Any hopes that Yankee or Met fans had of Mark Teixeira signing with either New York club this offseason took a major hit when the Angels acquired the switch-hitting first baseman earlier this week.
Despite some very hefty contracts and big names coming off the books for both New York locals, expect the Angels to lock up Teixeira, the big bat they had desperately coveted.
Teixeira, who is a .285 career hitter, has had 4 straight years of 30 homers and 100 RBI, has won 2 gold gloves and is still relatively young at 28 years of age.
While the Angels will have their own critical free agent decisions to make after the 2008 season, such as Vladimir Guerrero, Garret Anderson, John Garland, Francisco Rodriquez, and John Lackey, I still expect them to ante up in what will be a bidding war for Teixeira.  When the Angels included the young and inexpensive 1B Casey Kotchman as part of the trade for Teixeira, they clearly showed that they are …

Despite the Yankees resurgent winning ways, the recent loss of Jorge Posada for possibly the remainder of the year, could be most devastating. Although everyone knows that Derek Jeter is the captain of the team, if you ask anyone in that locker room, past or present, that has played with Posada, they will tell you that he is the heart and soul of the team.

Posada would be the first one to tell a player that they need to step up or be the first one to protect one of his teammates if the situation presents itself. Furthermore, when big games arise down the stretch and eventually in the postseason, Posada’s leadership and experience with the staff is something that cannot be replaced.

This is not meant to disrespect the excellent job that Jose Molina has done, as he is one of the best backup catchers in the league and has a ton of experience. Unfortunately though, he is not Jorge Posada. Posada knows Andy Pettitte, …

Often times in All-Star games, the most popular player instead of the most deserving player is voted in. However, this year I was shocked to see that for the majority of the positions that the fans got it right this season. Below is a breakdown of who is the current vote leader and which player I feel deserves the opportunity most.
American League

1B: Current Leader – Kevin Youkilis (.303 avg, 13 HR, 47 RBI, 47 R, 81 H)
Most deserving – Justin Morneau (.310 avg, 12 HR, 62 RBI, 43 R, 95 H)
Reserve – Kevin Youkilis (.303 avg, 13 HR, 47 RBI, 47 R, 81 H)
2B: Current Leader – Dustin Pedroia
Most deserving – Ian Kinsler (.310 avg, 13 HR, 49 RBI, 19 SB, 67 R, 102 H)
Reserves – Dustin Pedroia (.291 avg, 7 HR, 34 RBI, 8 SB, 48 R, 94 H) and Brian Roberts (.296 avg, 5 HR, …

Only a few days ago, did a fellow Yankee fan inform me of the rumors that Mariano Rivera should start this year’s All-Star game at Yankee Stadium.  And while I do believe that All-Star games are for the fans and to honor special players who may be retiring but not worthy of being there that year, such as Cal Ripken in 2001, this is not something that I would agree with. 

I understand that there is no guarantee the American League will be winning or be in a possible save situation for Rivera to come in, but overall I feel it keeps the integrity of the game in tact.  While Rivera would not pitch more than an inning to either start the game or close the game, the argument will always be what is the difference.  And to me, there is a difference.  Rivera is a reliever and there are plenty of starters who are better positioned to start this game and eventually help to …

In what should be a top heavy but a very deep and talented NBA draft next week , the following is how I see the top 10 shaking out come next Thursday.
1. Chicago Bulls – Everyone says what a great spot that the Bulls are in having the option of selecting Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley. However, on what already is a very talented and young team, this single decision could make or break the direction that this franchise will head. While I believe that the Bulls cannot go wrong with this selection as both players are immediate impact players, I do feel that it comes down to team needs. It is almost too good to be true that Rose is a hometown kid, the best PG in the draft, and a soft spoken leader. Beasley on the other hand, is a total freak of nature, however many experts question his work ethic and leadership capabilities. While all signs and NBA experts predict …

With the Boston Celtics clinging to a 3-2 series edge over the Los Angeles Lakers, there is no question that Paul Pierce right now has been the MVP of the series.

However, if the Celtics are to complete the best turnaround in NBA history within one season, it will be because of the play of Kevin Garnett. Garnett’s presence in the paint has and will be the difference maker for the Celtics in these final two games. Garnett is way too athletic and strong for Paul Gasol or any other Laker on the offensive end. Defensively, no player can match Garnett’s intensity and rebounding ability. For the series, Garnett is quietly averaging 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block per game and his play inside will be counted on even more with the uncertainty of center Kendrick Perkins for the final two games of the series.

Expect Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to continue to play well, but when it …

Just like the weather in the Northeast this baseball season, the Yankees have been up and down. And after last Thursday’s dramatic victory over the Royals, which was capped by a Jason Giambi walk off homer in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs, I really thought that the Yankees were going to turn the corner. That victory was the type that should bring a team closer together, build chemistry and serve as a turning point in a season.

Instead, what do the Yankees do? They split a series with one of the worst teams in baseball and lose two games by 1 run each. If this were Josh Beckett or C.C. Sabathia who were keeping the Yankees’ powerful bats quiet then you could easily tip your cap. However, it was the likes of Kyle Davies and Luke Hochevar, both of whom were minor leaguers earlier this year. To make matters worse during these two games, the Yankees spoiled brilliant performances by Darrell Rasner, who went 8 strong …

It is clear that even had they kept Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen the Yankees would still need help to bridge the gap to Mariano Rivera. And with all due respect to the ageless Mike Myers, the Yankees have not had an effective left handed reliever who can get out a tough left handed hitter in a big spot for as long as I can remember.

My answer to address this concern is acquiring lefty reliever Brian Fuentes from the Colorado Rockies. Due to Fuentes being a free agent after the 2008 season, the Rockies would be willing to deal Fuentes to a contender and you can be sure that the Yankees’ arch rival Red Sox will be in the bidding.  Even though the 32 year old Fuentes is currently serving as the Rockies’ closer, he is better suited as a 7th or 8th inning setup man to a team’s closer. And with the inept Kyle “The Hamburglar” Farnsworth’s salary of just under 6 million dollars coming …

While most fellow Yankee fans as well as sports writers are against the idea of converting Joba Chamberlain to a starter, I am all for it. While I believe that Chamberlain would be great as the heir apparent to Mariano Rivera and lights out as a closer, Rivera is not a free agent until after the 2010 season. Leaving Chamberlain in his current role would not maximize his current potential and reward to the Yankees based on the makeup of their current rotation. Yes, the argument will always be who is going to pitch the late innings of games so that they can get to Rivera. However, my answer to that is how are we going to get to the 8th inning if we are running out suspect starters who can’t pitch into the 6th inning? Chamberlain who can pitch 6 quality innings, will give the Yankees more of a chance to win, as he will put them 2/3 into of every …