Over 9,000 fans showed up for the last exhibition game never to be played in Cooperstown, New York between the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres.  Amid protests there won't be a Hall of Fame Game next year for Major League Baseball.  Which begs the question if they're done playing in front of crowds numbering around 9,000 or so, does this mean no more Major League Baseball will be played in South Florida next year too?  The shame of this is overall greed and this garbage excuse of having "scheduling conflicts."

Yet somehow MLB is able to schedule games (exhibition or otherwise) in Japan, China, Puerto Rico, Mexico City, heck even Cuba and yet they can't find a way to fit in Cooperstown, New York!?!?!  Once again another sign of big business giving the snub to small town America.  Granted the players looked none too thrilled to be there as much as the give or take 9,000 who showed up just to be in their presence, but I guarantee you if one had to take a poll and ask players where they'd rather be, Cooperstown, New York for a day or Beijing, China for two weeks, the choice would be unanimous.

I mean seriously anything for a buck right you guys?  By the way that move out of Montreal to Washington made that team really competitive right?  What a joke.

It's time, enough with the Moose, no more Sean Henn or Ron Villone.  It's time for Boomer III in the Bronx.  David Wells is out there on the market and the New York Yankees would be wise to take a shot at him.  He's cheap, has a rubber arm and a post-season/New York track record to die for.

Honestly for what he'd be getting paid is David Wells any worse of an option than Mike Mussina in the rotation or Sean Henn and Ron Villone as a lefty out of the bullpen?  And don't scoff about age either, especially considering the Yanks have trotted out the like of Mussina (38), Roger Clemens (45) and in recent years Randy Johnson and Kevin Brown.  Heck in 2003 they were so desperate to find a lefty out of the bullpen that they eventually took a chance on the ancient Jessie Orosco.  So why not take a chance on Wells?  He's a guy who loves New York and thrives there and should have a chip on his shoulder to go out on top. 

They wouldn't be asking Wells to be a savior, just better than what they've got.  Now if one wants to argue prospects Joba Chamberlain or Ian Kennedy should take Mussina's rotation spot then fair enough.  But are Henn and his 5.34 ERA and Villone and his 4.42 ERA any better than Wells?  For the Yanks who were desperate for some innings, for a long man could've used Wells' arm big time last night.

In 22 starts, Wells is 5-8 with an ERA of 5.54 in 118.7 innings this season, while Mussina in 22 starts is 8-9 with an ERA of 5.22 in 120.7 innings.  What's the worst that could happen if Wells was brought back for another go-around in the Bronx?  Wells is career 68-28 in Pinstripes including seven post-season victories in his Yankee career and a World Series Championship as the ace in 1998.

If nothing else the Yankees try to find a little bit of lightning in a bottle.  Heck it worked with Al Leiter when they made their valiant comeback in 2005.  Boomer III in the Bronx, make it happen Mr. Cashman, you're on the clock.

Lately there's been this notion of how Roger Clemens' package deal somehow disgraces the mystique of the New York Yankees.  To detractors such as David Wells and Phil Garner, I say go out and get your own contract negotiated in that fashion.  I don't even necessarily bash the Yankees for doing this because imagine if they hadn't accomodated him and then lost Clemens to Boston or Houston?

There's no mistake the mystique left the Yankees when the ball left the bat of Luis Gonzalez in November of 2001.  They started going after guys who were bigger than the team.  The Yankees replaced two of their classier guys in Tino Martinez and Paul O'Neill with Jason Giambi and his steroid problems and Raul Mondesi and his attitude problems.  They made a foolish trade of Ted Lilly for Jeff Weaver and gave a boatload of money to Jose Contreras solely so that Boston couldn't get him.

In 2004 they essentailly sold their heart and soul, allowing character guys in Andy Pettitte and Clemens to go, while dealing for overpaid, oft-injured, headcase, mal-content Kevin Brown.  Sure A-Rod might be the best player in baseball, but the trading for him went against the grain of the 90's Yankees who weren't about the super-star.  That season the Giambi signing, Brown trade, not signing Pettitte and Clemens and trading for Javier Vazquez instead of Curt Schilling came back to bite them in the end. 

Before 2005 they again let a clutch pitcher in El Duque walk away, the same El Duque who dominated the Red Sox in a relief apperance in the playoffs that year allowing the White Sox to sweep.  They signed Jaret Wright who had red flags all over the place and was another oft-injured headcase.  Signed and overpaid for Carl Pavano, again another oft-injured headcase, just so Boston wouldn't get him.  And traded for and overpaid the moody Randy Johnson, one year too late.  Perhaps the biggest move they didn't make was signing Carlos Beltran to be their centerfielder for the next decade.

When one looks at this season and the Clemens deal, ask yourself this: If the Yankee mystique was so important, why then did they sign Kei Igawa to $46 million?  Igawa's main problem is gripping the ball and getting a feel for the mound!  Really, don't you think that your genious scouting department would've picked up on those two things before anything else?  Anyone who doesn't believe that deal was done solely for marketing purposes to Japan and to compete with Boston's signing of their own Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, you're fooling yourself.  That move right there, which was obviously not a baseball move, spits in the face of Yankee mystique and tradition! 

This shift from the 1990's Yankees to now reeks of sheer sellout.