We get it

Hugh Jackman is sexy. Fine, stop rubbing it in our faces! And he's Australian. Great. We needed him to be in a movie about Australia, named "Australia" to tell us this? No, we didn't.

No, this has nothing to do with the Yankees. You can shut up, too.

G'day. I'm taller than you. I'm sexier than you. My stubble is better.
I look great in a goofy hat.
And I have more money than you. Put that on yah bahbee, yank.

Happy Trails

Mike Mussina is retiring after posting his first 20-win season. Good for him. I thought he was done two years ago. A lot of people did. He proved them wrong. Coming back for another season, a potentially disastrous one, could wash away that good feeling he left with and left Yankees fans with.

Mussina could end up in broadcasting, or could drop off the planet, either way, good luck Mike. See you in the Hall.

Hungry for pitching

It's well known the Yankees are gunning for just about every pitcher on the market. This is good and bad. They finally realize that's how you win baseball games: good. But they believe some pitchers, by virtue of mediocre track records, are worth copiuos amounts of cash. I don't care, it's not mine. But a .500 pitcher, A.J. Burnett, isn't worth the dough. His health, his attitude and his performance all come into question. If the Yankees want consistency, they should look elsewhere. Derek Lowe is a good start.

As for CC Sabathia, I got this nugget a little while ago. "Yankees fax offer to Sabathia, who promptly eats it." It's saying CC is fat. Get it? He's a big guy, and he eats whatever comes into his orbit (another fat joke! I likened him to a planet! Ha ha!) I'm down for whatever insults and blasts people can throw. But "big-guy-ate-paper" is weak. Maybe going with, he ate the fax machine, or the building that housed the office where the fax machine was. Now we're onto something, and not just awkward sentence structure.

Swing and a Swish(er)

I get the feeling the Yankees are looking for a certain type of personality with this trade for Nick Swisher, as opposed to a type of player. I don't feel horrible about this deal — they need someone who can PLAY first base, not just stand there — especially if the Yanks land Sabathia, which it seems they'll pay anything to do, starting at $140 million.

Firings of thirdbase coaches are like onions, they have layers

I’m rarely, if ever, offended by words or deeds. People say and do what they believe is right or necessary. That’s fine. Me too.

Recently, I sarcastically suggested the Yankees had solved their problems by offing Bobby Meacham and Rich Monteleone.

Obviously, these guys, a thirdbase coach and a special pitching instructor, whatever that is, had nothing to do with the Yankees’ awful play in 2008, but stranger firings, and hirings, have and will always happen in pro sports.

That said, I ran across this:

http://blackathlete.net/artman2/publish/BASN_BLACKBOX_54/Yankees_Eliminate_Major_Problem.shtml

This Web site says the same thing I said, only takes it a step further and says the Yankees saw Meacham as a problem because he is black. I’d tell you more but it crashed my browser - twice. Because I’m white? I wonder ... *thoughtfully taps chin*

Anywho ...

The Web site points out the Yankees had no black players on the roster. It states Derek Jeter doesn’t count ... doesn’t count? It also suggestes the Yankees cut black players from the roster in an effort to make the playoffs. Well, yeah ... we all saw how Latroy Hawkins pitched.

It should be noted few blacks play baseball these days. An April 15, 2008 report stated 8.2 percent of MLB players are black. Numerous stories have been written about this and MLB has made an effort to reach out to “inner city youths” with programs such as RBI.

Here’s a story from 2007 about economics and baseball. It blames the draft’s structure and cost, which pushes teams to look elsewhere, specifically Latin nations, because those players don’t need to be drafted, just found and signed, and take smaller bonuses.

http://money.cnn.com/2007/04/13/commentary/sportsbiz/index.htm

Former Yankee, Dodger, Marlin, Brave, Brewer and now Tiger, and longtime malcontent Gary Sheffield infamously suggested teams want Latin players because they work cheap. There wasn’t too much made of that at the time, probably because people were more interested in his alleged connection to steroids.

If this is sarcasm, and I assume it is, bravo. The best sort is delivered in a way that doesn’t look or feel like sarcasm. It’s said and if the audience gets it, good. If not, we move along.

So my question is: Was Monteleone fired because he’s Italian?

Tom Tresh died today

Don't know much about him. I remember my dad buying his baseball card for me during THAT time. You know, when everyone was collecting and suddenly there was 40 brands and dozens of special releases.

He looked like a Yankee of the era. Short hair, baggy uniform, on one knee leaning over a bat. He was Rookie of the Year in 1962, I've learned.

Not sure that card is worth anything. Anyway, one more piece of the past falls away.

Here's the card I have. His rookie card, it turns out. Nice job, dad.

Give us the Willie

Yankees are rumored to be courting Willie Randolph. It makes sense and it’s typical of the Yankees to reach out to ex-players. Randolph was certainly greated with warmth at the Stadium’s closing ceremony.

This stuff about Madonna and A-Rod, true or otherwise, is an absolute joke. Who cares?! WHO CARES?!?!