Mammoth Baseball Fan: January 2008

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Baseball's Dead Ball Era: 1900 to 1919

The early part of the Twentieth Century saw the rise of an age that has come to be known as the Dead Ball Era of baseball. The Dead Ball Era reportably spanned the Progressive Reform Age leading up to the Roaring Twenties, which ran from 1900 to 1919. During this time, professional and semi-professional ball clubs relied heavily on defense and pitching, and scoring was at a premium.

Pitchers dominated the pace of the games, and several legendary pitchers established their lasting legacy during this period. Some of the most notable were Cy Young, Walter Johnson and Grover Cleveland Alexander. In part, these fellows and several others were responsible for a lack of offensive production during this period, but there were other reasons as well.

On January 31 in Baseball History...

* 1927 - N.L. President John Heydler rules that Rogers Hornsby cannot continue to both hold stock in the Cardinals and play for the Giants.

* 1952 - The Hall of Fame elects two new members: Harry Heilmann, with 203 votes, and Paul Waner with 195. Waner, a .333 career hitter, rapped out 3,152 hits and struck out just 376 times in 9,459 career at-bats. Heilmann was similarly skilled with the bat, winning four batting titles with the Tigers and finishing his career with a .342 average.

* 1953 - New York, Cleveland, and Boston retaliate at Bill Veeck, forcing the Browns to play afternoon games to avoid sharing TV revenues. Veeck takes his plan to the A.L. office to make them pay. The plan is rejected.

NATB: Don’t Rush to Judge Ticketmaster/TicketsNow Deal

The ticketing industry should not rush to judgment over the proposed takeover of TicketsNow by Ticketmaster because the deal further legitimizes the secondary market, according to the lead counsel for the National Association of Ticket Brokers (NATB).

Before an audience of venue and box office operators and other ticketing executives Wednesday, Jan. 30 in Chicago at the International Ticketing Association annual conference, attorney Gary Adler said it would be a "disservice" to rush to judgment concerning the deal because no one knows how the deal will turn out. A growing number of ticket brokers oppose the deal, in part because they believe Ticketmaster will use TicketsNow to gather information on brokers and secretly resell tickets through TicketsNow that were never made available to the public.

"We have not taken a position pro or con as it relates to this deal, but clearly it helps to further legitimize the market," Adler said.

Umpires Angry Over Background Checks

"Umpires are livid that Major League Baseball has sent investigators to their hometowns, asking neighbors a series of questions that include whether the ump belongs to the Ku Klux Klan.

"The questions that we found out are being asked are about beating wives, marijuana use and extravagant parties," World Umpires Association president John Hirschbeck said in a telephone interview Wednesday. "And then finally with this whole thing about the Ku Klux Klan.

You get someone from security, shows his credentials and starts asking these kind of questions, and right away what's the neighbor going to think other than the umpire is in trouble, he's done something wrong and he's going to lose his job."

Phillies 1B Howard goes digital for new baseball video game

Ryan Howard was dressed in red on Wednesday, only it wasn't his Philadelphia Phillies uniform.

Howard, the 2006 NL MVP, donned a skintight, high-tech red suit dotted with 55 sensors to have his motions captured for MLB '08 The Show. The slugger will be on the cover of the video game, which will be released March 4 for PlayStation2, PlayStation3 and PlayStation Portable.

Wearing the red suit definitely stood out for Howard.

"I mean, there's pictures and I'll have to go around and confiscate cameras and all kinds of stuff," Howard joked. "It was an experience, the motion capture."

TicketsNow Offers Two-Day Super Bowl Ticket Sale

TicketsNow is kicking off the beginning of a great Super Bowl weekend by saying thanks and showing appreciation to football fans with a 48-hour Super Bowl Ticket Sale providing fans with a 10% discount courtesy of TicketsNow (www.TicketsNow.com), the world's leading online marketplace for premium event tickets.

Starting Tuesday at midnight CT and extending through midnight Thursday, the 48-hour sale gives fans that want to experience the historic showdown between the Patriots and Giants the opportunity to purchase tickets in the most secure environment on the internet through TicketsNow.

Those fans taking advantage of the 48-hour sale through TicketsNow receive a 10% discount courtesy of TicketsNow and have the knowledge they are making their purchase from the most secure site in the industry.

Fans are encouraged to visit www.ticketsnow.com to receive personalized service in selecting tickets for the big game. This discount makes Big Game prices the best of the season during the historically ideal time period to purchase tickets as prices tend to raise leading up to Super Bowl Sunday™.

Register for a chance to buy prime Red Sox tickets

Fans can register for a chance to purchase tickets for Fenway Park's Green Monster.
Do you want to see the Sox tangle with the Yankees at Fenway or with the Tigers on Opening Day? Looking for a chance to catch a game from the popular Right Field Roof Deck, or perhaps see the view from high atop the Green Monster?

Then visit redsox.com now and register for your chance to purchase the most highly sought-after tickets at Fenway Park. The winners will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to Opening Day, a Red Sox-Yankees game or tickets to experience the Green Monster or Right Field Roof Deck.

Don't wait - registration for the Opening Day and Red Sox vs. Yankees ticket drawing closes at 12 p.m. ET on Monday, February 4.

MLB scraps the Hall of Fame Game

Cooperstown, NY (Sports Network) - The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres will meet in the final Hall of Fame Game in Cooperstown on June 16.

The exhibition contest at historic Doubleday Field is being discontinued after this year. It had been an annual tradition since 1940.

"We're grateful to Major League Baseball for making an annual Hall of Fame Game possible for so many years, but we also understand their enormous scheduling challenge today, which makes continuing this exhibition game impossible," said Hall of Fame President Dale Petroskey in a statement.

The day's festivities include a parade and a home run derby before the game.

State of Sports Address Part 1: MLB and NHL

MLB: Roger Clemens' lawyer is a tool. An 18,000 word document laden with statistical analysis is no way to prove your case in the sports world. Sports are bound to emotion. The thrill and excitement, and often the sadness and disappointment we feel after either watching or participating in competition has touched us all. To deny this as the most fundamental component to sports is erroneous. Likewise, it should be centric to the arguments proposed in Roger Clemens defense - a fact that has been lost on his council, Rusty Hardin.[more/[

Stats have no emotional context. They are bland and lifeless - much like most statisticians I've ever met (nothing personal, but seriously: are they ever the life of your party?). The statistical delineations contained in the most recently published document from Clemens and Co. fly aggressively in the face of the emotional and irrational sports fan, and bounce off their oft receding hairline right over their head. We can handle a few key stats, but 44-pages worth - not happening Roger, which is why you need to gas a resignation letter onto the desk of your lawyer, Mr. Hardin.

Or perhaps use the split-finger pitch which reportedly saved your career in its latter stages? Since we've addressed the cited rationality for Clemens longevity, we should ask whether a split-finger pitches also add several pounds of muscle and decrease recovery time from injuries? Hmm, I guess the physical transformation of a 40 year-old man must have been an aberration due to training, eh Roggie? By this line of thought, your next excuse will be a 20-page thank-you letter to Jack Lalanne for his exceptional tutelage.

Look forward to the days surrounding Clemens Congressional Hearing on February 5th to shed some more doubt on the increasingly convoluted defense of his reputation. Other notables to testify in these hearings include former teammates, Chuck Knoblauch and Andy Pettite and former personal trainer Brian McNamee. With the content of their testimony very much unresolved, but not lacking speculation, we can only place our misguided hope in the proceedings to provide some tangible answers; something as of yet unaccomplished via Congressional involvement. At the very least we'll have training camp upon us shortly to mix up the steroid-focused MLB news feed.

NHL: To absolutely nobody's surprise Teemu Selanne is back with the defending Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Following the path of former captain Scott Neidermayer whose return has marked a notable turn-around for the Ducks, Selanne brings his back-to-back 40+ goal, 90+ point campaigns into an already formidable offensive attack.

Things are different this go 'round for Teemu since his linemate and setup-man Andy MacDonald has departed to St. Louis. Further, he joins a Ducks squad with a first line (Perry-Getzlaf-Bertuzzi) intact and capable of rivaling the most effective in the NHL. While his ice time may be reduced, we can anticipate Selanne to play a key role on the powerplay, having led the league in PPG's last year. Insofar as his regular role, which will likely feature an equatable setup-man in Doug Weight and (potentially) Chris Kunitz on an intimidatingly powerful second line, I like the Finnish Flash to flourish and peak at the as the playoffs loom.

Selanne should be commended for the haircut he took in the salary department, raking in a meager 600K throughout the balance of the season. However, the11 goals and 0.78 pts/game pace Selanne have amounted in the past two playoff runs in Anaheim will allow him to recoup lost income thanks to the playoff incentives undoubted written into the contract.

Lastly, is anyone else amazed at how good Brian Burke is? There are few men in hockey, not just GM's, that rival this mans' organization abilities. Since leaving Vancouver for sunny Anaheim, they have been perennial threats in the tough Western Conference. The maneuvering this season has been calculated since the end of last year and I assure you there are few people, other than Ken Holland (Detriot), who possess the moxie to orchestrate this type of unprecedented success in the salary cap era.

Cloud Nine Sports

Sports Jargon Is Killing Me

Here's a quote from scholar and author of "The Black Swan" Nassim Taleb that can sure be applied to modern sports broadcasting culture. It goes like this:

"We love tangible, the confirmation, the palpable, the real, the visible, the concrete, the known, the seen, the vivid, the visual, the social, the embedded, the emotional laden, the salient, the stereotypical, the moving, the theatrical, the romanced, the cosmetic, the official, the scholarly-sounding verbiage (bullshit), the pompous Gaussian economist, the mathematicized crap, the pomp, the Academie Francaise, Harvard Business School, the Nobel Prize, dark business suits with white shirts and Ferragamo ties, the moving discourse, and the lurid. Most of all we favor the narrated.

Alas, we are not manufactured, in our current edition of the human race, to understand abstract matters - we need context. Randomness and uncertainty are abstractions. We respect what has happened, ignoring what could have happened. In other words, we are naturally shallow and superficial - and we do not know it. This is not a psychological problem; it comes from the main property of information. The dark side of the moon is harder to see; beaming light on it costs energy. In the same way, beaming light on the unseen is costly in both computational and mental effort."

The investment world is ferociously froths with freakish jargon. How many times I sat in a corporate boardroom wondering to myself what the hell I was listening to. Everyone has to justify their salary I suppose.

The neo-athletic sports terminology is not unlike we see in organic food stores or the financial services industry. Worse, the modern sports broadcaster and journalist (not all but a few) take themselves way too seriously. Way.

The rat race to get noticed is more competitive than ever. We have to all find a uniuque position in a world gone nano-niched.

I realize I have not put up examples but I think must readers would know what I am presenting here. It applies to many sports. Maybe I'll sit down one day and actually pull out some examples and post them on ISW. source

On January 30 in Baseball History...

* 1919 - The Reds hire Pat Moran as manager when no word is received from manager Christy Mathewson, who is still in France with the U.S. Army.

* 1948 - Herb Pennock, general manager of the Phillies and former star southpaw, collapses in a New York hotel lobby and dies a short time later at a local hospital.

* 1958 - Commissioner Ford Frick announces that players and coaches, rather than the fans, will vote for the All-Star teams.

* 1977 - Edward W. Stack is elected president of the Hall of Fame. He succeeds Paul Kerr, who is retiring.

The Greatest Sports Teams Of All Time

The pressure is really on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII this Sunday. Beat the New York Giants, and they'll be enshrined as the best team in NFL history. Lose, and they're just another team that wowed a lot of people but couldn't win the big one.

"Losing would make them the Seattle Mariners," says Len Berman, a longtime sports reporter at WNBC-TV in New York, referring to the baseball club that in 2001 went 116-46 but faltered in the post-season.

Berman and other sports experts we talked to had different opinions on the greatest sports teams ever, but were unanimous in asserting that this year's Patriots reign supreme in football--provided they beat the Giants on Sunday.

Beating out the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, the Mets reached a tentative agreement

Johan Santana is a contract extension and physical from joining the New York Mets. Beating out the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, the Mets reached a tentative agreement Tuesday to acquire the two-time Cy Young Award winner, two people familiar with the deal said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made.

Minnesota would receive speedy outfielder Carlos Gomez, and pitchers Philip Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey.

"If it's true, obviously, you're getting arguably the best pitcher in the game," Mets third baseman David Wright said.

What originally appeared to be a bidding war for Santana early in the offseason turned into something more akin to a negotiation of attrition in which first the Yankees and then the Red Sox appeared to lose interest and decide they'd rather hold onto their top prospects.

Mets Season Tickets and Plans include postseason ticket options.

Season Tickets and Plans include postseason ticket options. Seven Packs include tickets to Opening Day, the final regular season game at Shea, or a Subway Series matchup.

Put yourself in the lineup with Pedro, Beltran, Wright, Reyes and the 2008 Mets. Get to mets.com for your tickets NOW. go to mets.com to purchase

27 Game Season Ticket Plans on sale tomorrow

27 Game Season Ticket Plans on sale tomorrow!

Why wait to purchase Opening Day tickets when you can get them tomorrow in the 27 game Business plan! Beginning at 9:00 a.m. CT tomorrow, January 30th, 27 game plans will go on sale.

Choose from 3 great plans:

* Business Plan - includes Opening Day and 2 games versus the Cubs
* Weekend Plan - includes 4 games versus the Cubs and every Saturday and Sunday home game
* Series Plan - includes 3 games versus the Cubs and one game from every home series

Click on the "Buy Tickets" button below to get more details and pricing on our various 27 game plans.

Wednesday, January 30th | 9:00 a.m. | stlcardinals.com

The Rocket's Red Glare

The Super Bowl is one week from tonight. The Patriots and Giants will do business in the Arizona desert for the NFL's top prize, the Vince Lombardi trophy. That's a whole week away and with the conference championship games last weekend, there is no football this weekend.

The NBA is in the last stages of games leading up to the All Star game next month, and NASCAR gets cranked up in February too.

Fortunately, the Major League Baseball season is about to begin, as pitchers and catchers report for spring training in about two weeks. Last month, December 13th specifically, the Mitchell Report was released. This report, compiled by former US senator George Mitchell, apparently details the extent of steroid and PED (performance enhancing drugs) usage, and it's impact, on the Major Leagues. One name mentioned in the report (82 times) is Roger Clemens.

Twins: Ballsy Calls for 2008

Santana will start the season with the Twins.

Fransico Liriano will have 17+ wins.

Joe Mauer will bat over .320 and have 18+ HRs.

Justin Morneau will bat over .300 and have 40+ HRs.

Jason Pridie will be the starting CF and have a surprisingly good rookie season. (.280/.370/.430)

Jason Kubel will be the everyday DH and bat over .300 and have an OPS of over .800

Congress is Baseballs Deep in MLB

As "The Deciders" of Major League Baseball answered questions and heard demands on Capitol Hill, a few things became very apparent. One, Bud Selig likes Congress about as much as a trip to the dentist or being forced to watch Barry Bonds hit a home run. Two, Miguel Tejada is in for a rough stretch in the coming months. Three, we need Congress meddling in baseball's affairs as much as Europe needed the black plague.

To be fair, the congressional hearings did put the steroid issue on the collective American dinner table, and subsequent media coverage has shoved the issue down our throats. However, as annoyed as we may be at the continued steroid coverage, some good has come of it: new testing policies - or rather testing policies in general - have now squeezed their way into the game, as well as actual punishments for failing a drug test.

On January 29 in Baseball History...

* 1948 - Commissioner Happy Chandler fines the Yankees, Cubs, and Phillies $500 each for signing high school players.

* 1951 - Baseball signs a six-year All-Star Game pact for TV-radio rights for $6 million. A number of owners criticize lame-duck Commissioner Happy Chandler, believing that in a couple of years, the broadcast rights would be worth much more than $1 million per annum.

* 1958 - Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella suffers a broken neck in an early morning auto accident on Long Island. His spinal column is nearly severed and his legs are permanently paralyzed.

- Roger Clemens' agent released a 49-page statistical report Monday to rebut allegations

Agent working hard to clear Clemens

- Roger Clemens' agent released a 49-page statistical report Monday to rebut allegations that Clemens' career had a resurgence after he was accused of using performance-enhancing drugs.

Randy Hendricks and two associates at his law firm issued the report in hopes of explaining Clemens' unique career arc, and to refute allegations in Major League Baseball's Mitchell report.

George Mitchell, the former Senate majority leader and director of the Boston Red Sox, was hired by MLB to investigate steroid use in the game. Mitchell reported that Brian McNamee, a former personal trainer of Clemens, claimed he injected the pitcher with steroids and human growth hormone at least 16 times between 1998 and 2001.

Giants GM waiting for MLB ruling

San Francisco Giants general manager Brian Sabean returned from an Italian holiday this week with more on his mind than resolving arbitration cases and signing minor league free agents.

Sabean, who could face disciplinary action because his name was mentioned prominently in the Mitchell report and the subsequent congressional hearings on its findings, said he looks forward to meeting with Major League Baseball officials and hopes any issues will be resolved before the Giants open camp Feb. 13.

"I am hopeful of that, but we have to pay respect to their needs, their timetable and their need to be thorough," Sabean said. "It's at their behest."

Padres and Dodgers ready to take baseball to China

BEIJING -- Spring training will look a little different for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres this year. And they had better sharpen their diplomatic skills too.

The teams will meet in Beijing's new Olympic baseball stadium March 15-16 to play the first Major League Baseball exhibition games in China.

The series was announced Thursday in Beijing in a news conference featuring Dodgers manager Joe Torre and Padres vice president Dave Winfield.

MLB Notes: Morneau and Cuddyer inked but Santana waits

Johan Santana might not be a Minnesota Twin much longer, but the small-market club gained some certainty regarding two of its core position players.

First baseman Justin Morneau, the 2006 AL MVP, received the most lucrative contract in Twins history -- an $80 million, six-year deal -- and outfielder Michael Cuddyer got three years and $24 million. Santana, the two-time Cy Young Award winner entering the final year of his contract, still could be traded before spring training begins.

Red Sox-Yankees Rivalry Wears Suits

The general managers of the Yankees and the Red Sox form a striking couple, though mainly for their contrasts, which seem to capture the respective stations of their ball clubs, in addition to outside perceptions of their executive standing.

Smaller in physical stature than Theo Epstein, his Boston counterpart, Brian Cashman tends to speak with an earnestness and an eagerness to explain himself fully, and with the permanently furrowed brow of a man regularly dealing with vocational stress.

With careful grooming and impeccable posture, Epstein comes across as more spit-shined, with the self-assurance of a young master of his universe, and with the glint of realization that the joke is never on him.

Baseball transactions Movements in the world of baseball Friday:

Baseball transactions

American League

BALTIMORE ORIOLES-Agreed to terms with RHP Matt Albers and RHP Chris Ray on one-year contracts. Named Ryan Minor coach for Delmarva (SAL).

BOSTON RED SOX-Agreed to terms with RHP Kyle Snyder on a one-year contract.

TAMPA BAY RAYS-Agreed to terms with 1B Carlos Pena on a three-year contract.

TEXAS RANGERS-Added RHP Jason Jennings to the 40-man roster. Designated RHP Armando Galarraga for assignment.

On January 26 in Baseball History..

* 1932 - William K. Wrigley, owner of the Cubs since 1919, dies and is buried on Catalina Island. His only son, Philip K. Wrigley, inherits the Cubs and the minor league Los Angeles Angels.

* 1951 - The baseball writers vote Mel Ott and Jimmie Foxx into the Hall of Fame. Ott hit 511 home runs, batted .304, and managed the Giants from 1942 to 1948.

Baseball Birthdays on January 26...

* 1844 - Pratt, Tom
* 1853 - Barnie, Billy
* 1859 - Casey, Bob
* 1870 - Hardesty, Scott
* 1874 - Wilhelm, Kaiser
* 1877 - Koehler, Ben
* 1877 - Wills, Dave
* 1877 - Cates, Eli
* 1884 - Spencer, Tubby
* 1885 - LaVigne, Art
* 1886 - Cady, Hick
* 1886 - Owens, Frank

Baseball seeks the Yao Factor

BEIJING -- How do you explain inning in Chinese?

That is among the challenges facing the Dodgers as they prepare to play the San Diego Padres in the first major league games in China. It is with a certain missionary zeal that the teams hope to enlighten China's 1.3 billion people in the pleasures of the exotic sport of bang qiu, literally "stick ball."

American sports have a mixed track record in China. The Chinese are crazy about basketball. The smiling face of Yao Ming, the 7-foot-6 Chinese player with the NBA's Houston Rockets, stares out of more posters in present-day Beijing than that of Mao Tse-tung. But the NFL has floundered in its efforts to organize a preseason game on Chinese soil. While baseball paraphernalia, mostly counterfeit New York Yankees caps and T-shirts, is as common as fake Louis Vuitton bags, the game itself remains an enigma to most Chinese people.

New York Yankees's New Manager, New Team

Amidst all the Super Bowl hype, talk of the New York Knicks woes, and the usual fog of criticism that surrounds New York sports, I decided to take a look at the Yankees... my Yankees.

It seems as though us New York Yankee fans, us subjects of the evil empire, have forgotten that we have a new manager this coming season, which also means that we will have a new team.

How will the team react to a more energetic manager? It is assured that he will get tossed from at least 10 games, and that he will argue with the front office a few times.

How will Jeter respond? source

Yankees offer Cano extension

The Yankees are negotiating a deal with Robinson Cano that would keep the second baseman in pinstripes to open the new Yankee Stadium and beyond.

The offer is a four-year, $30 million contract with two club options, a person familiar with the discussions said yesterday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the talks were ongoing.

Cano, who hit .306 last season with 19 homers and 97 RBI, is arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason. He made $490,800 last season. Last week the 25-year-old asked for $4.55 million, while the Yankees countered with a $3.2 million offer.

Crown elusive for Yankee team in transition

Two years ago, when New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman signed a three-year contract, he said, "We have three years to try to deliver a championship and try to rebuild the system."

With a year left, Cashman can claim to have succeeded on one count, but it's not the one that seemed more likely back then.

The Yankees still haven't won a World Series since 2000, but the farm system has been restocked to the point that a group of young pitchers are the focal point of Yankees hopes as the franchise goes through the most extensive retooling in recent history.

On January 25 in Baseball History...

* 1945 - The New York Yankees are sold by the Ruppert estate to Larry MacPhail, Dan Topping, and Del Webb for $2.8 million. For that price, the trio obtains 400 players (266 of them in military service), Yankee Stadium, parks in Newark and Kansas City, and leases on other minor-league stadia.

2008 YANKEE'S FLEX PLANS GO ON SALE TODAY AT 10:00 AM

2008 FLEX PLANS GO ON SALE TODAY AT 10:00 AM

Flex-Plan Renewal On-Sale Information
As a Flex Plan Ticket Licensee, we wanted to inform you that new for 2008, we have decided to make a few changes to the on-line application process. As a Flex Plan Ticket Licensee you continue to have the ability to purchase your Flex Plan on-line and in real time, as well as have the ability to select not only specific games, but also the actual seat locations for each game. With these features, there is no more waiting for your Tickets to find out the games and locations you received.

MLB announces 2008 season schedule Red Sox, Athletics will open slate on March 25 in Tokyo

The 2008 regular-season schedule was announced by Major League Baseball on Thursday, and among the highlights are the reigning world champion Red Sox playing the earliest season opener in history (against Oakland on March 25 in Tokyo) and then at home against the rival Yankees on a fabulous final Sunday.

The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that the Cubs will auction off new seats

The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that the Cubs will auction off new seats being made available at Wrigley Field near the third base dugout. From that report, it's not clear exactly how the auction would work but if true, it could be one of the first real attempts to let a totally fluid marketplace determine the prices of tickets on the primary market.

A few years ago, I did a story on the Internet secondary market in sports tickets. By now, most fans know what that means -- tickets being resold by individuals or ticket brokers on Eba or TicketsNow or StubHub and on and on. And that's exactly what happens with those tickers -- the free-floating market determines what a ticket will cost.

The New York Yankees did finish first in something last year -- spending

While their streak of American League East titles ended at nine, the Yankees wound up with a record payroll of US$218.3 million.

The World Series-champion Boston Red Sox were a distant second at $155.4 million, according to information received by clubs from the commissioner's office. The Los Angeles Dodgers were third at $125.6 million, followed by the New York Mets ($120.9 million), Chicago Cubs ($115.9 million).

The Toronto Blue Jays were 15th at $95,069,351.

At the back end were Tampa Bay ($31.8 million), Florida ($33.1 million), Washington ($43.3 million) and Pittsburgh ($51.4 million).

In all, teams spent $2.71 billion on players last year, up from $2.49 billion in 2006 and $2.35 billion in 2005.

Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan declines to discuss steroids in baseball

If Nolan Ryan has any opinions about Roger Clemens and steroids, the Hall of Fame pitcher is keeping them to himself.

Ryan declined to talk about performance-enhancing drugs Wednesday night before a fundraising dinner for Southern California's baseball program. The dinner included a round-table discussion featuring Ryan. Debra Saal, marketing director for Restaurant Business Inc., said Ryan didn't feel comfortable discussing the subject Wednesday night.

Clemens, a Texas fastballer just like Ryan, is deciding whether to accept an invitation to appear next week at a Houston Astros clinic: The Nolan Ryan Elite Pitching Camp.

Ryan pitched for Houston from 1980-88 and now serves as a special assistant to Astros general manager Ed Wade.

Clemens Saga Is Upstaging Santana Trade Talks

Correction: In this space two weeks ago, I wrote that the most popular baseball game of the winter was the Minnesota Twins' attempt to trade Johan Santana, and the game, I said, seemed to be endless. The endless part was right, but I'm not so sure I was right about it being the most popular game of the winter.

The Twins' effort to trade Santana, thought by many to be the best pitcher in baseball, goes on. They continue to talk to interested teams, but no one is prepared to make a deal because the Twins haven't told their potential trading partners whether they want major league-ready players or prospects.

The Twins could be delaying that decision while they determine which players may be available. They have been told that their No. 1 choice, José Reyes, the Mets shortstop, is not. So their talks go on, making an already long game even longer.

Selig's contract extension slaps fans in the face

Baseball owners have snubbed millions of fans by handing Commissioner Bud Selig a three-year contract extension.

Selig presided over one of the most shameful episodes in the sport's history. For years he looked the other way as bulked-up players hooked on steroids made a mockery of the rules of the game.

Baseball needs a commissioner with a fresh outlook and the determination to clean up the sport.

Just days ago, Selig had to appear before Congress to explain -- yet again -- how baseball is trying to solve its problems with performance-enhancing drugs.

Major League Baseball announced San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers will play in China

Major League Baseball has announced that the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers will play two exhibition games in China on March 15th and 16th at this year's Olympic venue.

Padres vice president and Hall of Famer Dave Winfield and Dodgers' manager Joe Torre made the announcement in Beijing Thursday. The two games are part of Major League Baseball's efforts to expand its world market.

On January 24 in Baseball History...

* 1939 - George Sisler, Eddie Collins, and Willie Keeler are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the BBWAA. Sisler set the major league record with 257 hits in 1920 and batted .420 in 1922 on his way to a .340 career average. Collins batted an even .333 for his career and stole 744 bases as a member of four world champions. Keeler, who "hit 'em where they ain't."

Baseball Birthdays on January 24...

Steroids? Congress cares. The media cares. Fans, barely at all.

Steroids? Congress cares. The media cares.

Fans, barely at all.

Baseball has never been more popular, and every trend line continues to point upward.

A record $6 billion in revenues last season. Record advance ticket sales in a sagging economy. More fans enjoying the game in more ways than ever before.

While commissioner Bud Selig deserves his share of blame for the Steroid Era, the sport's evolution into a financial behemoth will be his greatest legacy.

The explanation goes deeper than the sport's history of withstanding scandal, from the 1919 Black Sox to the cocaine trials in the 1980s to the gambling allegations against Pete Rose in the '90s.

Deeper than the notion that juiced players produce juiced revenues, going back to the Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa home-run duel in '98.

Deeper even than the increased competitive balance that has resulted in 15 different teams claiming the 16 available postseason spots the past two seasons and seven different World Series champions in the past eight years.

On January 23 in Baseball History...

* 1950 - The Associated Press picks the Miracle Braves of 1914 as the greatest sports upset of the 20th century.

* 1962 - Bob Feller and Jackie Robinson are selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame in their first years of eligibility. Feller won 266 games in 18 seasons and captured 20 games six times for the Indians. Robinson not only broke baseball's color barrier, but also re-introduced speed as a lethal weapon and led the Dodgers to six pennants in ten years.

* 1967 - Stan Musial is named General Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals.

* 1968 - Joe Medwick is voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ducky won the Triple Crown in 1937 and batted .300 in 14 of 17 seasons.

* 1975 - Ralph Kiner earns Hall of Fame membership by a single vote. Kiner led or tied for the National League lead in home runs the first seven seasons of his career and retired with a home run percentage second only to that of Babe Ruth.

Mattingly: New Role In L.A.

Don Mattingly will be moved from Dodgers hitting coach to major league special assignment coach due to family reasons, the team said Tuesday. Mike Easler will replace Mattingly as hitting coach.

After losing out to Joe Girardi as the replacement for Joe Torre as Yankees manager, Mattingly joined Torre in Los Angeles after Torre was named Dodgers manager.

Mattingly, 46, the former Yankees first baseman and a hitting coach and bench coach on Torre's Yankees staffs, will now assist with the Dodgers' coaching staff in spring training and throughout the season. He still wants to become a major league manager one day.

Mattingly's son, Preston, 20, is a Dodgers minor leaguer.

"I'm very grateful that the Dodgers have allowed me to take care of these family matters and I hope that everyone can respect our privacy during this time," Mattingly said in a statement issued by the team.

- LeBron James loves the New York Yankees -- from head to toe.

The Cavaliers' All-Star forward, who angered some Cleveland fans by wearing a Yankees baseball cap in the Indians' home ballpark while cheering for New York during last year's AL playoffs, has taken his devotion to the Bronx Bombers one step further.

James' newest sneaker in his signature line with Nike is a tribute to his favorite hardball team: the Yankees.

Dominated by the team's traditional blue-and-white color scheme, the Air Zoom LeBron V shoe features New York's famed pinstripes as well as James' No. 23, the number worn by popular Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly.

Subpoena issued to ex-Yankee Knoblauch to testify

A House of Representatives committee issued a subpoena to force former New York Yankees slugger Chuck Knoblauch to testify at a deposition on baseball doping after he refused to respond voluntarily.

The lawmakers used their power to compel an appearance from Knoblauch after he failed to contact the US House Oversight committee when asked to give a sworn deposition in connection with hearings of Major League Baseball doping.

"The Committee has taken this step because Mr. Knoblauch failed to respond to the invitation to participate voluntarily in a deposition or transcribed interview and the February 13 hearing," a statement from chairman Henry Waxman and ranking minority member Tom Davis said.

New baseball security boss will patrol doping safeguards

Earnell Lucas, a former police officer who has worked for Major League Baseball's security department since 2002, was named Tuesday as head of the division, which will oversee doping safeguards.

The security department will enforce the tougher new locker room regulations ordered January 7 by Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig in the wake of an investigation that found doping links to more than 90 players.

Former US Senator George Mitchell, who led the 20-month doping probe, made several recommendations on how baseball could safeguard against future doping scandals and try to restore some shred of its ruined credibility.

Johan Santana: Red Sox or Yankees?

I think the best choice for Santana would be the Red Sox. The Red Sox have won two World Series in four years. The Yankees, none.

If Santana should go to the Yankees it would be because of all that money and the young prospects. If the Red Sox can win World Series without Johan, think about it. What could they do with Johan?

The Yankees are thinking of trading Melky and young pitcher Phil Hughes. The Red Sox have a couple possibilites: Lester and Ellsbery, or Lester and Crisp and minor leager Jed Lowrie. Ellsbery is better than Crisp in every catagory except defense. The Sox are a big hitting team, and with a big outfield and not the greatest outfielders -- Manny and Drew -- Coco would be a nice fit.

Yankee Heads South To Endorse Giuliani

New York Yankees centerfielder Johnny Damon is endorsing Rudy Giuliani's candidacy for president, according to a campaign aide.

He is scheduled to appear with the former mayor at a rally in Orlando this morning.

Damon, as baseball fans know well, helped the 2004 Boston Red Sox win their first World Series in over eighty years before signing with their arch-rival, the Yankees, after that World Series win.

Once famous for his "Christ-like" look during his tenure with the Red Sox, the longtime bearded Damon went clean-shaven to comply with Yankee's strict policy on facial hair.

Baseball owners addicted to drug-enhanced players

St. Louis - It was another congressional hearing, and another opportunity to round up the usual suspects and give them a beating.

Earlier this week, Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig and Players Association director Donald Fehr traveled to Capitol Hill to absorb the latest in a series of smackdowns from members of Congress.

I'm not here to defend Selig and Fehr. And these humiliating sessions have, in the past, shoved Selig and Fehr into strengthening the game's anti-drug policy and testing program.

And progress has been made in the mission to clean up the sport.

But why are baseball's owners and general managers given a free pass?

On January 21 in Baseball History...

* 1921 - Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis officially takes over as baseball's commissioner.

* 1947 - A rule change that allows voting only for players after 1921 produces four new Hall of Famers: Carl Hubbell, Frank Frisch, Mickey Cochrane, and Lefty Grove, all former M.V.P.s and World Series winners. Hubbell, was forbidden by Ty Cobb to throw his screwball in Detroit's farm system, but he used it to win 253 games for the Giants. Frisch went to the World Series eight times and batted .316 over 19 seasons. Grove won 300 games, and his battery mate Cochrane retired with the highest lifetime batting average of any catcher.

* 1953 - The Hall of Fame passes over Joe DiMaggio in his first year of eligibility and elects pitcher Dizzy Dean and outfielder Al Simmons to Cooperstown. Simmons, who drove in 100 runs in each of his first eleven major league seasons, was one of the most feared hitters of his time. The colorful Dean had a .644 career winning percentage and won 30 games in 1934.

Cubs address potential sale Club could have new ownership in place by midseason

CHICAGO -- Cubs chairman Crane Kenney addressed fans' concerns regarding the potential sale of the team and Wrigley Field during a question-and-answer session Sunday on the final day of the 23rd Cubs Convention.

Sam Zell, who purchased the Tribune Co. and its properties, including the Cubs, is exploring selling the ballpark to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority. The ISFA owns and operates U.S. Cellular Field and also was the principle funding source for the rehabilitation of Soldier Field. The agency was created in 1987 for the purpose of constructing and renovating sports stadiums for professional sports teams in the state.

Baseball star’s TV appearance signals wind of change

IN BASEBALL-MAD Cuba, pitcher Orlando Hernandez was the sport's top star in its top team, Industriales of Havana. He might have been dubbed "the King", though in Cuba an elderly fan with a penchant for wearing olive green battle fatigues - by the name of Fidel Castro - probably had a prior claim to that soubriquet.

Whatever the reason, Hernandez was idolised as "El Duque" (the Duke). When he defected to the US a decade ago it sent shock waves round the Communist-ruled island nation. Worse still, he cocked a snoop at the regime's vigorous denigration of professional sport by signing a multi-million-dollar contract with the New York Yankees, the world's richest and most successful baseball club.

The outrage was similar to the stramash that followed Mo Johnston's transfer to Rangers, with one big exception: the Celtic Supporters' Association didn't have Fidel Castro as its president. El Duque was called a traitor to the nation.

Time for Yankees, Mets to negotiate

Major League Baseball's teams and players exchanged salary figures in the arbitration process Friday, and it's clear that the two New York clubs have significant work to do if they want to avoid taking key players to a hearing.

Mets starting pitcher Oliver Perez submitted a 2008 salary of $6.5 million. The Mets countered with a proposal of $4.725 million. If the Mets can't find common ground with Perez and agent Scott Boras, an arbitration panel will decide on one of the two figures. Hearings will be scheduled for the first three weeks of February in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Future of the New York Yankees

With all of the talk circulating through the media concerning a potential trade for the services of Twins superstar Johan Santana, fans are beginning to lose sight of just what kind of talent the team already has in store. With that said, I think its necessary for us to take a good look at the talented pitching that Brian Cashman and others are fighting so desperately to keep.

1) Chien Ming Wang: At only 27 years of age, Wang has already established himself as the team's ace. With one of the greatest sinkerballs currently in the game, matched with a fastball that tops out at approximately 95 miles per hour, Wang has been un- hittable at times. With a little more consistency, Wang can become an absolute star.

On January 20 in Baseball History...

* 1871 - The Boston Red Stockings incorporate and the future National League Atlanta Braves are born. Three months later the franchise is officially recognized by the National Association of Professional Baseball Players.

* 1947 - Famed Negro League slugger Josh Gibson dies of a brain tumor at age 35. His Hall of Fame plaque credits the catcher with 'almost 800 home runs.'

* 1966 - The BBWAA elects Ted Williams to the Hall of Fame. Williams, the last batter to hit .400, receives 282 of a possible 302 votes. He won the Triple Crown twice, A.L. M.V.P. twice, and produced the highest on-base average of all time (.483), even though he lost five years to military service.

Yankees agree to terms with IF Betemit

The New York Yankees began the arbitration process Friday, agreeing to a contract with infielder Wilson Betemit and exchanging figures with pitchers Chien-Ming Wang and Brian Bruney and second baseman Robinson Cano, according to a report on the team's web site.

A switch-hitter who is expected to handle backup duties at all four infield spots for the club this season, Betemit agreed to a one-year deal worth a reported $1.165 million. He earned $405,000 last season.

On January 19 in Baseball History...

* 1934 - Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis denies Shoeless Joe Jackson's appeal for reinstatement.

* 1956 - The City of Hoboken dedicates a plaque honoring the achievements of Alexander Cartwright in organizing early baseball at Elysian Field in the New Jersey city.

* 1972 - The BBWAA elects Sandy Koufax (344 votes), Yogi Berra (339), and Early Wynn (301) to the Hall of Fame. Koufax makes it in his first try and, at 36, is the youngest honoree in history. He won three Cy Young awards in a four-year span when the honor was only given to one pitcher for both leagues. Berra played in 14 World Series (ten world champions), he had more hits in Series play than any other player, and he was a three-time MVP for the Yankees. Wynn won 300 games and won 20 games five times.

Congress summons Clemens, ex-teammates

Roger Clemens and his former New York Yankees teammates Andy Pettitte and Chuck Knoblauch have been asked to give a deposition or interview to congressional investigators in preparation for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's Feb. 13 hearings on steroid use in baseball.

Starting Thursday with Knoblauch, the three Houston-area products have dates to meet with the committee's investigators in the span of one week to discuss claims they used performance-enhancing drugs. Clemens' deposition is scheduled for Jan. 26.

"We look forward to sitting down with the committee staff on the 26th and with the full committee at its public hearing on Feb. 13th," Clemens' Houston-based attorney, Rusty Hardin, said in a written statement.

On January 18 in Baseball History...

* 1947 - The Pirates buy first baseman Hank Greenberg from the Tigers for a reported $25,000 to $35,000. Greenberg led the A.L. with 44 home runs in 1946.

* 1950 - Indians pitcher Bob Feller, coming off a lackluster 15-14 season, takes a $20,000 salary cut to $45,000. The pay cut is Feller's own suggestion.

* 1973 - Orlando Cepeda signs with the Boston Red Sox, making him the first player signed by a team specifically to be a designated hitter.

Yankees are No. 1 - in salary

Baseball's average salary rose 4.6% last year to a record $2.82 million, and the Yankees set a high for teams at $7.47 million.

The Bombers' average was tops in the majors for the ninth consecutive season and topped the previous mark of $7.39 million - set by the Yanks in 2005.

The Red Sox were a distant second at $5.46 million, followed by the Mets ($4.15 million), Dodgers ($3.99 million), Cubs ($3.9 million), White Sox ($3.72 million) and Mariners ($3.7 million).

OWNERS EXTEND SELIG DEAL

Baseball owners gave commissioner Bud Selig a three-year contract extension through 2012 yesterday, a move made two days after some U.S. congressmen were critical of his leadership is responding to the sport's drug problem. Selig, who has been in charge of baseball since 1992, had repeatedly said he would retire at the end of 2009 and that his mind couldn't be changed. "This is clearly it," he said after the extension was approved in a unanimous vote.

Baseball plans to retain its testing doctor

By Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY

Commissioner Bud Selig told baseball's owners Thursday they will make changes to their current drug program without going to an independent administrator, but plan to adopt other recommendations in George Mitchell's report on performance-enhancing drugs.

Instead of turning the drug testing to an outside body, as recommended by Mitchell and the World Anti-Doping Agency, Selig said baseball will instead provide more independence to Dr. Bryan Smith, who's in charge of the testing program.

Wadler decries 'therapeutic-use exemptions

Baseball leadership's expressed determination to move forward with a sincere fight against performance-enhancing drugs was belied by Tuesday's Capitol Hill revelation of players' routinely approved "therapeutic-use exemptions" to skirt positive doping results.

The 111 such cases in 2007 cited by John Tierney (D-Mass.), 103 of them claims to treat attention deficit disorder with stimulants, were shrugged off by commissioner Bud Selig and union chief Donald Fehr. But, "it's been well known in anti-doping rules that people use the guise of a disease to take otherwise prohibited substances," said Dr. Gary Wadler, the drugs in sports expert based in Manhasset.

Anti-doping agency boss blasts baseball,says Selig and Fehr have a 'blatant disregard for the truth

As Commissioner Bud Selig made it abundantly clear that he has no intention of letting an independent agency run baseball's drug-testing program, the president of the World Anti-Doping Agency criticized Selig and players' union chief Donald Fehr on Wednesday for "essentially thumbing their nose at those who care about the integrity of the game."

WADA President John Fahey charged Selig and Fehr with "blatant disregard for the truth" during their testimony before Congress on Tuesday, labeling their claims about the uncertain state of testing for human growth hormone and the independence of baseball's testing program as "MLB fiction."

On January 17 in Baseball History...

* 1934 - Carl Hubbell, the N.L. M.V.P. winner, is rewarded with a $18,000 contract by the New York Giants.

* 1952 - Detroit owner Walter O. Briggs dies at the age of 74. His son will succeed him in the presidency.

* 1970 - The Sporting News names Willie Mays as Player of the Decade for the 1960s.

* 1977 - Kansas City releases Tommy Davis, ending an 18-year career spent with 10 different teams. [more/}

Baseball Birthdays on January 17...

* 1853 - Hollingshead, Holly
* 1858 - Roxburgh, Jim
* 1866 - Scott, Milt
* 1867 - Glenalvin, Bob
* 1878 - Bay, Harry
* 1882 - Kerr, Doc
* 1882 - Pattee, Harry
* 1886 - Coles, Cad
* 1889 - Johns, Pete
* 1889 - Welf, Ollie
* 1892 - Grover, Roy
* 1893 - Morrisette, Bill
* 1893 - Glavenich, Luke
* 1896 - Hanson, Harry
* 1899 - Sigman, Tripp
* 1905 - Cunningham, Ray
* 1908 - Willis, Les
* 1911 - Leiber, Hank
* 1915 - Smith, Mayo
* 1915 - Harris, Lum
* 1917 - Thompson, Jocko
* 1920 - Heard, Jay
* 1922 - Merson, Jack
* 1925 - Schmulbach, Hank
* 1931 - Zimmer, Don
* 1933 - Porter, Jay
* 1935 - Brown, Dick
* 1944 - Doyle, Denny
* 1952 - LaCock, Pete
* 1952 - Porter, Darrell
* 1953 - Littell, Mark
* 1954 - Turner, Jerry
* 1959 - Bryden, T.R.
* 1960 - Davis, Chili
* 1964 - Tabaka, Jeff
* 1971 - Houston, Tyler
* 1972 - McKeel, Walt
* 1975 - Mullen, Scott
* 1975 - Fullmer, Brad
* 1977 - Bell, Rob

Baseball Deaths on January 17...

* 1917 - McCauley, Pat
* 1923 - Meister, John
* 1932 - Stewart, Mark
* 1945 - Ward, Rube
* 1945 - Radebaugh, Roy
* 1950 - Sanders, Roy
* 1950 - Ens, Jewel
* 1952 - Salisbury, Bill
* 1957 - Stanton, Tom
* 1957 - Sawyer, Carl
* 1961 - Tinning, Bud
* 1964 - Grimes, John
* 1967 - Maloney, Charlie
* 1970 - Mustaikis, Alex
* 1976 - Kinsella, Ed
* 1977 - Wingard, Ernie
* 1981 - Kahn, Owen
* 1987 - Busch, Ed
* 1991 - Breuer, Marv
* 1992 - Durrett, Red
* 1993 - Polly, Nick
* 1995 - Hall, John
* 2004 - Freeman, Hersh
* 2004 - Brecheen, Harry
* 2006 - Morehead, Seth

On January 16 in Baseball History...

* 1952 - The U.S. Standardization Board clears the way for Stan Musial to get a salary increase to $85,000. Prior to this relaxation of the rules, there was a wage freeze in effect due to the Korean War. Under the new rules, a team is free to raise individual salaries, as long as they do not exceed a complicated formula, based on total team salaries for any one year, from 1946-1950, plus 10 percent.

* 1964 - A.L. owners vote 9-1 against Charlie Finley's proposal to move the A's to Louisville. Finley is given an ultimatum to sign a lease in Kansas City or lose his franchise.

In Baseball, Fear Bats at the Top of the Order

HE will always be a rookie to me, but Jimmy Rollins, the reigning National League most valuable player, once gave me a poignant piece of wisdom that typically would flow from mentor to mentee, not the other way around. "Do it afraid," was his advice -- and it's a lesson Major League Baseball had best learn if it is to put the age of steroids behind it.

'Everyone in baseball is responsible' Baseball gets mixed grade as hearings open in D.C.

At a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing in the same, wood-paneled room where Palmeiro, Mark McGwire and others testified three years ago, congressmen mixed criticism of baseball and its players with praise for commissioner Bud Selig and union leader Donald Fehr for progress on the sport's drug-testing program.

On January 15 in Baseball History..

On January 15 in Baseball History...

* 1934 - Babe Ruth accepts a cut of $17,000 and signs a 1934 contract with the Yankees for $35,000.

* 1936 - Horace Stoneham is elected president of the New York Giants, succeeding his late father. Stoneham, 32, will remain president for the next 40 years before selling the team in 1976.

* 1942 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt gives baseball the go-ahead to play despite World War II. FDR encourages more night baseball so that war workers may attend. Ironically, the Cubs, who had signed contracts to install lights at Wrigley Field, drop their plans because of the military need for the material. There will be no lights at Wrigley for 35 more years.

A Four-Part Bronx Banter Exclusive

[Author's Note: This story was written last summer. It covers Ray Negron's life from the spring of 2006 through the spring of '07. Some of the basic facts stated in the piece have changed: Joe Torre is no longer the manager of the Yankees; Hank and Hal Steinbrenner have taken control of the team; Negron has just completed his seventh children's book for Harper Collins. But, despite these events, the essence of Ray's story remains true. I hope you enjoy.]

Part One

Yankees invite 26 to Spring Training

NEW YORK -- The Yankees announced on Tuesday that they have invited 26 non-roster players to Spring Training in Tampa, Fla., bringing the total number of players scheduled to report to 66.

Two on the list have previously worn pinstripes in New York and will be trying to make the Yankees' Opening Day roster: infielder Nick Green and right-hander Darrell Rasner.

Green, 29, saw September action with the Mariners last season after batting .240 with two home runs and four RBIs with New York in 2006. Rasner, 27, made the Yankees' Opening Day roster and went 1-3 with a 4.01 ERA over two stints with the Yankees. His season was interrupted by a fractured right index finger on May 19.

Yankees Expect to Open Camp Without Santana

Phil Hughes has been working out at the Yankees' complex in Tampa, Fla., lately, and Johan Santana has been doing the same at the Minnesota Twins' facility in Fort Myers. They will most likely be in the same place when spring training starts in four weeks.

The Yankees have not had a formal trade offer for the Twins to accept since the winter meetings last month, and they expect to open camp with Hughes, and not Santana, in their rotation.

"It's most likely that we're going to stay with what we've got," the senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner said on Monday. "That always can change -- of course, that's up to Minnesota -- but there were no offers on the table. You don't make an offer unless you 100 percent intend to do it, and the final decision hasn't been made."[more]

Hal Steinbrenner, Hank's brother and a Yankees general partner, has advised against trading for Santana, and General Manager Brian Cashman is also opposed to a deal. Now that the principal owner George Steinbrenner has put both of his sons in charge of the team, Hank and Hal must agree on major issues.

Hal Steinbrenner has shown no inclination to raise a payroll that is already about $200 million. And while Hank Steinbrenner has not ruled out a deal, he is unlikely to overrule Cashman's recommendation on such an important decision.

"He's the general manager, and I'm going to pay attention to the opinion of our top baseball people," Steinbrenner said.

The Twins are not counting the Yankees out, and they continue to hope for a match with the Mets or the Boston Red Sox, who remain interested. But the Yankees' interest is waning, and all signs are that the Yankees will proceed with Cashman's plan to build around homegrown pitchers.

"With young pitching, everybody seems to want to keep all of them -- a lot of the fans and media seem to lean that way," Steinbrenner said.

"But everybody's got to remember, we've all got to be patient. They're only going to get better. That's a fact. The young pitchers are only going to get better and better each month. If one of them has two or three bad starts in a row, I won't care, because I know what they can do, and all our people -- all our baseball experts -- know what they can do."

Steinbrenner said he would also defer to the judgment of Cashman, Manager Joe Girardi and the pitching coach Dave Eiland on how to initially use Joba Chamberlain, who has shown he can thrive in relief. But Steinbrenner left no doubt as to Chamberlain's long-term future.

"He's behind in innings compared to Hughes and Ian Kennedy, and how they bring him along is up to Joe and Dave Eiland and Brian," Steinbrenner said. "If they want to start him out in the bullpen, that's fine. But everybody sees him eventually as a starter, it's that simple." source

10 things that could happen to the Yanks in 2008

Over at his blog today, Steve recalls a Ken Rosenthal radio interview from this morning where he says that the Blue Jays could to finish above the Yankees in 2008. This, before even pitchers and catchers have reported. So Ben and I got to thinking: There are tons of things that could happen to the Yanks in 2008. Here's our list of 10 things that could happen to the Yanks in '08.

NY Rangers may close out Yankee Stadium

In a perfect world, the last game at Yankee Stadium would be late in October this year. It would be Game 7 of the World Series, and the Yankees would of course emerge victorious. An ending like that would be an utter lovefest for the Stadiums; fans just wouldn't leave, and Frank Sinatra on repeat would be the Yankee Stadium swam song.

If my fantasy can't come true, no one other than the Yankees should be allowed to play the last live sporting event at Yankee Stadium. But if the Yankees and the NHL have their way, the New York Rangers may be the last local team to play in the House that Ruth Built, according to a report in the Daily News. John Dellapina has more:

Forecast for Spring: More Yankees Drama

Andy Pettitte's 13-year-old son, Joshua, is recovering from a broken arm and a head injury sustained in a four-wheeler accident after Christmas. Pettitte's father, Tom, was in the hospital Wednesday with heart trouble.

Those kinds of issues caused Pettitte to seriously consider retiring this winter. He was tempted to return to the "private sector," to use Roger Clemens's term from his fiery news conference Monday, and spend more time with his family.

Instead, Pettitte returned to the Yankees, which means he is due in Tampa, Fla., for spring training Feb. 14, when pitchers and catchers are to report to Legends Field. It will be the first camp under the Yankees' new manager, Joe Girardi, and the first with Hank and Hal Steinbrenner in command of their father's empire.

JUICE GOTTA BE KIDDING!

January 13, 2008 -- A fed-up Yankees fan is suing the team he spent his life rooting for because they fielded juiced-up players and broke the promise of an honest game.

Matthew Mitchell wants exactly $221 - the price of tickets for five games he attended between 2002 and 2007.

The disgusted die-hard, a 30-year-old paralegal, filed a claim against his former favorite team last week in Brooklyn Small Claims Court.

"I look at it almost as a consumer fraud," Mitchell said about the use of performance-enhancing drugs in the Major Leagues. "If I'm going to watch a baseball game, then I expect it to be real."

Johnny Podres, Series Star, Dies at 75

Johnny Podres, who became a celebrated figure in the storied history of the Brooklyn Dodgers in October 1955, when he pitched them to their only World Series championship, died Sunday at a hospital in Glens Falls, N.Y. Podres, who lived nearby in Queensbury, N.Y., was 75.

On January 14 in Baseball History...

* 1919 - John McGraw, Charles A. Stoneham, and Tammany politician Judge Francis X. McQuade buy controlling interest in the Giants from the John Brush estate. Having drawn just 265,000 fans in 1918, the club is sold at a bargain price. The trio will spend many days in courtrooms fighting among themselves, as well as fending off government charges about Stoneham's business practices.

* 1940 - Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis gives free agency to 91 Detroit players and farm hands. Citing cover-ups of the movement of players within its organization, Landis hands freedom to Roy Cullenbine, Benny McCoy, Lloyd Dietz, and Steve Rachunok from the parent roster and orders $47,250 paid as compensation to 14 players. Johnny Sain is one of 23 players who will later make it to the major leagues. [more/}

* 1954 - Baseball and Hollywood are officially linked as former Yankees great Joe DiMaggio marries actress Marilyn Monroe.

* 1970 - Johnny Murphy, the Mets general manager who had seen his team rise from the N.L. cellar to the world championship, dies of a heart attack at age 61. Murphy was a star relief pitcher for the Yankees in the 1930s and early 1940s.

* 1976 - Ted Turner completes his purchase of 100 percent of the Atlanta Braves.

* 1987 - Catfish Hunter and Billy Williams are elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA. Hunter made his name as the ace of the Oakland A's staff in their championship years and made his fortune as one of the first free agents. Williams set a N.L. record by playing in 1,117 consecutive games and accumulating 426 home runs and a batting title.

Baseball Birthdays on January 14...

* 1856 - Fair, George
* 1856 - Foley, Curry
* 1867 - Kling, Bill
* 1868 - Newell, John
* 1869 - Shreve, Lev
* 1871 - Madison, Art
* 1874 - Taylor, Jack
* 1880 - Livingston, Paddy
* 1882 - Alberts, Cy
* 1885 - Perrine, Nig
* 1891 - Shovlin, John
* 1892 - Meyer, Billy
* 1894 - Decatur, Art
* 1898 - Wheeler, Dick
* 1899 - Miller, Ralph
* 1902 - Jolley, Smead
* 1903 - Scarritt, Russ
* 1911 - Gornicki, Hank
* 1915 - Joyce, Bob
* 1922 - Biasatti, Hank
* 1923 - Johnson, Ken
* 1930 - Daley, Pete
* 1937 - Siebert, Sonny
* 1939 - Valdespino, Sandy
* 1939 - Talton, Tim
* 1942 - Campbell, Dave
* 1943 - Clark, Ron
* 1943 - Marshall, Dave
* 1947 - Parker, Billy
* 1951 - Thomas, Derrel
* 1952 - Forster, Terry
* 1952 - Gross, Wayne
* 1954 - Boone, Danny
* 1957 - Brizzolara, Tony
* 1959 - Keener, Jeff
* 1960 - Jones, Ross
* 1961 - Redfield, Joe
* 1962 - Green, Gary
* 1967 - Fletcher, Paul
* 1970 - Cooke, Steve
* 1973 - Brohawn, Troy
* 1973 - Myers, Rod
* 1974 - Frank, Mike
* 1976 - Daneker, Pat

Baseball Deaths on January 14...

* 1892 - Flint, Silver
* 1908 - Bullas, Sim
* 1908 - Krug, Henry
* 1909 - Pittinger, Togie
* 1913 - O'Hagan, Hal
* 1929 - Hayner, John
* 1931 - Richardson, Hardy
* 1933 - Hoffmeister, Jesse
* 1935 - Young, Irv
* 1937 - Trumbull, Ed
* 1945 - Blankenship, Ted
* 1948 - Benedict, Art
* 1950 - Thomas, Bill
* 1952 - Sellers, Rube
* 1953 - Small, Charlie
* 1959 - Ganzel, John
* 1961 - Cavanaugh, John
* 1962 - Young, Pep
* 1962 - Mann, Les
* 1965 - Johnson, Walt
* 1965 - Hopper, Bill
* 1966 - Neuer, Tex
* 1968 - Black, Bill
* 1970 - Murphy, Johnny
* 1974 - Partridge, Jay
* 1974 - Brown, Lloyd
* 2006 - Morton, Bubba

Alex Rodriguez has done everything there is to do in MLB history

Alex Rodriguez has done everything there is to do in MLB history. He is a three-time MVP. He is the youngest player to hit 500 home runs, breaking Jimmie Fox's record set in 1939. However, there is still one thing he has yet to accomplish: a World Series Championship. His career took its biggest turn in 2002, when he hit 57 home runs, the most he has hit in one season to date. The Yankees then traded for the All-Star shortstop in return for the great Yankee prospect Alfonso Soriano and a player who didn't make it. They made this trade soon after Rodriguez signed a 10-year, 250 million dollar deal with the Rangers, the largest deal in MLB history. There was one catch to the trade: A-Rod had to play third base. He agreed without question.

ROGER DODGER ROCKET SPEAKS, IGNORES STEROID FLAP

WACO, Texas - Roger Clemens Roger Clemens never acknowledged the elephant in the Hilton Waco ballroom yesterday.

Speaking to a crowd so friendly it bordered on fawning, Clemens didn't mention steroids, Brian McNamee, the Mitchell Report or any other controversy engulfing the ex-Yankees New York Yankees pitcher during a speech here to a convention of home-state high school baseball coaches.

Clemens insisted to organizers that the media be barred from the gathering, which was held under armed guard, but The Post obtained a seat near the front of the packed ballroom for his 11/2-hour talk to a standing-room-only turnout.

The only time Clemens came close to referring to the steroids furor was at the start, when he complained to an official from the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association for allowing ESPN to buy video of his speech from the convention's lone videographer.

Fan sues Yankees over steroids

A longtime baseball fan is suing the New York Yankees over some players' reported use of performance-enhancing drugs, saying he wants repayment for $221 in tickets and a public response from his once-beloved team.

"I look at it almost as consumer fraud," said Matthew Mitchell, 30, a Brooklyn resident who said he went to his first game at Yankee Stadium in 1984. "If I'm going to watch a baseball game, then I expect it to be the real thing."

The Yankees declined to comment.

Yankees right-hander Phil Hughes keeps hearing trade rumours

TAMPA, Fla. - Phil Hughes keeps hearing the trade rumours. If the Yankees acquire Johan Santana from Minnesota, Hughes wound wind up with the Twins.

"I try to avoid the rumours best I can, but you eventually here it from friends, family and the whole deal," Hughes said after working out Friday at the Yankees' minor league complex. "You never want to hear your name out there, but on the other side, at least it's good to know that other teams think highly of you. I wouldn't say tough winter, but definitely an interesting one."

Hughes, a 21-year-old right-hander, hasn't talked with team officials in Tampa about the trade possibility since his named surfaced in talks in November.

"I actually heard my name out there for the first time from my dad," Hughes said. "Then I just called my agent to see if there's anything to it, and found there was. That's the exact of the contact I've had."

Hughes is focused on the one thing he can control, preparing for the 2008 season. He started a throwing program four weeks ago.

"I want to get on a mound before spring training starts, and maybe get four or five bullpens in," Hughes said. "Physically, everything is good."

Hughes made his major league debut on April 26 last year and threw 6 1-3 no-hit innings at Texas five days later before hurting his hamstring. After losing additional time to an ankle injury, Hughes finished with a 5-3 record and a 4.46 ERA. He was 3-0 with a 2.66 ERA in his final four starts and also threw 3 2-3 scoreless innings for a playoff win over Cleveland out of the bullpen.

Two other pitching prospects, Humberto Sanchez and Andrew Brackman, are taking part in throwing programs after elbow ligament replacement surgery last year.

Virginia Tech takes on the New York Yankees in March

When the New York Yankees presented a $1 million check to Virginia Tech at Yankees Stadium, many would say that was plenty. But the club wanted to do more.

The Yankees agreed to play a game against the Hokies this spring. That day will be Tuesday, March 18 at Tech's baseball stadium. The game will start at three o'clock.

We're told the Yankees plan to spend most of the day on campus.

For the Tech players, it will be a day full of excitement and butterflies.

"Of course I'm very nervous. I'm going to play against one of the best players ever, A-Rod. It's going to be exciting," says Rhett Ballard, Virginia Tech baseball player.

Joba Chamberlain may start next season in bullpen for Yankees

The Yankees envision Joba Chamberlain as a starter and they are eager to see what his blazing fastball and electric slider can do as part of their rotation. But the Bombers also are concerned about how many innings the 22-year-old will throw next season, so Chamberlain may start the year in the bullpen.

"We're going to prepare him as a starter and we see him as a starter," Yankee GM Brian Cashman said yesterday. "But we have an innings limit that he won't exceed. How we manage the innings limit remains to be seen. The plan is to have him start, but there are a number of scenarios that we'll review."

Cashman refused to reveal Chamberlain's innings limit. Asked if Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy have limits as well, Cashman said, "We'll manage innings limits on everyone who's got them."

Cashman first talked about using Chamberlain in the bullpen next season during an appearance on the YES Network on Thursday.

Knoblauch Ends Silence About Report From Mitchell

HOUSTON -- In his first public comments since the Mitchell report was released last month, the former Yankee Chuck Knoblauch said on Thursday that he was not angry about being named in the report, although he did not explicitly admit that he had used human growth hormone, as the report asserts.

According to the report, Knoblauch and his former Yankee teammates Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte were all drug customers of Clemens's personal trainer, Brian McNamee.

Pettitte has admitted taking H.G.H., while Clemens is engaged in an intense public campaign disputing the report's allegations that he used both steroids and H.G.H. Yet until Thursday, Knoblauch had not been heard from, the mystery man in what has become a national drama.

All three players, who between them won nine World Series rings with the Yankees in a period extending from 1996 to 2000, are expected to appear together at a Feb. 13 hearing before a Congressional committee investigating Clemens's denials. Each of the three players is to give sworn depositions to the committee before the hearing is held.

As Knoblauch, who will turn 40 in July, stood on Thursday in front of his spacious home in a Houston suburb, he appeared physically fit and almost oblivious to the uproar the Mitchell report has created. Dressed in a 2002 United States Open tennis T-shirt, blue jeans and tennis shoes, he declined to comment on the report's allegations that he began using H.G.H. in 2001, his final season in the Bronx. He said he had not talked to Clemens or Pettitte, both of whom live in the Houston area.

"I have nothing to defend," Knoblauch said. "I have nothing to hide at the same time."

He described the Mitchell report as "crazy" and "interesting," and added that what actually bothered him about being mentioned in the report is that "I've got nothing to do with any of that, I mean, any baseball."

"And I don't want anything to do with baseball," he added.

As Knoblauch spoke, he still seemed a safe distance from a story that will soon involve him. About 1,400 miles away in Manhattan, two federal law enforcement officials met for several hours with McNamee and his lawyers to discuss the Clemens-McNamee situation. Clemens and his lawyer, Rusty Hardin, have taken aim at McNamee, charging that he lied to Mitchell's investigators when he said he injected Clemens with steroids and H.G.H. on 16 occasions.

Re-imagining the Yankee Dynasty

Before I begin this exercise in What If? baseball history, let's just remember that hindsight is always 20/20. When we look back in time and try to evaluate trades that weren't made, it's easy to do it sitting here in 2008. The trick is to put our selves in the shoes of those involved in the decision. In this case, that means hoping in a time machine and journeying to July 31, 1998.

It is July 31, 1998, and the Yankees are on a once-in-a-lifetime roll. The Yankees are 76-27 with a 15-game lead over the Red Sox. Since a 1-3 start, the team was a blistering 75-24. That just doesn't happen.

But despite being prohibitive World Series favorites, the Yankees were always searching for ways to get better, and leading the charge was a rookie. General Manager Brian Cashman was in his first year as Yankee GM, and a series of moves and non-moves, beginning on that fateful night in July -- the trade deadline -- would impact the Yankees Dynasty up through the present day.

As site commenter Phil reminded us today, the Yankees were in the hunt for Randy Johnson. I had completely forgotten about these behind-the-scenes moves. But as RAB favorite and one-time Yankee beatwriter Buster Olney relates, the Yankees didn't pull the trigger:

The Yankees could have had Randy Johnson tonight. Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman could have called the Seattle Mariners and agreed to their demands, and Johnson, one of this generation's best pitchers, would have joined George Steinbrenner's juggernaut.

Instead, the Yankees decided to pass on Johnson, refusing Seattle's request for pitcher Hideki Irabu, the minor league infielder Mike Lowell and a second Class A player, and Johnson was traded to the Houston Astros. The Yankees' last-minute attempt to trade for Los Angeles reliever Antonio Osuna also fell apart. Cashman and the Yankees are betting they can win the World Series with the team that has won 76 of its first 103 games.

"We made a tough decision," Cashman said, "and we will live with it."

"The price," according to Cashman, "was too high." The price of Hideki Irabu, Mike Lowell, and a single A pitcher or the price of Ramiro Mendoza and Mike Lowell. It was all too high. Ironically, when Mike Lowell was traded five months later, the returns were meager. I can only wonder what changed -- other than one great Scott Brosius season -- in the intervening few months.

Now, for all the Cashman haters, this trade serves as the greatest indication of what he did wrong. Imagine Randy Johnson on the Yankees from 1998 through 2004 or 2005. How much would be different? Now, we can play that What If? game.

For starters, with Randy Johnson on board, I can't envision the Yankees trading for Roger Clemens, and from there, the picture gets murky. I'd guess that the Yankees still win the World Series in 1999 and 2000. The storylines diverge in 2001. With Randy Johnson pitching for them instead of against them, the Yanks win the 2001 World Series. Maybe they get bounced in 2002; maybe they don't. The 2003 season is hard to imagine also. That year, RJ made only 18 starts with the Diamondbacks.

But then we arrive at the Holy Grail of the What Ifs. In 2004, with Randy Johnson around and all things being equal, it's hard to see the Yankees going down in seven games. Kevin Brown wouldn't have been on the team because Hideki Irabu would have been traded to the Mariners instead of the Expos. Remember: The Expos sent Ted Lilly to the Yanks who sent Lilly away for Weaver who was traded for Kevin Brown. Got it?

The storylines merge though when 2005 arrives. We saw Randy Johnson 2005-2006; there's no need to recount that.

Yankees reportedly in chase for Cameron

The New York Yankees are showing serious interest in free agent center fielder Mike Cameron even though they already have Melky Cabrera and Johnny Damon, according to a report on FoxSports.com.

Although Cabrera's name has been mentioned in Johan Santana trade talks, the Yankees could also trade Cabrera elsewhere if they acquire Cameron, according to the report.

Cameron will serve a 25-game suspension to start the season for testing positive for a banned stimulant.

New York Yankees 2008 Spring Training Tickets go on sale today at 10 AM

INDIVIDUAL GAME TICKETS
Tickets for Yankees 2008 Spring Training games will go on sale on Friday, January 11 at 10:00 AM EST.

Tickets available at Ticketmaster

2008 Spring Training
Home Schedule
All times eastern and subject to change

February 29 Univ. of South Florida 1:15 p.m.
* Exhibition *

March 2 Phillies 1:15 p.m.
March 5 Twins 1:15 p.m.
March 7 Astros 1:15 p.m.
March 8 Rays 1:15 p.m.
March 10 Reds 7:15 p.m.
March 11 Blue Jays 1:15 p.m.
March 13 Pirates 1:15 p.m.
March 15 Rays 1:15 p.m.
March 16 Indians 1:15 p.m.
March 17 Red Sox 1:15 p.m.
March 21 Rays 7:15 p.m.
March 22 Blue Jays 1:15 p.m.
March 24 Phillies 7:15 p.m.
March 27 Pirates 1:15 p.m.

Click here for all baseball tickets going on sale today

Tickets for Yankees 2008 Spring Training

INDIVIDUAL GAME TICKETS
Tickets for Yankees 2008 Spring Training games will go on sale on Friday, January 11 at 10:00 AM EST.

Tickets available at Ticketmaster

2008 Spring Training
Home Schedule
All times eastern and subject to change

February 29 Univ. of South Florida 1:15 p.m.
* Exhibition *

For a complete least of all baseball tickets going onsale today click here

Gossage Will Enter Hall of Fame Wearing Yankees Cap

Rich ``Goose'' Gossage will wear a New York Yankees cap when he enters baseball's Hall of Fame.

The announcement was made at a press conference in New York today, one day after Gossage was the only player elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America in the 2008 class.

``Going to play for the Yankees was an out-of-body experience,'' Gossage said today. ``Putting on the pinstripes, I put so much pressure on myself.''

The Hall of Fame determines which caps players wear into the Cooperstown, New York, shrine. Gossage is the 25th Yankees player in the Hall of Fame, a Major League Baseball high, according to hall statistics.

Gossage played all or a part of seven seasons with the Yankees, leading the American League in saves twice and helping New York win the 1978 World Series. He spent his first five years with the Chicago White Sox and four seasons with the San Diego Padres, helping that franchise to its first World Series berth in 1984. Gossage played for nine teams in all.

The starter-turned-reliever, known for his bushy mustache, saved 310 games during his 22-year career.

Yankees Still Discussing Santana

The New York Yankees are still discussing whether to pursue a trade for Minnesota Twins ace Johan Santana, and senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner would like to make a deal.

"Nothing is really decided at this point," Steinbrenner said Friday night outside Legends Field at the team's spring training complex. "I'm still leaning towards doing it. There's others leaning not to do it. There are some others that are leaning to do it also. Disagreements within the organization. Nothing major, but just different opinions. I've changed my opinion a couple times."

Right-hander Phil Hughes and center fielder Melky Cabrera would likely be part of a three-player package needed to obtain Santana, a two-time Cy Young Award winner who can become a free agent after this season.

The Yankees made an offer to Minnesota for Santana earlier this offseason, then said they had pulled out of trade talks.

Steinbrenner said ultimately the final decision will made by ownership, but the opinion of general manager Brian Cashman is important.

"I always told him, `I'm going to make the final decisions because when you're the owner you should,'" Steinbrenner said. "He is the general manager, and he has the right to talk me out of it and he has talked me out of some things."

Steinbrenner said he has no problem going into the 2008 season with a rotation that doesn't include Santana, but features promising youngsters Hughes and Joba Chamberlain.

"I'm very happy with our young pitchers," he said.

Steinbrenner reiterated that he has no plans to bring back Roger Clemens in 2008. Steinbrenner does intend to watch Clemens' interview on CBS's "60 Minutes" on Sunday night.

Tickets for Yankees 2008 Spring Training

INDIVIDUAL GAME TICKETS
Tickets for Yankees 2008 Spring Training games will go on sale on Friday, January 11 at 10:00 AM EST.

Tickets available at Ticketmaster

2008 Spring Training
Home Schedule
All times eastern and subject to change

February 29 Univ. of South Florida 1:15 p.m.
* Exhibition *

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

"Goose" gets the call to the Hall

Former Yankees closer Rich Gossage was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame today by the Baseball Writers Association of America, leading the ballot with 85.5% of the vote.
The "Goose" saved 150 games for the Yankees in a six-year period from 1978-83, and was a member of their 1978 World Series championship team.
Gossage will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on July 27 in Cooperstown.

Yankee Funds for the Bronx in Limbo

Back in 2006, an agreement signed the day construction started for the new Yankee Stadium promised the team would pay $1.2 million a year in cash and in kind to a fund benefiting Bronx residents for 40 years. It was a gesture to make up for the inconvenience during construction and loss of parkland the new stadium was costing the neighborhood. After a year and half, none of the money has been distributed - and it's unclear who will be distributing it, if ever.

The Yankees organization says it has nothing to do with the distribution of the annual disbursal. The agreement was signed without any community participation, just a Yankees representative and four elected officials: Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion Jr. and three Bronx Council members. None of them agreed to talk to The New York Times, but the paper did identify the acting chairman of the invisible panel: Serafin U. Mariel, who couldn't identify any members of the group that is overseeing the distribution of funds and admitted the group has never met. The group hasn't actually even registered as a charity with either the IRS or the state attorney general yet.

Mariel said, "It has taken some time to choose the advisory panel, but while some of that time has been lost, I don't think any of the funding commitment will be lost." That may be, but the Yankees' first year contribution was $800,000 in cash and $450,000 in free tickets and athletic equipment. We can't imagine that the Yankees organization will allow any donation of free tickets to accrue season after season. Mariel also said he'll be calling the mystery panel to get the ball rolling on distributing funds. Hmm - what are the odds this will happen before Bronx Beep Carrion's campaign for New York City Comptroller?

Separately, parking at the new Yankee Stadium will cost more than double, from $14 to $29, whether you're a fan or just someone who needs a space. The state is paying the parking garage owner $70 million in direct subsidies for construction and the city is paying more than $30 million to replace parks displaced by the new garages and lots. Source>>>

Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte retains Sammy Sosa's lawyer

Andy Pettitte retained a new lawyer for his upcoming appearance before a congressional committee and will be represented by Pittsburgh attorney Jay Reisinger.

Pettitte, Roger Clemens and Chuck Knoblauch, the three players invited to testify Jan. 16 before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, all share the same agents, Randy and Alan Hendricks. Clemens is being represented on drug matters by Houston lawyer Rusty Hardin.

Reisinger represented Sammy Sosa when he testified before the same committee three years ago.

Brian McNamee, the former trainer for Clemens and Pettitte, also has been asked to testify along with former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski. McNamee told baseball investigator George Mitchell that he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone -- some of it obtained from Radomski.

Pettitte has acknowledged twice receiving HGH shots from McNamee.

Clemens filed a lawsuit against McNamee on Sunday and is scheduled to talk to reporters in Houston later this afternoon.

Rockies tix probe fails to round bases Team never filed state complaint, and FBI has no suspects

Nearly three months after the World Series online-ticketing fiasco, federal authorities have yet to identify anyone who perpetrated what the Colorado Rockies called a "malicious attack" on ticket-sales computers, and a state investigation has ended before it began.

"The Rockies never actually provided us with any complaint" about the system collapse, said Nate Strauch, spokesman for Colorado Attorney General John Suthers. "They didn't provide us with any information to initiate any investigation."

The FBI in Southern California is still investigating the overload of ticketing computer servers that prematurely shut down the first day of online sales. But no one has been identified as responsible for trying to defeat the technology restricting the number of tickets any one person could buy.

The federal investigation is based out of Southern California, where ticket contractor Paciolan is located, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.

"The server was compromised. A violation of federal law was at play there. We are going to look into that and prosecute the individuals that were responsible," she said.

But changes may be in place before the Rockies can reach the World Series again.

Suthers will ask state lawmakers, who begin meeting this week, to make it illegal to tamper with online ticket-sales operations, Strauch said.

The Rockies' online-only ticket sales system failure on Oct. 22 left thousands of baseball lovers in a lurch.

When fans hoping to attend World Series games logged onto computers with credit cards at the ready, the system timed out or froze. Rockies staffers shut down sales for a day, then restarted the process with retuned servers and better results. The remaining tickets promptly sold out.

Rockies spokesman Jay Alves declined to comment Monday on the probe, as did Paciolan representatives

Source>>>>

Monday, January 7, 2008

Report: Clemens, McNamee had lengthy conversation Friday night

Ever since the Mitchell report was released Dec. 13, Roger Clemens and his former trainer, Brian McNamee, have been trading barbs via lawyers through the media. According to a published report, they spoke by phone Friday night.

While it is uncertain who initiated the call, a source told New York Newsday the conversation lasted about an hour and could be described as "emotional."

In the Mitchell report, McNamee said he injected Clemens with steroids during the pitcher's career.

The paper also reported that the verbal back-and-forth between Clemens and McNamee has drawn the attention of Jeff Novitzky, an IRS special agent responsible for the indictment of Barry Bonds in November on felony charges of perjury and obstruction of justice.

A person familiar with the situation told Newsday on Saturday that Novitzky has turned his focus toward Clemens in the wake of the exchanges between Clemens and McNamee.

A "60 Minutes" interview with Clemens is scheduled to air Sunday night. He is expected to refute McNamee's claims that the trainer injected the embattled pitcher with steroids.

Clemens says McNamee injected him with lidocaine and vitamin B-12, not steroids or human growth hormone, according to a portion of the interview that was released Thursday.

"Lidocaine and B-12. It's for my joints, and B-12 I still take today," Clemens told interviewer Mike Wallace. It is Clemens' first interview since the release of the Mitchell report.

According to CBS, Clemens calls the accusation that he used steroids and HGH "ridiculous" and says he never used any banned substances. The interview was conducted at Clemens' home in Katy, Texas, a suburb west of Houston.

Clemens is scheduled to hold a news conference Monday.

Earl Ward, an attorney for McNamee, said his client stands by "everything he said to Senator Mitchell and federal investigators."

"Brian has a master's degree in sports medicine," Ward told ESPN The Magazine's Shaun Assael. "He knows the difference between lidocaine, B-12 and testosterone. What he injected into Roger Clemens wasn't lidocaine or B-12. It was testosterone."

Another lawyer for McNamee, Richard Emery, has threatened to sue Clemens for defamation.

"I think that this is a lawyers' game, which allows him to try and attempt to say that McNamee didn't know what he was injecting or that at least Clemens didn't know what he was injecting,'' Emery said.

"It really depends now on how the whole interview goes, and whether he goes after Brian. Look, I don't care whether Clemens used Sodium Pentothal. I don't care if he used strontium 90. My only concern is for Brian's well-being and his future.''

Clemens is on a short list of former players who have been invited to speak before a congressional hearing discussing the Mitchell report on Jan. 15 and 16. Source>>>

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Yankees Season Ticket Seller Beware

Dear Yankees Fan:

The upcoming baseball season will mark the final time the New York Yankees (the "Yankees") will take the field at "The House That Ruth Built." While the new ballpark will undoubtedly become a baseball landmark, the current Yankee Stadium (the "Stadium") remains a link to Yankees greats of the past and a showcase for the team's stars of today.

Today marks a very significant moment in the history of our franchise. In our great tradition of providing the very best experience for our fans, we have arrived at the precipice of unveiling plans for our new home...the new Yankee Stadium!

While our address will continue to be 161st Street and River Ave. in the Bronx, there are many new, exciting and significant changes that are being made to upgrade our new home, changes that will make you proud to be with us at every game. As you will learn in the coming months, we have made certain that the new Yankee Stadium will feature the finest and most state-of-the-art stadium amenities, while maintaining the look and feel of the existing Stadium and splendidly embody the celebrated history and tradition you've grown accustomed to as a loyal Yankees fan.

Early in 2008, you will receive an official New Yankee Stadium Relocation Package which will detail our relocation policies and procedures, your relocation status as a Ticket Licensee and complete information about seating opportunities at the new Yankee Stadium. For additional information, as it becomes available, please continue to visit www.yankees.com.

The Yankees are pleased to host the 2008 All-Star Summer including the 79th Major League Baseball ("MLB") All-Star Game. For five action packed days, baseball's biggest stars will descend on New York City for what will truly be a magical experience for the players and all Yankees fans. The All-Star events, which will be held at the Stadium, begin on Friday, July 11, 2008 with the opening of the DHL All-Star FanFest (which will be held at the Jacob K. Javits Center), followed by Taco Bell All-Star Sunday (featuring the XM All-Star Futures Game and the Taco Bell Legends & Celebrity Softball Game,) on Sunday July 13, 2008, Gatorade Workout Day (featuring the State Farm Home Run Derby), on Monday, July 14, 2008, and conclude with the 79th MLB All-Star Game, on Tuesday, July 15, 2008.

Given the importance of these events to our loyal Ticket Licensees, MLB and the Yankees will use commercially reasonable business efforts to offer all Ticket Licensees an opportunity to purchase, subject to availability, (as determined by MLB and the Yankees, from time to time) a Ticket license for the events during the MLB All-Star Summer '08. For Ticket information about the 79th MLB All-Star Game, please reference the enclosed literature or simply visit www.yankees.com.

As we prepare for the 2008 season, the final season in the Stadium, we would like to thank you for helping us again set a new single season American League attendance record during 2007. We greatly appreciate your support during the 2007 campaign and hope that you will support us again as we make a run for our 27th World Championship.

We would like to offer you the Ticket License specified in the enclosed invoice for the 2008 season. Please note that full payment is due no later than Friday, January 11, 2008. If we receive your full payment by Friday, January 11, 2008, Tickets will be delivered to you prior to March 31, 2008, via overnight carrier, with an adult signature required. If you foresee any delivery problems, please contact the Yankees Ticket Office, via e-mail at tickets@yankees.com, or by calling (718) 293-6000 immediately.

As you know, the benefits of being a Yankees Ticket Licensee are immense, including, discounts off the game day Ticket price; the Ticket exchange program; the opportunity to participate in the Ticket Licensee Regular Season Pre-On-Sale; Group Ticket discounts; the unused Ticket credit program; the Yankees secondary Ticket marketplace through StubHub; and, most importantly, being part of a winning tradition. Furthermore, as part of our continuing effort to create value for you, we hope to institute some exciting new programs and policies which we feel will add to your overall experience. Please take a moment to review the following benefits (in the set forth included literature), which has been added to your 2008 Ticket License Plan. For complete information on all Ticket Licensee benefits, please visit the Ticket Licensee section, located under Tickets, at www.yankees.com.

On behalf of the entire Yankees organization, thank you for your continued and loyal support. We look forward to having you with us for this momentous occasion in our history. We extend sincere wishes to you and your family for a safe and happy upcoming holiday season and we look forward to having you with us the 2008 "The Final Season" at the greatest address in sports history...161st Street and River Ave, the Bronx, New York...Yankee Stadium!!!

Please do not hesitate to contact the Yankees Ticket Office at (718) 293-6000 or via the Internet at tickets@yankees.com if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

New York Yankees

New Amenities for 2008 Ticket Licensees
2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Summer Tickets
Existing Full Season, A Plan and B Plan Ticket Licensees (2007 season and prior): MLB and the Yankees will use commercially reasonable business efforts to offer Full Season, A Plan and B Plan Ticket Licensees the opportunity to purchase a license, for Tickets, equal to the quantity of Ticket(s) in said Ticket Licensee's Ticket Account, not necessarily in the same seat locations (subject to availability), for the All-Star events scheduled to be held at the Stadium. All-Star events consist of the following: the DHL All-Star FanFest (to be held at the Jacob K. Javits Center), the Taco Bell All-Star Sunday, (featuring the XM All-Star Futures Game and the Taco Bell Legends & Celebrity Softball Game, the Gatorade Workout Day (featuring the State Farm Home Run Derby) and the 79th MLB All-Star Game.

DHL All-Star FanFest Tickets: All Ticket Licensees, regardless of plan type, must purchase a strip or strips of Tickets for all MLB All-Star events to be held at the Stadium (i.e. the same seat location and the same quantity of strips for all All-Star events) and each strip will include 2 DHL FanFest Tickets. For example, if you purchase two (2) All-Star events strips of Tickets, you will also purchase four (4) FanFest Tickets. There is no exceptions to this policy.

MLB and the Yankees will use commercially reasonable business efforts to offer C Plan through I Plan, the 20-Game Flex Plan and new 2008 Full Season, A Plan and B Plan Ticket Licensees the opportunity to purchase (the "All-Star Pre-On-Sale"), on-line via www.yankees.com and subject to availability (as determined by MLB and the Yankees, from time to time) All-Star Tickets prior to any scheduled All-Star Ticket On-Sale to the general public. The following maximum quantity of Tickets, per Ticket License Account, can be purchased, subject to availability, during the All-Star Pre-On-Sale:

* Ten (10) Tickets to the Taco Bell All-Star Sunday;
* Two (2) Tickets to the Gatorade Workout Day (featuring the State Farm Home Run Derby); and
* Two (2) Tickets to the 79th MLB All-Star Game

For complete All-Star Event ticket information, as it becomes available, please visit www.yankees.com.

Ticket Licensee Scheduled Final Regular Season Game Pre-On-Sale: As an existing B Plan, D Plan through I Plan and 20-Game Flex Plan Ticket Licensee (2007 season and prior), you will have the opportunity to purchase, on-line via www.yankees.com and subject to availability, (as determined by the Yankees, from time to time) two (2) Tickets, per Ticket License Account, to the Final Regular Season Game* to be played at the Stadium on Sunday, September 21, 2008. Tickets can be purchased, subject to availability, on the following dates between the hours of 10:00 AM and 10:00 PM::

* B Plan, Ticket Licensees - Tuesday, February 19, 2008
* D Plan through I Plan, Ticket Licensees - Wednesday, February 20, 2008
* 20-Game Flex Plan, Ticket Licensees - Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Please note, Full Season, A Plan and C Plan Ticket Licensees are not eligible for the "Ticket Licensee Scheduled Final Regular Season Game Pre-On-Sale" as these Ticket plans include the Final Regular Season Game* which is scheduled for Sunday, September 21, 2008.

* The Final Regular Season Game shall be the last home game scheduled to be played in the Stadium on Sunday, September 21, 2008, notwithstanding any rainout games, postponed games, rescheduled games or canceled games which may be played after Sunday, September 21, 2008.

Ticket Licensee Regular Season Pre-On-Sale: As an existing Ticket Licensee (2007 season and prior), you will have the opportunity to purchase, on-line via www.yankees.com and subject to availability (as determined by the Yankees, from time to time), 2008 individual game Tickets, between the hours of 10:00 AM and 10:00 PM, on Friday, February 22, 2008, prior to the public on-sale presently scheduled for Friday, February 29, 2008.

Prior to purchasing Tickets, during any scheduled "Pre-On-Sale" you will be required to enter a pre-determined password. To obtain your pre-determined password, please login to your "My Yankees Account" and click on "Edit Profile" and scroll down to "Pre-Sale Password." Please make certain that you enter your password as it appears, as the password is upper and lower case sensitive. If you have any problems accessing your "My Yankees Account" or questions regarding your pre-determined password, please contact the Yankees Ticket Office at (718) 293-6000 or via e-mail at tickets@yankees.com.

To complete your transaction, you will be required to create a new Ticketmaster account or access your existing Ticketmaster account. If you already have a Ticketmaster account, please use your existing user name and password. Please be advised that your "My Yankees Account" password is used only to access your Yankees Account and has no relationship with your Ticketmaster account password. (There will be a strict 2-Ticket limit for the Final Regular Season Game* at the Stadium; a strict 4-Ticket limit for Premium Games; and a strict 12-Ticket limit for all other regular season games, subject to availability, as determined by the Yankees, from time to time. Orders exceeding the assigned per game Ticket limits will be canceled without contact from Ticketmaster or the Yankees. Additional Ticketmaster service charges will apply.)

Yankees Secondary Ticket Marketplace: StubHub has been selected by MLB as the Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB.com and the Yankees. Commencing for the 2008 season, you may post Yankees Tickets for resale on StubHub through www.yankees.com with no restrictions on resale price. For more information, please visit www.yankees.com.

Resale of Ticket(s): Any direct or indirect sale, resale, auction, assignment or transfer (collectively, "resale") of Tickets must be done in accordance with applicable law. Any resale or attempted resale in violation of applicable law violates this License. New York State law prohibits the resale of any Ticket(s) within one thousand five hundred feet from the physical structure of the Stadium under penalty of law. No Ticket(s) may be used for advertising, promotion (including contests, giveaways or sweepstakes), or other trade or commercial purposes without the express written consent of the Yankees. Any violation of the License shall give the Yankees the unrestricted right to revoke this License, terminate this License and/or cancel the Ticket Account immediately. The Licensee is absolutely responsible for any violation of the License and should safeguard the Ticket(s) so that the License is not violated. The Yankees reserve the right to investigate violations of the License. The failure of the Licensee or any person in possession of the Ticket(s) to cooperate with any investigation constitutes a violation of the License.

Finance Your Ticket License with Bank of America: The Yankees and Bank of America have teamed up to provide a simple, convenient and cost effective way to finance your Ticket License for the upcoming season. New applicants can call Bank of America at 1-800-906-6262, Monday through Friday 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM (ET), and mention priority code FAB3Y8, to inquire about special rates available to finance your Ticket License.

If you already have a Bank of America Yankees credit card, please call 1-800-711-0417 to inquire about any low APRs available when charging your Ticket License. Please have your New York Yankees Ticket License invoice in hand when you call. Offer expires Friday, December 28, 2007. For complete information, please see included literature or visit www.yankees.com.

Premium Games: The term "Premium Games" is defined as the Opening Day game, the Old-Timers' Day game, the final three (3) regular season games scheduled to be played at the Stadium, and all games played against the following teams: (i) Boston Red Sox, and (ii) New York Mets.
Current Ticket Licensee Benefits
For complete information, including all Ticket License benefits, terms and conditions and Ticket information, please visit www.yankees.com.

Manage Your Ticket Account On-line: "My Yankees Account" by Ticketmaster is your one-stop shop for on-line Ticket Account management. Now you can make payments, renew your Ticket Account, track Ticket usage and update your profile all from your own personal on-line Ticket Account.

Ticket Forwarding: You can send your Tickets to anyone, up to 45 minutes before any game, via Ticket Forwarding. This service allows you to e-mail Tickets to friends, family members and clients. Simply login to your "My Yankees Account," and select the Tickets you wish to send, enter the recipient's information and forward. It's so easy - you don't even need to have the Tickets in hand.

Ticket Licensee - Ticket Shipping Information: All Ticket Licensees have the ability to add a Ticket Shipping address to their Ticket License Account. This Ticket Shipping address will only be used for the shipping of regular season or Postseason Tickets, when applicable. To submit a Ticket Shipping address, please login to your "My Yankees Account," and click on "Edit Profile," followed by "Update Ticket Shipping Address." Please do not hesitate to contact the Yankees Ticket Office at (718) 293-6000 or via the Internet at tickets@yankees.com if you have any questions.

Yankees Charity Ticket Program: The Yankees are proud to team up with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City ("BBBS"), to offer our valued Ticket Licensees a program that permits Ticket Licensees to donate any of their 2008 Tickets. The Yankees Charity Ticket Program will permit the donation of Tickets, via Ticket Forwarding, to BBBS with just a few clicks of a mouse. For complete information, please visit www.yankees.com.

Ticket Licensee Postseason Grandfather Option: All Partial Season Ticket Licensees, with a seniority date of July 31, 1999 and prior (specifically C through I Plans and the 20-Game Flex Plan whose current plans do not provide any opportunity to purchase Postseason Tickets), will have an opportunity to purchase the same number of seats for one game, not necessarily a guaranteed game, for each Postseason series.

Ticket Licensee Postseason Pre-On-Sale: All Partial Season Ticket Licensees, with a seniority date of August 1, 1999 to present, (specifically C through I Plans and the 20-Game Flex Plan, whose current plans do not provide any opportunity to purchase Postseason Game Tickets) will have an opportunity, "on-line via www.yankees.com" and subject to availability, (as determined by the Yankees, from time to time), to purchase Postseason individual game Tickets, between the hours of 10:00 AM-10:00 PM, on a day subsequently to be determined, prior to any scheduled Postseason public on-sale. Ticket Licensees will be limited to 2 Tickets per Round, 6 Tickets in total, per account, for the Division Series, American League Championship Series and World Series. Please continue visiting www.yankees.com for information and instructions. (Orders exceeding the assigned per game Ticket limits will be canceled without contact from Ticketmaster or the Yankees. Additional Ticketmaster service charges will apply.)

On-line Tracking: Commencing on or about Monday, March 19, 2008 you may track your Ticket License Plan package, on-line, by visiting our website at www.yankees.com and clicking on the link labeled "2008 Ticket License Plan Tracking." When prompted, enter your Account Number and zip code in the respective areas and click "Track" and all available tracking information will appear. (Your Account Number is located above the Account Name on the invoice.)

Ticket Licensee Group Ticket Discount: As a valued Ticket Licensee, we would like to offer you a special opportunity to purchase Group Tickets with a discount of $3.00 off each Ticket purchased for selected Monday through Thursday games during the 2008 regular season.

Unused Ticket Credit Program: In addition to our existing Ticket Exchange Program, the Yankees will also offer a credit for unused 2008 regular season Tickets for games that have already been played. Simply, present any unused* Ticket to the Advance Ticket Windows or any designated Ticket sales booth and receive a $5.00 credit toward the purchase of one Ticket (limit one $5.00 credit per unused Ticket per purchase) to a game specified as an Unused Ticket Credit Game in the following locations: Tier Box, Tier Reserved and Bleachers (all locations subject to availability). To view the list of Unused Ticket Credit Games, terms and conditions, visit www.yankees.com. * Unused 2008 Regular Season Tickets are defined as 2008 Regular Season Tickets with untorn stubs (Tickets with stubs taped or pasted back together will not be accepted) or un-scanned barcodes for games that have already been played.

2008 Ticket License Plan - Postseason Option Information

1. By accepting this Non-Renewable, Revocable Ticket License (this "License"), Licensee acknowledges and agrees that it has no expectancy, right or privilege to any Tickets to "Postseason Games" played in by the Yankees (e.g., Division Series, League Championship Series, and World Series), or any other events held at the Stadium (e.g., the All Star Game, etc.). The purchase of Tickets to Postseason Games and other events shall be subject to the terms and conditions as set forth, from time to time, by MLB, the Yankees or the organizer of the event, as applicable. Any opportunity granted by the Yankees to renew the License or to purchase Tickets to Postseason Games or other events is a privilege revocable, at any time, in the Yankees' sole discretion.
2. All Postseason Tickets and seat locations are dependent upon the requirements of MLB, rightsholders and the press, all of whom will have priority for Postseason Tickets and seat locations.
3. Subject to Paragraphs 1 and 2, above, and Postseason Ticket availability, the Yankees will use commercially reasonable business efforts to offer Full Season, A Plan and B Plan Ticket Licensees the opportunity to purchase a License for Postseason Tickets in the same seat locations (subject to availability) for all Postseason Games scheduled to be played in the Stadium.
4. Subject to Paragraphs 1 and 2, above, and Postseason Ticket availability the Yankees will use commercially reasonable business efforts to offer Partial Season Ticket Licensees, with Ticket Accounts with a Seniority Date of no later than July 31, 1999 (specifically C through I Plans and the 20-Game Flex Plan whose current plans do not provide any opportunity to purchase Postseason Tickets), the opportunity to purchase a License for a limited number of Postseason Game Tickets located anywhere in the Stadium to one Postseason Game (not necessarily a guaranteed Postseason Game) for each Postseason series. The number of Postseason Tickets that may be purchased for the applicable Postseason Game will be limited to an amount equal to the same number of Regular Season Tickets purchased by the Partial Season Ticket Licensee under such qualifying Ticket Account.
5. Subject to Paragraphs 1 and 2, above, and Postseason Ticket availability, the Yankees will use commercially reasonable business efforts to offer Partial Season Ticket Licensees, with Ticket Accounts with a Seniority Date of August 1, 1999 and later (specifically C through I Plans and the 20-Game Flex Plan, whose current plans do not provide any opportunity to purchase Postseason Tickets), the opportunity to purchase, ON-LINE ONLY and subject to availability, 2 Tickets per Series, 6 Tickets in total, per Ticket License Account, for potential Division Series, American League Championship Series and World Series games, before the scheduled Postseason Ticket On-Sale to the general public.

On behalf of the entire Yankees organization, thank you for your continued and loyal support. Please do not hesitate to contact the Yankees Ticket Office at (718) 293-6000 or via the Internet at tickets@yankees.com if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

New York Yankees

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Monday, January 28, 2008

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Friday, January 25, 2008

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Monday, January 21, 2008

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Friday, January 18, 2008

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Monday, January 14, 2008

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Friday, January 11, 2008

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Monday, January 7, 2008

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Subscribe to Baseball Fan

Baseball Tickets

Shop Baseball

Blog Archive

Hot Off The Press