows at the end of the year his numbers will be there.

Big Tex and his Wife Leah

This is a nice shot of Big Tex and his wife Leah. Sam Borden of the Journal News was live at the Press conference and had some interesting quotes from Hal Steinbrenner. On Andy Petitte-"They didn't like our offer and we aren't happy with what they want,anything is possible." On other owners being critical of the Yankees spending-"If some owners are upset we invest in our team, im not going to lose sleep over it." This is one of my favorite quotes, i agree who cares what anyone says, i like being the big bad Yankees a lot better then them not spending and missing the playoffs.

Big Tex Press Conference

The Yankees unveiled their newest prize today Big Tex. He is wearing number 25 the Big G old number and current manager Joe Girardis number when the Yanks won 3 out of 4 World Series. Big Tex looks and sounds like the perfect Yankee, he is great with the press, getting up there and saying fire away guys. He said the Yankees were always his first choice and that they were always involved in the process. He is the closest in distance to his family he has ever been and that was a huge thing also. Don Mattingly is his favorite player, wearing a yankee cap to orioles games because of him. Here are the quotes- "Im getting a chance to play for the greatest sports franchise in sports history" a beaming Teixera said. He gave most of the credit to his wife saying she said I just want whats best for you, go ahead and go to the Yankees. I will be posting more quotes and pics as they become available later.

MLB News and Notes

Philadelphia Phillies reliever JC Romero and Yankees minor league reliever Sergio Mitre were both suspended 50 games at the start of the 2009 season. They were suspended for positive testing for banned substances. According to Ken Rosenthal of foxsports Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher are both getting serious interest from other teams. I have said this before and I will say it again, i really think the Yanks are best served by keeping all these guys and rotating them. Gardner or Melky can be the starting CF,Nady RF,Damon LF,Swish can play RF and LF and 1B a little when those guys need to rest,they haven't had a good bench and so long and now they will. Minnesota Twins owner Carl Pohlad passed away at age 93,im a little late with this one. Dont forget the Mark Teixera press conference is roughly 45 minutes away on both YES and the MLB network. If you go to http://yankeeslhblogs.com vote for that blog in the 2008 weblog awards. He is running behind and needs all the Yankee fans support. We can get Pete this award, come on guys.

Andy Petitte

Andy Petitte has decided to reject the Yankees 1 yr 10 million offer. There is now no outstanding offer on the table from the Yankees. I say goodriddens, if he thinks he can make more somewhere else, then go right ahead. He was 14-14 last yr with a 4.5 ERA. He just isn't worth that much anymore. Franchise Phil can be the fifth starter and the Yanks will be fine. Andy really owed it to the Yanks after putting them through the whole HGH scandal last year. This does not mean the Yanks are done with him or he is done with the Yanks but it seems less likely now and it was becoming more unlikely anyway. I would love to see what he can get out there, and watch if he cant get at least what the Yanks gave he would come crawling back, and then if I were the Yanks I would make him take even less. This is being reported on yankees.com and mlb.com

Giambi Going Home

The Yankees are going to introduce Big Tex, their new first baseman tomorrow. As they do that the Big G looks like he will be returning to the Oakland Athletics where he started his career and made a name for himself. I really do like the Big G and I think that will be good for him,he can go back to his long hair and partying ways,the Yankees had to move on for younger and a better player. I plan on having some quotes and hopefully photos regarding the press conference up tomorrow. I am really excited for this press conference, I really get a feeling that he hates the Red Sox and I hope he brings up Donnie Baseball, his idol.

Yankees First Base Review

The Yankees have Mark Teixera penciled in as the everyday first baseman. Nick Swisher could also see some time over there but probably not a whole lot. Jorge Posada could play first in a pinch but he should not be over there much at all unless something seriously goes wrong. AAA-Juan Miranda should be the starter here with Shelly Duncan,Chris Malec,Eric Duncan also possibilities. Most likely Chris Malec will be in AA. AA-Cody Ehlers should be the starter with Chris Malec also here. In the lower levels Brandon Laird is one to watch, he actually had a higher slugging percentage then Jesus Montero in Charleston last year. The Yankees really dont have much depth here as you can see and thats why I thought all along they had to sign Big Tex. I like Juan Miranda and Shelly Duncan but not as everyday players. Laird is too far away at this point and the other guys aren't really much of prospects.

Spring Training Tickets

If anyone is going down to Florida for Spring Training tickets will be going on sale on Friday at 9:00AM. I have personally been down to spring training about 3 times. The last time I went a couple years ago was just solely to go to spring training. I saw the Yankees at Legends Field,in Tampas training site,in Lakeland against Detroit. I also went down to Port St Lucie and saw the Mets, my grandmother lives about 10 minutes from the stadium. I also visited the Astros in Kissimee and I have been to Disney where the Braves are. It is a great time, sit back relax, take in some sun and just enjoy baseball, not caring about if its a win or loss. Legends Field is very difficult to get autographs, very high security for the Yanks, better off seeing them on the road. If you go to the minor league fields, behind Legends Field or across the street behind the football stadium you have a better chance, but you will mostly only get prospects there. Legends Field is a very nice stadium to see, if you haven't gone before you have to go at least once. There are plenty of games and other then the Yankees you shouldn't have a problem getting tickets, but if your going to see the Yanks hurry and get them right away or they will be gone. It really is amazing I get to talk about Spring Training already, i am so excited to get the 09 season started. It should be a great one for the Yanks. If you go to Yankees.com they have all the ticket information you need for Spring Training.

Big Names off the Board

The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to a 2 yr 16million dollar contract with OF Pat Burell. I think this is a very good move for them, i suspect he will mostly DH for them, and should be a nice upgrade on offense. The Chicago Cubs have agreed to terms with OF Milton Bradley for 3 yrs 30million. They have to have him pass a physical and work out some contract language and then it will be official. These two deals were being reported by Foxsports.com Ken Rosenthal. The Mets will be ramping up their efforts to sign Derek Lowe now that the holidays are over. They need to keep him away from Philly and for the Yankees sake Boston.

Baseball Vacation Over

We have reached the New Year and beyond. Today is January 5, 2009, not only do the Yankees resume business but baseball as a whole also. The Yankees will have the Big Tex press conference tomorrow at 1:00PM at the Old Stadium, which im sure will be the last event held over there before they move into the new stadium in about a month or so. I can't believe it but spring training is only 40 days away and most of baseball has a lot of work to do before then. There are about 140 unsigned free agents and im sure teams will be filling out their rosters in the next 3 weeks. The biggest guy left of course is Manny Ramirez, he probably will end up staying with the Dodgers especially now that they are clearing money by getting rid of Andruw Jones. The Yankees are pretty much done but will they come to a deal with Andy Pettite? Do they sign a middle infielder or just go with Cody Ransom? If they dont sign Pettite do they just let Hughes,Kennedy and Aceves battle it out or sign someone else to fill that spot? Will they trade any of the extra OFS? I personally hope not, they have a lot of depth for once and it will all work out. Damon and Matsui are getting older and more fragile, it is fine to have Swisher play a little first to keep Tex fresh and also mix between LF and RF to rest the other guys also. Jan 20th salary arbitration figures are to be exchanged. The only players the Yanks have in this category are Brian Bruney,Xavier Nady,Melky Cabrera. The Hall of Fame results will be announced on January 12th. It should be a happy day for Rickey Henderson and will Jim Rice finally get in?

NFL Playoffs

The Wild Card weekend has come to an end and the matchups are all set for the divisional round. The Philadelphia Eagles went into Minnesota and took care of them by a score of 26-14. They will face off against the New York Giants in the meadowlands at 1:00pm Sunday afternoon. The Arizona Cardinals took care of business at home defeating the Atlanta Falcons and setting up a date with the Carolina Panthers in Carolina on Saturday night at 8:15PM. In the AFC the San Diego Chargers defeated league MVP Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in which was probably the best game. The Chargers won in OT 23-17. The Chargers will play at Pittsburgh on Sunday at 4:45PM. The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Miami Dolphins in Miami by a score of 27-9. Baltimore will play at Tennesee on Saturday at 4:30PM. I think the Giants/Eagles can really setup as a great game. These are division rivals who know each other well. My early prediction is that the Giants will hold them off but I will have the official picks by the end of the week. I think Pittsburgh will end the Chargers streak and I think Baltimore could upset Tennesee. I also think the Panthers will defeat the Cardinals. I think next week will be a good weekend of football.

Tex to be introduced

The Yankees offices have been closed since christmas. They will be reopening tomorrow and it looks like they may be ready to unveil Big Tex on Tuesday. The Daily News was reporting this today. A interesting part of this Tex signing is that Bucky Dent Played with Tex father in high school and was reunited with him years later when Tex first came to Texas and Dent was a coach there. Bucky Dent says that Tex will thrive in NY, lets all hope so. The Yankees will be holding a clinic in Taiwan Jan 7-11 for pitchers, catchers and coaches. The taiwanese participants are all high school level. This is the Yankees largest outreach to Taiwan, of course they have the most popular guy from there in Ching Ming Wang.

Alexandra Brooke Marchese

Here is me and the newest addition to the Yankees family my precious daughter. This is the reason i have not been active with this blog in the last week or so.

Andruw Jones

The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to trade or release embattled OF Andruw Jones. He has agreed to defer much of his 22million dollars left on his contract. The question I have is, if the Yankees can get him to sign a minor league deal, would it be worth taking a flier on him? I dont know if i would do it, but it could be interesting. If he comes to camp to compete with Gardner and Melky, maybe that would give them a kick in the butt and Jones cant really be as bad as he has been right? He would be motivated by a new team and he is only 32. I am just throwing this out there, what do you guys think? Peter Abraham has also posted this on his yankees.lhblogs.com blog, check it out. I would personally just let Melky and Gardner battle it out, but its worth thinking about.