Santana

# T90210 January 9th, 2008 at 8:56 am

#10 intrigues me the most, Brackman. He is going to be a stud. If he had been healthy last season, he would be in the top-4.

No Humberto Sanchez on that list, huh? Interesting. Any idea where he falls.

Cairo has signed on with the Mariners. Loved that guy!

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/01/09/mariners-sign-miguel-cairo/
# jennifer January 9th, 2008 at 9:01 am

Go Miggy!

I’m hoping some of those guys make huge impacts on the big league team this year.
# Phil January 9th, 2008 at 9:06 am

Good news for Cairo…he’s a good guy with a great attitude. I wish him all the success in the world.
# Fleas (Save Hughes::Get Johan Now!) January 9th, 2008 at 9:25 am

ugh..

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-sphank095531033jan09,0,2874478.story

I don’t blame Hank here.. I wouldn’t go more than 5 years myself. I don’t know if I would tell anyone that though.
# GreenBeret7 January 9th, 2008 at 9:27 am

Not sure who thought the Sally League was a hitter’s league, but, it really isn’t. These are big ball parks down here and conditions can be rather brutal with the rains and winds. The hitters are usually about a year or two younger than the pitchers. People who are disregarding the talents of guys like Mitch Hillingoss and Seth Fortenberry are making a mistake. Right now, Hillingoss is a Wade Boggs type with outstanding speed and Fortenberry has a lot of O’Neill in him, both in talent and a little temper.
# GreenBeret7 January 9th, 2008 at 9:27 am

Not sure who thought the Sally League was a hitter’s league, but, it really isn’t. These are big ball parks down here and conditions can be rather brutal with the rains and winds. The hitters are usually about a year or two younger than the pitchers. People who are disregarding the talents of guys like Mitch Hillingoss and Seth Fortenberry are making a mistake. Right now, Hillingoss is a Wade Boggs type with outstanding speed and Fortenberry has a lot of O’Neill in him, both in talent and a little temper.
# Fleas (Save Hughes::Get Johan Now!) January 9th, 2008 at 9:28 am

You really have to wonder why Johan did not make this deal happen. After all he is the power here. If he stepped up and said to to the Twins, “I want to go here, Get the deal done now” It seems to me that it would have been in his best interest for this to have happened quickly.. as well as the Twins best interests. Impulse buys usually command a much higher price.
# Jim PA January 9th, 2008 at 9:35 am

I think it’s remarkable how many people know who these kids are. A few years ago the average fan couldn’t name more than 1 or 2 prospects, and was more interested in what free agents were available. I like it.
# whozat January 9th, 2008 at 9:43 am

“You really have to wonder why Johan did not make this deal happen. After all he is the power here.”

Perhaps because he’s perfectly willing to go any number of places and isn’t going to screw his team out of a chance to make the best deal?
# GreenBeret7 January 9th, 2008 at 9:45 am

Jim, I live in Savannah, GA. I get to about 25-30 games a year when I’m in country and whenever Charleston is playing. I also get to about 25-30 games in Charleston, about 80 miles from here. I’ll make a few trips to Tampa and whenever Tampa is playing in Ft. Myers, Florida. Now that I’m retired, I’m going to live at the ballparks. You get to see some pretty good games very cheaply. The two kids`I mentioned plus Dunn are going to be good if they keep going and stay healthy. Really looking forward to seeing the new batch of kids like Suttle, Snyder and especially Sublett and Montero coming in this year.
# jennifer- Hip Hip Jorge January 9th, 2008 at 9:49 am

Isn’t what Hank doing tampering? He really needs to keep his mouth shut.
# TurnTwo January 9th, 2008 at 9:59 am

I like it. All Johan really wants is to get paid. His agent is looking for 7 years/$140 million, so I could see the Yankees come back at 5/$125 million. Yankees hold the commitment to 5 years, and Johan makes $25 million per year, and can still get back out on the market before he’s 35 for one last contract.

makes sense to me.
# TurnTwo January 9th, 2008 at 10:01 am

if what Hank is doing is tampering, the Mets did the same thing earlier this offseason when I heard a report on ESPN radio, where Minaya said that the Mets would offer a 7 year deal to Johan, even though they wouldnt go above 5 for Zito.
# Doug January 9th, 2008 at 10:01 am

Hank is great. Just letting Minn know where the bidding starts. Nothing wrong with that.
# jennifer- Hip Hip Jorge January 9th, 2008 at 10:04 am

woo hoo I just got my Yankee tickets for Baltimore. YIPPEEE
# i miss bernie January 9th, 2008 at 10:04 am

turn 2
bad negotiating, he asked for 7/140, you came back at 5/125 meaning you passed on 2 extra years for 7.5M each.
# Boston Dave January 9th, 2008 at 10:07 am

Hank needs to shut his mouth. I know SJ44 defends him and says “no harm done” but its only a matter of time. His comments haven’t helped either. Hank is a businessman and I don’t think there are many successful businessmen who handle their dealings this way. Its going to rub people the wrong way - prob already has.
# Boston Dave January 9th, 2008 at 10:10 am

Turntwo - you would rather give 5/125 than 7/140 ?? Why not get 2 more yrs at 7.5 per ? Contracts are insured if he gets hurt.
# i miss bernie January 9th, 2008 at 10:11 am

bd
im pretty sure a tampering charge would only bring a fine, so if hank wants to take that chance, its his money
# raymagnetic January 9th, 2008 at 10:13 am

“turn 2
bad negotiating, he asked for 7/140, you came back at 5/125 meaning you passed on 2 extra years for 7.5M each.”

If Andy Pettitte is getting 16 Mil this year, do you not think that when Santana is 34 he can earn more than that if he stays healthy?

If you don’t think he’ll be healthy in 5 years then what’s the point of the Yankees signing him?

I don’t see Santana signing for 5 years or leaving any money on the table.

He doesn’t need to. On the open market he’s going to get 7 years and it wouldn’t be that surprising if he got $154 to $175 million. The Mets alone would probably meet any of his contract demands. But Santana would have the Yankees, Mets, Sox and perhaps the Angels (among many others) bidding on him.

He’s not just going to “settle” for what the yankees are willing to give him or for that matter what the sox are willing to give him. If he doesn’t like the parameters he won’t sign an extension or won’t approve the deal.

He has all the leverage in this.









BC.

i dont know how to get into the Twolves Blog.. but i would love to see the rant..

Yanks wont give Johan more then a 5 year deal? .. reported on mlbtraderumors.com

wow, that throws a wrench into the whole deal.. looks like the Yankees talked their way out of the trade after all! Really no surprise though.. apparently people from New York have issues with shutting they d*mn mouth..
just kidding roundabout.. its only hank that wont shut it..

Dang, Anyone read the Article on the Eden Prairie HS Kids and Facebook?

I remember those days! WE had a HUGE New Years party in HS and one of the Teachers daughters showed up.. Then she reported us all to the Principal..
pretty comical.. since everyone knows she is the one who turned us in! haha

but yea, High School kids will always drink.. can’t stop, won’t stop..

i feel bad for the poor individual who turned in the photos.. if its anything like my situation.. the girl will go from being popular and having friends, to being a school b*tch.. and thats a tough way to go!

hanks really not that smart for saying what he is willing to sign him too before he even gets a trade nailed down. his inexperience with all this power is certainly showing, i havent even heard from cashman this winter. hes threatening santana with a 5 year deal before he even has the window to negotiate. call me old fashioned, but i believe the details of a contract and/or trade should not be made public until the deal is finished, for two reasons, one it gives the player a one up, two it gives other teams a one up, because they both already know what you intend to do. someone get hank a running a major league baseball team for dummies book please



"Wouldn't saying that be considered tampering?"

Apparently not. I mean, seriously, can we give this a rest already? If an owner, team president, GM, etc, keeps making all of these public comments, and nobody that matters (ie -- someone from the commissioner's office) says anything about it, then it's not tampering. Besides, in this case, Hank's comments would tend to make Santana LESS likely to use his NTC to force a trade to the Yankees, not more.

Now, I suppose we can argue about whether this stuff should be considered tampering if that really makes us happy, but tampering isn't defined by us posting here on this board, or by sportwriters or bloggers. It's defined by MLB, and there's been no indication that MLB has any real problem with Hank's big mouth. Or Omar Minaya's. Or Arte Moreno's. Or even Scott Boras'.


as far as tampering goes, i really dont care. if he tampered, does it matter right now? this certainly wont help him acquire santana. its almost like he is trying to undermind the twins by showing how strong his pimp hand is. technically its not tampering, hes just a whiner at this point since he wont come up with what the twins asked for.



I disagree with most of you. The yankees have money they can eat. They dont want to get stuck paying Johan 15 mil a year for his 36 and 37 seasons when he might possibly be breaking down. I think its a smart move. I will take Johan for 5/120 over 7/140 every day.


04forever, how does it make him a whiner? Is Theo Epstein a whiner because he doesnt want to give upp ellsbury and lester in the same deal? The Redsox wont come up with what the twins want either obviously, or a deal would be done. So are they whiners too? It is called being smart and not wanting to trade Hughes and sign a guy to a 7 year deal. And Hughes is better then any one guy that Boston is offering anyway, so it makes the decision harder.



"ask for the same thing arod got 275 million for 10 years, and will probably get some offers."

Any GM that gives a pitcher a 10 year contract, even at 10 mil per should be fired on the spot.


If any GM ever gives a pitcher 10/275, they should be hanghed in publick and pelted with tomatoes before they die. Seriously.


I love how people always say pitching wins championships, not hitting. You have to hit and pitch. The Padres and Dodgers both had sick rotations. They both didnt hit at all. They didnt make the playoffs. The Phillies won the division with no pitching, and the Rockies went to the world series with no pitching. Jaff Francis is a solid number 3 type of guy, but he was their best pitcher. Aaron Cook? Seriously? Boston can hit and pitch, and thats what you have to do. Pitching doesnt win championships, getting a group of pitchers hot at the right time wins championships. Its a crapshoot in the playoffs. Look at the Cards from a couple years ago. They had Carp and a bunch of stinky garbage in their rotation and proceeded to beat a Tiger team consiting of Bonderman, Verlander, Rogers, all who had big time seasons in 06. Not saying pitching doesnt help, but you still have to be able to hit, and you still need some guys to get hot and carry you through the playoffs.



nrmax88

the difference between the sox and the yankees is black and white.

first off, hank is a newly appointed whatever the hell he is, vice president i guess, theo is a general manager. theo cant/wont say anything because he knows better, its not good policy to run your mouth off. hank is acting like a pissed off teenager, telling the twins they offered the best deal, they can offer the most money, they tampered with this deal as much as up to 3 times with hanks loud mouth. hanks loud mouth makes him a whinner, the reason why he is whinning isnt really the point here. hes inpatient and is hurting the yanks chances by giving up that information, cashman must want to quit his job, considering he hasnt really had any say in any deal this year, hanks overruled him on everything anyway


hank kind of reminds me of the rock from wwe, he might as well end every sentence with "know your roll, and shut your mouth!"




man so the yanks wont give him more than 5 yrs so i bet he still go there ... that means if johan will go to yanks and bo sox for 5 yrs ...the mets have to give him 6 or 7 to get him to wave ntc ,..... that would be messed up

Posted by: Dee Edge | January 09, 2008 at 08:14 AM

Wouldn't saying that be considered tampering?
Cashman must be counting the days until he is out of there. Do they even allow him to make decisions anymore?

Posted by: st1ckboy | January 09, 2008 at 08:17 AM

I actually believe this; it would be just the sort of mistake Hank would make.

Santana's agent said he's looking for 7/140. Hank will probably come back with 5/125... fewer years, but more per year.

The mistake is that the Yankees would get 2 fewer years for only 15 million or so less. 7.5m per year for Santana's age 35 and 36 seasons? Hell, even if he was league average those years, he'd be worth it. The risk is worth the extra money.

Posted by: metafrantic | January 09, 2008 at 08:37 AM

Tampering is a very fine line. As much as I hate hank I dont think this would qualify as tampering. I have heard (yet not from a reliable source) that Cashman will be out the door at the end of the 08 contract. If they are not going to let him do his job, there is no point in him being there. He has been doing his best to rebuild the 90's yankees team and hank is about to demolish all his work with one fell swoop.

However. my take on the situation as i've posted before, is that the yankees are not really interested in Johan. After signing Arod, they lose giambi after 08, they lose mussina i believe after 08, they lose pettite if he retires after 08, they just lost clemens, the pattern is they are trying to free up the payroll for a big signing in '09 for the new stadium. I dont believe they are actually interested, and i believe hanks mouth is proving it. He is trying his hardest to get the red sox to lose some players that are not disposable income. They have plenty of young starters, lester is not really a necessity to this red sox team. crisp is replaced by ellsbury. and lowrie and masterson are not MLB ready yet according to most sources. Ellsbury also is disposable as good as he is. There is an abundance of good outfielders between the current roster and their minor league system. dont forget if they hold crisp, they still possess the best defensive center fielder in the A.L. maybe short of torii hunter, and a great deal of speed to go along with an average bat. The yankees want the sox to up their deal and actually lose something in this trade. The yankees would be retarded to trade hughes. melky i can see being traded as the yanks have too many outfielders as it is, but hughes is a dominant young pitcher who has already shown before his injury that he has what it takes to perform in the Majors. keep in mind his 6 inning no hitter the day he got injured. If you dont think hes workin his ass off to get back in top form you are retarded. Hughes is a great asset to this organization. So as i said my prediction: This will go on until the twins have no time left to trade Johan (Johan said he will not waive his clause once the spring training begins) at which time Johan will be putting on a boston jersey. This new peice of info basically reiterates what i just said. The sox said they will give him 7 years 150 million if thats what he wants. why would he go to the yankees for 5 years 100 million? it just doesn't make sense.

Posted by: Santana/Beckett FTW | January 09, 2008 at 08:41 AM

And metafrantic i agree with you entirely. the whole situation doesn't make sense. hanks a fool lol.

Posted by: Santana/Beckett FTW | January 09, 2008 at 08:45 AM

Also pitcher prices are going to go up. they are saying that by 2010 we will see a pitcher (most likely josh beckett or someone of his caliber) ask for the same thing arod got 275 million for 10 years, and will probably get some offers. pitching is such a necessity and as is proven year after year hitting doesn't win u a championship. pitching does. Diamondbacks, red sox, marlins, were all pitching teams. that covers the last like 5 years?

Posted by: Santana/Beckett FTW | January 09, 2008 at 08:47 AM

I think it's not tampering because they are involved in negotiations with Santana’s team?… It’s only tampering if the Twins file charges against the yankees with MLB. As long as there is a potential trade on the table between the two teams the Twins will not file charges.Hank needs to shut up and He's a bad businessman.

if what Hank is doing is tampering, the Mets did the same thing earlier this offseason when I heard a report on ESPN radio, where Minaya said that the Mets would offer a 7 year deal to Johan, even though they wouldnt go above 5 for Zito.

Posted by: Arcthelad09 | January 09, 2008 at 10:10 AM

Hank Hearts Cash


http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spyside075491318dec07,0,5598267.story

From Kat O'Brien -

"We haven't discussed [Brian Cashman's] extension yet, but he's part of the Yankee family and has been for 21 years. I don't see any reason to not continue that."

"He's busy, we're busy, there just hasn't been any detailed discussion about that," Steinbrenner said. "Is Brian's job on the line because of what the team does this year? No, that's sensationalism to say it's based on 2008 ... I'm very pleased with what Brian and Damon [Oppenheimer] and Mark Newman and all the scouts and people have done with the drafts, with the last three drafts."

Looks like Brian can write his own ticket when it comes to Hank.

http://www.nj.com/yankees/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-2/119959777672890.xml&coll=1&thispage=1


On his relationship with general manager Brian Cashman:

"(Brian) can be more conservative with our money than we are. He put back together our organization. I've always told him, there are things that have to be my final decision. But he's the general manager, and he has the right to try and talk me out of it. And he has talked me out of it."


Theo aka Flip-flopper, I thought He quit and then went back to Redsox in gorilla outfit so Redsox can finish Josh Beckett trade.. Gimme me break.

Posted by: Arcthelad09 | January 09, 2008 at 10:11 AM

hanks really not that smart for saying what he is willing to sign him too before he even gets a trade nailed down. his inexperience with all this power is certainly showing, i havent even heard from cashman this winter. hes threatening santana with a 5 year deal before he even has the window to negotiate. call me old fashioned, but i believe the details of a contract and/or trade should not be made public until the deal is finished, for two reasons, one it gives the player a one up, two it gives other teams a one up, because they both already know what you intend to do. someone get hank a running a major league baseball team for dummies book please

Posted by: 04Forever | January 09, 2008 at 11:31 AM

"Wouldn't saying that be considered tampering?"

Apparently not. I mean, seriously, can we give this a rest already? If an owner, team president, GM, etc, keeps making all of these public comments, and nobody that matters (ie -- someone from the commissioner's office) says anything about it, then it's not tampering. Besides, in this case, Hank's comments would tend to make Santana LESS likely to use his NTC to force a trade to the Yankees, not more.

Now, I suppose we can argue about whether this stuff should be considered tampering if that really makes us happy, but tampering isn't defined by us posting here on this board, or by sportwriters or bloggers. It's defined by MLB, and there's been no indication that MLB has any real problem with Hank's big mouth. Or Omar Minaya's. Or Arte Moreno's. Or even Scott Boras'.

Posted by: mac_1103 | January 09, 2008 at 12:20 PM

as far as tampering goes, i really dont care. if he tampered, does it matter right now? this certainly wont help him acquire santana. its almost like he is trying to undermind the twins by showing how strong his pimp hand is. technically its not tampering, hes just a whiner at this point since he wont come up with what the twins asked for.

Posted by: 04Forever | January 09, 2008 at 01:07 PM

I disagree with most of you. The yankees have money they can eat. They dont want to get stuck paying Johan 15 mil a year for his 36 and 37 seasons when he might possibly be breaking down. I think its a smart move. I will take Johan for 5/120 over 7/140 every day.

I would say same thing. I wish this would go away about as much as i hope the Redsox organization would go away..

The guys name alone tells you why he will never believe Clemens (Piazza). I would be willing to bet he would be the guy tha McNamee could recant and he would still say Clemens is guilty and paid McNamee off.

Met fans will always want Clemens and the Yankees to go down anyway they can. What is amazing to me is it was THEIR clubhouse guy that was caught dealing it. I guess I need to scour their boards and see how the fans reacted when he went down. Was pp buzzing about it, when Radomski(sp?) got caught?


What it comes down to is you can't have a rational discussion with an irrational person. Oh, and don't forget--- FUCK THE METS!!! FUCK THE RED SOX!!!

Anthony (nyc): what do u think of george kontos the yanks?

Keith Law: (1:26 PM ET ) Decent fastball, not much else, bad delivery. Probably not a big leaguer at this point.


Of course he's not a major leaguer at this point, he is only ready for AA. What exactly does that mean? Are any prospects at single A level major leaguers yet? I don't think that Law thinks. I was going to say I don't think he thinks before typing, but I realized I did not need to be so specific.
put Kontos in the pen and he is probably a Major Leaguer by June or earlier. Law apparently isn't very aware of Kontos, who has a plus slider that was the best non-joba slider in the system last year. I don't blame him, I'm sure its hard to follow every prospect in baseball, but at-least mention that you don't know the guy well.

Quarterback Mallett leaves Michigan, is considering transfer to Tennessee

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3188170

Updated: January 9, 2008, 4:23 PM ET

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Ryan Mallett has left the Michigan football program, and the quarterback might be reunited with his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Tennessee.

[+] Enlarge
Ryan Mallett

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Ryan Mallett, who played in 11 games as a freshman, isn't thought to be suited for new coach Rich Rodriguez's spread offense.

"He's on his way home," his father, Jim Mallett told, The Associated Press on Wednesday. "We don't know where he's going to go yet, but we need to do something quick. We're going to visit three, four or five schools."

The former Texas Class 4A offensive player of the year may end up at Tennessee, which is considering hiring former Michigan offensive coordinator Mike DeBord and quarterbacks coach Scott Loeffler.

"If they're hired, that would be a real good possibility," Jim Mallett said. "Ryan really clicked with both coach DeBord and coach Loeffler during the last couple months of the season and during bowl practices, I've never seen Ryan throw the ball or read defenses as well as he did."

The Wolverines also lost another offensive player when wide receiver Adrian Arrington declared for the NFL draft. He caught 67 passes for 882 yards and eight touchdowns this season.

"Today is a very emotional day for me," Arrington said in a statement released by the school on Wednesday. "As much as I will miss my teammates, friends and Michigan football family, I have always dreamed about playing in the NFL.

"I believe that I am ready to take on this challenge and move on to the next level. Though I will be catching passes in another city starting next fall, I will always be a Michigan man."

Rich Rodriguez said Tuesday night he did not expect to coach Mallett, Arrington or wide receiver Mario Manningham at Michigan. Rodriguez said Arrington and Manningham would skip their senior seasons.

Manningham might be a first-round pick after catching 72 passes for 1,174 yards and 12 touchdowns and running 19 times for 119 yards and a score this season.

Mallett said his son also will consider transferring to Texas A&M, Arkansas and UCLA among other schools. After sitting out next season, he will have three years of eligibility.

"Several schools have called and we're still open-minded about any program that runs a pro-style offense," he said. "He's going to enroll this semester, so we've got to get moving."

Mallett played in 11 games as a freshman, filling in for Chad Henne when he was injured. He was 61-of-141 for 892 yards with seven touchdown passes and five interceptions.

As soon as Lloyd Carr retired and Rodriguez was hired, Mallett's days seemed to be numbered because of Rodriguez's spread offense that has featured mobile quarterbacks.

"It just wasn't a fit and yet, it was a hard decision," Jim Mallett said. "When he came home for Christmas, he told me and my wife that he really was falling in love with being at Michigan.

"Ryan wants to thank coach Carr, his staff and all the players for helping him have a great experience the past year."

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Prince leaving Notre Dame; three returning for fifth season

Associated Press

Updated: January 9, 2008, 11:45 AM ET

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3187881

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame cornerback Munir Prince has decided to transfer to Missouri, and three other Irish players have applied to return for fifth years.

Linebacker Maurice Crum Jr., a captain of last year's team, defensive end Justin Brown and cornerback Terrail Lambert have applied to the university to return next season for their final year of eligibility. While other schools redshirt players, Notre Dame players who do not participate for a season must earn their degrees and apply for permission to return for another season.

Crum was fourth on the team in tackles last season with 84. Lambert had 34 tackles and Brown made 30.

Prince, one of the quickest players on the Irish roster, was a tailback as a freshman, carrying the ball 15 times for 21 yards. He switched to cornerback last season and was in 10 games, making three tackles. He has decided to transfer to Missouri.

Both starting cornerbacks, Lambert and sophomore Darrin Walls, are expected back next season, and Prince was also behind several other reserves.

"After talking with Munir, he decided he'd like to leave our football team and the university," coach Charlie Weis said Tuesday. "I appreciate all Munir has done for our program and Notre Dame and wish him well in the future."

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Cushing said earlier in the year that he was committed to coming back. (Most likely due to nagging ankle injury)

The stupid ABC announcers at the Rose Bowl got the whole thing going for Rey. Rey shut them up pretty quickly following the game saying "The NFL cant offer me enough money to leave early"


True, the quote from Rey after the Rosebowl:

"There is no amount of money that anyone can offer me to leave for the NFL. This game has no factor in my decision making. The league's not going to go away. I'm having the greatest time of my life here. I'm going to come back and do it again next year and hopefully get a national championship."

Sounds like his mind is made up.

______________________________________________________________________
1st Mock for the 2008 Draft= 12-10-07

1.DT Sedrick Ellis........ 6-2, 295, 4.95..... Mcfadden & Dorsey are gone.
2.RB Jonathan Stewart 6-0, 235, 4.40..... Tashard is 2nd Choice.
2.QB Joe Flacco............6-6, 230, 4.90..... Best QB for the pick, strong arm .
3.ILB Ben Moffit........... 6-2, 245, 4.55..... Future replacment for Mr Falcon.
4.OT Heath Benedict.... 6-6, 320, 5.15..... A lot of geat deals at OT.
4.OT Shannon Boatman 6-7, 315, 5.10..... We need the depth here.
5.DT Dre Moore............ 6-4, 311, 4.90..... DT Steal of the draft, Need 2.
6.DE Adam Oliver......... 6-4, 265, 4.85..... Need depth in case of injury .
6.K Art Carmody.......... 5-8, 165, 5.10..... Take the best K this year.
7.S Jamal Lewis........... 6-0, 200, 4.50..... Good deal for depth.

Jets Jets | Daniels signed to futures contract
Quote:
(KFFL) Rich Cimini, of the New York Daily News, reports the New York Jets have signed free-agent OL Stanley Daniels (Jets) to a futures contract. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. Wed Jan 9 12:13:00 p.m. ET 2


The Jets made a couple of minor moves yesterday, signing two players to future contracts — former Raiders LB Darnell Bing and former Rams OG Stanley Daniels.

Bing, a former standout at Southern Cal, was a fourth-round pick of the Raiders in 2006. He spent the 2006 season on injured reserve, got cut, spent a couple of months with the 49ers and got cut before the ’07 opener.

If Daniels’ name rings a bell, you have an unbelievable memory. He was in camp for four days with the Jets this past summer. I’ll come clean: I had no idea until I googled him. Actually, he was released when No. 1 pick Darrelle Revis ended his lengthy contract dispute.

Doesn’t it seem like yesterday? Uh, not really.

The Jets also worked out former Broncos TE Wesley Duke, a former college basketball player. Everybody is looking for the next Antonio Gates. Keep looking, fellas, it could take a while.

The Jets signed an offensive lineman yesterday! We brought in former Rams guard Stanley Daniels, the man who the Jets released when they signed number one pick Darrelle Revis. That's probably the only way you would know him.

We also signed a linebacker from Rob Ryan's squad! Oh, this is good. The guy's name is Darnell Bing, and he was cut by the Niners before the start of this past season after spending all of '06 on injured reserve with Oakland.
Jets Jets | Bing signed to futures contract

Quote:
(KFFL) Rich Cimini, of the New York Daily News, reports the New York Jets have signed free-agent SS Darnell Bing (49ers) to a futures contract. Terms of the contract were not disclosed.

he Jets made a couple of minor moves yesterday, signing two players to future contracts — former Raiders LB Darnell Bing and former Rams OG Stanley Daniels.

Bing, a former standout at Southern Cal, was a fourth-round pick of the Raiders in 2006. He spent the 2006 season on injured reserve, got cut, spent a couple of months with the 49ers and got cut before the ’07 opener.

If Daniels’ name rings a bell, you have an unbelievable memory. He was in camp for four days with the Jets this past summer. I’ll come clean: I had no idea until I googled him. Actually, he was released when No. 1 pick Darrelle Revis ended his lengthy contract dispute.

Doesn’t it seem like yesterday? Uh, not really.

The Jets also worked out former Broncos TE Wesley Duke, a former college basketball player. Everybody is looking for the next Antonio Gates. Keep looking, fellas, it could take a while.

The Jets signed an offensive lineman yesterday! We brought in former Rams guard Stanley Daniels, the man who the Jets released when they signed number one pick Darrelle Revis. That's probably the only way you would know him.

We also signed a linebacker from Rob Ryan's squad! Oh, this is good. The guy's name is Darnell Bing, and he was cut by the Niners before the start of this past season after spending all of '06 on injured reserve with Oakland.
__________________
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(KFFL) Rich Cimini, of the New York Daily News, reports the New York Jets worked out free-agent TE Wesley Duke (Broncos) Tuesday, Jan. 8. Wed Jan 9 12:15:00 p.m. ET 2008

Romo lashes out at ESPN star
2:36 PM Wed, Jan 09, 2008 | Permalink
Tim MacMahon E-mail News tips

We'll find out Sunday whether Tony Romo can shake off a late-season slump and get back into Pro Bowl form on the field. But there's no doubt that his wit is as sharp as ever.

ESPN star Ed Werder asked Romo whether it bothered him that he's not given the benefit of the doubt regarding off-field activities after the great season he had. Romo replied that he didn't care and wasn't worried about perception.

"I'm going to be able to sleep at night," Romo said. "I know it's tough on you with that haircut for you to sleep at night."

Ed took the insult like a man, which is a good thing. Would have hated to see tears cause his makeup to run.

----------------------------

in other Romo hating news............

Eli's better than Romo
2:47 PM Wed, Jan 09, 2008 | Permalink
Tim MacMahon E-mail News tips

So says SI.com's Don Banks, who ranked the eight quarterbacks still playing. He put Tony Romo at No. 5, one spot behind Eli Manning.

5. Tony Romo -- One touchdown pass, five interceptions, five sacks, three fumbles, one sore thumb and one over-exposed girlfriend (you know what we mean) in his past three games. For a second straight December, he went from Romo to No-Mo (as in, no momentum).

Call me crazy, but I'd still take the two-time Pro Bowler over the guy who only goes to Hawaii to watch his big brother.

----------------------------

I'm sorry but this is getting crazy and personally i'm starting to love every bit of it.....i'm at the point where i have absoluetely ZERO doubt in my mind that Romo is going to play Great, as will the Cowboys on Sunday in a HUGE playoff win.

keep the hate coming.....you play with fire and you will get burned


Thank you Romo. Ed Werder is a complete clown also known as the "Weasel" by Bill Parcells. He's always trying to stir something with his speculation about whats going on in the Boys locker room and always has an "unamed source" that feeds him his info, this guy is full of complete garbage.

Eli Manning, Jessica Simpson and Brandon Jacobs

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs07/columns/story?columnist=wickersham_seth&id=3186421

Cowboys will lose, but don't blame Jessica


With Eli Manning hot (6 TD passes past two games), Jessica Simpson distracting (Tony Romo fling) and Brandon Jacobs on a roll (5 yards per carry), the Giants are a lock Sunday, Seth Wickersham writes.

What's that? You want nine reasons the fifth-seeded Giants will beat the top-seeded Cowboys? Sure, in a New York -- er, New Jersey -- minute.

1. Eli Manning

Note that it's "Eli Manning" and not "The Eli Manning Factor." Now, that's not to say Manning is forever over his inconsistent ways. In fact, Cowboys fans are praying he regresses into one of his 13-of-38 afternoons. But it won't happen, not this Sunday. Not when Manning has hit 42 of his past 59 passes with six touchdowns and one interception against teams with a combined 25-7 record. Not against a defense that, since November, has struggled to stop Aaron Rodgers, Jon Kitna, Jason Campbell, Todd Collins and, in stretches, even Matt Moore.

Divisional Playoff Upsets, 2000-06
Home teams have posted a 20-8 record in the divisional round since 2000. Four of the road victories featured No. 3 seeds' defeating No. 2 seeds. The top seed has lost three times: fourth-seeded Baltimore defeated Tennessee after the 2000 season; sixth-seeded Pittsburgh defeated Indianapolis following the 2005 season; and fourth-seeded New England defeated San Diego last season.

Here's a closer look at the eight games in question (conference seedings in parenthesis before team names):

Jan. 14, 2007
(4) Patriots 24, (1) Chargers 21
Tom Brady tossed three interceptions and the New England ground game managed only 51 yards, but the Patriots scored 11 points in the final 4:36 to shock the Chargers.

Seeding note: The Patriots (12-4) won the AFC East while the Chargers (14-2) ran away with the AFC West.

Jan. 13, 2007
(3) Colts 15, (2) Ravens 6
The teams combined for seven field goals without a miss. Adam Vinatieri made kicks from 23, 42, 51, 48 and 35 yards for the Colts. The Colts' Peyton Manning and the Ravens' Steve McNair each tossed two interceptions.

Seeding note: One game separated the Ravens (13-3) and Colts (12-4) in the conference standings.

Jan. 15, 2006
(5) Panthers 29, (2) Bears 21
Steve Smith caught 12 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns for the Panthers. Chicago's Rex Grossman completed only 17 of 41 passes with one touchdown and one interception.

Seeding note: Chicago and Carolina finished the regular season with 11-5 records.

Jan. 15, 2006
(6) Steelers 21, (1) Colts 18
The Steelers jumped to a 21-3 lead and held on even though a botched replay ruling wiped out Troy Polamalu's fourth-quarter interception. Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt missed from 46 yards with 21 seconds remaining.

Seeding note: The Steelers (11-5) finished behind Cincinnati (11-5) in the AFC North before knocking off the Colts (14-2).

Jan. 11, 2004
(3) Colts 38, (2) Chiefs 31
Peyton Manning tossed three touchdown passes without an interception, enough to overcome the Chiefs' 196-yard rushing performance.

Seeding note: The Colts (12-4) edged Tennessee (12-4) for the AFC South title before defeating the AFC West champion Chiefs (13-3).

Jan. 10, 2004
(3) Panthers 29, (2) Rams 23
The Rams overcame an 11-point deficit in the final three minutes of regulation, but Jake Delhomme's 69-yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith ended the game in double overtime.

Seeding note: Carolina won the NFC South with an 11-5 record. The Rams (12-4) won the NFC West.

Jan. 19, 2002
(3) Eagles 33, (2) Bears 19
The Eagles' Donovan McNabb tossed two touchdown passes. The Bears' Shane Matthews tossed two interceptions.

Seeding note: The Eagles won the NFC East and the third seed with an 11-5 record. The Bears (13-3) edged Green Bay (12-4) for the NFC Central crown.

Jan. 7, 2001
(4) Ravens 24, (1) Titans 10
The Ravens won despite finishing with five completed passes, six first downs and a 2.1-yard rushing average. The Titans possessed the ball for more than 40 minutes, but the Ravens scored twice on returns.

Seeding note: The Titans were 13-3 during regular season, edging the Ravens (12-4) for AFC Central title, relegating Baltimore to wild-card status.

• Playoff Upsets: By the numbers

-- Mike Sando
Watching Manning the past few weeks: He's shaking secondaries around with his eyes, freezing them with pump fakes, hanging in the pocket and finding the open guy -- and the Giants' pass-catchers, after leading the NFL in drops with 42, are holding on to the ball. Manning won't be fazed by two losses to Dallas this year. His confidence, after all, is sky high because …

2. The loss to New England was a good thing

Tom Coughlin made the right call in playing his starters against the Patriots in Week 17, even if it cost him a few of them. He put it on his players to dig deep against the best regular-season team in history, and they responded, even though they lost. Now, the Giants think, "Hey, we almost -- maybe even should have -- beat the Patriots. Why should we fear anyone else?" Last Sunday, that meant the Bucs. This Sunday, the Cowboys.

Hang around the Giants for a little while, and you hardly recognize them. Last year's famously divided locker room is now tight and confident. Guys pass each other and say hi. Players rumored to be prima donnas (Plaxico Burress) are leaders. Leaders who specialized in self-promotion (Tiki Barber) are gone. Nowhere in this group will you find a player who, oh, declares the star quarterback's girlfriend unwelcome around the team and its fans. Which leads us to …

3. Jessica Simpson

No, she's not a problem. Nor was Tony Romo vacationing with her last week in Mexico. But the media's talking about their relationship can be a problem, not to mention an infuriating irritation for those involved. On Tuesday, there were three headlines in Dallas-area newspapers referring to Romo's bye-week vacation, compared to one about Terrell Owens' injured ankle. In Dallas, they're talking about Mexico. In New York, they're talking about how …

4. The Giants are hot

By any objective measure, the Cowboys are a better team than the Giants, with a better coach, better quarterback, better weapons, not to mention 12 Pro Bowlers. But the Giants have been the better team during the past month, and being hot matters more than being a No. 1 seed. Just ask the '06 Chargers, '05 Colts, and the '04 and '01 Steelers. And the Giants are on a roll in part because …

5. They can run

Among backs with 1,000 or more yards, only Adrian Peterson and Fred Taylor averaged more yards per carry than Brandon Jacobs' 5.0. He's the next Larry Johnson, minus the enigma factor. Mix in Ahmad Bradshaw (17 carries for 151 yards against the Bills in Week 16), and New York has enough to keep Dallas off balance and control the clock. And time of possession will be a headache for the Cowboys because …

6. They can't run

Not consistently, anyway. Rushing yards the past five games: 105, 87, 53, 148, 1. (1!) Which wouldn't be such a big deal, but …

7. Dallas has serious questions at receiver

We know about T.O.'s ankle. He'll gut it out, like he did in Super Bowl XXXIX. But how effective will he be? Suddenly, the guy who elevates Dallas' passing game to another level might not even merit a double team. The Cowboys are happy to have Terry Glenn back, but who knows what kind of threat he will be after missing virtually the entire season. Their timing will be off, unlike that of the Giants' offense, which is reaping the benefits of the fact that …

8. The rest of the '04 QB class has arrived

Three playoff teams -- Pittsburgh, New York and San Diego -- put the game into the hands of their respective first-round quarterback from 2004. Opposing defenses wanted the game in the hands of those quarterbacks. Well, the one with the most playoff success in the past, Ben Roethlisberger, turned the ball over four times. The ones who hadn't won a playoff game, Manning and Philip Rivers, carried their teams to wins. Now, amazingly, Manning has had more playoff success than Romo, not to mention …

9. Two good thumbs

Seth Wickersham is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and a columnist for ESPN.com. For Wick's Picks, click here.

Superman had Kryptonite, the top four seeds have these weaknesses

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs07/insider/news/story?id=3187069

New England, Indianapolis, Dallas and Green Bay have been the four dominant teams all season. But even Superman had his Kryptonite, so here are the biggest weaknesses for the four top seeds in the NFL playoffs.


Dallas Cowboys

Who can save the Cowboys?

Terry Glenn is the player who can potentially alleviate the loss of Owens. Much like Owens, we do not know how much Glenn's knee injury will affect him against the Giants, but it does appear as though Glenn will make his first appearance of the 2007 season. In all honesty, he hasn't been missed, but when healthy, Glenn is a very dangerous wideout. He is a burner with exceptional body control. Glenn isn't nearly as big or physical as Owens, but he can change a game very quickly. It is hard to speculate if Glenn and Romo will have the live-action timing and comfort level with only practice reps to go off, but the Cowboys will have to count on their injured star if their injured superstar isn't able to contribute at his usual level.
The Dallas Cowboys offense revolves around Terrell Owens. Only one problem -- he suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 15 and his status is in jeopardy for Sunday's divisional playoff game against New York. No one is as much of a difference-maker for the Cowboys as Owens and much like Randy Moss in New England, Owens must be accounted for on every play and is nearly impossible to completely take out of the game.

But now he may not play and even if he does, how effective he'll be is up for debate. A high-ankle sprain limits how well he can push off, his speed, his cuts. Owens has nine catches for 212 yards and four TDs in two games against the Giants. He alters game plans and frees up other receivers to make plays for the Cowboys. Without him, or if he isn't 100 percent, the Cowboys offense -- namely the receiving corps -- is suddenly less intimidating. Can Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd and Terry Glenn pick up the slack? And don't forget this would be Glenn's first game all season. His timing, feel for the speed of the game and rhythm with QB Tony Romo is all a big question mark.

Jason Witten is among the best tight ends in the game, but without Owens, the Giants could take a safety that would normally be used to help out with TO and double Witten. Now the Cowboys would be without their two biggest threats. And if Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan and the Giants D-line gets pressure on Romo, it's not out of the question Witten stay in to help block, again eliminating a Romo favorite receiver. Or maybe it's a running back forced to stay in and block instead of releasing into the routes. Regardless, it puts pressure on the other unproven Cowboys receivers. Or it allows the Giants to creep a safety up into the box in an effort to stop the Dallas rushing attack.

Including Week 15, when Owens was injured, the Cowboys have scored just 32 points. Romo's QB rating in those three games were 22.2, 81.2 and 34.9 and he threw just one TD compared to five INTs. His offense has looked ordinary without TO. If Owens can't play or is just a shell of his healthy self, another ordinary offensive effort could end Dallas' season




According to Espn says X-factor against Giants is Terry Glenn. Who can save the Cowboys?

I think Terry Glenn is the player who can potentially alleviate the loss of Owens. Much like Owens, we do not know how much Glenn's knee injury will affect him against the Giants, but it does appear as though Glenn will make his first appearance of the 2007 season. In all honesty, he hasn't been missed, but when healthy, Glenn is a very dangerous wideout. He is a burner with exceptional body control. Glenn isn't nearly as big or physical as Owens, but he can change a game very quickly. It is hard to speculate if Glenn and Romo will have the live-action timing and comfort level with only practice reps to go off, but the Cowboys will have to count on their injured star if their injured superstar isn't able to contribute at his usual level.

The Dallas Cowboys offense revolves around Terrell Owens. Only one problem -- he suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 15 and his status is in jeopardy for Sunday's divisional playoff game against New York. No one is as much of a difference-maker for the Cowboys as Owens and much like Randy Moss in New England, Owens must be accounted for on every play and is nearly impossible to completely take out of the game.

But now he may not play and even if he does, how effective he'll be is up for debate. A high-ankle sprain limits how well he can push off, his speed, his cuts. Owens has nine catches for 212 yards and four TDs in two games against the Giants. He alters game plans and frees up other receivers to make plays for the Cowboys. Without him, or if he isn't 100 percent, the Cowboys offense -- namely the receiving corps -- is suddenly less intimidating. Can Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd and Terry Glenn pick up the slack? And don't forget this would be Glenn's first game all season. His timing, feel for the speed of the game and rhythm with QB Tony Romo is all a big question mark.

Jason Witten is among the best tight ends in the game, but without Owens, the Giants could take a safety that would normally be used to help out with TO and double Witten. Now the Cowboys would be without their two biggest threats. And if Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan and the Giants D-line gets pressure on Romo, it's not out of the question Witten stay in to help block, again eliminating a Romo favorite receiver. Or maybe it's a running back forced to stay in and block instead of releasing into the routes. Regardless, it puts pressure on the other unproven Cowboys receivers. Or it allows the Giants to creep a safety up into the box in an effort to stop the Dallas rushing attack.

Including Week 15, when Owens was injured, the Cowboys have scored just 32 points. Romo's QB rating in those three games were 22.2, 81.2 and 34.9 and he threw just one TD compared to five INTs. His offense has looked ordinary without TO. If Owens can't play or is just a shell of his healthy self, another ordinary offensive effort could end Dallas' season.

Indianapolis Colts

Who can save the Colts?

The key for Colts interior defense against the run is MLB Gary Brackett. Brackett, who handles the calls and adjustments within the Colts' defensive schemes, is having a highly productive season against both the run and pass. He has a full-time motor and flies around within the box. He lacks the size and strength to take on blockers, but makes up for it with his instincts and awareness when reacting off his run and pass keys. He must do a great job of staying disciplined within his gap control and maintaining leverage on the ball carrier when attacking downhill gaps to eliminate any inside seams between the tackles.
When studying the Colts, the one major weakness you see is their run defense. The Colts finished the season with the 15th-ranked run defense in the NFL, allowing 106.9 yards a game. While that's better than last season, when the Colts were last against the run and surrendering 66.1 more yards per game, there are still concerns here. Everything starts up front in defensive coordinator Ron Meeks' attacking, upfield schemes. The front four must hold its own against the run, while getting pressure on the quarterback. Even though the Colts have gotten consistent play from their linebacker corps when attacking downhill, there are still some spacing issues between the tackles. A lot of that comes from the Colts' defensive line focusing on creating pressure on the quarterback and vacating their gap responsibility, which creates different run seams between the tackles.

Another problem is the Colts have an undersized defensive line that averages 272 pounds, which is very light by NFL standards. But while Josh Thomas and Robert Mathis are undersized defensive ends who can be effective when on the move attacking up gaps and have functional strength, they struggle at the point of attack when staying square to the line-of-scrimmage. Neither is real explosive with their hands when separating off blocks. LDT Raheem Brock is an undersized interior player that compensates for his lack of weight with his quickness off the ball, while RDT Ed Johnson is somewhat of a space eater at 292 pounds.

The Colts are an attacking defense that relies on their defensive line to hit upfield gaps and disrupt the opposing team's blocking patterns. This can create a new line of scrimmage and allow their linebackers to react fast when attacking their downhill gap responsibilities that can change when the ball is snap. That's why the Colts' 43 scheme calls for the linebackers to have a lot of speed and the ability to recover once their gap disappears. The biggest concern that the Colts could face is against a team that attacks downhill (north-south) with power off-tackle schemes that could wear down the Colts' undersized front seven. Does that sound like a team from San Diego at all?

New England Patriots

Who can save the Patriots?

Vince Wilfork is the player who can make all the difference for the Patriots. He is a massive nose tackle who can either play two-gap read-and-react techniques or also penetrate through the A gaps. Wilfork is very effective at eating up blockers to keep his linebackers free. He routinely commands double teams from the center and at least one of the guards, and many times both guards and the center will be assigned to block him. That allows both inside linebackers to step up and fill without having to take on a block. When Wilfork is playing well, the Pats' inside run defense has a chance to be very successful. But if he doesn't protect the ILBs, the Jaguars will wear them out.
Hard to find chinks in New England's armor, but one is the Patriots' run defense, which struggled the last several weeks of the regular season. By running right at the New England defense, teams can negate the Patriots' athleticism and range and they are forced to play more physical than they would like. The Pats' biggest Achilles' heel on defense is their linebackers, especially inside. When they lost ROLB Rosevelt Colvin for the season with an injury, it forced them to move Adalius Thomas to the outside and insert Junior Seau as a starter. That robbed the Pats of their depth at that position. Both ILBs, Tedy Bruschi and Seau, are in the twilight of their careers and really struggle to make plays when they have to take on and shed blockers to get to the back. These two are at their best when they are protected by the big guys up front and can just flow to the ball.

Jacksonville has a big and physical offensive line and does a good job of fanning out and getting to the second level. The Jaguars run game can either go inside between the tackles, but is also adept at running the stretch play to the edge with Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor. This puts additional pressure on OLBs Thomas and Mike Vrabel.

Statistically, New England is still in the top third of the league in run defense, but is 26th in average gain per rush and a lot of those plays come on situations where the linebackers are occupied or when the Pats overpursue and give up some backside-cut runs. This is a defense that is smart and efficient, but it does not want to get into a phone-booth fist fight with the Jaguars -- and that's exactly what Jacksonville wants.

Scouts Inc. watches games, breaks down film and studies football from all angles for ESPN.com.

January 9, 2008
Giants bringing swagger into Dallas

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/giants/2008/01/giants-bringing-swagger-into-d.html

This continues to be one confident Giants team.

They have a right to be, of course, after how well they’ve played the last three weeks. They seem to have no fear of the Cowboys, who have beaten them 76-55 in two games this season. It doesn’t even seem to worry them that they’re 0-4 in games against elite teams this year (Dallas, Green Bay and New England), or that they’ve lost those games by a combined score of 149-103.

7wtok67s.JPGSo how do they refute the notion that they can’t beat an elite team?

“I refute that by telling you to come out Sunday and watch us,” said defensive end Justin Tuck.

“I most definitely think that we are playing (the Cowboys) at the right time,” added running back Brandon Jacobs. “I think we have come together, jelled a little bit more since the last time we played those guys. We’ve been playing a lot better. So I do think this is the right time to be playing those guys.”

***

Our man Ohm “Live Blog” Youngmisuk, who is already down in Dallas, tells me Terrell Owens and his ankle did not participate in the Cowboys’ practice today (Actually he didn’t tell me that. I read it on the injury report). He was the only one to sit out. Both WR Terry Glenn (knee) and G Andre Gurode (knee) practiced fully.

***

Speaking of ankles, WR Plaxico Burress today said he will not need offseason surgery to fix the sprained ligament in his ankle that has bothered him all season long. That’s some good news.

***

Say what you want about Tony Romo, but the guy gets it. Due to his high-profile social life, he’s probably covered by more media than any player in the league right now. Even his bye-week vacation to Mexico became big news. But here’s what he had to say about that:

“In some ways it would be awesome (if) you could just go play this game, live your life and enjoy everything that surrounds it,” he said. “But at the other end of the spectrum, part of you guys talking about it is what makes this game so popular. That’s what makes the fans and people want to come out there and support you. Without them, without the 60-70,000 people at the game, it wouldn’t be the same atmosphere. So it is what it is.”

I hope my man Willie Jo is reading this.

***

Speaking of Tony Romo … It turns out Jessica Simpson won’t be at the game on Sunday, according to reports, and I have to say, many of my colleagues seem disappointed. What did they think would happen – that she was going to come visit us in the press box and hand out her cell phone number or something?

***

The Giants signed OL Brandon Torrey (Howard) to their practice squad.

***

Once again, in my continuing effort to bring you more reasons to click on our Web site (at absolutely no extra cost to you or my employer), I present the audio version of my three keys for the Giants to beat the Cowboys. It is slightly different than the Big Blue Blueprint to Victory I compiled for today’s Daily News.

Tomorrow? More analysis, including the debut of The Blue Screen Web Cam. OK, it’s not really a Web cam. Nobody wants to watch me typing at my computer 20 hours per day (at no extra cost to my employer). But we will produce a video on which I will debate our NFL columnist, Gary Myers, on the finer points of the Giants-Cowboys matchup.

I’ll be the good-looking one making the most sense

EXTRA POINTS

Tom Coughlin has faced an opponent three times in a season once before. His Jacksonville team in 1999 went 14-2 and lost in the conference championship game. All three defeats were to the Tennessee Titans. ... Giants players are off Tuesday.

First-Round Picks
1. Devil Rays
2. Pirates
3. Royals
4. Orioles
5. Giants
6. Marlins
7. Reds
8. White Sox
9. Nationals
10. Astros
11. Rangers
12. Athletics
13. Cardinals
14. Twins
15. Dodgers
16. Brewers
17. Blue Jays
18. Mets (Tom Glavine, A, to Atl)
19. Cubs
20. Mariners
21. Tigers
22. Mets
23. Padres
24. Phillies
25. Rockies
26. Diamondbacks
27. Twins (Torii Hunter, A, to LAA)
28. Yankees
29. Indians
30. Red Sox
Supplemental First-Round Picks
31. Twins (Hunter)
32. Brewers (Franciso Cordero, A, to Cin)
33. Mets (Glavine)
34. Phillies (Aaron Rowand, A to SF)
35. Brewers (Scott Linebrink, A, to CWS)
36. Royals (David Riske, B, to KC)
37. Cardinals (Troy Percival, B, to TB)
38. Braves (Ron Mahay, B, to KC)
39. Cubs (Jason Kendall, B, to Mil)
40. Padres (Doug Brocail, B, to Hou)
41. Yankees (Luis Vizcaino, B, to Col)
42. Red Sox (Eric Gagne, B, to Mil)
Second-Round Changes
47. Phillies (Rowand to SF)
49. Brewers (Cordero to Cin)
50. Brewers (Linebrink to CWS)
69a. Braves (for failure to sign 2007 second-rounder Joshua Fields)
Third-Round Changes
84a. Red Sox (for failure to sign 2007 second-rounder Hunter Morris)
Supplemental Third-Round Picks
105. Phillies (for failure to sign 2007 third-rounder Brandon Workman)
106. Astros (for failure to sign 2007 third-rounder Derek Dietrich)
107. Padres (for failure to sign 2007 third-rounder Tommy Toledo)
108. Angels (for failure to sign 2007 third-rounder Matt Harvey)

*
o Sox fan comparing Jeter VS Youkilis




Recently, I saw a Yankees fan write that she wasn't scared of Youkilis at the plate. In fact, their exact words were, "if it’s the bottom of the ninth with a full count, I want Kevin up to bat". Now as someone who's been in the stands when Kevin's hit an incredible 2-out, game winning 2-run home run, I took offense to that. So I did a little research, and you might be surprised what I found out.

For the purposes of framing this argument, I'll use the old, played-out technique of Player A vs. Player B. And I apologize for doing this, but in this case, I think it's relative.

Player A hit .288/.390/.453 with 16 home runs and 83 RBI. They also hit .329/.429/.573 with runners scoring scoring position, driving in 67 runs in those 149 at bats.

Player B hit .322/.388/.452 with 12 home runs and 73 RBI. They also hit .354/.426/.456 with runners in scoring position, driving in 62 runs in those 147 at bats.

The numbers are eerily similar. I think most people would give the advantage to Player A. Even though he didn't hit for as much average he was more productive overall. As many may have already guessed based on the name of this article, the two players are Kevin Youkilis and Derek Jeter. And knowing that, an astute baseball fan can probably tell which player is which based on the averages and home run totals. But I doubt many baseball fans would have known that the two had such similar numbers.

Now knowing who the players are, Yankees fans may make the argument that while Youkilis drove in 10 more runs, Jeter scored 17 more runs. But that ignores the fact the Jeter had 558 at bats in the 2 spot of the order compared to Youkilis' 256. Over those at bats, Youkilis scored a run every 5.22 at bats. In that same spot in the order, Jeter scored a run every 6.2 at bats.

Now for another comparison. You already know who the players are, but this puts them on an even playing field without the name recognition of Jeter.

Player A has hit .309/.377/.469. in the postseason.

Player B has hit .373/.459/.725 in the postseason.

Judging by Jeter's reputation, I think most be inclined to put his name in place of the player with the better hitting line. And they'd be incorrect. Jeter is actually Player A. I concede here, Jeter has had a much longer history of doing well in the postseason. He has 495 postseson at bats compared to Youkilis' 51. But can you punish a player for what is out of his control? I don't think anyone would take Coco Crisp over Jacoby Ellsbury just because Crisp has had more at bats.



Here a Yankees fan could make the point that while Youkilis is a much better fielder, Derek Jeter is much more valuable on the bases. And indeed, they'd have a point here. Although Jeter had a bad year on the bases in 2007, getting caught more than half as many times as he stole a base, Jeter typically steals about 22 bases a year and gets caught five or six times. Youkilis typically steals five or six bases and gets caught twice.

If you look at Win Shares, Jeter finished with 24 last year, while Youkilis finished with 20. Those are rather similar numbers, especially when you consider that Jeter had much more playing time and played more of that time in front of the heart of his team's batting order.

Considering everything, it would appear as if the abilities of Youkilis and Jeter are very similar. You could even make the argument that Youkilis was the better player last year. Youkilis is also much younger, and has much less major league experience. His abilities may improve over the years. And of course he costs a fraction as much as Jeter.

So next time a Yankees fan tells you they're not scared of Youkilis, you can tell them that you're not afraid of Jeter then. Cause Youkilis outhit Jeter last year, especially in Jeter's trademark areas: with runners in scoring position and in the postseason. Then you can tell them that Youk's goatee was boss.



COMMENTS ?

A comparison between the two is way out of line. Jeter is a proven leader. Kevin, while a great athlete in his own right, he in my opinion will be out of baseball in a few years, he clearly lacks the tools to have a lengthy career. If he even loses a half step, he is out. Jeter, has many tools to fall back on. My wife is not a Jeter fan, she calls him "Sporty".

at the current time, not taking age into account, youk is a more dangerous hitter, anyone who denies that is out of their minds, and he walks to boot



read my post clown i said not taking age or point in their careeers or consistentcy into account



as of 1/9/08 youkilis is a better , today then jeter.... has nothing to do what jeter has done in the past , yes hes young and youk is old, but youk is a better hitter

youk is a walk machine with some power

jeter is a singles hitting strike out machine at this point in his career

read the post next time you try to flame


Look, your way out of touch. Your also wrong. Get real, if your going to discuss matters, do your homework, some people still do not even know who Youkilis is. I know he is a goofy slob, that took advantage of being new to the big leagues. I am betting he is in the last year or two of his career. He would not crack the lineup in the NL. Maybe pinch hit for Randy Johnson, and thats a BIG maybe

Funny how all those ugly people have something 90% of the current Yankees do not have to keep them pretty!

NEW RINGS !

p.s Mike Lowell was in People Magazines top 20 most beautiful people. Not that I putt from the rough or anything.



i disagree with you. i think jeter is the better hitter right now. he hits for better average and has shown he can do it consistantly. there is no way to tell if youk will be any good this year or do a tank job and bat .260. jeter is pretty much penciled in for an above .300 average and 200 hits. which do you want on your team? the unproven guy who had his best year last year? or the guy who gives you the same numbers every year?

so, going into this year, and RIGHT NOW, you have to take jeter over youk because youk hasnt proved he can put up numbers every season. also, remember that at the end of last year youk couldn't hit a beachball. if youk has another good year this year and shows he can do it in back to back years, then you have a better argument, but right now, even if you ask a sox fan they would prob tell you they'd rather have jeter batting in their line up every day then you

It's so funny. Its just like trying to compare the sox to the Yanks. Two ws titles in 100 years and they think they are in the same league as the Yanks. (well okay technically they are in the same league being the a l east, but you all know what I mean.

Unconverted Rice

http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=neyer_rob


posted: Wednesday, January 9, 2008 | Feedback | Print Entry

Don't worry. It's almost over. Perhaps a few more mentions here or there, but this is the last time you should have to read much about Jim Rice until next winter. At least in this space. Anyway, it's become academic, as Rice came so close this year that he's practically assured of election next year.

Still, I don't feel that I can let Dan Shaughnessy's latest column pass without comment. Sandwiched between some appropriately snarky comments about our favorite arrested adolescent, Roger Clemens (who needs a new nickname, I think), Shaughnessy somehow figures out a way to once more exaggerate Rice's Cooperstown credentials:

Rice hit for power in a day when power numbers were legit. He was the dominant slugger of his time, a man capable of inducing an intentional walk when the bases were loaded. He amassed more than 400 total bases when he was MVP in 1978. He hit 35 homers with 200 hits in three straight seasons. He was more feared that Tony Perez, who is in the Hall of Fame.

Yesterday's news had to hurt, but Jim Ed has been typically stoic through these years of rejection. He hasn't cried about racism or favoritism (he'd probably already be in Cooperstown if he'd had the disposition of Kirby Puckett or Gary Carter), but he knows he was a better hitter than former teammates Perez and Wade Boggs and he suffers in silence while inching excruciatingly close to election.

You have to admire Shaughnessy for sticking to his guns. He wrote something about Jim Rice and intentional walks last week, and must have received a great deal of great deal of criticism from his loyal readers because -- as I and others pointed out -- Rice never drew an intentional walk with the bases loaded and in fact didn't draw all that many intentional walks whatever the situation.

Was Rice the "dominant slugger of his time"? Of course he wasn't. In Rice's time, slugger Mike Schmidt hit 548 home runs and won three MVP Awards. In Rice's time, Reggie Jackson hit 563 home runs. Rice hit 382 home runs.

He did amass 400 total bases in one season, which is impressive. Roger Maris once hit 61 home runs in one season. Rice did hit 35 homers with 200 hits in three straight seasons, which is impressive. It's also only three seasons. And in all the rest of his career, Rice topped 35 homers exactly once more and never did get 200 hits in another season. So really, it seems that Rice's entire case, his time as a dominant hitter, rests solely on three seasons.

Would Jim Rice already be in Cooperstown if he'd had the disposition of Kirby Puckett or Gary Carter? Well, Carter didn't get elected until his sixth year on the ballot and he's one of the six or eight greatest catchers ever. So that wouldn't seem to be a big edge. As for Puckett, well, maybe. But that's a little like saying Alan Trammell would be in the Hall of Fame if only he'd been able to play defense like Ozzie Smith. Some gifts are rare enough that we don't use them as imaginary attributes. (What's more, it's not clear.)

Was Rice a better hitter than Tony Perez? Of course he was. A lot of guys were better hitters than Tony Perez. For your consideration, an incredibly incomplete list of hitters who were better than Tony Perez: Dick Allen, Gene Tenace, Frank Howard, Boog Powell, Jack Clark, Keith Hernandez, Reggie Smith, Norm Cash, Fred Lynn, Oscar Gamble, Jimmy Wynn, Tony Oliva, Bobby Bonds, Bob Watson, Greg Luzinski and Rico Carty.

All of those guys have two things in common: (1) they were better hitters, career-wise, than Tony Perez; (2) they're not in the Hall of Fame, and won't be. Tony Perez isn't in the Hall of Fame because he was a great hitter. He's in the Hall of Fame because he had a few great years and a number of good ones, and because he played with the Big Red Machine.

Rice's supporters like to cite the elections of Perez and (especially) Orlando Cepeda, but those were mistakes. Seems to me if your case relies upon repeating mistakes, you might ought to take a new tack.

Ah, but then there's Wade Boggs. He was no mistake. Boggs sailed into the Hall of Fame with 92 percent of the vote in his first try, and you heard no argument from this quarter. Was Rice really a better hitter than Wade Boggs?

A direct comparison isn't easy, as their careers had different "shapes." Rice reached the majors at 21, became a star at 22, was washed up at 34 and out of a job at 37. Boggs didn't reach the majors until he was 24, but hung on until he was 41.

Nevertheless, let's try. Because Rice enjoyed only 12 good years, his fans usually ignore the rest of his career. In the interest of brotherhood, we'll do the same: we'll compare his 12 best years with Boggs' 12 best years.

Jim Rice vs. Wade Boggs
Games Runs RBI OBP SLG OPS OPS+
Rice (1975-86) 1,766 1,098 1,276 .356 .520 .876 133
Boggs (1983-94) 1,761 1,160 757 .425 .456 .881 139

They played almost exactly the same number of games. Boggs scored a few more runs than Rice, which you'd expect because Boggs hit at the top of the order. Rice drove in a lot more runs, which you'd expect because he hit in the middle of the order and was always swinging. Their OPS's are virtually identical. Their adjusted OPS+'s -- which consider league averages and park effects -- are close, but it seems that Boggs does have a real edge there. When you consider that OPS (and OPS+) slightly undervalue on-base percentage relative to slugging, Boggs' edge only grows.

Oh, and the intentional walks? In Boggs' dozen best seasons he drew 153 intentional walks. In Rice's dozen best he drew 72. Maybe Rice really was better than Boggs. But the statistics don't support that notion. And the managers in the other dugouts apparently didn't believe it, either.

I haven't mentioned Fenway Park. That's OK; I've mentioned it before. By now, if you don't know that Rice had a huge home/road split over his career, it's because you choose not to know. What's amazing to me, more than 30 years after Bill James published his first "Baseball Abstract," is that a smart guy like Dan Shaughnessy can still pretend that inconvenient truths like Rice's performance in road games just don't exist.

Quote:
“I know the Mets have asked me at times if I wanted some starts, and I know that isn’t a dead issue. I also know our pitching coordinator is very interested in seeing me as a starter considering I have three very good pitches and the size and durability wanted in a started,” he recounted.


Quote:
Fastball: Rustich slings as hard of a fastball as any pitcher in the entire organization. He uses his four-seam fastball, which can sit anywhere from 94-97 MPH, to start off at-bats and to set up his other pitches.


Quote:
Other Pitches: Rustich can buckle the knees of hitters with his big, hard-breaking slider which he throws in the upper-80s. He can throw the pitch in the bottom half of the zone with a furious snap that fools hitters, making them swing over the top of it, and its electricity makes it his favored strikeout pitch. It is his most consistent pitch, but will usually only throw it when ahead in the count. Lastly, he throws a dynamic changeup in the mid to high-80s with terrific late movement which led many to believe it was a splitter because of its velocity and sharp drop.


http://mets.scout.com/2/713757.html

Welcome back JBG!

I don't know, if this guy was really as good as this write-up makes him seem he'd be a known commodity all throughout baseball and easily our #1 pitching prospect. Basically the scout says he has 3 plus-plus pitches.

Nice post, JBG. Rustich sounds like an interesting prospect. I agree with Freeball that Rustich's change-up should be slower to increase effectiveness. Perhaps as he moves through the minors it should be something that he works on. Maybe deceiving people by making them think its a splitter is part of the plan.

enor_mike wrote:

I don't know, if this guy was really as good as this write-up makes him seem he'd be a known commodity all throughout baseball and easily our #1 pitching prospect. Basically the scout says he has 3 plus-plus pitches.


You can always count on scout.com to get your hopes up. Wink

Rustich is definitely an intriguing power arm, though. I'd like to see him start. Baseball America says:

Quote:
Strengths: Healthy in pro ball, Rustich showed a premium fastball, sitting from 93-97 mph with late life. He pitches inside to righthanders and uses his size well, throwing downhill with his fastball and an 84-87 mph power slider with tilt. His changeup shows flashes of being an average pitch.

Weaknesses: Control was a huge problem before and after his finger injury, but Rustich threw strikes as a pro as he used his fastball more. His delivery can get out of whack easily. His splitter was a plus pitch before he got hurt, but he hasn't thrown it much since the injury. His slider can be inconsistent.

Buy me some peanuts and HGH

http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2008/01/09/buy-me-some-peanuts-and-hgh/#comments
You have to wonder whether Bud Selig is still so pleased with himself for getting George Mitchell to investigate the use of performance enhancing drugs in baseball.

I’m trying to figure out how looking into the past will help the game now or in the future. Thanks to this investigation, baseball is all tied up by Congress, the IRS, the FBI, assorted lawyers, weepy trainers and preachy columnists wringing their hands.

The Hall of Fame has been dragged into the muck and the 2008 season is headed that way. Andy Pettitte is now scheduled to appear before Congress on Feb. 13, a day before he reports to Tampa.

For what? Selig would have been much better off having Mitchell simply investigate the testing program and come with ideas to improve it. The Mitchell Report should have ended there. Now Selig has created a world where grandstanding Congressmen will try and get teammates to rat on each other before a live television audience. I didn’t need to see Rusty Hardin in action, thanks anyway Mr. Commissioner.

We should be reading about Joba Chamberlain and Jacoby Ellsbury, two Native American kids who will be center stage in the game’s biggest rivalry. Or hearing tales of the old days from Goose Gossage. Or trying to guess when Ken Griffey Jr. will hit his 600th home run.

Instead we get lawyers, hearings, charges and counter-charges. For what? I get it, a lot of players cheated. I knew that before. Stop telling us, just fix it. Give us back baseball.

1. Buddy Biancalana January 9th, 2008 at 7:30 pm

Amen Pete!
2. li January 9th, 2008 at 7:32 pm

We should be reading about Jacoby and Joba, how about it, Pete?
3. Ryan January 9th, 2008 at 7:32 pm

The media certainly isn’t helping by live blogging and televising every press conference and news release.
4. Peter Abraham January 9th, 2008 at 7:36 pm

Ryan: What choice to do we have, this is what the game is now. Thanks to Selig and Mitchell, steroids have become the story. You think I like posting steroids stories? Fact is, we had 1,000 comments a few days ago and almost all were about steroids. The page views are off the charts, too. Unfortunately, this is the story.
5. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Save the Three Musketeers! January 9th, 2008 at 7:37 pm

So then why don’t we move it elsewhere?

We are capable of directing the discussion, grassroots if you will.

So when will Griffey hit 600? If he stays healthy?
6. YanksFanLV January 9th, 2008 at 7:38 pm

I agree Rebecca, lets get it back to where it should be. How many does Griffey have anyways?
7. Ryan January 9th, 2008 at 7:41 pm

I agree Pete, it’d be foolish for you to not cover it, and this won’t go away until Selig quits.
8. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Save the Three Musketeers! January 9th, 2008 at 7:42 pm

593.

Given his rate of injury, I’m going to go with 7 June 2008
9. Nate January 9th, 2008 at 7:46 pm

You really think Griffey won’t hit seven homers until June? I would say somewhere in mid-May, considering he hit his seventh homer last year on May 13th.
10. Joe from Long Island January 9th, 2008 at 7:47 pm

Pete - I couldn’t agree with you more. And that doesn’t mean ignoring the problem, just realizing that what’s done is done, and this is not a national security problem.

Bud Selig has really screwed this up. Yes, Bud and all of organized baseball, by turning a blind eye all these years, and now dragging the sports’ stars through the mud. Do you think the David Stern and the NBA would do this? Does the NBA have problems? Absolutely. The whole gangsta-rap culture is something that Stern is afraid of. Why do you think Stern tried his dress code last year? To improve the image of the league.

And what does Bud do? Tear down the drawing cards for his industry.

I agree with Rebecca, let’s try to turn the discussion. It may not be much, but we, as fans, can try.
11. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Save the Three Musketeers! January 9th, 2008 at 7:52 pm

Nate: Griffey’s had a horrible spate of injuries, if I remember correctly. If he stays healthy, I can see it in May, but I’m allowing injury time.

Also, when going for a certain milestone it can take ages. Took A-Rod ages to get from 499 to 500 and took Martin Brodeur, a different sport ages to get from 499 to 500 wins.
12. dale d January 9th, 2008 at 7:52 pm

wow 593 homers!
I got the Yankee blinders on so tight I didn’t have a clue
13. Wolf In Pinstripes January 9th, 2008 at 7:53 pm

Pete, I’d buy ya a beer if I could. Great, simple post

(Or a Grey Goose or whatever it is you like.)

Griffey: #600 on April 24th at home vs. Houston. Day game.
14. Deep to Left January 9th, 2008 at 7:54 pm

Pete,

Blog post of the year.

(Even if it is just January 9th )
15. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Save the Three Musketeers! January 9th, 2008 at 8:02 pm

Why not make a contest out of Griffey’s 600?

Whoever gets it right gets to…get something hah!
16. Mr G January 9th, 2008 at 8:02 pm

Amen Pete.

Moving the Congressional hearings to the day before pitchers and catchers report is an obvious attempt at grandstanding.

I’m glad Congress is protecting us from steroids. I know…I know….think of the children…we must save the children from steroids.
17. whoa January 9th, 2008 at 8:02 pm

Peter,

You are confusing cause and effect.

Congress had threatened to take action to remove MLB’s anti-trust exemption if MLB wasn’t cleaned up. That is what caused Selig MLB to act. So he appointed Mitchell.

Congress, acting within its constitutional authority under the Commerce Clause, has an interest in cleaning up the PED problem in MLB.
18. Jeff NJ January 9th, 2008 at 8:03 pm

Let’s not forget Griffey, if he could finish his career strong (ie get close to what Bonds did), Ken seems to be the only person could possibly pass Bonds before A Rod. I for one am glad Griffey is in the National League, as he was definitely a Yankee killer.

Holy crap, I just realized the Reds are coming into town on June 20-22 and my Sat package includes the 21st, which just so happens to be my wife’s due date. Guess I’ll be selling those.
19. randy l. January 9th, 2008 at 8:04 pm

the reason that we don’t just ignore it even though the mitchell report is a joke is because of the abuse of basic rights of the players. if the federal government can do it to them they can do it to any of us.

anyone who has read in the defamation suit the actual words of mcnamee describing how he was coerced by us attorney parrella and irs agent novitsky has to have doubt about mcnamee telling the truth.

it looks to be an abuse of federal authority. it looks like they pressured mcnamee to lie.
that’s why we are paying attention to it. that’s not supposed to happen in our country.
20. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Save the Three Musketeers! January 9th, 2008 at 8:06 pm

Jeff: What’s your price? I might be interested in purchasing :-P

(Best of luck to you and your wife!)
21. tonyb January 9th, 2008 at 8:10 pm

Worst.

Commissioner.

Ever.

I submit that Bud Selig and his “reputation saving” dog and pony show have damaged baseball more than the PED scandal did.

It boggles my mind that Mitchell named names without a shred of evidence and based his entire report on the sole testimony of a troubled character like Brian McNamee. This was a multi-million dollar effort and all Mitchell got was this? A waste of taxpayer dollars is what this was.

The moral of the story is, if you really, really want to screw something up, get the government involved.

At this point, I hope Roger is actually clean (although I doubt it) and he sticks it to Selig and Mitchell but good.
22. Johnny C. January 9th, 2008 at 8:12 pm

Pete, you are absolutely right. Thank you for being a voice of reason. I like to watch baseball, period. Not issues surrounding it.
23. Ed January 9th, 2008 at 8:13 pm

Hey Pete,
Give me a story about Joba, and Ellsbury and I will eat it right up, I promise. I don’t comment that often but I read your blog every day. Something like that may not have as many comments as a steroid piece, but its not because baseball fans don’t enjoy it. Its just easier to argue about….

One of my teachers at college was a native american and was pretty miffed when I had her in the in the Fall of 07 because of the lack of native americans in professional sports. I sent her a parking lot baseball cap when Joba started his little end of the year tear.
24. Larry Jaffe January 9th, 2008 at 8:14 pm

Can anyone explain why an IRS agent (Novitsky) is involved with this case? I understand why with Bonds as there were tax charges possibly pending. But what does that have to do with McNamee?
25. GreenBeret7 January 9th, 2008 at 8:14 pm

Selig will go into the HOF along with the 2nd worst commissioner ever (Bowie Kuhn) and Fay Vincent and Marvin Miller will still be looking in the window.
26. Boston Dave January 9th, 2008 at 8:17 pm

Larry,

If I had to guess, its because even government agents arent immune to wanting the publicity. They have a chance to get in the news and actually be somebody… so they take it. There really is zero justification for it (at least that I can think of).
27. Jeff NJ January 9th, 2008 at 8:17 pm

Rebecca, I usually sell for near face unless it’s like the Mets. I would post it on Craigslist, I’m pretty sure Peter doesn’t want people buying and selling on this site. My seats are out in LF Main level in fair territory. Good parts are the seats face home plate directly and HR’s are hit there (I was in the scrum for A Rod’s 500th). It’s always a good time though.
28. randy l. January 9th, 2008 at 8:19 pm

tonyb-
you sound objective yet you think clemens probably did it. have you read the novitsky/parrella interrogation in the defamation lawsuit? if you have, why would you think that mcnamee is telling the truth about clemens?

these federal agents are going to have to defend what they did to coerce the statement out of mcnamee. if they ever have to do that in public they’ll look like morons. which makes one wonder why they aren’t being asked to testify under oath in front of congress how they got mcnamee’s statement?

if they got it in a legal way, what are they afraid of? if you notice ,they haven’t said one word in rebuttal to the defamation lawsuit that bashes them.
29. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Save the Three Musketeers! January 9th, 2008 at 8:23 pm

Jeff: How many? And would I have to purchase all of them? :-D
30. dale d January 9th, 2008 at 8:23 pm

when I log on I get last years blog first.
this time last year we were talking about Andy Pettit and Rodger Clemens too. There were like 14 coments though.
have you noticed the results of the new poll?
442 yes
407 no
372 not sure
31. Boston Dave January 9th, 2008 at 8:23 pm

for those who dont mind talking about the Clemens story, Clare had a really good post at the bottom of the last thread. She caught Mitchell in a LIE.

yes, George Mitchell - Mr. Integrity himself
32. Jennifer - Save Phil Hughes! January 9th, 2008 at 8:30 pm

A friend emailed this link to me. Her friend took all these pictures. ENJOY!!

http://www.ballparks.phanfare.com
33. iYankees January 9th, 2008 at 8:30 pm

Agreed.
34. Rebecca--Optimist Prime--Save the Three Musketeers! January 9th, 2008 at 8:32 pm

BD: Then maybe we should get Clare to represent the Yankees!
35. Yazman January 9th, 2008 at 8:32 pm

Outstanding post, Peter.

The only benefit to looking backwards is to help us all understand the scope of the problem. But that could be done without names, and more easily at that.
36. Jimbo January 9th, 2008 at 8:32 pm

whoa,

I disagree about Pete confusing cause and effect. People who have been following the story (like Pete Abe)
know that Congress forced Selig’s hand — this is one of the main reasons he chose a former member of Congress to investigate.

Things might have been fine if he never included any names in the report, but then the public would be screaming to know who the cheaters were.

And as someone who watched Senator Mitchell play partisan hardball with the first Pres. Bush, I was not at all surprised that he allowed tha names of former Yankees to be dragged down, knowing full well that other abusers were getting a pass because they had other suppliers besides McNamee or Radomski.

I don’t care about Mitchell’s supposed good reputation — he is still a Red Sox fan and board member. I truly wonder if the report would have looked different if Ortiz or Manny had been fingered by Mcnamee.
37. Larry Jaffe January 9th, 2008 at 8:33 pm

Thanks Dave, but I do not understand how he would have jurisdiction. IRS handles tax matters. Were they investigating McNamee for tax evasion?
38. Jeff NJ January 9th, 2008 at 8:36 pm

Rebecca, we have four but we would sell them in two’s also. FYI, we’re finding out the fetus’s sex within a few days, and Rebecca is definitely one of the girl R names leading the pack.
39. Ant928 January 9th, 2008 at 8:36 pm

Pete:

After seeing how so many uneducated people bash you (much like a Sox troll) I would advise you to put in a registration system and then tell them to suck it.

As far as steroids it is unfortunately the sensation and therefore the story in this land of 24/7/365 instant media.

My feeling is this. The Report is a travesty for all the reasons we discussed here. .itchell is as much independent as he is a fraud. Why didn’t they do the same for football or hockey? Why didn’t he look outside of NYC?? Unfortunately this will go on for awhile. But it will stop at some point. It has to. As the Government is involved at some point someone has to say”This os costing taxpayers…knock it off!!!!”

We just have to weather the storm. However I quote “The Bard”:

“We should shoot all the lawyers.”
40. Boston Dave January 9th, 2008 at 8:37 pm

Larry,

your guess is as good as mine. I think we can all agree at this point that something doesn’t smell right.