Yank to Sign Raul Ibanez

Now that the Burnett deal is official, the Yanks will be signing Raul Ibanez. Ibanez is a low OBP lefty DH/5th OF at this point. He may; however, be able to hit a lot of homers at New Yankee Stadium. He does have a stadium swing. There was a time when the Yanks were loaded with stadium swing guys, not so much anymore. Very streaky hitter.

Stepan!

Sheesh, the Rangers just won :22 into OT on a goal from Derek Stepan. Rick Nash, who we'll be talking about in the coming days, tied the game with under :90 left, sending it into overtime. Michael Del Zotto had seemed to score a third Ranger goal at the end of the 2nd, and MSG replays showed he had according to their clock. Meanwhile the goal was overruled by a separate clock in Toronto. How the clocks are out of synch is anyone's guess, but the home clock should be the clock of record, otherwise, what else are they playing to? Brad Richards and Artem Anisimov had the first two Ranger goals. It's unclear if any deals are imminent. Del Zotto got a little justice when he assisted on Step's gamewinner. 81 points! Go Rangers!

What a Win!

Linsanity moved to 8-1 as the budding superstar scored 28 points with 14 assists and 5 steals. He also had 7 turnovers, but those will go down as fouls are called and he learns. Steve Novak also went on, and apparently, in the Linsanity era, the Knicks are plus 63 when Steve's on the floor. He was red hot today and that's how the Knicks came back from ten down in the 3rd. JR Smith was a little off, but still hit some big buckets and made some big passes. Shumpert and Landry were once again good on D and inconsistent on O. Amar'e had a tough game, but once again scored some big free throws and grabbed some big boards. Jared Jeffries was also a big part of the D. When this team gets Melo back, they are gonna be deep and damn dangerous. Especially if Baron Davis can contribute, too. Go Knicks!

Eh

The Yanks seem to have completed a trade that will send AJ Burnett and 20M to the Pirates for a pair of underachieving minor leaguers and 13M in savings over the next two years. We better hope this doesn't become the model trade as the Yanks pair off veterans over the next few years, as the new CBA is also making it harder for the Yanks to add Yankee type talent in the amateur markets. Two bad trades in a row. I hope they sign Soler. Go Yanks. I mean that, really. Go Yanks!

JR Smith

The Knicks are apparently adding JR Smith. Wow. In two weeks they have gone from getting nothing from their guards to having a deep and diverse group. Smith is a shooter and scorer, and that's the dimension they were missing since PG has finally been addressed. It's unclear if the Knicks will cut a player to make room or trade someone, but they now have a pretty complete roster. Nice work. I think Smith will behave. There's too much winning momentum for him to act up. Go Knicks!

Seven Straight!

The Knicks moved back to .500 by absolutely stomping the Kings at the Garden. Jeremy Lin only player 30 minutes, thankfully, but finished with 10 points and 13 assists. So much for the combo guard idiocy. Meanwhile, Jared Jeffries had just a terrific game, scoring a bit and playing his traditional game. But everybody is chipping in and that's what's made the Knicks a team again. And Jeremy Lin has made it happen. He only took 6 shots tonight, and got lots of rest, but he still set the blowout in motion with all those assists. And they will go up once Melo gets back and into the flow. They play again Friday. Let's make it 8!

Seeking Soler?

According to Buster Olney, the Yanks are heavily involved in the pursuit of 19 year old Cuban OF Jorge Soler. Soler is a 5 tool player, and of course he type of prospect the for whom the Yanks should spend. We'll see if they do. There were rumors that the Cubs already had him locked up pending his official free agency. I'd hate to think this is being linked so the Yanks can finish second for the kid. We need Yankee bats, especially since the Montero trade, and with the decline of the veteran Yankee bats. Soler would be a few years away, but would give us a high upside OF with no positional questions. Go Yankees?

Rangers Beat Bruins

Where the Knicks needed a massive comeback, the Rangers took a first period lead on a Ryan Callahan power play goal and protected it for a 3-0 win and another shutout from Henrik Lundqvist. In Boston. McDonagh and Arti also scored. Just a fantastic night and run for New York teams. Let's hope the Rangers don't do anything nutty. They may already be capable of going all the way. Go Rangers!

6 Straight!

Holy shit! Jeremy Lin just hit a three point shot with .5 seconds in the game to give the Knicks the lead and the win in Toronto. They had been down by as much as 17. They had gotten it to 2, then it went back to 9 before they went on a 13-1 run and stole another game. Amar'e was not bouncy and it might take a few games though he did had 21 and 9 boards. Iman Shumpert may already be an elite NBA defender, and he had huge stops and steals in the 4th quarter. Guys were missing too many shots, but that won't continue and we will see Lin's assists go even higher. Holy shit. Go Knicks!

Adios AJ?

According to various sources, the Yanks and Pirates are moving closer to a deal involving AJ Burnett and loads of cash for minor leaguers. If this is true, and it sure sounds like it, the Yanks have to come out of this with good minor leaguers. You can't give away an innings eater and 19-23M over two years for crap like we got in the Randy Johnson trade. They really do need to get something, and the Pirates, who've been picking early for 20 years and spending internationally (with the Yankees Luxury Tax and Revenue Sharing monies) the Pirates probably have a few pieces we could use. In other words, the Yanks can't keep shedding dollar value and player value to bad teams like the Pirates and maintain their positions relative to them. Rules are already in place that force the Yankees to help the Pirates, they shouldn't elect to do so separately.

For the front office, this is their opportunity to make a "Gomez Trade." By that I don't just mean a good trade, but I mean a trade that once again shows they have their eyes on the prize. The Montero trade and the second Vazquez trade raise a lot of questions.

Rangers Beat Caps

Rangers just beat the Caps 3-2 at the Garden. Hank made great saves all day long, but gave up the second goal when he was screened by McDonagh trying to block a shot with about 3 minutes left. The Rangers were able to withstand an Ovechkin lead onslaught to win. Callahan, McDonagh and Prust! scored the goals. Prust's was a shorty from Dubi, who looked great and had two assists. Lots of scouts at our past two games. Let's not do anything nutty. Go Rangers!