Yanks say NOhan to the Twins when it comes down to Hughes

ESPN reports that the Twins have reached agreement with the Mets to trade Johan Santana in exchange for four prospects:

I don't care if this helps the Mets, I'm just hoping it helps the Yankees. I have been against the Yanks acquiring Santana from the start, especially when it came down to Phil Hughes.

"Phil Franchise," as he has so eloquently been dubbed by Bloggers everywhere, may never become the pitcher that Santana is. He may never become the #1 Starter that scouts have predicted. Maybe he'll only be a serviceable major league starter...a #3 at best, who knows. Even if he fizzles out and fails to live up to the hype, I would still agree with this 'non-trade'.

Yankees fans love Joba because of his electric stuff and his ability to decimate a lineup. To put it simply Joba = domination. Yankees fans love Phil Hughes for a different reason. They love Phil Hughes because of what his name means. Sure, we've all heard him compared to a young Clemens and as the future ace of the Yankees, but what "Phil Hughes" means is much more. Phil Hughes is the change in philosophy in the Bronx. "The Untouchable".

How many times have we heard the hype surrounding a prospect, only to see them packaged in a deal for a washed up slugger, or over the hill veteran? Not Hughes. There was only one person in baseball that anyone would consider trading this kid for -- the kind of player that makes an 'Untouchable' touchable.

That player is Johan Santana, he is the most dominating pitcher in baseball, a strikeout machine, a lefthanded ace - and still the Yankees balked. This non-move is a testament to the changing philosophy of the Yankees, one of fiscal responsibility and building from within.

We will now have an opportunity to see what Hughes can become, not in someone else's uniform, but in Yankee pinstripes.

We already know what he is capable of. He is a 21 year-old righthander who nearly no hit the Texas Rangers until he suffered a hamstring injury. He is a 21 year-old kid who battled back from an ankle injury, learned to pitch without his best stuff, and still won. He is the kid who pitched great down the stretch in September. He is the kid who took the ball from Roger Clemens in Game 3 of the ALDS and stood up to the pressure.

He is a Yankee, and to put it simply Phil Hughes = "Untouchable."

Uncle Sam or Yosemite Sam??

Everytime I swear that I'm going to stop writing about steroids in baseball... I write something about steroids in baseball.

Reading the NY Daily News this morning, I came across an article discussing the government's intention on releasing the names of 104 players who failed MLB's first round of drug testing in 2003. Yes, the same test which was to be 'anonymous' and for 'research purposes only.' They even plan to prosecute the steroid users, now that's gonna bring the truth out.

Releasing the names is one thing, frankly, I couldn't care less about who is on there. There will just be a series of further denials and prods into the accuracy of the testing methods. The fact that players were doing steroids is obvious, we all know this.

Here's a few other things that we also know...

Steroid use is not limited to MLB. Steroid use has been rampant in all of professional, collegiate, scholastic, and recreational sports. Sports Illustrated had an article a few weeks ago about a 13 year old who was forced to take HGH by his father so he could become a championship speed skater. America's new pastime, the NFL, has had countless players test positive for performance enhancers. Shawn Merriman tested positive for steroids last year, was given a 4 game suspension AND STILL was voted as the runner up for defensive player of the year! Hell, he even has his own Nike commercial!!

But more importantly, I also know this...

We have kids dying in Iraq, our economy is in shambles, and the Hilary Clinton v. Barack Obama saga is a testament to the absolute joke that our political system has become.

Why does our government feel the need to waste time and money to perform a witch hunt on Major League Baseball?? What is it going to accomplish? Okay, so we find out a few more players that "cheated." "Great, grand, wonderful!"

Here's an idea:

I'll leave my house that's worth about 10% less than it was three years ago, fill up my tank with cheap quality gas that costs me about $3.00 a gallon, go to staples, buy a piece of paper and an envelope with my dollar that's losing money against other currencies by the day, and write a letter to my 18 year-old cousin in Afghanistan to tell him...

"Hey dude, great news, Congress released another 22 names that weren't in the Mitchell Report! Jose Canseco wasn't lying after all! Hopefully we can bring these cretans to justice! Best of luck out there, I'll let you know when we find Chuck Knoblauch."

Robinson Cano...don't you know

In what could turn out to be the best move of the winter for the Yanks, it appears they are closing in on a 4-year contract with Robinson Cano in the $30M neighborhood.

I've been saying for a long time that the Yanks should try to wrap up Wang and Cano before they get very expensive. Typically, the Yanks have been very reluctant to extend contracts on their young players. Now, with $80-$90M coming off the books next year, it seems they have changed their thinking.

Some speculate that Cano may be slotted into the #3 hole ahead of A-Rod this year. That speculation alone speaks volumes of what this kid may be worth. $7.5M a year seems like a steal for a guy who hit .306, 19 Hr, 97 RBI in a year where he struggled early. I expect you will see Cano break out with numbers in the .315/30/115 range this year.

Great move if this deal gets done. Cano is only 25 and widely regarded as the best second baseman in the American League.

It's okay, he played in Boston too...

This makes me feel better about life...

For those of you who haven't heard, Jose's plans for his second book, "Vindicated" have hit a snag. Don Yaeger, who was supposed to collabora....err... help Jose spell big words like "it" and "the," has dropped out of the project. Apparently Jose presented him with the material for the book and there is very little substance to it. Even more significantly, very very little concerning Arod:

"I had a chance to review the Jose Canseco [material] that he provided me. I don't think there's a book there. I don't know what they're going to do. I don't think he's got what he claims to have, certainly doesn't have what he claims to have on A-Rod. There's no meat on the bones."

More to brighten your day...

This too....

Roger Dodger

On the way home from work tonight, I flipped to WFAN only to hear a sobbing and pathetic Brian McNamee pour his heart out to a stone cold Roger Clemens. Over the weekend, it's reported that Roger and Mac had an emotional phone conversation. Two days and one "60 Minutes" interview later, a recording of the phone conversation mysteriously gets leaked to the media. Coincidentally, Roger Clemens addressed the media the very same day. They can't write shit better than this in Hollywood!

Okay, so the "60 Minutes" interview told us little more than the fact that Roger pitched through pain and doesn't believe in lie detector tests. Being that this was a pre-recorded interview, it's safe to assume that the questions asked were authorized by Camp Clemens. Many journalists, bloggers, and laypersons are trying to decide Clemens' fate based on the number of swallows or sips of water there were in between questions. If all these people truly had Matt Parkman's "Heroes" mind-reading power, I think they'd be doing more with their time than paying attention to Roger. That's like Phil Hellmuth trying to bluff out some clown named "Imaturd69" on Poker Stars with Play Money. Get Real.

Tonight's press conference was a more convincing display by Roger. He was adamant in his denials and defiant to the end. More will be revealed, or not, in his defamation case against McNamee and his appearance before Congress.

Roger's best argument was when he asked, "How do you prove a negative?" When you think about it, he's right. There's nothing he can do to prove he is innocent. Not even a wimpering Brian McNamee recanting his Mitchell testimony will do that. The cloud of doubt is out there, and it will hover above Roger wherever he goes.

The one question I kept wondering while listening to the conference, phone call, etc. keeps echoing in my head. If Roger is guilty, why is he going to court with this? If he sauced up, McNamee will clearly repeat the testimony in the Mitchell Report. This wouldn't be a wise move, silence from McNamee is the best thing for Roger. The shadow of doubt on McNamee's testimony will be lifted if McNamee accuses Roger in a Court of Law, and the verdict in the Court of Public Opinion will likely be declared -- guilty.

Unless...

*Additional reading - great job by Buster Olney, a rational approach and some links to more on the Clemens saga

I can't stand this guy...

So here comes my first "flip-flop" of the off-season. I loved the way Hank handled Arod, and the resigning of Jorge and Mo. He was tough, but not stupid with Alex, and in the end was willing to pay up to bring these three guys back.

The Johan Santana dealings make Hank look soft and stupid. Nobody takes this guy seriously anymore. His deadline at the Winter Meetings made headlines as he was adamant that the Yanks would no longer be involved in Santana talks. The Twins didn't bite and it seemed the Santana talk was over.

In a series of interviews since, Hank has repeatedly said that the Yanks are still in the Santana race. Which basically means that his deadlines and his tough stances are just a negotiating ploy. Only problem here is that he is only negotiating against his own organization. When have Theo Epstein or Larry Lucchino monologued over their trade offers?

Old senile George finally had it right when he turned over baseball operations to the actual baseball people in the organization. Now, as the Yanks are finally showing some fiscal restraint and willingness to develop the farm, this idiot decides that he will overrule Cashman and make the final decision on this deal.

Here's another great question...if Hank is so worthy of being the big decision maker in the organization (with brother Hal in the background of course), why was his father so willing to turn over the most prestigious franchise in sports to his deadbeat, alcoholic, son-in law??

If daddy could change his own Depends or chew his Gerber, maybe he'd wise up and let Cash take over.