Bryan

Brian Cashman is, apparently, no longer running the Yankees. There is no hope.

Buchholz. Sorry, but it irritates me. This Twins writer is reporting Boston to be the front runner and the deal apparently being... Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie, Jon Lester, and Justin Masterson. http://www.twincities.com/walters I'd do that in a hot second if it was actually on the table and I'd have to think Theo would have pulled this trigger as well, unless they are working out money or something. Or, the proposal isn't actually true. Santana Beckett Matsuzaka Schilling Buchholz Dear God. I'm assuming the Yankees said no to Hughes, Austin Jackson and Melky Cabrera and are trying to work the price down. That would be an absolute steal for the Sox and they should have pulled the trigger on that already. I'd get rid of Jon Lester ASAP while he still has some high value. I doubt that's an actual Twins proposal. Maybe the Sox proposal to the Twins.

I said a BIG MARKET team with prospects worth receiving! Boston has way more to offer the Twins than the Yankees, true or false? false. How so? Do you really think Boston would let it happen. I mean they can offer them Jacoby Ellsbury to start any package for Santana! First of all, Jacoby Ellsbury isn't as valuable as Clay Buchholz, Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain. If either team wanted to 'sell their soul', if you will, Ellsbury isn't the tip of any iceberg. Jacoby is the 4th best prospect if you combine the two systems. Second of all, the Red Sox aren't going to trade Jacoby Ellsbury. Third, and most importantly, like I said in another thread, this is going to end up being a B-prospect war. Neither organization is stupid enough to part with Ellsbury, Buchholz, Hughes or Chamberlain. If they were willing to do so, the first to call the Twins would already be inking Santanas new contract. If Hughes or Ellsbury are suddenly tossed into any deal, Santana is theirs. It's highly unlikely it comes to that, at this point, however. The Yankees simply have better young players to offer the Twins past the two teams Big 2 (which we'll call a wash, just so we don't get too off-topic). EDIT: What Yankees said also applies.

Not going to happen, if Santana goes anywhere it'll be to a BIG MARKET team with a few prospects to play with, come to mind I think he'll go to the Boston Redsox! I'm pretty sure New York is a big market. Just a guess though. Read what I wrote, where does it say that New York isn't a BIG MARKET team? I said a BIG MARKET team with prospects worth receiving! Boston has way more to offer the Twins than the Yankees, true or false? Now do you think Boston is going to let the Yankees get in my opinion one of the best pitchers in the game? I think not. Absolutely totally and completely false. Read up.

Rays need pitching... Kazmir-Shields-Garza is a nice 1-2-3. Getting pitching at a 3 or 4:1 value is not worth it.

RIP

I think putting him at Pedro levels is pretty generous (although I suspect you were just putting that name in there as a comparison) as his 2004 season is the only thing that approached Pedro's level (again, he wasn't at it, he just approached). I would only acquire Santana if I knew he was going to sign an extension with me once the trade went through. That would have to be part of the deal. I don't even want to leave the chance of leaving my dick out flapping in the wind as he leaves your team after one year after you've given up a bunch of prospects. If the Sox could do a deal without giving up Ellsbury or Buchholz (Lowrie + Bowden + etc. + etc.), I'd do it without think about it. If they can't, they need to step away. They've shown they can win it all as constructed and I fully expect them to be better next year, Santana or no Santana. Pedro was only a comparison in to how far superior he was to his competition over a period. No one has put up Pedro's numbers before in the history of baseball (factoring in the eras). Santana has a full NTC and the speculation is he won't agree to any trade unless an extension is worked out with the team he's going to. He wants security in the deal just as much as the team acquiring him does. Rumor is they're pushing for about 6 years/150 million. A hefty tag that only a select few teams can meet. This is why the Twins are going to get absolutely screwed talent-wise in any deal. Their hands are already tied. I'm not sure the Sox have the B-level prospects to compete in a trading war with the likes of the Angels, Dodgers and Yankees. If they offered Ellsbury they certainly could get a deal done, but while they have 2 elite prospects that match up with anyone, they simply aren't that deep. I find it hard to believe they'd part with him (though IMO, they should if it nets Santana, and Ellsbury is THE major centerpiece with 1-2 fringe prospects). Buchholz should be absolutely untouchable though, and I suspect he is. I really don't see the Sox as suitors unless they part with one of the two and I don't think they're dumb enough to have that happen. I just don't see them winning (or wanting to win) a B-prospect bidding war with the Angels, Dodgers or Yankees. They're too smart and well-run an organization to have that happen. The farm system would be almost entirely barren. Santana would make them undeniable, Patriots-type favorites to win the World Series next year if Santana was acquired, however.

I love Santana as much as anyone, but he is on a downward trend. The HR total he gave up this year should be a big red flag for a lot of teams before they fork over a ton of coin. I hope the Sox stay the hell away. It's hard to dispute that he's had a four-year downward trend as just about every statistical category concurs with this theory. However, anyone who gets him is getting an ace for the next two years. Keep in mind he's coming down from Pedro Martinez-esque dominance to simply being one of the games top 5 starters. I find it hard to believe he won't give someone at least a 3.4 ERA or below next year and the year after. It's not worth the price tag, but it's not my money, and for teams who work on seemingly unlimited budgets, it's really irrelevant whether he's worth 25 million or not. Is he going to be a great pitcher over the entire length of the rumored 6 year deal? It's doubtful, but you're getting an absolute stud for at least the next year or two who you'll be more than happy to go to battle with in game 7 of any playoff series. His decline is a decline from super-human levels. I seriously doubt he'll ever become worse than a 3 in the AL, his decline won't reach those levels, not over the next six years. He's too good. I'd take him on my team anyday, particularly if the price tag can be worked down to secondary prospects only (as I suspect).

Santana isn't going to cost anyone that much anyway. The Twins are asking the Yankees for Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera and Austin Jackson. That's not some minor coup, but Cabrera is an average major league CF and AJax has only hit well for 4 months in his entire career. Hughes is/was obviously regarded as the best pitching prospect in baseball, but regardless, it's not nearly what some were claiming that the Twins would demand for Santana (Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, Jose Tabata and Jeff Marquez). I think at the end of the day, you're going to see someone end up with him for a package like the following: Alan Horne, Jeff Marquez, Melky Cabrera and Austin Jackson. I genuinely believe secondary prospects are going to be enough to get a deal done. The Dodgers, Angels and Yankees have a ton of these, and I'd put them as the frontrunners for his services. No one is going to be able to rationalize giving away (again, in the Yankees case) Phil Hughes or (Red Sox case) Clay Buchholz for 250K, who will both probably pitch to around a mid 3-ERA this year or better, to earn the right to sign Johan Santana to the richest contract ever for a pitcher. If any organization does this, they're simply not well-run or have lost their f***ing minds. And I believe you meant Mulvey, not Slowey. You weren't that far off.

Terrible. I remember his debut. RIP.

MOVIE: PAN'S LABYRINTH (Rated R- English Subtitles) STARRING: Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdu, Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Doug Jones PLOT: The story is set in Spain, 1944 (Towards the end of the Spanish Civil War). A young girl named Ofelia and her pregnant mother move in with the girl's new stepdad Captain Vidal. Spain is in a very violent state as the captain spends his days viciously hunting down rebels in the nearby countryside. Ofelia is a very imaginitive child and is always looking to escape into her own fantasy world. Right after she has settled in to her new home, a mysterious faun arrives and tells the girl that she was once a princess of a magical realm that entered the world of mortals, lost her memory, and was reincarnated as Ofelia. To prove that the faun's story is true, the girl is given 3 magical tasks to do as her new stepdad and the rebels fight in the background. REVIEW: Visually outstanding. Take the Chronicles Of Narnia or even Harry Potter and give it the wartime violence of Schindler's List and this is the result. While it deals with children and fables, this is not a children's movie; it is very graphic. I found myself glued to the screen the whole time as it just pulls you into it. You may need to see this movie more than once to take it all in. Be warned: the audio is in Spanish with English subtitles and is not for the squeamish. GRADE: ***1/2 out of 4. In hindsight, this was my favorite and, I personally feel, the best movie of 2006. I encourage everyone to see it. Also, if you're still catching up on 2006, you should definitely see these next four as well: 2. V for Vendetta 3. L'Enfant 4. The Fountain 5. The Lives of Others My hindsight top 5 is probably quite a bit different than my clouded judgement top 5 from earlier this year. Those are some incredible films though..

Taken from SOSH: "Please. Jeter has had a home in Tampa since 1994. what is at dispute is he spent more time than usual in New York from 2001-2003. It's just the tax man trying to get more money out of a person. Millions of dollar in revenue. Should Jeter have to pay state taxes in two states? (i know Florida doesn't have a state income tax, but if they did, where does he pay? New York or Florida, or some other state? ) Do you guys honestly believe that Jeter doesn't know the law? His position is that he is a resident of Tampa, Fla. He does business in New York. New York feels he spent enough time in New York to be a resident. It's in dispute. A judge will decide the merits and rule. This happens a lot, especially when rich people have the means to live in a no state income tax state. " "Jeter's agent, Casey Close of Creative Artists Agency Sports, disputed tax officials' claim that the baseball star lived in New York during the time in question. "As a Yankee, Derek has great affection for the people of New York and its amazing fans, but since the mid-1990s, he has made his home in Tampa, Florida," Close said in an e-mail to FOXNews.com.?|" Jeter's saying he doesn't have to pay income tax in a state in which he's not a resident. New York says he does. There is a dispute. We'll see who ends up being right.

As someone said on nyyfans.. 'All parties involved: commence backpeddling!'

That's going to be an albatross. An albatross? Based on what? He's a switch hitting catcher that can DH or play either corner infield position. I've never been a huge fan of Posada but you can't deny his production and/or value. R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG 91 171 42 1 20 90 275 74 98 2 0 . 426 .543 .338 Based on the fact that: A) He sucks behind the plate B) Pitchers don't like pitching to him C) He's awful in the clutch D) He's coming off a career-year hitting-wise that was highly reliant on an incredibly high BABIP E) He is a .260 15 home run hitter who strikes out a ton F) He's only going to get worse over the 3rd and 4th years of the deal There were no other options for the Yankees to pursue, however, so the albatross was necessary and warranted. That's going to be an albatross. I guess if it keeps Rivera in pinstripes and, in turn, Chamberlain out of the bullpen then it's passable...Maybe. If Posada were to leave, Jeter would demand a trade LOL.

That's going to be an albatross. I guess if it keeps Rivera in pinstripes and, in turn, Chamberlain out of the bullpen then it's passable...Maybe.

Rating - 9/10. Review to come later. I'm definitely going to be seeing it a few times. It's not something I believe you can accurately gauge the greatness of right away.

Seeing it in about an hour. I will report back right away. I would've posted in Fox's thread, but I didn't want to hijack. I also didn't want to post it in the 'Reviews' thread since I feel the hype surrounding this merits its own thread. The movie should also spur quite a bit of discussion and different, heated viewpoints, so I think its own thread is warranted.

I didn't know where else to post this and I didn't want to start a whole new thread, but I just felt like making a post on this and didn't know where else to track down some hip-hop fans. I'm embarrassed to admit I just now caught Jay-Z's Beach Chair. It's incredible. I'm not much of a fan of the new school stuff by Jay (really anyone in the game), but this is some of the best stuff I've heard dropped in a while. Kingdom Come on the whole was a pretty weak effort, I thought, but Jay absolutely KILLS this track. Loved it. Some real soul there. Now, what's the deal with Dead Presidents III? We ever gonna have that drop or is Jay planning on holding that back? I heard it was gonna be on American Gangster, but it's not on the retail. Anyone? EDIT: And, as if it needed to be said, Doc is the MAN. The beat on 'Trouble' is so raw and deep. Wow. Not a great song, but that beat is ripe man.

What begins? "The only options, as Andy has stated, are the Yankees or retirement." Explain. If he retires it would be a definite hole, would it not? Of course. That doesnt answer the question though. What begins? Some kind of mass exodus as a result of Joe Torre leaving? Pettitte was going to sit on this decision either way. He even said who the manager was (as Torre was being fired) would have no effect on his decision making. What's beginning? The end of the Yankees is we know them. That's what begins. You should reread this post so you can realize how paranoid it sounds. I LOL'd when I read it. I hate to ruin all the fun, but I don't get paranoid over sports teams, especially ones with the highest payroll in the sport. There's too much other sh*t going on to be "paranoid" about the Yankees. I LOL'd reading your accusation. The Yankees are who we thought they were.

Has Anyone here read No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy? The Coen brothers made a movie adaptation of it that comes out soon that looks fantastic and I was wondering if anyone liked/knew the source material. I'm thinking of buying it off Amazon soon. Finished it today. Some parts are excellent. Chigurh is a badass in the book (I heard he is equally as badass in the movie). I got chills reading some of the stuff he did. The Sheriff Bell character was a drag to read sometimes. It's a very fast read and I recommend it. Can't wait to see what the Coens do with this. The book in many ways feels like a movie. I'll let you judge that one by yourself. Money. Drugs. Deaths. Chigurh. It's excellent. Very fast, not quite as affecting as Blood Meridian turned out to be, but, still, great stuff. Ed Tom Bell was the moral center of the book and is THE vital character to the story. I guess we just interpreted it differently. It's something you can read a few times. I loved it.

I definitely agree with that. I'm not sure if the Yankees are read to take the one step back to take two steps forward though, especially with Boston coming off the championship. Rivera needs to be resigned just to keep Joba Chamberlain out of the bullpen. You can't hold back a possible Ace, it's assanine. For that simple reason, I believe the few intelligent baseball men in the Yankees front office will push for Rivera hard. Posada, despite a career year last year, is a .260 batting, 15 home run hitting catcher who is well beyond the age threshold at his position. I actually wouldn't mind seeing him go, and while it would certainly be a step back from him to Jose Molina. I honestly don't believe it's THAT much of a difference. Pitchers have consistently disliked Posada's game calling, his catching skills are quickly regressing (he's very bad now), and he strikes out a ton. Add in .260 and 15 homers, plus horrible recent playoff performance and he doesn't sound that great anymore. Would it be a loss? Sure. But, I'd much rather put that money elsewhere in the 2008 FA market and the 2008 amateur draft (with the two bonus first round picks from Posada). This won't happen, of course. Posada will be resigned at a huge price and the Yankees will have another DH next year.

You'd have to ask Festa to clarify that. I do think Mariano will go to the Dodgers though. I won't say it's impossible. I think Rivera was truly pissed off at the start of the year when the Yankees refused to negotiate an extension with him. Having said that, I believe anyone who signs Rivera for 4 years or Posada for 3 is making a huge mistake, including the Yankees. Sometimes it's best to cut ties too soon rather than too late.

What begins? "The only options, as Andy has stated, are the Yankees or retirement." Explain. If he retires it would be a definite hole, would it not? Of course. That doesnt answer the question though. What begins? Some kind of mass exodus as a result of Joe Torre leaving? Pettitte was going to sit on this decision either way. He even said who the manager was (as Torre was being fired) would have no effect on his decision making. What's beginning?

What begins? "The only options, as Andy has stated, are the Yankees or retirement." Explain.

Odd that this was created literally minutes after Family Guy got done doing a gag on it.