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Ok, so it isn’t the right sport, but who cares? It is still New York vs. Boston and that is a big deal, especially with Boston’s hot streak of late (the Red Sox, Celtics, Pats, even BC played better than usual). Well, guess what? It is 2008, a new year, and it is time for that streak to end. What a better way to end it than with the Giants beating the Patriots in the Superbowl. Ok, maybe I am getting ahead of myself, but I truly believe that Eli and the Giants can defeat Belicheat’s crew. You can probably tell the Red Sox aren’t the only Boston team I hate. I am actually a Jets fan, which makes my hatred of the Patriots similar to that of the Red Sox since they are our division rivals. It would have been better in the Jets took out the Pats in the playoffs, but hey I’m not complaining; I am still happy with the Giants taking on our Boston foes. Lets hope this is the beginning of taking back the sports throne for New York. Do I hear the Yankees playing into late October?

The Yankees have received a lot of scrutiny from fans of other teams about how they did nothing this offseason other than bring the team from last year back. These naive people think that since its the same team, the outcome will be the same. I know that the Yanks [or their fans] don’t have to answer to fans of other teams, but I felt like responding to this one because that assumption is just bullshit. Just because the players are the same does not mean we will lose in round one of the ALDS again.

There is actually an advantage to having the same players return. As they practice and play more games with each other, they start to get more acquainted with the eachother’s playing styles. This helps them realize what each man’s strengths and weaknesses are. They can then use that information to play optimal ball for whatever situation they are in. The more the same team plays together, the quikcer the team chemistry grows and the players act as a more unified team, which is very important for any successful club.

Now lets move on to specifics. Particularly what many Yankee fans are referring to as the “big three”. Who? Ian Kennedy, Phil Hughes, and of course Joba Chamberlain; three young pitchers who were a major part of the rally last year. Only difference is, now they got another year under their belt’s and experience is always a great thing to have in professional sports. They are still young and learning so they should continue to get better for a while to come and if you look at what they’ve done so far that might be scary for other teams.

I am not going to pull the Joe Girardi card in this one because even though that was one of the changes made this off season, Torre was still a great manager, so that was not the issue.

Bottom line is, we may have the same base of players, but that DOES NOT mean we will have the same outcome.

Well, there are twenty minutes left until the 2 o’clock press conference which will reveal the Mitchell Report. Rumors are flying left and right, but don’t get raveled in them because chances are that most of them are just that, rumors. Stay tuned as I will be updating as the report is released. Many speculate that there will be Yankees on the list and one trainer has even come out and said that he had supplied Roger Clemens with steroids, so it is like that Clemens will be in the report. Well, find out in 20 now 15 minutes…

So tomorrow is the big day. Former Senator George Mitchell is ready to release his masterpiece, a report on a 20 month investigation on steroid use in the MLB. It has been hyped up and everyone is eager to see what it says. It claims to have evidence on several big name major leaguers who have used these drugs. It is a drama lover’s dream come true, an instigator’s heaven, and a cheater’s nightmare. But, is this all good for the sport?

No.

It is as simple as that. You tell me, what is there about this whole mess that is good for Major League Baseball? Will it increase the popularity of baseball? No. Will it give it a better image? Certainly not. Will it increase revenues? No. Now, a few questions of a different sort: Will it destroy careers? Yes. Will it give baseball a bad image? Yes. Will it cause suspicion of more players, so more lives can be disturbed? Yes. Any arguments here? Because I really don’t see how anyone can say this is a good thing for the sport.

Sure steroid use may give players an unfair advantage over others and we should investigate, but we don’t have to make it a witch hunt. We don’t have to promise big names just to get attention; in fact if no big names every used steroids that would be better. The Mitchell Report shouldn’t be a ploy to get attention, it should be the just the opposite. We should reveal those you cheated, punish them, and move on.

Sadly with all the hype it doesn’t look like it will go this way. If we do want it to go smoothly and quickly, some of us have to change ourselves. One thing we must learn to do is realize that no matter what we do someone will always cheat, especially with all the money and fame involved with playing pro ball; it is just a sad part of reality. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for punishing cheaters, but their has to be a better way than this. Give a lifetime ban for steroid use even one time, enforce regular drug tests (and spend money to find tests for those untestable drugs, instead of spending git on 20 month long witch hunts), just do something which doesn’t have people accusing every other guy and their dogs of using steroids.

Or if you find that an overwhelming majority of players are using these supplements, then just turn the shoulder and look the other way. I know its not good, but if there really is a cohort of players using steroids then it may be for the best. I mean that would be better than having every player publicly demeaned until there was no one left. It’s not like baseball would be able to restart with all clean players or something because that would mean a decrease in pitching speeds and how far/fast balls get hit, which means lower ticket sales; no team is going to agree to that.

Well one mistake has already been made and that was the hiring of George Mitchell. Next time please choose a guy that is unbiased and gets evidence before he makes accusations. In other words, do not choose George Mitchell. The man who is a director on the board of the Red Sox, has more than a biased view. He has a thirst for any leads, even if it means hearing lies. Several trainers and coaches have reported being pressured by Mitchell and his fellow Sherlocks for information even if they didn’t have any. When they said that they weren’t sure about anyone using steroids they were asked who they thought was using steroids. Mitchell’s crew tried them to say names of people who’s bodies have changed a lot recently. They do know that people can change their body type with using steroids, right?

Hopefully what we get tomorrow won’t have any of the what ifs in it, but only hard, cold evidence. The best outcome would be to get enough information with evidence, so that this can be dealt with and become nothing more than the past. A lot of the trainers ended up not guessing no matter how much they were pressured because they knew damn well that they could be fired on the beat if they started a rumor of that intensity. Hopefully tomorrow’s report is nothing but facts. This is the optimistic view; will it come true? I guess we’ll find out at 2 tomorrow.

There have been rumors about the Phillies being interested in Mike Mussina. A trade is certainly a possibility since the Yankees have six possible starters at the moment (Petite, Moose, Wang, Kennedy, Hughes, and Joba). Whether a trade is a good thing is a different story; our rotation isn’t exactly the most proven. Also, as always the possibility of injuries exists, so maybe have six possible starters is a good thing. I believe that if Moose does stay he should be moved to the bullpen and then he can be moved up to starter if someone gets injured or is just horrible. It is obvious that he is aging and I think that with less innings (more rest) he will still be able to be successful. I would actually prefer Mussina to stay a Yankee unless we get some proven pitchers in return.

You can add two more to the list of possible pitchers coming to the Yankees. The Yanks have shown interest for Japanese reliever Kazuo Fukumori and Orioles starter Erik Bedard.

We’ll being with Fukumori who is a 33 year old free agent. He missed a lot of last season due to an injury, but examination by doctors has showed that he should be fine. He has also shown that he can easily throw 100 pitches. There are several teams interested in Fukumori and many consider the Yanks to be late, but everyone knows that you can never count us out. One thing that might eventually break a possible deal is the fact that the Fukumori wants a two year deal. The Yankees are reluctant to give any relievers which they pick up from free agency more than one year due to relief disappointments in recent history (Farnsworth, Quantrill, etc.)

Even with that possible deal breaker I think it is more likely that the Yanks get the Japanese reliever than Erik Bedard (although I would much rather prefer Bedard). Why? Because Orioles owner Peter Angelos has said that he will not trade 28 year old Bedard within their division, the AL East. The Yanks and Red Sox are still both interested and will probably try to pursue him (where have we seen that before?). Whether Angelos will change his mind, only time will tell.

Bedard would be a great addition to the Yanks, especially if he can put up numbers like he did last season. He was 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA and 221 strikeouts in 182 innings pitched. I certainly hope we can snag him, but thinking realistically I don’t see him or Fukumori coming over.

The Giants are interested in center fielder Hideki Matsui. They are certainly in the market for an outfielder as there has also been talk of interest in Alex Rios of the Blue Jays. In order to get Matsui, he would have to approve a deal because he currently has a no trade clause in his contract. In exchange the Yanks would probably try to snag some pitching, maybe someone like starting pitcher Tim Lincecum or some relievers. The Yankees have four outfielders, so a deal is possible and they would probably consider offers, but then again Matsui has played well so the Yankees might expect more than what the Giants are willing to offer. Also, if Matsui doesn’t want to leave New York, then there is no possibility of a trade.

The New York Daily News reports that the Yankees are interested in free agent relief pitcher LaTroy Hawkins. They have begun talks with the former Colorado reliever, who is one of the few good pitchers willing to accept a one year deal. This is really attractive for many teams because they don’t have to make a commitment.

Hawkins pitched 55.1 innings with the Rockies this past season with an ERA of 3.42 and 29 strikeouts. Hawkins makes sense for the Yanks, especially since Joba Chamberlain is expected to start this season. Other teams interested in Hawkins are the Tigers (seems like they are interested in everyone doesn’t it?), Orioles, and Rangers.

By now most of you have probably heard of the recent blockbuster deal between the Detroit Tigers and the Florida Marlins which has sent superstars Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera to Detroit. A few weeks after trading for Edgar Renteria from the Braves, the Tigers are looking like a killer team. These acquisitions should be more than enough to put them ahead of the Indians in the central, which puts the Indians competing for wildcard. As we saw this past the season, the Indians are definetely a good team and that just makes it harder for the other wildcard competitors, most probably either the Yanks or the Red Sox. The AL playoff battle was tough last year with the Tigers the ones who ended up fighting for the wild card, which they eventually lost to the Yanks. It is clear that the owners are serious about winning and they don’t want a repeat, which is why all this talent has been brought over. Now that leaves Cleveland and the second place team in the AL East to fight for wildcard (sorry to the AL West, but the wildcard isn’t coming out of there) and the other one who will no doubt still be a great team, goes home with nothing.

Now on the other side of the ball, is the NL, where there are only a couple of teams that even look like they have a chance to challenge one of the top 5 from the AL. The AL has been dominant for years and this off season has showed us that it isn’t the end. Look at last year: do you seriously think that any of the AL playoff teams would have lost in the World Series to any of the NL playoff teams? Exactly. And this year the AL is better, thats just scary.

If the Bronx Bombers don’t land Johan Santana from the Twins, Dan Haren or Joe Blanton from the A’s is another possibility. The A’s, who are currently waiting for bids from the Yanks or Red Sox, are looking to shop them or atleast hear some offers. Dan Haren is more likely who the Yanks and other teams will try to get first. It is speculated that a deal for Haren would probably cost the Yanks about the same as a deal for Santana (maybe minus the mid-level prospect). Haren or Blanton would certainly be a nice addition to the Yankee rotation as well, both of them having eras under 4 and winning 14 (Blanton) and 15 (Haren) games a piece.

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