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After watching the game Saturday, I came to the conclusion that the Yankees farm system is not as bas as  some people have said.

That  kid  Jesus Montero is a beast. I will be royally pissed if Cashman trades this kid. And Romine  looks like a very food  find at catcher.

Slade Heathcott our 1st round draft pick from 2009 is something to see. I can see why the Yankees are so high on this kid. He can do it all . It is going to be interesting to see how fast he advances through the farm system. Maybe this is why Austin Jackson  become expendable ?

The Corbin Joseph also looked good , along with Abraham Almonte. What I found interesting was watching the kid Ivan Nova  and  the one who throws with both arms .

JR Murphy seemed to handle the bat  well  and it is obvious that we are deep at catching . But , Cashman needs to continue to draft  left handed pitchers, shortstops and outfielders.

Another  season is starting soon . I like the moves that were made. I think they were right in getting rid of Melky , matsui and Damon.  I don't think the Yankees are going to miss them. I believe that  Vasquez  is  going to be better this time around.

I would love to   see our best prospects start to flourish more.I would love to see Jeremy Belich start to rapidly move up the ladder  in case Pettitte do call it quits  after this  year.

Burnett is  a  concern for me . I am still really  NOT sold on him . I think he needs to really step up and become more consistent.

If the  bullpen is half as good as last year, we should be fine. I expect more  from Aceves and Robertson. But, I begin to wonder if  Melancon is ever going to be ready or was he just another over -hyped prospect that could have netted us a good player .

Cano needs to prove that he can stop stinking  with  RISP. I am so tried of seeing him hit into  double plays  and breaking up    rallies. The same can be said for Posada. No more double plays , Jorge.

As for A Rod , I hope  that he is telling the truth  that he got nothing  from that  Canadian  doctor. It is  easy for  people to say that the Yankees should void  his  contract if it turns out that he was lying and has been doing HGH. The  question  is , who would  repalce him. Last time I checked the Yankees don't  really have  a decent  3rd baseman in the minors. I don't think Brandon  Liard is the answer.

Here we go again ,  It is time for another year of baseball. Another year where  we find out who can cut the mustard on the  team and who has to step up to the plate.

I  for one am hoping that  Robby Cano can finally learn to hit in the clutch. His RISP stinks and I am so sick and tried of  him  breaking up most of the rallies. With Damon and Matsui gone,  someone has to take up the slack and it is time for Cano to live up to his  true potentional.

Aren't  you  tried of hearing how much he is like  Rod Carew and that is a future batting title  winner? Prove it, time to put up or shut up.

Here is hoping that Burnett will continue to find himself and be more sevicable to the team , except as the resident pie thrower.

Here is to hoping that now that Tex has a full year of  Alex  behind him, he  won't get off to one of his slow  starts. And while we're at it, cross your fingers that  Johnson stays healthy and that  Grandersen is all he is expectec to be.

I expect another banner year from  CC and Andy and I am not worried about Javier. This time around he is not expected to be the ace, but the number  4 starter.

Joba or  Hughes? Joba to the pen , and Hughes in the rotation. You got to start thinking about replacing  Mariano soon .

And it is going to be interesting to see  Cervelli develop further, as Jorge starts to take a back seat.

Time to play ball. I can't  wait . No more talk of  Tiger , please. Play Ball

Now I know that there are not as many holes to fill as last year, But, if  we learned anything with the WS, they do not have enough  pitching.

Okay, let's exam the  rotation . CC, AJ , Pettitte ,  Vasquez as your front  4. Now who is the  #5, Chamberlain or  Hughes.? My guess it is  Chamberlain since he already has  a year under his belt as a starter.

Bruney and Coke are gone . Two holes to fill. They traded Dunn, so there goes a  2th lefty from within.You need 2  lefties in the pen . So where is  he  coming from . Who replaces  Bruney? Hughes ? Is Mariano coming back in 2011or do we now have to start to groom a new closer for 2011?

Left field and Right  field are our   two weakness. How Cashman  and the Steinbrenner think they can go with Swisher again full time in right  and Gardner in left is beyond stupid. That makes our outfields one of the weakest in  basebal.

They don't want to spend money because they are looking to next year's FA class , where they will make a run at Carl Crawford , Cliff Lee or Brandon Webb and Mauer ( if he makes it to  FA)

Payoll next  year will not be a problem when it comes to the 2010 FA class,. You will have 12 million off the books for Pettitte and I think  2010 is his last year, so Lee would be a perfect fit to replace him  in 2011. Jeter's 21 million comes off the books and Mariano's  15 million is off the books.Vasquez 's  11.5  is off the books. Nick Johnson's 5.5  million is off the books With 54 million 650 thousand off the books , it is easy to see why they want to "buy low " for left  field this coming season , but this is a mistake. .

Obviously , part to that money coming off the booksafter the 2010 season ,  is going to go to Jeter and Rivera ( if Mariano  wants to come back in 2011). My guess is that if Mariano comes back in  2011 , he will agree to a 1 year  deal like Andy has been doing, But, Cashman is going to want him to take a pay cut and he should . As much as I love Mo, no closer should be making  15  million  and  get paid like most starters. I would think a fair deal would be  10 million for 2011. With Jeter, he is  going to do the  same ,he is going to ask him to take a pay cut . Probably the offer will be  17 million for 3 years with an option for 2014, 2015. That leaves rougly 28 million for the 2011 Budget ( not including what will be cut after this off season  budget)

It is clear that  Hal wants to payroll down from 201 million to at least  190 million this off  season. . My guess Cashman only has about  7-9 million left to adress left  field and any other holes.

I would  think the best way to address the outfield and keep the payroll  down, would be  to make trades. As I have said before  David De Jesus is a nice left fielder and he is still young and best thing is that he hits well over .300 with RISP on  a  bad team .He also is a natural center fielder , so he could spell Grandersen if he continues to struggle with lefties . And when next off season comes , he can move to right to make way for  Crawford in 2011.

Mauer ? Even if he makes it to FA, I don't  see the Yankees making a hard sell for him  , unless it is drive the price for the Red Sox. They will need a catcher . They don't have the catching depth we, have in the minors. I am thinking that  Romine is the heir to Posada with Cervelli as the back up. Montero willl be switched to another postion , maybe 3rd , with A Rod as a full time  DH? Who knows, time will tell.

Renew or don't  renew that is the question . Do we  reward  performance and loyalty or do we move on and  get younger and more atlethic ?

Regarding  Johnny Damon, there is no doubt the man can still hit and run. But, lets  face a little reality here. The man is like an accident waiting to happen in left field. Yes, he can still  get to the ball, but  can you depend on him to catch it  without  falling down on his  face/ And  there is those issues with his shoulder, his knees and his ankles. Typical last  game of the  season  what does Johnny do? He  sprains his ankles again scoring  a  run . It is a  good thing we  won game 6 or  else  we would have in deep  do -do .  Now  you hear that  Johnny wants to come back . But, is he  willing to be  reasonable and over rule that stupid Scott Boras ?At 36 ,  he can not expect the Yankees to seriiously entertain giving him  more a  2 year deal. I say  he gets a  one year with a 1 year team  option ,and  it the Yankees don't  pick up his 2011 option , he gets  a buyout.  Either way he wins.

Now on to Matsui. No matter how much he tries to  re-hab, his days in the outfield are OVER  and  Hideki needs to face  facts. There is some team out there that will offer him a  3-4  deal, but  at this point of his career, it should not be the Yankees. 16  million is a miighty expensive  DH and that is money better suited for other pressing needs.

Jose  Molina of course he is a great catcher  , calls  a great game and  he is very well liked in the clubhouse. That   4  million he earns is also better off  being used to address other needs. Besides , it is time for Cervelli to take center stage .

And Pettitte has always been one of my favorite   Yankees. I do believe that  Andy has another good year left in the left  arm. So, I am all in favor of  bringing  Andy back on another incentive laden  deal. But, this team , the salary is  going to have to 10 million . After all , can any of us  say that we would even celebrating a WS championship  without him?

Nady and Heinske  are gone , and  no brainers. But, I would  bring back Hairston.

Tweak the  rotation  a bit and the bullpen and address left field and we are ready to go .

Can't  wait for some hot stove news.

THe  season is over and already I admit it I am bored. I am not a basketball fan , so I will not be rooting  for the  Knicks of  the  Nets. I am not a hockey fan, so don't look for me to  root for the Rangers, Islanders or  Devils. But, I will root for the Giants. Right now they stink , And it does not look  good for the men in blue. Losing 4 in   a row is not that bad in baseball, but in football that is a red flag and could cost them a playoff spot, unless the offense and defense  gets back on  track.

So, now it  Hot  Stove  time. I can not believe  how fast it is heating up and  how many deals are in place. No  surprise that the Marniers  brought  Griffey  back . That kind of locks out  Matsui from going to  Seattle. Yet, all you read is that Hideki  and Ichrio hate  each other. It is hard to imagine   Hideki hating  anyone. Ichrio on the other hand  is a prima donna  .

No surprise that  Vartek  excerised his player  option. Where else is going to go? He is finished . It just  seems that some players don't know when to hang up the cleats.

Rumors   surrounding the Tigers is  unfounded. I am sure they will  listen to offers for   Jackson and  Granderson . Granderson had a down year and if they trade him, his  market  value is low and his return  will not be  much. The same holds  true with Grady Sizemore.

Where is  Roy Halladay  going ? Listening to Brandon  Tierney , he feels the Yankees don't need  him and could wait until next  winter to sign  him as a  Free Agent. That is all  well and good, but someone  neglected to  tell Brandon that  Halladay is looking to play for a winner and  wants a long term contract. I don't see  him foregoing his free agency and being a  1 year  rental .

The Yankees ? Damon is nuts if  he thinks at 36 he is  getting a  4  year  deal from anyone.  Let him go and try . Yankees can not fall prey to Boras'  demands. His skills as an outfielder are rapidly  falling apart. Yes, he can still hit and run, but is that worth more than a  2 year deal? Absolutely not !

Matsui  is going to try to re-hab  his knees and package himself as an outfielder. Good Luck with that , Hideki. Unless he is wiiling to take a one year deal, it is time to cut the  cord. Sorry, Hideki.

Pettitte  wants to come back. But, he can't be allowed to  keep Cashman  waiting until the middle of  January  again. Set a deadline for him of   December 31th. That is long  enough!

Yankees need more pitching . I don't care if they make a trade or sign John Lackey. But  , one thing that the post  season taught us is , you never have enough pitching. It is all well and good  that   Cashman thinks he is going to get something out of  Wang and Kennedy, but they are not  givens. And if Hughes and Chamberlain are back in the rotation , the bullpen needs help desperately.

Matt Holiday? I don't think much of his  defense and it has nothing to with him dropping that ball in the playoffs. I just  don't think he is anything special. Surely , nowhere near  the money  Teixeria  gets. My  guess he is  a Mets.

I do think you can expect the unexpected from Cashman this winter . The Yankees have  45.5.5 million coming off the books. I highly doubt they are going to pocket all of it. I would not be surprised to hear that  Cashman takes  things slowly and lays in the weeds   again, ready to strike at the last minute.

Now that it is done and we have finished  celebrating our  27th World title , we know that is some  work needs  to be done.

The   obvious  questions  remain. What do we do with the free agents ? 

Here is my take  on the situation. 

As  good of  a  defensive  catcher that Molina  is , it time to let  Cervelli into the game as the full time back up. So , say thanks for  everything Jose , but  we need to move on.

Whether to bring back  Hairtson and  Heinske? It is clear that the choice is  Hairston , since he plays many more positons than  Heinsike. Let Pena  be the other player off the bench.

No doubt you bring  Andy back. . I don't think 5  million with incentives if  getting it done. You offer  9 million  with  incentives.

Matsui ?  His knees are too much of a  question mark . He can say all  he wants that he going to  re-hab his knees so that he can market  himself as an outfielder   instead of a full time  DH. But, the fact is , his  skills as an outfielder are bordeline  terrible . Unless he is  willing to come back for one year,, you can't do it .

Damon? No doubt that he can still hit  and run,  but  his defense is rapidly  falling apart and we have too many  question marks in the outfield. One being  , what  can you expect from Swisher next year ? He is not an everyday  outfielder  since his defensive  skills are ordinary at the least. Then   you can't  depend on whether  Austin Jackson is  ready yet. My feelings is that he needs another year in  Scranton . But, you don't want to go out and get a stop gapper like Mike  Cameron.  Center field for the Yankees has  tradition  . We are used to seeing players in center field that can field their  position and bat for  average. Now , I don't expect a guy to  hit  .345 , but  you do need to get at least a consistent batting average of at least  .285  from your center fielder and he needs to have some pop in his bat. Gardner is fast, no  doubt. But, he can't steal  1st base. If he could  hit .280  , you could live with  it .as long as stole 40 bases as year.  Melky  will never hit more than  20- 22  homeruns for  you. And with center field. you need someone with more power.

Pitching ? No  doubt you never have enough pitching . Many here know that I want Joba in the pen as the heir to  Mariano . But, I doubt that happens.  I  feel that  Hughes is the starter, not  Joba. If they pull both of them out of the bullpen and back  into the rotation, you are   going to weaken your rotation, since you will have 2 struggling  young  pitchers,  Hughes will be on an innings  limit and  pitch count.This  weakens the   pen. If  you go that route , then  you need to address the holes in the pen. Personally , I have no confidence in  Bruney and  Coke was a  big  disappointment. I can see him bringing back Marte, Robertson  and  Aceves , but  you may need to add further  additions to the pen.

Heath Bell might be made available from the  Padres. He would be  a nice  addition as the set up man. But, it all  depends on what it would take,.

Starting  pitching is the key.  I personally would rather  presue John Lackey than  Randy   Wolf  or  Jason Marquis. But, of  course I'd  rather make the trade for  Roy Halladay when he is made available again. There is no doubt the cost for  Halladay has  gone down dramatically. They won't be able to demand  Chamberlain , Hughes, Jackson and Montero  .

As far as  free agency outfielder ? Matt Holiday is a  Boras client and I don't see Cashman  giving him  Teixeria  money .Personally , I don't think he is as good as Teixeria . And I also don't hink he hits in the  AL as  well. I also  read on line that he does  not want to play in  NY. But, we've  heard that before. My bet is  going after  Jason Bay instead.

Of  course I'd  rather make a trade for an outfielder like  Hunter Pence , Justin Upton . But, it is goimg to cost too much . Swisher needs to go back to being  a part time role player , who plays  3-4  days a week.

And as far as the  DH? We need to leave it open as a  weighing station for  the other players, Posada is not going to catch   125  games next  games. I think the  goal will be  about  100 games and I really feel that  Cervelli  is ready to step up.

  But, AJ   will have to learn to pitch to Posada.

With 45.5.5 million coming off the books , I  dont see  Cashman  spendng more than  28-30  million. Hal is  right, we do  need to get the payroll under  200  million.

In the end , I don't see  Cashman making as big of a splash like  last winter. He will address the rotation ,the outfielder, tweak the  bullpen and  bench.

And it will be onward  to  # 28.  Go Yankees.

To all the Yankee haters, listen up. It is not our worth  if your multi billionaire owners choose to be cheap and pocket the bulk of their profits. It is not the Yankees fault if they pocket  the revenue sharing checks they get and the luxury tax  checks  they get from the  the Yankees. That is the fault of MLB .

Hate us all you want , it is uselsss. No , we did not buy a championship. We are  proof that does not happens. Have you been paying attention?  This is our first championship in  9 years,  Until now, every free agent who were brought in , failed miserably. Not this time . Why ? Simply because   they signed the right ones and the  team has  chemistry . Talent and chemistry go hand and hand. In order to win , you of course first need Talent . But  you also need chemistry and the abllity of having several  guys on the team having good  years,

If the other owners would put their money where their mouths are  ,instead of whining and complaining about how they can't compete with the Yankees, then you would have a  more leveled playing  field, But, as long as you got   owners who are  worth  billions , who are unwilling to invest back into the  team , player development , scouting etc, they and their fans need to shut up.

Simply amazing . I can not believe how   some people can be . I thought this was supposed to a family community  where  you are free to come here and discuss  rationally the Yankees and express your  opinions  , even if you are annoyed at the team  at the time.

Anyone  who can actually say that they never get mad , annoyed or disappointed at this team at times , is  either a just a  saint. It is only human nature to  be upset when your team disappoints you. That is part of the game. It should be expected . When I come here and am disappointed  at the their inability to score runs or the failure of the  bullpen , I should be able to express my feelings. I should not have to sit there and second  guess what I want to post  because there are people who might be offended  by it .I mean that takes all the  fun out of coming here. ,  or  that you might have to sit there and think , "oh my god , I better not post that or  people might come out of the woodwork and go nuts  and disagree with me  and call  me  names.

It is entirely different when  you have a poster ( especially a  troll or a first time register) who intentionally comes on , goes out of  their way and posts threads that is meant to cause   agruements and fights,. it is another when  a person posts a thread that just expresses their anger of the moment. Do you have to go as far as posting a disclaimer    to the fact, "Pardon my rantings for the moment, I am just ticked off at the team right now ". Now   that is just plain silly.

Like the song goes , "Why can't  we be friends ?"  After all don't we all have something in common, our  love of the team ?

Why can't we be friends [4x]

I seen ya, I seen ya, I seen ya 'round for a long long time
I really, I really, I really remember when you drank my wine

Why can't we be friends [4x]

I seen ya, I seen ya, I seen ya walkin' down in Chinatown
I called ya, I called ya, I called but you did not look around
I pay my, I pay my, I pay my money to the welfare line
I seen ya, I seen ya, I seen ya standing in it everytime

Why can't we be friends [4x]

The color, the color, the color of your skin don't matter to me
As long as, as long as, long as we can live in harmony
I kinda, I kinda, I kinda, like to be the president
And I could, and I could, and I could show you how your money's spent

Why can't we be friends [4x]

Sometimes I don't speak right
But did I know what I was talking about
I know you're working for the CIA
They wouldn't have you in the mafia

Why can't we be friends [4x]

There are more important  things in life  to get your underpants in knots over,  like the economy and the   wars.

Disclaimer : Contrary to belief , I will love my Yankees no matter what -  win or lose

In   my opinion , I was not comfortable with CC on  short rest. The CC I watched last night was not  nearly as  strong as he was on full  rest  against   Lee.  He was good enough to win Wednesday, it  was just that Lee was slightly better.

And Joe  Blanton?  This  guy is no better than a 5th starter and  they were making him look like a Cy Young winner. When they started teeing off him in the first inning , I thought to myself,  "wow, this is  going to be a great inning, finally the bats are  coming out of their cvmas." Again , as  much as I was  thrilled at  getting Teixeria , in the playoffs   he and Cano  are the  2  biggest disappointments offensively. I keep waiting for  both of them to get  hot. Cano drives me nuts  swinging at  every ball  in the dirt and at  every first  pitch . Where is the  plate discpline ?

And Joba ? It looked like he was starting to  turn it around . Getting the  first  2 batters with nasty stuff was  amazing . But,  with 2  strikes , it  just  seemed he  laid  the ball right over the plate and boom , homerun. It understand  Utley hurting  you with the homerun, but  Feliz? Come on , Joba.

I  don't like the decision  to go with Burnett tonight. He has only pitched on short  rest a  few  times in his  career, and  you don't know what you are getting with him  anyway. I also am against  Andy on short rest  Wednesday since he has not done it since  2003. And remember he  was 6  years younger.  Lee will probably shut us  down. They should have chanced it with Gaudin and   bullpen  by  committee. It is better to have  Burnett and Pettitte on full rest  back at the stadium.

If  Hughes   want to redeem  himself  , the best way would be to come in  if and when Burnett  faulters  and  shut down the Phillies  , just like he   did with the Indians  in 2007  , in relief of   Clemmens. It  clearly is a confidence  issue with him . Joba seems  to have  regained it , while Marte is riding  high,.

I want Rollins to eat his words and his predications.  Go team

Oh , what  a night to be a Yankee  fan. At last finally decent  weather   . I was  nervous , okay I admit it . I  mean  any other time , what CC did   the night before  was good enough to win. But, as much as I hate to  give credit to the   opposing  team. Lee  was just  a little better. RATS!

My main concern  is that  Teixeria  has not really been hitting  and neither has  Cano, nor  Swisher. I was not  concerned  A Rod had  a  bad game  , because it happens and he ran  into  a wall named Lee  , just like the rest of the team did .Makes you wonder   when  Wang  went down and Cash was  trying to get a  pitcher , where was he when the Indians  were shopping Lee? He would have cost alot less than Halladay

Giradi was  right taking Swisher out of the line-up since he is totally lost at the plate. He  is not even getting his walks. At least , if he was still doing that , you could justify letting him play.

And the bridge to  Mariano  has to  re-build it self. Someone   needs to physically tie  Hughes down and force feed him   the  video  feed from the  2007 Division  Series against the Indians, Yes, game 3  where he  relieved  Wang  and  shut down the Indians. After that  series , even though the  Yankees were knocked out , his stock went through the roof. This was  why  Bill Smith   was demanding    Hughes  for  Santana. He needs to remember that he can do it . And it is Joba   time . Time for  Joba  to man -up , we need him to be like he was in  2007.

And the umpires ? This is why we are  going to  need instant  replay for  not only homeruns , but also for  close  calls at the bases,. God forbid, we lost this game because of the umpires , there would have been hell to pay. The Yankee organization would   go nuts and so would  the fans .  All the  screens  at the  stadium  showed  it    bounced. Howard  trapped it  . It was clear as  glass that he trapped it and  threw  wide of  second . And still after a meeting , the  bums still  get it wrong.

Personally , I was not  impressed with Pedro. He is finished . He is a shell of  the pitcher he was and needs to rely on  his  brains  , since he really no out pitch . The Yanks did not help by not  laying off the fastballs and waiting on   the change-ups.

Hopefully , Pettitte  will bring his  A game  Saturday . But, despite    what they have been saying  , don't discount  Hammels.

But, in the  end , like Lee the night before ,  Burnett  was  the story of the game. Now , this is the pitcher the Yankees thought  they were  getting . Okay  this time it  worked with Molina. But, if  he pitches in the  NL park,no way does he get Molina  again.

Bye  bye  rally monkey . You no  longer  dominate the Yankees anymore. It have been 13 long years since  your  domination start. It was time for your downfall. And what  a downfall.

CC was worth every penny Cashman spent. All those plane rides you  took, Brian, paid off. What an ace.

A-Rod has finally lived up to his talent. It was a long time coming and now we are the ones reaping the fruit of his labors.

Jeter is Jeter. The postseason is as natural to him as breathing. As for Mariano? What else you  say about the greatest closer of all time?

What fools they are at MLB Network , choosing  a young kid like Saunders over Pettitte. I am not saying that  Saunders is not a good  pitcher , because he is. But, let's be honest, how much postseason experience does he have? In this case, you always choose experience, hands down. Despite Mitch  Williams and Barry Larkin, we all knew  better. Never bet against Pettitte in the postseason, because more than likely you are going to lose.

It  was even nice to see  guys like Adam Schien and Chris Carlin choke on their words in regard to Pettitte. They both were critical of the Yankees for bringing him back.  Funny how the worm  turns.

For me, winning the World Series is important, but I am not jumping off the nearest bridge if they don't. To  conquer their demons, aka the Angels, is more important. Everything else is icing on the cake.

I look for the usual suspects to keep it going. I expect  Swisher to get his act together or I would bench him for  Heinske or Gardner.

Joba and Hughes need to be the  bridge to Mariano. Hopefully, they will regain their form.

Either way, this is a more even matched series.

[Edited By Moderator]