On the Yankees beat

Clemens is a total, arrogant liar.....and has finally been exposed. Good luck to him.........can't wait to see his lame interview with 60 Minutes next week.

Of course Clemens did it.
You have the same story line, same accusers, same spike in the stats at an older age, the same non denial denials and the same bulking up of a 40 year old body as you had with Barry Bonds.

Are a lot of people debating if Bonds did it?

I love his lawyers are angry... the lawyers are hiring investigators... the lawyers are talking tough...

But why don't they sue for defamation of character?
They have grounds for it already.

Start the process... start the law suit now.

Unless of course that would mean Roger would have to say under oath that he never took steroids.

Until he sues for defamtion of character, you have your answer

I'm not very interested in Clemens.

He does appear briefly in this funny set of predictions about the Yankees '08 season (link below), along with other more interesting NYY figures:

http://yankees.lhblogs.com

LOL!!

He took them. He's 45 years old and I don't care how good of a workout program you have, baseball is a long, demanding season and that takes a toll on their bodies. Also, as we get older, we can't do the same things that we use to do on a high level. I'm 50 and I'll be 51 next month. I can't run like I use to when I was in my 20's, 30's and even my 40's. That's a small example and I'm not a pro. Can you imagine these guys going out there and playing the game in their 40's and playing a 162 game season, traveling constantly without any drugs?

Who knows, and who cares? It would be one thing if Clemens was the only player who allegedly took steroids. Then we could bash on him all day. But if you believe everything that is in the Mitchell Report, then you have to believe that hundreds of players were juicing. Therefore, you can't attribute Clemens and Bonds' successes to steroids, since taking steroids only seemed to get a player to a "level playing field." So you still have to acknowledge that Clemens was one of the greatest pitchers of his generation.

Personally, I think that the Mitchell Report is an abomination. It's the kind of "evidence" that our legal system is designed to exclude because it is unreliable. But since we are not in court and the Report makes for great press, people are paying more attention to it than they should.

From Sosh Boards

Some news here and there.
[quote]http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=MLB&id=2993&line=227856&spln=1

Twins, Yanks talk Igawa in Santana deal

The Minneapolis Star Tribune believes that Kei Igawa's name has come up in some discussions between the Twins and Yankees regarding Johan Santana.
[/quote]

Seamus O' Toole says

If I was a Twins fan, I would be storming the GM's office with ax's, pitchforks & maces referring to Yankees offering Igawa in deal for Johan. For God sakes The Redsox are offering Coco Stinkin Crisp not Buccholz or Ellsbury.

BoredViewer

If Igawa's name "came up," it had to be along the lines of the Twins saying - "we'll take Igawa's contract off your hands if you throw in Joba." In no place other than NYY fan dreams is Igawa desire

Buckner Boots

Came up" like bad sushi! rolling
Seriously, SSS and everything, I should think Igawa's presence in a deal would decrease the value of the deal, thus making the Yankees have to include more value from a prospects standpoint. I can see a Hughes/Kennedy/Melky/Igawa kind of thing, just to clear the Yankees of that albatross of a contract.

I'm not ready to to hang Clemens just yet. It's been said before, but the Mitchell Report does remind me of Senator Joe McCarthy and his committee. Two scoundrels are being relied upon to ruin the reputations of those who might or might not deserve it. Mitchell had lots of conflicts of interest and McNamee denied ever giving steroids/HGH to Clemens so why should we automatically believe him this time? Until I see more damning evidence, I'm sticking with Clemens.

ESPN is on schedule to land in L.A. in 2009

[quote]
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-espn18dec18,0,6560309.story?track=mostviewed-storylevel

Cable sports giant's five-story building next to Staples Center will complement the hub in Bristol, Conn.
By Greg Johnson, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 18, 2007

[b]West Coast fans who have long suspected an East Coast bias from Bristol, Conn.-based ESPN can begin to rest easier, because the cable sports giant is on track to open by spring 2009 a full-fledged broadcast production facility across from Staples Center.[/b]

The five-story ESPN building that is taking shape will house an ESPN Zone restaurant on the first two floors and two television production studios with digital control rooms on upper floors. One studio will become home for the late-night edition of its signature "SportsCenter" that now is produced on the busy Bristol campus. ESPN also will house its 710 radio station studios next door in an office building now under construction.

"The scope of this project makes sense on a lot of different levels," said ESPN President George W. Bodenheimer, who was in town last week. "And, frankly, having toured it today, I feel very good about our decision to come out here."

Bodenheimer declined to state the cost of the new building. But, during a groundbreaking two years ago for the entertainment district that will surround Staples Center, television industry insiders speculated that the building would cost ESPN about $100 million.

One broadcast industry engineer recently estimated the cost of digital technology for the West Coast television studio at between $35 million and $45 million, with related construction costs of about $20 million -- not including the restaurant, which will open late next year.

[b]ESPN executives are still wrestling with how to introduce fans to a bicoastal "SportsCenter," with early shows originating in Bristol and the late edition coming from L.A. The network regularly incorporates feeds from studios in New York City, Washington and Charlotte, N.C., but the show's hosts always have been in Bristol.
[/b]
ESPN hopes to make the switch in a manner that won't confuse viewers. For example, there's a good chance that the two studios will be identical in appearance, and ESPN must decide if broadcasts will be regularly labeled as "live from Los Angeles."

The network that reaches about 94 million U.S. homes has yet to announce what other programming will originate in the new facility. But one studio is large enough to accommodate a studio audience, and Bodenheimer said that the L.A. facility "can only mean good things for ESPN Deportes," the network's Spanish-language channel.

ESPN's television, radio and Internet operations will have about 100 employees here when the facility opens, according to Bob Eaton, ESPN's former managing editor who is overseeing the project as a consultant.

Perhaps the most unusual need? Extra insulation.

"For street noise," Eaton said, "which we don't have in Bristol."

He also said the technology that is being added "seems to change overnight" as digital advances occur. Beyond the studios, which are now little more than big (7,500 and 5,000 square feet, respectively) empty rooms, the upper floors will have more than half a dozen editing bays where crews will piece together video and audio clips.

There also will be a newsroom that will house reporters, editors and others who feed the never-ending demand for instant updates and analysis.

As for the larger studio with room for an audience, Eaton said ESPN isn't sure it would produce such a show, but "it's better to be forward-thinking at this stage."

On the day of the tour, crews were working on the massive air-conditioning ducts, which will counter the heat generated by the studio lighting and wealth of electronic equipment. The walls have yet to be installed, though conduits are in place for the miles of wiring that are needed.

While ESPN's headquarters will remain firmly rooted in Bristol, Bodenheimer said, "We'll be moving some of our highest-potential folks out here."

The network also expects to leverage its proximity to Hollywood to create its own entertainment offerings.

The new studio and restaurant mark the latest in a series of collaborations involving ESPN, a subsidiary of Burbank-based Walt Disney Group, and AEG, which owns and operates Staples Center and theaters and arenas in the U.S. and overseas.

Next summer, ESPN will move its ESPY Awards show into the neighboring Nokia Theatre, which AEG recently opened. ESPN also holds its Summer X Games in Staples Center and at the Home Depot Center.

The new broadcast facility is expected to shorten the workday for some in Bristol, where crews now staff the overnight shifts that are necessary to keep ESPN's sports programming fresh. The West Coast facility will be linked to the Bristol studios by digital pipelines that promise to give L.A.-based staffers almost immediate access to content now stored at the headquarters, Eaton said.

ESPN's L.A. facility will incorporate perches in the upper floors where cameras will be able to get a bird's-eye view of downtown, including the pedestrian plaza off Chick Hearn Court that fills up with people whenever there are events at Staples Center and the Nokia Theatre.

The outside views are designed to feed into AEG Chief Executive Tim Leiweke's vision of a gathering place in L.A. that will serve as a backdrop for telecasts. To that end, AEG is equipping a state-of-the-art digital television production studio in the building being constructed next door. That studio, which will boast a huge window to allow cameras a clear view of the plaza, will be made available to visiting broadcasters.

Though the ESPN building is designed to serve in a digital age, there is one decidedly analog element worth noting -- an open staircase that connects the three upper floors.

"We noticed in Bristol that people don't wait for the elevators," Eaton said. "They just take to the stairs if it's one or two flights because it's faster."

greg.johnson@latimes.com[/quote]

Unlike Mark McGwire, Clemens has denied it and is apparently set to build a case that clears his name.

Either one of three scenarios is playing out:

1. Clemens is innocent, and he'll get his day in court;
2. Clemens is an out-and-out liar, and if, after launching an investigation, he can't credibly clear his name, his reputation is toast;
3. Clemens subscribes to the George Costanza School: "Remember...It's not a lie if *you* believe it." Clemens may simply have convinced himself he was getting vitamin shots.

In any event, I couldn't disagree more with Sully. Remember, a DA once accused a bunch of Duke lacrosse players of wrongdoing...So we need to give Clemens an honest shot at rebutting George Mitchell.

I also am of a different mind than Marianne. Clemens was a big part of the '99 and '00 Yankees - - teams that do have a lot of meaning to me. I'd hate to see any disrepute brought onto those particular squads. I'm rooting for him to clear his name but he's got to show me a convincing case.

Oh, and Jbizzy: Mark me down as being "in favor" of a Kei Igawa for Johan Santana deal.

wow, Leyritz is a dirt bag

www.mlbfleecefactor.com

Also from the Fleece Factor, this rumor about why Cano is being pulled from winter ball, questioning whether he is being shopped?

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2007/12/28/cano-pulled-from-winter-ball-is-he-being-shopped/

Jim has it right - the burden shouldn't be on Clemens to "clear his name" when the only evidence against him is hearsay testimony from a proven liar. Unfortunately, as Ed alludes to with his Duke lacrosse reference, in this country, if you are accused, you are guilty until proven innocent in the eyes of the public. It should be the other way around, but people are quick to form their own judgments.

Now Leyritz kills someone. What a terrible offseason the Yankees are having. It's bad enough everyone outside of Yankees fans think the 2000 title is tainted. Now this tragedy.

Yes indeed it's a very bad off season ...

Torre
Mattingly
Leyritz
Andy shooting up HGH with the clubhouse guy
Clemens Roids
A Rod in and out
High School Drama
Igawa, Farns, Mussia, Giambi still around

As for Clemens ...

Little League brawl at his kids' game and the police showing up.

Trying to kill Piazza with the cowardly bean ball ... A-Hole!!!! (Sorry but it makes me so mad. He should have been arrested!)

Throwing the broken bat at Piazza ... cause he thought it was the ball. (Oh yes, I know Anthony is the crazy one for pointing out this insanity, Diaper, I mean Viper).

What's there to say?

The Yankees have decayed ... Leyritz, Mel Hall's sex with the little girls, A Rod's whore, Tank Top filth ... it's a sign of the times we live in I guess ...

Sigh ...

Speaking of high school drama... ;-)

Okay, Antsy, so does this mean now we know who Diaper is, so we have one less looney to account for?

Hi Kat - I would like to believe that Roger is telling the truth, but deep down, I really don't think so. Now for him to get his attorney involved in checking out these statements, he'll look pretty foolish if they can't prove otherwise. Going on 60 minutes doesn't mean a thing. Well, I guess only time will tell.
Hope you have a happy New Year.

Roid head and murderers you should all be proud!

Enjoy the Demise !

How funny that the nuttiest and least respectful commenter here is going to lecture the rest of us on morality.

Is it moral to continue to post non-nonsensical gibberish regarding politics/religion on a Yankee blog when you've been asked countless amount of times by virtually everyone to refrain from posting such inappropriate material?

Ask Pettitte under oath if Clemens used PEDs. If he said he didn't, I'll believe it.Otherwise, Clemens is lying.

This is not Melky hating... the probnlem with him is that he is a - the tweener. He doesnt have the offensive skills for a CO position (unless the team has a stud CF)and he tuly doesnt have the defensive skillls fo center, outfield assists aside, he does not read the ball well or have great range

He is a good ballplayer, but he is nt a true CF o Coner outfielder. He wil be a 275 15 homer 75 RBI guy huis career - certainly not something that will haunt the Yanks

The longer this goes on , the more I think that they can get Santana without Hughess

Also, please do not compare Santana to Brown, and Randy Johnson who were in their late 30s to ealy 40s when the Yanks got them JOHAN IS 28 and didnt become a full time starter until he was 24. That is 4 years of wear and tear on his arm - that it it It isnt as though he stated throwing 200+ inninings at age 22 as Hughes will be doing

Lately it seems on this board that anything that is not pure adulation of anybody under 24 gets labeled 'hating'.

It would be nice to be able to have an honest opinion that is mixed or even critical without suddenly being considered a hater.

Terry Francona

[img]http://sports.espn.go.com/i/magazine/new/terry_francona1.jpg[/img]

Jim Leyritz

[img]http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/12/28/sports/baseball/29Leyritz.190.jpg[/img]

Are they lost brothers? They're look alike. Both of these GentleMen are Criminals.

From Sosh

Rudy Pemberton

Thank God this clown never played for the Red Sox.

Maybe this is why Duquette had that PI following him?

Leyritz never played for Redsox? Lol..... ahhaha..

Snowmanny

Leyritz was an a**hole when he played for the New York Yankees. See, only 1/2 of why I hate him has to do with the uniform.

Dennis Cook was an a**hole when he played for the New York Mets. Nope, doesn't work...I don't hate him.

Willie Randolph played for the New York Yankees, but wasn't an asshole. Nope, don't hate him. (Though I'm open to the suggestion that I'm missing something).

If Jason Varitek ever gets drunk and runs over someone I'll consider hating him. Assuming he's on the Yankees at the time.

You could say "they found the smoking bum"

seriously though what motivated Roger? Fame and money probably. My hunch is that more than anything he just loves the spotlight. He is a tragic figure in a way because he obviously worked very hard on his conditioning and on adjusting his pitching style. He has become a symbol for something we should all try to avoid.

Gene... Clemens was super competitive and wanted to be like Nolan Ryan, being THE MAN into his 40s and had a real sense of history so when he passed the Grover Cleveland Alexanders and Walter Johnsons of the world... he knew how significant that was.

He didn't want to be a solid Hall of Fame pitcher like Don Sutton
He wanted to be one of the elite pitchers of all time.

Ed... quick question. Do you believe Bonds did 'roids?

Hey Trolls.

Don't make jokes about Jim Leyritz.
This isn't funny.
This isn't a Red Sox or Yankees thing.
This is a life or death thing and not worth making jokes about.

As for Leyritz... F--- him. If there is a Hell, I hope he burns in it.

I don't drink. I got drunk one night in 1988 while in high school. I didn't like it and since then I've had 2 sips of champagne and that it. No drinking at my wedding. No drinking after the Red Sox won in 2004 or this year.

So I don't have sympathy for the ole "Hey everyone drives home drunk" argument.

Secondly, personally I see no difference between getting behind a wheel drunk and firing a gun randomly down the street.

You could miss people... you could hit people... and you have no control of any of it.

He made millions playing baseball... he could afford to call a cab.

The nanosecond anyone sheds a tear for Leyritz, I will vomit all over this keyboard.

Good for you, Sully.

I'm not a big drinker myself. Had my fair share when I was in my early 20s and in college, but that was over a decade ago.

Probably don't average one beer a year now.

I do celebrate my teams winning championships with a stogie and a bottle of champagne though.

Unfortunately, that hasn't happened for awhile.

Hey Viper

What college did you go to and what year did you graduate?

I was New York University class of 1994

There was something written earlier about Cano being possibly shopped.

If they could hold the Big Three, would anyone hear send Cano and Marquez for Santana

I have to think that gets it done and I am one who values pitching over hitting.

Cano's offense can e replaced, especially next season when Texeria is available. Put a real first baseman out there and you could live with an average 2B

any thoughts? Would people rather that deal =, or the 4 for 1 with Hughes in it

GETTING SOME FACTS STRAIGHT:

AGAIN AND AGAIN, CLEMENS CANNOT SUE because Mitchell AND McNamee WERE GRANTED IMMUNITY. I hope it sinks in this time 'round, Sully -- since this discussion took place here on this blog just recently and it's been in all the papers.

Cano was expected to play in only six winter league games to test an injury late in the season, Cashman said, but he was told to leave the club after Cano continued to play. "Physically, he's fine," Cashman said. "There's something he was playing through in September. He knew he was supposed to play in six games, and we saw he'd played 10. He tested it out and he felt good. That was the point." Cano told teammates that the Yankees did not want him to aggravate a healing calf injury, according to a report on ESPNdeportes.com.

Leyritz PLAYED FOR THE RED SOX. He also played for the Angels, Rangers, Dodgers and Padres. He hit a game tying run in the 1996 WS for the Yankees so I guess Red Sox fans will say that series was tainted because of what happened yesterday. Typical.

Igawa's salary is ONLY $4 Million a year. The posting fee is not part of his salary.

Just Saying & Chris23...haters!!! lol Just kidding guys.

Chris, I wouldnt do it for Cano. The guy is a future batting champ and our #3 hitter in 5 years. He has proven in a short amount of time that he can hit for average and power. I think Robbie is in for a HUGE year this season with the way he ended last year.

Cano's 2nd half

75 games - 53 runs...99 hits...13 HR..57 RBI
24 BB...33 K...343 Avg...396 OBP..953 OPS

Over 162 games those are MVP type numbers for a 2nd baseman.

He needs to work on his eye to get to that next level, but he started to do that in the 2nd half and will only get better. Think about all 2B in the entire league with that much offensive potential. Only Chase Utley is a better all around hitter than Cano, with the Florida kid a close 3rd. I still think a deal of

IPK
Melk
Marquez
McCutchen
Gardner

Should be able to get a deal done for a guy you have to pay 30M a year to. That is a similar package the Dbacks gave up for Haren. If the Twins want more power, we could throw in Miranda or replace any of the above with him. I think the Yanks have enough prospects to give up without including Cano, Joba or Phil. I could live with a trade that doesnt include those three. If any of those three are shipped out, I wont be too pleased. I think the above offer is MORE than enough. Ive already illustrated how valuable IPK and Melk can be for any team.

Here is my"pissed off if they are traded scale"

Joba
Cano
Phil

All are tight and really its 1a, 1b, 1c. How about you guys?

The only players that I'd be 'pissed off if they are traded' are those who have earned my respect and loyalty, like for example Posada, Jeter and Rivera.

Joba, Cano and Hughes?

Joba: Not pissed off, just astounded. With his personality, history and ability, FO would either be insane or in possession of information I don't have to picture him as anything other than a franchise player like Jeter.

Cano: Not pissed off, but a bit surprised. FO seems to have more attachment than I have. I think of him as another Soriano, very talented but spoiled, undisciplined -- questionable makeup. This latest escapade in which he turned his permission to play six games into 'play as many as I like' seems typical.

Hughes: Not pissed off, but feeling that the trade has to be for a significant player to be justified since a lot of people seem to believe Hughes is very good. Judging only from the games he actually pitched for the big club (I say that because I believe that once a player is in the bigs everything he did in the minors is irrelevant, just like our HS grades became irrelevant when we hit college classes and our grades as undergraduates became irrelevant once we entered grad school), he looked like a possible mid-rotation guy. As one who saw Pettitte come up I realize that the first year may not foretell everything to come, but SO FAR in the bigs Hughes has not shown that he may be more than mid-rotation material.

So no, 'pissed off' would not be my precise reaction.

Now I guess I get to join Chris23 and Just Saying, and be labeled a 'hater'?

Who would not want Soriano back right now? (and we got ARod for him). Can you imagine him in our lineup now? If Cano can do what Soriano is doing we should hold on to him.

Jon K,

What you say doesn't make much sense to me, but maybe I'm not understanding. You would have nixed the A-Rod trade in order to keep Soriano? Because imagining him in our lineup entails imagining A-Rod NOT in our lineup. Not too difficult a choice from my perspective.

Same with Cano. "If Cano can do what Soriano is doing we should hold onto him" you say, and I have to assume you mean that we should hold onto him in the face of an equally momentous trade possibility.

Can't see either scenario myself.

Man all you haters, its spreading like a virus! We're gonna have to quarantine you guys and contact the CDC. We'll lock you all in a decompression chamber and make you watch Phil's start in Texas, every start in Sept and the playoff game against the Indians over and over again with your eyelids pined back. (clock work orange anyone?)....lol

You will believe!!!!!.

just kidding guys... jokes guys, just jokes. I would never do that to you, well…maybe Ant.

; )

Sully,

Purdue University. Class of 1996.

Cano is not being shopped and is going nowhere. That's a total BS rumor.

Along with Joba, he was one of the first guys deemed untouchable in any Santana trade talks.

The Yanks wanted Cano to pull out of winter ball and rest. It's as simple as that.

Dru,

I guess if we watch his good games that means you're signing up to watch the rest of his games in similar circumstances?

I'm picturing how hard you're trying to unpin your eyelids...

LOL

I believe him. How can the Mitchell report name names without any due process. I think this violates a person's right to a fair hearing, and meeting with Mitchell under no defined terms is not the considered to be a fair hearing in my way of thinking. I think Roger will come out of this clean and the Mitchell report will be soiled, as it should be. Going forward, Selig just needs to say, i can't do anything about the past but going forward if you test positive (granted the players union needs to get on board but this is were Congress can step in), you are banned from the game. Simple and direct. No more drugs in baseball.

Cano vs. Hughes is a tough call imo, especially since giving would mean that the team would be able to inlude lesser players in addition to him.

cano will be great and already is argably the nest 2b out thee and bing that 2b is such a thin position would make sense. i just wanted to everyone else's opinion becuase eberyone has a man-crush on him

i still trade hughes, but it bothers me that the yanks have to give up hughes while the red sox wll need to give up lester and not bucholz.

bucholz and hughes are basically on the same level talet wise, same age, and the same level in their career. if the yanks should have to give hughes the sox package should contain bucholz. smith has no intnention on accepting ether sox offer unless he gets has to as a back-up plan. imo he is waiting fo the yanks to take th bait, but this is a danegous plan. hopefully, before the Twins decide to take the sox's offer1 last chance for the yanks.

question then becomes would the twins be willing to accept a quarter and a nickel (Hughes & marquez) plus melky , or a dime (Kenedy), two nickels ( horne, and marquez) melky a\nd either a gold glove not hit ss (gonzalez) or an unknown high upside youngster like bettaces, miranda, etc. its a tough question - does the new gm go for the possible Ace and put most of his eggs in on basket or does he take a package of 4 guys who will probably be good (not great) - one better than good (Kennedy) and a high upside but very young minor leauger who could be great or wind uup bagging goceries in 2 years.

gwould not want to be in bill smith's shoes right now

The Yanks aren't trading for Santana. Get over it.

If Clemens et al can't sue the people who are destroying his reputation, then why are his lawyers even making a show of getting private investigators and saying stuff like "whoever is saying this is going to need a real good lawyer"?

Obviously Clemens and company can sue SOMEONE if not Mitchell.

And obviously they won't for the same reasons Bonds and company never sued (except for profits for Game of Shadows)

SULLY,

Mitchell and McNamee were granted immunity. That's an indisputable fact. Research that first and then come back when you got SOMETHING.

Bonds tested positive for steroids in 2000 and lied to the Grand Jury by stating he never took steroids. Bonds is being tried for perjury for that reason. Clemens has never tested positive for steroids EVER -- and he has been tested many times. Do you see the difference? If Clemens tested negative for steroids in 2000 then Mitchell and McNamee should be prosecuted -- despite their immunity. Clemens should investigate Mitchell's approach in this investigation. If any Red Sox are revealed as using steroids, Mitchell should be prosecuted -- despite his immunity.

at least talking about santana avoids talking about this steroids crap.

and wait - you will see the yanks get santna. this is the offseson of broken promises and deadlines. when push comes to shove, hank will not let he sox get johan allowing them to become the most dominant team basebll as stting them up to beome the next dynsasty.

do you think that hank, in his 1st season as the ; "the junior boss" is going to start legay by allowing the red sox to get the best pitcher in the world to go a long with the best pitcher in the world? If they gwt a cal that minny is about to pull deal off wih rhe didgers, he and the rest of thefo will celebrate, but if he gets a all that a sox deal is eminan than we can all say our good-byes to m. hughes.

and for th life of me, i dont undestand why this mitchell report wont go awat - news flash players and teams have always cheated and in 10 years thee will be some other way to cheat. hel, the patriots got caught blatently cheatind and that story lasted all but 45 minutes the mitchell report was stupid and accompished nothing. maybe it proves to be a good thing, but there was no need to make it public epescially when thee is litte to no oroboating evidence to bak up mcnames' and radomski's statements.

want to get ove something, please get over the mitchel report. the hot stove season to me is at times more exciting than the regular season, but this report has really soured it

You don't make deals in order to keep players away from your rival. That's not smart business.

You only make deals because it makes the most sense for YOUR team. Don't worry about what someone else is doing.

If Cashman and Co. thought obtaining Santana made sense on the financial front and the cost in young players, mainly Hughes, the deal would have been done a long time ago.

Obviously, they don't want to make that deal so you're gonna have to live with it.

The Red Sox don't want to pull the trigger either because they have refused to part with both Ellsbury and Lester from the get-go.

Santana isn't going to Boston or the Bronx.

Viper no one knows where ANY player is going you nor me is a GM you said Arod the great was not coming back well guess what

Starting 3b

ALEX RODRIGUEZ

With 3 rookies trying to anchor a staff with the pressure of New York and it;s fan base and know with your only solid starter having a image issue hanging over his head due to cheating another with decline leaving you with LIMITED options, could the trio be the next great thing , yeah sure why not , could they be the next over hype .

Um, Bomber. I never said any such thing about A-Rod.

So stop with your BS.

sme people on this blog act as though hughes is the bsst pitching prospect in the histoy of the game and that Santana is Carl Pavano coming off a career year and getting a big contract.

people conveniently forget Santana is 28 with only 4 years of full time pitching under his bealt and two cy youngs in that time --sucess and experience at a young age which is invaluable.

Acquiring Santana does as much if not more for the yooth movement than keeping hughes does because you are all but garunteed that he will anchor that rotation for the next 5 or 6 years. He,Joba, \Wang and Kenedy will grow together and become as dominant as any staff in the league.

santana may get hurt - hughes may be great, but i will give santana a 95 percent chance of success vs. about 75 percent fr hughes 9 (a fair number based on all the failed pitching phenoms accross the majors) I will take the 95% amd think its worth melky, marquez and the money.

is the issue with the yanks hughes or the money? with all the payroll they will be losing after 2008, if this is about the money I worry about the loss of the boss more than anyone. who knows if the sons will care more about winning than pofits as george did.

if its about hughes, i wish the yanks would just say so rather than us getting reports that the deal hit a snag becuase of a mi level prospect.

finally, i totally agree that you shouldnt run your business based on others, but in baseball you have to. you play in a division and in order to compete you need to compare your strenths and weaknesses to other teams. what the sox do or dont do directlty affects the yankees and vice versa look at the nl east. it has always been that way and will always be that way

You know Viper, I seem to remember your saying AR would not be back. I don't know whether it's my memory or yours, but I could have sworn that was one of your pronouncements...

...you do tend to make them you know...

...but maybe its just me.

Johan and Steroids and HGH have taken up most of the discussion time over the past two months. That's not very dynamic.

I see Viper is annoying more people than just myself with his usual bitterness and nastiness ... I guess some people have to hide in a way over the Internet, knowing face to face they could never get away with such mean words. Show me someone with a big mouth, no class and no manners and eventually you'd find their blood spilt someplace. Fact of life. Yet may we learn to be kind, forgiving and loving, even in this unforgiving world. It's only baseball.

Anyway ... Viper is right in that Santana is not coming to the Yanks. The whole scenario is giving me a headache. If Minny wants Coca, Lester and Lowerie for Johan, that's not a good trade. Heilman, Pelfrey and Gomez would be a better deal. Go for the bulk, that way there is more of a chance one or two of the players will work out. Like the Harren deal with Az.

Pravda ran an on line story today, it's on Rense.com quoting some Danish Bank in turn saying the US economy will crash in 2008. A major Swiss bank was also failing (UBS or USB) and had to be bailed out by a Singapore Sovereign Wealth Fund. These problems are not cyclical, they are structural. The more I read about it, but more scary it all seems. Of course the lemmings won't care. But eventually they'll have to.

Again, the Yanks need to cut way back on the wasteful salaries and adjust their expenses to see through the new Stadium. A third of last year's payroll was totally wasted. And there is still a lot of waste this year.

The sad thing is Cashman could have put us in the World Series this year with a few simple moves like signing David Eckstein, trading for Josh Hamilton and Gregg on the Marlins and other moves, but he's dropped the ball yet again. Not enough LHP's, holding on the Moose and Igawa and Giambi and many other things, like Farnsworth being kept around and bla bla bla ...

I am not excited about the coming season but of course that will probably change.

I hope to see some Spring Games before I head overseas again but that probably won't be possible.

Chris,

You still don’t get it and my guess is you probably never will.

Nobody is saying that Hughes is the best prospect in the history of the game or anything like that. C’mon, you’ve got to be smarter than to spew such nonsense.

Let me explain it to you.

When Brian Cashman wanted and received full control of the day-to-day operations of this franchise back in 2005, he vowed that his first objective was going to be to beef up minor league player development - specifically young pitching. More than two years later, he has done a very good job of fulfilling that promise thus far. The Yanks now have a truckload of young arms that they haven’t had in many years.

No matter what you think about Phil Hughes, he is the first big time talent that the Yankee farm system has produced since their dynamic change in strategy. Let’s also not forget that he was the #1 rated prospect in the major leagues going into 2007.

So, in a nutshell, Hughes is the symbol of the rejuvenated Yankee farm system and subsequent “youth movement.” He’s not just a kid they think may be a solid pitcher some day.

For that reason, and many others, Cashman does not want to trade Hughes. He has an extremely bright future and he’s going to cost this team peanuts over the next 5 years.

Why is that so hard to comprehend?

Whether you want to believe it or not, Santana does have a lot of miles on his arm and he will cost a lot in both young prospects and the $140M+ price tag to boot. His best years are also behind him because he’s never going to duplicate those kinds of numbers in the AL East.

Cashman and Co. feels the best way to build a rotation is to build a stable of horses from within and go with the top young arms in the system. Most of the regulars on this blog agree with that philosophy - including me.

As I’ve explained to you a hundred times, the Yankees don’t need a surefire ace to win a World Series. They didn’t have one from 1996 to 2000 and still won four rings. They beat several teams that did have surefire aces because they had a much deeper staff.

Aces have always been overrated. You can point to someone like Beckett as a reason why they need an “ace” and I’ll point to Sabathia, Carmona, Peavy, and Santana in 2006 as reasons why they are overrated.

I'm not going to keep having p!ssing matches with Anthony because he's not really worth it.

Frankly, I'm amazed you stuck to baseball this time.

FYI, I make my living fighting with people all the time. These are people with serious mental disorders as well as murderers, rapists, and other criminals who don't think twice about attacking the staff simply because they're bored.

So, you would be wrong. Again. I have to have a hardass attitude and persona to survive everyday.

Chatting over the internet has nothing to do with it. Go play amateur psychologist somewhere else.

Indisputable Facts,

You don't think Roger is clean do you?

It would be near impossible to prove Clemens or Bonds did it in a court of law.

But come on!

And why are Clemens lawyers putting on a show if they can't sue anyone?

I still say Santana is going to LA

Diane

Sorry for slow response. I am not saying that we should not have traded Soriano - I am saying that he was so valuable we were able to get ARod for him, and that if cano is as valuable we should hold on to him as long unless we can get someone like ARod (and there isn't ANYBODY like ARod) for him.

Maybe even up for Santana, but not as part of a package!

Viper
You only make it out alive if you have 4 sets of eyes.
Been there, done that...4 engagements. Let's not fight on this blog, whomever gets Santana will have a very good rotation. The question is; what do we have to give up for him, as to what we are willing to give up for him. At some point it is a NO DEAL

Hello Kitty turns attention to young men

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071228/ap_on_fe_st/japan_hello_kitty_for_men

TOKYO - Hello Kitty is no sexist.

The cute cuddly white cat from Japan's Sanrio Co., usually seen on toys and jewelry for girls and young women, will soon don T-shirts, bags, watches and other products targeting young men, company spokesman Kazuo Tohmatsu said Friday.

"We think Hello Kitty is accepted by young men as a design statement in fashion," he said.

The feline for-men products will go on sale in Japan next month, and will be sold soon in the U.S. and other Asian nations, according to Sanrio.

The usual bubble-headed shape of Hello Kitty was slightly changed for a more rugged, cool look to appeal to men in their teens and early 20s.

For example, a picture of the cat on a $36 black T-shirt has the words, "hello kitty," instead of the usual dots for the eyes and nose.

Hello Kitty is one of mascot-obsessed Japan's biggest "character" hits, decorating everything from a humble eraser to a $48,000 diamond necklace.

The planned products mark the first time Sanrio is developing Hello Kitty items especially for males, Tohmatsu said.

But Sanrio had tried a "limited edition" collaboration in men's clothing with designers in Tokyo's chic Harajuku section earlier this year, and they proved popular, he said.

"Young men these days grew up with character goods," said Tohmatsu. "That generation feels no embarrassment about wearing Hello Kitty."

I am not so sure Clemens took steroids. Why? First of all McNamee is a liar. I never believe liars. Second McNamee believed Clemens name was associated with a LA Times (RAG SHEET) article on the Grimsley indictment. If it was and he said it wasn't, he faced serious jail time. So he lied to save his own neck. Third, Roger's protests are too strong. Prtotests associated with someone who is innocent. Time will tell.

SULLY

I've been around way long enough to know you don't make judgments until you've heard from both sides and until all the facts and evidence have been presented. I also know that things aren't always what they seem on the surface. The jury is still out on this one.

It is possible to prove Bonds did it in a court of law because HE HAS ALREADY TESTED POSITIVE (ESPN article posted here recently). But Clemens has also been tested many times and the results have always been negative. You can't compare the two logically or legally. Clemens and his lawyers are responding to the show Mitchell and Selig put on. This is normal, even expected of Roger and counsel.

While Red Sox Mitchell is in charge of this investigation, there is room for doubt. Why didn't Mitchell pursue questioning with Red Sox Paxton Crawford who accused many Red Sox players of steroid abuse just last year? He accuses the 2001 Red Sox of having steroids everywhere and everyone laughing about it. The 98 through 2001 Marlins are also named and both Beckett and Lowell are implicated as users. Marlins catcher Perez said he distributed steroids and other illegals to the whole team, but Mitchell doesn't question them? Why? Because of all this, Mitchell is the biggest criminal in my mind.

I could care less what Clemens did or didn’t do. I root for the uniform, not for the player in that respect, if he put his won health at risk to help the Yankees i wont hold it against him. If he used coke or got suspended for roids than i would care because it would affect the team. i know this sounds awfully ignorant, but i really do, with the exception of paul oneill and donny baseball i really don’t care about the players personally - i am a Yankee fan and was only a clemens fan when he wore the pinstripes.

To say the dynasty was tainted is a joke. 22 Yankees were named because of this sources - every team had the same ratio of users - not that that makes it okay - just makes it something that you cant hold against the team as it was a league wide epidemic

for the record - I would be against trading Cano for Santana - or for that matter almost any other player out there. Between his age, cost, and future potential that he is far more valuable in a trade ten Santana. I was just curious as to everyone else's take on the two players.

As for Hughes - my concern was the lack of velocity not to mention a change. Granted, I am looking at a small sample size and he was hurt, but i did not see a future ace the way i did when i watched lincecum, verlander (2006), or joba. Even IPK was more impressive. We all assume that was an aberration and was totally due to his injuries, what if it wasn’t. What if he turns out to be the pitcher we saw for the majority of last season and only becomes a good number 3 pitcher or average number 2?

Of course Santana could get hurt, or the problems he had late last season could be a precursor of a deeper issue. I prefer johan because there is a bigger body of work upon which to judge him. For me the chances of Santana remaining Santana than Hughes becoming Santana.

I believe that the yanks are in the best position to get johan because they have the guy the twins want and the best player being offered by any team out there (I haven’t read any confirmation that Dodgers have offered Kershaw). The only problem with the yanks offer is that is light on the quantity part. The 2, 3 and 4 players offered by the Sox outweigh the top player in either deal (although i must admit that i am not intimately knowledge of the sox's farm team).

The safest move for a new GM is go get guys that have reasonable expectations of providing meaningful help for his team. The bold move mould be to get Hughes and take your chances that everything works out,

deep down, i still think the yanks wind up with johan - i just makes too much sense for the Twins to get Hughes, the Yanks to get johan putting them back in the running for a WS and IMO the Sox DO NOT WANT JOHAN. If they did they could have tweaked the deal ages ago and gotten it done. .

It even would be a great deal for MLB as a whole. Just think of the playoff math-up for years to come.

Game 1 - Johan vs. Beckett

Game 2 - Wang vs. Dice K (Battle of Asia)

Game 3 in 2008 - Schilling vs. Petitte (old school/big game guys)

Game 4 (2008) Game 3 (2009) Joba vs. Bucholz (these two will forever have their careers and legacies intertwined0

Game 4 (2009) Kennedy vs. Lester - very similar styles of pitching - neither should be as good as they are with the stuff they have but they make it work with guts, guile, and smarts

For me - the above is the biggest reason i want johan. number 1A pitcher in baseball on the biggest stage pitching in the biggest rivalry in spots vs. 1B pitcher Josh beckett. Even the remaining match-ups have level of intrigue especially next year if pettite and Schilling pitch in what has a great chance to be the loser's last start ever.

The yanks need a stopper, need an innings eater, need a lefty and need a game one pitcher. They have the resources in the minors to get the deal done and are one of the few teams who can afford him when you add up the loss in payroll, plus no revenue sharing in 2009 and the new revenue created by the new park

Finally, put an acting owner who wants to make a big splash and the current owner who is still alive and definitely wants to see another WS in his life A man with an appreciation for baseball history and a level of sentiment which will cause a desire to get that ring in Yankee stadium's last season and you have perfect recipe. the more i think about this the more i believe it is going to happen - just hope that the yanks hold strong and do not include 2 of the trinity in any package.

sory fo the long post, but it is hard enough to get ojne posted let alone moe than 2

If you can't post more than once, try this: After writing your post, make sure to copy it all (if you forget and try posting it unsuccessfully, just hit the Back arrow and copy it then, it should still be there in the box). Then close out of Newsday and come back in (your copied post is still on your virtual clipboard and can be pasted into another program if necessary). Paste it back in the box, enter the security code, then post it again. You should have better luck.

the biggestn problem i have with PED's is the supposed "CAPTAIN' take on the situation

i kmow this total heracy, but jeter will gladly stand-up fo pettite who admited to cheating and now stands for the rocket who has 33/4 of the mitchel report while he will never say a word to pprotect a guy who it has appeared to have done everything he ccould to fit in with the team.

arod must be sitting on his coush thinking about what he has to do to habe the captain stand up for him. We get it derek - you dont like the guy, but being s team captain is like being a boss. you may not always like your employees but you should have his back

He came to this team as the best ss in baseball - maybe history and voluntaily changed positions. he has never said a bad word about jeter - espeicially his defense despite the fact that he could probably still pay the position better. last year arod needed help and the captain wasnt there for him. perhaps if he knew he had the support of his team captain and one time best friend he wouldnt put the weight of th world on his shoulders and wouldnt have to calculate every word that comes out of his mouth for fear of saying something wrong.

he is a great talent, but onviously has asome mental issues - in my opinion - psrt of what the captain should do is help his teamates publicly and privatly - something jeter has down pat for about 23 men on the roster.

i am not blaming derek for arods poor post-season performances - just saying that alex could benefit from some support from his teamates, especially the captain

maybe if canseco is telling the truth in his new boo