I Pray For A Great Christmas Season For All!

This Greeting Is A Christmas Wish, that all may have…

A Very Merry and Blessed Christmas…

and,

A Very Happy and Healthy New Year!

May God Always Bless Us All…

and, also, Bless This Great Country of Ours!

Peace, Goodwill, and Christmas Blessings to all !!!

Jimmy

"Regardless of the outcomes of the verdicts of juries, no player that throws a ballgame, no man that entertains proposals or promises to throw a game, no player that sits in a conference with a bunch of crooked players and gamblers where the ways and means of throwing games are discussed, and does not promptly tell his club about it, will ever again play professional baseball".

                                             …..Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis

In the early days of baseball, in 1919, the "Black Sox Scandal" caused great damage to the "Game". The integrity of baseball was at stake, and the whole foundation of the Sport was ready to crumble. Baseball needed a savior and a strong leader. Babe Ruth would soon be traded to the Yankees and help save the game, as he ushered in the Roaring Twenties, dominating Baseball, playing on the great Yankee teams of that era. But, baseball needed someone to lead the game out of its great abyss.

The owners, to their credit, (maybe more to save themselves, then to save the Game), had a plan. They would hire a Commissioner to make it look like they were doing something to clean-up the game. Their intention was to hire someone they could control, just like everything else they controled in the game, including the players.

They approached Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis with their proposal. The Judge quickly demanded a lifetime position, with unlimited power because he felt that a man who is afraid of losing his job, couldn’t make proper decisions; and, without complete and unlimited power he would not be fully able to do the job. The owners reluctantly accepted the Judge’s demands; and, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis became Baseball’s first Commissioner – to rule over the Game, and clean it up.

The Black Sox Scandal ended when Judge Landis handed down his decision, (quoted at the top of this post), to ban all players involved in the gambling conspiracy to fix the 1919 World Series.

Times are different, but what if Baseball, today, had a Commissioner as strong as Judge Landis. Would baseball now be drowning in an ocean full of disgrace and shame, as it tries to weather the "perfect storm", known as the "Steroids Era"?

Baseball has stood the test of time through all the great disgraces that the "Game" has faced: Racism – the exclusion of Black Players, (its sad that Judge Landis’ views were a main reason that segregation stayed part of the game during the time he was Commissioner); Gambling; Fixing of Games; The Black Sox Scandal; Strikes; Lockouts; Umpires betting on games; the Pete Rose gambling scandal; Cancellation of games; The strike shortened 1994 Baseball Season; The Cancellation of the 1994 World Series; etc. Many more disgraceful events can also be mentioned; and, through it all…BASEBALL HAS SURVIVED! – and, WILL ALWAYS SURVIVE!

We are in the middle of the "Steroid Era"; and, this disgrace shall also pass!

In the article, "Mitchell Report can help provide a cure", by Tom Singer, on MLB.com, on December 14, 2007, the following was reported: "…the message of the Report was redemption". "That was the theme delivered by former Sen. George Mitchell, who repeatedly urged baseball to look to the future".

The only other speaker, other than Sen. Mitchell, was Professor Richard McLaren. He said, "from my experiences, the first thing people will do is direct attention to the names in the Report, and that’s a natural thing to do. But, baseball and the public should quickly move beyond that and focus attention on the [Reports] recommendations – which are exactly what baseball needs, to remove the sting of performance-enhancing substances from the game".

In McLaren’s view, the Mitchell Report must be a "springboard to increase public awareness of this serious problem – how it affects not only sports, but our children".

Professor McLaren pinpointed three main driving forces for the dozen-plus recommendations listed in the Mitchell Report to be successful…

* INDEPENDENCE: McLaren said, "an important step is to get it out of the control of the parties, and put it into an independent agency".

* AUTONOMY: He said, "Set-up an investigation process because that’s really the only way you’re going to deal with HGH and probably other substances that we’re not even aware of because there’s no testing system in the world that will catch HGH".

* TRANSPARENCY: "the testing process has to be transparent, enabling the public to judge its integrity. There has to be adequate, unannounced year-round testing, so players are always at risk – in and out of competition", said, McLaren.

There is so much more to talk about regarding the Report, and what action will, and must, be taken, so baseball can rid "The Game" of PED’s….For Now, I will end on the following note, from the "Conclusions Section" of the Mitchell Report…

"The use of steroids in Major League Baseball was widespread. Everyone involved in baseball over the past two decades – Commissioners, Club Officials, the Players Association, and the Players – shares to some extent in the responsibility for the steroids era. There was a collective failure to recognize the problem as it emerged, and to deal with it early on. As a result, an environment developed in which illegal use became widespread"…

But, it is now time to look to the future, to get on with the important and difficult task that lies ahead. Everyone involved in Major League Baseball should join in a well-planned, well-executed, and sustained effort to bring the era of steroids and human growth hormone to an end, and to prevent its recurrence in some other form in the future. That is the only way this cloud will be removed from the game. The adoption of the recommendations set forth in this report [The Mitchell Report] will be a first step in that direction".

I opened this post with a quote from Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis – so, I think its fitting that I close with another quote from Judge Landis…

"Baseball is something more than a game to a young boy…Destroy his faith in its squareness and honesty, and you have destroyed something more; you have planted suspicion of all things in his heart".

It was fun following the Baseball Winter Meetings this past week, by: listening to sports talk radio, watching the sports shows on TV, reading all the endless baseball information on the computer and in the sports pages of the local newspapers; and, of course, reading and enjoying all the great comments on MLBlogs…

Is there really an off-season in Baseball, anymore?  I don’t think so! It’s almost the middle of December, and most of the talk and interest in sports is about Baseball. 

The Detroit Tigers were the big winners at these Winter Meetings, trading a package of six young players to the Florida Marlins for two big-time players: third baseman, Miguel Cabrera and starting pitcher, Dontrelle Willis. This trade greatly strengthens an already very strong pennant contending team.

The Yankees started to address their greatest weakness – the bullpen – by acquiring two relief pitchers. First, they traded Tyler Clippard to the Washington Nationals for righthander, Jonathan Albaladejo; and, then signed free agent righthanded reliever, LaTroy Hawkins, who pitched for the Colorado Rockies last year. Both are not major deals, but a move in the right direction to replace Luis Vizcanio as the 7th inning set-up man.

The next move could involve signing Japanese free agent righthanded reliever, Kazuo Fukumori. He was a closer for the Rakuten Golden Eagles the last three years in Japan, but the 33-year old pitcher is coming off a season ending elbow surgery last last. Kazuo is seeking a two-year deal, and that may be the deciding factor in whether or not the Yankees will consider signing him. I think if Fukumori is willing to accept a one-year deal, it would be worth the gamble – to have one more option in solving the puzzle that hopefully will provide the answers that will create a successful bullpen for the 2008 season, and beyond.

Another move that must be made before the season starts, is: TRADE KYLE FARNSWORTH !!! …He will be a free agent in 2009 – so, now is the time to trade him. Maybe the Yankees can get a couple of young prospects for him. Farnsworth was a complete disaster last year; it is time for him to go! The Yankees need to burn all bridges to the past ineffectiveness of the bullpen, so they can continue to build a solid foundation for future success of this very important part of the Yankee team.

My final thoughts on the Baseball Winter Meetings concern the great Johan Santana sweepstakes…The Minnesota Twins wanted to get as much as they could for Santana, and who could blame them. It would seem the final deal the Yankees offered, a package of: Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera, Jeff Marquez, and Mitch Hilligoss – for Santana – was a deal the Twins were willing to accept. But, concerns by Brian Cashman, regarding the increase in the Yankee payroll this trade would cause, was the determining factor this deal was not completed. So Be It! …Sometimes the deals you don’t make, turn out to be the best ones.   

Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Melky Cabrera, and Robinson Cano, are the future of the Yankees for many years to come!  Still having all of them on the Yankee roster makes the 2007 Baseball Winter Meetings a tremendous success! 

Now that the Yankees have made it clear that they are not going to trade for Johan Santana…its time for the Yankee high command to officially announce that along with Joba Chamberlain – Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy are also "untouchable". This show of confidence in Hughes and Kennedy will ease their minds in much the same way the Yankee braintrust has eased the mind of Chamberlain when they declared him untouchable early on in this whole process.

The Big Three of the Yankee starting rotation are going to form the nucleus of a great pitching staff for many years into the future. So, it begins now, in the winter of 2007. A time of preparation for our three young warriors.

During all this trade talk, Phil Hughes made it be known that he wants to be a Yankee. Well, its time that he is rewarded for being loyal to the Yankees and Yankee tradition. Now’s the time for all of the Big Three to start getting into the mind frame of pitching and winning games for the New York Yankees, in 2008, and beyond! Give them a chance to start, pitch, and win…without having to worry about being traded to another team.

And, by the way, this should also apply to Melky Cabrera. He earned his way into the line-up last year. He has proven himself, and is going to continue to develop into a star. Melky Cabrera is the starting Yankee centerfielder! Hopefully, the Yankee management will give him a show of confidence, and let him know how important he is to the team…so he can also start preparing for the season without worrying about being traded.

With all that said, its now time to start working on improving the bullpen. The rest of the team is "set"!

Outrageous!!!  Is the only way to describe my thoughts this morning when I saw the back page of the New York Daily News…"Penny-pinching Cashman convinces Yanks, Santana is not worth the money" – "SCROOGED"…

If there was any doubt about whether George Steinbrenner is still making any major decisions regarding the Yankees – all doubts were put to rest yesteday! When Mr. Steinbrenner was building winning teams year after year during his reign as the greatest Baseball Owner in the history of the Game, (and, maybe in the history of all Sports), Money Was Never An Issue!

This is New York; the Yankees are worth over $1 billion; the YES Network is worth over $3.5 billion; and, to keep fielding championship teams each year, money is, and will always be, a very important factor in all deals involving the Yankees. Especially, keeping all-star players from going to other teams; and, Especially, keeping all-star players from going to the Red Sox.

When all this talk about bringing Johan Santana to the Yankees started, I was not totally sold on the idea of trading Phil Hughes and Melky Cabrera. Even now, if the Yankees go into the season with Hughes and Melky, I think the Yankees are still the team to beat in the American League. The main reason in my mind the Yankees had to get Santana was to keep him from going to Boston. And to do this, you have to give up some good players.

I probably could have accepted the Yankees not making the trade if it was because of not wanting to include Ian Kennedy in the deal. But, if the report by Bill Madden in the Daily News is correct, and the final deal that Minnesota agreed to, and would have accepted, for Johan Santana was: Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera, 23-year old Double-A righthander Jeff Marquez, and 22-year old A-ball third baseman Mitch Hilligoss – and, Cashman turned the deal down because he is concerned about how much money it will cost to sign Santana, ($130 million – 6 years?), and how it will increase the Yankee payroll…then you have to conclude only one thing: George Steinbrenner is not involved in "any" major player decisons anymore.

Thank you, George, for all the enjoyment you have given all Yankee fans, Baseball, and New York throughout the years! Long live the King! I hope you are voted into the Hall of Fame soon – while you are still healthy enough to enjoy this great honor, now!

Don’t get me wrong! I think Hank, Hal, and Brian are doing great so far, by bringing back all our own All-Star players; (and, yes! the Yankee payroll is over $200 million)…I can’t wait to see all the young Yankee pitchers, especially, Joba Chamberlain, in the starting rotation on an everyday basis. But, I still thought on a major decision like this – bringing maybe the best pitcher in baseball to the New York Yankees – George would be consulted. Maybe I’m wrong, and George was part of the decision…but, Hank and Hal, the great George Steinbrenner in his heyday would never let money stand in the way of "any deal"!

George Steinbrenner would court the great players and sell them on the great Yankee Tradition. I still remember how George courted Reggie Jackson around New York City before Reggie finally signed with the Yankees.

I know Santana is not a free agent. But, I hope I made my point.

This is how Bill Madden described the whole decision process in his article today: …"Cashman told the Yankee high command to look at what the payroll was going to be if they added $20 million – $21 million for Santana on top of the $16 million they just tacked on with Pettitte. At that point, there was considerable internal debate as to whether to proceed with Santana – even after the Twins had backed off from Kennedy and picked Marquez and Hilligoss, (to be included in the deal)".

"In the end, Cashman pevailed", said Madden, "convincing Hank and Hal Steinbrenner of something he could never have done with their dad" – "that trading for Johan Santana was simply too expensive for the New York Yankees". Madden went onto say: " The GM, (Cashman), never wanted to do this Santana deal, never wanted to get tied up in another expensive long-term contract for a pitcher, and above all, never wanted to give up Hughes. Cashman wants his legacy to be the young guns – Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, Kennedy – and, is banking on them forming the nucleus of a rotation that would be better then the Red Sox starting rotation".

Santana, Wang, Pettitte, Chamberlain, Kennedy, Mussina.

                                             - or -

Wang, Pettitte, Chamberlain, Hughes, Kennedy, Mussina.

Which of the above Yankee starting rotations would be better next year, and in future years, (without Mussina and Pettitte)???

If Santana goes to Boston, the Red Sox starting rotation next year, will look like this: Beckett, Santana, Matsuzaka, Buchholz, Schilling.

Hopefully, for the Yankees sake, Brian Cashman is right…Because, winning a "World Series" and, being "World Champions" is: "PRICELESS" !

Just ask George Steinbrenner.

Sweeny Murti of the WFAN is reporting that according to Yankee sources, it looks like Johan Santana will be traded to the Red Sox by as early as tonight. The package the Twins will receive from Boston will include Jon Lester, Coco Crisp, minor league shortshop Jed Lowrie, and another top level minor leaguer…

In a separate report out of Nashville, it is being reported that pitcher Dan Haren, of the A’s, is headed to Arizona.

If both reports are accurate, the Yankees need to regroup and decide their next move. There continues to be issues in the bullpen, so that would seem to be an area that they should start addressing at this point.

In their first move at the Winter Meetings, the Yankees traded pitcher Tyler Clippard to the Nationals for right-handed reliever Jonathan Albaladejo….Albaladejo, is 25 years old, and stands at 6’5"…In 14 games last year for the Nationals, he pitched in 14.3 innings and had 12 K’s and walked only 2….He finished the season with a 1-1 record, and an ERA of 1.84….So, the re-building of the bullpen starts.

Hopefully, Brian Cashman makes many more moves to upgrade the bullpen. It was disturbing to read yesterday that Mr. Cashman envisions Kyle Farnsworth as a set-up man (again?), in 2008…No!, No!, No!, Brian! Please do all you can to trade Farnsworth!

But, give the Yankees credit. So far, they have made all the right moves by bringing back and signing an All-Star roster of players: Abreu, A-Rod, Posada, Mariano, Pettitte; and, even, bringing back Jose Molina yesterday…The Yankee team the way it is set-up "right now" – is very capable of winning it all in 2008! 

Enjoy The Winter Meetings!

Jimmy