YES Network.com

Joel Sherman presented this cool factoid while explaining Yankees general manager Brian Cashman's roots as a Kentucky Wildcats fan:

But when it comes to college basketball, Cashman’s blue blood runs deep. He has always been a Kentucky Wildcats fan and has become friendly over the years with their coach, John Calipari. Also, Cashman is quite aware of a bit of quirky history: Kentucky has won the NCAA tournament six times (1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996 and 1998) and the Yankees have gone on to win the World Series in each of those years. So before this tournament began, Cashman sent a text to Calipari, who is a Yankees fan. Cashman reiterated the history to Calipari in pointing out why his rooting interest will be so strong. Calipari texted back, “then I better win.”

Calipari

Brian Cashman, at least verbally, put any trade rumors regarding A.J. Burnett to bed on Tuesday while speaking at Sacred Heart University. Cashman and former Red Sox general manager/current Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein answered audience questions, including one directed at Cashman regarding the status of Burnett, who will have to compete for his rotation spot this spring.

“I am comfortable with A.J.,” Cashman said. “He’s extremely talented and has been inconsistent, but I can tell you I’m comfortable with the effort he’s giving; I’m comfortable with everything that he does, the accountability that comes with him.

“Obviously, we signed him to have more success than he’s having, but it’s a competitive industry

I was part of a group who believed the Yankees would blow off the failed Kei Igawa experiment, evaluate Yu Darvish based on his own accord and not someone else’s, and take a leap of faith into the tantalizing unknown. Once it was announced that the Texas Rangers won the bidding by paying the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters a $51.7 million posting fee, it ended any smidgen of hope that the Yankees may have been flying stealth by undervaluing the sensation from Japan.

As first reported by Yahoo Sports and The New York Times, the fee the Rangers paid just to speak with Darvish during a 30-day negotiating window surpassed the record $51.1 million the Red Sox spent on Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2006. Say what you want about the normally free-spending Yankees’ suddenly fiscal ways, but looking

It will be one year ago on Thursday when free agent Cliff Lee turned down the Yankees’ seven-year, $148 million offer.

Following his heart over his wallet, Lee chose to return to Philadelphia, where he pitched in 2009, for five years and $120 million with a vesting option for a sixth year. It was the second time the Yankees were in the red zone to score the prized left-hander. Reports that the Yankees were to acquire Lee at the 2010 trade deadline had the power of a locomotive before the Mariners accepted what they believed was a better offer from the Rangers.

That winter it was assumed Lee would accept Yankee dollars and join good friend CC Sabathia in the Bronx. Alas, Lee’s heart was in the City of Brotherly Love and the Yanks were suddenly looking at the prospects of a

While I enjoyed some down time courtesy of remaining personal days to conclude the year, two potential Yankees targets came off the board, Mark Buehrle and C.J. Wilson. The Yankees were never serious contenders for either left-hander. Buehrle would have been a nice fit, but like Wilson, Brian Cashman and Co. were unwilling to meet their demands in terms of money and years. And in case you visited Mars, Albert Pujols followed Wilson to southern California. Whether you like it or not, the Yanks weren’t players for the Machine either.

The Yankees’ offseason moves? Working out a new deal with CC Sabathia and re-signing Freddy Garcia for another year. Boring, you say? Convincing Sabathia to not opt out of his last contract and test the free agent market was the single biggest objective

Years ago I was in a fantasy hockey league and looking to wheel and deal. One member of the league sat a few rows down, also with an open mind. I scribbled three of my players, one in the B-plus to A-minus range and the other two middle of the road, on a piece of paper. On the bottom I wrote three of his, each that were either elite or close to it.

Not even two seconds after handing him the note, he put the kibosh on the proposal with one word, “Nope.”

Apparently, rival general managers have been calling Brian Cashman with similar trade ideas. Reportedly, the Yankees are interested in starting pitcher John Danks. The White Sox are open to dealing the left-hander, who’s had a decent – not great – but decent career and comes off a down 2011 season (8-12, 4.33

A prelude to the flurry of activity that will commence at baseball’s annual winter meetings December 5-8 in Dallas, this week’s general manager meetings in Milwaukee produced the expected chatter without anything concrete. The cliff notes:

• Hal Steinbrenner on the Yankees’ 2011 season: “We had the best record in the American League. I’m certainly not happy with … we let the fans down in the playoffs, there’s no doubt about it. And they know that, and I know that and (Brian Cashman) knows that. But our team from last year for the most part is intact. There’s some concerns and we’re going to address them.”

• The chief concern is what Cashman called the “key to the kingdom,” and that’s pitching. It

Brian Cashman hinted to reporters on Wednesday that the Yankees could once again pluck low-cost veteran arms from the scrap heap to fortify the Yankees’ 2012 rotation. He did so keeping in the spirit of the holidays.

“Over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house you go, and you have no idea whether you're going to get there or not other than letting the season play out,” Cashman said. “Turned out that other way was a great way for us.”

In other words, when speculating on whether Mark Buehrle, C.J. Wilson or Roy Oswalt will come to the Bronx, the final answer may be none of the above. Last season, nothing was expected from Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon, and both did yeoman work from the back end of the rotation.

Colon may not be back, but

Brian Cashman was at the Hard Rock Café on Wednesday to help support the Yankees’ and New York Cares’ annual coat drive. Marc Carig, the intrepid beat writer for the Newark Star-Ledger, was on hand and Tweeted these details:

• Ivan Nova, who suffered a strained forearm that forced an early exit from Game 5 of the ALDS, has been cleared to work out by Yankees physician Dr. Chris Ahmad. “That’s behind him,” Cashman said.

• Cashman is working on his initial round of phone calls to agents and teams looking to qualify interest in the asking prices of free agents and in trade discussions, the latter that has potential suitors asking about the Yankees’ catching depth. In addition, he’s asked for medical records of players of interest,