This was the best episode, to date, this season. Nice to see Dominic Purcell given a bigger role than he’s had for most of this season – even if we had to wait for the mid-season finale to see it happen.

I nearly fell out of my seat when they said the show would return this Spring. The Spring? Why not the end of January? I checked to see when the show went on break and resumed in the past and found this:

Season 1 went on break from November 28, 2005 until March 20, 2006.
Season 2 went on break from November 27, 2006 until January 22, 2007.
Season 3 went on break from November 12, 2007 until January 14, 2008.

O.K, so, Season 4 ran into late December. I’ll give FOX that – and would suggest that February 2009 makes sense to start it up again.

But, the Spring?

What is that, March, April? Man, that’s too long to wait…especially the way things have been shaping up in the last few episodes.

Via the AP -

Pitcher Chien-Ming Wang and the New York Yankees avoided salary arbitration when they agreed Monday to a $5 million, one-year contract.

The 28-year-old right-hander was 8-2 with a 4.07 ERA in 15 starts last season before injuring a foot while running the bases at Houston in mid-June. He did not return.

Wang made $4 million last season after losing in salary arbitration. He had asked for $4.6 million.

Fair deal and a good move by both sides. Now, Worm Killer can concentrate on pitching this spring with no distractions.

A colleague asked me today if the Yankees should sign Mark Teixeira. My answer: “I dunno. He wants $20 million a year for something like 8 years or more. That’s alotta money and seasons.”

“Exactly” answered the colleague. He continued with “If you’re going to make $20 million or more a year, then you better be the best in the game at your position. Is Teixeira the best first baseman in baseball?”

Quickly, I answered “Not as long as some guy named Albert Pujols is around.” To that, my colleague added “I’m not even sure that Teixeira gives you more than Ryan Howard too.”

Now, I know that defense counts, and Teixeira has Howard beat there. But, what about Kevin Youkilis and/or Lance Berkman? Is Teixeira a better player than them? Tough call. How about Justin Morneau or Adrian Gonzalez? Yeah, he’s probably better than those two – but by much?

This got me thinking back to Manny Ramirez. I’ve always said that when Manny came to the plate, against the Yankees, my first reaction was always “Oh, crap!” He’s that kind of hitter. When he comes to bat, first you say it and then you do it. Same thing as when you’re going into a Blue Jays series and you see that Roy Halladay is going to be pitching one of those games. Your reaction? “Sh*t!” First you say it and then you do it.

The more I thought about this, the more I could not say that Mark Teixeira is a “First you say it, then you do it” player. I respect his tools and game. But, when he faced the Yankees, I never thought, in any At Bat, that he could wreck a game like someone such as David Ortiz or Manny Ramirez. (Or, even Jim Thome in his prime.)

And, now, I’m thinking “Do you really want to spend $20 million a season, for several years, on a player who’s not a ‘First you say it, then you do it’ player”? If you put a gun to my head, at this moment, and requested an immediate answer, I’m probably going to say “No.”

Maybe I’ll feel differently tomorrow. But, then again, maybe not…

Regardless of how I feel about Phil Hughes and his prospects as a big league pitcher, from many reports, he sounds like one heckuva nice guy.

Zell’s Pinstripe Blog presents some evidence to support that notion of Hughes being a good dude.

An 18-year old Diane Lane as a punk-rocker and some appearances by former Sex Pistols. What’s not to love about that? Oh, yeah, and Ray Winstone at the start of his career. All good stuff.

We all know that Panda Molina was a nightmare with the stick in 2008 for the Yankees – although his glove and arm were outstanding. And, due to the injury to Jorge Posada, the Yankees were forced to play Molina much more than they would have preferred last season.

That said, since we don’t know for sure if Posada can catch 135+ games in 2009, would it not make sense for the Yankees to pick up another back-up catcher who offers more with the bat than Molina – just in case they need their back-up catcher to play in 70+ games next season? Granted, you’re not going to find someone with a big bat. And, you may not find someone with a league average bat. But, you could probably get someone like the Royals’ John Buck.

Sure, Buck is not stellar with the lumber. But, he’s probably twice as good as Jose Molina. Hey, it’s just today’s wild thought….

Feel free to use this post as a place for you to comment on anything Yankees-related (or within reach of tagging the bag of being Yankees-related on a decent slide) today. It could be a casual conversation offering, or, something you saw in the news, or something very detailed that you want to share that’s within the territory of Yankeeland.

Or, comment on something that someone else has posted here in the comments…

Have fun. Play nice. And, remember, keep it Yankees-focused.

Via Jerry Crasnick

The Los Angeles Angels withdrew their eight-year offer for free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira on Sunday.

Angels vice president of communications Tim Mead confirmed an earlier ESPN report later Sunday night. The Angels’ departure from the Teixeira sweepstakes leaves the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles as the four teams still in the mix for the premier position player in this winter’s free-agent market.

Angels general manager Tony Reagins revealed before the winter meetings that the team had offered Teixeira an eight-year deal. The size of the team’s offer was undetermined.

Now, this is getting interesting. The O’s have, reportedly, made a low-ball offer to Teixeira hoping to get a home-cooking discount. The Red Sox, reportedly, pulled out of the chase for him the other day. I recently saw a report where someone on the Nats admitted that they really have no shot at him. And, reportedly, the Yankees have never made him an offer. So, if the Angels are out, who’s in? Maybe the Red Sox will get back into it? Maybe the Yankees will make him an offer now?

Via Bob Klapisch -

Now [Manny] Ramirez is looking for a pre-recession payday — $25 million a year for at least four years. While the Yankees aren’t actively pursuing him, no one in the organization has ruled it out, either.

This is bad news for Joe Girardi, who’s already facing a difficult 2009 agenda. Despite the apparent imbalance in the Yankees’ roster — terrific pitching, questionable offense — the manager is expected to get the Bombers to the playoffs or else lose his job.

Of course, the front office hasn’t issued a win-or-else edict to Girardi. But officials are aware that his leadership style was too rigid and too intense for a veteran clubhouse. It’s hard to believe Girardi can loosen up in the span of one off-season, but he’d better: If the Yankees are playing .500 ball in mid-May, the clock on his dismissal will be ticking loudly.

This is the same pressure that Willie Randolph faced early in 2008, and look how the Mets responded: They got their manager fired as they sunk under .500. Girardi is getting one more chance to undo last year’s mistakes, including his over-reliance on team meetings, his inability to digest and process tough losses and his ill-advised policy of banning junk food in the clubhouse.

Forget about how CC Sabathia will feel once he realizes there’s no ice cream and candy allowed. He is, by all accounts, a good guy and terrific team player. He’ll cope. Ramirez’ assimilation, however, is another story.

It’s funny, in the press conference the other day for Sabathia and Burnett, Girardi made a statement along the lines of “I told [Sabathia and Burnett's wives] to enjoy [their husbands] for the next eight weeks, because, after that they’re all mine.” And, when he said that, I thought “I know what he’s thinking, and I love the guy; but, maybe that’s not the best statement to make to his new employees, albeit well paid newbies, and their wives, on day one?”

After all, nobody likes to feel like they’re owned and at the will of someone else – even if they are in a situation like that.

It will be interesting to see, in 2009, if there are still rumblings about the players not liking Girardi’s style…

Byrd vs. Ponson? Who cares? I’m a little late with this one. But, have you seen the footage of what went on in the stands of the Red Sox-Yankees game of August 27th this season? Somehow, I don’t think this is what baseball’s forefathers had in mind when they came up with the “Ladies Day” concept.

Warning: The audio on these video clips is NSFW…

(more…)

This morning, I was playing around with the Complete Baseball Encyclopedia. (What better way to spend a Sunday morning in December, avoiding household chores, while it’s 45 degrees outside and raining like cats and dogs?) Anywho, I was trying to find batters, in Yankees history, who have had similar stats to what Johnny Damon has done in the Bronx, to date, so far. To that end, I set the CBE controls for:

NEW YORK YANKEES, CAREER, with
PLATE APPEARANCES BETWEEN 1700 AND 2100, and
RCAA > 50, and OPS >= .775, and OWP >= .575, with
RUNS CREATED/GAME vs. the league average displayed only -ranked by Total Average.

And, this is what I got:

PLAYER		TA	PA	RCAA	OPS	OWP	RC/G
Oscar Gamble	.874	1707	103	.858	.694	2.32
Danny Tartabull	.868	1837	72	.845	.627	1.47
Johnny Damon	.823	1899	56	.810	.597	1.22
Don Baylor	.791	1719	61	.817	.620	1.16

I like the Don Baylor comp here – because he played for the Yankees in three seasons (1983-85) and Johnny Damon has played for the Yankees for three seasons (so far) as well. I’m sure the Yankees would have liked to have seen production from Damon closer to what Oscar Gamble posted (see above). But, it’s not like Damon the Yankee has been terrible. In fact, check out Johnny Damon’s numbers as a member of the Boston Red Sox, for the four years that he played there (prior to joining the Yankees):

TA: .807
PA: 2,782
RCAA: 77
OPS: .803
OWP: .591
RC vs. Lge: 1.28

If Damon posts a season in 2009 for the Yankees, on average with what he’s done in New York so far, at the end of the day, his production in Yankeeland (for four years) will be right on with what he did for Red Sox Nation (for four years). If that happens, I think the Yankees, and their fans, should be happy with the way Damon performed as a member of the Yankees.

Kevin Kernan has a great feature today interviewing the scout who found Manny Ramirez for the Indians. A snip:

The first person in professional baseball to believe in Manny Ramirez was Cleveland Indians scout Joe Delucca, who first saw Ramirez as a 10th grader at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park playing in the Youth Service League.

Nearly 20 years later, Delucca, 79, said he still believes Manny has what it takes and that he would be a tremendous addition to the Yankees lineup if the Yankees decide to go down that road with the free agent.

“The first thing I noticed about Manny was his bat speed,” Delucca says from his Long Island home. “He had it as a 10th grader, and he still has it. As a scout, you don’t come across that kind of bat speed much in your lifetime. When you do, your heart goes pitter-patter.”

Delucca is quick to credit his scouting mentor, Tom Giordano, with any success he has had through the years. Giordano was his boss with the Indians and went to lunch with Delucca, Ramirez and Youth Service coach Mel Zitter when the Indians were thinking of taking Manny with their first pick of the 1991 draft, No. 13 overall. Twins area scout Herb Stein wanted his club to pick Ramirez with the third pick, but his bosses opted to select first baseman David McCarty.

Of course, as we know, the Yankees had the first overall pick in the 1991 draft and selected Brien Taylor. Since Manny was in the Yankees backyard at the time, you have to assume that they were aware of him. Makes one wonder…how different would things have been in Yankeeland, say, over the last 15 years, if Ramirez had been on the Yankees…

Via the AP -

“You can’t stop swinging for the fences. We’ve been here. We’ve done this before. How many times, right? And I’ve got this on my finger from the times where things have worked out. And I’ve got a tread on my back from where I’ve been hit by a bus when it didn’t work out.” – Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, proudly wearing a World Series ring, at the introduction of new pitchers CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.

The transformation of Cashman from “Teflon GM” to “Thin-skinned GM” is now complete.

I went to see this one with my buddy Lou when it came out in the Spring of 1989. I went in thinking “This could be fun; or, this could be the worst movie ever made.” And, for sure, it turned out to be the former. If this isn’t the funniest baseball movie ever, it’s in the top three. Not even seeing Pete Vuckovich stuffed into a Yankees uniform could ruin it. Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, James Gammon, Wesley Snipes, Chelcie Ross and Dennis Haysbert were cast perfectly for this one.

Via Jon Heyman -

A day after Red Sox owner John Henry strongly suggested that he’d hit his limit with his latest bid for free-agent star first baseman Mark Teixeira, Teixiera’s agent Scott Boras was back in dialogue with the Yankees and Angels, people familiar with the talks told SI.com.

Yankees people were thought on Friday to be debating the merits of Teixeira vs. Manny Ramirez, Boras’ other available slugging superstar, and there may be a split vote in the pinstripe hierarchy. While they all love Teixiera’s all-around play and character, Ramirez may be favored by some for his unmatched clutch hitting prowess, unique ability to tweak the rival Red Sox and to draw attention and dollars, but especially because he’d require a shorter term (perhaps three or four years as opposed to at least eight for Teixeira).

Some have suggested the Yankees are merely monitoring the Teixeira situation since he’s Boston’s top priority, and there’s no concrete evidence they’ve outbid the Red Sox yet. Although, the sides were believed to be discussing parameters on Friday, and the Yankees also know that if they steal Teixeira from Boston they’ve clinched the winter in a landslide.

Hmm…three days ago, Buster Olney said that the Yanks were never in the chase for Teixeira. And, now, Heyman’s reporting that Boras and Tex are “back in dialogue with the Yankees.”

Why is it, this off-season, it seems that there are reports all over the place about what A-Rod and Madonna are doing, and, yet, no one can get the true scoop on what teams are talking to Mark Teixeira or not?

Dock Ellis passed away yesterday.  (Hat tip to BBTF.)  Few realize this, but, while Ellis was best known for his days with the Pirates, he was a member of one of the best Yankees starting rotations in terms of wins.  Via Baseball-Reference.com’s Play Index Pitching Season Finder, here are the only Yankees teams where more than one starting pitcher had 17+ wins.  As you can see, the 1976 trio of Catfish Hunter, Ed Figueroa and Dock Ellis were workhorses for Billy Martin that season.

Year	Number	 Pitchers
1927	4	 Wilcy Moore / Waite Hoyt / H. Pennock / Ur. Shocker
1923	4	 Sam Jones / Waite Hoyt / Joe Bush / Herb Pennock
2003	3	 Andy Pettitte / Roger Clemens / Mike Mussina
1976	3	 Catfish Hunter / Ed Figueroa / Dock Ellis
1963	3	 Ralph Terry / Jim Bouton / Whitey Ford
1951	3	 Allie Reynolds / Vic Raschi / Ed Lopat
1932	3	 Lefty Gomez / Red Ruffing / Johnny Allen
1928	3	 George Pipgras / Waite Hoyt / Herb Pennock
1924	3	 Waite Hoyt / Herb Pennock / Joe Bush
1922	3	 Bob Shawkey / Joe Bush / Waite Hoyt
1921	3	 Carl Mays / Waite Hoyt / Bob Shawkey
1920	3	 Carl Mays / Jack Quinn / Bob Shawkey
2006	2	 Chien-Ming Wang / Randy Johnson
2002	2	 Mike Mussina / David Wells
2001	2	 Mike Mussina / Roger Clemens
1998	2	 David Cone / David Wells
1980	2	 Ron Guidry / Tommy John
1979	2	 Tommy John / Ron Guidry
1978	2	 Ed Figueroa / Ron Guidry
1974	2	 Pat Dobson / Doc Medich
1969	2	 Mel Stottlemyre / Fritz Peterson
1968	2	 Stan Bahnsen / Mel Stottlemyre
1964	2	 Whitey Ford / Jim Bouton
1962	2	 Ralph Terry / Whitey Ford
1956	2	 Johnny Kucks / Whitey Ford
1955	2	 Whitey Ford / Bob Turley
1950	2	 Ed Lopat / Vic Raschi
1949	2	 Vic Raschi / Allie Reynolds
1948	2	 Vic Raschi / Ed Lopat
1938	2	 Lefty Gomez / Red Ruffing
1937	2	 Lefty Gomez / Red Ruffing
1936	2	 Monte Pearson / Red Ruffing
1934	2	 Lefty Gomez / Red Ruffing
1926	2	 Urban Shocker / Herb Pennock
1915	2	 Ray Caldwell / Ray Fisher
1910	2	 Russ Ford / Jack Quinn
1906	2	 Jack Chesbro / Al Orth
1905	2	 Jack Chesbro / Al Orth
1904	2	 Jack Chesbro / Jack Powell

 
R.I.P. Dock.

Via Ken Rosenthal -

The return of free-agent left-hander Andy Pettitte to the Yankees is “virtually inevitable,” according to a source with knowledge of the pitcher’s intentions. While a deal is not imminent, it is believed that the two sides will eventually come to an agreement on a one-year deal.

The signing of Pettitte would likely end the Yankees’ pursuit of other free-agent pitchers, namely right-handers Derek Lowe and Ben Sheets.

Sabathia, Wang, Burnett, Pettitte and Chamberlain, in that order, would be a sweet rotation.

Left, right, right, left, right…Fastball/Slider, Power Sinker, Fastball/Curve, Cutter, Fastball/Slider. It’s a nice mix and match.

Sweeny Murti, on SNY’s Geico SportsNite yesterday, reports from the big press conference at the Stadium. Here’s the clip:

During the early to mid 1980′s, I was in a long-term (dating) relationship with a girl named Lisa. We dated for a while – if I recall correctly it started around 1982 or 1983 and it ended in 1986. We really didn’t have many common interests. Looking back at it now, I would suggest that she was mostly interested in dating a guy whose last name ended in a vowel and then getting married sooner rather than later. Me? I was in my early 20′s, somewhat immature, truly a bit of a jerk, and really had no clue as to what I wanted. So, it’s amazing that we lasted as long as we did stick together.

In any event, one of the things that we did like to do (in common) was going to the movies – and we did that a lot. There were many weekends where we went out to see two movies. We would just “go” – often not knowing much about what we were going to see when we got there.

One Sunday night back in 1984, we elected to go check out this movie called “The Terminator” (at the Lane Theater on New Dorp Lane in Staten Island, where we both lived). And, this was one of those cases where we went in blind, not knowing anything about the flick. (I guess, somehow, even with all the movies that we went to, we missed seeing the trailer for “The Terminator”? Either that, or, back then, you didn’t get 15 minutes of trailers before a film – like you do now.)

I’ll always remember seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s name come up in the opening and thinking “Hey, that’s the guy from the Conan movies” and thinking “That’s interesting.” (Remember, at this time “Arnold” was not “Arnold” in the movie-sense yet.)

And, I’ll always remember walking out of that movie thinking “Whoa…That movie was great!” And, today, I still feel that way. Sure, the ones to follow in this series have been wonderful – and the new one coming out looks good too (from the trailers). But, none of those would be possible if not for the first – so, that’s why this one makes my Fav Flicks list.

Player	 OPS+	PA	Age	G	BB	SO	BA
Ellsbury  87	609	24	145	41	80	.280
Cano	 86	634	25	159	26	65	.271

Looking at last year’s stats for Jacoby Ellsbury and Robinson Cano got me wondering…are there as many fans in Red Sox Nation down on Ellsbury as there are fans in Yankeeland who are down on Cano? If not, maybe it’s time for Sox fans to stop raving about Ellsbury?

Via Bob Raissman:

The narrative will also hinge on whether Santana can take the Mets to the final stage of October – first. There’s a lot at stake for all involved, including Cashman, who has finally revealed himself to be a very prickly guy when it comes to dealing with those daring to dissent.

Thursday, as the Yankees introduced $243.5 million worth of ammo – Sabathia and A.J. Burnett – the melodramatic tale of Cashman’s bridge from Santana to CC began to unfold.

“It took a lot of pain,” Cashman said while being interviewed on the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network. “And certainly a lot of hits going through the process.”

After wiping away tears, we figured the “pain” and “hits” Cashman spoke of came from columnists, commentators and other assorted mouths who questioned his decision to invest heavily in Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy last season. In doing so, Cashman authored the Yankees’ version of the Wall Street collapse. He took a shot and lost. Happens to the best of them.

Cashman failed miserably and deserved to be pounded.

Hey, no one is always right. Cashman said Thursday’s coronation was really just the “completion of a concept,” an overall strategy, dating back at least a year, leading to Sabathia putting on the pinstriped jersey. If he didn’t pass on Santana, he doesn’t get CC. That’s what the GM was saying. Cashman was convincing. He spoke with conviction. Still, if this was his plan all along, why all the “pain”? Why even care about the “heat”?

It was a long time coming, but Cashman’s slip, er, thin skin began showing in early October, when he agreed to stay on as Yankees GM. His rap reminded of us of a line Mike Tyson used after vanquishing another opponent. Tyson would say: “How dare they challenge me with their primitive skills.”

Cashman was equally condescending to his perceived media adversaries last October during an XM Radio interview with Rob Dibble and Kevin Kennedy. Cashman called writers he disagreed with “lazy” and “idiots.”

“(I) read some of the stuff that some of these idiots are writing. I started seeing a couple of interesting articles show up from some lazy writers that aren’t good at what they do,” Cashman said on XM.

“And I was like, you know what, maybe that’s where my motivation (for staying with the Yankees) is going to come from,” Cashman said. “I’m like, guys, if you’re going to do that, then I can either let that happen as I walk out the door…or I can stay and change the story. And I’m going to stay and change the story. At least that’s my intent.”

Cashman’s “intent” is to change the story. But he can’t write it. Not now. Not ever. No matter how he strikes back, or how much pressure others in the Yankees front office might foolishly attempt to apply, there will always be a place for opinions and reporting that the organization won’t agree with.

That ain’t ever going to change.

No matter who is in charge.

Even after what amounted to a disastrous season for the Yankees, Cashman – new contract and all – has returned with even stronger powers. You don’t hear much from Hankenstein, who was a constant irritant to Cashman, do you? That’s likely not by coincidence.

Fortunately, Cashman’s power can be used only inside the Yankees organization. To those in the media who chose not to genuflect, those not clamoring for access, Cashman is just another businessman, another self-righteous suit.

Even the “idiots” can now see that.

This story was not subject to the approval of WasWatching.com or its authors. But, if anyone had asked, I would have gladly approved it.

Shining a light on Mr. Cashman is always a good thing, if you ask me.

Feel free to use this post as a place for you to comment on anything Yankees-related (or within reach of tagging the bag of being Yankees-related on a decent slide) today. It could be a casual conversation offering, or, something you saw in the news, or something very detailed that you want to share that’s within the territory of Yankeeland.

Or, comment on something that someone else has posted here in the comments…

Have fun. Play nice. And, remember, keep it Yankees-focused.

Well, at least, that’s how I feel sometimes…and then I remember to enjoy the day (and leave it at that). Here’s tonight’s oldie…

Via Ken Davidoff:

“What skill does it take to run the Yankees?” asked an official of a small-market team. “Just outbid everyone by 30 to 40 million, and get executive of the year if you win. Get fired if you don’t. I’d rather do it our way where you actually need some creative thought process and old-school scouting.”

Brian Cashman, who has touted expensive pitching acquisitions plenty of times before yesterday, returned partly to take ownership of his Yankees legacy. So it didn’t surprise yesterday that he voiced frustration over the latest round of criticism.

“What bothers me is, no matter what we do, we get criticized,” Cashman said. “While we’re going through a youth movement, you hear, ‘The Yankees can’t do that, developing kids. They shouldn’t be developing guys.’

” … I just think we made a smart play. It’s as simple as that. It kind of gets on both ends. If we didn’t [sign Sabathia], then all of a sudden it’s, ‘Why wouldn’t they have?’ If we did, it’s, ‘Jeez!’ I’ve gotten numb to that.”

Yes, but, is he comfortably numb?

Adam Schein and Chris Carlin, yesterday on SNY’s Loud Mouths, discuss Mark Teixeira and how his signing (anywhere) might impact the Yankees. Here’s the video:

For what it’s worth, we may find out soon if they’re right.

SNY.tv checks in with Tim Dierkes of MLB TradeRumors.com. The video is below:

Via Roxanne Geyer, WCBS Newsradio 880′s Web Producer, some great night shots of the new Yankee Stadium from Chopper 880. Looking good!

Via Ed Price -

• Cashman said he had plotted to go after Sabathia for more than a year; it’s why he passed on trading prospects for Johan Santana. Instead of spending talent and money on Santana, Cashman wanted to get Sabathia for just the cash.

• Cashman on Burnett’s injury history (10 DL trips from 2000 to 2007): “He’s a bona fide front-line starter, when he’s healthy. I know there’s risk to it at the same time, based on the past history. So we’re hopeful that luck will be on our side.”

• Cashman on Andy Pettitte: “We’d like to have Andy back, and I know he’d like to come back. That’s set up for maybe a positive end result. It doesn’t guarantee it.”

So, for the record, Cashman prefers having Hughes and Sabathia over having Santana without Hughes, Cashman hopes that he’ll get lucky and Burnett will not get hurt, and (as of now) it looks like Pettitte returning is not a lock (as some have recently suggested that it could be)…

Just making a record of all this…as it could be interesting to look back at this someday.

Here’s today’s wild thought from me. Let’s say that Jason Giambi does not find many parties interested in his services on the free agent market. That’s not a reach – he’s really limited to teams in the A.L. who have a need at designated hitter.

If Giambi is still looking for a job, six weeks from now, should the Yankees give him a non-roster invite to Spring Training? It may interest Giambi – giving him a chance to prove to teams that he has some value. And, it could be insurance for the Yankees in case Hideki Matsui doesn’t look good coming off his injury. (This, of course, assume that the Yankees do not sign someone this off-season, like Manny Ramirez, who could fill some time at D.H.)

Or, does it just make more sense to not renew any association with Giambi – now that he’s gone – and leave things as they are today?

Feel free to use this post as a place for you to comment on anything Yankees-related (or within reach of tagging the bag of being Yankees-related on a decent slide) today. It could be a casual conversation offering, or, something you saw in the news, or something very detailed that you want to share that’s within the territory of Yankeeland.

Or, comment on something that someone else has posted here in the comments…

Have fun. Play nice. And, remember, keep it Yankees-focused.