Favre Rookie Card Won't Buy U LunchPlus Some Football Picks

Rummaging through some old boxes, I stumbled upon this NFL Pro Set rookie card of Brett Favre during his forgettable days as an Atlanta Falcon. At first, I thought I might have uncovered a trading card with some bigtime value behind it's untampered mint corners.

Upon further review, however, I learned the '91 Pro Set line of trading cards were massively overproduced, plummeting their value. I believe this particular Favre rookie goes for a whopping $8. After a little research, many other Favre rookie cards go for - on average - $80-$100.

Anyhow, my football picks for the conference championship games go as follows:

Packers - 31
Giants -- 21

Eli in subzero temperatures equals trouble. The magical run for Brett and his baby packers is destined for Arizona.

Patriots - 28
Chargers - 13

Brady, Moss, Welker, Stallworth, Maroney for New England.

No Philip Rivers plus no Antonio Gates equals no shot. Sorry LT.

Arbitration: Wang, Cano, Bruney

Yesteday afternoon, Chien-Ming Wang, Robinson Cano and Brian Bruney all exchanged contract figures with the New York Yankees.

The requests filed by representatives for Cano and Wang, two of the Yankees' prized younger components, were separated by $50,000. Cano filed for $4.55 million and was offered $3.2 million by the club, while Wang requested $4.6 million and was offered $4 million.

Bruney, who will be 26 in February, was 3-2 with a 4.68 ERA in 58 appearances across two stints with the Yankees in 2007. He requested $845,000 and was offered $640,000.

Wang will receive close if not exactly what he requested while Cano and the Yankees appear to be much further apart. Considering Cano's past two seasons have seen him knock in 97 runs and hit .342, the second baseman has a gripe. There is certainly the possibility that a neutral arbiter awards Robinson with the $4.55 mill he asked for.

Meanwhile, Bruney will make well over half a million bucks. Spend some of that money wisely and file a restraining order against Kyle Farnsworth and his worthless disregard approach for pitching.

Bernie Retiring?

Bernie Williams appeared on the WFAN sports radio program Mike and the Mad Dog, implying he has played his last game in the major leagues. Williams cited personal reasons and being away from his family as one of the major factors of his decision.

More as it becomes available.


Betemit Signs One Year Deal

According to ESPN.com, the Yankees signed Wilson Betemit to a one year contract worth $1.16 million, thereby avoiding salary arbitration. Betemit batted .229 with 14 homeruns and 50 RBI over 121 games for the Yankees and Dodgers last season. This is a large increase in pay from the $405,000 Betemit made last year.

Teixeira, Braves Talking Extension?

Some signings of interest and possible free agent movement to take notice of.

Mark Teixeira got his money for 2008, but the Atlanta Braves are reportedly making efforts to retain the talented first baseman long term. From Rotoworld:

General manager Frank Wren said Thursday that the Braves have "had quite a bit of dialogue" with Mark Teixeira regarding a long-term contract extension. Eligible for free agency following the season, Teixeira avoided arbitration by agreeing Thursday to a one-year deal worth $12.5 million. With Scott Boras as his agent, there's speculation that Teixeira is looking to hit the open market next winter.

With Jason Giambi coming off the books after the season, then Yankees are guaranteed to be players in the Teixeira sweepstakes, barring of course, a surprising signing made by the Braves. One issue has yet to be brought up with a potential pursuit of Teixeira by the Yankees. Considering Boras' egomania and greed, aftershocks from his bitter exclusion from the Alex Rodriguez negotiations will surely carry over into any talks of Tex.

On the pitching front, Octavio Dotel is now off the market, though the Yankees did not appear to have much interest in the righthander. Dotel agreed to a two year contract with the White Sox worth $11 million, according to Impact Deportivo. From Rotoworld:

Dotel will have done quite well if he gets a guaranteed two-year deal for that much money despite not throwing more than 30 2/3 innings in a season since 2004. He showed that injuries haven't sapped him of dominant stuff in limited action last season and would potentially give the White Sox an elite late-inning setup man in front of closer Bobby Jenks.

Kenny Williams and the ChiSox has the rest of Major League Baseball scratching their heads. Including the four year deal given to Scott Linebrink, Chicago's ponied up $30 million on declining/oft-injured relievers this offseason.

This is a lot of risk. The reward could be great, creating an elite setup and closing staff. However, the risk is equally great, resulting in a volatile bullpen based around a TJ recovery case without much post-op success and a career national leaguer who's seen his numbers steadily decline outside of his huge home ballpark.

Salary Arbitration List

Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang may receive large arbitration rewardings, unless of course, they are able to reach contract extensions to avoid these hearings. As Pete Abe suggests, Nate Roberton's three year deal worth $21 million may well be a harbinger of what's to come for Wang.

We'll find out tomorrow what happens with the Yankees youngsters, but Wanger and Cano aren't the only ones looking to up the ante. From ESPN.com:

NEW YORK -- The 110 players who filed for salary arbitration Tuesday (x-free agent who accepted arbitration; y-agreed to terms after filing). Players and teams will exchange proposed salaries Friday.

The bigger names around the league include Erik Bedard, K-Rod, Justin Morneau, Scott Kazmir, Matt Holiday, Ryan Howard, Miguel Cabrera, and last but certainly not least, Scott Proctor.

Mark Teixeira, Huston Street and Brad Lidge were among 22 players who avoided salary arbitration by reaching new deals. Teixeira agreed to a $12.5 million contract, and Street a $3.3 million deal.

Blue Jays lefthanded reliever, Scott Downs cashed in on his best season and was awarded a three year $10 million deal. By the way, he pitched a whopping 58 innings to earn that money. "Ten million" and "Scott Downs" do not belong in the same sentence. Ever.

In related news, Kyle Farnsworthless and New York City have a similar level of chemistry together.

Clemens Trades Lawyers Up

Roger Clemens hired powerhouse lawyer, Jackie Chiles Lanny A. Breuer, a top litigator in Washington D.C., according to the New York Times:

Roger Clemens has bolstered his legal team, hiring a powerhouse Washington lawyer, Lanny A. Breuer, who represented former President Bill Clinton during his impeachment hearings as well as numerous corporations that were the subject of Congressional investigations.

Rusty Hardin, Clemens’s Houston lawyer, said late Thursday that he had recruited Breuer to be his client’s “local counsel” in Washington because of his expertise.

Breuer responded to an e-mail message Thursday night and confirmed he had been retained by Clemens. “This is correct,” he wrote. “This just happened.”

Asked to comment on Clemens’s situation, Breuer wrote, “I’m honored to be joining Rusty Hardin in representing one of the greatest pitchers and athletes in history.”

Breuer, a former assistant district attorney in Manhattan, is a partner in the Washington law firm of Covington and Burling and is a co-chairman of its white-collar defense and investigations practice group.

And by "recruited," Hardin meant Clemens told Ol' Rusty to find a lawyer who won't make his client look like an imbecile.

· The latest from Joe Torre on steroid use under his watch:

Joe Torre had no suspicions about Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte using performance-enhancing drugs when they were playing for him with the New York Yankees.

"I didn't see anything that made me suspicious," Torre said Thursday. "But I don't investigate players. I get to know them. If they want to talk, then you're available for them and stuff like that."

· ESPN also reports Brian McNamee is unlikely to receive immunity from Congress.

SI: A-Rod & Jeter Make All-Clean Team

According to Sports Illustrated's John Donovan, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez head up his own assembled team of players most likely to be clean of performance enhancing drugs.

Here's the rest of my Top 10 Clean Superstars (until proven otherwise):

Alex Rodriguez -- I don't think Jose Canseco, despite the upcoming book, has anything on A-Rod. You can throw darts at his scary-perfect public persona and his sometimes goofy actions on the field, but come on, already. A-Rod is doing things that no one has ever done before.

Also in the running: Derek Jeter, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Omar Vizquel, Randy Johnson, Lance Berkman.

Donovan also mentions Manny Ramirez, Albert Pujols and Ichiro.

Spring Training Roster Sans Santana Deal

The Yankees Spring Training roster is here:

Starters: Andrew Brackman (injured), Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano (injured), Andy Pettitte, Chien-Ming Wang.

Starters/Longmen: Alan Horne, Kei Igawa, Jeff Karstens, Jeffrey Marquez, Daniel McCutchen, Darrell Rasner, Humberto Sanchez, Steven White, Chase Wright.

RHP relievers: Jonathan Albaladejo, Chris Britton, Brian Bruney, Kyle Farnsworth, Daniel Giese, Steven Jackson, LaTroy Hawkins, Ross Ohlendorf, Mark Melancon, Scott Patterson, Edwar Ramirez, Mariano Rivera, Scott Strickland, Jose Veras.

LHP relievers: Sean Henn, Heath Phillips, Billy Traber.

Infielders: Wilson Betemit, Robinson Cano, Bernie Castro, Eric Duncan, Shelley Duncan, Jason Giambi, Alberto Gonzalez, Nick Green, Derek Jeter, Juan Miranda, Cody Ransom, Alex Rodriguez, Marcos Vechionacci.

Outfield: Bobby Abreu, Melky Cabrera, Justin Christian, Colin Curtis, Johnny Damon, Brett Gardner, Austin Jackson, Jason Lane, Hideki Matsui, Greg Porter, Jose Tabata.

Catchers: Kyle Anson, Jason Brown, Francisco Cervelli, Jose Molina, Jesus Montero, P.J. Pilittere, Jorge Posada, Austin Romine.

66 arrive and 25 stay.

Hughes Has A Blog,Sanchez Calls It A Comeback

· Apparently, Phil Hughes started his own weblog. It will be interesting to see a young star's take on life in Major League Baseball; though most fans are more excited by the prospect of Phil-er-up remaining a Yankee for the next 15 years or so. It'll probably be like 38Pitches . . . but without the pretentious, annoying, egocentric tone.

And, as if Phil could escape his inextricable link to Johan Santana, here is the latest Hank Steinbrenner spiel. This one comes from Minneapolis and has the new Boss reiterating that he makes the final decision. Somewhere Hal Steinbrenner is chuckling to himself, "Keep telling yourself that, Hanky."

· Here is a good piece on Humberto Sanchez and his recovery from TJ surgery. He is also trying to prove wrong the countless critics who believe Sanchez will never live up to his potential due to conditioning and health shortcomings.

From MiLB.com:

"My goal is just to be 100 percent by the end of April, a year out from the surgery," he said. "My dream goal would be to be in New York by the All-Star break, but a lot of things come into it -- if they need someone there [and] my performance at that point."

With Yankee Stadium entering its final year, there is more incentive than ever for Sanchez to complete his rehab and make it to the big leagues this season.

"Oh, it's definitely been on my mind," he said. "Especially [after] getting married and having a baby. I'd like to have Jennifer come to a game at the old Yankee Stadium; she's never been there before. And my baby. And my family."

As a lifelong Yankees fan and Bronx native, Humberto has all the motivation in the world to prove himself to be the dominant pitching prospect he's been touted as for the past three years.

· Buster Olney believes the Mets, Yankees, Red Sox and Twins should all pass on a Santana trade before the regular season... and revisit a potential deal as the trading deadline approaches. From ESPN:

If you've ever watched the show "Deal Or No Deal," you kind of get an idea of the situation Minnesota general manager Bill Smith is in, as he decides when to swap Johan Santana.

The million-dollar deal is off the table. It's not happening. Quite simply, Smith is not going to get a deal as good as the deal that Oakland got for Dan Haren. Because Santana is eligible for free agency after the 2008 season, neither the Red Sox nor the Yankees is willing to give up the boatload of young players that Smith really wanted for the two-time Cy Young Award winner, while paying Santana a $125-$150 million extension.

So if you are Smith, what do you do? Do you take a subpar deal? Or do you simply go to spring training and prepare to start the season with Santana?

If I was in Smith's shoes, I'd keep Santana. Because to trade him would be to forgo the opportunity to contend in 2008, when the Twins have a chance to be a good team, with Francisco Liriano returning, with Joe Nathan closing, with Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer and Delmon Young hitting in the middle of their lineup.

That makes sense to me Busta.

· Erik Bedard to the Mariners is reportedly "one player away," according to Ken Rosenthal. The one player, however, is Chris Tillman, a 19 year-old pitching prospect which Seattle does not intend on parting with.

New Stadium Gets Some Signage

And here is what it will look like upon completion:


* Baseball Prospectus is going overboard on Melky Cabrera [in a good way].

* Lance Berman wants blood tests in baseball right now.

* David Justice getting axed from YES Network?

Gripes: The Mitchell Report

Remember when you were a kid and you dropped a relative's favorite keepsake, shattering its priceless form amidst a quiet family get-together? Your parents stopped, threw you a razor sharp glare and told you in that after-school-special tone, "We're not mad. . . We're just disappointed."

I have similar feelings toward the steroid report.

It's not that I disagree with its allegations, it's just how it was presented.

Yesterday, the steroid tour traveled to Capitol Hill so George Mitchell and assembled United States Congressmen could pat each other on the back - joined by a suddenly exonerated Bud Selig. The group proceeded to spend 4+ hours telling us things we already knew. The only fresh material were the name tags of Senators hoping to have their name ring out thanks to major league baseball's inability to police itself.

My gripes begin with the trivial, though it is a simple matter of "truthfulness." A word Mitchell throws around a lot. When Sen. Mitchell appeared before the circus committee and was asked if the report would have changed had Brian McNamee's "testimony" not been included, the senator fed stock answers everyone in the room secretly laughed at.

Without McNamee, we all know there would not be Roger Clemens. And without Clemens included in the investigation, we all know there would be no Mitchell Report. All Mitchell would admit is that the report would have been "different." This is politician speak at its finest. Phrases like "I do not recall" and "I cannot say for sure" were invented for these very moments and these very men.

C'mon George. This isn't Rocket science [pun intended]. No Roger, no cache. No cache means Mitchell coming to Selig with empty pockets trying peddle Miguel Tejada and Brian Roberts. Save us the bull and just admit the report would have suffered greatly had Rocket's former trainer not implicated previously considered the greatest pitcher of his generation.

Of the report's shortcomings, what bothered me the most was the acceptance of this report in its absolutely incomplete form. We all understand steroids became widespread over the past twenty years, even employed by the game's greatest players.

If Mitchell were only able to nab two trainers in Los Angeles whose biggest clients were Luis Gonzalez and Ryan Klesko along with an army of lesser known replacement-level players, would the same type of dog-and-pony show go on? Would everyone, including the commissioner who turned a blind eye to supposed epidemic levels of PED use, be patting each other on the back?... in the nation's capital?... televised for a national audience? I think not.

One would think Mitchell would realize a report on the use of performance enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball should not begin and end in one city. The point is not that Mitchell should have spent 25 years compiling every PED user and distributor in baseball. But, if you can only reveal two sources based in one city, a little further research is probably necessary.

It's also not this Yankee blogger's contention that a "proper" report would require the inclusion of a steroids pusher or player based in Boston. But, hey, maybe a flight to LA could have helped develop a report forcing its readers to think of words like comprehensive, leaguewide, or objective. These are all adjectives which I have a hard time using to describe the report.

When a US senator happens to leave off any players from the team he works for in its front office, that's one thing. When the Rangers and Brewers - teams formerly owned by the President of the United States and Commissioner Bud Selig respectively - are not included as well, then it becomes a bit suspicious.

But, hey, they got Clemens and that's all Mitchell, Selig and the grandstanding group of politicians needed for their performance.

Santana Saga: Click Some Links

· Tyler Kepner says the Yankees 'expect' to head into Spring Training without Johan Santana.

· The Post says the Twins might lower their demands for Santana.

· The Mets are trying to use Erik Bedard to scare the Twins into thinking they value the Canadian lefty - who's never thrown 200 innings in a season - more than Santana.

Having control of Bedard until 2010 is nice, but it doesn't make him an equal to Santana, as some have opined. Also remember that Bedard is self-proclaimed recluse. Hermits and New York City don't mix too well.

· A Boston cheerleader writer offers some biased analysis of the Santana trade packages from the Red Sox, Mets and Yankees.

· The Twins believe the same three teams are still interested in Santana. Meanwhile, clueless Charley Walters says the Mets, Red Sox are still in on the lefty. Nah, really?

Yankees ST: 26 Non-Roster Invitees

Yankees will welcome 26 non-roster invitees to Spring Training to compete for spots on the majr league roster:

Two on the list have previously worn pinstripes in New York and will be trying to make the Yankees' Opening Day roster: infielder Nick Green and right-hander Darrell Rasner.

The Yankees' invitee list also features seven players who have previously appeared in Major League competition, including outfielder Jason Lane, who slugged a career-high 26 home runs for the Houston Astros in 2005.

Other non-roster invitees with big league experience include infielder Bernie Castro, right-hander Daniel Giese, left-hander Heath Phillips, infielder Cody Ransom, right-hander Scott Strickland and left-hander Billy Traber.

The Yankees also invited the following players: right-handers Alan Horne, Steven Jackson, Daniel McCutchen and Mark Melancon; catchers Kyle Anson, Jason Brown, Jesus Montero, P.J. Pilittere and Austin Romine; infielders Eric Duncan and Marcos Vechionacci; and outfielders Brett Gardner, Justin Christian, Colin Curtis, Austin Jackson, Greg Porter and Jose Tabata.

Where's Kevin Whelan?

Romine is also a surprising choice considering his youth and inexperience. That says a lot.

Hank Calls Report "Erroneous"

According to Newsday's Pete Caldera, today's report from ESPN Radio has been deemed "erroneous" by Hank Steinbrenner. Only took Hankenstein a few hours to retract Monday's news that Phil Hughes was off the table.

From Caldera:

Hank Steinbrenner says a broadcast report that the Yankees have taken their offer for Johan Santana off the table is “erroneous’’ – for the simple fact that there was no “official’’ offer made since the winter meetings.

Steinbrenner said there’s only been “very light talk back and forth’’ with the Minnesota Twins since mid December. Mainly, there’s been no movement “because of the fact that I haven’t decided’’ whether to deal a gaggle of young stars for Santana.

“There was no official offer,’’ Steinbrenner told us by phone late this afternoon. “If there’s an offer on the table, then that means you fully intend to do that deal. There is no offer right now,’’ though Steinbrenner added that “it doesn’t mean that a final decision has been made.’’

A few hours ago I'd said Hank can have a change of heart quicker than a manic depressive, but this is ridiculous.

And from ESPN.com:

"It's still in the deciding process," Steinbrenner said Monday night outside Legends Field at the Yankees' spring training complex. "We're still discussing it. There's still a little talk back and forth."

"There wasn't an official offer anyway. You can't withdraw something that wasn't there," Steinbrenner said. "There was no official offer on the table at this time."

Report: Yankees Take Hughes Off Table

According to Andrew Marchand of ESPN Radio, the Yankees have removed a trade offer to the Twins built around righthanded pitcher Phil Hughes. Acquiring Johan Santana without a deal including Hughes would be nearly impossible, though the Twins appear to be lowering their demands.

From the ESPN article:

For the second time this offseason, the Yankees have pulled their Phil Hughes-centered trade offer for Johan Santana off the table.

The Yankees, then, will not restart trade talks with the Twins unless Hank Steinbrenner has another change of heart, a baseball official with knowledge of the talks told 1050 ESPN Radio's Andrew Marchand.

The Yankees' desire Monday to turn their attention away from the two-time Cy Young winner leaves Boston and the New York Mets as Minnesota's trade partners, the official told Marchand.

"We're not desperate, so we're not going to chase anything," Steinbrenner told the New York Daily News in early January.

Then again, Hank changes his mind more than Bill Smith at a McDonalds drive-thru. Luckily for Hughes, there is always Hal and Cash around to talk sense to him.

Not Much Going On This Offseason

If this is a hot-stove, people in Russia must be freezing.

Maybe if today's trade had happened six years ago, it would be considered a blockbuster.

Instead, the Cardinals get a third baseman who did steroids for a third baseman who could use some in a trade swapping performance enhancer Troy Glaus for oft-injured Scott Rolen. The deal is complete, pending physicals, which is the largest roadblock of the entire move.

In 2002, Rolen had 31 homers and 110 RBI while Glaus had 30 and 111. Last year, Rolen picked up 8 HR, 58 RBI and Glaus hit 20 HR, 62 RBI.

Meanwhile . . .

Erik Bedard still in a Orioles uniform? Check.
Johan Santana still in a Twins uniform? Check.

The flavor of the week involves the Mets "closing in" on a trade which would swap four or five prospects for Santana. I haven't seen this many rich guys pursue a Santana without closure since record executives tried to pry away Carlos Santana's head stash. And after this week began with rumors exulting Omar Minaya as the winner of the Santana sweepstakes, it's only fitting that it ends with reports that the Mets are not close to acquiring the lefty ace.

Senor Prognosticator, Bill Madden, may be right for a change when he suggests the Mets and Sox - like the Yanks - may decide the stakes are too high. For the Yankees, this is particularly true, as no other team has been willing to surrender a top prospect the likes of Phil Hughes. [No, Jon Lester would not suffice and until Boston's offers prove to be anything more than a smokescreen, I will stick by this contention.]

Pursuing Santana with the most rumored Yankees offer - Hughes, Cabrera, Marquez, Hilligoss - could present an ominous scenario in which Phil Hughes may emerge a frontline starter in 2010 at the cost of a couple million while Santana struggles to live up to impossible expectations in New York at potentially $750,000 per start.

Furthermore, with names like Andruw, Rowand and Cameron off the free agent landscape, imagine watching an outfield over the next few years bereft of Melky's armstrength and anchored by Damon in center, Abreu in right and Matsui in left. All the Brett Gardners in the world won't erase Bobby Abreu's fence-aphobia, Johnny Damon's puny arm or Matsui's, well, averageness.

The conclusion: call Boston's bluff and hope Santana ends up in free agency or Flushing. If you can sign Santana next winter - which is still a big if - thereby avoiding a top prospect swap, it makes the contract much more valuable and protects Johan from the resentment of a fanbase who always wanted Hughes more.

Keeping Melky is not as sexy an argument, but with no current alternative available to sign or promote, his value is much greater than his critics would have you believe.

Sure, a line of .273/.327/.391 is not going to have fans confuse Cabrera with Mantle, but consider a few facts first. Keep in mind that Cabrera is a #9 hitter on the Yankees and is not asked to lead off very often. Going into September Cabrera's batting average was closing in on the .300 mark, and if it were not for an abysmal final month which saw his average drop 20 points, his 2007 statistics would appear much more respectable. However, hitting .297 on September 2nd does not erase a putrid final few weeks of the season.

The 22 year-old did knock in 73 runs and is always able to put the ball in play - whiffing only 68 times in 545 at bats. Cabrera also flashes a strong, accurate arm, finishing tied for third in the AL with 16 outfield assists, up from 14 in 2006. To go along with his arm is a very good - though not elite - glove in the outfield which is accompanied by the versatility and willingness to play left or right as well. His youthful exuberance and camaraderie with the veteran players helps bring energy to a ball club often times accused of complacency.

Do any of these factors provide proof Cabrera will someday become a perennial all star? Obviously not. It does, however, show the Melkman to be a valuable piece of a contending team who has the luxury of carrying his unimposing bat.


Notes:
· According to an Albany newspaper, "Mary J. Blige, rap musicians 50 Cent, Timbaland and Wyclef Jean, and award-winning author and producer Tyler Perry may have received or used performance enhancing drugs." Maybe it made 'em rap faster. That would paint Rakim as Maris and 50 as McGwire. Unbelievable.

· From the looks of a recent photo, Miggy Cabrera is staying true to his promise to shape-up this offseason. I wrote about Cabrera's weight prior to the trade which sent him to Detroit and I still stand behind him becoming the next Manny.

· Finally, for Hall of Fame fanatics, check this article out. According to it, no starting pitcher whose career began after 1967 has made it into the HOF. This criteria excludes pitchers like Dennis Eckersley, who started for half their career and closed the other half. Amazing stuff.

SWB Blog Revisits Top Prospects List

Chad Jennings revisited Deric McKamey's prospect list with an interview contending Humberto Sanchez is obviously best suited as a reliever, Jose Tabata is currently the superior prospect to Austin Jackson and George Kontos is underrated.

During the first piece, Jennings posted McKamey's top 15 prospects in the Yankees organization. Rankings of note included Dellin Betances at #7, Sanchez at #9, Kevin Whelan at #11 and Kontos at #12.

The rankings of these four prospects - which I agree with - have dropped on the lists of several other prospect outlets like Baseball America and John Sickels.

I chose a few highlights from the lengthy interview:

Is Humberto Sanchez's rating as a starting pitcher? Would it be any different assuming he was going to the bullpen?

Even though the Yankees haven’t made a definitive decision on Sanchez’ role, his rating is based on him becoming a reliever. The TJS not-withstanding, I feel he doesn’t change speeds well and his arm action has some recoil at the finish, which may always present stamina problems.

A move to the bullpen should preserve his arm and since he can focus on his fastball and two solid breaking pitches, he should do very well in that role.

What should we make of the long list of prospect relievers (Melancon, Cox, Whelan, Robertson, and Sanchez)? What role do you see those guys filling in the big leagues?

Sanchez, Whelan, and Melancon are the better arms of this group and all three have the goods to close in the right situation. Sanchez was discussed earlier. Whelan, despite being used as a starter in 2007, projects as a reliever for me. He has a very nasty splitter and exceptional movement to his 88-94 MPH fastball. His command can be erratic at times, but he misses bats easily.

Melancon missed the 2007 season with TJS, but his recovery has gone well and is expected to be ready for spring training. He throws hard (90-95 MPH) and can notch strikeouts too, but relies more on groundball outs than Sanchez and Whelan. He utilizes a curveball as his secondary pitch. He didn’t possess much of a change-up prior to his surgery and being that pitch is a “feel” pitch, I wonder how long it will take for him to get it to the average level, especially if the Yankees alter his mechanics, which was reported.

Cox is coming off of TJS and because he doesn’t have anything to offer LH batters, his upside is that of a setup reliever. Robertson is a short (height-wise) reliever with a deceptively quick fastball and two solid comps (curveball and change-up). Despite his ability to miss bats and command the plate at both Class-A levels, he projects as a setup reliever as well.

Which Yankees prospect do you like more than most analysts and which do you like less?

I like George Kontos better than most, ranking him #12 on my top 15 list. Kontos has shown excellent command, along with the ability to notch strikeouts and keep the ball low at every level he has pitched at. He throws hard (89-94 MPH) with two and four-seam fastballs, has a solid slider, and changes speeds well. He does have a tendency to overthrow which flattens his pitches and can make him hittable at times.

Finally, two pitchers I've been hesitant to get too high on: Jeff Marquez and George Kontos. You obviously like them. Why?

Kontos, I talked about earlier, but what I like about Marquez is his smooth/quick arm action, which gives him excellent pitch movement. He can touch 95 MPH, but hasn’t been able to hold it deep into games. He did pitch 155.1 innings, which alleviated any stamina concerns, but I feel he could add some strength to help him maintain his velocity. Both of his secondary offerings (curveball and change-up) are at least Major League average and he knows how to pitch.

Good stuff on Kontos, but I would have liked to have seen more thoughts on Melancon and Horne. I support the contention that Gardner is a good potential fourth outfielder, but not much more.

And, after seeing Juan Miranda several times last year at Trenton, McKamey is accurate in marginalizing the Cuban defector as a hitter without a glove. He looked more like Pele than Mattingly booting balls around the infield last season.

At Least He's Got HOF Level Rants

This is a bit of old news I first saw at Fire Joe Morgan. I hadn't listened to the audio in its entirety until this morning and therefore missed some pretty funny stuff.

"Get In The Ring" by G'N'R comes to mind.



Flipping buffet tables must be fun. It's like Major League the movie but with real pitchers. Still, Todd Stottemyre ain't got a thing on Rickie Vaughn.

Even Trump Wouldn't Pay That Tab

If you have a couple extra million bucks stuck between the couch cushions, maybe you'd like to make an investment in Yankees season ticket packages.

This sale item is somehow still listed at StubHub.com:

Because the package is only available in five ticket quantities, the total bill works out to approximately $3.5 million. Carry the one, yes that's right.

And that's before adding Stubhub's other related charges which at last glance included fees for convenience, shipping and breathing.

[hat tip to LoHud poster Jennifer]

Joba Rules '08: Start Season In Pen?

The Yankees need to watch Joba Chamberlain's innings totals next season and one solution has become feasible, start the season with Joba in the bullpen.

According to the Daily News' Anthony McCarron, New York may use such an avenue to protect Chamberlain:

The Yankees envision Joba Chamberlain as a starter and they are eager to see what his blazing fastball and electric slider can do as part of their rotation. But the Bombers also are concerned about how many innings the 22-year-old will throw next season, so Chamberlain may start the year in the bullpen.

"We're going to prepare him as a starter and we see him as a starter," Yankee GM Brian Cashman said yesterday. "But we have an innings limit that he won't exceed. How we manage the innings limit remains to be seen. The plan is to have him start, but there are a number of scenarios that we'll review."

Cashman refused to reveal Chamberlain's innings limit. Asked if Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy have limits as well, Cashman said, "We'll manage innings limits on everyone who's got them."

Cashman first talked about using Chamberlain in the bullpen next season during an appearance on the YES Network on Thursday.

This may be the most conceivable technique to limit Joba's innings while allowing him to spend the majority of the season pitching in the rotation.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press caught up with Phil Hughes who is in Tampa beginning his workouts. Here's what Hughes had to say on the ongoing trade rumors involving his name:

"I try to avoid the rumors the best I can, but you eventually hear it from friends [and] family," Hughes told The Associated Press in Tampa, Fla. "You never want to hear your name out there ... at least it's good to know that other teams think highly of you. I wouldn't say [it's been a] tough winter, but definitely an interesting one."

"I actually heard my name out there for the first time from my dad," Hughes said. "Then I just called my agent to see if there's anything to it, and found there was. That's the exact of the contact I've had."

Hughes is focused on the one thing he can control, preparing for the 2008 season. He started a throwing program four weeks ago.

"I want to get on a mound before spring training starts, and maybe get four or five bullpens in," Hughes said. "Physically, everything is good."

Two other pitching prospects, Humberto Sanchez and Andrew Brackman, are taking part in throwing programs after elbow ligament replacement surgery last year.

Sanchez, one of three pitchers obtained from Detroit for outfielder Gary Sheffield, expects to throw off a mound by late next month.

"It's going well," Sanchez said. "So far, so good. We're on the right track. Hopefully there are no setbacks."

As usual, the kid says all the right things. It will be interesting to see the progress Sanchez and Brackman can make over the next 12 months.


McNamee After Rocket's Behind

In other news, Brian McNamee is trying to whip Roger Clemens' ass, literally.

McNamee contends Clemens developed an abscess on his buttocks in 1998 and implied it came from frequent needle use. The Toronto Blue Jays staff disputed McNamee's claims, saying they "did not recall Clemens having an abscess."

This whole thing is really getting down-in-the-dumps dirty. And that's not metaphorical, this is just some foul garbage.

Bud Selig needs to alter Major League Baseball's advertising slogan and it should read like this:

MLB: Giving You Steroids & Santana 24 Hours A Day!

-