A-Rod Turns Mentor for College Ballplayer

A-Rod Turns Mentor for College Ballplayer

http://slidingintohome.blogspot.com/2008/01/arod-turns-mentor-for-college.html

I figured we all needed a break from steroids and Johan Santana, so here's a nice story about A-Rod, from the Miami Herald:

New York Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez is used to being followed by fans.

But one college-age kid who followed Rodriguez around the University of Miami athletic facilities for days was not after an autograph.

Hurricanes first baseman Yonder Alonso, 20, wanted to completely emulate the reigning MVP in his workout regimen -- from the stationary bike and lifting weights to running 120-yard sprints, batting practice and fielding ground balls.

What started out as nothing more than a dream has led to a possible lasting friendship.

Alonso walked up to the star one morning in December as Rodriguez rode a stationary bike in the UM weight room.

''I told him whatever race he would do, I would beat him,'' Alonso said. ``He found that pretty funny, and after that [he] said all right, lets go run.''

Always getting a bad rap in the press, it’s nice to see something about Rodriguez that’s positive for a change. Between this and the Munson award, he’s having a pretty good week.

I’m impressed that Rodriguez would take this kid under his wing like he did. Alonso, who is already a College 2nd team All-American, will only benefit from being around a player with the talent, and more importantly, the work ethic that Rodriguez has.

A-Rod turns mentor for UM ballplayer

A UM ballplayer meets his idol -- New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez -- and gets to train with him

http://www.miamiherald.com/519/story/385553.html

New York Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez is used to being followed by fans.

But one college-age kid who followed Rodriguez around the University of Miami athletic facilities for days was not after an autograph.

Hurricanes first baseman Yonder Alonso, 20, wanted to completely emulate the reigning MVP in his workout regimen -- from the stationary bike and lifting weights to running 120-yard sprints, batting practice and fielding ground balls.

What started out as nothing more than a dream has led to a possible lasting friendship.

Alonso walked up to the star one morning in December as Rodriguez rode a stationary bike in the UM weight room.

''I told him whatever race he would do, I would beat him,'' Alonso said. ``He found that pretty funny, and after that [he] said all right, lets go run.''

For more than five weeks, Rodriguez and Alonso arrived at UM by 6 a.m. and would finish by noon. Sometimes they would have a light workout in the evening, practicing fielding, hitting and running.

''I'm very private about my workouts, and he's really the first kid in 10 years that has joined me like this,'' said Rodriguez, 32.

Alonso, who starred at Coral Gables High, had a stellar sophomore season last year. Baseball America has rated him as one of the top five collegiate players in the upcoming Major League Baseball draft.

But he wanted to improve and help UM capture the College World Series. Most of all, he wanted to learn from Rodriguez.

The collegiate star put his plan into motion to seek Rodriguez out after seeing him many times on TV. Last winter, he got an up-close look at the slugger by watching him hit at UM, a place where Rodriguez has worked out during the off-season for the past 10 years.

''He might be one of the greatest players of all time,'' Alonso said. ``I said I need to get a hold of this guy somehow.''

Trainer Monica Swasey, who works off-season with Rodriguez and knows Alonso, encouraged the young man to introduce himself to his idol.

''When Yonder finally got the nerve to go over there, his grin was from ear-to-ear,'' Swasey said. ``[Alex] said, `Why don't you come and join me?'

'Yonder just froze. He said to Alex, `I can't do it because I have practice.' Alex said, 'Let's start Monday.' They've been hip-to-hip ever since.''

The two joked around and discussed everything from baseball to movies while working out. Rodriguez, who played at Miami's Westminster Christian High, sees himself as a big brother to the UM standout.

''I want him to use me as a measuring stick,'' he said during a break from working out one morning while sitting in the dugout at UM's Mark Light Field. ``I know when I was his age I would be around major-league players, and it did wonders for me.''

Growing up in Miami, Rodriguez learned that another native son, Andre Dawson, hit at 4 p.m. at Tropical Park during the off-season.

Rodriguez would show up to catch a glimpse of Dawson, whose 21-season major-league career ended with the Florida Marlins.

Alonso has ''gotten into a circle that's almost impossible to get into,'' said Yankees first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, a Westminster Christian schoolmate who played with Rodriguez.

On a recent day, Rodriguez, Alonso and Mientkiewicz -- an occasional participant in the workouts -- were drenched in sweat and catching their breath between sprints when Swasey yelled across the football practice field, ``You've got six more.''

Rodriguez held up four fingers, as if it signaled he wouldn't mind cutting the sprints short. Each time Alonso began closing the gap during the final sprints, Rodriguez would get a burst of energy and take off.

Alonso nipped Rodriguez on the final 360-foot sprint.

Rodriguez says he's not worried about being bested by a college star. ``I'm sure we all have dreams. He can never beat me. He pushes me.''

Mientkiewicz described the Rodriguez off-season workout plan as ''insanity'' but acknowledged it helped push Rodriguez to hitting 54 home runs and driving in a career-best 156 runs last season.

''How many guys would have the year he had and get back to work and do more than what he did the year before? Yonder keeps up with him pretty well,'' Mientkiewicz said. ``If Al didn't like him he wouldn't be doing it.''

With UM classes resuming and Hurricanes baseball workouts starting, Alonso and Rodriguez can't time their workouts together but still find time to check in on each other.

Alonso said he has stopped by the weight room to chat with Rodriguez whenever possible. And he expects the two will keep in touch after Rodriguez leaves for Tampa next month for the Yankees' spring training.

For now, Rodriguez has told Alonso to ``call with anything.''

''He'll come to UM and help me, give me tips,'' Alonso said.

So why did Rodriguez take to Alonso, and what he is striving to accomplish?

''He wants this dream of his very badly, and it's refreshing to see,'' Rodriguez said.

''I was honest, and he saw that,'' Alonso said. ``I was willing to work and willing to go all-out and not willing to quit. I was a workaholic. I'm like him.''

ARod Mentors College Ballplayer

http://www.miamiherald.com/519/story/385553.html

"New York Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez is used to being followed by fans.

But one college-age kid who followed Rodriguez around the University of Miami athletic facilities for days was not after an autograph.

Hurricanes first baseman Yonder Alonso, 20, wanted to completely emulate the reigning MVP in his workout regimen -- from the stationary bike and lifting weights to running 120-yard sprints, batting practice and fielding ground balls.



Does anyone if this kid is draft eligible in this year draft? Thanks

Name: Yonder Alonso


http://brewerfan.net/ViewAmateurPlayerProfile.do?playerId=767&draftId=6



Height/Weight: 6-2 / 215
Date of Birth: 4/8/87
School: Miami
Brewerfan.net Rank: 6


Alonso’s game starts with an incredibly discerning eye at the plate, which has led to 145 walks in 687 at-bats during his college career. He makes good contact as well as a left-handed hitter, with a .325 batting average and only 113 strikeouts. That approach served him well on the Cape last summer where he hit .328 with 14 extra-base hits, leading the Cape in walks while being among the league leaders in hitting. He has more of a gap-to-gap approach at this point in time, but his powerful frame should lead to more and more over the fence power as he matures his body and hones his swing. A good enough athlete, Alonso doesn’t put as much effort into his conditioning and his defense, and despite being tried a couple of times in the outfield and at third base, his future is at first. His approach should allow him to move quick

http://brewerfan.net/ViewDraftArchive.do?draftId=6


Alvarez, Pedro 3B L/R 6-2/225 College Vanderbilt Lefty slugger is a natural run producer, the best college hitter since Alex Gordon
02 Matusz, Brian LHP L/L 6-4/193 College San Diego Projectable, tall and lanky lefty with solid 3-pitch repertoire
03 Crow, Aaron RHP R/R 6-2/205 College Missouri Strong-armed RHP on the rise with impressive command, improving offspeed stuff
04 Melville, Tim RHP R/R 6-5/205 High School Wentzville Holt (MO) Tall, athletic RHP with good stuff, even better command
05 Hosmer, Eric 1B L/L 6-4/210 High School American Heritage (FL) Sweet swing, slick fielding first baseman
06 Alonso, Yonder 1B L/R 6-2/215 College Miami Big, imposing and patient slugger with sweet lefty swing
07 Smoak, Justin 1B S/L 6-3/200 College South Carolina Natural run-producer as a switch hitter with power to all fields
08 Cole, Gerrit RHP R/R 6-3/190 High School Orange Lutheran (CA) Perfectly projectable RHP with power arsenal
09 Beckham, Tim SS R/R 6-2/190 High School Griffin (GA) Silky smooth shortstop with promising bat, improving power
10 Meyer, Alex RHP R/R 6-7/200 High School Greensburg (IN) Big, workhorse RHP with power fastball-slider one-two punch
11 St. Clair, Cole LHP L/L 6-5/225 College Rice Polished lefty with good stuff, fresh arm and deception
12 Skipworth, Kyle C L/R 6-3/195 High School Patriot (CA) Tall, athletic catcher with powerful lefty stick
13 Martinez, Harold 3B R/R 6-3/185 High School Braddock (FL) Big bodied infielder with advanced approach & power to all fields
14 Hicks, Aaron CF S/R 6-1/160 High School Woodrow Wilson (CA) Electric 5-tool talent as an OF, power FB, hammer CB as RHP
15 Friedrich, Christian LHP R/L 6-3/210 College Eastern Kentucky Smooth lefty with a good fastball, wicked curve
16 Martin, Ethan 3B R/R 6-3/200 High School Stephens County (GA) Power bat, arm makes him the ideal third baseman
17 Ross, Tyson RHP R/R 6-6/230 College California Tall righty with approach and stuff that belies his size
18 Thompson, Jacob RHP R/R 6-6/200 College Virginia Tall and lanky RHP with average heater, plus curve and proven results
19 Galloway, Isaac CF R/R 6-3/190 High School Los Osos (CA) 5-tool CF with exciting power and speed combo
20 Crawford, Brandon SS L/R 6-2/200 College UCLA Somewhat raw yet immensely talented 5-tool LH hitting SS
21 Hunter, Brett RHP R/R 6-4/215 College Pepperdine Tall, athletic RHP with power arsenal, could be a closer
22 Gray, Sonny RHP R/R 6-0/185 High School Smyrna (TN) Shorter yet athletic RHP with electric arm
23 Perry, Ryan CL R/R 6-4/200 College Arizona Live-armed college closer whose stuff may be unrivaled in this draft
24 Martin, Jarret LHP L/L 6-3/200 High School Centennial (CA) Low-90s FB, knockout curve has this lefty on the rise
25 Green, Scott RHP R/R 6-8/240 College Kentucky Big and powerful RHP with improving stuff
26 Raben, Dennis RF L/L 6-3/220 College Miami Thick and powerful 1B/OF with swing made for wood bats
27 Jungmann, Taylor RHP R/R 6-5/180 High School Rogers (TX) Long and lean, projectable RHP with promising fastball, slider combo
28 DeVall, Brett LHP R/L 6-4/220 High School Niceville (FL) Big bodied lefty that relies more on command and movement than stuff
29 Weeks, Jemile 2B S/R 5-9/165 College Miami Rickie’s little brother has surprising pop in switch bat, great wheels
30 Darnell, James 3B R/R 6-2/195 College South Carolina Athletic and rangy IF/OF with power arm, bat

2008 Draft Watch


http://soxprospects.wikispaces.com/2008+Draft+Watch


The following is a VERY early look at the top 100 prospects for the 2008 MLB draft. Keep in mind that baseball draft projections are a lot more volatile than in the other major sports, so some of these projections are likely to change substantially until June 2008 (particularly the HS players).

Scouting reports on amateur players are based in some instances on first hand reports from the SoxProspects staff, and in other instances on second hand reports from friends of the site. Additionally, some scouting information on certain high school prospects has been cumulated through sources across the Internet, including PG Cross Checker (subscription required). If you are interested in learning more on prospects coming up through the amateur ranks, PG Cross Checker is a phenomenal and invaluable source of information and we highly recommend it - subscriptions start at $60.

Draft Glossary

pedroalvarez.jpg1. Pedro Alvarez - 3B, Vanderbilt
2. Brian Matusz - LHP, San Diego
3. Isaac Galloway - OF, Los Osos HS (CA)
4. Justin Smoak - 1B, South Carolina
5. Eric Hosmer - 1B, American Heritage HS (FL)
6. Brandon Crawford - SS, UCLA
7. Brett DeVall - LHP, Rutherford HS (FL)
8. Jacob Thompson - RHP, Virginia
9. Tyson Ross - RHP, Cal
10. Aaron Hicks - OF, Wilson HS (CA)
11. Kyle Long - LHP, St. Anne's-Belfield HS (VA)
12. Brett Wallace - 1B, Arizona State
13. Jemile Weeks - 2B, Miami
14. Harold Martinez - SS, Braddock HS (FL)
15. Ethan Martin - 3B, Stephens County HS (GA)
16. Gerrit Cole - RHP, Orange Lutheran HS (CA)
17. Kyle Skipworth - C, Patriot HS (CA)
18. Preston Guilmet - RHP, Arizona
19. Cody Satterwhite - RHP, Mississippi
20. Yonder Alonso - 1B, Miami
21. Lance Lynn - RHP, Mississippi
22. Michael Palazzone - RHP, Lassiter HS (GA)
23. Daniel Marrs - RHP, James River HS (VA)
24. Petey Paramore - C, Arizona State
25. Anthony Ferrara - LHP, Riverview HS (FL)
26. Brett Hunter - RHP, Pepperdine
27. Daniel Webb - RHP, Heath HS (KY)
28. Hunter Cervenka - RHP, Ross Sterling HS (TX)
29. Jordan Danks - OF, Texas
30. Allan Dykstra - 1B, Wake Forest
31. Buster Posey - C, Florida State
32. Walker Kelly - LHP, Arlington Heights HS (TX)
33. Quinton Miller - RHP, Shawnee HS (NJ)
34. Jake Thompson - RHP, Wilson HS (CA)
35. Zach Putnam - RHP, Michigan
36. Ray Hanson - RHP, Wilson HS (CA)
37. Ike Davis - OF, Arizona State
38. Kevin Eichhorn - RHP, Aptos HS (CA)
39. Tim Beckham - SS, Griffin HS (GA)
40. Tim Murphy - LHP, UCLA
41. Scott Gorgen - RHP, UC Irvine
42. Tommy Hunter - RHP, Alabama
43. Brad Dydalewicz - LHP, Lake Travis HS (TX)
44. Tim Federowicz - C, North Carolina
45. Casey Kelly - SS, Sarasota HS (FL)
46. D.J. Hicks - 1B, Lake Brantley HS (FL)
47. Josh Romanski - LHP, San Diego
48. Dennis Raben - 1B, Miami
49. Jermaine Curtis - 3B, UCLA
50. Jack Armstrong - RHP, Jupiter HS (FL)
51. Pablo Bermudez - OF, Miami Springs HS (FL)
52. Rolando Gomez - SS, Flanagan HS (FL)
53. Clark Murphy - OF, Fallbrook Union HS (CA)
54. Jared Prince - OF, Washington State
55. Alex Buchholz - DH, Delaware
56. Ryan Lavarnway - OF, Yale
57. Kiel Rolling - C, Arizona State
58. Brian Ellington - RHP, Oak Hall HS (FL)
59. Ryan O'Sullivan - RHP, Valhalla HS (CA)
60. Alex Wilson - RHP, Winthrop
61. Aaron Shafer - RHP, Wichita State
62. Christian Friedrich - LHP, Eastern Kentucky
63. L.J. Hoes - OF, St. Johns HS (MD)
64. Ricky Oropesa - 3B, Etiwanda HS (CA)
65. D.J. Mitchell - OF, Clemson
66. B.J. Hermsen - RHP, West Delaware HS (IA)
67. Wade Miley - LHP, SE Louisiana
68. Danny Espinosa - SS, Long Beach State
69. Adrian Nieto - C, American Heritage HS (FL)
70. Tim Melville - RHP, Wentzville Holt HS (MO)
71. Destin Hood - SS, St. Pauls HS (AL)
72. Anthony Gose - OF, Bellflower HS (CA)
73. Jordan Craft - OF, Kennesaw Mountain HS (GA)
74. Logan Forsythe - OF, Arkansas
75. Brian Pruitt - OF, Stetson
76. Brance Rivera - SS, Muscatine HS (IA)
77. Sean Ratliff - OF, Stanford
78. Ryan Webber - RHP, Flint Powers Catholic HS (FL)
79. Greg Conver - RHP, Northeast HS (FL)
80. Jeremy Hamilton - SS, Wright State
81. Ryan Flaherty - SS, Vanderbilt
82. Shane Peterson - 1B, Long Beach State
83. Sean Adelman - RHP, West Boca Raton HS (FL)
84. Roger Kieschnick - OF, Texas Tech
85. Cutter Dykstra - SS, Westlake HS (CA)
86. Kevin Hoef - 3B, Iowa
87. Joey Belviso - OF, American Heritage HS (FL)
88. Vickash Ramjit - 3B, Columbus HS (FL)
89. Jordan Mercer - RHP, Oklahoma State
90. Brad Boxberger - RHP, USC
91. David Cooper - 1B, Cal
92. Abe Ruiz - 3B, Pacific Grove HS (CA)
93. Chris Ellison - OF, Norman North HS (OK)
94. Nick Christiani - RHP, Vanderbilt
95. Joe Oliveira - C, Pacific
96. Zak Sinclair - RHP, West Allegheny HS (PA)
97. Gordon Beckham - SS, Georgia
98. Aaron Luna - OF, Rice
99. Jay Austin - OF, North Atlanta HS (GA)
100. John Ruettiger - OF, Joliet Catholic Academy HS (IL)

Packers' game plan simple: Pressure Eli

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/giants/ny-sppack195544264jan19,0,3110183.story


"We have to get to him. It's no secret," Packers cornerback Charles Woodson said of the team's thoughts heading into Sunday's NFC Championsip Game against the Giants

"There's only a few quarterbacks that can play through those pressure situations," Woodson said. "I think we have one of those quarterbacks. I think Tom Brady is one. But for the most part, if you can get them rattled, you can take them out of their game plan."

"Eli is hot right now," Packers safety Nick Collins said. "We've got to put the pressure on him, make him nervous in the pocket and stop the run, and make them one-dimensional

The Packers' secondary believes that extra-tight coverage of Giants receivers either will force Manning into a mistake or give their pass rushers a few extra seconds to bring pressure. Manning is well aware of what the Packers' secondary can do. The Packers picked off Manning once and sacked him once in a 35-13 victory in Week 2.

"They get in your receivers, press them up, try to get their hands on them and just try to disrupt any timing," he said earlier this week. "You have to throw it in tight areas and they play physical."


"I think a sack is a glorified stat," defensive end Aaron Kampman said. "Trust me, we all try to get them. I try to get them. But in the end, I can force an incompletion, can force a hurried throw that leads to an interception ... So yeah, I feel very comfortable with how we're rushing."

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/b...66594&srvc=rss

QUOTE
Jim Callis, executive editor of Baseball America, said that even if the Yankees were to include left-hander Ian Kennedy in their offer or the Mets were to include hitting phenom Fernando Martinez, neither team’s package would be better than the Lester-Crisp package (Callis’ first choice) or the Ellsbury (No. 2 for Callis) offer.

He said Ian Kennedy has fringy stuff and not even one above-average major league pitch...he's not fit to even lay eyes on God's Chosen Messenger On Earth, Jonathan Tyler Lester, and I will set fire to any person who claims otherwise.

Toronto Gm JP Ricciardi calls Yankees and Red Sox Dirt Bags

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080115.jays16/GSStory/GlobeSportsBaseball/home

Someone Buy These Dudes a Slang Dictionary
From reader Eli, and the Toronto Globe and Mail, comes a quotation from the Blue Jays/Scott Rolen Press Conference:

"I believe that I am as strong and I know I feel as good and as strong as I've been in the last three years, by far," he said. "I need to play baseball and be a dirt bag."

That is the term Ricciardi used to describe Rolen's hurly-burly style of play. The general manager said it also applies to shortstop David Eckstein, who signed a free-agent contract with the Jays in December.

Ricciardi believes their moxie gives the Blue Jays hope for overhauling the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in the competitive American League East in 2008.

"If you look at the division we play in, Boston has a bunch of dirt bags, the Yankees have a bunch of dirt bags," Ricciardi said. "We have some, but we need more."



I don't think you mean "dirt bag." I think maybe you mean "Dirt Dog," or something. Saying you need more "dirtbags" on your team is like saying, "We need more skeevy dudes who will get drunk and wear tank tops and get tattoos that say 'Born to Bone' and listen to Nickelback and try to roofee some chicks."

http://www.answers.com/topic/dirtbag

The Jays have now David Eckstein. He's scrappy like Pedrioa. hahaha








Like saying you need more Mark Bellhorns and Bill Muellers on your team.


FWIW, JP has a huge nose.

Toronto is just sad. At least other teams know they have no chance at competing with their small payrolls. Toronto keeps trying in so many different ways to compete for the longest time. Signing Burnett, B.J. Ryan, Frank Thomas, etc etc. It does no good at all. They stay in third place over and over. Oh yeah, in 2006 they finished 2nd by a game or two but well out of the playoffs. Good job, guys.

JP should change his name to Brian Piccolo. (Might have to look that one up to get it)


Actually, I don't like ripping Toronto. Regardless of the results they do try every year to win and sign free agents. Not every team can say that. They'd have a few division titles over the past decade if they played in any other division in baseball. Their situation is unfortunate. If they played in the NL I honestly think they'd be the best team over the past five or so years.

Rolen, Glaus Can Opt Out After '08

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080118.WBbaseball20080118191759/WBStory/WBbaseball/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20080118.WBbaseball20080118191759

As a player traded in the middle of a multiyear deal, new Blue Jays third baseman Scott Rolen has the right to opt for free agency or demand a trade after one year with Toronto. This right has since been eliminated but players who signed their deals before October '06 are grandfathered in. Troy Glaus has the same right.

The stipulations make it less likely for players to opt for free agency or demand a trade. If the player chooses free agency he has to wait until mid-March to leave and also give up three years of free agent eligibility. If he chooses a trade he can only block six teams. That said, we have seen this happen before when a guy just wants out. The most recent example I can think of is Javier Vazquez in November of '05.

It seems the Jays still expect to have Rolen through 2010, and he'd have to really hate it there to back out of his deal.

Jets sign a Canadian Defensive Back
03:48AM - Jets Sign Canadian Defensive Back
Saturday, January 19th, 2008 by Gary Grund


The New York Jets have announced that they have signed DB Etienne Boulay to a reserve/future contract. Here is more from the official team press release:

Boulay (5′9″, 187) was selected in the second round (16th overall) of the 2006 Canadian Football League Draft by the Montreal Alouettes. In two CFL seasons, he recorded 41 tackles (24 solo) and five interceptions. In four seasons at the University of New Hampshire, he recorded 223 tackles, 13 interceptions and 27 passes defensed. Boulay is a native of Montreal, Canada.

He becomes the 12th player that the Jets have signed to a reserve/future contract, joining RB Alvin Banks, S Darnell Bing, WR David Clowney, CB Manny Collins, OL Stanley Daniels, OL Wayne Hunter, DT Thomas Johnson, LB Jerry Mackey, QB Brett Ratliff, WR Shaine Smith and WR Marco Thomas.
Not much can be said about this signing. Just another guy for camp. At 5′9″, he’d certainly be a long shot to make this team to begin with.


Jets ink Bill Callahan for offensive line
BY RICH CIMINI
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Saturday, January 19th 2008, 4:00 AM


Sancya/AP

Bill Callahan coached the Oakland Raiders to the Super Bowl in 2002.
The Jets' Eric Mangini, attempting to fix an offensive line that struggled mightily last season, hired former Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan Friday as an assistant head coach/offense.

Callahan, who interviewed two weeks ago with Mangini, will be in charge of the offensive line. One of last season's line coaches, Tony Wise, is leaving the team, a source confirmed. He reportedly is a candidate to be the University of Pittsburgh's line coach. The Jets' other line coach, Mike Devlin, will be retained.

"(Callahan's) expertise with the running game and protections will be a big asset," Mangini said.

Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer also will be returning. He was a candidate for the Ravens' head-coaching vacancy, and was expected to have a second interview, but late yesterday the team hired Eagles special teams coach John Harbaugh.

It will be interesting to see how Schottenheimer and Callahan mesh. Callahan, who compiled a 27-22 record in four seasons as the Cornhuskers' coach, runs a West Coast offense. He was the Raiders' head coach in 2002 and 2003, taking the team to the Super Bowl in his first season. Prior to that, he served as Jon Gruden's coordinator/line coach in Oakland.

The Raiders led the NFL in rushing in 2000, and they allowed only 55 combined sacks in 2000 and 2001. The Jets allowed 53 sacks last season, the fourth-highest total in the league.

Mangini still has to hire a special teams coordinator to replace Mike Westhoff, who left for medical reasons. Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton remains on thin ice.

MAKING HISTORY: Mike Carey will become the first black referee in Super Bowl history.

Carey, in his 18th year as an official, was notified by the NFL office this week he had the assignment for the Feb. 3 game in Glendale, Ariz. The NFL will not officially announce the assignments until the week of the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl officials are chosen on merit, with the highest ranked at each position getting the assignment. Carey, who runs a skiing accessories company, has been among the NFL's top crew chiefs for a decade and has been a Super Bowl alternate.

HOLMES DIES: Ernie (Fats) Holmes, a tackle who won two Super Bowls as an anchor of Pittsburgh's famed "Steel Curtain" defense in the 1970s, died in a car crash. He was 59.

Holmes was driving alone Thursday night when his car left the road and rolled several times near Lumberton, Tex., about 80 miles from Houston, a Texas Department of Public Safety dispatcher said.


ets get Skins 4th rder NEXT year for Kendall
The Jets will receive a fifth-round pick in 2008 if Kendall plays 80 percent of the snaps this year for Washington. If he plays more than that, the pick would be upgraded to a fourth-rounder in 2009.

Kendall started in all 16 games for the Redskins this season and the pick will become a 4th-round pick next year’s draft, not a 5th-round in this year’s.

If you have any questions regarding the Jets, feel free to email me at JetsCentral@gmail.com.
__________________


The draft picture, while still muddled, was clarified somewhat by the college underclassmen announcing on Jan. 15 whether they were entering or staying in school. One kid whose decision affects the Jets is James Laurinaitis, Ohio State’s All-America linebacker. He was one of the names to pop up most often on mock drafts in the Jets No. 6 draft spot. With an great blend of size (6-3, 240) and speed he would have been the first linebacker chosen and could have allowed Jonathan Vilma to be traded for more picks. You may remember him from the national championship game, where his 18 tackles were one of the few Buckeye bright spots. Now that he’s returning to school for his senior season the Jets will probably shy away from taking a linebacker.

Defensive end is becoming a more likely scenario. If Chris Long isn’t taken by St. Louis at No. 2 he could fall to No. 6, where you better believe the Jets will take a long look. Laurinaitis teammate Vernon Gholston is also a possibility. He’s got good speed as an edge rusher but is considered a bit of a reach at No. 6.

Of course everything depends on what the top five teams do. About the only things the experts agree on is Glenn Dorsey going No. 1 to Miami and Matt Ryan going to Atlanta. Offensive tackle Jake Long is expected to go early, but if he’s there when the Jets pick they could scrap the defensive plan altogether.

Mr. T. taking wait-and-see approach with QB

By Lee Roberts, Jets Confidential

Posted Jan 17, 2008


Here is a statement from Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum regarding how he feels about QB Kellen Clemens -

"Like a lot of young players, there are going to be some ups and downs," said Tannenbaum. "There are reasons to be encouraged - some of the two-minute drives that he led. You look at the Miami game, obviously they didn’t have the year that they hoped, but they are still a good defense and he went down there and played well. The two-minute drive against Washington, I thought he did a nice job with. Playing at Baltimore, some of the plays he made in the fourth quarter in their home opener against a good defense. There are some things he's going to do even better.
"Kellen's a great worker, and I expect him to work hard in the off*season. Over the next few months of our off*season program, the OTA’s, minicamp and training camp, we'll see where he is."

Rebuilding the Jets- The Running Backs
Rebuilding the Jets - Part 2 - The Running Backs
By Joe Caporoso | January 18th, 2008
E-mail | Print | Share

This is the second in our 8 part series of discussing what the Jets need to do at each specific position, beginning with their least area of need and ending with their area of most need. Second up is the running backs, which is ranked as their 7th highest area of need.

Who Should Stay:

1. Thomas Jones - He gutted out a tough 1100 yards behind a poor offensive line and has all the tools needed to be a feature back.

2. Leon Washington - Painfully under-utilized last season, arguably the Jets most explosive player.

Who Should Go:

- The Jets really didn’t carry another running back after Darrien Barnes was released and Stacy Tutt got hurt. Tight Ends Jason Posciak and Joe Kowaleski played fullback and didn’t suceed, so I will include them here as well as in the tight end article.

1. Jason Posciak - Isn’t talented enough to be receiving major reps on an NFL roster.

2. Joe Kowaleski - See above.

Who the Jets Should Add:

- Best Case Scenario - Draft Darren McFadden with the #6 pick in the first round. Sign UFA Tony Richardson from the Minnesota Vikings to play fullback.

If McFadden is available, he is too special of a player to pass up on. The Jets would be insane to let him slip by them and into the hands of the New England Patriots at the #7 spot. Depsite running back not being a critical area of need, McFadden would make the Jets offense much more explosive and dynamic. Jones and McFadden could split carries, which would limit Leon Washington’s reps on offense. However he could still be used in the slot as a receiver and as a 3rd down back.

Most Likely Scenario - McFadden isn’t available at #6. The Jets pursue a true fullback, targeting either Richardson or Brad Hoover of the Carolina Panthers. If they don’t opt to pursue the free agent route, they could draft a guy like Peyton Hills or Owen Schmitt with a mid round pick.

Potential Jets Running Back Depth Chart:

HB - Thomas Jones AND Leon Washington OR Thomas Jones AND Darren McFadden AND Leon Washington

FB - Tony Richardson OR Brad Hoover OR Draft Pick AND Stacy Tutt

Mientkiewicz described the Rodriguez off-season workout plan as ''insanity'' but acknowledged it helped push Rodriguez to hitting 54 home runs and driving in a career-best 156 runs last season. ''How many guys would have the year he had and get back to work and do more than what he did the year before? Yonder keeps up with him pretty well,'' Mientkiewicz said. ``If Al didn't like him he wouldn't be doing it.''

Key Matchups
By John Schmeelk, Giants.com

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Jan 19, 2008

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Giants and Packers at Lambeau Field in the NFC Championship game, does it get any better than this? It brings back memories of Y.A. Tittle, Sam Huff, Frank Gifford, Andy Robustelli, Dick Lynch and Allie Sherman in ‘61 and ‘62. It’s freezing cold weather. It’s coaches wearing suits and hats (fuzzy ones or fedoras) on the sideline. It’s old school smash mouth football. It’s the same formula that’s going to help a team win on Sunday afternoon.

The Giants focus on defense will be to stop the Packers running game.

There’s cold and then there’s COLD. This week in Green Bay it is going to be COLD. Think about the temperature difference between 62 and 32 degrees. It’s pretty stark. In 62 degrees you might be able to get away with nothing but a long sleeve shirt. When it’s 32 you wear a winter jacket. Now, imagine it being THAT much colder that 32 degrees. That’s what the Giants are going to be playing in on Sunday. The wind chill will likely be in the minus teens. It’s extremely hard to pass in those conditions. Both teams will have to run the ball to win.

(I should also note, that I’ve pretty much thrown out the first game Green Bay played the Giants since both teams were very different at the time. The Packers had not discovered Ryan Grant yet, and the Giants had not adjusted to their new defensive scheme. Making too much out of that game would be a mistake)

GIANTS RUNNING GAME VS. PACKERS FRONT SEVEN

Despite the media’s focus on Eli Manning, and Plaxico Burress the Giants have truly transformed themselves into a run first smash mouth football team. They finished ninth in the league in rushing attempts with over 29 per game. They finished 17th in passing attempts. The Giants finished 4th in the league in rushing yards per game (134.2), and tied for third in yards per carry (4.6). The conditions play to the strength of the Giants, assuming they don’t go down early, forcing them to throw.

The Giants have three healthy running backs in Jacobs, Bradshaw and Droughns. They can spread the carries out and run the ball 40 times, and not have any fatigue factor. Those three, especially Jacobs and Bradshaw have complimented each other well. “I think when we do use them both and we do use them in a capacity… the interesting thing is both of them can do a lot of things.” Said Tom Coughlin “Jacobs can catch the ball, Bradshaw can run inside, obviously Jacobs can run inside, so they both can do a little bit of what the other guy does so you are not restricted in any way in terms of play calling.”

The one scary number, especially with the conditions, are the fumbles. The Giants finished tied for ninth worst in the league with 11 fumbles. Brandon Jacobs has five, and Ahmad Bradshaw two in limited touches. Look what happened to Ryan Grant last week early in the game. Ball security will be paramount. A big reason the Giants have won the last two games is ball protection. They haven’t turned it over once in their two playoff wins.

The Packers rush defense is better than their 14th ranked yards per game allowed (102.9) might indicate. They are tied for 10th in the league in yards per carry (3.9) and have only allowed 7 runs of over 20 yards, tied for 5th best in the NFL. Aaron Kampman is a good two-way defensive end, and Ryan Pickett and Corey Williams both clog the middle at tackle. A.J. Hawk (105 tackles) and Nick Barnett (131 tackles) run to the ball extremely well, and Atari Bigby isn’t afraid to be that eighth man in the box from the safety position. They held Seattle to only 28 rushing yards, and a 1.6 average last week in the snow.

Head Coach Tom Coughlin has all the respect in the world for the Packers defense. “They are very good; they are very, very good… They are a stout front, their linebackers are very, very good, their corners are very aggressive players, the safety (Atari) Bigby is down in the front being physical, Al Harris is physical, so they are a very good team.”

Running the ball successfully will keep the Giants in manageable down and distances, allowing Eli Manning to continue his efficient play. He won’t have to force the ball down the field, which will limit turnovers. Green Bay has two great cornerbacks (Al Harris and Charles Woodson) and are 6th in the league in opponent’s quarterback rating, and 2nd in opponent completion percentage. They will make a lot of plays if the Giants are forced into a lot of throws.

It’s pretty simple – run the ball, and good things will follow.

PACKERS RUNNING GAME VS. GIANTS FRONT SEVEN

Breaking this matchup down from the Packers perspective is more difficult than one might think, because simply looking at their season ranking doesn’t do them justice. Before they discovered Ryan Grant in week 8, the Packers simply didn’t try to run the football. I’m going to take their rushing number starting with week 8 (10 games) and use those, imposing them into the NFL rankings to give a true feel to how they run the ball now.

In those ten games the Packers have averaged just over 120 yards a game running the ball, at a 4.5 clip. In terms of yards per game they would be 10th in the NFL, and their rushing average would be ranked right behind the Giants at 5. It paints a much scarier picture than their season long rankings (11th rushing average, 21st yards per game) Ryan Grant has had a break through season (5.1 yards per carry), and has broken off 11 runs of more than 20 yards, and 2 more than 40. The Packers like to spread out their opponents, and when they run out of those formations there’s a potential for a big play. It happened last week when Grant rushed for over 200 yards and had four rushes for more than twenty yards, including one for over forty.

The Giants are not surprised Grant is having the success he is in Green Bay.

“I think any time that you have spent time with an athlete you know him better than you would otherwise. Ryan has had an outstanding year and played extremely well with all kinds of big plays in a really outstanding second half of the season and certainly had a big game the other day.” Coach Coughlin said. “Other than that we are going to have to contend with the whole package. I thought their offensive line blocked very well and Ryan certainly gave them a lot of plays.”

“R.G. is a tremendous guy. I can’t say enough about him. He’s a great, great guy; he’s a tremendous player all around. He’s done well for Green Bay. I think that was a great move for him.” Brandon Jacobs pined. “I think that served him very well, and he’s done well for them. He rushed for over 200 last week, and he’s been playing very, very solid football.”

The Giants also know not to sleep on the Packers offensive line that shut down Patrick Kerney last week.

“Solid; very solid.” Said Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnulo. “We thought we played a really good one last week, and they really were. These guys have meshed together really well, and I think the coaches there have done a good job doing with them what they’re capable of doing. They do it really well. They don’t get really complicated, especially in the run game. And of course the quarterback getting rid of it really quick can make any good offensive line, but I think they’re really solid.”

If the Packers run the ball well it will give Brett Favre very manageable passing downs, allowing him to take short drops, and thus limiting the Giants pass rush. If the Giants are forced to move an eighth man into the box to stop the run, Favre can beat them down the field when he spreads them out. Put all these factors together, and they spell potential trouble for the Giants defense. The Giants didn’t stop the run well last week, they had better this week or bad things are going to happen.

The Yankees continue to make the same mistake with their young great ballplayers over the years. Cano is a superstar in the making. The Yanks could have tied up Jeter for about 100 million over 10 years, but they waited that one extra year and it cost them double. That was the year Arod signed his big contract and Jeter came off his big year where he hit about 24 homers and a 100 rbi, which incidentally he has not touched those numbers since. The Yanks after seeing what Arod got had to give into Jeter and deliver that contract. Hey, I love Jeter but you can't tell me he is a 19 million a year ballplayer. Canoe is only going to get better, so the Yanks should step up and give him that big long term contract now like the Mets did with their young players. The same goes for Wang as well.

The Yankee brass need to take care of their young talent, Cano, Wang, Cabrera, Hughes, and many others before they open their check-book for Santana. Wang won more games then Santana last season and the Yanks still don't want to offer him what he is worth. Cano has been an all-star since coming up and offered about half of what that steroid kid (Pena) from Tampa Bay is offered, 24 Mil for 3 years, give me a break









MANTLELIVES7 Jan 19, 2008 5:27:32 AM Report Offensive Post
The Yankees continue to make the same mistake with their young great ballplayers over the years. Cano is a superstar in the making. The Yanks could have tied up Jeter for about 100 million over 10 years, but they waited that one extra year and it cost them double. That was the year Arod signed his big contract and Jeter came off his big year where he hit about 24 homers and a 100 rbi, which incidentally he has not touched those numbers since. The Yanks after seeing what Arod got had to give into Jeter and deliver that contract. Hey, I love Jeter but you can't tell me he is a 19 million a year ballplayer. Canoe is only going to get better, so the Yanks should step up and give him that big long term contract now like the Mets did with their young players. The same goes for Wang as well.

bigpapajoe Jan 19, 2008 6:48:35 AM Report Offensive Post
The Yankee brass need to take care of their young talent, Cano, Wang, Cabrera, Hughes, and many others before they open their check-book for Santana. Wang won more games then Santana last season and the Yanks still don't want to offer him what he is worth. Cano has been an all-star since coming up and offered about half of what that steroid kid (Pena) from Tampa Bay is offered, 24 Mil for 3 years, give me a break.

Pittsburgh Yank Jan 19, 2008 7:30:28 AM Report Offensive Post
The Yankees need Wilson Betimet like I need jock rash. Betimet makes up for his lack of hitting by being a lousy fielder. I wish the Yankees had kept Andy Phillips instead of this turkey.

buddio Jan 19, 2008 8:33:29 AM Report Offensive Post
you first 3 outta 4 poster's are all on the money. pittsburgh, betimet is a little better than jock rash, he got some key hits and made a few nice stops at first, try Cruex for that jock rash, but watch out it's got steroids in it. but yes absolutely your 200% right shoulda kept andy. Ali what the He!! does ameican idol have to do with the yanks signing their young kids?

msalles Jan 19, 2008 9:29:00 AM Report Offensive Post
What I have seen the last 2 years of Mr. Cano are his errors at Second have yielded many runs for the opposition and have cost the Yankees many games. Also the many times Jeter has thrown the ball to him for a potential double play and he drops it. I´m very unhappy with Mr. Cano and he should be traded with Melky to Minnesota for Santana. He is a lousy 2nd basemen! I´d rather have Betemit play Second and Mr. Cano to designate batter. He should be paid the 4 plus millions but no longterm contract. I´d rather have a .277 2nd basemen than a .300+ that can´t field! Besides, when we really needed the hitting he was absent and could not make up his infield errors with the bat. I´m in favor of trading him away for someone better or a pitcher.

msalles Jan 19, 2008 9:52:01 AM Report Offensive Post
I can´t believe some of these comments that Jeter is not worth 19M and that Cano is an up and coming superstar worth more than Jeter? All I remember about Mr. Cano for the last 2 seasons is how many errors he has made at 2nd. Most of those errors caused a bonanza of runs for the opposition and the Yankees to lose many games. He should be traded with Melky to Minnesota for Santana. They should definitively pay him the 4+M but no longterm contract. I´d rather see a .277 playing 2nd than a .300+ that can´t field. Betemit is a better 2nd basemen and Cano should be a designated hitter. This way he can cause no damage to the Yanks in defense. All the previous great Yankee 2nd basemen were under .300 lifetime hitters. We do not need Cano!

msalles Jan 19, 2008 10:05:49 AM Report Offensive Post
Like Nixon used to say: "Let me make this perfectly clear". Jeter is the Yankees of today! He is worth every penny they are paying him! He has come through time after time. He is the best investment and player the Yankees have. The most squeaky clean player in baseball with the right attittude. I want all my sons and grandsons to be like him. He is what every player in every sport should be like. Be the best you can be and keep a low profile. He is also worth much, much more that what they are paying him....Like 50 Million per season! He is Superman! He has singlehandedly carried the Yankees to many wins. You can´t say that about A-Rod or anybody else. To me when he retires the Yankees will suffer for many years his loss until someone like him shows up again.

rpulciani Jan 19, 2008 11:11:46 AM Report Offensive Post
Anybody that thinks Cano should be traded or isn't worth the $, doesn't really know baseball. Yes, he makes some errors, but his range and arm are terrific (and he's young and will improve). However, let's not debate subjectively - with "what we may see with our eyese once in a while". One of the most important stat for players worth - Wins above replacement player (WARP). This incorporates both offensive and defensive metrics. Cano ranks #2 in the entire league, only behind Chase Utley (and they're almost tied, 9.3 for Chase, 9.2 for Cano). Additionally, he's credited with 50 FRAR (fielding runs above replacement - ability "to save runs". Look it all up, plus he hits over .300 and has some pop. He's top 3-4 2nd baseman in league (and right near the top if you count youth).

rpulciani Jan 19, 2008 11:16:22 AM Report Offensive Post
I meant to say #2 for 2nd baseman in WARP.

BringbackONeil1 Jan 19, 2008 11:27:52 AM Report Offensive Post
Yes alibabaganaba I agree completely. It's the regular schmuck that pays their salaries. Stop the insanity. How can any athlete get paid over a million a season? Do they save lives? Are they teaching our youth? Entertainment in this country is more rewarded than any other profession. Its very, very, very sad.

Rapid resolutions for Boras clients
posted: Saturday, January 19, 2008 | Feedback | Print Entry
filed under: MLB

At the union's meetings with player agents, lawyer Michael Weiner tells the representatives this about negotiating for arbitration-eligible players: The longer you wait, the better it gets. In other words, quickly settling a case involving a player up for arbitration is usually not a good idea, because as you get closer to the hearing, the offers from the teams usually increase.

So it was particularly interesting to some management officials and agents Friday when four of the most rapid settlements came in the cases of players whose agent has a history of negotiation entrenchment: Scott Boras, who is coming off his rough A-Rod winter. Matt Holliday signed a two-year, $23 million deal with the Colorado Rockies; Carlos Pena got three years and $24 million from the Tampa Bay Rays; Joe Crede reached a one-year, $4.9 million deal with the Chicago White Sox; and Rick Ankiel settled quickly with the St. Louis Cardinals.

• Miguel Cabrera worked out a small deal for now, but a bigger deal is likely on the way, writes Jon Paul Morosi. If he continues to improve his conditioning, has another big year and becomes a free agent, he would have a chance to become the next $200 million player.

• Scott Kazmir is pumped up by the Pena signing, for what it seems to mean for the Rays.

• There is a huge gap between what the Phillies are offering and what Ryan Howard is asking for, writes Todd Zolecki.

• Kevin Gregg becomes the highest-paid Marlin, at $2.5 million.

• There were a lot of good thoughts at the Royals' luncheon, writes Sam Mellinger.

• The Nats have a couple of guys who may be going through arbitration.

• The Pirates and Freddy Sanchez are $800,000 apart.

• The Mets worked out their differences with Aaron Heilman, as Jeremy Cothran writes.

• The Yankees appear to be headed to arbitration with two of their young stars.

• Kevin Youkilis hasn't worked out his deal with the Red Sox yet.

• Justin Morneau lined up a one-year deal with the Twins.

• The Brewers could have two pending cases.

• The Reds have a gap with Brandon Phillips.

• Shin-Soo Choo is coming back from Tommy John surgery, writes Sheldon Ocker. The Indians have a sizeable gap to overcome if they're going to work out a pre-arbitration deal with Casey Blake.

• The Rangers locked up Gerald Laird.

• David O'Brien reviews what the Braves have done in this offseason.

• The Cubs trade talks for Brian Roberts have stalled, after one Cubs source says Peter Angelos nixed a 7-for-2 trade -- an Orioles official disputes that account -- and Gordon Wittenmyer writes that the Cubs may be involved in Marlon Byrd trade talks. Wouldn't be surprised if Matt Murton was one of the players being discussed in that deal. Mark DeRosa figures to open the year at second base, writes Paul Sullivan. Bobby Howry would like to get a shot at closer.

• The White Sox reportedly have agreed to terms with Octavio Dotel.

PED ZONE
• Baseball had already been talking about addressing the possible problem with the T.U.E. loophole four days before this week's congressional hearing, writes Jack Curry. "We're on it," said baseball lawyer Rob Manfred. I'm curious to see if they talked about this before the request for the information on T.U.E.'s came to them from Congressman John Tierney of Massachusetts.

It is interesting, too, that as Bud Selig presented his case the other day that baseball does have independent oversight, he framed his argument around the fact that Dr. Bryan W. Smith is a North Carolina physician who administers baseball's testing program. And yet as Jack Curry did this piece, he was informed by an MLB representative that Dr. Smith will not be doing interviews.

• Roger Clemens has a date with Congressional investigators on Jan. 26. He is on a treadmill now that he cannot get off of, writes Steve Campbell.

• Don't blame Brian Sabean for how he handled the Greg Anderson situation, writes Bruce Jenkins.

AND OTHER STUFF
• Vanderbilt will try to get back into the habit of winning games today, against LSU.

Ran into some computer issues today and didn't have time to get to all of the West

Sunday Countdown online: Your weekly NFL guide
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/notebook?page=sundaycountdown07

Weekly Picks
Mike Ditka Keyshawn Johnson Emmitt Smith Chris Mortensen Tom Jackson
Ditka Johnson Smith Mortensen Jackson
San Diego @ New England New England New England New England New England New England
N.Y. Giants @ Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay
Wild Card Record 2-2 2-2 2-2 2-2 2-2
Overall Record 171-93 175-89 173-91 167-97 174-90
More picks: Our other experts' selections | SportsNation: Pick Conference Championship Games

Countdown Confidential
by Rachel Nichols, Sal Paolantonio, Bob Holtzman and Ed Werder

One-gloved wonder: If Eli Manning resembles Michael Jackson on Sunday in Green Bay, Wisc., it's not because he's auditioning for "American Idol." The New York Giants quarterback is just trying to keep warm.

Manning will not wear a glove on his throwing hand. "I have never done it before, and I am not going to start now," he said. But he has been practicing with a glove on his left hand, just in case he decides he needs more insulation from temperatures that could drop to minus-2 degrees by kickoff. As a group, the Giants also have been trying to prepare for the cold by practicing outside. That's something they didn't do before some of the cold-weather games they lost earlier this season.

Still, there is only so much any of them can do. Coach Tom Coughlin says he's not putting any balls in a freezer, or going to any other extreme steps to simulate cold conditions against the Green Bay Packers. And the Giants' offensive line doesn't seem to think it's going to be that cold in the first place. Forget gloves; most of the linemen say they will play without sleeves.

"Sleeves," says center Grey Ruegamer, "are for skill-position players."

-- Rachel Nichols

Lessons learned? Forget, for a moment, that the San Diego Chargers are going to travel all the way across the continent to play the AFC Championship Game on Sunday in single-digit cold.

Forget, too, that the Chargers lost to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Sept. 16 by more than three touchdowns.

Also, set aside for a second that San Diego's big three -- Philip Rivers, LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates -- are dealing with injuries of varying degrees of seriousness.

The cold reality is this: If Tom Brady is going to be allowed to complete 92.9 percent of his passes -- like he did last Saturday night against Jacksonville -- the Chargers might as well just stay on the West Coast.

Bill Bradley/Ted Cottrell/Antonio Gates

Kevin Terrell/Getty Images

What does Ted Cottrell (center) have planned for the Patriots' offense?

The Jaguars' defensive coordinator, Mike Smith, decided it was too risky to blitz Brady regularly -- but the result was Brady's historic night. Brady was sacked on the first play, then he played seven-on-seven, often patting the ball not once, not twice, but three times while he waited for Wes Welker or Kevin Faulk to wriggle free.

The Patriots had only eight drives, but three of them went for 10 plays or more. Indeed, even though the Patriots had the fewest possessions this season, they led the NFL with 41 drives of 10 plays or more. (That's 15 more than the league average of 26.)

The Chargers' defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell runs a more aggressive 3-4 scheme than the Jaguars. San Diego did sack Brady twice back in September. But Brady also hit Randy Moss eight times, including two touchdown passes. (Moss was limited to just one catch for 14 yards by Jacksonville.)

Certainly, Cottrell watched that horror film of Saturday night's game. So, he must find a way to pressure Brady without exposing his secondary to the incandescent Moss, because another night of near perfection from Tom Terrific means the Patriots will continue their pursuit of history in Arizona.

-- Sal Paolantonio

Watch those words: Before the Chargers beat the Tennessee Titans 17-6 in the wild-card round two weeks ago, Tennessee center Kevin Mawae told me, "there is a healthy dislike for [the Chargers] around the league because they talk so much."

Even with the undefeated Patriots ahead, the Chargers still are talking.

This week, when asked about facing the Patriots, Chargers defensive lineman Igor Olshansky told a San Diego television station, "Who? New England? Seriously, they're more worried than we are, I promise you. Believe me, they know what's up."



Igor Olshansky aims to back up the tough talk.

Chargers head coach Norv Turner wasn't amused. I'm told Turner addressed Olshansky's comments with the team on Monday and urged players to speak carefully with reporters the rest of the week.

Cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who will spend much of Sunday locked up with Randy Moss, is playing it safe. Cromartie said he'd post a sign up in his locker -- "no interviews."

-- Bob Holtzman

Cold Favre facts: When the game-time temperature approximates the number on his Green Bay jersey -- as is forecast for Sunday's NFC Championship Game -- Packers quarterback Brett Favre is virtually unbeatable. Favre's record at Lambeau Field in single-digit temperatures is 3-0, and he is 9-1 at home when the high temperature is 20 degrees or less.

Head coach Mike McCarthy attributes that success to the fact Favre holds the football with 10-inch hands, which is extremely large. That improves his grip on a hard, slippery surface when other quarterbacks struggle even when wearing gloves. Favre says it is simply a matter of mental toughness and understanding that every movement must be carefully executed and nothing assumed.

"Everything you do has to be thought about,'' Favre said. "You just can't come back and hand off. You can't just toss the ball without thinking about it. You just can't drop back and make a throw.'"

xxxxx

Jeff Hanisch/US Presswire

Brett Favre excels in the cold, in part due to his huge hands.

The Giants should be forewarned that Favre delivered his best cold-weather performance in the 1996 NFC Championship Game at Lambeau Field, throwing for 292 yards and two touchdowns in 3-degree temperatures and sub-zero windchills. Afterward, Favre laughed and said, "I put Vaseline in places I didn't know you could put Vaseline."

The perception that Favre prefers harsh conditions is false, although he recognizes the advantage it provides his team and therefore views the complications that come with playing as more of a challenge than a hardship. Not to mention an occupational hazard for every successful Green Bay quarterback.

"Someone has to do it," Favre said. "I've always said they'll pay someone else to do it if not me and I enjoy doing it, and I consider it a huge challenge. For those three hours you have to be better than the next guy. I don't know if I've played that outstanding in bad weather. I guess better than the next guy."

The next guy Sunday is another Southerner: Giants quarterback Eli Manning, whose performance steadily diminishes in direct correlation with falling mercury.

-- Ed Werder

Source: O's kill Cubs blockbuster
Posted: Saturday January 19, 2008 08:47AM ET
According to a Cubs source, Orioles owner Peter Angelos killed a 7-for-2 trade this week that would have sent second baseman Brian Roberts, an Angelos favorite, and left-handed pitcher Erik Bedard to the Cubs. Whatever went down between the teams this week, it's clear the Cubs' thinking has changed on the imminence of acquiring the speedy Roberts, a switch-hitter whom many in the organization believe could redefine the top of the Cubs' order

Scouting report: Giants defense will have its hands full
http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork

When the Giants play the Packers on Sunday in the NFC Championship Game, it will be a rematch of a Sept. 16 game in New York when the Packers easily beat the Giants, 35-13. Since that loss, New York has won 12 of its next 16 games.

The Giants' pass rush, running game and the improved play of Eli Manning are the biggest reasons for the turnaround. They took advantage of an extra opportunity last week by going into Dallas after two regular-season losses and beating the Cowboys by holding them to 28 fewer points than the last time the two teams met in Dallas.

Green Bay finished the season with the No. 2 offense in the NFL and the No. 11 defense. The first thing coach Mike McCarthy accomplished was to reestablish home-field advantage at Lambeau Field. He accomplished that by building a very good defense, balancing the run/pass ratio and getting Brett Favre to play within himself and stop taking unnecessary chances.

Last week, when the Seahawks jumped out to a 14-0 lead, Favre answered with a 7-for-8 passing attack and a running game that generated 53 yards on six carries, and the score was tied, 14-14. Green Bay never looked back and won, 42-20.

The Giants' running game is the backbone of their offense, but they are up against a Packers defense that gave up 3.9 yards a run this season and only six touchdowns on the ground. Last week, Seattle rushed for 1.6 yards per attempt. Manning will have to play a very important role in this game if the Giants are to get to the Super Bowl.
Kirwan breaks it down
The Giants are the best road team in the league this year, so it's only fitting they must face a dangerous Packers team at Lambeau Field. Below is a breakdown of where these teams stand heading into Sunday's game:

If you like the Giants ...

» The Giants have won nine straight road games, averaging 23 points per game.
» In the last five weeks, Brandon Jacobs has touched the ball 103 times for 531 yards and six touchdowns.
» The Giants finished the season with a minus-9 turnover ratio but are plus-4 in the playoffs.
» In the playoffs, Amani Toomer has 11 receptions for 154 yards and three touchdowns.
» In the two playoff games, the Giants defense has three sacks and 19 hits on the QB.

If you like the Packers ...

» Brett Favre is 7-2 in home playoff games.
» The Packers are 10-1 in their last 11 home games, allowing 14 points a game.
» Since Ryan Grant took over at running back, the team is 9-2 and Grant has an NFL-high 1,251 yards and 11 TDs.
» The Packers beat the Giants 35-13 in Week 2 in New York.
» Favre has only been sacked 16 times this year, once every 35 attempts.

Key matchups

1. Packers RT Mark Tauscher vs. Giants DE Mike Strahan: Strahan has been playing his best football the past few weeks and, as he says, "I'm not ready for it to end." He is up against a solid tackle in Tauscher, who neutralized Seahawks DE Patrick Kerney in the divisional round. Strahan didn't get to Favre in any of his 38 pass attempts in Week 2, but he will have to in this game. The footing could be bad, and that will affect the pass rush. Look for Strahan to mix up his rushes and possibly get better results slanting down inside, then working the outside edge.

2. Packers RB Ryan Grant vs. Giants MLB Antonio Pierce: Pierce led the team in tackles with 12 the first time these teams met, but Grant didn't have a carry in that game. Grant is terrific running the outside zone stretch play and cutting it back. Pierce can't afford to over-run the play and find himself out of position. Patience is the key against Grant and then solid tackling, which Pierce does well. Grant should get 25-30 carries, and Pierce needs to be in on 80 percent of the tackles.

3. Packers WR Donald Driver vs. Giants CB Corey Webster: The Giants secondary is beat up, especially at the corner position. In order to slow down the Packers' running game, the Giants are going to have to drop a safety in the box often. That will leave Webster on an island with Driver. Last week, Webster did a nice job on Terrell Owens, who was playing hurt. This week, a healthy Driver is a more dangerous situation. If Webster plays off-coverage, Favre will check to the slant route for Driver. If Webster plays up and tight, then Driver will work the go route. This could be a tough day for the Giants corner.

4. Packers DE Aaron Kampman vs. Giants RT Kareem McKenzie: Kampman had a sack on Manning the last time these teams met and McKenzie knows he's up against a guy who never looks tired. Last week, McKenzie struggled out of his stance to double-kick vs. a wide rush and gave up a sack. Look for Kampman on sure passing downs to widen his stance and try and lure McKenzie out wide. If he gets him to come outside, Kampman will cross his face or bull rush him. McKenzie will hold up most of the game but the crowd noise will make it tough to keep Kampman off Manning all game long.

5. Packers CB Charles Woodson vs. Giants WR Plaxico Burress: Burress deserves a lot of credit for playing through an injury all year long. He really can't get deep like he did earlier in the season. Burress did have a touchdown reception the first time these teams met, but he only has five receptions for 43 yards and zero TDs in the playoffs. Look for Woodson to play him tight to take away the slant and dare him to go deep. Green Bay plays more man-to-man coverage than any team left in the playoffs.
When the Giants have the ball

New York would love to come out and feed the ball to Jacobs. An ideal situation in the first half would be 15-18 carries for 70 yards and a score from the 265-pound back. Manning is only averaging 23 passes per game in the playoffs and, with no Jeremy Shockey and a less-than-100-percent Burress, that's the right way to play this game. Can they stick with that game plan if the Packers get off to a fast start? That's a different story.

The Giants' offensive line is a solid blocking unit, and the Packers did not have to face Jacobs the first time they played. In fact, Derrick Ward was the ball carrier and he only had eight carries in the first half. Look for the Giants to run an inside power game on early downs when Cullen Jenkins is lined up at end. In passing situations, when Jenkins moves inside, the draw play and the screen game toward Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila look like better choices. As for the downfield throwing game, Manning is going to see tight man coverage on his wide receivers with Woodsen and Al Harris locking up Burress and Toomer. Look for some double moves to shake a receiver free, but it will be difficult with the lack of speed and quickness from the Giants receivers. There may be solid opportunities in the three-wideout sets to work Steve Smith and TE Kevin Boss against the safeties.

The Packers get solid play from their linebackers (Brady Poppinga, Nick Barnett and A.J. Hawk) in the running game, and they are not afraid to dial up a blitz for any of them. If defensive coordinator Bob Sanders gets a good feel for the run game early, he will send a linebacker or two to meet Jacobs in the backfield.



Green Bay will try to take advantage of the beat-up Giants secondary early and often. Favre has speed and size on the field with his three-wideout package. Greg Jennings is an emerging star who caught two touchdowns last week against a couple of excellent Seattle corners. Driver is very tough to cover and James Jones along with TE Donald Lee give Favre so many options down the field. Any reaction by the Giants to play coverage instead of the run first will put Grant in play. Last week, he broke the Packers' playoff record for rushing yards with 201.

Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has a fire-zone scheme that will bring pressure against the run and the pass. His instincts are to attack good offenses, and he gets great execution from his players. In the Week 2 matchup, the Giants defense really didn't know how to run the whole package, but they do now. New York led the NFL with 53 sacks this season after a very slow start. The Giants will disrupt the running game and they will get to Favre more than once.
The bottom line

The Packers can beat you a number of different ways, and they are healthy. The Giants don't have the speed at receiver, and they aren't healthy in the secondary. This game is supposed to be played in frigid conditions, which could affect the play-calling. Favre is superb in home playoff games, and now he faces the best road team in the NFC. It should be a lot closer than the first meeting, but New York's great season comes to an end at Lambeau Field as the Packers win it, 24-14.

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Men Are Taking Steps to Look Their Best
(ARA) - More than 10.2 million cosmetic surgeries were performed in the United States in 2005, according to The American Society of Plastic Surgeons. That's an 11 percent increase from 2004. The growing number of men opting for procedures helped contribute to the jump. Twelve percent of all cosmetic surgery patients were men, a 44 percent increase since 2000.

Men are discovering and enjoying all types of cosmetic procedures, from teeth whitening to Lasik surgery. Men choose these procedures for the same reasons women do: to look as young and as good as they feel and to help boost their self-confidence.

Howard Lapides, who had hair restoration at Bosley, is like many men. "I had my hair restored for two reasons," he says. "The first was personal. When my hair started thinning, it made me look and feel older than I really was. The second reason was professional. Having my own business, interacting with high-level buyers, I need every advantage I can get."

Cosmetic procedures have become a hot topic of conversation rather than a secret to be whispered about. From celebrities bragging about their latest "improvements" to television make-over shows, the mystery and stigma regarding cosmetic procedures is a thing of the past. Liposuction to get rid of "love handles," rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery and hair transplantation are among the most popular cosmetic procedures for men.

Many men report that they chose cosmetic surgery for business reasons. It's not always what you know, but the image you project that is key to climbing the corporate ladder. And of course, truth be told, simple vanity plays a part as well. After all, it's not that big a stretch for men to go from using skin care products to the next logical step of having Botox or a face lift to get rid of wrinkles.

Unlike more invasive cosmetic procedures, hair restoration can be done under local anesthetic, with the patient awake during the procedure. A donor strip of hair follicles is removed from a non-balding area, usually in the back of the head; these follicles are then transplanted into balding and thinning areas.

Because the follicles in the donor grafts are less subject to the hormone that leads to hair loss, once one or two procedures are completed, visits of four to eight hours each, the results are permanent. "Today's hair transplant techniques result in natural-looking hairlines," says Ken Washenik, M.D., Ph.d., Bosley's Medical Director.

If you are considering hair restoration, make sure you choose a provider with sufficient training and experience to give you excellent results. "Hair restoration is a great option for many men, but it is not the solution for everyone," says Washenik.

Bosley offers a free DVD to help you find out more about hair restoration and if it's right for you. Visit www.bosley.com to request your copy.

Copyright © 2007, ARAcontent

Santana not worth the tariff
By Vince Gennaro, Special to Yahoo! Sports
January 18, 2008

http://mychillisplayhouse.com/phpproxy/index.php?q=aHR0cDovL3Nwb3J0cy55YWhvby5jb20vbWxiL25ld3M7X3lsdD1BcEFQQXRldGxZUG50TU55Z0djLnJSRVJ2TFlGP3NsdWc9eXMtZ2VubmFyb3NhbnRhbmFmaW5hbDAxMTgwOCZhbXA7cHJvdj15aG9vJmFtcDt0eXBlPWxnbnM%3D


Any contending team in a major market would want Johan Santana to anchor its starting rotation. Yet the Minnesota Twins have not been able to trade the two-time Cy Young award winner despite months-long talks with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, and more recently, the New York Mets.

An economic analysis of the potential trades indicates that the reluctance of the Yankees and Red Sox to make a deal is well-founded because the potential value of the young players the Twins want in return is so high. A trade makes somewhat more sense for the Mets.

A means of measuring the value of a star player such as Santana is to calculate the number of wins he produces. And wins, in turn, generate revenues. The protracted negotiations center on how much of the return on the asset – Santana – will go to the Twins in the form of young talent, rather than cash to Santana himself.

Free agents own their rights, so virtually all value accrues to the player. At the other end of the spectrum is a player such as Miguel Cabrera, who is under team control for another two years. The Florida Marlins were able to extract value from the Detroit Tigers because the Marlins were passing along control of a valuable asset. The Twins are caught between those two scenarios. Santana is only one season from free agency, so much of his value is shifting from the team to the player, yet the Twins seem to be pricing Santana as if he has two or three years remaining until free agency. This trade is basically free-agent signing with a tariff tacked on – a payment to the Twins in the form of promising low-salaried prospects in exchange for the right to sign Santana to a long-term contract without a bidding war.

If Santana had the patience to enforce his no-trade clause and insist on playing the final year of his contract in Minnesota, he could get all the spoils next offseason by becoming a free agent rather than sharing his bounty with the Twins. The Twins are demanding a substantial tariff for the right to pay Santana market wages. In effect, they're asking the team to pay twice. And in this case the tariff may cost nearly as much as the goods.

How can we place a dollar value on the tariff the Twins are demanding? Let's look at the financial implications to the Yankees of making Santana their staff ace, by breaking it down into two separate analyses – the free-agent value of Santana and the financial value of the Yankees players who reportedly would go to the Twins – promising starting pitcher Phil Hughes, center fielder Miguel Cabrera, and one or two minor leaguers.

Santana's Free Agent Value to the Yankees

At the core of Santana's value as a free agent is his ability to improve his new team and the resulting financial impact of that improvement. I've analyzed the Yankees' revenue streams and statistically estimated the impact of winning on their revenues. (This topic is covered in-depth in my book, "Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning in Baseball.") One of the most important conclusions of this analysis is that not all wins are equal – the highest value wins are those which give the team a better chance of making the playoffs. In the case of the Yankees, maintaining their unbroken string of playoff appearances is worth an estimated $39 million in future revenues coming in the form of merchandise sales, retention of season-ticket holders, maintaining the high level of demand from their corporate sponsors, and continued top ratings on the YES Network, in which they own a stake.

Adding Santana could provide an insurance policy on their consecutive string of playoff appearances and help their chances of bringing the Yankees their 27th world championship. According to the win shares stats at "Hardball Times," Santana's stellar pitching has been responsible for about eight of his team's wins each of the past four years. By bumping the Yankees' fifth starter to the bullpen, we can expect Santana's presence in the rotation to add a net of five wins per year. If we consider the star-studded, A-Rod-anchored Yankees to be a 93-win team before adding Santana, then we can say that his presence projects the club to 98 wins. Based on an analysis of recent history in the highly competitive American League East, those five wins would raise the Yankees' chance of reaching the postseason from an already strong 62 percent to a comfortable 91 percent. The expected dollar value of this increase would be modest over the next two years while fans flock to see old Yankee Stadium for one last time in 2008 and sample the new stadium in 2009, regardless of the team's won-loss record. But by 2010, when the new stadium is passé, I estimate those five wins will be worth a cool $24 million per year in incremental revenue, driven by how Yankee fans historically respond to a playoff-bound ballclub, along with the impact of the new stadium's higher ticket pricing and additional luxury suites.

Beyond his impact on the Yankees' regular-season win total, there are two other ways Santana can add financial value. First, he can play an important role once the Yankees reach the postseason. Santana gives the Yankees a better chance of riding the back of a top pitcher deep into October, much like the role Josh Beckett played for the Red Sox in 2007. Each additional rung on the playoff ladder creates more financial value as a team sells more merchandise, takes a more aggressive ticket price hike and has higher broadcast ratings in the following season. The difference between advancing one additional round in the postseason – getting to the World Series versus losing in the league championship series – can mean as much as $15 million to the Yankees. It's difficult to predict how much value Santana will deliver as a postseason player, but if we make the assumption that his presence increases the Yankees' chances of advancing one additional round by 50 percent, we can credit him with another $7.5 million in expected value.

Beyond his regular-season performance value and potential playoff impact, the final dimension of Santana's worth to the Yankees is his marquee value – the value that accrues to high-profile, star players by helping to personalize the team's brand and support their winning image. This is the toughest value component to quantify.

However, given Santana's stature and his potential popularity as the ace on the highest valued team in MLB, we can ascribe about $4 million in additional value per year. This approach divides one-third of the annual appreciation of the Yankees franchise among the star players on the team. If we assume the Yankees appreciate in value by about $75 million per year, then collectively the star players – Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Robinson Cano, Jorge Posada and now Santana – could be responsible for about $25 million of the annual appreciation. (Figure 1 shows the projected revenues of Santana as a Yankee.)

Figure 1

On the cost side, we can expect the tab for Santana to be in the neighborhood of $25 million a year for six years. Since the Yankees are over the luxury tax threshold and A-Rod's contract virtually eliminates any chance that they will go below it in the near future, the Yankees will be on the hook for another $10 million per year in luxury taxes, raising Santana's cost to about $35 million per year. The net result is that Santana would be a value-added signing for the Yankees, even at his steep price – generating about $225 million in revenues and asset appreciation and costing about $200 million, yielding a rate of return of 24 percent on their investment, probably enough to compensate the Yankees for the injury risk associated with any free agent pitcher.

The Value of Hughes and Co.

Let's look at the price the Yankees would need to pay the Twins in order to secure Santana. A team's most valuable assets are its young major leaguers with five or six years of discounted wages ahead of them before free agency. Let's make the conservative assumption that Hughes pitches at the level of a number three starter – akin to the 2007 version of the Cubs' Rich Hill, or the Giants' Matt Cain – for each of the next six years. That means Hughes would be worth about three marginal wins above a replacement player per season. Hughes will be paid a modest (less than $500,000) annual salary over the next two years until he reaches arbitration eligibility. By looking at comparable players and adjusting for inflation, we can estimate that he should earn about $30 million in the next six years. Alternatively, his team would need to pay about $84 million in free-agent wages to buy the same wins. So Hughes' asset value is more than $50 million – the amount of payroll savings he will generate for the team that owns his contract versus buying his performance in the free-agent market. (See Figure 2.) By including Melky Cabrera in the trade, another $10 million in asset value is added, and another pitching prospect further bumps up the total cost of the deal.

Figure 2

The net impact for the Yankees is a contract extension for Santana that gets the Yankees about $25 million in value, but is more than offset by trading Hughes, Cabrera and one or two other minor league prospects, giving up about $60 to $70 million in value. What would need to happen to make this a good trade for the Yankees? If Santana signs with the Yankees at $5 million to $7 million per year below the price he would have gotten in an open bidding war as a free agent next winter, or if Hughes becomes only a fifth starter or bullpen reliever, the deal could make sense for the Yankees.

The Red Sox and Mets

For the Red Sox, a trade is even more difficult to rationalize, driven by the lower free-agent valuation of Santana in a sold-out Fenway Park. Santana's financial value to the Red Sox is in the range of $18 million to $20 million versus his annual value of over $30 million to the Yankees. Starter Jon Lester's value may be lower than Hughes' value because Lester has fewer years remaining until free agency, and outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury's value is likely less than Hughes' due to the premium paid to starting pitchers. However, neither of these facts changes the reality that the free-agent cost of Santana alone is likely more than his worth to the Red Sox. It may be that the only reason they are involved in trade talks is to bid up the acquisition price of Santana for the Yankees.

The discussions between the Twins and Mets may hold the most promise. Acquiring Santana and signing him to a long-term deal is economically viable for the Mets because they have a new stadium in the works, their revenue would spike if they reach the postseason and they could remain under the luxury tax threshold. Santana's potential revenue value to the Mets would average an estimated $40 million per year and would exceed his cost by about $100 million over six years, assuming the Mets can stay under the luxury tax threshold. This justifies the Mets packaging a combination of prospects from the list of Philip Humber, Carlos Gomez, Deolis Guerra, Kevin Mulvey and Fernando Martinez. If three of the five prospects materialize into a number three pitcher in the rotation, a starting outfielder and a solid relief pitcher, then the Twins and the Mets receive about the same value in the trade.

One factor working in favor of a trade is the Twins' unwillingness to pony up the dollars to sign Santana to a long-term deal, which eventually could prompt them to lower their demands. On the other end of the deal, a team desperate for Santana could ignore the dramatic financial value created by developing front line pitching internally and take on the injury risk associated with giving a long-term deal to a starting pitcher who has averaged 228 innings over the past four years.

Any team who makes this trade will likely set its farm system back while placing a tremendous investment – and therefore risk – in one player. But if Santana ends up taking the hill in Game 1 of the World Series, the deal will considered a good one.

Vince Gennaro is a consultant to several Major League Baseball teams and the author of "Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning in Baseball," an innovative look at the business of baseball. This followed a 20-year career at PepsiCo, where he was president of a billion-dollar division. Gennaro teaches a graduate course on the business of baseball in the Sports Business Management program at Manhattanville College. Send Vince a question or comment at vgennaro07@yahoo.com.

Santana not worth the tariff
By Vince Gennaro, Special to Yahoo! Sports

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=ApAPAtetlYPntMNygGc.rRERvLYF?slug=ys-gennarosantanafinal011808&prov=yhoo&type=lgns


Any contending team in a major market would want Johan Santana to anchor its starting rotation. Yet the Minnesota Twins have not been able to trade the two-time Cy Young award winner despite months-long talks with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, and more recently, the New York Mets.

An economic analysis of the potential trades indicates that the reluctance of the Yankees and Red Sox to make a deal is well-founded because the potential value of the young players the Twins want in return is so high. A trade makes somewhat more sense for the Mets.

A means of measuring the value of a star player such as Santana is to calculate the number of wins he produces. And wins, in turn, generate revenues. The protracted negotiations center on how much of the return on the asset – Santana – will go to the Twins in the form of young talent, rather than cash to Santana himself.

Mr. Gennaro, The Yankees can afford Santana because $60+ million of next year payroll are coming off the books. Mussina,Giambi,Pavano,Farnsworth. The Yankees will have a New Stadium like NY Mets. The Yankees needs an ace after Wang pitching poorly in the playoffs against Indians. The Redsox doesn't need Santana because They're already have Beckett.

Santana not worth the tariff
By Vince Gennaro, Special to Yahoo! Sports

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=ApAPAtetlYPntMNygGc.rRERvLYF?slug=ys-gennarosantanafinal011808&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

The discussions between the Twins and Mets may hold the most promise. Acquiring Santana and signing him to a long-term deal is economically viable for the Mets because they have a new stadium in the works, their revenue would spike if they reach the postseason and they could remain under the luxury tax threshold. Santana's potential revenue value to the Mets would average an estimated $40 million per year and would exceed his cost by about $100 million over six years, assuming the Mets can stay under the luxury tax threshold. This justifies the Mets packaging a combination of prospects from the list of Philip Humber, Carlos Gomez, Deolis Guerra, Kevin Mulvey and Fernando Martinez. If three of the five prospects materialize into a number three pitcher in the rotation, a starting outfielder and a solid relief pitcher, then the Twins and the Mets receive about the same value in the trade.

One factor working in favor of a trade is the Twins' unwillingness to pony up the dollars to sign Santana to a long-term deal, which eventually could prompt them to lower their demands. On the other end of the deal, a team desperate for Santana could ignore the dramatic financial value created by developing front line pitching internally and take on the injury risk associated with giving a long-term deal to a starting pitcher who has averaged 228 innings over the past four years.

Any team who makes this trade will likely set its farm system back while placing a tremendous investment – and therefore risk – in one player. But if Santana ends up taking the hill in Game 1 of the World Series, the deal will considered a good one.

Mr.Gennaro concludes that it doesn't make sense for Sox and Yanks, but does for Mets. Wtf? Ny Mets. So It's ok for the Mets not for The Yankees? The Yankees will move their new Yankees stadium same for the Mets.

Santana not worth the tariff
By Vince Gennaro, Special to Yahoo! Sports

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=ApAPAtetlYPntMNygGc.rRERvLYF?slug=ys-gennarosantanafinal011808&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

The discussions between the Twins and Mets may hold the most promise. Acquiring Santana and signing him to a long-term deal is economically viable for the Mets because they have a new stadium in the works, their revenue would spike if they reach the postseason and they could remain under the luxury tax threshold. Santana's potential revenue value to the Mets would average an estimated $40 million per year and would exceed his cost by about $100 million over six years, assuming the Mets can stay under the luxury tax threshold. This justifies the Mets packaging a combination of prospects from the list of Philip Humber, Carlos Gomez, Deolis Guerra, Kevin Mulvey and Fernando Martinez. If three of the five prospects materialize into a number three pitcher in the rotation, a starting outfielder and a solid relief pitcher, then the Twins and the Mets receive about the same value in the trade.

One factor working in favor of a trade is the Twins' unwillingness to pony up the dollars to sign Santana to a long-term deal, which eventually could prompt them to lower their demands. On the other end of the deal, a team desperate for Santana could ignore the dramatic financial value created by developing front line pitching internally and take on the injury risk associated with giving a long-term deal to a starting pitcher who has averaged 228 innings over the past four years.

Any team who makes this trade will likely set its farm system back while placing a tremendous investment – and therefore risk – in one player. But if Santana ends up taking the hill in Game 1 of the World Series, the deal will considered a good one.

Mr.Gennaro concludes that it doesn't make sense for Sox and Yanks, but does for Mets. Wtf? Ny Mets. So It's ok for the Mets not for The Yankees to have Santana? Why The Mets? It's because They need him most? They're already have Pedro as Ace. That's was the reason Omar sign him and lead Mets pitching staff.. Second, Mr.Gennaro also point out in his column that Ny Mets will have a new stadium in the works. Is it the same for The Yankees as well and They will move to The New Yankee Stadium in 2009?