Click A Link

· Bryan Hoch, excellent source of info at Yankees.com, has a little piece on Phil Hughes and his new weblog. All joking aside, the blog is a pretty unique connection between a rising professional athlete and his growing posse of adoring fans.

· Bartolo Colon, who is attempting to raise his free agent dollars by pitching in the Dominican, is not looking good, according to The Rocky Mountain News.

· The Rocky Mountain News also reports that Livian Hernandez is close to a deal with the Mets, securing a family reunion with brother, Orlando. One's fat, the other is skinny. One's a workhorse, the other prone to injury.

· Here are three links to rumors from Seattle newspapers reporting the Mariners are making a final push for Erik Bedard.

· Some old news written today, as the Post writes "Cano Cashing In," while the Times has Robinson "Near A 4-Year Deal."

· A list of links would not be complete without at least one reference to Johan Santana. FakeTeams writes the Twins want to move Santana within the next 21 days. So Minnesota wants to solve the situation before P&C report? Shocking.

Hank Steinbrenner the columnist? Check out today's New York Post article written by the young elephant. I know Hanky likes to talk to the media, but I never imagined Hanky would become the media. For his next trick Lil' Stein will attempt to interview himself about where he stands on Johan Santana.


2008's Hardest Throwing Prospects

Baseball America compiled a list of the hardest throwing pitching prospects going into the 2008 season. The Yankees, with two in the top three, made a strong showing in this respect.


The 2002 list included some current stars - Carlos Zambrano, K-Rod, Bobby Jenks - as well as a plethora of names, ahem Sean Henn, which never made it big in the big leagues.

via Mike A.

Polls Closed: Much Ado About Johan

A recent poll asked BL visitors to put their GM caps on and decide how they'd approach the Johan Santana situation had Boston never gotten involved. The votes are in and the results are overwhelmingly supportive of the Yankees young arms - specifically Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes.

With 77% of voters choosing to a) pursue Santana as a free agent or b) keep Hughes/Chamberlain at all costs, the consensus is clear. Yankees fans want to improve their team, but refuse to surrender their top two pitching prospects in the process.

Obviously, Chamberlain had been deemed "untouchable" early on in the Santana sweepstakes. However, the unexpected inclusion of Hughes brought the Yankees universe to an abrupt halt, spurring a fanbase obsessed with winning to quickly voice their desire to protect the future as opposed to the recent strategy of selling it.

Even Hank Steinbrenner recognized the fanbase's stubbornness when it came to including Hughes in a trade, regardless of what megastar came in return.

At 11%, the third most popular choice amongst voters asked the Yankees to "let an NL team get [Santana]." This segment of voters represents another change of pace as Yankee fans are willing to let their crosstown rivals reap the rewards of a Santana swap as long as it means Hughes is safe and Johan is far from Beantown.

The least popular response from voters - at a mere 10% - represents the small population of Yankees fans who are willing to trade 21 year-old Hughes for the Minnesota ace. By no means do I fault this segment of Yankee fans for wanting to acquire arguably the best pitcher in baseball.

However, the voters on this site, and on countless other polls around the internet, speaks to the overwhelming majority of bombers fans who believe Boston's involvement is transparent; and that the best strategy calls for Brian Cashman to pursue Santana if he becomes a free agent next offseason.

Considering the three most popular responses urge the Yankees front office to either let the Mets get Santana, sign him in the offseason and refuse to give up Hughes or Chamberlain, that means 88% of BL visitors are against pursuing a trade for Johan Santana. If you've spent one day in New York City, that's about as much agreement as you'll find in the big apple.

* Please take part in the new poll and let me know how you would use Joba Chamberlain in 2008.

Cano Close To $30M Contract

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees are close to locking up Robinson Cano to a four year contract worth $30 million.

The Yankees, locking up one of their young stars, are on the verge of signing second baseman Robinson Cano to a four-year, $30 million contract, according to major-league sources.

The deal, which would take Cano through his arbitration years, also is expected to include club options that would enable the Yankees to buy out one or two years of free agency.

The contract would be contingent upon Cano passing a physical.

Cano, 25, was eligible for arbitration for the first time this off-season. He asked for $4.55 million and the Yankees offered $3.2 million.

A "super-two" player due to his service time, Cano was eligible for four years of arbitration rather than the customary three.

Cano appeared in 160 games for the Yankees last season, batting .306 and setting career-highs with 19 homers and 97 RBIs.

His career batting average in three major-league seasons is .314.

This is a change in thinking from the Yankees usual stance on young cost-controlled players. From Rotoworld:

Either Cano's agent was lying Tuesday when he said no discussions had taken place or this has come together as quickly as any deal in history. A four-year contract would take Cano right to free agency. He was a super-two player this year, so he was going to have four years of arbitration.

Boston Says Mets Lead For Santana

With Yankees, Red Sox and Mets columnists coming to a current consensus on the Johan Santana trade front, the question remains, can the Mets close a deal? At one point or another all three teams "led" the race to acquire the lefty, and yet the lead did not last long enough.

Today's Boston Herald article brings some new names to the table, including recent addition Ryan Church and pitching prospect Mike Pelfrey. From the column:

The Mets, and not the Red Sox or Yankees, remain the front-runner as the team most likely to succeed in pulling off a trade for Minnesota ace Johan Santana, according to baseball insiders in touch with both the Mets and Twins in recent days.

A package the Twins could receive will probably not include both of the Mets’ top outfield prospects, Carlos Gomez and Fernando Martinez. There are indications that Martinez would be in the deal, along with major league outfielder Ryan Church and at least two other prospects. Starter Mike Pelfrey could be part of the deal as well. . . .

In another story, David Wright told the AP that the Mets don't need Santana to succeed next season. Wright had some diplomatic answers regarding the conclusion to last year's season as well. From the Bergen Record article:

Wright is convinced that the Mets have the pieces to recapture the National League East title. But he wouldn't mind if Johan Santana was brought in to aid that effort.

"I agree 100 percent with Omar [Minaya]," Wright said. "If it's the right price, 30 teams would want him. You don't want to give up the farm system. I've faced Johan. I know how nasty he is."

"Just because we haven't made any changes doesn't mean that we aren't going to come in and be better individually," he said. "The answer isn't free agency. The answer isn't making these big trades. It's looking inside.

"Everybody has a bitter taste in their mouths and I think that's a good thing."

Jose Canseco is one honorable juicer. Via Rotoworld, the New York Times reports Canseco told Magglio Ordonez he would be excluded from Jose's new book if the Tigers outfielder offered a substantial investment in an upcoming Canseco roid binge film project.

"Four people in baseball confirmed that referrals were made from Major League Baseball to the FBI regarding Canseco’s actions. The FBI did not open a formal investigation because Ordonez said he did not want to pursue the complaint. Canseco, who is expected to publish his book in March, denied the claims."

So much for that whole credibility factor.

Pitching Prospects Gone Wild

Trenton catcher PJ Pilittere, pitchers Alan Horne and Jeff Marquez get their drink on.

Marquez and Ian Kennedy with the Trenton Thunder symbol.

The Kennedys are kronked.


[hat tip to MyPinstripes]

Hughes Accounts For Velocity Loss

Phil Hughes held a chat today on his weblog and one of the questions he decided to answer asked about his mechanics before and after the hamstring injury. The question also pondered if Dave Eiland's involvement late in the season was instrumental in Hughes' fine performance down the stretch.

This was Phil's response:

After coming back from my injury last season my mechanics were a little out of whack. This led to a little loss of velocity and command. When Dave arrived in September we were able to work out some things and I think that had a lot to do with the success I had at the end of the season. It was nice to finish off the year on a good note so I have something to work toward to get back to my normal self in 2008.

There you have it. The Hughesian velocity-loss debunked. I did a piece on this topic back in September, calling on current Diamondbacks scout Carlos Gomez for the discussion.

On a related note, a Lohud reader relayed what he'd heard from a Mariano Rivera Q&A session hosted by insufferable bore Michael Kay. Here's what Rivera had to say about Hughes and a potential Johan Santana deal, according to Pete Abe:

Rivera is against the Johan Santana deal because he believes Melky Cabrera, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy will develop into top-flight players.

Hank is getting mighty lonely on that front, isn't he?

Breaking: Bonds Asks Judge To Throw Perjury Case Out, America Laughs

Apparently Barry Bonds does have a sense of humor as the embattled steroids star asked a federal judge to dismiss perjury charges on Wednesday. Bonds called the indictment "scattershot" and believed it is full of "striking inartfulness."

Never heard that word before and it does not appear in dictionaries, but it seems to mean ineptitude; though lawyer speak is not my forte. From ESPN.com:

The lawyers said "the questions posed to him by two different prosecutors were frequently imprecise, redundant, overlapping and frequently compound."

Prosecutors asked Bonds several times whether personal trainer Greg Anderson supplied him with steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs beginning in 2000. Bonds answered "no" or "not at all," but his lawyers argued that the questions were not clear.

Bonds' lawyers asked U.S. District Judge Susan Illston to either toss the case or order prosecutors to streamline the indictment, which cites 19 different instances of Bonds' alleged lying.

Good use of the thesaurus Barry, but all the flowery vocabulary in Oxford won't get this case thrown out by a federal judge.

Heyman: Mets, Santana, Blah Blah Blah

All Santana, All the Time.

Jon Heyman has joined the chorus of reporters who already suggest the Mets are Johan Santana's top suitor.

Once written off as an extreme long shot in the long-running Johan Santana drama, the Mets may actually be the favorite now. At the very least, there are indications now that they are engaging in more regular dialogue with the Twins in recent days than either the Red Sox or Yankees. And Mets general manager Omar Minaya, who loves a big deal but hasn't made one since the winter before last, has told some people in the business, "We have a shot.''

Minaya declined to comment when I reached him on Tuesday. But there are some definite signs that the Twins may be warming to the idea of taking a package of projects and prospects with high ceilings while not insisting on much in the way of major-league help. Which, if true, would give the Mets a real shot.

Neither the Red Sox, who have seemed consistently lukewarm in this derby, nor the Yankees, who have run hot and cold, has been as aggressive as one might expect considering their longstanding fight over players big and small. At this point, it appears either might simply be happy not to see Santana go to the other.

The Yankees remain the wild card. GM Brian Cashman has made the rejuvenation of the team's farm system his calling card and is said to be against trading even one top-flight young pitcher, such as Phil Hughes. But newly-empowered general partner Hank Steinbrenner is said by insiders to be much more willing to do what it takes in terms of prospects and dollars to land Santana.

Some Mets officials have an impression that they could probably have Santana if they simply added Martinez to the mix, but one person familiar with the Mets thinking said he'd be surprised if the Mets agreed to do that, which would leave their minor-league system practically barren. Which explains why there still isn't a deal.

The top Twins rumor writer, La Velle E. Neal III, offers his recent insights on the Santana debaucle. Neal shows a very different perspective, stating the Yankees continue to talk with Minnesota:

First of all, the Twins continue to talk to the Mets, Red Sox AND YANKEES about deals for Johan Santana. Despite the Yankees claiming that they are out of the running, I’ve been told the Twins have spoken with all three teams in recent days.

This doesn’t surprise me. Both New York teams need starting pitching help. Mets starters were 66-53 last season, including 13 wins from Tom Glavine. The Yankees are counting on Andy Pettitte, who will turn 36 during the season, to lead their rotation.

I kept being told that the Twins are willing to go to spring training with Santana, although that would be the worst-case scenario. For now, the Twins have stepped up their efforts to make a deal with one of these teams before camp opens.

Murray Chass Is Tired Of Santana

Johan Santana is the story that never ends. Murray Chass of the New York Times understands Roger Clemens and Capitol Hill have overshadowed Santana's sweepstakes, but he also realizes the commotion surrounding the Twins ace shows no signs of slowing:

In this space two weeks ago, I wrote that the most popular baseball game of the winter was the Minnesota Twins’ attempt to trade Johan Santana, and the game, I said, seemed to be endless. The endless part was right, but I’m not so sure I was right about it being the most popular game of the winter.

The Twins’ effort to trade Santana, thought by many to be the best pitcher in baseball, goes on. They continue to talk to interested teams, but no one is prepared to make a deal because the Twins haven’t told their potential trading partners whether they want major league-ready players or prospects.

The Twins could be delaying that decision while they determine which players may be available. They have been told that their No. 1 choice, José Reyes, the Mets shortstop, is not. So their talks go on, making an already long game even longer.

Although Santana’s new location, assuming he is relocated, will be of great importance to much of the population of Major League Baseball — the team that gets him, the teams that don’t, the teams that will have to deal with him and the teams that will no longer have to deal with him.

If his portrayal of Bill Smith is accurate, Chass is painting a pretty damning picture of the Twins GM as a man who doesn't know what he wants.

Bill, do you want prospects or young major leaguers? If Smith is as clueless as he appears, Minaya must be licking his lips.

Cano Wants Long Term Deal

The Yankees are not known for extending their young cost controlled players to multi year contracts until they hit free agency. Chien-Ming Wang and Robinson Cano are no exceptions to this strategy.

However, as Kat O'Brien of Newsday reports Cano and his agent have made it known they would like to lock up a deal similar to what the Mets offered David Wright or Jose Reyes before they hit free agency:

Robinson Cano would be open to the idea of signing a long-term contract with the Yankees, his agent, Bobby Barad, said yesterday.

Barad made clear that the Yankees have not broached that topic with him and Cano, and that he has not brought up the possibility. However, should the Yankees seek to lock up their All-Star second baseman well before free agency - as the Mets did with third baseman David Wright and shortstop Jose Reyes - Cano could have interest.

"He wouldn't be adverse to that in theory," Barad said.

Cano, 25, batted .306 with 19 homers and 97 RBIs this season. He has a career .314 average in three seasons. He is not eligible for free agency until after the 2010 season.

Due to their financial might, the Yankees never lose their budding stars once they hit free agency. Cano and Wang will likely sign long term extensions once they are FA eligible, however, eliminating the risk and signing them sooner may not be a bad idea. This is especially true when considering the ramifications of a potentially messy arbitration battle with the rising second baseman.


Popper: Mets Should Give Up The Farm

Mets columnist Steve Popper offers his insights regarding the neverending trade saga revolving around Johan Santana this offseason. Popper believes the Mets should give up whatever package of prospects it takes in order to acquire the lefthanded pitcher. From the Bergen Record column:

Finally, Johan Santana is off the airwaves, out of the collective minds of at least fans from New Jersey to Boston, replaced by Eli Manning, Tom Brady and their quests for history.

Which makes me wonder: Will today be the day that Santana finally is traded?

I know what I'm hoping. I hope that we never hear another rumor, never read another story – after this one – about Santana coming to (fill in the blank). And the only way that will happen is if Santana goes somewhere, anywhere.

So Mets, get it done. Give up four prospects. Give up five. Give up Fernando Martinez. Get it done.

Martinez may turn out to be a star. Deolis Guerra could turn out to be an ace. Or maybe they won't. But in Santana, arm health permitting, the Mets would ensure the future of their pitching rotation, something that they are desperately in need of beyond this season.

This is the old school, inkblotch take on baseball prospects. By marginalizing young minor league stars into players who may become this or may become that, Popper is able to overlook the importance of a strong farm system. And in the case of the New York Mets, a deal that would send all five of their prospects would leave the organization with no farm system to speak of.

That said, the Mets should make the deal with or without Fernando Martinez. The Mets "top" prospects are not as terrible as many news outlets would have you think, but they are also not in the same stratosphere as the top five prospects of teams like the Devil Rays and Dodgers.

Humber, Pelfrey have lost a great deal of their prospect status and Gomez is a plus to plus-plus defender with no bat to speak of. F-Mart and to a lesser extent Guerra, are the only true high ceiling prospects of the lot.

If the Mets are able to establish a deal including only one of Martinez and Guerra, they swindled the Twins. If they must include both, I would still pull the trigger. But, they will have to spend equal time attempting to replenish their minor league corps as they pour into signing Santana.

LeBron James to unveil new sneakers inspired by his Yankees fandom. The shoes will include the trademark Yankee pinstripes as well his jersey No. 23.

From ESPN:

Also, under the tongue are the words "Le-Bron Ja-Mes. Clap. Clap. Clap Clap Clap," a nod to the cheer New York fans reserve for their beloved Yankees, and on the strap is the phrase: "Fresh for '08. Suckers!"

Nike spokesman Kejuan Wilkins said the Yankees-themed shoe will be released in March. Initial plans are for it to be sold only in New York.

James received backlash from Cleveland fans after the NBA superstar attended an Indians home playoff game against New York while wearing a Yankees cap.

This latest slap to the Cleveland fan's face may alienate even more of his fans, but hey, it's pretty cool that James included an ode to the bleacher creatures on his new sneaks.

Walters: Hughes Is Off The Table

Today, Charley Walters of The Pioneer Press echoed Minneapolis colleague, Joe Christenen, in asserting the Mets as the most likely destination for Johan Santana. Unfortunately, until any deal is finalized between Minnesota and a potential trading partner, reports of who's "in the lead" seem fruitless.

For Yankees fans, the most important morsel from Walters' piece are expressed in a mere four words: "No more Phil Hughes." Considering Hughes reported early to Spring Training, purchased a condominium in the Tampa area and has created a weblog with which to engage Yankees fans, all support the idea that the 21 year-old phenom is Bronx bound.

From the article:

The Twins say they're not panicking while holding out for the best deal for Johan Santana. But word within baseball circles is that offers by the New York Yankees (no more Phil Hughes) and Boston Red Sox are diminishing by the week. Best bet now for a trade of the two-time Cy Young Award winner appears to be with the New York Mets in a deal that would not include fast-rising hitter Fernando Martinez.

The Mets completing a trade for Santana which does not include F-Mart has to be seen as a major victory for Omar Minaya and the Mets. For Bill Smith, however, any deal excluding the top Mets prospect would mean defeat for the newly appointed Twins GM.

Mattingly Quits Dodgers Job

[photo courtesy of Dodgers.com]

From Dodgers.com comes the news that Don Mattingly decided to leave the Dodgers after being passed over as bench coach weeks ago. From the report:

Don Mattingly, named by the Dodgers as hitting coach two months ago and the presumed eventual replacement for new manager Joe Torre, stepped aside on Tuesday for family reasons and was replaced by Triple-A hitting coach Mike Easler.

Mattingly will remain in the organization as a special advisor and coach, but requested the change so he could spend more time at home in Evansville, Ind. Mattingly took the Dodgers job after losing out to Joe Girardi for the Yankees' manager job that Torre formerly held.

"I'm very grateful that the Dodgers have allowed me to take care of these family matters and I hope that everyone can respect our privacy during this time," Mattingly said in a statement issued by the team. "I truly appreciate the support of all Dodger fans since joining the organization and I look forward to helping the team win in 2008 and beyond."

This has been a tough offseason for Donnie Baseball. Mattingly traveled from shoe-in as Joe Torre's replacement, to Torre's right hand man in LA, and now has removed himself as Dodgers hitting coach. And now . . .


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Pujols Shows Media His Pimp Hand

Albert Pujols does not like KTVI. In fact, he is so angry about an inaccurate report from the station that Pujols had reporters from KTVI take a timeout, sit in a corner and remain quiet until recess the end of the press conference.

ST. LOUIS -- Albert Pujols, angry his name was incorrectly linked to the Mitchell report on steroids last month, banned a St. Louis television station from participating in a news conference Monday.

Pujols asked Cardinals media relations director Brian Bartow to make a reporter and cameraman from St. Louis Fox affiliate KTVI leave the room where Pujols' news conference was taking place on the final day of the Cardinals' winter warmup.

On Dec. 13, KTVI broadcast an incorrect report, citing information posted on the Web site of New York television station WNBC, that linked Pujols and other players to the Mitchell report.

When the report was released that day, Pujols' name was not included.

"I know we're in the dark clouds with the steroids," Pujols said. "But now people are going to second-guess my numbers because some guys started something that wasn't the truth."

The KTVI duo watched Monday's news conference from the corner of the room with the camera off and did not participate.

What a visual. Well-groomed network sports anchor pouting in a corner as his cameraman hangs his head, pretending the camera ran out of film.

After chewing out the media, Pujols directed his wrath toward his critics who second-guessed him since his rookie year:

"Since 2001, I've been proving myself every year," he said. "How much better can I get? Only God knows. Do I need to cheat in this game to get better? This is a hobby, man. I fear God too much to do stupid things in this game. Cheating on this game, that's not right."

Pujols has been dealing with doubters since shortly after he began his career, first with his age. Throughout the years he said media have tried to goad him into creating controversy.

"I remember from 2001, 'Oh he's not 21,'" Pujols said. "During the playoffs, they always look for the big names to start things. And now with the steroids I've been getting rocks all over the place, and they keep bouncing off me."

Pujols said he decided against offseason surgery on his right elbow, a trouble spot for several years, because he would have had to miss a significant portion if not all the 2008 season. Pujols still is unable to straighten his arm, but team doctors concluded that because he plays first base, an operation can be postponed.

I have no idea if Pujols used juice or is legit. I like to think that he did it on god given ability alone.

What I do know, is that the handful of superstars who owe their stardom to performance enhancing drugs have completely ruined the reputations of those major leaguers who did it naturally.

Report: Bedard Megadeal In Works

According to Phil Rogers via Rotoworld:

Despite GM Jim Hendry's protestations, the Chicago Tribune's Phil Rogers says the Cubs and Orioles are talking about a massive deal involving Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts.

According to Rogers' very highly placed source, Orioles owner Peter Angelos did shoot the deal down at the end of last week, but talks were back on again recently. Rogers believes the Cubs could send Felix Pie to Baltimore and bring in Marlon Byrd to replace him.

Source: Chicago Tribune.

Report: Mets Still Lead Santana Race

According to Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune, the Twins may be most enamored with the Mets as a trading partner and landing spot for Johan Santana. Christensen goes on to imply that the Yankees and Red Sox will not "improve their offers."

It is certainly possible that the two AL rivals will rescind their trade proposals altogether, if they haven't already considering Hank Steinbrenner's flipflopping. However, baseball people are not silly enough to rule out the Yankees, especially when Hank repeatedly leaves the door open for him to change his mind on the subject.

From the article:

The Twins know what they can get. And they realize none of the packages will appease their fans, who might never forgive them for trading the two-time Cy Young Award winner.

Still, Twins officials privately say they think Santana will be traded before spring training opens next month.

It's possible the Twins will trade Santana without landing one player who is universally recognized as a big help in 2008.

Lately, the Twins have seemed most intrigued with the Mets' offer.

The Mets are offering some combination of the following five players: Carlos Gomez, Fernando Martinez, Deolis Guerra, Philip Humber and Kevin Mulvey.

Gomez, 22, could step in immediately as the Twins' starting center fielder, but some scouts are skeptical about his bat.

The Twins are much higher on Martinez, 19, and Guerra, 18, even though they realize both might be in the minors until 2010.

As for Humber and Mulvey, neither projects as better than a No. 4 starter.

But if the Red Sox and Yankees don't improve their offers -- and the Twins have reason to believe they won't -- Santana could wind up with the Mets.

They will be dancing in the streets of Astoria if this ever goes down.

New Name Shows Up In Clemens Saga

According to Brian McNamee, an employee of Roger Clemens' agents, the Hendrix Brothers, discussed the possibility of steroid use with McNamee back in 2004, says ESPN.com. From the report:

A meeting in 2004 between Roger Clemens' former trainer and a representative of the pitcher's agents could have implications in the back and forth claims about steroid use that came out of the Mitchell report, according to published reports.

Jim Murray, who is employed by Clemens' agents, met with the pitcher's former trainer Brian McNamee in 2004, near Clemens' New York apartment, according to McNamee's attorney Earl Ward. Ward said that at the time, McNamee was concerned that some steroids may be lingering in Clemens' system that could result in a positive test in Major League Baseball's first round of steroid testing.

"He did speak to Murray about his suspicions, his concerns that Major League Baseball had implemented testing and that Roger could have a problem," Ward told the New York Times after speaking with his client Friday night. McNamee said Murray took detailed notes about the meeting. "Brian wanted to let them know Roger had some problems," Ward told the New York Daily News. "They discussed steroid use."

During the congressional hearing on capital hill this month, Ward issued a statement basically warning Clemens there will be harsh consequences should he continue to question or dirty the reputation of McNamee. It appears the first stone has been cast.

Torre Sleeps As Girardi Meets

The Los Angeles Times has an interesting article describing Joe Torre's smooth transition into the Dodger managerial job. According to the piece, with Spring Training only a month away "Torre said he has spoken to only a few of his players." Sounds a little too smooth.

On the other hand, New Yankees manager Joe Girardi spent his offseason traveling to the General Manager meetings in Nashville and to the Yankees youth academy in the Dominican Republic. Shockingly, these trips were never made during Torre's tenure as Yankee skipper.

These examples are not to condemn Torre as a baseball manager - he has won four world series and made the playoffs every year he headed up the Bombers - it is more of a promotion of Girardi as the new manager. I believe Torre will be successful in LA, but examples from the article are a bit damning and possibly offer insights into why the last three and a half postseasons have been such disappointments for Yankee fans:

The new Dodgers manager has talked to Pierre and Garciaparra and is at a mini-camp for prospects, but there are many he hasn't spoken to. He has made few decisions on the lineup.

He said he doesn't know what most of them look like or how they think. He said he has few ideas about who will hit in what spot.

About the only certainty in Torre's mind that he was willing to share with reporters Thursday at Dodger Stadium is that Andruw Jones will be his starting center fielder -- "Obviously," he said.

Everything else, Torre said, will be decided at spring training, which begins in Vero Beach, Fla., on Feb. 14, when pitchers and catchers report.

Torre said his conversation with Pierre was similar to one he had with Bernie Williams as manager of the New York Yankees.

"I just basically said to him what I said to Bernie Williams when we signed Kenny Lofton: 'We're going to do what's best for the team and when we leave spring training, it's going to be with the three guys playing the outfield that we all agree will give us the best shot,' " Torre said.

This is not to say Torre's 2008 club will fall apart under his watch, because it won't. The Dodgers have one of the top three farm systems in Major League Baseball and a bevy of talented youngsters at or knocking on the big league's door.

However, a new voice was necessary in the Bronx, and the hands-on, no excuses persona which Girardi carries with him may be just the perfect change of scenery.


Canseco Hires Enquirer Writer,
Report Says Santana Is Overpriced

· After being dumped by a writer from Sports Illustrated, Jose Canseco has a new ghost writer for his book. The writer comes from the National Enquirer and is the same author who helped O.J. Simpson pen a book which searches for Nicole Brown's "real killers."

· Finally, Vince Gennaro of Yahoo! Sports offered a piece explaining why Johan Santana isn't worth the expenditure.