In Retrospect

I don’t know what you guys think, but it’s been some week if you ask me. The latest [not all baseball related for this one]:

1. It’s A Bird.. It’s A Plane… No, It’s Both?

Yeah, apparently when you add both of those together you get some fear, craziness and one hell of news story. Check it:

Now, this type of thing would so not be funny if someone actually died, but since that miraculously didn’t happen… makes you think New York can handle anything. Bring. it. on. The whole situation was described as organized chaos and a “miracle”, however, I’d describe it as insanely weird… and completely awesome. Can you imagine being the police or whoever and getting the call saying like, “Hey, a plane just landed in the Hudson.” The first thing officials thought, according to news reports, was that it was a small aircraft. Now imagine their face when they show up on the scene and realize they were talking about a ginormous commercial airliner bathing in the Hudson River… which isn’t so smart considering how filthy that thing is. I don’t know how many noticed this but in all the pictures taken of that big boy in the water you cannot see  anything that was underwater at all [such as the bottom of the plane slowly submerging, or even the people's feet while they were waiting on the wings to be rescued] and I’m talking even just an inch underwater. I think a more appropriate title for this astounding feat shouldn’t have been “Miracle On The Hudson” but more like “Miracle On That Big Flowing Thing We Call A Still Call River But Should Call A Land Fill”.

2. Uhh, That Global Warming Thing… You Guys Are Still Sure About That One Right?

It doesn’t need to be said, as I’m sure most were feeling it, but boy was it cold… nay, freezing the last couple of days. There are only a few days a year where you can leave your fridge unplugged / freezer door open and it wouldn’t make the slightest difference.. and today was definitely one of them. I can’t imagine how people who have it worse deal with it. Take these people for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZjfScL_wRE … crazy much?

3. Mets Further Embarassed [Wait, Is This News?]

By now I’m sure everyone’s heard how badly the Mets are getting laughed at for their new inaugural season in Citifield  patch “logo”, if you can even call it that, but it’s worth reiterating here: hahahaha… sorry. What I mean is, seriously? What were you thinking? You’re a baseball franchise (not a great one, but one nonetheless)… and to celebrate a new stadium, which you definitely needed and finally got, this is what you come up with?:

I almost feel bad. Like Mets’ fans need any more of a reason to feel embarassed…

P.S. The Max wants full credit for the Dominoes Pizza joke about the patch and I give it to them.

4. Change, Hope & All That Good Stuff Coming This Tuesday

And I’m psyched… not just because Obama has been more than inspiration already, without even stepping into office yet… not just because Obama will be the coolest President ever, whether or not he does a good job… not just because he isn’t like any President the U.S. has ever had… and not just because everyone [or at least the majority of people in the country] love him… because finally, we will no longer have to see that moron we’ve been forced to see pretend to know what he’s doing represent the U.S. I won’t pretend to know more about politics than I actually do, but even I wouldn’t have voted for him in the first place, much less a second time, but thank goodness for good old Amendment #22.

And Lastly…

5. Thank MLK Jr.

Because of his dream I will soon be able to dream, instead of going days on 2 hours of sleep as I’ve been doing recently because of the incredible amount of work that’s being thrown at me in my senior year. I get the whole “preparing you for college” thing… but c’mon. I’ve never had to do so many papers is such a relatively short time in my life, which is what’s to blame for the lack of updates on this blog of late. I apologize again. Glad to say this will be me this weekend though:

And this, my friends, will be my alarm clock:

Hehe…

In Retrospect

First off, I hope everyone had a good time over the holidays, even though I didn’t [half of my 12 day vacation from school was a big bummer].  I may be a little late but Happy New Year and all that good stuff. Back to business. The recap of recent activity:

1. Tex Dons The Pinstripes… After Asking The Missus First

The guy that Red Sox hoped they’d get to draw some attention back to them and the Yanks got by saying “Name your price… okay, done deal” put the pinstripes on for the first time Tuesday, and though it goes without saying, looked pretty damn good. The story on every back page in New York, however, was all about his wife and how Tex needed to have her say-so to become a Yankee. I admit I got a little chuckle out of that, but I gotta say, Mark’s no fool. He doesn’t care that his manlihood is being joked about for a reason. She wears the pants, but he still brings home the bacon mountain load of bacon.

2. Cleveland Becomes The First Team To Come Dangerously Close To Becoming Clinically Insane

I knew some team would dare to sign him, but still, I can’t imagine how Pavano, the guy who is literally the definition of injury prone [look it up, I kid you not], is worth more than a penny… not even a shiny one at that. Yeah, he came back and managed to finish ’08 without stubbing his toe, but nonetheless… you know that if there is a God, he has one hell of a sense of humor when Americans who work hard every day get laid off, while a guy who sat on his *** for half the time he was in pinstripes is offered $1.5 million easily… and to top it off though is that fact that even if the worst should happen to him and he could no longer pitch, he still could easily earn cash advertising for ACE bandages, or possibly even create a new line of designer crutches… who knows.

3. Pettitte Does What I Thought Was Impossible

He said no… to [lotto guy voice] 10 millll-ion dollars… from the Yankees. You what the Yanks said back? “Okay, but when you change your mind… because you will change your mind… it won’t be $10 million on the table anymore bud.” Putting jokes aside though, am I the only one who just hates the business side of baseball? Pettitte wants to be a Yankee and the Yankees want Pettitte to be a Yankee. You’d think that’d be the easiet contract the Yanks sign in the off-season, but noooo…

4. Number Of Teams Interested In Former Bo-Sock: Not Manny

Manny didn’t get a check in his stocking and I’m guessing, with Manny being Manny, he’s pretty peeved… nahhhh, does anyone really believe he cares about anything? Still, it’s January, and the big boy still hasn’t got a new uniform. I’d be seriously embarrassed if I were him right about now. I mean, Pavano got a contract before him. I mean, that’s just sad.

Side Notes:

- I can’t say G-G-G-G-G-G-Giambino [the G-Unit pronunciation] anymore, booooo.

- Bernie gets hit with an injury after joining a Puerto Rican winter ball team, putting the brakes on his comeback. Though I don’t neccesarily want to see him in the outfield for the Yanks ever again [no offense Bern] I would’ve loved to still see him back in the game.

Real Life Monopoly

Okay, now I’ve ‘gotta admit… sometimes I even think it’s unfair.

But hey… it is the Yankees, would you expect anything different?

Now, if you haven’t already heard of the news that has rocked the baseball world today then you must live under a rock, but nonetheless I’ll reiterate it here for no other reason than because it sounds that good: Mark Teixeira will be a New York Yankee… Although some prophesied this move beforehand, I, on the other hand, did not think this was going to happen, but apparently there is no limit whatsoever to the amount of money the execs will spend this Tex-Mas. However, now that it’s being reported that the Yanks sealed the deal [with 180 million dollars], what does this deal mean? The way I see it [something I should never say, as the way I see things isn't always so normal] is that this means:

1. I will have to learn how to spell the guy’s name without looking it up anymore.

2. The Yanks will not be going after Manny Ramirez… unless they are seriously out of their minds and/or enjoy getting people angry with their flagrant displays of their wealth, while people are losing their homes, losing their jobs or having a hard time finding one [namely, me], or worse… and knowing Hank, that enjoyment is a definite possibility.

3. According to Peter Abraham, this move could mean we won’t be seeing the return of Pettitte, with it not leaving much room for Andy, unless the Yanks can trade one of their extra hitters… which just blows. It may be just me but I’d rather have Old Reliable.

4. I’m going to have to figure out a more unique nickname for Mark than the widely used “Tex”/”Teix”… I’ll get back to you guys on this one.

5. People are going to hate a lot more than usual [yeah, that's still possible] if the Yanks make it to the postseason or farther in ’09. [Note: I use the word "if" only because the confidence people mistake for cockiness attribute that Yankee fans possess has got us into trouble in the past... and of course by "past" I mean the past 8 years.]

6. I honestly don’t know what else this means but I felt like there should be more than 5 reasons this move is big news…

P.S. I would like to thank Jane for writing one of the best articles on being a Yankee fan I’ve possibly ever read. All I can say after reading it is amen.

Murderers’ Row-tation

It won’t be official until both sides sign on the dotted line, but apparently one undisclosed source is stating that the last vacant spot in the 5 man rotation Yankee fans are looking forward to seeing in ’09 will be filled by Andy Pettitte… eventually. This “source with knowledge of the pitcher’s intentions” is sure of it, calling it “inevitable”, and although it’s hard to believe unnamed sources these days.. I’m saying it’s inevitable too. From my understanding, the only problem is  the money… surprise surprise. The Yanks don’t want to pay more than $10 million [even though they'll give CC $9.5 million for not doing a thing] and Andy doesn’t want to take a $6 million pay cut…

I say just give him $12 or 13 million and make it a damn done deal already.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this:

plus this:

might as well be equal to this:

So how ’bout it eh?

Welcome Boys. . .

Wearing that interlocking NY logo feels good doesn’t it?

‘Cuz it sure as hell looks good.

However, now that the papers are signed and these pups have had a chance to sniff around the house a bit, it’s time to get back to business and ask the big questions still on mind of Yankee fans [...or just me]:

1. Will Manny ever cease to be a topic of discussion during the off-season or near trade deadline? Seriously, let me know if that’s possible.

2. Will Boston give up their attempts to make bigger signings than us already? Even if we throw aside the whole debate about which team is better, it’s pure fact that our bank account is bigger and players, whether they admit it or not, all want to be Yankees.

3. Will the Yanks empty said bank account? With all this talk surrounding Manny and Teixeira [doubt either will be in NY anytime soon but w/e] I’m wondering if the Yankees have ever heard of a budget.. or the phrase “insufficient funds” for that matter. Then again, it must be pure joy to be able to sign checks with that many zeros on them.

4. Will the lineup have more than one guy under the age of 30 on Opening Day? I’m not sure, but this veteran situation seems oddly familiar… guess that whole youth movement died, and I’m thinking it’ll be buried if Leche gets shipped off.

And last, and most importantly…

5. Will CC wear a uniform that fits him? CC: You’re young, but not that young. Teenage boys can barely pull off the baggy look.

Seriously? . . .

So, now that both CC and A.J.  have been checked off the growing list of things Hank wants for Christmas, attention is slowly being turned back to that rumored deal for Mike Cameron in exchange for Melky Cabrera… but, as it goes, apparently the Brewers don’t just want Leche.

They also want this guy:

Remember him?… Yeah, me neither.. but I’m pretty sure he suckked.

According to the Post, the Brewers think that baseball and Vegas are the same thing, deciding to take a gamble on a guy that I thought drowned a while ago.. but since he’s still alive and the Yanks obviously don’t mind shipping Melk off, I say: sweeeet. The Brewers can have Kei for free if they want. I’m not too excited about seeing The Melk Man leave though, if this deal does indeed go through. He’s a cool dude. Putting the sunflower seeds box on his head was just.. classic.

Side Notes:

- I forget which movie I’ve heard this in but I’ll say it: “Heyyyy Kansas City.” Nuke LaFarnsworth is now a Royal.. I kid you not. I’ve grown fond of Farnsy, but if that isn’t something to laugh at, I don’t know what is.

- Supposedly the Yanks are going after Teixeira, and although I highly doubt that’ll happen, I’ve got one thing to say: We’re in an economic crisis guys. At least act like you don’t have all the money in the world.

Wheeeel Of Fortuuune

“Uhh.. C!” – “Yes, two C’s on the board.”

“I would like to buy a vowel. A!” – “You got it.”

“I’ll spin again… J!” – “And we have a J. Would you like to solve the puzzle?”

“Nahhhhh, not yet. This game is fun. Hehe.”

And so the shopping spree continues. Though this news was already anticipated, the Yanks have indeed sealed the 82.5 million dollar 5 year deal with that other pitcher referred to by primarily his first two initials, A.J. Burnett. However, despite throwing $240 million at the two newly acquired arms, the game is far from over. With rumors of the Yanks possibly aiming for another arm, with Andy’s future in pinstripes uncertain, and of Mike Cameron possibly playing in NYC, the roster is still in for some changes.

Despite the fact that I know, all too well, that a team on paper means nothing, I’m still salivating at the sight of this:  Wang, CC, Joba, A.J., Pettitte/??… How many days until Opening Day again?

Side Notes:

- Believe it or not, a team actually signed Wilson Betemit. Which one you ask? The only one led by a crazy s.o.b. Ahh, yes, those White Sox. One piece of info: you know that thing players swing with? Yeah, Betemit isn’t so good with that. Good luck

- About those rumors of a Manny in New York, I’m thinking that really won’t happen, but if by some miracle it does.. prepare to witness a boycott.