Friday Morning Closer

So, here’s my five-pitch outing for the day:

Clemens Watch

What is becoming increasingly apparent is that the Yankees almost certainly don't have the kind of starting rotation needed to win the World Series.  The rotation should hold together long enough to make the playoffs, but that’s about it.  Johnson, Wang, Wright, and Pavano are all health risks, it’s unknown if Mussina can still keep it stead enough to long in those 12 to 13 wins per season and it’s likely that what we saw from Chacon and Small were simply one-year wonders. 

With that said, the Yankees are going to go hard for Roger Clemens.

Clemens is the best starting pitcher currently on the market and will cost the Yankees nothing in terms of prospects.  They avoided sending Robinson Cano and Chien Ming Wang to Minnesota for Torii Hunter when they needed a centerfielder.  Oakland wanted Philip Hughes when they tried to get Mark Kotsay.  With Clemens, all they’ll need is money, which the Yankees have in ####s. 

Clemens will have suitors in the form of the Red Sox, Rangers, and Astros.  However, the Astros and Rangers will not bid beyond a certain point.  The Red Sox, who have a blossoming young crop of pitchers coming up, could use him, but it’s unknown if they are prepared to match what the Yankees will offer their one time ace.   I’m guessing that the price could end up being close to $1.5 Million per start, or $30 million for half a season’s work. 

To be honest, I do wonder if it would be better for the Yankees to concede the division for a couple of years, allowing the young starts that they do have in their system to mature or deal some of their older players that can contribute to other, farm rich teams, and start anew.  That was how the Yankees originally returned to power, and how they constantly won during that magical period in the nineties.

Then, Steinbrenner, desperate to continue winning and not acknowledging that eras do come to an end, sabotaged the team with his deals that he hammered through to get the older, aging players that he hoped would help them advance to the post-season.

I do wonder about that.

Then I realize that I’m just kidding myself.

The fans, and much less Steinbrenner, won’t allow it.

Still, I have to wonder if the team won’t be better in the long run for it.  And if it wouldn’t soften the inevitable crash that will come.

Is This What $55 Million bought the Blue Jays?!?!?!?!?

So much for that Jays spending spree this past season. 

Burnett was removed from last Friday’s start after three innings and 78 pitches, after he felt pain in his right elbow consistent with what he felt at spring training and will fly to Birmingham, Ala., to see orthopedist Dr. James Andrews.   Burnett had Tommy John surgery in 2002, and missed most of the '03 season.  During Spring Training, it was said that he had a "tearing of scar tissue."   The Boston Globe tossed more intrigue into the mix, reporting that it could possibly be the ligament.  If that is true, then this is disastrous not only for Burnett, but the Blue Jays.  They invested a ton of cash in Burnett, who, when healthy, is electric.  They didn’t put in any language to protect them in the event that the Burnett’s history reared it’s ugly head.  Now, they may be handcuffed like the Texas Rangers were when they signed an injury prone pitcher to a contract.

His name?

Chan-#### Park.

Good luck to you Toronto if my prediction comes true.  You’ll need it.

 Balls To The Hall

One of the more bizarre cases that has popped up in the sports world has finally been laid to rest.  The Boston Red Sox and their former first baseman, Doug Mientkiewicz, agreed to end their legal fight over ownership of the ball from the final out of the 2004 World Series by sending it to the Hall of Fame.  Mientkiewicz held onto the ball after he caught the final out of the 2004 World Series, gave it to his wife, and then secured it in a safe deposit box and claimed it as his own.  Boston, seeking to have it in their museum, said they were the rightful owners of the ball, and even though Mientkiewicz loaned the team the ball for a year, the team went to court last November to get permanent ownership.  The suit was dropped a few days later and the sides agreed to arbitration. 

The more and more we hear things about that 2004 Red Sox team, such as Damon’s naked pull-ups, the dislike between Pedro and Schilling, the whole ball business, and some of the ugly splits between Boston and some of their former players kind of makes me think that sometime in the future, we may have made a little too much about about the whole impact of the Red Sox World Series win, especially considering how well the White Sox handled their own World Series drought.

Someone Besides Scott Kazmir can throw for the Devil Rays

In the first inning of Wednesday’s game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Durham Bulls, Bulls right fielder Delmon Young, dissatisfied with a called third strike call, was ejected for arguing the call, then threw his bat directly at the home plate umpire, hitting him in his midsection, likely earning a suspension around 30 or so games.  Marvelous.  This is why Young, despite being a first overall pick in the 2003 draft, Baseball America’s 2005 Minor League Player of the Year is not ready.  He is often called “The Reggie Bush of Baseball”, but has a high sense of entitlement, seeing that he should have been allowed to start right after being drafed.  He’s had numerous run-in’s with authority already and has acted incredibly immature since he started in the minors.  And when you’re still acting immature at the farm league level, what are you going to do when things get heated in the major league level?  Arguing a call is normal.  Deliberately flipping the bat at another man (even with padding) is unacceptable.  I think Young just cost himself a September call up, which may be for the best with the Devil Rays.  At least they won’t gain any service time anytime soon.

Jenn Sterger Mailbag?  I’m There!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past year, you would probably know who Jenn Sterger is.  If not, here is some random ####mp;A:

Anyhow, Jenn has managed to turn her 15 minutes of fame into a possible sports reporting career.  SI.com’s Scorecard Daily is now featuring Jenn answering email on Wednesday’s.  You can check out her inaugeral post by clicking here:

Reading through it, the mailbag does not come off as ditsy, egotistical, or anything like that.  She’s actually quite level headed and is at times insightful.  While I may not tune in every week, she’s at least intrigued me enough to want to tune in next week.

Plus, she’s a hell of a lot better on the eyes (and butchers the English language a lot less) than the guy she’s replacing, Jay Mohr.

See you all next week!