AROD OUT 10 WEEKS!!!

ESPN.COM's Enrique Rojas is reporting that Alex Rodriguez will undergo surgery on a cyst on his hip on Monday and will miss 10 weeks making his return sometime in mid-May.

There are many out there that believe that the cyst is connected to his steroid use just like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens had cysts...However multiple "prominent" doctors have come out and said that there is no link between injecting anabolic steroids and having a cyst..

Anyways the Arod Saga continues...

The question now is Who will play third for the Yankees??

My plan is to move Robinson Cano to third..and bring in a Ray Durham type player for second

I have been saying for years that the Yankees need to move Cano to third Arod to short and Jeter to second..It just makes sense defensively..and forget about all this captain at short stuff...

A MUST READ

At SI.com Peter King does a great job outlining what it took the Jets to sign Bart Scott as well as details on Chris Canty, Albert Haynesworth etc..Click here.

EMOTIONAL DAWKINS

After 13 seasons with the Eagles Brian Dawkins has agreed to a 5 year $17.2 Mil contract with the Broncos.

An emotional Dawkins did an interview with Comcast which he had to cut off after less than 2 minutes..click here.

GREAT SCOTT!!!!

The Jets Blog are reporting that the Jets are oh so close to finalizing a deal with stud LB ( the better and younger of the Ravens Dynamic duo) Bart Scott. The contract is believed to be a five-year deal in the neighborhood of $37.5 million.

I'm not sure how this effects the cap and I will not pretend too.

This would be a a tremendous pickup and a great way to kickoff the Rex Ryan era.

J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS

SORRY FOR VIDEO REMOVALS

I would first like to thank Abie for his tireless work over here at The SAM I AM SPORTS BLOG.

His constant video updates are nothing short of fabulous.

It pained me to remove some of the videos that were recently posted.

But the videos were simply slowing down peoples modems which forced my hand to do so. Sorry for the inconvenience.

sympAthy fOR the Devil

As mentioned in previous posts, their is no love loss here for A-rod.
I once was amongst his biggest supporters. Every time he made out in a big spot I was one of the first to say, give the guy a break, Baseball is a team game. Its not his fault that the pitching staff put the team in a situation where they needed him to come through just to save their hides.

But when Good ol' Scottie Boris instructed him to opt out a little over a year ago, I got out of character and just was fed up with the guy. In a way I felt betrayed.

From that day forth, I no longer supported Alex.
It would be foolish to say that without him the Yankees are better.
Without those "numbers" the Yanx and their lineup wouldn't be what it is.

The thing that does stand out however is that because the team is so accustomed to see him prosper in the regular season, its only natural to rely on him in the post season. So when he doesn't come through its catastrophic for the team and its psyche.

One thing that nobody can argue is that A-rod in all interviews just tries too hard and he comes off as a phony.

He seams like a guy that should have all the confidence in the world.
Hes got the looks , hes got the talent, hes got the money and he can get whatever girl he wants.
Its amazing how he is so self conscious of what the rest of the world thinks of him. I guess its just not that simple....

Which brings me to my point. Alex just doesn't seem like he means what he says. Its so easy to get rubbed the wrong way by just listening to him try to be sincere
In the aftermath of A-rods presser from yesterday when he divulged some more information of his PED use over the 3 year span. I think it could have gone better (why did he bring his cousin into the mix?, that will only make things more complicated) but it also could have gone a hell of allot worse.

There will always be questions and grey areas that we wont get satisfactory answers on. But on a whole, he basically got everything out there and I thank G-D for that. Because otherwise we wouldn't hear the end of it from the media.

I took note to the players faces when he turned to them and apologized. They didn't look to forgiving. But you could read into that whichever way you like...

Its a pipe dream to say that this story will get played out and we can turn the page.
When he pays visits to Boston, Texas, Seattle and even comes home to New York, He will always be a sideshow whether we like it or not.

In a way, I feel terrible for the guy. Every morning he wakes up he knows that where ever he goes he is enemy number one and that he is just not liked. And if he is liked, he has the sneaking suspicion, does this person really like me ? or are they kissing up to me for the money?
Its actually a depressing life come to think of it...

METS: OFFSEASON GRADES

OK... with the offseason now officially over here are my grades for the Mets and Omar Minaya's offseason...

Please be aware that these are not grades on the overall team but grades on the offseason moves..

Starting Lineup: With the same lineup coming back from last year there is no improvement in this area. Relying on a platoon of Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis in LF and not finding a replacement for Luis Castillo were two areas of failure. But, picking up the option on Carlos Delgado was a good move in my mind however obvious at it may have seemed. Grade C

Bench: Here is where Omar has signed or acquired many players hoping to find a spark with a few of them. You have Ramon Castro and Marlon Anderson returning with Alex Cora as the new backup 2nd baseman as well as the sitting LF. The other two spots are a toss up between Jeremy Reed, Corry Sullivan, Angel Pagan, Nick Evans, Robinson Cancel, Rob Mackowiak, Bobby Kielty, Ramon Martinez and Andy Green. Take your pick. While Omar does have quantity, it is yet to be proven as quality and the bench still lacks a guy with power or that bats right handed. Grade B-

Starting Rotation: While signing Oly over Lowe might have been a mistake, signing so many back-end starters can and i think will be one of the better off-season moves that Omar has made. Every team goes through injuries and I think the Mets are well prepared. With the competition of Freddy Garcia, Tim Redding, Livan Hernandez, Nelson Figueroa, Casey Fossum, Tony Armas Jr, Jonathan Niese and Bobby Parnell, only one will be the fifth starter with one or two being added to the pen. Grade B

Bullpen: Obviously the area that needed the most improvement and boy did Omar come through. With an injured Billy Wagner out at least until mid-August, Omar signed and then traded for the top two closers on the market (FA and trading). K-Rod being the obvious one, but the trade for Putz was the better of the two in my mind. The Putz trade has to be one of the best trades Omar has ever pulled off. Giving up Heilman, a guy most NYers wanted out, Joe Smith, Endy and a bag of balls for Putz (replaces Heilman), Sean Green (replaces Smith) and Jeremy Reed( replaces Endy) really helps this bullpen out and makes it one of the best in baseball. Grade A+

Overall Grade: B+

SPRING TRAINING: TV SCHEDULE

Yankees 2009 TV Schedule:

February 26	Tampa Bay Rays	1:15 p.m./YES HD
February 28	Minnesota Twins	1:15 p.m./YES HD
March 3	Team USA	1:15 p.m./YES HD
March 7	Atlanta Braves	1:15 p.m./YES HD
March 10	Cincinnati Reds	7:15 p.m./YES HD
March 14	Houston Astros	1:15 p.m./YES HD
March 17	Pittsburgh Pirates	7:15 p.m./YES HD
March 19	Toronto Blue Jays	7:15 p.m./YES HD
March 24	Boston Red Sox	7:15 p.m./YES HD
March 26	Philadelphia Phillies	1:05 p.m./YES HD
April 3	Chicago Cubs	7:05 p.m./YES HD
April 4	Chicago Cubs	1:05 p.m./YES HD

---

Mets 2009 TV Schedule:

2/26	Florida Marlins		1:10 PM	SNY
2/27	St. Louis Cardinals		1:10 PM	SNY
3/1	Houston Astros		1:10 PM	CW11
3/3	St. Louis Cardinals		1:10 PM	SNY
3/7	Washington Nationals		1:10 PM	CW11
3/9	Baltimore Orioles		1:10 PM	SNY
3/12	Florida Marlins		7:10 PM	SNY
3/18	Atlanta Braves		1:10 PM	SNY
3/19	Houston Astros		1:10 PM	SNY
3/22	Atlanta Braves		1:10 PM	SNY
3/25	Detroit Tigers		1:10 PM	SNY
3/27	Washington Nationals		7:10 PM	SNY
3/28	Florida Marlins		1:10 PM	CW11
3/30	Baltimore Orioles		7:10 PM	SNY
4/3	Boston Red Sox		6:10 PM	SNY
4/4	Boston Red Sox		1:10 PM	CW11

?????????????

To see why Mike Pelfrey is wearing this helmet click here.

Top Ten Messages Left on Alex Rodriguez's Answering Machine

10. "Hey, it's Mark McGwire. Want to get together this week and not talk about the past?"
9. "Joe Torre here -- thanks for helping book sales"
8. "Could you find a steroid that keeps you from choking in the playoffs?"
7. "Are you worried this will taint all the championships you didn't win?"
6. "It's Bernie Madoff. Nice try but I'm still the most hated man in New York"
5. "Michael Phelps here. Got any snacks?"
4. "This is Sammy Sosa. Just pretend you don't speak English"
3. "Michael Phelps again. Did I call you or did you call me?"
2. "Hey, it's Rod Blagojevich -- I'll say you're innocent, if you say I am"
1. "It's Madonna. You got a phone number for Jeter?"
For the video click here.

MLB: 2009 PREDICTIONS

At Baseball Prospectus Nate Silver calculates how many wins/losses among other stats each team will have in 2009.
He has the Mets winning the division with 93 wins and the Yankees winning the wild card with 97 wins one shy of the Red Sox total..

He also calculates that Jose Reyes will hit .309 with a .374 OBP, 15 HR, 73 RBI and 64 stolen bases, while Johan Santana will go 15–8 with a 3.14 ERA.

Also, Silver projects Luis Castillo will have a .347 OBP in 448 plate appearances, while stealing 17 bases.

METS & YANKEES: 2009 PAYROLL

Adam Rubin of the NY Daily News does a great job of breaking down the Mets 2009 payroll player-by-player.

According to his estimates the Mets as of now are at $140 Mil (w/ Garcia) and the Luxury Tax hit is after $162 Mil..

To see the entire article click here.

At River Ave. Blues Joseph P. runs through the Yankee 2009 Payroll which he estimates is between $192.35 Mil to $206.35 Mil depending on the signing bonuses of Tex and CC..

To see the entire article click here.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

VS.





Oliver Perez and Fransisco Rodriguez both signed similar deals with the Mets this offseason..Who is worth more to the Mets?

TWO FEET DOWN??

IS HIS RIGHT FOOT DOWN?????
and remember he has to have complete control of the ball from the time when he catches it and in this picture it is when he is just receiving the ball...and his right foot is just above the ground.and from here it leaned on his left foot as he tilted out of bounds..

METS: BIG BAT?

At MetsFever Ed Ryan goes through the reasons why the Mets need a big bat and the big IFS the Mets have with their offense. Just click here.

IS IT JUST ME?

OK! I get it that I'm a Mets fan and any comments I make about the other team in NY makes me look bad...BUT!!!

As I look at the Yankee bullpen I don't see much...I don't know why more people aren't discussing this..I'll dissect it..

Closer - Mariano Rivera - No questions about his stuff..BUT coming off of shoulder surgery as minor as they say it was, he is still in his upper 30's and any surgery then is a red flag...

Setup Man - Damaso Marte - He was a good lefty specialist in Chicago and Pittsburgh, but it seemed that once he came to NY he was used in a different role and was asked too much of himself..he posted an ERA of 5.40 in NY..I don't see how he is the new setup man...

Setup Man #2 #3... - Brian Bruney - Jose Veres - Edwar Ramirez - Jonathan Albaladejo - All of these pitchers are yet to be proven..YES they have shown some upside but to put a season on the line with a bunch of maybes is just stupid...

All you need to do is look across the street at the Mets last year and you'll see how a bullpen can ruin a season..

Relying on Marte and a bunch of unproven pitchers to get the ball to Mariano who may not be 100% on opening day is very un-yankee like..wheres John Wettland, Mike Stanton, Jeff Nelson..even a Jason Grimsley?

Maybe my memories of last year's Mets bullpen and the acquisitions of K-Rod and Putz has blurred my vision of a bullpen a bit, but as a Yankee fan are you trully happy with the bullpen as it stands now?

PETTITTE IS BACK, FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE

I will be the first to say that Cashman has done a remarkable job on getting Pettitte for the dollar amount that he did.
Andy will probably do what he always does. Fill the Innings that the Yankees desperately need while winning 10 plus games.
Last season it was well documented that Andy was going out every 5th day in the second half with lingering arm injuries. Which is probably why his season ended as ugly as it did.
All considering, He still ended up with 14 victories.
As a forth Starter, that is more than acceptable.
With last years lack of Andy's spring training work out regimen Due to the steroid fiasco its a strong possibility why he wasn't conditioned for the stretch run of the '08 campaign.
At the end of the day, I am happy Andy will be back in pinstripes.

But, River Ave Blues notes that Mike Ashmore is not sure if this is such a good thing.
An important question is raised . "Yankees fans have to ask themselves…what’s more important, Andy Pettitte getting 30 starts or Hughes/Ian Kennedy/Phil Coke/Alfredo Aceves getting 30?"
then He asks, "And how long before some of these players start getting frustrated with having to repeat levels of the minors?"

These are the questions that Yankees brass had to have been asking themselves throughout the Pettitte negotiations. I hope the correct decision was made. We must play the waiting game to find out the true answers.

• 1 year/$5.5M (2009)
• re-signed by NY Yankees as a free agent 1/26/09
• $4.5M in performance bonuses: $0.5M each for 150, 160, 170 IP; $0.75M each for 180, 190, 200, 210 IP
  
• $2M in roster bonuses: $0.1M for 120 days on active 25-man roster; $0.2M for 130 days; $0.25M each for 140, 150 days; $0.4M each for 160, 170, 180 days

SUPERBOWL: PARTY

Its that time of the year where fans from all over the world sit down for 5 hours and watch some of the best and worst commercials of the year with some NFL game interruptions in between.

Like always there will be a Superbowl Party..

This year it will be hosted by Ralph Hanan in Brooklyn,NY

Party starts at 5pm

Whether your from NY or NJ come...its always fun to have all the boys together.

No cover charge although donations are accepted.



Back by popular demand...TV IN THE BATHROOM..also guaranteed to have more than 3 TVs..

Alcohol and soft drinks will be served along with Buffalo Wings, Cajun Poppers, Freedom Fries, And General Tsao's Chicken - All Home Made!

If your part of the boys & not just a crazy yankees fans mad at sammy for his brian cashman remarks - you know who you are come over and enjoy! Wives welcome too!

For more information or for the address get Ralphs cell number and text him.

TO MY DEFENSE

After today's bashing that I endured I will try to defend myself to the best of my capabilities.
Although I can not get to everyone of your points I will touch upon the most important and rational opinions.
But before I do I am trying to understand what type of malicious people you all are.
Since I am entitled to my opinion and I thank Peter for giving me the opportunity of relaying it to a larger audience, all of you as well are entitled to your opinion.
You don't have to necessarily have to agree with my opinions nor I do yours.
Being a civil human being I respect yours nonetheless.
Who do you people think you are displaying this animalistic behavior? I will be a better man and not stoop down to your level and start name-calling like a 12 yr old girl.

James:
1) I'm not saying they should have kept Lowell, all I am saying is they either should held onto him or at least get something worth-while.
2) Ted Lilly was a lefty who showed lots of promise. END OF STORY.
3) Kevin Brown's back was an ongoing injury before the Yankees got him. Trading for a high-priced aging pitcher with a bad back is just foolish.
4) You rather Shef over Vlad? What are you smokin'?
5) The Yankees gave up a hell of alot more than the Sox did. Casey Fossum had nowhere near the value of Johnson and Rivera.
6) Pavano's career stat wise was just plain mediocre. If you actually take the time to look at his stats you would notice that his Hits/IP were horendous.
7) Jaret Wright coming off one good year after years of being an experiment is NOT somebody I want on my team. Wright and Pavano were definetly products of the NL.
8) Johan is light years ahead of CC, and Miggy is a hell of alot better hitter than Mark Texeira. You are wrong we do have the prospects! Melky and Kennedy were actually worth something back then. The Mets gave up far less!
9) Finally, this article was not hindsight at all! These were all bad moves at the time.
But thanks for your opinion I really appreciate it.

Ross, I am flattered from your praise. Just because the Yankees didn't have many options for third base it doesn't mean they should have brought back a guy that carries a guy to the postseason only to abandon them once there. A guy like that has his teammates looking at him to carry the load and YES if he doesn't it cripples the team. I agree its not fair to expect the world from one player, but you've got to do better than that. I guarantee you, if you give the same amount of at-bats to any other player in the majors, he puts up better numbers.

Becca, I wasn't permitted the amount of words to write this post that I would have liked. In my original draft I did note his good moves, but I had to edit them out. You along with many others are saying, I don't have my facts straight but you are failing to point out which of my facts are incorrect. Moot point.

Moose and Matsui were good signings and the acquisition of David Justice was a great move.
But, how could you say that the Nady and Marte moves were good ones? Yes, Nady had a decent stretch last season, but we did give up Jose Tabata, who does have attitude problems but not too long ago Baseball America regarded him highly.

You ask how I could bash the Burnett signing, this guy is the most injury-prone guy in the game. It makes zero sense to give him that contract. You're setting yourself up to have the Darrel Rasner's of the world spot start when he goes on the DL.

Kevin S., You don't even deserve a response from me. You obviously are an angry man!

Potch, which of my facts are incorrect?

Barton Bickle, whichever part of the media you run, I wouldn't work for you for free. You apparently are as ignorant as the rest of them. BTW Mike Francesca is an idiot.

I appreciate all of your support and hope to hear from you soon.

PINCH HITTING ON LOHUD

Today I am featured on Pete Abe's Blog.
I am taking my share of bashing. Check out the comment thread to see what I'm talking about.l
I will be more than happy to answer every one of you on THIS comment thread.
Here is the link.

http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2009/01/04/pinch-hitting-sam-i-am/

METS: APPLE & MANNY

During the 2007 season the website savetheapple.com was created in order to create a petition to save the home run apple that was in Shea Stadium and put it in the new Citifield. They got 9,133 signatures! Back then their plans were to auction it off to the highest bidder, but now after the petition was created they now say it will be placed on the concourse and some rumors have it back in its place beyond the centerfield fence.

The reason I bring this up is because there is another petition going around for Mets fans to put Manny Ramirez on the team. To sign the petition just click here.

Question of the Day

JETS: MATCH.COM

With Bill Cowher now off the list for the NY Jets Head Coach here is the my top list for the job:

1) Bill Parcells - no questions here
2) Steve Spagnuolo - Jets need a defensive minded head coach and he is the guy
3) Jon Gruden - if he is fired he is a guy that gets an immediate turn-around from his teams
4) Mike Shanahan - offensive-minded coach whose offense revolves around the running game..hello Thomas Jones
5) Mike Holmgren - for Favre
6) Steve Mariucci - for Favre

My list revolves around the idea that what has been lacking to the Jets isn't necessarily the players on defense, but the overall scheme of it. If we can get a defensive minded coach like Spagnuolo to setup the defense with a wide of range of blitzes this defense can be one of the better ones in the league.

JETS & GIANTS: 2009 OPPONENTS

I know its a little early to look at next season but here are the opponents the Jets & Giants will face in 2009:

JETS

Home:
Dolphins - Division
Patriots - Division
Bills - Division
Bengals - Random added game
Titans - AFC South
Jaguars - AFC South
Falcons - NFC South
Panthers - NFC South

Away:
Dolphins - Division
Patriots - Division
Bills - Division
Colts - AFC South
Texans - AFC South
Raiders - Random added game
Saints - NFC South
Buccaneers - NFC South

As you can see the Jets will face the AFC & NFC South this year (combined only had one losing team this year, Jaguars) and their 2 random games are @ Oakland again (for some reason the NFL keeps scheduling these two teams every year) and home to the Bengals again (2nd year in a row).

---

GIANTS

Home:
Cowboys - Division
Eagles - Division
Redskins - Division
Falcons - NFC South
Panthers - NFC South
Raiders - AFC West
Chargers - AFC West
Cardinals - Random added game

Away:
Cowboys - Division
Eagles - Division
Redskins - Division
Saints - NFC South
Buccaneers - NFC South
Broncos - AFC West
Chiefs - AFC West
Vikings - Random added game

So the Giants play the NFC South (best division in football record-wise) and the AFC West (worst division in football) as well as the @ Vikings and home to the Cardinals (both division winners).

BAD KARMA

Bad karma is something that I never really believed in.
I was always from the school of thought that if something was supposed to happen it will happen , regardless of your bad karma or not.

Recently, I have changed my views on this topic.
The reason being , is solely because of the Jets most recent collapse.

You see, I'm one of the few Yankee/Jets fans.
So I know my share of sports disappointment's.
Thank Goodness though that I am Not a Mets/Jets fan.
If that were the case I probably would not be here typing this post. I would either be in a mental asylum or rather at the edge of the Verezanno bridge.

Over the past few seasons, Since the Yankees basically have been a non factor. I got the next best thing.
In case you were wondering what that may be , let me tell you .
Every Yankee fan , whether he likes to admit it or not .
Loves to see the New York Mets fail.
Its not because us Yankees fans despise the Mets .
But We love to see the Mets fans suffer in anguish.
I know that sounds kinda sick and twisted.
But what do you expect from us? Mets fans have as much hatred for the Yankees than the love they have for the Mets .
Its only natural for Yankee's fans to have mutual feelings.

So when the Mets Collapsed for the second straight season to their FLORIDA rival , I was down right jubilant.

Not only did I rub it in every single Mets fans that I know faces.
I declared that September should be renamed , "Another Amazin Mets Collapse Month " .
I realized it wasn't catchy enough to get the rest of the world to agree with me so I quit my campaign.

The 2008 NFL season started out so promising for the New York Jets.
With the Acquisitions of a hall of Fame QB in Favre and the rest of the Pro Bowlers . The Jets were primed to make a serious push at the post season. In the NFL , once you're in the Post season, anything can happen.

So you could imagine, Myself along with most of the Jets fan base was reved up for the roller coaster ride that the Jets always provide. Except this season , the general pulse of Jets Nation was "this year is different"

I don't know why, but every freakin year I fool myself and say this will finally be the season.
I seem to forget that this team has broken my heart time and again.
I seem to forget that this is a cursed organization and no matter who the personal on the field or off, that we will never win.

And you know what? I probably will forget these facts at the start of next season as well. But that's the beauty of football and the rest of sports for that matter.

After the Jets handed the Undefeated high and mighty Titans Their first loss of the season and ran there record to 8-3 , you could imagine the sudden SUPER expectations the Jest have suddenly painted themselves.

Newspapers , radio shows, power rankings, you name it . Were all just putting the Jets in the Championship game, some even the Superbowl.

Not only was I buying into the fact that this Jets team is Different . I was already looking to purchase Playoff tickets!

With a relatively soft schedule for the remainder of the season.
You couldn't even dream of them managing to not make it. Every aspect of The Jets , either Offense, defense and even special teams were flat out dominant.

this is where the bad karma comes in.
I rooted so hard for the Mets NOT to make it. I also rooted SO hard for the FLORIDA marlins to give the Mets the final knock out punch. To my dismay, I was granted my wish.

As the Jest were in the final stages of there most recent debacle .
It was only befitting it came by the hands of the hated FLORIDA rival.

To add insult to injury. Once fan favorite Chad Pennington (still is) who was casted off to make way for the big bad Brett Favre.Was the face of the Dolphins. Gave the Jets A Knock Out blow of there own.
This also added a new wrinkle in the Bill Parcels saga.

I truly believe this was a typical case of bad Karma.

JETS: REPLACEMENTS

Now that Mangini is gone who is the next Head Coach for the Jets?

1)Mike Holmgren - If you want Favre back this is the guy you go after
2)Steve Marriucci - Again appeals to Favre
3)Bill Cowher - Hard-nose coach may be what this team needs
4)Marty Schottenheimer
5) Steve Spagnuolo - Great Defensive Coordinator possibly good Head Coach
6) Brian Schottenheimer - Current Offensive Coordinator - has been interviewed by other teams
7) Bill Parcells - Can opt out of current 4 yr 12 mil contract in January and receive all 12 million (best fit)

If you have an interesting Head Coach for the Jets let me know in the comment section

JETS: MANGENIUS NO MORE!

Less than 24 hours after being eliminated from playoff contention the Jets fire Head Coach Eric Mangini

PRESS CONFERENCE AUDIO


Rumors are swirling as to what the main reason for this firing was
Some say it was the collapse
Some say it was the Jets listening to Favre and how he was brought into the principal's office to talk about all his bad INTs..so maybe they are trying to keep Favre..
GM Mike Tanenbaum mentioned the fans in the press conference so maybe this has to do with those expensive PSLs
Whatever the reason this team is looking for a new head coach after having winning seasons in 2 of the last 3 years
Whoever is the new head coach he will have a great base with a good offensive line, RB, D-line and a secondary that needs a couple of players
My issue is that the Jets needed a safety and another corner last yr and Tanenbaum did not deliver and it showed
Other firings include Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel and GM Phil Savage, Lions Head Coach Rod Marinelli
On the other hand the Raiders are expected to keep their coach Tom Cable and the 49ers have signed Mike Singletary to a 4 or 5 yr deal

NFL: PLAYOFF SCHEDULE

AFC

#6 Ravens @ #3 Dolphins - Sunday 1pm CBS
(only team Miami beat last yr was Baltimore)
#5 Colts @ #4 Chargers- Saturday 8pm NBC

#1 Titans will play lowest seed of the two winners

NFC

#6 Eagles @ #3 Vikings - Sunday 430pm FOX
#5 Falcons @ #4 Cardinals - Saturday 430pm NBC

#1 Giants will play lowest seed of the two winners

---

Divisional Playoffs
Saturday, Jan. 10
AFC:Lowest Seed at Tennessee, 4:30 p.m., CBS
NFC: Highest Seed at Carolina, 8:15 p.m., FOX

Sunday, Jan. 11
NFC: Lowest Seed at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m., FOX
AFC: Highest Seed at Pittsburgh, 4:45 p.m., CBS

Conference Championships
Sunday, Jan. 18
NFC: To be determined, 3 p.m., FOX
AFC: To be determined, 6:30 p.m., CBS

Super Bowl
Sunday, Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla.
AFC vs. NFC, 6 p.m. (NBC)

YANKEES: CONTRACTS

The following are the details of the new Yankee contracts:

Brian Cashman Senior VP, General Manager
3 years/about $6M (2009-11)

• signed extension 9/30/08

C.C. Sabathia lhp
7 years/$161M (2009-15)

• signed by NY Yankees as a free agent 12/11/08

• $9M signing bonus (paid in 3 installments: 12/31/08, 3/1/09, 7/31/09
• 09:$14M, 10-15:$23M annually
• salaries to be paid semimonthly over all 12 months of year, rather than semimonthly during season
• Sabathia may opt of of deal after 2011 season
• no-trade protection
• perks: suite on road trips

Mark Teixeira 1b
8 years/$180M (2009-16)

• signed by NY Yankees as a free agent 12/23/08
• $5M signing bonus
• 09:$20M, 10:$20M, 11-16:$22.5M annually
• full no-trade clause

A.J. Burnett rhp
5 years/$82.5M (2009-13)

• signed by NY Yankees as a free agent 12/12/08
• 09-13:$16.5M annually
• limited no-trade clause (Burnett may block deals to 10 clubs each year)

Nick Swisher of-1b
5 years/$26.75M (2007-11), plus 2012 club option

• signed extension with Oakland 5/11/07, replacing 1 year/$0.4M deal for 2007 signed 3/07
• $0.5M signing bonus
• 07:$0.7M, 08:$3.5M, 09:$5.3M, 10:$6.75M, 11:$9M,
• 12:$10.25M club option ($1M buyout)
• 2012 option increases to $12M with top 5 in MVP vote any year 2007-11
• limited no-trade clause 2011-12 (may block deals to 6 clubs)

Damaso Marte lhp
3 years/$12M (2009-11), plus 2012 club option

• re-signed by Yankees as a free agent 11/12/08
• 09:$3.75M, 10:$4M, 11:$4M, 12:$4M club option ($0.25M buyout)

If I missed anyone let me know...

JETS AND METS

I think the image above pretty much describes what a Mets & Jets fan like me feels like every year...
You start off running every year with high hopes just like Charlie Brown did every time Lucy would put the ball down..
Then right at the end you had the high hopes of making the playoffs or going all the way just as Charlie did in kicking the ball...
Then right at the end you collapse and end up with a headache and nothing left to show for it..Like Lucy picking up the ball and Charlie missing the kick in anguish...

RIGHT ON THE MARK

Buster Olney has reported that the Yankees have come to terms with Mark Teixeira.

Terms and details of the contract have not yet been revealed but reports are stating its around 8 years 180 Million dollars.

Tex will slot nicely into "a desperate for offense Yankee lineup".

Starting pitchers across the league probably have just soiled their pants at the thought of a A-Rod Teixeira 1-2 punch.

Are the Yankees overpaying here? the answer to that is Definitely.

But in my opinion the fact that we kept him off the Sox is worth a boat load of money in its own right.

Mark Teixeira is not a Hall Of Fame type player and he probably will not put up the same offensive numbers Manny will in the next few seasons. With all that being said, I'm still thrilled to have this guy on my team .

Ultimately I feel the Yankees made a great decision here.

Tex, has not been injury prone and is as consistent as they come .

Plus, in his limited post season experience he has put up monster numbers.

Great Signing all around.

I think its safe to say Happy Chanukah/Merry X-mas And happy Quanza to all Yankees fans.

Probably the greatest off season of all time.

I love being a fan of the Evil Empire, now lets get Manny...

NFL: PLAYOFF SCENARIOS

AFC:
#1 Titans - BYE
#2 Steelers - BYE
#3 East Winner - see below
#4 West Winner - see below
#5 Colts
#6 Wild Card winner - see below

Jets:
Division
1) Win over Miami, Pats Lose to Buffalo
Wild Card
1) Win over Miami, Ravens Lose to Jaguars

Patriots:
Division
1) Win over Bills, Jets win over Phins
Wild Card
1)Win over Bills, Ravens lose to Jaguars, Phins beat Jets

Dolphins:
Division
1) Win over Jets

Ravens:
Wild Card
1) Win over Jaguars

Chargers/Broncos:
Division
1) Win

PS - If Ravens and Pats lose then Ravens get Wild Card and NYJ/Miami play for division.

NFC - UPDATED AFTER SUNDAY & MONDAY NIGHT GAMES

PAYROLL: METS & YANKEES

METS:

Opening Day payrolls for 25-man roster
(salaries plus pro-rated signing bonuses):

o 2008: $137,793,376
o 2007: $115,231,663
o 2006: $101,084,963
o 2005: $101,305,821
o 2004: $ 96,660,970
o 2003: $117,476,429
o 2002: $ 94,633,593
o 2001: $ 93,674,429
o 2000: $ 79,800,000



YANKEES:

Opening Day payrolls for 25-man roster
(salaries plus pro-rated signing bonuses):

o 2008: $209,081,577
o 2007: $189,639,045
o 2006: $194,663,079
o 2005: $208,306,817
o 2004: $184,193,950
o 2003: $152,749,814
o 2002: $125,928,583
o 2001: $112,287,143
o 2000: $107,588,459

SALARY CAP:

o 2011: $178,000,000
o 2010: $170,000,000
o 2009: $162,000,000
o 2008: $155,000,000
o 2008: $155,000,000
o 2007: $148,000,000

The penalty for going over the salary cap is....
22.5% for first time offenders, 30% for second time and 40% for third time and beyond. All of this money is then divided among small market teams. The tax has been implemented ten times and the Yankees have been taxed five times.

JETS PLAYOFFS??

WOW! i was just fiddling around with some numbers and came across this:

If the Phins and Pats both lose this week and the Jets win vs SEA
AND the Jets lose to the Phins in the last game of the year they still lose the division!!

here is the rundown - Pats also win their last game then:

a) they will all be tied in record 10-6 (Jets, MIA, NE)
b)All 3 head-to-head are 2-2(all split games vs each other)
c)All 3 teams are 4-2 in division
d)Common Games: Jets are 8-6 with 2 other wins coming vs Cinci and Tenessee, Phins are 10-4 with 2 other losses vs HOU & BAL, and Pats are 10-4 with 2 other losses vs PIT & INDI
e)Pats and Phins left...both teams are tied in conf record 7-5
f) Strength of Victory - MIA +14 NE +48..
PATS WIN DIVISION..

So...the Jets must win their last 2 games of the year in order to win the division and their only likely shot at the wildcard is the Ravens losing their last 2 games (Jets lose 1 game)..

PS JUST WIN!!

PINCH HITTING AT LoHuD

SAM I AM SPORTS BLOG UPDATE

Hi Everybody,

As I was skimming through the blogs i read every morning and I came across one of my favorites.
The LoHuD Yankees blog which is updated multiple times a day. The Author of this blog isn't your average Tom , Dick, or Harry that has a Sports blog (Such as myself).

The Author of this blog is an established New York Yankee Beat reporter (My dream Job) for the Journal News .

This Blog gets thousands upon thousands site hits a day. to say the least , it is extremely popular.
Pete , posted today that he will need a few pinch hitters in his absence. Naturally , I shoot him an email asking if I could get a shot.
To my disbelief , He told me "your in".
Now, i must think of a topic to write to my national audience.
This is where you guys (and gals)come in .

What should my topic be about?

Q & A: OMAR MINAYA

Steve Serby of the NY Post does a great job in his interview with Mets GM Omar Minaya..
They talk about what he did immediately when he landed in Vegas and how the JJ Putz deal got done...click here for entire article...

Some excerpts:

Q: The first call you made when you landed in Las Vegas and checked into the Bellagio?

A: The very first call really was to get together that night with Frankie Rodriguez and his agent (Arn Tellem).

Q: Were you optimistic? (about K-ROD)

A: They were at three years and vesting for a fourth. We were at two years vesting for a third.

Q: What was the game plan at that point?

A: We were not sure if Fuentes was going to sign before Rodriguez. We felt being patient was the key here. Fuentes might have been waiting to see what Rodriguez got. They felt Rodriguez was gonna drive the market.

Q: You were supposed to meet with Trevor Hoffman, as well.

A: His plane got delayed. We were never able to meet with him.

Q: K-Rod had one concern.

A: He also wanted to know "Who's the guy that's gonna give me the ball?"

Q: What did you tell him?

A: "Look, we're gonna try to trade for a guy." I didn't want to give him false hope.

Q: But you wouldn't trade your young pitching prospects Jon Niese or Bobby Parnell.

A: So what happened was, he asked me, "Can you get me (outfielder Franklin) Gutierrez and (Aaron) Heilman? I called Mark (Indians GM Mark Shapiro) and asked, "Will you do Gutierrez for (Joe) Smith?" 'cause they like Smith. He said, "Let me think about it."

Q: Do you think you've closed the gap on the Phillies?

A: I don't believe in winning championships on paper; I think we're a better team. I think like last year, it's really who gets the stroke of luck. Unfortunately for us, we haven't had the stroke of luck. They're champions, and we respect that. One of these years, we'll get a stroke of luck.

Q: You're the talk of the town.

A: Being a Met fan, it's a passion. I just want Met fans to know we all care. I say, "Look, if you're afraid of your heart being broken, you cannot be a baseball fan," but you can't be a Met fan if you're afraid of your heart being broken. We overcome tough losses. It's like relationships in life - you overcome them. You bounce back. The fact that it's Christmas in the city, waiting for spring to start for new hope of a better year - they (Mets fans) should feel ownership and the front office will continue to do everything they can to provide them a championship team.

For the entire article click here.

METS: K-ROD CONTRACT DETAILS

3 years/$37M (2009-11), plus 2012 option

• signed by NY Mets as a free agent 12/9/08


• $2M signing bonus


• 2009:$8.5M, 2010:$11.5M, 2011:$11.5M, 2012:$17.5M option ($3.5M buyout)
  


• 2012 option becomes guaranteed with:
• 55 games finished in 2011, and
  
• 100 games finished in 2010-11, and
• doctors declare Rodriguez healthy after 2011
  

• Rodriguez receives $3.5M termination buyout if 2012 option does not become guaranteed
• annual performance bonuses, 2009-11:
  
• $0.15M each for 50, 55 GF; $0.2M for 60 GF

• 2012 performance bonuses:
  
• $0.3M each for 50, 55 GF; $0.4M for 60 GF
• (GF means "Games Finished")
  

• limited no-trade clause allowing Rodriguez to block deals to 10 clubs

WEEK 16: AFC PLAYOFF SCENARIOS

Okay! here are the Jets playoff scenarios:

Most important thing is to win vs MIA otherwise they lose their edge in division record and in conference record which is vital in any tie-breaker situation!

To win the division:

a) Win both games - simple!

b) lose vs SEA win over MIA; Pats need to lose to ARI or BUF (hold tie-breaker with MIA in head-to-head)

c)win vs SEA lose to MIA; MIA to lose to KC; Pats need to lose to either ARI or BUF; then it goes to best record among the three..Jets 2-2...MIA 2-2, Pats 2-2..then it goes to division record(if Pats lose to BUF then they are out) otherwise all tied at 4-2; then it goes to best record in common games and your on ur own there...

To win the wildcard:

Only team that is realistic is the Ravens (since Colts have 2 game lead on Jets) and if tied with Pats or Phins then division rules apply so see above..

a)As of now they are both tied in Conf record at 7-4..that is first tie-breaker..so if Jets lose to SEA and Ravens lose to JAX then Jets get in..

b) If tied in Conf record then goes to common games in which they have played:
CIN: Jets win; Ravens 2 wins
OAK: Jets lose; Ravens win
TEN: Jets win; Ravens lose
MIA: Jets 2 wins (if they win last game); Ravens win

So as you can see the Dolphin game comes in again, so it is a must win..

c) If common games is tied then it goes to Strength of Victory in which i believe it means points for subtract points against...in that case as of now the Jets are +66 and the Ravens are +112 so we lose there...

I hope I didn't lose you!

IF THE SEASON ENDED TODAY:

Titans - Bye and Home Field throughout playoffs
Steelers - Bye
Ravens @ Jets
Colts @ Broncos

MLB: WINTER MEETINGS

"And the award for the best GM at the winter meetings goes to.......

TOP 5 MOST OVER USED SAYINGS AT THE WINTER MEETINGS

#1 "Taking a Flier"

Every time a reporter gathered information that a club is showing interest in a high risk player they used the term "Taking a flier".
For example, The Yankees are taking a flier on AJ Burnnet.

Investopedia Says:When an investor is taking a flier, he or she is knowingly acquiring a high-risk, speculative instrument that may end up with them taking a bath

#2 "Kicking the Tires"

I don't know who or why this expression makes sense. Like "Taking A Flier" This saying apparently means that would like to do a general investigation on a player.

Investopedia Says:Individual investors and fund managers alike partake in tire kicking. Asking your full service broker or financial adviser about a company, calling and visiting a company, and doing general investigative research prior to investing in a stock are all examples of kicking the tires

#3 "Believed to be having Internal discussions" .

To me All this means is some reporter sees 2 GM's at a black jack table and start to speculate that they are discussing some sort of baseball transaction. meanwhile they are probably just discussing the wild night they had the night before.

#4 "stepped up their efforts"

To me, this expression is just used out of desperation by clubs when they are afraid their potential client is losing interest.

#5 "Making progress"

The expression making progress is used when a counter by any party is made. That's all it means...

There are many more Over used Aggravating sayings I must have read over the week.
But these are the ones that got under my skin.


Let me know which sayings annoyed you?

METS: JJ PUTZ INJURY

Last night at 7pm Omar Minaya had a press conference where he announced the signing of K-Rod...Minaya finished the press conference and immediately his phone rang..he grabbed a pen and paper and started writing names down..as he was doing that Mets executives pushed him into their suite and the negotiations for JJ Putz got serious...

A few hours later at around 1045 pm I went to my computer and refreshed the Metsblog.com page..it said Mets acquire JJ Putz, Sean Green, and Jeremy Reed for Aaron Heilman, Joe Smith Endy Chavez and a bunch of minor leaguers...Quickly i reached for my phone and texted my phonebook about the news...I then ran and told my father the news..then while going back into my room out of excitement i jumped and landed sideways on my right foot...crack..crack...crack....ten minutes later the swelling could be seen from miles away..


I rushed to the hospital via ambulance and took some x-rays...the doctor came in to tell me the news but before she did she asked how it happened so i told her about JJ Putz and the whole thing..she then laughed and told me that she is getting married to a Putz in April and her last name will be Putz...Freaky!..and i know i am a putz too lol....so i fractured a bone in my foot that goes to my pinky toe (Seinfeld!)..and i'll be sidelined for 4 to 6 weeks..

Anyways if there is an award for die hard Mets fan or crazed Mets fan i think i win!

Here are some fun facts on Putz:
a) he had less walks in 06 and 07 combined then K-rod had in any one year of his career
b) while in Michigan University he shared a dorm with Quarterback Tom Brady

Acc to ESPN's Keith Law: “If the Mets get the healthy J.J. Putz - he missed time with rib and elbow injuries in 2008 - they might actually have acquired the best closer of their offseason, one even better than their new closer Francisco Rodriguez.”

Word is also that Johan Santana is pushing the Mets to sign Bobby Abreu...

NOW IM OFF TO THE DOCTOR TO GET MY CAST! (i think the doc's name is LaPorta so he's the guy that got traded for CC last year)

DO YOU CC WHAT I SEE?!?!?!?!

We all have been waiting for CC to make up his mind .

He did what any sane person should do.To tell you the truth i would do the same!

He waited to see if any team would come close to the Yankee bid , and if they did he knew the Yanx would up the anti. He had no intention of Pitching anywhere but NY. He just wanted the most he could possibly get.

After these long and torturous past few weeks.

Mr Sabathia realized the market is not what he and his agent expected.

So he pounced on the Yankees offer which was never going anywhere to begin with.

I actually am thankful the Mets got K-Rod for so cheap. This definitely sent a message to CC that this Yankee offer would not be trumped.

If such a high profile Free Agent got just half of what he sought after there is no way any other offer would come close!

CC's thought process must have been "this was the best He's going to get".

I also love how all of those sports columnists that said CC had no intention of pitching in NY are Nowhere to be found today.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Whats Next?

STARTING PITCHING:

Word has is the Yankees are closing in on Lowe. You know what ? The Yankees sure can be stupid sometimes.... I want Zero part of this guy.

On the other hand, I would LOVE if the Yanx signed Sheets to a two year deal. But no more than 2 years.

I'm Praying Burnette signs with Atlanta. He simply is not worth the risk. Not for that many years with those dollar figures.

Pettitte and Cashman will probably meet in the middle and settle on a $12 Million dollar deal which is still not worth it but what the hell.

Projected rotation

1 CC (only bec the Money)

2 Wang

3 Sheets/Lowe/Burnette

4 Joba

5 Pettitte

OFFENSE:

Its no secret the Yankees are in need of some offense .

They just lost a ton of production in Giambi and Abreu.

Plus , how Confident can you be that Matsui and Posada will be healthy and that Cano will bounce back.

Why is everybody and there mother counting the Yankees out of the Texiera sweepstakes? Just because Hal/Hank Just broke the bank on the Lard Lefty , it doesn't mean diddly squat.

Hal wants to make a mark and follow in daddy's footsteps his first year behind the wheel. If you remember his remarks last month , he said , and i paraphrase "Everybody is a target".

If the Red Sox Sign Tex I will gag. It just can not happen. PERIOD.

There are several fallback options however.

For example Adam Dunn would be a great fit.

And then there always is that fellow named Manny...

Whispers of Rick Ankielle are being floated around and being linked to the Yankees. I am lukewarm on Ankielle. Not so sure he could maintain his offense.

Once again we have no way of knowing whats going to happen until it happens. We are reduced to the waiting game.

I personally enjoy reading completely false rumors . throughout the day. Its fun to see people make complete fools out of themselves by just trying get any story possible.

Until Next time my friends....

METS: K-ROD

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Ted Berg of SNY and Joel Sherman of the NY Post report that the Mets and Fransisco Rodriguez have agreed to a 3 yr 37 million dollar deal with a vesting option for a 4th year at 14 mil (pending on IP in final yr or final 2 years of contract)..Sherman also writes that K-Rod will be in NYC tomorrow for a physical and possibly a press conference..

The Angels will get the Mets first round pick the year (25th overall). but that should be made up if Oly Perez signs elsewhere..

Great pickup by Omar..and i don't think he is even close to finishing..he still has teams interested in Aaron Heilman for a reliever like Houston Street and said after getting his closer he will look to improve the starting rotation...and Sherman says that the Mets will now move on to Derek Lowe..

THE HOT DOGS JUST WENT UP ANOTHER DOLLAR AT CITIFIELD.. lol...

For Joel Sherman's complete column on the signing click here...

UPDATE: Mets sources say deal is awaiting a physica...
Omar Minaya has a press conference at 6pm today..prob on SNY or ESPNEWS...

KEEP IT UP OMAR!

JETS: PLAYOFF SCENARIOS

With the Jets recent disappointing play in the past 2 games..the following are their playoff scenarios:


Out of the 3 teams noted above the Jets have the easiest schedule since SF is better than BUF and KC may be a bit better than SEA but the west coast trip prob makes up any difference..

For the Jets its simple win out and you win the division..
It may all come down to the last game at the Meadowlands (if both the Jets and Phins win both of their games)..since first division tie-breaker is head-to-head..if Jets win they will have won both games vs the Phins and they would hold the tie-breaker against the Pats if they won out since they split the season series 1-1, it would go to the second division tie-breaker which is division record in which the Jets are 3-1 and the Pats are 3-2...

The longest road to the division title is the Pats who down't hold any tiebreakers amongst the three teams as of now...

The other option is the wildcard:

As of right now this seems unlikely since the Jets are a game behind both of these teams and don't hold any tie breakers against them:
a) Conference record - Jets 4 losses, Ravens 3 losses, Colts 2 losses
So if the Ravens lose a conference game and the Jets win out the will be tied in record and conference record..
b)So, the second wild card tie-breaker is record in common games (min. four) in which they both beat 2 common teams and both lost 1 game in which the other team won...
So, it then goes to margin of victory in which the Jets are currently +62 and the Ravens are +116...so there goes the wild card..

For a complete run down of all the NFL playoff tie-breakers click here..

There are other scenarios but as of now these are the clear ones if you can even call them clear!

PS In 1993 the Jets were 8-5 going into their last 3 games and they lost all three to the Cowboys, Bills and Oilers (Bills went on to play the Cowboys in Superbowl)(Oilers started season 1-4 and finished 12-4, got a bye and then lost to KC in playoffs)

J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!!