Nick Johnson: 2010 New York Yankees Starting DH?

The Yankees and Nick Johnson are talking about the sweet-swinging lefty and on-base machine replacing Hideki Matsui as the world champions’ designated hitter on a one-year deal.

“We have had dialogue, things are moving forward,” agent Rex Gary said of talks between the Yankees and their former first baseman. “Something could happen to speed things up, but it’s hard to predict.”

Seattle is interested in the 31-year-old Johnson to play first base, an opportunity he wouldn’t have in The Bronx because of Mark Teixeira’s presence, but the allure of returning to the Yankees may be the difference for Johnson.

Johnson is a career .292 hitter against lefties. A career .273 hitter with an on-base percentage of .402, hits .266 versus right-handers.

Johnson played with the Nationals and Marlins last year and batted .291 with eight homers and 62 RBIs in 133 games and had an on-base percentage of .426.

“He can still hit,” an NL talent evaluator said of Johnson, who made $5.5 million last season, the final leg of a three-year $16.5 million deal. “He is an on-base percentage guy who will hit some homers in Yankee Stadium.”

Considering Johnson’s injury history, any deal likely would include incentives for at-bats. As a Yankee, he missed the entire 2000 season with a right hand injury. He was limited to 38 games in 2008 with the Nationals due to a right wrist problem. A fractured right femur late in the 2006 season cost Johnson all of 2007. A lumbar strain and a fractured right cheekbone limited him to 73 games in 2004 as an Expo. As a Yankee in 2003, he missed 61 games because of a stress fracture in the right hand. (story courtesy of the NY Post)



And that's why you should never worry about the Yankees, even when they lose a 29-HR, 90-RBI guy who was the World Series MVP and maybe their 2009 starting left fielder. Because there's always a backup plan. And bringing Nick Johnson back into the fold at what will definitely be cheaper than the $13 mil Damon is looking for and the $6.5 mil that Matsui got from Anaheim looks like a pretty damn good backup plan.

Sure the guy is like Mr. Glass when it comes to durability, but that just gives the Yankees more leverage in the deal they offer him. When he is healthy, he's the perfect fit for this lineup: a lefty that hits lefty pitchers well, a guy who makes good contact, takes a lot of pitches, and works plenty of walks. His power numbers should go up playing in the new Stadium and assuming he can stay relatively healthy he should be able to approximate Matsui's production to a close enough degree that between he and Granderson, the Yankee offense shouldn't lose anything in terms of output by losing Damon and Matsui.

Another added benefit is the fact that Johnson is an average-at-worst Major League first baseman and gives the Yankees a viable option to play at 1B on days where Teixeira needs a day off or day at DH instead of Swish, Jorge, or Eric Hinske. Any Yankee fan who remembers watching Gary Sheffield stumble around the bag a few seasons ago can tell you how important it is to have a solid backup option at first.

I don't like to be the type to jump the gun on rumors like this, but bringing in Johnson to plug the DH gap is a good fit for the team and still leaves them with plenty of financial wiggle room to go after another starting pitcher. Johnson has seen life on the other side of Pinstripe Land and so far that life has been consistently filled with losing seasons for him. At 31, he should be more concerned with winning games and a ring than money and would be foolish to use the Matsui logic and go to Seattle just to play first instead of coming back to New York to contend for a title.

A-Rod & K-Hud On The Outs??? (GASP!)

Alex Rodriguez spent the weekend flirting with a string of beautiful girls in Miami -- telling one, "I'm definitely single," sources tell Page Six.

The Yankee slugger was "acting like a single man," partying with two pretty girls at the W Hotel Friday before zeroing in on a blonde at the Armani Exchange Sunglass dinner at The Delano on Saturday.

Reps for both Kate and A-Rod declined to confirm that the pair had split, although a source told us last night, "They've definitely broken up. There's been some drama before about his roving eye. But this isn't the first time they've split up and got back together."

On Friday, "he partied with two women at the W and looked relaxed and happy. Miami is his home, so he always gets approached by girls," a witness said.

The next night, a source said, "at the Armani Exchange dinner, A-Rod didn't eat a thing because he was focused on this cute blonde -- who looked a bit like Kate. He literally didn't take his eyes off her.

"They left in a group and went to the Fontainebleau, where he hung out with the same blond girl and told other girls who approached him, 'I am definitely single.' " But he left with old pal Ingrid Casares.  )story courtesy of Page Six)
 
 
Cue all the jokes about "now A-Rod will suck in the clutch again," blah, blah, blah.  That's about what I would expect on a day when the biggest news is that the Phillies gave up their 3 best prospects in that stupid, roundabout Lee-for-Halladay trade, making it look even worse than it did yesterday, and the Fraud Sox signed 36-year-old Mike Cameron.
 
To be perfectly honest, I don't even see how this is news- or gossip-worthy.  Of course A-Rod is eye-fucking other chicks in Miami.  He's Alex-Goddamn-Rodriguez for Christ's sake.  He just got finished having one of the greatest and most productive postseasons in Yankee history, culminating in his first, and the team's 27th, World Series title.  In just one short month he erased all the doubts about his ability to perform when it mattered and re-established himself as the premier player in baseball.  And he did it all despite the fact that he had his brainless girlfriend plop her lazy ass down in the field-level seats with her douchebag dad and hog his camera time while she failed to stand and cheer for him even once, or even seem to understand how the game of baseball works.  If you ask me, I don't think Kate helped A-Rod out so much as he, through her being tied to him, helped get her back into the media spotlight.
 
Think about it, when's the last time you heard about the great new Kate Hudson movie?  How often was Extra or Entertainment Tonight leading with what Kate was wearing on the red carpet or what her latest plans were?  The chick had practically fallen off the face of the Earth until she decided to ride A-Rod's rod, so all this garbage about how she helped calm A-Rod down and get him in the right frame of mind is bullshit. 
 
A-Rod got himself into the right frame of mind by finally forgetting about what people thought of him or what the right thing to say was and just playing ball.  He trusted in his abilities and those of his teammates and he ended up producing the way everybody always thought he would and should in the clutch.  The fact that Kate Hudson was being dragged in his wake of success means nothing other than she was along for the ride and damn lucky to be there.
 
If A-Rod wants to eye-fuck or actually fuck a whole gaggle of blondes on Miami Beach then that's what he's entitled to do as a multi-millionaire, a Yankee, and a champion.  Kate Hudson can fuck off and go hang out with her kids because her newfound 15 minutes are up.  And here's hoping A-Rod put those centaur paintings back up in his bedroom because it's just 110 days before he starts 2010 off right by kicking Boston's teeth in.
 

Sayonara, Hideki-San

According to several sources, Hideki Matsui and the Angels have agreed to a one-year deal worth $6.5 million that will be finalized when the 35-year-old slugger passes a physical.

"I can confirm that we are in serious discussions with the Angels," agent Arn Tellem said last night. "I have no further comment."

If Matsui passes the physical, not a slam dunk considering he has undergone off-season surgery on each knee in the last two winters, the Yankees will be faced with filling a productive hole in the middle of their order.

Through Tellem, Matsui recently informed the Yankees he didn't want to wait to see what the club did with fellow free agent Johnny Damon. The Yankees informed Tellem that DH wasn't as high a priority as improving the pitching staff -- starter or reliever -- or left field.

Fearful of being left without a team, Matsui turned to the Angels, who will not bring back DH Vladimir Guerrero.

Last week at the Winter Meetings, Angels GM Tony Reagins was lukewarm when asked his interest in Matsui, who didn't play an inning in the outfield this past season because of his surgically repaired knees.

Appealing to the Angels is that Matsui believes he can play the outfield, something the Yankees publicly said he wouldn't do if he returned to The Bronx, where he spent seven seasons in which he appeared in the World Series in the first (2003) and last (2009) with much different results.

As much as the Yankees loved Matsui's production and popularity in the clubhouse, they have concerns his knees won't hold up as well as they did this past season when the left hinge had to be drained twice.

And GM Brian Cashman has explained that improving the pitching staff and finding a left fielder are priorities over filling the DH spot. (story courtesy of the NY Post)



Well I guess the allure of coming back to be a part of a back-to-back championship-winning team, forever etching his name into Yankees lore, being beloved by fans from this generation and subsequently being invited back to every Yankee Old Timers' Day until the end of time, and never having to pay for a meal in NYC ever again wasn't appealing enough to old Hi-dek. In the end, the allure of getting the chance to play the outfield and simultaneously blow out both his knees, thus ending his career as a baseball player and as a bipedal human who can walk normally, was just too much to pass up.

Hey, to each his own. Everybody says their ultimate goal in sports is to win a championship; for Matsui his goal must have literally been to win "A" championship because with the losses of Lackey and Figgins and the addition of Cliff Lee to Seattle's rotation, Anaheim's chances of even contending for a title next year aren't looking too good.

You have to wonder what is going through Tony Reagins' head if a week ago he was lukewarm on making this deal because Matsui hasn't played the outfield since 2007, and then today it's stated that Matsui's "ability" to play the outfield was appealing to the Angels. I'm not joking when I say that I think an arthritic, 80-year-old woman in a power chair from the Scooter Store can play the outfield better than Matsui at this point in his career; the Yankees knew that, which is why they put him lower on the to-do list beneath re-signing Pettitte, trading for Granderson, and re-signing Johnny Damon, so what do the Angels, a team who have no inside knowledge of Matsui and his health, know that the Yankees don't?

Basically this was a panic move by the Angels to replace their loss in offensive production that comes with losing Figgins and Vlad. When the Lackey-to-Boston deal became official yesterday, bolstering the offense became more of a priority for them since there isn't much left out there to help them improve their 2010 pitching staff and replace Lackey in the rotation. Unfortunately they let Matsui's numbers from last year blind them to the fact that putting him in the outfield like he wants will effectively eliminate those numbers when it results in him spending significant time or the remainder of the season on the DL.

Matsui is still an above-average Major League, but he is nothing more. And in today's game you have to have flexibility in your lineup. Matsui was a great Yankee: quiet and polite in front of the media, by all accounts a great teammate, and someone who went about his job every day rain or shine, hurt or 100%, putting up damn good numbers along the way. He'll be missed by his teammates and fans but the bottom line is, with his body breaking down at an alarming rate over the last 2 years, it is too much of a risk for the Yankees to bring him back when there are more appealing options at DH.

If he truly believes he can play the outfield, then God bless him; it's good to have confidence. But I think that experiment is going to end badly for both he and the Angels, and having those ticking time bombs for knees on somebody else's roster next season makes winning 28 that much easier for the Bombers when it's something they don't have to worry about.

Is Everybody High?

Did I miss something?  Can somebody explain to me how the Red Sox signing John Lackey to a 5-year deal and the Phillies essentially trading Cliff Lee for Roy Halladay is a big deal for either of those teams or the Yankees?  Theo and whatever schmuck runs the Phillies must have been watching the Cypress Hill: Live At The Fillmore DVD together when they came up with these ideas because neither of these moves puts these teams any closer to beating the Bombers next year.

First the Phillies.  Their biggest weapon on their entire pitching staff last season was Cliff Lee.  He carried their staff through the postseason and was dominant in all of his outings except Game 5 of the World Series.  With his limited exposure to National League teams he would have been a front runner for the NL Cy Young next year, been the #1 starter on a team that would once again be favored to advance to the World Series out of the NL, and given the Phillies the appealing option of going lefty-righty-lefty-righty-lefty in their rotation next year if they so chose.

Now by moving him out of the way to make room for Roy Halladay, they have sacrificed their chance to have the most dominant 1-2 pitching punch in baseball and become odds-on World Series favorites for next season, and at the end of the day end up with a rotation no better with Halladay at the front of it than it would have been with Lee at the helm.  All of this because Lee wanted a contract at market value (something very fair for the 2008 AL Cy Young and one of, if not the best, pitcher in last year's postseason to ask for), and Halladay had indicated that he would sign for less than his market value if traded to Philly.  What kind of message does this send about Philadelphia's commitment to winning?  They could have had the most stacked rotation in the NL by far, probably the best in baseball in either league, and instead they jettisoned one ace to make room for another all over a dollar value that will likely only be somewhere between $5-15 million difference.

Newsflash fellas, just because Roy Halladay says he'll sign for less than you expect, that doesn't mean you're signing him for 5 years, $25 million.  The dude is going to want to get paid and you're going to have to pay him.  The added revenue that would come from having one of the best teams in baseball and the best 1-2 punch on the hill for the next couple of seasons would have probably offset the extra coin you would have had to shell out to keep Lee, so why wouldn't you be aggressive, trade for Halladay, sign both of them, and make a 4-5 year run at multiple World Series titles while they and the rest of your deep lineup are in their primes?  All this move says to me is that the Yankees will have to go through Halladay as the only pitcher who scares you and then the rest of the Phillies' rotation next year on their way to title 28 instead of Lee, so this move is basically a wash.

Now for Fraud Sox Nation, the little engine that could and now can't keep up with the Big Bad Bombers.  The whole "slightly more than A.J. Burnett's contract"-thing is cute; $83 million as opposed to $82 mil, trying to show that you're willing to go the extra mile to compete with the Yankees.  But it just comes off as pathetic, the fact that you still feel like you have to try to one-up New York, and another weak attempt to try to compete with the Yankees when deep down your entire organization knows you can't hang with them over the 162-game schedule next year.  It's like when your little brother is 5 and thinks one day when he's bigger and stronger he's going to be able to beat you at basketball, not realizing that when that day comes you're going to be bigger and stronger too.  It's obvious the Boston brass felt like they had to try to make a big splash to keep their fanbase thinking that they were committed to winning, but this move just rings hollow.

If Boston was really serious about competing next season, they would have bitten the bullet on guys like Michael Bowden and Clay Buchholz and given the Blue Jays what they wanted to bring Halladay into the fold.  A rotation of Halladay, Beckett, Lester, and Lackey is something to write home about; on any given day you're throwing a guy out there who can throw a complete game shutout.  Instead all they've done is add another guy who has a good track record against the Yankees but can't beat them when it counts (check the stats; the later in the season these guys pitched against the Yankees, the worse they performed).

With Beckett looking shaky already at age 29, Buchholz still never proving that he can be consistently good for a complete season, Dice-Gay being the pitching equivalent to a roll of bar dice, and Tim Wakefield having one foot and his bad back out the door, the Red Sox rotation doesn't look any better or worse than the Yankees' right now.  I'll take CC, A.J., and Andy against Beckett, Lester, and Lackey any day of the fucking week, especially with how weak the Boston lineup is looking next year and how deep and flexible the Yanks' is looking.

So congratulations to the Red Sox and Phillies and their fans.  I'm sure you'll sell plenty of tickets with your shiny new pitching toys next year, but at the end of the day you're both still a step below the Yankees looking up.  You both had an opportunity to make a fat-guy-in-a-wave-pool-sized splash in the offseason but were too chickenshit to pony up the cash and prospects necessary to make it happen.  I hope you both remember this when next November rolls around and you're watching from the opposing dugouts or your own homes as the Yankees are dosing each other in Korbel.

AB4AR's Week 14 NFL Wrap-Up

Week 14 Recap

Cleveland 13 Pittsburgh 6

I don't give a shit that head coach Mike Tomlin is a dead ringer for Omar Epps; somebody needs to wheel the Steelers into the ICU, stat, and get House on this case because they are just a fucking disaster right now and nobody on their roster or staff seems to know how to figure it out.  You hold Brady Quinn to 6-19 and 90 yards and their RB staff to such little yardage that Josh Cribbs actually leads them in rushing yards and you still lose?  Not to mention you fail to score more than 10 points against a defense that was playing half its backups?  It's a little late in the year to use the "Super Bowl Hangover" excuse; oh no, my friends, this isn't a hangover.  It's a goddamn Super Bowl-Induced Coma.

Houston 34 Seattle 7

In the most predictable outcome this side of Tiger Woods vs. Some Slutty Bar Chick, Houston comes out and runs roughshod over an inferior opponent 2 weeks after choking their season away AGAIN.  Matt Schaub racked up 395 yards through the air and 2 TDs, both to Andre Johnson who wasn't too shabby himself with an 11-catch, 193-yard, 2-TD performance against arguably the worst secondary in professional football.  If the Texans were smart, they would just go 0-7 to start the season every year, take all the pressure that they clearly can't handle off themselves, and spend the rest of the season putting up monster fantasy numbers for their owners.

Baltimore 48 Detroit 3

Baltimore used the 2-headed monster of Ray Rice and Willis McGahee to rack up 242 yards and 3 TDs on the ground on just 25 combined carries to rout the Pretty Kitties.  Detroit did their best by countering with Daunte Culpepper and Dennis Northcutt, but when that's what you're countering with and that's what you're calling your best because everybody else is injured then you can take it to the bank that your team is going to get its shit pushed in.  Christ, if you tried playing a game of Madden with Culpepper and Northcutt as your WB-WR combo, the game would probably forfeit for you before the coin toss even happened.

Miami 14 Jacksonville 10

In a battle that could determine which mediocre team gets to sneak into the playoffs as the 6-seed and proceed to get torched by the Bengals or Patriots, the Dolphins used a 108-yard, 1-TD performance by Ricky Williams and a 1-yard TD plunge by super-secret goal line bruiser Chad Henne to secure a victory over the Jags.  Miami was sloppy, committing 3 turnovers, but when your opponent can only muster 217 yards of offense you could turn it over 6 times and it wouldn't make a difference.

NY Jets 26 Tampa Bay 3

It looks like Mark Sanchez getting hurt is the best thing to ever happen to the Jets as they cruised to an easy victory over the Bucs yesterday behind the veteran leadership of Kellen Clemens (I know, I can't even read that without smiling either).  It could have been Sanchez, but it was most likely the fact that Josh Freeman continued to fall back to Earth as he threw for just 93 yards and 3 picks in the loss.  It could also have something to do with the fact that Thomas Jones had 24 carries for 99 yards and 2 TDs, continuing to be the most un-talked-about great RB in the NFL.  I don't know if either of those are true, I'm just saying...

New England 20 Carolina 10

The Pats held on to get a much-needed win against the Fighting Matt Moores yesterday despite having a ghost or some sort of ethereal being wearing Randy Moss' uniform out on the field instead of Moss himself.  Tom Brady was only slightly better than Matt Moore: 19-32-192-1/15-30-197-1, but Brady had help from a suddenly re-emerging Laurence Maroney, who had 94 tough yards on 22 carries.  After the game, reporters question Bill Belichick on why Moss would be sent home before a big game, especially after he had served his timeout earlier in the week.

Minnesota 30 Cincinnati 10

In a game they needed to stay in contention for homefield advantage in the playoffs, the Bengals gacked it up big time in Minnesota.  They totaled just 210 yards of offense on the road, Carson Palmer was held to fewer than 100 passing, and Chad Johnson didn't even celebrate after scoring his, and the team's only, TD.  Adrian Peterson and his Nike-skinned body returned to form yesterday, racking up 97 yards and 2 TDs on the ground, and Brett Favre rebounded from his awful performance last week to turn in a much more typical mediocre-Brett Favre-December performance, going 17-30 for 192 yards, 1 touch, and a pick.

Buffalo 16 Kansas City 10

Buffalo was outgained 354-273 by the Chiefs but used Matt Cassell being the latest to do a Jake Delhomme impression (4 picks) to their advantage in squeaking out an ugly 16-10 win.  With Ryan Fitzpatrick playing typical Ryan Fitzpatrick-type football, the Bills rode Fred Jackson to points while Cassell's constant battle with Pick-itis wasted Jamaal Charles' solid effort: 20-143-1.

Indianapolis 28 Denver 16

Peyton Manning was a very un-Peyton Manning-ish 20-42 for 220 and 3 picks, the Colts had little or no running game to speak of, Brandon Marshall went hogwild against the Indy secondary, collecting a new NFL record 21 catches for 200 yards and 2 TDs, and the Colts still win by 12.  The fact that Manning managed to sneak 4 TD passes in between his 22 incompletions and 3 picks helped.  When you can have a game where all those factors come together and you can still win, that says something about your team.  Probably that it just got lucky, but hey, that's still something.

Green Bay 21 Chicago 14

Just when it looked like he had done enough to get his team into a winning position and earn back a handful of fans in the Windy City, Jay Cutler tossed a grotesque INT in the 4th quarter that led to the Packers' eventual game-winning TD.  That gives Cutler 22 INTs on the season and has Bears fans pining for the days of not only Rex Grossman but even Cade McNown.  Lost in the suffle of Cutler's ineptitude were the facts that Ryan Grant ran for 137 yards and 1 long touch, Aaron Rodgers was an efficient 16-24 for 180 yards, and the Packers have now won 5 in a row and firmly entrenched themselves as the NFC's main Wild Card contender.

New Orleans 26 Atlanta 23

Drew Brees' 31-40-296-3 performance bested that of a very game Chris Redman (303-1) as the Saints held off a late Falcon's threat to stay unbeaten and keep their bid for homefield throughout the playoffs and a perfect 16-0 record intact.  Reggie Bush had 6 catches, 2 of them for TDs, and continued to do just enough to stave off calls that he is a bust.  Solid numbers aside, it's been a tough first year in Atlanta for Tony Gonzalez as injuries to key players have all but killed their playoff chances.  But hey, at least he's got that killer parking spot at the team facility, huh?

Tennessee 47 St. Louis 7

Chris Johnson was a one-man, dreadlocked wrecking crew again yesterday, gaining 117 yards and 2 TDs on 28 carries as well as 69 yards and a TD on 3 receptions, but he did continue to fall behind Eric Dickerson's pace for the NFL All-time rushing record so the day was basically a waste for him.  After Vince Young left with a hamstring injury, Kerry Collins put the Heineken mini-keg down long enough to throw for 154 yards and 1 TD in relief.  St. Louis' day was done when they came out onto the field with some guy named Keith Null as their starting QB.  Null did exactly as you would expect him to do, throwing 4 picks and being completely overwhelmed.  Seriously, when there are Keith Nulls getting starts in this league, you can't try to tell me that Tim Tebow isn't going to at least have a decent chance at being a legit NFL QB.

San Diego 20 Dallas 17

And the "Dallas is choking in December again"-meter has been cranked to 100!!!  The calendar says it's December 21, but you and I and every other football fan knows it's winter when the 'Boys start slacking off in games, failing to execute on a consistent basis, and losing games that they desperately need to stay in command of their playoff destiny.  Yesterday it was the crew from the city that means "A Whale's Vagina" that dumped Dallas, knocking them back to 2nd in the NFC East.  Phillip Rivers outplayed Tony Romo just enough to get his team the win as Dallas seemed to lose the wind in their sails after watching Demarcus Ware get carted off the field on a stretcher in the 4th quarter.  Their fans in the stands felt the same way as they watched Dallas' hopes and dreams for a successful playoff season be carted away in a casket as the final seconds ticked down.

Washington 34 Oakland 13

After upsetting Pittsburgh last week, Oakland was dealt a sharp blow to its non-existant playoff hopes with a blowout loss to the Native Americans.  Washington's 4th RB, Quinton Ganther, ran for 2 TDs, Jason Campbell threw for 222 yards, 2 TDs, and no picks, and Bruce Gradkowski's knee injury meant we got to experience more of Jamarcus Russell butt raping the playing of the QB position.  But it's not all bad news; Bruce Gradkowski's knee injury meant we got to experience more of Jamarcus Russell butt raping the playing of the QB position.  That's high-quality entertainment right there.

Philadelphia 45 NY Giants 38

The Giants are D-O-N-E done after last night's defensive fiasco.  Eli Manning's 391 yards and 3 TDs on a more than fucked up foot doesn't mean shit when Brandon Jacobs has been re-incarnated as Ron Dayne, your defense can't cover or tackle anybody, and your supposed big-time DEs generate a pass rush about as intimidating as Dakota Fanning.  And can somebody please, for the love of God, put some safety help over the top on DeSean Jackson???  The guy has only been torching teams deep all season; let's just leave our 4th-string CB out on an island to cover him alone.  The red, flush-faced look on Tom Coughlin's face isn't from the cold weather, it's from the heat he's suddenly feeling right under his ass as his team stumbles to the finish line.


MNF Prediction

Arizona 27 San Francisco 13

The Cardinals are hitting their stride at the right time, much like they did last season, while the 49ers don't even have a stride to hit if they wanted to.  I can't see SF's secondary sticking with Fitz, 'Quan, And S-Breast (yeah, I just called Steve Breaston "S-Breast," deal with it) for 4 minutes, let alone 4 quarters.  Look for the Cards to jump out to a 21-3 halftime lead and then finish the game on cruise control.

MNF Predictions for the Season (Winners): 10-4

AB4AR's Hot Stove Quick Hits

* As Johnny Damon Turns...

Despite having added Granderson and making their team better and younger in the process, the fact that the Yankees are focusing on Johnny Damon over Hideki Matsui is a smart move for next year.

First off, both guys practically put up the same numbers last year, so choosing Damon over Matsui wouldn't be a statistical downgrade.  If anything it makes the lineup more dangerous and more flexible than last season because you're adding more speed and athleticism while still keeping the dangerous lefty power bat that Damon presents in the new Stadium.

Also, Damon gives the Yankees much more flexibility at the DH position, where he most likely would, and should, play if he decides to re-sign.  The less wear and tear on his always-questionable legs will keep him fresh for the long haul of the 162 games and beyond, and the fact that he is still a relatively good outfielder means Joe can plug him into left field on days where Jorge, A-Rod, or anybody needs a DH day and not lose anything in the lineup.  Essentially you would be trading Melky for whoever is filling in at the other positions, be it Cervelli, Jerry Hairston, whoever.  Matsui's knees limit both what the Yankees can do with him and with the rest of the lineup, so Damon represents much more overall value as an offensive AND defensive player.

And of course, let's not forget the leverage the Yankees have over Damon.  If he wants to come back, he has to come back on the Yankees' terms.  If he decides to listen to his agent and try to play hardball with the Yanks by going for the big money, then he's gone and the Yankees can use that money to find another cheap, productive veteran to fill the DH/bench depth role.  Who knows?  Maybe that veteran becomes Matsui if he's still on the market.

* The Yanks have no Wang.

I can't say I'm surprised or disappointed by this move.  CMW has spent the majority of the last 2 seasons injured and the rest of team being woefully ineffective.  Despite the fact that he's reported to be ahead of schedule in his recovery, the fact of the matter is he won't be back to game-shape pitching form until June or July of next year and with Hughes, Joba, Gaudin, Mitre, Ivan Nova, and cheap free agent X all available to fill the back end of the rotation next year, there's no point in paying Wang millions to rehab in the minors.

* Juan Miranda a possibility at DH?

Brian Cashman certainly seems to think so.  I don't want to say I disagree with Cash, but I will say that I wouldn't mind getting my hands on whatever he's been smoking.

Sure Miranda has killed it in Triple-A, but so did Shelley Duncan and he fucking sucked in the majors.  Miranda is hitting .333 in his Major League career, but that career consists of 8 games.  You can pick anybody out of any Triple-A team to call up to the majors and they can hit .333 over an 8-game stretch.

I'm not saying I don't like Miranda as a part of the roster next season.  He's a decent first baseman and could very well be a productive hitter if given the chance and the at-bats.  But let's calm down and examine the more proven options for full-time DH next year before we start jumping on the Juan Miranda bandwagon.  Bring him into Spring Training, get him a shitload of at-bats against quality (key word: QUALITY) Major League pitching, and see how he does.  Then make a decision based on that, not on 8 career games against the lowest pitchers on teams' end-of-the-year 40-man roster.

* Ben Sheets as next year's 5th starter?

Why the hell not?  The guy is a walking DL-stint, but he also was one of the most dominant pitchers in his league for a stretch of years when he was healthy and the combination of his injury-prone status and long time away from the mound means he's going to come cheap.

Cash has already been talking to his agent and Sheets is expected to be ready for Spring Training.  NL pitchers traditionally don't translate well to moving up to the Big League, but with Sheets' lack of history with AL teams it's more than likely that there isn't a very thick book on him in anybody's clubhouse.

The back end of the rotation is still a question mark and Sheets does pose a big question mark himself.  But he is a proven commodity and if his stuff is half of what it was at his peak, then he's just as viable an option for the back end of the rotation than Joba, Gaudin, or anybody.  Depending on how the Damon/Matsui situations play out, I don't think it would be too big of a risk to throw a $3-5mil, 1-year deal at Sheets (AKA "The Boston Red Sox-John Smoltz Special), and see what happens.

* Jason Bay blows off the Sox

Can't say I blame the guy.  When the leaders of the organization are already admitting that their team might not be very good this year, that's not something that usually translates into a good contract-negotiation bargaining chip.  Bay spent enough years being part of shitty teams in Pittsburgh; he wants to win now and I don't blame him.  I don't think going to the Mets for $5 million more is a good option either, but deciding to cut bait on Boston and leave them weaker in left field and in the middle of the lineup is music to my ears so I could really give a fuck where he ends up.

And if you're keeping score at home, Boston's opening day lineup as of today looks like this:

1B: Casey Kotchman
2B: Dustin Pedroia
SS: Marco Scutaro
3B: Kevin Youkilis
RF: J.D. Drew
CF: Jacoby Ellsbury
LF: Jeremy Hermida
C: Victor Martinez
DH: David Ortiz

If that doesn't scream "Battling Toronto for 3rd place in the AL East," then I don't know what does.  And if they think throwing a bunch of money at Matt Holliday will help boost the lineup then Theo is even dumber than I thought.  Check Hollidays AL/NL splits from last year; his numbers in Oakland before the All-Star break were on par with Melky's numbers.  Not exactly $70 million-type production.

Now That The Dust Has Settled...

I've had people talking to me about this since Tuesday afternoon wanting my 2 cents on the deal.  I even had inside information from a friend on Tuesday afternoon whose brother's roommate was good buddies with Curtis Granderson's cousin (as ludicrous as that sounds, it's actually true).  But I didn't want to start blabbing away at what a great deal this was for the Yanks until I knew it was going through.  And now that the Granderson trade is officially official, I'll take the time to discuss it.

When I first heard about the rumors of the trade a few weeks ago I thought it was a great move, when the "agreement in principle" was made on Tuesday I thought it was a great move, and now that it's a done deal I still think it's a great move for the Yankees.  Any way you look at it, there was really no downside to this trade.

First, a quick look at what the Yankees gave up:

- Ian Kennedy: a young starting pitching prospect who bombed big time in his first Major League test and spent the better part of last season in the minors dealing with an aneurysm.  He had once been considered a blue-chip prospect in the same regard as Joba and Phil Hughes but his Major League experiences and performance to this point shows him to be a 4th or 5th-starter in the Majors at best.  Considering the bevy of talent that the Yanks still have in the minors at SP, no big loss.  Except that I lose my chance to do the
"MISTERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...KENNEDY!!!!!.........Kennedy!!"-
jokes next season.

- Phil Coke: another young pitcher who burst onto the scene and established himself as the Yankees' main lefty reliever last season after Damaso Marte was hurt for pretty much the entire regular season.  Showed flashes of brilliance and better than average stuff, but battled bouts of inconsistency and did have the tendency to give up the long ball more often than you'd like to see from a lefty specialist type.  With Marte's resurgence in the playoffs, the Yanks managing to keep Michael Dunn from being part of this trade, and the fact that teams change lefty relievers like people change socks, giving up Coke is another acceptable loss.

-Austin Jackson: the #1 positional prospect in the Yankees farm system, Jackson was being looked at as a potential replacement for Johnny Damon on next year's roster should he have decided to go elsewhere, but the belief in the organization was that A-Jax still needed a year in Triple-A to refine his skills.  While widely regarded as having All-Star potential, questions about Jackson's power, high strikeout rate, and outfield play still made him a bit of a question mark.  While it sucks to have to give him up, when there are as many questions as answers about what a prospect will become and the player you're getting back for him is an established star at the same position, it takes the sting out of the loss quite a bit.

When you really break it down, the Yankees actually gave away less with 3 guys than the D-Backs did with 2.  Arizona dumped a potential #1/#2-in-the-rotation starter and a reliever with big-time stuff that could have translated into a closer role down the road.  The Yanks gave up one major contributor from last year's World Series-winning club that is easily replaced and 2 guys who are still unknowns.  And in what the Yankees got back in return for what they gave up, you have to look at them as big winners in this deal.

In Curtis Granderson you have a guy with 30-30 potential (maybe 40-40 thanks to the short porch in right) because of his blazing speed and great lefty power who is a prototypical centerfielder with better range and a better arm than what the Yankees already had out there, and at 28 is entering the prime of his career.  By all accounts he is a great guy with a personality that should fit like a glove in the Big Apple, and he already has relationships with Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher which means he should fit seamlessly into the clubhouse.  Oh, and did I mention he has a more than reasonable contract for the next couple years?  You couldn't ask for a better piece to add to the fold.

Sure he strikes out a lot (141 last season), but so does Mark Teixeira, and he only finished 2nd in the AL MVP voting this past year.  Sure he doesn't hit lefties well (.183 last season in 180 at-bats), but the Yankees are chock full of guys who punish lefty pitching and can surely teach him a few things.  The Yankees already ruled out the possibility that his eyes are shit, so all the dude needs is a few sessions in the cage with Cano and Kevin Long and he'll be money.  The bottom line is, Curtis Granderson makes the Yankees just as explosive offensively as they were last season while making them much better defensively and even more dangerous on the basepaths than they were last season. 

Granderson's better range and arm than Melky makes him the obvious choice at center and allows Melky to move to left, where his range and arm is a great improvement over Johnny Damon.  Factor in that Swish is a more than capable outfielder in right and suddenly the Yankees become a much younger, faster, more dangerous outfield in terms of covering ground in the gaps to take away extra base hits and throwing guys out who try to stretch balls hit into the gaps.  Think A.J. Burnett won't like having Granderson out there next year when he makes a diving catch in left center that saves 2 runs in what could have turned into a classic A.J. Burnett Meltdown-inning?

On the basepaths he should be an big threat to pitchers and an even bigger asset to those hitting behind him as pitchers will be forced to pay more attention to him than they did to Damon last year, and Damon was no slouch himself.  Plop Grandy into Damon's spot in the 2-hole and guys are going to have to decide how they want to get beat; by focusing on Granderson and risking walking or serving up meatballs to Teix and the A-Horse or by focusing on the batters and letting Granderson run around the bases like a kid on Family Day at the park and constantly set up RISP situations for the big boppers.  Granderson scored 91 runs last year on a team that was 10th in the AL in runs scored and in the bottom half of almost every offensive category.  How many can he score with Teix, A-Hud, Jorge, Cano, and Swish hitting behind him?  120?  130?

And not only will Granderson help the Yankees on the field next year, he's already helping them off the field this year.  Having him in the fold gives the Yankees leverage over both Damon and Matsui.  Now if they don't want to come back on the Yankees' terms then they can go their merry ways and the Yankees are no weaker for it.  If they decide they want to win more titles and come back for reasonably-priced, single-year contracts, the Yankees are suddenly stocked with bats and have all kinds of lineup flexibility for any situation, be it lefty starters, off-days, injuries, you name it.

So there you have it.  Curtis Granderson was a great pickup and the Yankees were able to do it without giving up what I believe are still their 3 best pieces of trade bait in Joba, Hughes, and Montero.  They also stuck to the trend they started last offseason by getting a younger guy heading into the prime of his career instead of the twilight.  Between this trade and the Pettitte signing, Cash looks like he style has his Midas Touch from last year and it's now officially 3 great moves in less than a week.

Next up on the list...bringing Damon back for $10 mil next year with a player option for 2011 to be the DH/4th outfielder.

UConn-Kentucky Thoughts and Afterthoughts

* Can someone explain to me why this game was tipping at 9:37PM EST? Especially when the previous game was the Bulls-Hawks debacle? I could understand relegating UK-UConn to 2nd-banana duty if the first game was UNC-Purdue, but to bump to top-15 teams to a late start at Madison Square Garden for the Chicago Bulls is ludicrous.

* The first 8 minutes of the game told you everything you need to know about the Huskies this season. First 4 had nothing but turnovers, missed shots, bad transition defense, no rebounding, and a 12-0 deficit; the next 4 had better defense and rebounding, transition baskets, slashing to the rim, crashing the offensive boards, and a 16-4 run to tie the game. There's no middle ground with this team this year, it's nothing or everything.

* He's laying it on a little too thick with this "we're actually 4-5"-routine, but John Calipari's assessment of his team is spot on. Their inability to run a half-court offense and consistently knock down shots helped nurse UConn back into the game by playing right into the transition game that the Huskies want to get into. If that's a more experience team on the floor, UConn goes into the half down 20.

* That being said, the Huskies' half-court offense, if that's what you want to call it, is exactly why they couldn't pull away and hold the lead they gained in the first half; there's no ball movement, even less player movement, and too much dribbling around the perimeter. If you aren't going to even attempt jump shots because you know you can't make them, you better damn well get some inside-outside passing and backdoor cutting going instead of having all 5 guys stand and look at each other.

* What the fuck ESPN? How do you lose the feed for the last couple minutes of the first half? You aren't broadcasting from some remote satellite feed on Mars, you're in fucking Madison Square Garden!! How does that happen? Having a play-by-play man in Dan Shulman who doesn't call the play-by-play doesn't translate well to a broadcast with no picture.

* Dick Vitale was all over UConn from about the halfway point of the first half on about not taking any jump shots, but the stats and shot charts showed that Kentucky wasn't making any either. When Dyson made his first 3 in the 2nd half, it was the first 3 for either team so the Wildcats weren't exactly putting on a shooting clinic either. But hey, whoever said Vitale was a good analyst?

* Outside of having no shooters, UConn's biggest issue this year is their interior game. Basically they have a lot of big bodies, but no "big men." Sticks was MIA last night save for a 150-second stretch in the 2nd half, Oriakhi plays like he's 5'8" instead of 6'8", and Charles Okwandu is Charles Okwandu. Even Gavin isn't immune to getting pushed around here and there on rebound attempts. The Huskies' rebounding strategy resembles that of a 3rd-grade rec league team: shot goes up and everybody runs directly under the basket instead of finding a body and boxing out, and lo and behold the rebound sails over their heads or just beyond the outstretched reach of their one-armed attempts. Ater Majok could not have become eligible at a better time. Get that guy on the court, stat!

* Before we get to the skewering of the frontcourt, though, we will pause to heap some praise on Gavin Edwards. I don't know where this guy has been the last 3 seasons, but Gavin Edwards version Senior.0 is a human truck stick. He plays tough interior D, is a smart shot blocker, rebounds aggressively (even if his form and positioning isn't great), runs the floor and fills the lane better than any college big man this side of Blake Griffin, and has developed some post moves that make him a threat in the half-court offense. Most importantly, he hustles every time up and down the floor; that block of a Kentucky fast break dunk attempt early in the first half was a thing of beauty. With the way the rest of these scrubs are playing, the Huskies are going to need Gavin to keep playing at this level.

* For a guy who NBADraft.net had moved into their lottery for next year's draft, Stanley Robinson got absolutely torched by Patrick Patterson yesterday. Patterson stepped up and played tough under the spotlight, showcasing a well-rounded inside and outside game that now features a respectable 3-pointer while Sticks just showed that he's a lanky guy with a great vertical leap who can't shoot himself out of a paper bag, AKA the same guy he was when he came onto campus 4 years ago.

* Jerome Dyson is the basketball equivalent to the new Droid cell phone; he does everything. My only question is when will the Droid's major glaring weakness start to show itself, because early in this season Dyson's already has (free throw shooting).

* And after Dyson's missed dunk attempt in the 2nd half that would have brought the Huskies back within one and possibly shifted momentum and energy back towards them, nobody will ever be confusing him for Dominique Wilkins. Dyson took off from way too far away and front rimmed the dunk so bad that it's a miracle he didn't end up hurting himself.

* And now for the "Ragging on Charles Okwandu" portion of the show:

God that guy fucking sucks. An absolute waste of a 7-foot body. I've never seen anybody get pushed around in the post so easily; he's like the black Shawn Bradley. He very well might be the worst post defender in basketball history; he lets the offensive player establish position immediately and doesn't even fight him for it, he lets his man catch the entry pass and immediately push him back 2-3 feet, he never establishes a wide base or pushes back on his man, and he always jumps into his guy on shot attempts to pick up cheap fouls. And that's not even adding in the fact that if the shot is missed, he's been pushed so far under the hoop that the only rebound he's getting is catching the ball as the second attempt goes through the basket. Just an absolute waste of space and an insult to the game of basketball. What the fuck has he been doing for the last 2 years on campus? I just dumped my cup of coffee over my head.

* Just an awful foul by Oriakhi on Wall on the 3-point play that gave Kentucky the lead for good. You can't let Wall get that shot off to even give him a chance at a 3-point play; if you have to grab a camera from somebody under the basket and hit Wall with it WWE-style, you can't let him get that shot off. You have to hammer Wall, put him on his back, and make him earn his 2 points at the line. Oriakhi was slow getting to the spot and instead of jumping full-on into Wall and crushing him, he tried to half-jump into him and stretch his arms out instead of coming down with them hard across Wall's arms. I know the kid is a freshman, but come on, he's a BFD and he's gotta start throwing his weight around at some point. If you can't do it against a skinny little PG, how are you going to bang with the big boys in the Big East for 20 games?

* In the end it was the same story for UConn that it always is in their losses: too many turnovers and too many missed free throws. As bad as their offense was, they still only lost the game by 3 points. If you subtract half of John Wall's steals that were gift wrapped for him by shitty passes and make half the foul shots you missed, you win the game by 10. It's that simple. I know it's no excuse, but you have to wonder if Kemba and Dyson being tired at the end of games has anything to do with their struggles at the stripe. Calhoun has shown no willingness to get Trice and Smith in the game and he's wearing his 2 horses out already.

* He's still got a lot to learn, but John Wall is gooooooooooooooooood. I've never seen a guard with such a quick first step and he can kick that extra gear in from a stand still, a jog, or a sprint, like he did on his game-winning drive. His passes are crisp, his range is already light years ahead of Derrick Rose's and Chris Paul's during their freshman years, and he plays with the balls-out attitude you want in your PG. As this season goes on he'll learn to be more situational with his aggression and run the offense better, but there's no doubt this kid is going to be a monster at the next level and should be the Number 1 pick in June.

* What the fuck was up with the last 26 seconds of the game??? No inbounds play coming out of a timeout that forces them to burn another timeout, no set play once you get the ball inbounds, no cutters or ball movement by Kemba, and then a 10-second clusterfuck of a last possession after getting a rebound that results in Gavin Edwards lobbing up a 3 that had than a snowball's chance of going in.

If I can go into Mad Dog mode again, "What is Jim Calhoun doing out there?? What is he doing out there? You got freshmen and sophomores running all over the floor, set up a PLAY. SET UP A PLAY!!! Bad job in a big spot by Jimmy there, Mike. Bad job by Calhoun in a big spot."

I really don't know what UConn does in practice and I'm not going to pretend I do, but when you go into a game against a young team and have no set plan on offensive to exploit anything other than dribbling around the perimeter and just hoping your guards can penetrate, and never have your big men in the right spots on either side of the floor, and have 2 seniors who don't lead the team, and just have an overall lack of composure in close games, that all falls on the coaching staff to fix those problems.

I said before the season that Calhoun was going to have to coach this team up this year; he doesn't have a team of high basketball-IQ guys who know how to handle situations and he was going to have to develop that sense in his guys through coaching. So far this season he doesn't seem to be doing that and it becomes more and more obvious that this team doesn't have it within itself to make those adjustments in-game when they come up against a good opponent. If this season is going to amount to anything, Jimbo's going to need to stop yanking guys every 30 seconds, grab a clipboard, and draw up some fucking plays. Otherwise the Huskies will just be what they are right now, a middle-of-the-pack team who can't hang with the big boys.

Yanks Re-Sign Pettitte, Continue To Prove My Genius

INDIANAPOLIS -- Andy Pettitte is staying with the New York Yankees, agreeing to an $11.75 million, one-year contract.

The deal Wednesday represents a raise for the 37-year-old left-hander, who made $10.5 million last season and helped the Yankees win their 27th World Series title.

Pettitte became the first pitcher to start and win the clincher in all three postseason rounds. After beating Minnesota and the Los Angeles Angels in the AL playoffs, he defeated the Philadelphia Phillies on three days' rest in the sixth and final game of the World Series, earning his fifth championship ring.

Pettitte was 14-8 with a 4.16 ERA in 32 regular-season starts, and 4-0 with a 3.52 ERA in five postseason starts. His 18 postseason victories are a major league record.

He had a $5.5 million base salary last season and earned $3 million in bonuses based on innings and $2 million for staying on the active roster the entire season. He missed $750,000 bonuses for 200 and 210 innings, finishing with 194 2/3.

New York originally offered him $10 million last December but cut the guaranteed amount after it agreed to big-money contracts with CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira.

Pettitte's return doesn't mean the Yankees will end their pursuit of Roy Halladay. A baseball official with knowledge of the Yankees' plans told 1050 ESPN New York's Andrew Marchand the team is "still in on it" in regards to Halladay. (story courtesy of the Worldwide Leader)



While everybody else continues to analyze the Granderson trade that still hasn't been finalized (and still could get shut down pending Ian Kennedy's physical.  Let's not forget that the dude had a fucking aneurysm last season), I'll take time to congratulate the Yankees on a job well done in locking up the number one priority in their pecking order of their own free agents.

In case anybody has forgotten, he's what I wrote on November 20th regarding Pettitte:

Dude more than earned his $5.5 mil last season and as a reward should get a 1-year deal for $10-12 mil, 2 for 20 if he wants to pitch that much longer. His stuff obviously isn't going to get any better, but his ability to pitch and think on the mound has, and his pick-off move is still second to none. You see any better options for a #3 starter next year?

Wow, guess I hit that one on the head, huh?  For my next trick, watch me make this canary disappear.

People can say whatever they want about the Yanks still being in the Roy Halladay Sweepstakes, but the fact of the matter is they just gave up their best prospect for Granderson and getting Halladay is going to take at least 2 of the 3 of the Hughes-Joba-Montero sampler, which the Yanks would be nuts to give up.  So the inclusion of A-Jax for C-Grand pretty much cancels out Halladay and makes Pettitte an even bigger priority.  And what do the Yankees do?  They lock him up immediately after making the Granderson trade, doing exactly what I said they should do and giving Pettitte the fair, bigger money one-year deal that he should have got last offseason and more than earned with his performance this past season.

Sure he's old, but the numbers don't lie.  Andy Pettitte is still an above average Major League pitcher.  His ERA/WHIP/BAA numbers of 4.16/1.38/.259 were all below the AL average of 4.20/1.40/.266 and his K/9 of 6.86 was right in line with the league average.  Like I said in November, Andy's stuff isn't getting any better but his ability to pitch is.  He's got 2 above average off-speed pitches, a cutter he can work to both sides of the plate, and a fastball that he uses situationally to make it effective. How many pitchers can say they've got 4 effective pitches?  And how many teams can say they have a 3rd pitcher with these kind of numbers?

Before the Yankees started worrying about the 4th and 5th spots in the rotation, they had to lock up the 3rd spot.  And what better way to do that than to bring back a guy with a proven track record of success in New York who shows no signs of breaking down, steps his game up in clutch situations, and who costs you no more prospects or risky long-term contracts?  You can talk about your Roy Halladays and John Lackeys all you want, but I'll take Andy Pettitte as my 3-man every day of the fucking week.

For those scoring at home, that's now 2 great moves by Cash this week, with a 3rd waiting to be added to the tally sheet as soon as the 3-way trade is finalized, and it's still just Wednesday.  Someone do me a favor and hit the fucking music...

AB4AR's Belated Week 13 NFL Wrap-Up

Week 13 Recap

NY Jets 19 Buffalo 13

While the Jets may have gotten a win and pulled themselves back within a game of the Pats, Mark Sanchez's inability to execute a simple slide even after being taught by the Almighty Joe Girardi might have put the rest of their season in jeopardy.  Once again, the Jets relegated Sanchez to second banana duty and rode the strength of their running game (249 total yards) to glory.  Holding Buffalo to 221 total yards as a team, forcing 2 TOs, and having Darrelle Revis act as a one-man witness protection program on the other TO didn't hurt either.

Jacksonville 23 Houston 18

The Texans' "2012"-style implosion continued as they fell to the Jags.  While David Garrard was efficient with his 238 yards and 2 TDs, Houston managed to have 3 INTs thrown by 3 different people, inluding Chris Brown's pathetic sissy-armed flail on a botched halfback pass play.  Shit, they even got Rex Grossman into the act.  But on the positive side, at least Houston didn't ever have a lead or a tie at the end of the game for kicker Kris Brown to blow with a missed FG.

Carolina 16 Tampa Bay 6

With Jake Delhomme not playing, it would have seemed like the Panthers could finally be involved in a watchable game this season.  But Bobby Abreu Freeman courageously took it upon himself to pick up the slack in the hideous interception department, tossing 5 picks in a performance that could only be described as Delhomme-ian.  Carolina RB Jonathan Stewart filled in for the injured Deangelo Williams with 26 carries, 120 yards, and a TD, and sub Matt Moore only turned the ball over once in the Panther win.  After the game, Delhomme came rushing up to Moore in the locker room asking him how he did that cool trick.

New Orleans 33 Washington 30 (OT)

Some time you just have to sit back and say "I have no clue how the fuck that happened" and that's really all you can say about this game.  Sure Drew Brees threw for 419 yards and 2 TDs, Jason Campbell had 367 yards and 3 TDs, and 2 WR busts-in-training Robert Meachem and Devin Thomas combined for 15 catches, 242 yards, and 3 TDs, but it was the few bizzare sequence of plays that led to the Saints victory.  First there was Meachem' strip of a Washington INT at the end of the first half and run back for a TD, then Sean Suisham's insane FG miss from 23 yards late in the 4th quarter followed by Brees' 53-yard game-tying heave to Meachem to force the game into overtime.  Sprinkle in a little OT Washington fumble to set up the New Orleans game-winning attempt and you've got yourself a classic "I have no clue how the fuck that happened" game.

Oakland 27 Pittsburgh 24

Despite the return of Ben Roethlisberger and his 278 yards and 2 TDs, the Steelers were powerless to stop the offensive juggernaut that is the Oakland Raiders yesterday.  Last week's controversy over Big Ben not playing surely won't die down after this tough loss as it was clearly that big pussy Roethlisberger's fault that the Pittsburgh D gave up 308 yards passing and 3 TDs to Bruce Gradkowski and 142 yards and 2 TDs to rookie WR Louis Murphy and allowed their team to get outgained by Oakland.  Maybe if Ben was a little tougher and lied to the team doctors to play last week, Ike Taylor would have been able to cover Murphy.

Miami 22 New England 21

In something only slightly less shocking than the story that Tiger Woods likes to take Ambien and fuck skanky club chicks, Miami actually came back to win this game on the strength of Chad Henne's arm.  Henne outdueled Tom Brady, throwing for 335 yards and 2 TDs and not throwing 2 4th quarter picks like Brady did.  The Pats are now 0-5 this season in road games on US soil and this new strategy of not winning on the road to maintain a safe division lead and not being able to hold 4th-quarter leads doesn't seem as genius as some of Belichick's past schemes.

Denver 44 Kansas City 13

Denver racked up 245 rushing yards as a team, punctuated by Knowshon Moreno's 2 TDs.  Matt Cassell helped get himself, Todd Haley, and Scott Pioli one step closer to updating their resumes with a horrible 10-29, 84 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT performance that ranks right up there with some of Jamarcus Russell's best work.  I'd say more to comment on this game but that would be like making fun of the handicapped.

Indianapolis 27 Tennessee 17

Vince Young clearly can't cut the mustard as an NFL quarterback and the curse of Jeff Fisher wearing that Manning jersey earlier this year came back to haunt the Titans on Sunday are the 2 things you would take out of this game if you were a moron.  The truth is that the Colts are just that good and Peyton Manning is just that awesome.  His 270 yards, 136 of them to Pierre Garcon, and 1 TD led the Colts to their 21st straight regular season win, tying the record the Patriots set a few seasons ago.  Chris Johnson had over 100 yards rushing again in the loss, but didn't seem his usual explosive self.  Prepping for that footrace against Rajon Rondo must have taken a lot out of him.

Cincinnati 23 Detroit 13

Dominant WRs past and future were on display as Chad Ochocinco had 9 catches for 137 yards and a touch for Cincy and Calvin Johnson put up 6 for 123 and a TD himself.  The Bengals' win coupled with the fact that the other 3 teams in their division now officially suck has them well in command and on their way to the playoffs.  Despite saying they aren't looking ahead, Carson Palmer is already planning out strategies to keep fat D-linemen from rolling up onto his leg in the divisional playoffs.

Chicago 17 St. Louis 9

Jay Cutler silenced his ever-growing number of critics with a sterling 8-17, 143 yard, 1 TD performance in leading the Bears to a win over hated rival St. Louis and keeping themselves sort of kind of maybe in the NFC Wild Card hunt.  Matt Forte returned from his 12-week sabbatical to contribute 91 rushing yards and a TD for da Bears.  As far as the Rams go, when your kicker hitting all 3 of his FG attempts for all your team's points is the only thing worth mentioning, you know you fucking suck.

Philadelphia 34 Atlanta 7

With the Falcons essentially playing their JV team as Matt Ryan and Michael Turner sat out with injuries, the Eagles showed class in their win on Sunday by matching up their JV QB Mike Vick with the Falcons in an attempt to keep the game close.  Vick did score 2 TDs in his return to his former home field but nobody seemed to give 2 shits.  Matter of fact, I don't even really want to write anything else about this game.

Seattle 20 San Francisco 17

With this tough loss to a division rival, the 49ers are now officially out of the playoff hunt.  Against a defense that has given up a ton of big plays all year, Frank Gore could manage just 25 yards on 9 carries, effectively leaving the game in Alex Smith's hands.  And when you leave the game in the hands of someone who has small hands, predictably he's going to blow that game.  At least Smith was good enough to get Vernon Davis some touches so he could put up some good fantasy numbers for me before deciding to murder the '9ers' chances of victory.  Thanks, Alex.

NY Giants 31 Dallas 24

Nothing signals the changing of the seasons quite like the Cowboys collapsing in December and they got off to an early start of it this year with Sunday's loss to the G-Men.  The Cowboys were outgained 424-341 by the Giants, a margin that looks even worse when you consider Tony Romo threw for 392 yards and 3 TDs on 41-55, all career highs.  The Dallas running game was non-existent, almost as invisible as their tackling on Brandon Jacobs' 74-yard catch-and-run receiving TD or Domenik Hixon's 4th-quarter punt return TD.

San Diego 30 Cleveland 23

The Chargers put up the kind of gaudy numbers you would expect when a team plays the Browns, with Phillip Rivers throwing for 373 yards and 2 TDs, 167 of them to Antonio Gates.  But the surprise of the day was the Browns actually making an attempt to play hard and be competitive.  No, I'm serious, they actually played pretty well.  Brady Quinn had 271 yards passing and threw 3 TD passes.  Stop laughing, I'm not making that up.  No, it wasn't me playing Madden that gave him those numbers, he really did that.  Why don't you believe me?  Alright, fuck this.  If you're just going to sit there and laugh then I'm done.

Arizona 30 Minnesota 17

And the fugazi Vikings are finally exposed as the frauds they are by a quality opponent.  Everybody can now take that pro-Viking rhetoric and throw it in the garbage right next to all Minnesota's previous opponents this season.  After feasting on the likes of Cleveland, St. Louis, Chicago, and Detroit, this game was a rude awakening for the ole gun slinger.  This was Brett at his Favrest; badly misreading coverages, sailing passes high and wide from all angles, and making that classic "so what if it's quadruple coverage, I'm Brett Favre, damnit, and I'm throwing the ball in there" decision that always results in a pick.  It was beautiful to watch, truly beautiful stuff.  Adrian Peterson getting completely shut down didn't help, and thankfully Kurt Warner was there to pick up the slack for old guy QBs, but another game or 2 like this and you can pencil in Favre for a phantom injury right before the playoffs start to build the excuse for his inevitable playoff meltdown.

And that EJ Henderson broken leg?  EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!

Green Bay 27 Baltimore 14

I don't want to say I'm a genius, but I called it again.  If there was no such thing as a points spread, I'd be wearing expensive suits, Guinea gold chains and calling myself "Brad The Polack" right now because I can fucking pick winners, baby.  The Pack did exactly what they had to do and Joe Flacco's back-to-back picks did the rest.  Now they're still in command of the final Wild Card and peaking at the right time as they head into Chicago to cause Jay Cutler more pain and misery next week.

MNF Predictions for the season (Winners): 10-4

Just thought I'd throw that out there again for everybody to look at.

What The Hell Is Going On?

Do the Yankees have Granderson yet?

Is the trade official?

Did they really give up A-Jax, Coke, and Kennedy?

Are they getting any prospects back?

Are the D-backs really that stupid to make this deal?

There's stories going around that this is a done deal and stories going around that it still hasn't been finalized, so I'm holding off on my 2 cents until I know this shit is official.  If it is true, though, then MLB can pretty much start putting the Bud tall cans and bottles of Korbel on ice now...

Adios, Fat Boy!

So the Yankees traded Brian Bruney to the Nationals today for a player to be named later.

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!  WHOOOOO-HOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know anything about this player to be named later guy; whether he's a righty, lefty, what kind of stuff he has, anything.  But I do know he has to be at least as good as Bruney was last season and if he's even a little bit better then this trade is a steal.

At this time last season, Bruney was looking to be Mariano's main setup guy for the 2009 season.  But when you have a year filled with arm problems, more questions about your conditioning and commitment, stints where you either can't get the ball even remotely close to the plate or do nothing but throw the ball right down the heart of the plate, and are resorting to childish tactics like changing your number to 99 then you would have to be a moron to think your position for next season was safe.

I'll admit, I was a Bruney fan when he first signed with the Yankees and thought his stuff would transition perfectly into an ideal setup role, but the guy just couldn't stay consistent or healthy.  And with the influx of young arms into the Yankee pen last season that proved successful and with more arms waiting in the wings, Bruney's window for opportunity slammed shut almost as quickly as it opened.

So auf wiedersehen, Brian.  It was fun while it lasted and at least you'll get a ring.  I wish you all the best in your new endeavor and hope you can help bring Washington to something closely resembling legitimacy as an MLB franchise.



And fear not, Yankee fans.  With Albaladejo and Humberto Sanchez in the system, the Yanks still have plenty of options to fill their "fat guy with questionable control and mental makeup" quote in the bullpen for 2010.

AB4AR's Week 13 NFL Wrap-Up (Sort Of)

No wrap-up today.  Too much shit to do at work.  But here's the MNF Prediction for you compulsive gamblers who are stupid enough to use my predictions as betting material.

Green Bay 27 Baltimore 20

The Pack seem to be hitting their stride at the right time.  Amazing what you can do when your offensive line actually blocks people and protects the QB, huh?  At the same time, Baltimore has stumbled and bumbled their way through the last 6 weeks and Joe Flacco just seems to be missing some of the magic that he had last year.  Couple that with the fact that Baltimore's D is not nearly as intimidating or as good as ESPN and every other NFL analyst wants you to think and Green Bay should do enough to get the win and keep themselves in the NFC Wild Card driver's seat.

MNF Predictions for the season (Winners): 9-4

Playing The Waiting Game (And Winning At It)

TAMPA -- He might not be out front anymore, but that doesn't mean George Steinbrenner has lost his hunger for victory.   When Yankees brass entered Steinbrenner's South Tampa home yesterday afternoon, The Boss made it very clear what he wants from the 2010 season: a 28th World Series championship.

"He was all business," GM Brian Cashman told The Post at the end of Day 1 of the organizational meetings, shortly after 5 p.m. yesterday at George M. Steinbrenner Field.  "Obviously, he wants another [World Series title]."

Hal Steinbrenner, team president Randy Levine, COO Lonn Trost, manager Joe Girardi and Cashman huddled at the ballpark in the morning and then left for The Boss' house at noon. There they spent two hours filling in Steinbrenner about what possible moves will be made to fill the two biggest voids: left field and starting pitching.  According to Cashman, The Boss was in good spirits.  "We went to his house like we did last year and had a business-type lunch," Cashman said.

Cashman refused to divulge what The Boss thought of the GM's ideas to keep the Yankees on top of the baseball universe, but did shoot down speculation the Yankees were getting close to a deal with outfielder and leadoff hitter Johnny Damon.

"We haven't held any negotiations with anybody yet," Cashman said.

While Cashman said he has had contact with the agents for Andy Pettitte, Hideki Matsui and Damon, none of them has been made a priority.  "They all knew we are having these meetings," Cashman said of the gathering that will end this afternoon. "They know there is nothing happening with us.  They know they aren't losing ground to anybody else. The business we discussed [yesterday] was done internally. There were no outgoing phone calls."

Naturally, Cashman didn't reveal what was discussed at the ballpark -- where Hank Steinbrenner surfaced in the afternoon after attending a wake for a long-time Steinbrenner family friend -- or at The Boss' house.  A request by The Post to meet face-to-face with Hal Steinbrenner was declined.

However, the smart money was on Cashman bringing the Steinbrenners up to speed on what the Blue Jays are doing with stud pitcher Roy Halladay, and what the agents for John Lackey, Matt Holliday and Jason Bay are looking for.

Since Girardi was on hand, what to do with Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain was likely discussed.  Should one be returned to the rotation, the Yankees will see what it will take to sign free agent right-hander Rafael Soriano, whose power arm has seduced some Yankee scouts. (story courtesy of the NY Post)

 
 
Another day, another brilliant tactical move by the Yankees' brass.  While some teams are paying big money for 32-year-old slap hitters, and Fraud Sox Nation is holding a press conference to announce the signing of a lifetime .265/.337/.384-hitting shortstop who's only a year younger than Jeter, the Yankees' head honchos are kicking back in Tampa, shooting the shit, and quietly forming their plan of attack.
 
This business luncheon at Casa de Steinbrenner is good for 2 reasons.  1) it allows the Yankees to get everybody together and get on the same page with where they want to go this season, something that was a glaring omission to many of their previous offseason schedules; and 2) it allows them to get George up to speed on exactly what happened this season and what moves they want/have to make during this offseason, since he surely thinks it's still the trading deadline in 1996.
 
This tight-lipped approach to their offseason plans is also a good move in helping to negotiate with their 3 big free agents and whatever targets they may have outside the organization.  It was no secret last offseason that the Yankees were going to make a big push at CC and A.J. Burnett, and after they locked them up, everybody automatically assumed they were out of the Mark Teixeira Sweepstakes.  Then out of nowhere they swooped in and stole him right out from under Boston and Baltimore's noses and next thing you know it's Title 27.  Nobody even knew the Yankees had an offer ready for Teix and by the time they figured it out, he was signing his name on the dotted line.
 
No one will comment on what has and hasn't been said to Damon, Pettitte, and Matsui and their people, but between the Yankees' silence and just enough rumors floating around about players who play those same positions (possible Granderson trade, potential interest in Jermaine Dye, mentioning Halladay's close relationship with Burnett, etc.), the Yankees are basically forcing the hands of those 3 and making them have to put their money with their mouths are when it comes time to make a decision and choose between winning and playing with the teammates they say they love in the city they say they love or chasing the dollar signs to somewhere where their chances of contending for a title and, through association with that title chase, remaining relevant in the game are much lower.
 
In the past the Yanks always seemed to make it public knowledge which guys in their organization they wanted back and which guys outside the organization they coveted.  Once other teams knew this, they could bid the Yanks through the roof and force them to blow their money just because they knew George would spend it.  With George acting more like the Queen of England than the Prime Minister these days, the Bombers' approach has changed.  They're sitting back and letting Scott Boras and Co. do their work for them; running his mouth about how many years he's looking for and what other teams are interested.  As soon as one of these supposed teams makes their pitch, the Yankees will be in position to counter-offer and then it'll be up to John, Andrew, and Godzilla to make their choice.
 
With this patient offseason approach, the Yankees have effectively taken all the pressure off themselves and put it on their free agents.  This leaves them with more time to focus on how much they're willing to spend on each of these guys and also devote time to looking for this year's Nick Swisher, a cheap, last-minute signing that ends up providing big returns.  It could be Dye, it could be Randy Wolf as a bargain-cost 4th or 5th starter, it could be Marco Scutaro to provide bench depth for Jeter and A-Horse.  Oh wait, that's right.  Boston already overpaid him to make him their everyday shortstop and continue the carousel of guys who can't live up to Nomar in his prime.  If that's the first step in their "full-court press" to get Halladay then Roy might just want to sit back and play out this year in Toronto so he can earn his big payday and have a realistic chance at a championship with the Evil Empire in 2011.
 
The bottom line is, I love what the Yanks are doing right now and they aren't even doing anything.  Imagine if they would have taken this approach in the mid-2000s?  Maybe they wouldn't have wasted so much money on the Randy Johnsons, Kevin Browns, and Javier Vazquez's of the world.  Either way, this new Yankee precedent of sitting back and letting everybody blow their wad and then show their hand is something I'm signing up for 25 hours a day, 8 days a week.
 
Johnny, Andy, Hideki, it's your move.

This Is What Happens When You Don't Listen To Joe Girardi

Initial tests revealed Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has a sprained posterior cruciate ligament, and if he can handle the pain, he would be able to play Dec. 13 at Tampa, a source close to the situation told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on Friday morning

Sanchez sprained his right knee Thursday night in the Jets' 19-13 win against the Buffalo Bills in Toronto, when he dived headfirst on an 8-yard scamper up the middle.

That was enough to pick up a first down on the Jets' second possession of the third quarter. And it happened in the same week in which the Jets brought in Yankees manager Joe Girardi to provide the first-round draft pick sliding lessons after Sanchez hurt his left knee in a 17-6 win against Carolina on Sunday.

Jets coach Rex Ryan was visibly upset following the game, after having to watch Sanchez hobble off with a knee injury for the second time in five days.

"Sometimes, the kid's got to understand we're trying to teach him to slide," Ryan said. "I love the kid, but he's got to grow up and understand he represents our entire organization. We want what's best for him." (story courtesy of ESPN.com)



I never pegged Mark Sanchez as a Rhodes Scholar, but when your team puts in a call to Joe Girardi to teach you how to slide, you should probably take what he says as the word of God and burn those lessons into your brain like a hot poker.

This isn't some local Little League coach coming by telling you to make sure to not slide too late and keep your hands closed so you don't get stepped on, this is Joe F'ing Girardi, mastermind of the World Series Champion New York Yankees and the man that should have rightfully been AL Manager of the Year. When this guy speaks, you better damn well listen. But no, you decided you know what's up and you dive forward like a dumbass to get a first down and end up hurting your knee. Serves you right, jackass.

Sanchez should just be thankful that he has a clown like Rex Ryan as his coach and not Girardi himself. We've seen Joe bench Cano for not playing hard and yank pitchers early for blowing up on the mound. God knows what he would have done when he saw Sanchez lunging headfirst for the first down marker instead of executing the textbook pop-up slide that Girardi undoubtedly taught him. My guess is Sanchez would have had plenty of time to snack on some more hot dogs because he would have been riding the pine big time.

And where does Rex Ryan get off with this "we're trying to teach him to slide" garbage? Where does the "we" part come in, Rex? The version of the story out there is that you called Joe in to school young Sanchez, which says to me that whatever "we" you're referring to couldn't cut the mustard in the sliding department. If you're going to call in the Great Girardi, you better give him his due. It's his job to drop knowledge on your boy; it's your job to make sure he uses the knowledge.

Tiger Bad, Jeter Good

Video courtesy of Half Day Today

Since there really isn't much in Yankee land worth discussing seriously today, I'll just use this as my opportunity to join the rest of the world in having some fun at Tiger Woods' expense.

To quote Chris Russo: "What is Tiger Woods doing here???  What is he doing here??!!  That's a bad job in a big spot by Tiger!  Just a terrible job by Tiger."

Dude, you're Tiger Fucking Woods.  You're easily the most well-known athlete on the planet and possibly one of the top 5-10 most recognized people period on the planet.  You're worth a billion dollars.  What the fuck are you doing getting married in the first place???  Sure your old lady is hot and all, but again I say: YOU'RE TIGER FUCKING WOODS!!!!  You could bang any chick you want.  Why tie yourself down with the shackles of matrimony when you know you're going to have chicks throwing their panties at you anytime you're out and about.  It's a hell of a lot cheaper to pay a few hundred for an abortion if you accidentally knock up some dumpster one night than to have to pay your wife tens of millions of dollars.  And if you are going to be dumb and sleazy enough to cheat on your wife this much, at least have it be with some worthwhile chicks.  I can pick up girls better than what you got on an average night out in Milwaukee.  And that's MILWAUKEE.

This is the kind of shit that Derek Jeter has done a masterful job of avoiding his entire career.  His list of conquests reads like a Murder's Row of knockouts: Mariah Carey in her prime, Miss Universe, Jordana Brewster, Jessica Biel, Scarlett Johansson, Gabrielle Union, Jessica Alba, and Minka Kelly.  The guy's good looking, has money, and is a big name in the big world of sports and he knows that ample amounts of pussy come with that status.  But never has he ever gotten himself into even a speck of trouble with any of these women.

It's because Jeter has never been big about making these flings big; you can hardly ever find any pictures of him out anywhere with anybody, he's never been caught cheating on anybody, never has voicemails or texts stuck on his phone, and has never gotten dragged into any drama with any of his ladies.  The dude does it the right way; date 'em, have fun with 'em, don't make a spectacle of the relationship, end it amicably, and move on to the next conquest.  Jeter didn't just write the book on how to be a rich, handsome celebrity, he printed the fucking paper the book is written on and binded the motherfucker when he was done writing it.  Justin Timberlake should have to pay a fee to Jeter for copywrite infringement anytime he hooks up with a new celebrity.

Not to mention Jeter has never been caught up with any scuzzy skeezers like Tiger has been.  I don't even need to rattle the list off again, but for the sake of comparison go back up and skim through that greatest hits collection.  You don't see any trashy reality TV show bitches or manly looking club owners in there anywhere; just prime, Grade-A hot chicks.

Is it any wonder Jeter won Sportsman of the Year?  Not only is he performing at the highest level on the field, he's also showing everybody how it's done off the field.  The Turn 2 Foundation is a great cause, but if Jeter really wants to give back to the community, he should travel the country during the baseball offseason and give seminars on how to conduct yourself when you're a famous professional athlete with a special section on how to handle the ladies.

Everybody Wants To Be A Yankee

Motherfuckers just can't wait to wear the pinstripes, huh?

On the same day that Roy Halladay announced he wants a deal done before Spring Training or he's staying put, Joe Mauer comes in and one-ups Doc by declaring that he didn't actually demand the Twins get a deal done before Opening Day or he would test free agency after the season, which of course means he did demand that.

Both these guys and their agents can say whatever they want, but the fact is if you really were OK with your situations, you would keep your mouths shut.  Nobody says anything about wanting deals done or not done or waving no-trade clauses before they need to be done or waved unless they want to be somewhere else.  If they're really happy where they are and want to stay, they just shut the fuck up and negotiate with their team when the time comes.  And when you say you want to be traded to a contender or are willing to test free agency, that's just baseball code speak for "I can't wait for the Yankees to get involved in the bidding so I can win a fucking championship."

 Now Halladay I could give a crap about, although penciling him in as the number 2 behind CC all but guarantees 120 wins and title 28 next season, but Mauer is a different story.

He's going to be balls deep in the prime of his career after the 2010 season and at that point the Yankees should be pretty much putting a gun to Jorge's head and forcing him to finish his career as a DH.  With Francisco Cervelli still unproven as a full-time Major League catcher and Jesus Montero reportedly being a worse cdefensive atcher than Posada, you can't argue with the logic of adding the best player at his position to what will still be the best lineup in baseball.  Mauer's offense and defense would be a significant upgrade over Jorge now, let alone in another year when Jorge will be older, slower, and more beat up.  Signing him to a long-term deal answers any questions about the Yankees future behind the plate before they can even be asked and frees them up to use their multitude of catching prospects to bring in more pitching or bench depth, which always comes in handy when you're in the postseason.

Mauer just needs to cut the shit with this "Hometown Boy" routine and man up and admit he wants to come to New York.  The guy isn't an idiot; he knows what kind of numbers he's already put up and what numbers he can put up moving forward, and he knows production like that at the plate and smooth play behind it equals big-time dollars.  Not to mention the fact that staying in Minnesota guarantees he never has a shot at winning the title, new stadium or no new stadium.  Nothing cements your place in baseball history like becoming the latest, and potentially greatest, in the long line of great catchers that have played for the most decorated organization in sports history.

The only question is, what number do the Yanks give Mauer since 7 is clearly not available?  Whatever he ends up choosing, the Yanks should do the smart thing when he signs this time next year and just retire it immediately.