11 and 1

The Giants overcame the Redskins and the elements, both natural and criminal, to capture their 11th win and to go 4-0 thus far against the NFC East. OC Gilbride had a great game plan which saw the Giants go up 13-0 early and the Skins were never really a thread thereafter. The Giants ended up winning 23-7, and you can get all the game details at Giants.com. Plaxico Burress was not missed as Toomer, Hixon, Smith, Moss, Boss and Ward took care of the passcatching. Go Giants!

Perpsico Burress

Looks like NYPD is going to charge him. If that happens, I'd be really surprised to ever see Plax suit up and play for the Giants again. Sad.

Chris Duhon Goes Off!

Chris Duhon had 12 points and a Knick record 22 asssists tonight as the Knicks beat the Warriors at the Garden. In the first half, the Knicks set a franchise-Garden record with 82 points. What's more David Lee, finally playing starter minutes and more had 37 points and 21 boards. Harrington went 36 and 12. Tim Thomas and Wilson Chandler also had some numbers. At halftime, Dan D'Antoni said they had been running a mini-camp with the new players and it looked to be paying off tonight. He also said they were trying to install some defensive principles that would eventually make the Knicks a good team. If that happens, the Knicks probably will be a good team. Once they have Nate back, they'll have pretty tremendous fire power, and Jarred Jeffries who is set to return, could help with the defense they are trying to install. Go Knicks!

WTF?

Apparently, Plaxico Burress has shot himself in the leg. Details are sketch but it may or may not have happened at a night club. Glazer is reporting that the injury is not life of career threatening. Here's hoping Plax is alright and the team isn't distracted.

2 points

Nik Zherdev scored the first goal of the night, then the final goal of the shootout. It was a strang game for the Rangers who got two quick goals to start the first, from Zherdev and Fritsche, but didn't score again till Voros wristed one in in the 3rd. In the meantime, they alternated between looking like they were about to explode and looking like they had fizzled. For the second time in two game, the Rangers gave up a late goal to send the game into overtime. The power play was also ineffective as the defensement held and passed the puck instead of shooting it. The Rangers have 36 points but they still must find away to give more consistent effort and score more goals. Go Rangers.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have the most scrumptious and safest yet. I'm thankful for all of you!

Knicks Get Crushed Again

It's gonna take some time... Go Knicks!

2 Pts

Marcus Naslund had 2 regulation goals and a goal in the shoot out as the Rangers won in Tampa. Nik Zherdev had assists on both of the regulation goals and a the deciding goal in the shootout for another stellar night, he's starting to rack em up. Lundqvist made some great stops as the Rangers moved to 16-7-2 for the season. The Lightning played a spirited game and tied it up with under a minute left in regulation to force overtime. The Rangers still need to get a lot better if they want to have a memorable season. Go Rangers.

Knicks Get Destroyed

The Knicks were just horrible tonight. Trying to add Harrington and Thomas to the Knicks while losing Nate to injury, did not add up to much good basketball. The ball often stopped as individuals tried to play one on one. But you never play one on one against a good defensive team like the Cavs. You play one on two or one on three... Some of the underperformance was understandable and acceptable, but there were times when the effort and intensity just weren't where they need to be, and Coach is gonna have to straighten that out. They travel to Detroit tomorrow and let's hope they make a better game of it.

Nate Injured

Nate Robinson has just left the Knicks game, in which they are playing as poorly as they have all year, with a strained groin he incurred on a successful drive to the hoop. The Knicks cannot afford to lose him for any period of time if they want to be a .500 or better team this year. Let's hope he bounces back quickly.

Randolph Deal Delayed

Something came up during Cuttino Mobley's physical, and as a result the trade has not gone through yet. Donnie Walsh and the Knicks have until 6:30pm est to either waive the physical or refuse the trade. It's possible that Walsh is trying to squeeze a pick out of the Clippers and it's even possible that he's found a better trade and wants to scuttle this one. We'll know by 6:30 pm est. Go Knicks.

UPDATE: Cuttino Mpbley and Tim Thomas are both practicing with the Knicks right now, so it would appear that the deal has gone through. We'll see if any last minutes sweetners were added to the Knicks' package.

2 Pts

Nik Zherdev had three brilliant assists: to Betts; to Dubinksy; and to Girardi as the Rangers beat Phoenix 4-1. Scottie Gomez returned after a 5 game absence and scored an empty netter after adding back all the energy the Rangers lost when he went down. Dubi scored his first goal in 13 games and had a Gordie Howe Hat Trick, that is, a goal, an assist and a fight. He lost the fight but he and Zherdev were hell on wheels tonight with new linemate Marcus Naslund. They looked a lot better even given the fact that it was against a young and struggling Coyote squad. Go Rangers.

10 and 1!

Domenik Hixon gained 269 all purpose yards and Eli Manning threw for 3 TD's as the Giants beat the Cardinals and the refs at the home of Super Bowl 42. Toomer, Hedgecock and Boss caught the TD's and Ward scored one as well. The Giants were without Brandon Jacobs for the entire game and without Plaxico Burress from the first series on today. But a series of great kick returns from Domenik Hixon all lead to points, and the Giants were able to overcome the Cards as well a the refs, who let all sort of facemasks, holds and personal fouls go uncalled in the interests of making it close. Giants win by 8. Onto Washington and let's win there. Go Giants!

Jake Out

Brandon Jacobs has been ruled out for today's game against the Cardinals at the site of SB 42. Though in not way optimal, both Ward and Bradshaw are averaging better than 5 ypc, and Danny Ware, the big back from Georgia whom the Giants wouldn't part with in the offseason will be active. Droughns will probably handle short yardage. Some good news includes the fact that Kevin Dockery is back, and the Giants will win. Go Giants!

Undermanned Knicks Gut Out a Win

Because the new players won't take physicals till Sunday, the Knicks were once again extremely shorthanded tonight. With only 7 players available and two of them being Rose and Roberson, the five remaining Knicks played their hearts out tonight. QRich had 34 points and 12 boards, David Lee had 22 points and 12 boards, Wilson Chandler had 23 points and 6 boards, Nate had 27 points, 6 boards and 6 dimes and Chris Duhon had 10 points, 5 boards and 11 dimes. They lead most of the way but had to battle back in the fourth to go one game above .500 for the season. They are showing everything the Rangers aren't showing these days and much of it is due to the great work of Mike D'Antoni. They're fun to watch again and the future finally looks bright. Go Knicks!

Rangers Lose Again

I wonder why they keep coming out flat, soft and uninspired?

Knicks Get Blown Out

Minus the traded and traded for players, the Knicks had a 7 man rotation tonight featuring Duhon, Nate, Lee, QRich, Chandler, Rose and Roberson. Though Duhon and Lee played pretty well, everyone else was awful and they ended up getting blown out by a really bad Milwaukee team. The new players aren't due to get physicals until Sunday, so the Knicks will be similarly undermanned tomorrow. Stephon Marbury dressed to meet the league mandated minimum of 8, but he did not play. The new look Knicks will debut on Tuesday -- against LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

Yanks Backing Off Burnett and Lowe?

Jon Heyman is reporting that the agents for both AJ Burnett and Derek Lowe were not enthused for the 4/60M deals the Yanks were planning to offer and speculates that the Yanks might be looking elsewhere. One place they will look is Andy Pettitte and another is Philip Hughes who looked like his old self in the AFL. Perhaps they will look to trade for another starter. In any event, if they're not going after Burnett they better be going after Teixeira. Go Cash!

Knicks Get Out of Jail!

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News is reporting that the Knicks have indeed traded Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins to Golden State for Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley. Talent-wise the best player in the deal was Randolph, but Thomas and Cuttino can both hit threes and Mobley even plays D! Cap-wise, this is amazing! Donnie Walsh, with two moves, coming just hours apart, has created the necessary 2010 cap room for the Knicks to sign Lebron James, and another max contract player, like Chris Bosh. Our long national nightmare is over! The Knicks now have flexibility and might even be able to make a few more moves to get better while we wait for Lebron. Donnie Walsh is a genius!

Bidding Over ZBO?

While earlier in the day, it looked like Zach Randolph was going to be on his way to the Clippers or Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley, Frank Isola is now reporting that Zach could instead be on his way to Dallas for Jerry Stackhouse and perhaps a piece from a third team. If Donnie Walsh has indeed got a bidding war going on over Zach, let's hope he comes out of it with some picks or a young player. Go Donnie!

Crawford for Harrington - DONE

In the first of what might be two trades today, the Knicks have agree in principle to trade Jamal Crawford to the Golden State Warriors for Al Harrington. Talent-wise, the Knicks are trading a shorter shooter/scorer for a taller shooter/scorer. Cap-wise, Harrington's deal runs out in 2010, so the Knicks gain much needed cap space.

Rumors have circulated this morning that the Knicks will also trade Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins, perhaps as soon as today, for Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley, both of whom also expire in 2010. This could be a very big day for the Knicks.

UPDATE: Alan Hahn says the Harrington deal is done and that the Knicks might not be done trading to day. Stay tuned!

Al Harrington to the Knicks?

According to Peter Vecsey and ESPN, the Knicks will announce a trade sending either Malik Rose or Jamal Crawford to Golden State for Al Harrington as soon as today. Of course, the devil is in the detals. From a basketball sense, it's far better for the Knicks to trade Rose for Crawford. From a cap sense, it's better by about a million bucks this year and lots in the future to trade Crawford. Rose is an expiring, while Craw can opt out after this year. Donnie Walsh really loves Harrington: he drafted him originally and, I believe this will be the second time he will have traded for him.

Yanks Have Given CC and Deadline

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3716104

Well, Prince Hal didn't waste much time. Tonight, he made it clear that the Yankees' record setting offer to CC Sabathia came with a deadline. He did not say where the deadline was, but it does exist. Frankly, I think as soon as the Yankees go to 150M/6yrs. Sabathia will sign. I think CC and his agent are currently trying to find another solid bid to get the Yanks up to the 25M aav level. I'd still be surprised if he signs anywhere but with the New York Yankees.

Meet the New Boss

Today, MLB officially approved the change of Yankee ownership from George Steinbrenner to his youngest son Hal Steinbrenner. Hank plays Fredo for this one. Hal thus far has been a very private person. The question is, will the job change him? Will he ever issue public apologies or take shots at other teams and owners? Only time will tell, but, you can't go wrong with a guy from Williams College who wears wraparound shades. Go Yanks!

Sox Offer Tex?

The LA Times is reporting that the Red Sox have made at least a preliminary offer to the hitting prize of this year's FA class, Mark Teixeira. Though there are probably going to be more offers coming to the switch hitting, slick fielding 1B, him landing in Boston is not something Yankee fans should be loooking forward to. Teixeira would actually be a perfect fit for the Yanks, who only have ARod slotted for the 3,4 and 5 spots, if they weren't hell bent on signing every available free agent pitcher. For right now, I'm hoping the Yanks reconsider and go get Tex, but failing that, I hope they lock up CC and Burnett, get a home town discount from Andy Pettitte and then go get Adam Dunn. He will absolutely rake in Yankee Stadium and it's time that the Yanks taper things a little more to their home park like some other teams are doing and the Yanks used to do.

Phil Hughes has pitched 5 scoreless, 10K innings thus far in his final start in the AFL. He's apparently got his velocity pretty close to back.

Rangers Fail to Show

Henrik Lundqvist just didn't have it tonight, and neither did his teammates. They got off to yet another slow start and things went down hill from there. Despite their record, there is something not so solid about this team so far. And it needs to get fixed.

Thanks Moose!

According to Fox News, Mike Mussina is retiring. It's a shame he never got a ring with the Yankees, and only won 20 games once, but he is in my mind a sure fire Hall of Famer. He didn't just win 270 games, he won 270 playing exclusively in the AL East of the steroid and post-steroid era. A division people like Greg Maddox and Jake Peavy wanted no part of. But Mike ate it up and excelled. I will never forget his post season heroics and it is my sincere hope he goes into Cooperstown wearing a Yankee cap

Mike Cameron?

Dan Graziano over at the Star-Ledger has refreshed the idea that the Yanks will look to trade for CF Mike Cameron once the pitching situation has solidified. Cameron is a slightly above average hitter who strikes out a ton and walks a bit. His defense has generally been his calling card, but he will be 36 in January. The Brewers just picked up his 10M option and he will be a free agent in 2010. The question is, what would the Yankees give the Brewers for one year of an aging CF who has historically struck out a ton? It can't be a lot...

The Hot Stove Season So Far

Yup, it's one cold stove. The Yanks have an offer out to Sabathia, either will or have made an offer to Burnett and either will or have made an offer to Derek Lowe. Mussina is up in the air on retirement and Andy is waiting for an offer. That's where we are and that seems to be where we are stuck. So far there are no indications about where the Yanks will go to fix there offense. Now at such a momentous time in their history: finighing third, opening a new stadium, we could expect them to be deliberate, but could at least some team somewhere sign or trade someone? This is mindnumbingly dull!

Knicks Lose Again

The Knicks had an opportunity to steal one from the Celts tonight while Kevin Garnett served a suspension. Unfortunately, they were not able to match the defensive intensity of the Celts, nor were they able to sink a hell of a lot of lay-ups that they blew. I think the energy is there, but the defensive intensity and poise are not. Still, they are making progress and you have to crawl before you can walk. Go Knicks!

Yanks Need Bats!

These big, thus far unresponded to offers to free agent pitchers are fine (thought 5 years of Burnett will be problematic in the near and long terms), but what the Yanks really need and have needed are BATS. Trading for Nady didn't do much and frankly, he's not now, nor has he ever been a Yankee type hitter. Picking up Swisher is a start but the Yanks still need at least two more bats to fill out the middle of the order and there is no sign that they are looking at any. Let's some trades or signings are on the way, cause thus far on ARod profiles as a 3, 4 or 5 hitter for the Yanks. Go Cash.

Yanks Offer AJ 5yrs/80M

According to the latest WFAN Update, the Yanks have indeed offered free agent fireballer AJ Burnett a five year deal worth 80 Million dollars. That's one year and 28 million more dollars than the Cubs used to lock up Ryan Demster earlier today. Obviously, it's more than the Yanks should spend on possible 2 or 3 and, depending on who else is signed is a long enough deal to block kids from taking a rotation spot over the next 5 years. Let's see if he takes it. Go Yanks.

UPDATE: This is probably not accurate. Newsday is reporting that the Yanks have yet to make an offer to Burnett and that the offer will be for no more than 4 years.

Yanks Make Pitch To Burnett

According to his agent, the Yankee's apparently have made an offer to Blue Jay free agent pitcher, AJ Burnett. The terms are unknown, but we can assume it's more than the Blue Jays were offering, and that the Yankees will be paying for stuff rather than past performance. Burnett is a bit a boom or bust gamble for the Yanks, as he does have an extensive injury history and even in his healthy years, his era+'s have never reflected the outrageous quality of his stuff. It is unclear whether or not the Yankees have also made their offer to Derek Lowe.

Another Comeback

Henrik Lundqvist was pretty spectacular as he held the Senators to one goal over 3 periods of regulation one overtime and one shootout. What's more, the Sens goal was a product of an illegal, but uncalled pick. Hank was simply lights out tonight, and after Freddie Sjostrom tied it in the 3rd there was little doubt that the Senators were done scoring for the night. Nik Zherdev, who had been benched for part of the third by Coach Renney had the game winner in the shootout. The O is still struggling, as they still aren't making enough good passes but three game winning streaks are good. Let's hope they can keep it up while they learn to get the puck to each other. Go Rangers.

Knicks Blow Lead, Lose in OT

The Knicks played hard but ran out of gas against a veteran Dallas team at the Garden tonight. A bad out of bounds call late in regulation seemed to pull the plug on the young team's confidence. Zach Randolph was having a monster game till he got in foul trouble, and that also seemed to get the Mavs going. Let's hope this turns out to be a good experience for the Knicks, and let's hope Coach D doesn't let them forget how blowing a game that they had won feels. Learn Knicks!

The Giants Move to 9-1

Aaron Ross had two int's including a pick 6, and Ahmad Bradshaw had a 77 yard run to set-up a field goal as the Giants overcame more penalties and turnovers to defeat the Baltimore Ravens 30-10 at the Meadowlands. Once again the Giants looked great at times, and shot themselves in the foot at other times. For the second week in a row, the Giant D gave up long scoring drives, while Eli threw an inexplicable pick to leave points on the field at the end of the first half. Once again, the D was almost shutout in the sack department till Kiwi got Flacco on a 4th and 11 late in the 4th quarter. Okay, those are the negatives. The big positive was that on a windy day, the Giants were able to pretty much run at will against the vaunted Raven run D. Brandon Jacobs had 70 yards and 2 TD's in the first quarter alone, before leaving the game somewhat dinged up. Ward made several big plays on screens, and Ahmad Bradshaw showed his big play ability from scrimmage. The OL obviously had a great day runblocking, but did allow Eli to take more hits than he usually does. Eli was just okay. He threw a TD pass to Darcy Johnson, then also had that pick. But the team as a whole showed flashes of what they can be, and made plays when they had to. More stuff to coach, but 9 and 1 feels great! Go Giants!

Go Giants!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's a windy day at the Meadowlands and the Giants are once again going up against "the best defense in the NFL." I'm of the opinion that the Ravens got a little fat against bad teams and they haven't played anyone of the Giants quality yet. Joe Flacco should get an education today. Let's run, run, run and play action to victory! Go Giants!

What a Comeback!

I was getting ready to really blast Rozsival as two of his patented turnovers lead directly to a 2-0 Bruin lead that lasted until there were just over 4 minutes left in regulation. I was really gonna blast him, but his teammates picked him up and I'm too happy to blast anyone right now. First, Korpi battled for a puck and made a perfect pass to Nigel Dawes to make it 2-1. Then, with under a minute left, Dubinski took a Paul Mara pass up ice and dished to Naslund for the game tying goal. In overtime, the refs once again allowed an opponent to run into Hank, but he turned everthing back. Then in the shootout, Hank was perfect, while Captain Chris Drury netted the game winner in the 4th round. Just when I was gonna rip them for having no heart, the kids showed tremendous heart and rallied their team to a win. Still, something has to be done about Rozsival and players running into Hank, but it was a stirring win, just the same. Go Rangers!

Yanks Sell Rasner to Japan

According to ESPN, the Yankees have sold the rights to Darrell Rasner to Tohuko Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan's Pacific League for 1 million dollars. Well, that is certainly a creative way to make a buck while clearing a space on the 40 man roster.

Yanks Making a Push for Martin and Kemp?

Now take this with a HUGE grain of salt, but Peter Gammons reports that the Yankees are making a big push for Dodger catcher Russell Martin and CF Matt Kemp. Now, there is every possibility that someone is just funning old Pete, or using his column space to light a fire under some other team. However, this stuff is fun, so what are the Yanks supposedly after? First, a catcher who can hit and get on base, and second, a young power hitting OF who doesn't walk much, but will only be 24 next season.

So, why are these two young position players available, if they even are? It's hard to say, both have come under fire for being part of a difficult generation of Dodgers. From the outside looking in, it seems they've gotten under the skin of people like Jeff Kent and some of the other fogeys crowding the Dodger clubhouse low these past several years. What's more, Kemp, who had a very encouraging 2007 season, didn't seem to respond well to the addition of Andruw Jones and had an off year, much like the Yanks's Robbie Cano, though not as bad. Anyway, depending on the player cost, these are two young guys who could use a change of scenery and still have considerable upside, while already being above league average.

Let's see if there really is any smoke to this fire.

Knicks Nearly Blow One

After sprinting out to a 30 point lead in a 68 point first half, the Knicks let is get down to 7 before finally beating the Thunder 116 to 106 at the Garden tonight. Zach Randolph had 29 points and 19 rebounds and Jamal Crawford had 29 points and 7 assists. 5 Knicks ended up in double figures, but the second half let down will give Coach D'Antoni plenty to yell at them about. When they play as a team, they are a blast to watch, when they don't they resemble the Knicks of the past several years. But, overall, Coach D and his system are winning them over and winning the battle. The Knicks are now 6-3 on the season and 4-1 at home. Go Knicks!

Whither Peavy?

Atlanta has officially pulled out of the Jake Peavy auction the Padres have been running, presumably leaving only the Cubs unless the Pads can come up with other trade partners. Could the Yanks, who are extremely committed to fixing their rotation get into the talks? I wonder. I think they'd have to ask themselves if they think that Peavy over the life of his deal will be better than Phil Hughes, Austin Jackson and one or two more parts. For his part, Phil Hughes had another good day in the AFL today, so he's gettting his work in, his velocity is good and his cutter is coming along. I guess we'll see what happens. I'm disinclined to trade for pitching now since the free agent market is flush with it -unless the Yanks can really get the better of a trade partner, I don't think that is possible where Peavy is concerned.

UPDATE: Fox's Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Yanks and Padres have resumed the Peavy talks they cut off after the GM meetings. This will cost a bunch of pieces, Hughes and Jackson for starters, if it goes through.

The Bargaining Has Begun

According to SI's Jon Heyman, the Yanks have made an oppening bid for CC Sabathia that is North of 140M. He also reports that the Yanks will have offers out to Lowe and Burnett in the next day or two. I trust that they are also active on the trade front and looking to supplement the offense. Go Yanks!

Get er Dunn

As much as the Yanks are clearly going to go after CC Sabathia before they do anything else in free agency, their next move should be to bring in lefty slugger Adam Dunn. Dunn is a much cheaper alternative to giving a longer, much more expensive deal to Mark Teixeira. And while Tex is a fancy first baseman and usually a very good hitter in his own right, Dunn is an OF/DH type who is a consitently outstanding patience and power guy. He hits 40 homers every year, in fact he's done it 5 straight years and hit 46 the year before that, and he collects enormous numbers of walks. What's more, unlike Matsui and Posada, he doesn't hit into many rally killing DP's. The Yanks lost a lot of lefty power when Giambi and Abreu filed for free agency, but Dunn combined with Swisher would replace virtually all of the homers as well as the walks. Dunn could bat 5th or 4th if the Yanks decide to move ARod to 3rd. Because of his low ba's Dunn is tremendously underrated, but his walks more than make up for his low ba, and his power is top notch. Get er Dunn, Cash!

MLB Free Agency Begins

Midnight has passed and now the Yanks are free to do some shopping. They got a jump on the acquisition season by picking up versatile Nick Swisher for virtually nothing on Thursday. Swisher is versatile because he can play 1b and OF, and allows the Yanks to aggressively market Damon, Matsui and Nady while providing them with insurance should they not land Mark Teixeira. The Yanks are expected to move quickly on CC Sabathia, but I wouldn't be surprised if the rest of their offseason doesn't unfold sort of slowly and deliberately. In fact, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if the Yanks make more trades than free agent signings. As it stands tonight, it looks like the Yanks have 37 players on their 40 man roster as FA begins. Let's see what their next move is.

Yanks Pick Up Swisher for Marquez

The Yanks just picked up Nick Swisher for minor league pitcher Jeff Marquez. Swisher is coming off of an awful year where his OPS+ was 92, but prior to that he was in the 120's and he does hit homers and take walks! Jeff Marquez has good stuff but is not very high on the Yankees' list of pitching prospects. This is very clearly a case of both teams taking a risk on the other team's disappointments. Let's see how it works out. Swisher's lefty power should play well in the new park. Go Yanks!

PS: This trade could include P Kaneako Texeira coming back to the Yanks and another Yankee prospect headed to the White Sox. The devil will remain in the details here.

UPDATE: The Yankees also gave up Wilson Betemit and minor league P Jhonny Nunez to make the deal.

MORE: while a lot of Yankee fans seem to be panicking that this takes the Yanks out of the running for Mark Teixeira, do they also realize that it allows the Yanks to aggressively market Damon, Matsui and Nady?

Baseball Free Agency Starts at Midnight

Start at midnight, the Yanks can start bidding on free agents, including the prize of this year's pitching class CC Sabathia. Rumors have swirled that the Yanks plan on making the Sabathia the highest paid pitcher in baseball, and that would be a pretty good idea. Sabathia, for all his size and girth is very athletic, and big, fat athletic lefties like David Wells and Rick Reuschel have proven to be surprisingly durable in the past. Sabathia seems like a better version of the same model, and he looks like a good investment.

Other rumors have the Yanks interested in signing either Derek Lowe or AJ Burnett to join Sabathia in a revamped rotation. Lowe is a ground ball pitcher who has been producing good ERA+'s for the past several years. Now, while ground balls are better than fly balls, I think the Yanks should be focusing on K pitchers as long as Jeter is playing short. That brings us to AJ Burnett. Burnett now, while his performances in ERA+ have not been up to Lowe's, he's younger, has some of the best stuff in baseball and produces the kind of K's that could protect the Yankees from their own D. That said, I'd rather trade for another pitcher or just re-sign Pettitte or Moose, because...

The Yanks need two bats. When Giambi and Abreu filed for free agency, they took a hell of a lot of walks with them. That's why the Yanks, who I believe are limited to adding 3 type A free agents, should make two of them Mark Teixeira and Adam Dunn. These guys put up .900 OPS seasons as regularly as Giambi and Abreu used to, and surroundng ARod, would give the Yanks an absolutely lethal 3-4-5 in the batting order. Now, while there seems to be a lot of interest in Tex that could lead to his receiving a ridiculous deal somewhere else, Dunn could be a bargain. The man walks, and the Yanks cannot add enough patient hitters.

Obviously, the Yanks are also exploring trades to meet their needs, but as of midnight tonight, the market is officially open, and the Yanks will be big game hunters.

The Knicks Go Off!

Wilson Chandler broke out with 27 points and the Knicks set a team record with 19 three pointers as they put 132 on the Grizzlies in Memphis tonight. Wow. After a tough night in San Antonio last night, the Knicks fell behind by 7 early, but then they started popping. Chandler, Crawford and Nate were fantastic and the rest of the team was terrific as they are really learning to share the ball and play like a TEAM. Knick fans haven't seen that in a long time, suffering through offenses that ran through Marbury, Curry and the pre-repentant Randolph over the last several years. Chris Duhon is only beginning to show what a skilled point guard can do in this O, and Nate is starting to look like he can really run it, too. Go Knicks!