Francisco Cervelli is working his way back from being hit in the head by a pitch and he’ll have a slightly different look. The Yankees’ catcher has opted to wear the Rawlings S100 helmet. You may have noticed the helmet last year on David Wright, Ryan Dempster, and Shane Victorino.
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Curtis Granderson got to ride in Derek Jeter’s car on Monday. Too bad he had to sit in the back seat with Randy Winn while A-Rod was riding shotgun. [NYT]
Hockey Canada finds Sidney Crosby’s missing equipment … in Patrice Bergeron’s bag. [NESN]
Former Padres GM Kevin Towers, who helmed the club when they won four divisions and reached the World Series, will join the Yankees as a special assistant to Brian Cashman. [FanHouse]
J.R. Smith had a ridiculous 360 alley oop last night. Here’s the video. [TheBigLead]
Torii Hunter says he made a poor choice of words when he called Latino players “impostors.” [ESPN]
Arsenal’s Samir Nasri scored an amazing goal on Tuesday where he dribbled through three defenders inside the 18-yard box before banking it in off of the post. [YouTube]
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It’s not even March yet and the Yankees have been facing some prickly questions from reporters. Earlier this week, Alex Rodriguez got a bit testy when he was asked about Johnny Damon’s departure from New York. Today, Derek Jeter was asked about potentially being a free agent before next season.
The Yankees’ shortstop is in the final year of his massive 10 year, $189 million contract. At this point, there’s no way that he could command that level of compensation. Jeter’s agent had initially contacted the Yankees about negotiation a new contract but was told that wouldn’t take place until after the 2010 season. Fortunately, Derek Jeter seems to have good perspective on his situation:
“I don’t have a problem with it. That’s the new policy that they have. They have every right to do that. I signed a long deal, I’m still under contract with that deal, and they have the right to do whatever they want.
“I’ve never gone into a season focused on the next season. My approach since Day One is to do whatever you can to help the team win in that particular year. I’m not thinking about what’s going to happen next season.”
So at least The Captain can deal with the negotiations with class. But it remains to be seen how this will play out from the Yankees side of things. General manager Brian Cashman has played hardball with other players entering free agency without hesitation. At the same time, he’s also paid to get players he deems critical for success. It’s doubtful that Derek Jeter would be put into a predicament where he seriously considers joining another team.
Even if that did happen, my gut still says Jeter works out a deal with the Yankees. The value of his New York endorsements is probably worth a lot more than the marginal dollars he’d gain by signing a “better” contract elsewhere. If push comes to shove, I could see Cashman working out a one-year “rolling” contract much like Tim Wakefield has with the Red Sox. With performance and playoff incentives, the Yankees could present a competitive offer without investing a lot of money up front.
Tags: 2011, baseball, brian cashman, contracts, derek jeter, free agents, MLB, new york yankees
Alex Rodriguez is enjoying his free time before spring training. Page Six reports that A-Rod has been seeing a handful of different women. And yes, one of them is Madonna.
Alex might even be enjoying single life a little bit too much. I didn’t know that was possible, but here’s how Page Six describes A-Rod’s past couple weeks:
“He has been seeing a petite brunette from New York,” the source said. “While he was in the city, he had a private meeting with Madonna at his home. They have stayed in touch and text each other all the time.
“He has also been hanging around with the girls from Wilhelmina Models in Miami. He picked out a curvy blonde from their books and took her to the Bahamas for a charity event two weeks ago. And he was pretty pleased with himself to be dating two girls in one day last Saturday.”
So basically, A-Rod has a harem of models around him plus Madonna in New York plus the girl he met at the gym. Oh yeah, and tack on whatever tail he finds in Tampa next month. It’s funny how the guy stops boning strippers and hookers once he’s no longer married. Good thing he didn’t need that second offseason hip surgery…
Tags: alex rodriguez, baseball, madonna, MLB, new york yankees, wilhemina models
Yankee outfielder/Red Bull addict Nick Swisher will make an appearance on the CBS comedy “How I Met Your Mother” on Monday night. He will reportedly play the role of himself, standing in the way of yet another Barney Stinson female conquest. (ESPN)
Former Shea Stadium organist, Jane Jarvis, passed away at the age of 94. (Seattle Times)
Former Mets reliever Lance Broadway did some SERIOUS damage to some guy’s face on his way to being arrested/sued for brutally (and I mean brutal) assaulting a Texas man. (SportsbyBrooks)
CBS is generating a lot of news over what kind of ads they will and will not approve for Super Bowl Sunday. You can add Tim Tebow’s “anti-abortion” ad to the “approved” list, and an ad for gay dating to the “not approved” list. So for those of you keeping score at home, CBS is FOR abortion, and AGAINST gays. (Shutdown Corner)
The basis of Tebow’s ad has to do with the fact that his mother claims she was given the option of abortion due to an illness at the time of her pregnancy. However, abortion was punishable by a 6 year prison sentence in the ultra-religious Philippines (where she was residing at the time), so its highly unlikely a Tim Tebow abortion was ever even a remote possibility. (Huffington Post)
Rex Ryan is in hot water for telling ‘Fins fans that the Jets are #1. Don’t see what the big deal is here really. (SportsbyBrooks)
Pro Bowl CB, Darrelle Revis on Randy Moss: “Sometimes he takes plays off. Sometimes he don’t. That’s his game now.” Revis already made news by calling Moss a slouch a few weeks back. One thing is certain, the Jets are going to have some intense divisional match-ups next year. (ESPN)
Panthers star Julius Peppers will cost Carolina a cool $21million to place the franchise tag on him again. In other words, look for Peppers to be playing elsewhere next season. (Boston Herald)
The Toronto Maple Leafs have scored young stud defenseman Dion Phaneuf in a seven player deal with Calgary. (NHL)
In her final race before the Olympic games, Lindsey Vonn wins in super-G race. (Washington Post)
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If you have any links you’d like to share with BLS for Nuts & Bolts or even an original post email them to me at john@bigleaguescrew.com
Tags: darrelle revis, MLB, new york jets, new york mets, new york yankees, nick swisher, Rex Ryan
Lane Kiffin and his hot wife, Layla, are headed back to sunny southern California
There’s going to be plenty of fall-out from Lane Kiffin’s decision to leave Tennessee for USC, including coaching changes throughout the NCAA and probably some tough decisions for recruits. Most importantly, however, we may never get to see Layla Kiffin in a sexy orange dress ever again. Soak it in while it lasts, fellas. (Woopig.net)
You might say this guy was “pissed off”. This Tennessee fan urinated on his Lane Kiffin gear and proceeded to set it on fire. Yes, there is video. (BusterSports)
Unsurprisingly, The USC money train continues to roll along without Pete Carroll. There are reports that Lakers owner Jerry Buss footed the bill for Lane Kiffin’s Tennessee buyout. That sounds fair. Not. (SportsbyBrooks)
Here’s a name that WON’T be replacing Kiffin at Tennessee: Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. Muschamp will reportedly eventually take over for Mack Brown and “plans on being at Texas for a long time.” (Statesman)
Jerricho Cotchery and the Jets are ready to face off with his former NC State teammate Phillip Rivers, and his red hot Chargers. (Sports Radio Interviews)
Apparently A-Rod has been seeing his new gal pal, Elaine Spottswood, since before his relationship with Kate Hudson ended. She must give great helmet. (InTouch)
The Mets are close to a deal with catcher Bengie Molina. (Jon Morosi/Twitter)
FA Ben Sheets will hold a throwing session for up to 10 teams, including the Chicago Cubs. (ESPN)
Amazing commercial featuring former Yankee and Met “El Duque” Orlando Hernandez pitching airless water valves. Who said this guy’s career was over? (Sharapova’s Thigh)
So what does BigLeagueScrew have in common with Jay-Z? Well, besides the obvious, we are both inspired by the exceptionally clever headline writing from the New York Post. (NY Post)
24 starts back up this weekend and I can tell you now that I can’t wait to have Jack Bauer back in my life. For those of you in the same boat, check out Kiefer Sutherland’s “dressed up” appearance on Letterman.
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If you have any links you’d like to share with BLS for Nuts & Bolts or even an original post email them to me at john@bigleaguescrew.com
Tags: A-Rod, kate hudson, lane kiffin, layla kiffin, new york mets, new york post, new york yankees, tennessee volunteers, usc trojans
Last week, the Yankees inked Nick Johnson to a one-year deal. He’ll likely DH, fill in at first base, and hit second fairly often. At first glance, it seems like a great signing. However, the acquisition of Nick the Stick wasn’t universally praised. It’s ridiculous that we feel the need to defend Cashman’s moves — but so-called “fans” have forced the issue.
For some reason, Yankee “fans” love to live in the past. We here at BLS were huge fans of both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. But when Brian Cashman doesn’t re-up a player, there’s a reason. Last year, he was willing to make a splash by signing A.J. Burnett, CC Sabathia, and Mark Teixeira. He also let Bobby Abreu walk and take a significantly discounted contract with the Angels. Yes, Cashman probably overpaid slightly for the Big Three and missed out on a good deal with Abreu. However, Cashman puts an emphasis on dictating terms of negotiation and rarely yields to the market due to desperation. This has become even more evident in the past few months as the Yankees have passed on big money pitchers and seemingly cut loose Matsui and Damon.
It’s an oversimplification to say the Yankees could have had Matsui instead of Johnson. Yes, their contracts will pay them similarly for 2010. Though locking up Johnson probably had more to do with Damon’s salary demands than Matsui’s. Johnson was signed to hit second at least half of the time. That’s because Cashman clearly already knew that Damon was never coming back.
It’s annoying that people are also locked into the 2009 “Bombs Away” mentality. This is a different year and a different team. Cashman lost very little pop in the outfield and upgraded it defensively. Adding Nick Johnson’s absurd OBP is also part of the transition. One has to wonder if the “fans” whining about Matsui and Damon remember the Yankees STILL have one of the all-time great infields. The Yankees may have less comeback wins and walkoff bombs, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be worse off in 2010.
In the big picture, the Yankees will pay the new acquisitions less than the (literally) old team members. Johnson and Granderson also have similar levels of production and are both younger than their counterparts. Here are some additional points to support our argument:
To all of you Yankee fans out there: embrace the change. The Yankees aren’t re-building or quitting on 2010. Brian Cashman simply has a plan that you may not fully understand. It’s shocking how many people object to acquiring younger, cheaper players that put up comparable numbers. Please, just leave the general managing to The Cash Man.
Tags: 2010, acquisitions, baseball, curtis granderson, dh, first base, free agents, Hideki Matsui, johnny damon, MLB, new york yankees, nick johnson, outfield, trades
You know we're entrenched in the holiday season when cheerleaders dress in Santa outfits. Which reminds me, I just figured out what I want for Christmas.
Crazy story of Jon Robinson, former stadium announcer for the Carolina Panthers. Battling drug addiction, a past that includes child molestation (he was the molestee) and other personal demons, Robinson said he wanted to set the record straight, here’s a snippet (via SportsbyBrooks):
“I was lying the whole time and the crazy thing is people loved me for it. What I really wanted to say is, ‘I shot heroin last night and smoked crack and watched eight hours of pornos.’
“I’m a fraud. … I’m skid row.“
I wish I could take credit for this headline about Raiders DT Tommy Kelly from yesterday’s game: “Laughably Overpaid DT Loses Pants, Shamefuly Overpaid QB Wins Game” (KissingSuzyKolber)
Chad Ochocinco and Brandon Marshall both paid tribute to the late Chris Henry during yesterday’s action. (The Sporting Blog)
After yesterday’s horrendous loss to the Falcons, Rex Ryan says the Jets won’t make the playoffs. They may not be mathematically eliminated yet, but Rex is a realist. (NY Daily News)
Bart Scott is proud to be an expert trash talker, and he learned from the best. Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. Trash talk is great and all, but after yesterday’s fiasco the Jets may need lessons from Bret Hart about “the excellence of execution.” (NYT)
Yanks measuring interest in Wang around the league, and may match offers. Length could be an issue though. Too easy. (LoHud)
Reggie Corona could be the Yankees veteran answer at the utility position of Ramiro Pena struggles. (LoHud)
How did the Red Sox not know Lowell needed thumb surgery? My guess: they did. (Boston Globe)
Still interested in Tiger Woods? You probably shouldn’t be, but if you are, he’s on a yacht headed down South America way. (SportsbyBrooks)
Still not enough for you? Well photos have finally surfaced of Tiger getting the royal treatment at an Aruban Hooters. (SportsbyBrooks)
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If you have any links you’d like to share with BLS for Nuts & Bolts or even an original post email them to me at john@bigleaguescrew.com
Tags: Bart Scott, chad ochocinco, chris henry, new york yankees, NFL, nuts, Nuts & Bolts, tiger woods
Curtis Granderson is the newest addition to the New York Yankees. The Bombers didn’t get him cheap, but the return on investment should be substantial. Granderson fits perfectly into Brian Cashman’s “character” plan that worked out last year. Earlier in the week, he spoke with Colin Cowherd about the move:
On how he thinks he fits in with the club:
“Interesting. I am not sure where I am going to be in the lineup. There is a chance that I may move around the outfield which I have no problem doing. Same thing about the lineup I have bounced around my whole career, the minor leagues and major leagues. I had a chance to play with Derek Jeter in the World Baseball Classic so that is going to be exciting to be his teammate again. Some of these guys I played with coming up: Robinson Cano, Chien Ming Wang, and Nick Swisher. All of these guys either have been opponents but we have all been on some of the same steps and same levels coming up. That relationship is going to be very similar and some of the other guys again. I know the names I just got to go ahead and build a relationship which takes just a little time.”
On what it was like playing with Jeter:
“Jeter was a cool guy. It was amazing watching him go about his business and prepare. Get his work done before the game, during the game and after the game also. It was amazing to get a chance to watch that but at the end of the day you realize that they he is another teammate. The superstar status, the iconic baseball that you see when it all comes down to it ends up being just a teammate. I had that same experience when I played with Pudge Rodriguez. Ultimately the most well-known catcher to play this game and to become his teammate same thing and when I found out that I was on the team and we were competing and we are all trying to accomplish the same goal. You start to realize that he is not much different than you are.”
Having played on Team USA for the WBC, Granderson knows how to deal with too much starpower in one place. It’s also good to know that he’s willing to hit anywhere in the order and play multiple outfield positions. The newly acquired outfielder is a friend of CC Sabathia in addition to his familiarity with Cano, CMW, and Swish.
Personally, I believe that Curtis Granderson will flourish with the Yankees. Let’s hope that Yankee fans will give him more than the month they gave Mark Teixeira before they start booing. In any case, Granderson seems like a smart, dedicated guy who is enough of a professional to treat baseball like a job.
Tags: baseball, curtis granderson, detroit tigers, MLB, new york yankees, trade
Who among us could turn down advice from this man?
Ron Artest is a very interesting dude. Surprisingly, his advice for Tiger Woods is possibly the most sensible thing I have read about this whole frenzy since it began Thanksgiving weekend. His main point is, “I can tell you are a stand-up guy. Please remember only Jesus is perfect.” I can’t necessarily vouch for Ron Artest’s judgment of character, but his point is that Tiger is human, and made a mistake that unfortunately a lot of people make. And Ron Artest knows a thing or two (or three) about mistakes. (LA Daily News)
Johnny Damon is ready to explore other options in free agency. He states that once Jason Bay is signed, it’ll open up a door for him. Could the Mets be interested in him as a fall back? (NY Post)
Jose Reyes claims that he will be ready for spring training after hamstring surgery this winter. I’ll believe it when I see it. (NY Post)
Hey, speaking of Jose Reyes. Dr. Anthony Galea, the doctor under investigation for treating Tiger Woods and other prominent athletes also treated Reyes. Uh-oh? (NYT)
John Harper of the Daily News speculates that the Mets conservative “wait-and-see” approach this winter may be related to the absence of the fired Tony Bernazard. (NY Daily News)
Broncos players Chris Simms and Javon Walker have also been linked to Dr. Galea. (Denver Post)
CBS has formally agreed to air its second “Strikeforce” MMA event in April. Could be a ratings monster. (Sherdog)
European soccer’s governing body has suspended top referee, Anton Genov, while it investigates him for allegedly helping to fix an international match in a betting coup. Ladies and gentlemen, we finally have the Tim Donaghy of Europe. (Washington Post)
Do something nice for the needy (and yourself) this holiday season. The Yankees are offering two grandstand tickets to anyone who donates 30 lbs of non-perishable food at their annual food drive on Thursday. (NY Daily News)
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If you have any links you’d like to share with BLS for Nuts & Bolts or even an original post email them to me at john@bigleaguescrew.com
Tags: new york mets, new york yankees, Nuts & Bolts, ron artest, tiger woods
I know you’re out there, anonymous Kate Hudson fan. But don’t worry. I’m not going to slam K-Hud today. She actually looked really good this time around.
A-Rod’s better half was a guest on Letterman last night. She showed up looking stunningly elegant and even signed a few autographs. Her boyfriend was nowhere to be seen.
During the interview, Letterman managed to prod Hudson about her alleged (read: confirmed) relationship with Alex Rodriguez. She acts like she’s uncomfortable, but you can pretty much tell she’s eating it up. You can see her interview with Letterman below and 12+ pics of Kate after the jump.
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Tags: baseball, david letterman, kate hudson, late show with david letterman, MLB, new york, new york yankees
If you follow baseball, you probably started hearing rumblings about Curtis Granderson being traded to the Yankees early in the day. A few hours later, it was supposedly dead. Then after a couple MORE hours, the on-again, off-again Curtis Granderson trade was done.
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Yankees general manager Brian Cashman made a deal that locked up an all-star player for the peak of his career. Granderson’s contract is very manageable and the Yankees didn’t have to give up too much to get him. The Bombers parted ways with lefty reliever Phil Coke along with prospects Ian Kennedy and Austin Jackson. Here’s how Rotoworld described the deal:
The Yanks did really well here, snagging the 28-year-old Granderson for Ian Kennedy, Austin Jackson and Phil Coke. It’s a small price to pay for a player of Granderson’s talent and personality. As part of the three-way deal, Detroit will receive right-handers Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth from Arizona and Coke and Jackson from the Yanks. The D’Backs, meanwhile, receive a questionable return in Edwin Jackson from the Tigers and Kennedy from the Yanks. Granderson can be used in either left or center field in New York, giving general manager Brian Cashman some flexibility in regards to Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, who are now likely on the outs. It’s safe to say the Tigers now have the payroll flexibility they wanted while securing a tremendous haul of young players.
This is yet another instance where Brian Cashman squeezes maximum value out of a transaction. Not only does he have Granderson’s ability and manageable salary, but he also gives himself more leverage with Damon and Matsui. And no respect to Phil Coke, but Granderson’s personality will probably have a much bigger positive impact on the Yankees clubhouse. So he even fills the “character void” if Damon and Matsui both play elsewhere.
You can also gauge the quality of the trade by looking at what the Boston press is saying about it. Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, who covered the Yankees as recently as last year, complimented the deal and said that the “move by the Yankees will only increase calls that he [Theo Epstein] does something.” The Boston Herald wrote that Granderson was “too good to pass up.” The Herald also quoted Theo Epstein who said that the Yankees will win “between 95 and 100 games.” Hey, that guy is pretty smart! That estimation may be a tad conservative though.
Tags: arizona diamondbacks, austin jackson, baseball, brian cashman, curtis granderson, detroit tigers, hot stove, ian kennedy, MLB, new york yankees, phil coke, trade, winter meetings
