The big news these days in Yankees-ville (and Twins-ville... and all the villes of all the teams in the running) is where Santana is going to end up - and who the receiving team will have to give up in return. Then there is also Danny-Boy Haren, who is apparently up for grabs, too! Who will get them? What will they give up? Do the Yanks want them? Do you care what I think (don't answer that one...)?

Over the last few months, we've heard a lot in the media about what the Steinettes have been up to, particularly the Hankster (apparently Hal is either mute or just not allowed to speak). Little Stein has been featured in newspapers and websites spouting off about what he plans to do with the team, wrestling the reigns from Big Stein quite successfully…. But this begs an important question: what the hell has become of the Cash Man? We have barely heard a peep from the dear fellow since the commencement of the Steinette takeover, and while The Hankster has actually not made any moves that screamed “I’m just like Daddy and will ruin everything that the Cash Man has worked on lickety-split,” I am more than just a smidge fearful that perhaps all the hard work Cash has done to get this team away from their old sell-the-young-to-get-the-ancient habits might be for naught if he’s pushed completely out of power.

Of course, I don’t really know if the Cash Man actually has been usurped by Hankster, but it is certainly strange to me that he has been so silent. What dost thou think??

As exciting as MLB is, it is imperative that we do not forget about MLB’s sad little brother, the MiLB (minor leagues, ovb!), and not just because those farms are home to many fine prospects to monitor. Nay, the real reason I so enjoy following the minor league teams is less about the anticipation of future major leaguers (though please don’t get me wrong – of course I am obsessed with tracking the progress of potential future Yanks) and more about the joy I get out of the ridiculous names these poor teams are saddled with. From the Modesto Nuts to the Lake Elsinore Storm, there are some real winners… let’s look at some of my favorites!


Top Ten Bestest Minor League Team Names:
10) Lake Elsinore Storm (watch out y’all… we’re coming atcha like a hurricane! A hurricane from… um… Riverside, CA, where there has never been a hurricane or anything close to it. Ever.)
9) Lowell Spinners (like a top? They could spin outta control at any moment!)
8) Winston-Salem Warthogs (nothing says “intimidation” like a fat [and delicious] animal that oinks a lot)
7) Louisville Bats (not sure if they are referring to the flying rat animal or the thing they swing at baseballs … but either way, it’s very weak)
6) Chattanooga Lookouts (lookout for better teams!)
5) Albuquerque Isotopes (either someone really likes the Simpsons… or they just really like chemistry.)
4) Round Rock Express (express WHAT? Train service? Denny’s breakfast? Losing?)
3) Lansing Lugnuts (I imagine the meeting went like this: “How about Wrenches?” “Nope, how about Screws?” “Nah… I’ve got the winner… LUGNUTS”)
2) Nashville Sounds (the sounds of silence from the crowd)
1) Savannah Sand Gnats (clearly they have no respect for themselves and no aspirations of becoming say, a sand crab or maybe a starfish)

There are just over 3 months until the glory of baseball returns to our daily lives in the form of Spring Training, and surprisingly the Yanks have already managed to hammer down quite a bit of their 2008 roster by way of resigning Jorgie Porgie, Big Mo, and A-Rod, picking up Abreu’s option, and bringing in the fresh managerial blood with The Girardino. As has become the norm over the past few years, though, pitching is yet again a question mark. The good news is that – unlike so many years in the past – the team has quite the stockpile of strong healthy youngsters to fill out the rotation or perhaps even be traded for a proven the Free Agent Man of the Hour, Johan “And You Thought Barry Baked Ziti Was Expensive?!” Santana.

Mr. Santana still has another year with the Twins left on his contract – for which he is due $13.25 mil - and the Twins actually reportedly offered him a 5-year deal worth $93 mil last week, but he has made more than one comment just in the last year about wanting to be dunzo with that team. Based on the comments he made about wanting to play for a championship team and the fact that he wants a lot more than just 5 yrs/93 mil, Santana would probably waive his no-trade clause to head for a team with the cash to sign him to a monster extension and the talent to make a post-season run, and I would say that the Yankees fit the bill on both accounts. Because of that no-trade clause, though, Santana has quite a bit of leverage. The twins can't just trade him to any old team; he could very easily muscle out his last year in Minnesota in favor of waiting to become a free agent after next year and then really go after some big bucks, and he will probably demand a hearty extension as part of any trade offer. Of course, Santana won't have a trade to approve or disapprove until the Twins feel like they are getting a great return. According to at least one source, they are asking the Yanks for Melky and Hughsie, which, to Ye Ole Yankees Chick, sounds like a very fair deal, but if the Cash Man has anything to say about it (and sidenote: where the hell has our dear Cash Man been these days? It seems as though Hank Steinette has been keeping Cash in a closet and doing all the talking) the Yanks might want to keep a tight hold on Hughsie. If the Twins are wise, they will put together a trade that Santana will approve ASAP, because they are going to be sans Santana in 2009 either way and they might as well get something in return; if the Yanks are wise they will listen to what the Twins want, throw some cash and years Santana's way, and lock that sucker down.

Thoughts?

FanHouse Minute is your 60-second rundown of the top five headlines of the day. Check back here every weekday morning for the latest.


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The lovely ladies of FanHouse Minute:
Mondays: Mystery Lady
Tuesdays: Kristine
Wednesdays: Miss Gossip
Thursdays: Yankees Chick
Fridays: Kate Scott

While the rest of us have been skipping work and eating pumpkin pie all week (mmmmmm), our dear Spirit Coordinator has been incapacitated. Shelley Duncan was treated this week for what is rumored to be a blood clot! He is out of the hospital now, but whether he is out of the proverbial woods has yet to be confirmed. Let's all send some well-wishes his way: we need him next year, if not on the field then at the very least pumping his fist and getting his teammates jazzed.

As you have perhaps noticed from a few things I've said about him over the past couple years, I really, really like David Wells. He amuses me to no end. I love the drunken escapades, the fact that he owns a hunting lodge with Kirk Gibson, he'll pitch for any team basically just so that he has something to do with his time... and he is a damn good pitcher, too. Or was. Whatever.

Just like the last few off-seasons, Boomer is yet again comtemplating retirement this year, probably mainly because he hasn't received any offers yet. There have been rumors of him returning to the Dodgers because he and Torre have worked together to great success in the past, but I have nothing to verify that information other than the fact that he seems to come back every year. If he does retire, though, he'll have plenty of things to do with all that free time...

10) Serve as stand-in for the YCD (Yankees Chick Dad... obv) at family parties (They are identical. And like martinis. And have gout.)

9) Nurse his gout

8) Kill some deer with Kirk

7) Martinis

6) Johnny Walker Black

5) Write another book talking about all the times he played drunk

4) Late nights at The Plumm

3) Join the Hells Angels

2) Make more public speculations on who is on the juice

1) Have a post-playing-career weight-gaining contest with Tony Gwynn

Goodness gracious great balls of fire, my lovelies.

After all the uproar over the changes that took place at the beginning of the offseason, things are beginning to fall into place quite quickly. In fact, the 2008 crew is actually shaping up to look... well, a lot like it looked in 2007.

In 2007, Jorge Posada caught 138 games. In 2008, he'll be back behind the plate.

In 2007, A-Rod hit 54 homers, had 156 RBI, and made 13 errors at 3rd base. In 2008, he'll be making a f*ckton of money and playing 3rd base again.

In 2007, Mariano Rivera pitched in 67 games, earning 30 saves. In 2008, he'll be pitching to the tune of Enter Sandman for a 14th season.

In 2007, Kevin Long hitting-coached the team to a collective .290 batting average. In 2008, he'll be working with the cream of the crop again... let's shoot for .291 this year, kiddos.

In 2007, Tony Pena parked himself on the first base line to pat baserunners on the ass and send them on stealing missions. In 2008, he'll be right back out there with his butt-patting hand at the ready.

In 2007, Rob Thomson was the "Major League Field Coordinator" for the team (what does that mean? No one knows.) In 2008, he'll be The Girardino's right hand man on the bench.


I am very pro-Girardino, and I sincerely have high hopes for the 2008 season. I like the idea of keeping so much of the core 2007 team together while injecting some fresh blood to shake things up a bit. What the Yankees were missing last year was not talent. It was unity, motivation, attitude... factors that I feel a little shaking up could help. A lot.

SURPRISE! A-Rod won the AL MVP!

Perhaps "surprise" is not quite the right term in this case - something more along the lines of "um, yeah" or "had this really not been announced yet?" would probably be more appropriate. It wasn't an unanimous vote, since 2 voters gave Magglio Ordonez their first-place points, but he still won by quite the landslide.

Now that we know that A-Rod will be a Yank for the next 10 years of his career (theoretically the remainder of his career, really), we can hopefully consider this just his 2nd of many MVP's he'll be rocking.

Yeah, and some rings would be nice too.

The Yanks locked down Jorgie Porgie last week and by some crazy twist of events managed to bring A-Rod back to the team, but they have hit something of a roadblock in their "bring all the 2007 dudes back so we don't have to make many (or any) substantial trades this year" plan with Mo. The Yanks made him an offer for 3 years, $45 mil, at the same time that they were making their deal with Jorgie, but he has yet to accept it. He hasn't flat-out refused it, but he is reportedly asking the Yanks to up the ante to 4 years or throw some more dough at him for a 3-year deal.

Now, I love Mo as much as any Yanks fan, and I certainly want him back on the team, but I am having a hard time buying into the idea of a 4-year contract for a 38 year old man, greatest closer of all time or not. By asking for 4 years, he is implying that he can be counted on when he is almost 42 years old, which is, in a word, insane, or, in another word, delusional. He does have a hefty amount of leverage, though, because the Yanks really don't have any alternatives. If they let Mo get away, they would be forced to use Joba as a closer, which just opens a hole in a rotation that is already mighty sparse; also, the only way they'd be able to fill the hole left by Joba would probably be to trade I-Ken and/or Hughsie, which just creates new holes! Tis a conundrum indeed. The only move the Yanks would be wise to make at this point, given the complete lack of available pitchers, is give him the money and keep the deal at 3 years. Money is something that the Steins have plenty of, so it seems that shelling out a little extra cash to avoid having to make a trade that would almost certainly necessitate the shipping off of one of their prized youngsters and also allow them to avoid being saddled with an old man in 4 years is worth the salary increase.

Of course, with whatever salary they end up giving him (assuming they do indeed agree on contract terms eventually and we don't have to see him playing for Torre wearing Dodger blue next year) we Yanks fans can steel ourselves for the inevitable "OMGZ u guyz spend sooo much money Yankees suck go Sawx!" idiocy.... Which I would still prefer to "OMGZ u guys gave an old dude a 4-year contract u always sign old dudes Yankees suck go Sawx!"

Barry Bonds was indicted on 4 counts of perjury and 1 count of obstruction of justice today, all stemming from his gigantic head and the fact that said gigantic head made it very obvious that he is or was a juicer (oh and I guess they have some actual "evidence", too, but really, that head size pretty much seals the deal in my mind). I'm all for cracking down on cheaters and I'm glad Balco B is finally feeling some heat, but I feel I must point out the asinine nature of this: our government is spending time (and my money and yours, assuming you pay taxes you dirty tax evaders) tracking down and prosecuting big-headed athletes whose only crime essentially boils down to douchebaggery. Pardon me, Mr. President... can we please focus on resolving this hack-job of a war you have us all involved in? Oh, what's that? You're too busy talking about baseball with Senator Mitchell? No problem, I'll go ahead and let the troops know they're going to be stuck in Iraq for another few years. They won't mind so long as they can rest assured that cheaters are not allowed to prosper!

Ladies and gentlemen, A-Rod has returned to the building. Or Team.

After testing the free agent waters for a solid 17 days, it looks like A-Rod is going to be back in NY next year. And the year after that... and the year after that... and the year after that...

Though it is currently yet to be confirmed, word on the street is that A-Rod and the Yanks are working on a 10-year, $275 mil deal. This comes as a bit of a surprise after the kibosh the Steins and Cash Man put on post-opt-out negotiations and Boras's delusional determination to score a deal worth closer to $350 mil, but happen it did.

When I first heard the rumblings yesterday of A-Rod crawling back to the Yanks in hopes of opening up some negotiation chat, I assumed it was part of some sketchy evil-doings by Boras, a move with obvious ulterior motives - some sort of attempt at raising his value on the market or weird "let's throw people off" move. I honestly did not think it was a genuine sign of a desire to rejoin the team, and I certainly did not think that the Yanks would have any real interest beyond perhaps some curiosity as to how much he and the Boras-Man were asking for now that they'd had a couple weeks to shop the kid around. The team actually said that they would be willing to talk to A-Rod, but would not be willing to deal with Boras (wise move, my friends). The fact that a deal not only came to light but was sussed out so quickly is incredible and leads me to think that there must have been either serious groveling, ass-kissing, or interesting contract terms discussed. It does sound like A-Rod will be "crediting" the Yanks (via his salary) for the $30 mil that they lost from the Rangers when he opted out, and I would guess that that gesture of good faith on A-Rod's part likely made for a good start to the negotiations.

I have been supporting A-Rod for years, defending his post-season performances and assuming/hoping that any signs of greed were either misconstrued or could be blamed on Boras because I believe he is an absolutely amazing player and takes a lot more shit than he really deserves. For the first time though, I really 100% believe in my support of him. Shaking Boras off to make his own decision shows a lot of character from a man that has seemed to be at the whim of money and his agent for his entire career. I'm thrilled about this.

You?

Now that Jorgie Porgie's spot on the team has been secured for the next 4 years and all indications point to a 3 year deal for Mo, we can effectively stop worrying about those two roster spots and instead start thinking about what we're going to do with those old dudes in the last years of their respective contracts. Jorgie will be 40 when his contract ends and Mariano will be close to 41, old by any baseball standards (unless you're on the juice, or are Roger Clemens or are Roger Clemens on the juice) but especially ancient for catchers and closers. It's possible that they'll both still be able to play well at that old age, but it is more likely that the Yanks will have to find something else for them to do. I've got some ideas...

Top Ten Things Mo and Jorgie Can Do In Their Final Contract Year
10) Make daily calls to Tampa Bay to see if they will sign them once they're done with the Yanks
9) No longer afraid of not being re-signed, begin telling Steinbrenner what an ass he is. Constantly.
8) Run the stadium tours while the team is out of town (because the team surely won't be taking them on the road trips)
7) Whiskey.
6) Tell stories to the youngsters about the olden times when they had to walk uphill in the snow 2 miles each way to the stadium every day.
5) Taunt Bernie by repeatedly asking him where HE is playing this year
4) Embrace new role of "token Yankee veteran" at public affairs with gusto.
3) Botox parties!!!
2) Start campaigning for coaching jobs in LA with Torre
1) Enjoy lavish retirement parties and gifts, and then un-retire.

Good news, all of ye who, like me, live in daily fear of players going to other teams: the Yanks managed to lock Jorgie down in a contract before he even had time to hit the free agent market. The deal is reportedly for 4 years, $52 mil, meaning the Yanks are going to be counting on Jorgie Boy to contribute to the team in some way till he's at least 40 years old - a tad on the nutso side, sure, but after the performance he put up this year surely he earned himself a good deal. Also, I'm sure the fact that there are no catchers of his caliber available at the moment and the team doesn't even have anyone in the farm poised to become a Jorgie Backup any time soon made the long-term contract a no-brainer for the Three Steinmeteers.

Next up? Mariano, who has allegedly also been offered a similar deal. Cross your fingers.

I don't know about the rest of y'all, but I keep forgetting that the Yankees only very recently wrapped up a season of actually playing baseball. My Yankees Chick brain is very focused on the future of the team, anticipating what The Girardino will do or wont do, resigning Po and Mo, and frantically scouring the Interwebs every hour for new rumors or ideas on who will be playing 3rd base in 2008. However, there was indeed a season of baseball played in 2007 and if you haven't blocked out the entire season from your memory to stave off painful flashbacks of things like Pavano pitching and the team buckling under the superior Cleveland pitching in the ALDS, you might recall that a few of the Yanks played very well all year. Those folks are being rewarded now as the yearly deluge of awards comes raining down upon the baseball world - not just good old-fashioned awards like MVP or Rookie of the Year but the fun corporate-sponsored accolades (I still maintain that being named "DHL Delivery Man" should be considered less of an accomplishment and more of an insult; if I were a Mariano/Trevor/Paplebon/Etc-caliber pitcher I certainly would not want my glorious pitching to be associated with that shoddy slow delivery service), too. The "big" awards - Cy Young, Manager of the Year, and MVP - won't be announced until later this week, but there have already been some trophies (or whatever the hell you get for winning these... pride? Stack of cash? Free DHL service for a year?) given out. Here's what the Yanks have won so far...

Silver Sluggers: Jeet, A-Rod, and Posada were all honored for their work at the plate, and rightfully so. It is A-Rod's 9th Silver Slugger, Jorgie Porgie's 5th (and sidenote: did you realize that he is the first Yankeee catcher to finish in the top 10 in batting average in the league since Thurman Munson? Shit, I should have saved that for a Fun Fact O' The Day...), and Jeet's 2nd (another sidenote: I am somewhat suprised that this was only the second time Jeter has won a Silver Slugger, since he has had so many consistently solid batting average and OBP seasons, but when we consider that he was losing them to A-Rod all those years that he was playing shortstop I suppose 2nd place ain't so bad).

Hank Aaron Award: As expected, A-Rod won. Not as expected, though, was his snub of the event honoring him and Prince Fielder. Nice touch, Mr. Classy McClasserson. The man I spent 3 years defending continues to break my heart with selfish choices and disrespectful actions. Sickened.

AL MVP: Technically this won't be announced till a week from today, but with my excellent powers of intuition and honed psychic abilities I think I can accurately predict the name of the winner - and maybe for this one Mr. Classy McClasserson will show some gratitude.

Gold Glove Award: Jason Giambi was honored for his excellent defensive work at first base... his lunging is top-notch and he certainly never looks out of place or awkward there. Nosiree. Oh wait, he didn't win? You've gotta be kidding me.

A-Rod is gone (though not forgotten...although I'd like to forget about him), and in his wake he left the Yankees not only with a good chunk of freed-up salary dollars but a gaping hole in that #5 spot in the defensive inventory. The good news is that there are some peeps available via trade or free agency: Miguel the T, Miguel the C, Joe Crede, et al, but the even better news is that the Cash Man is steadfast in his desire to refrain from trading his beloved youngsters. Of course we are indeed in desperate need of a third baseman (I really don't think Wilson Better Mint is going to cut it, and I think everyone knows that) and will most likely end up having to trade someone for a replacement at some point, the very fact that the Cash Man is so committed to finishing what he started - building up a farm, breaking down Big Stein's legacy of old-dude-buying - is a delicious idea I want to savor for as long as I can. It is a strange and wonderful thought for a Yankees fan, to be able to watch kids get drafted and then eagerly anticipate their arrival in the big leagues and actually get to enjoy seeing their talents benefit the YANKS rather than some other team.

Stranger still is the sight of other teams falling into exactly the same habits that the Big Stein-run Yanks used to utilize while the Yanks go the farm route; teams like the Mets who have left themselves with just a few prized prospects and run after every big name on the market (Beltran, Glavine, now even A-Rod), or the Sox, who traded kids like Hanley Ramirez, Josh Bard and Anibal "No-Hitter at Age 22" Sanchez to get veterans and are speculated to even trade their remaining youngster Buchholz this year for another old guy. It's a crazy time indeed. Sure, we haven't won a ring in a few years. But 7 or 8 years to rebuild a dynasty is time well-spent if you ask me...

It seems it was just yesterday that the World Series was being played in Colorado (no mas Rocktober… que triste), but it's time to get into "let's work on 2008" mode. The offseason may have just started, but it's has been a whirlwind of change for the Yankees. We have a new manager, a vacancy at third base, and as always, we are yet again in desperate need of serious pitching help. The winter might be the off-season for the players, but this is when the Cash Man and the 3 Steinmeteirs need to get their asses to work, STAT - the Boss-Folk are down in Orlando this week to get to work on filling in a whole buncha gaps in the roster. It was announced yesterday that Pettitte has declined to act on his player option, but he and the Cash Man have both made it clear that the opt-out does not mean he is throwing in the towel necessarily, just that he needs more time to think about whether he wants to retire. All year dear Andy has been promising that he will either retire in 2008 or come back to pitch for the Yanks, so there remains the possibility that if the Cash Man and the Steins roll out the red carpet again like they did last year they may be able to finagle another 1-year deal; AP single-handedly won quite a few games for the Yanks and, along with the Rocket, provided a nice veteran role model for the youngsters. If they can’t convince him to get his beautiful face back in the Bronx then the list of “shit the Yanks need desperately” grows longer yet again. There is word that the Yanks are very close to locking Big Mo down for a 3-year deal worth $40 mil, which, while a tad nutso considering the fact that the man is an old fogey in baseball terms (38!), still seems like a wise decision – who the hell else are we going to get to close? If you argue to move Joba into the closing role, that just opens up another hole in the starting rotation. Mo will be solid, if not for the full 3 years than at least for the first 2. Posada is also very likely on board for another deal, but I think he and his agent are going to make sure to use Jorge’s unprecedented superhuman crazyman season numbers to ensure that they get the best possible deal available, something in the “bunch of years for a bunch of cash dollars” range.

The other big topic in Orlando is the Miguel Cabrera hoopla - a lot of folks think he'd be a perfect replacement for A-Rod. On one hand, he is a proven slugger, a youngster (yay to non-old dudes!), has already worked with The Giardino to great success, and really wouldn't be all that expensive salary-wise (possibly $10 mil after arbitration). On the other hand, the Marlins are definitely going to want either Hughsie, I-Ken, or Jobamania in return, and he's also kind of a fatass, which is not exactly ideal for a 3rd baseman. The Cash Man says that he doesnt want to trade those 3 aforementioned home-bred pitchers, but as much as I like all 3 of them, I would say trading either Hughsie or I-Ken (not both... the Yanks can throw in some cash and some marginal prospect perhaps?) would be ok if we could grab a guy like Cabrera. After all, a trade is almost definitely going to have to be made to get someone to replace A-Rod, and it seems to me that the Marlins and their love of prospects and hate for paying players more than Missouri's minimum wage makes this trade seem like one that could actually get the Yankees a lot of bang for their buck. Just dont touch my Jobamania. I will hurt you... And I fight dirty.

As an avid baseball fan and, more importantly, a person that considers a constant desire to learn a key component to a fulfilling life, I have done my best to investigate all aspects of this glorious sport, from the history to the intricate rules (check out the ol' Yankees Chick Baseball Glossary for my efforts at creating some nice, easy-to-understand explanations on a buncha rules). I am a smart Yankees Chicky (despite what some of my "enlightened" readers have asserted [interestingly, judging by the "ur dumb" and "show yer bewbs" comments, the ignorant, the misogynists, and the legions of sexual predators all seem to share a common bond: functional illiteracy]) but there are some baseball-related things that I either do not 100% understand or just dont know much about. Care to educate me? Hit me up in the comments.

Top Ten Things The Yankees Chick Doesn't Understand About Baseball:
10) Why aren't the guidelines about the dimensions of a ballpark stricter? Aside from the bare bones ninety-feet-between-the-bases stuff, teams can do whatever the hell they want (can I hear a "whoooa flagpole!!"). This seems strange to me.
9) How the hell does the Rule-5 draft work?! I keep vowing to figure it out so that I can add it to the glossary, but to be perfectly honest it makes my head swim.... And not in a good "mmmmm I just took a Vallium" sort of way.
8) Why do the Yankees insist on playing that horrendous, cochlea-shattering Cotton-Eyed Joe song during every game?!
7) Why dont we see player-managers anymore?
6) Why was the NBA able to work out a salary cap agreement but everyone in the baseball world seems to think that could or would never work in the MLB?
5) When we start finding out how many players have been doping for years (and we will find out), what sort of difference will it make in my own mind and for baseball as a whole?
4) Will there ever be another player like Mickey Mantle that the entire country rallied around and was loved despite his many obvious flaws?
3) What will become of A-Rod? It seems such a shame that a player of his calliber should have to face such horrible scrutiny and often unreasonable expectations, bouncing from team to team in search of a ring and some love from some fans.
2) How does the league determine when another expansion is necessary, and then how do they decide where those new teams are going? Do cities bid, like they do to host the Olympics? And once a city is chosen and they start planning for their new team, where do they get their players? Extra draft picks? Hobos?
1) Why isnt baseball as popular as football? How can Oklahoma consistently sell out their 82,000 capacity stadium for NCAA football but the Marlins cant lure in a few grand? Am I missing something? Are they giving away free Dr Pepper and lottery tickets at these football games?


Read last week's Top Ten: Top Ten Reasons A-Rod Declared Free Agency

FanHouse Minute is your 60-second rundown of the top five headlines of the day. Check back here every weekday morning for the latest.

With A-Rod, Torre, and Mattingly gone, the status of Pettitte, Posada, and Mo all up in the air, and a strange possibility of seeing Cano over at 3rd if the Cash Man can't find anyone else to plug that hole, it is natural and understandable for us Yanks fans to feel a bit flustered - things in Yankeesville certainly seem to be in quite the state of disarray. Rest assured, though, that not everything will be different next year. Besides working on convincing Pettitte to exercise his player option and stay with the team for 2008 and hopefully hammering out deals with Jorgie Porgie and Sir Mo, the Yanks have already made a few deals to keep some familiar faces around for next year. Tony Pena obviously wasn't as disappointed about not being offered the managerial job as Mattingly, because he has agreed to come back as first base coach, and Kevin Long, whose batting coaching skills helped the team achieve the best collective batting average (.290), slugging percentage (.463) and RBI total (929) in all of baseball this year will also be back. The team also announced today that they picked up Bobby Abreu's $16 mil option, so at least we don't have to add "right fielder" to the list of gaping holes that need to be filled this off-season.

We're only a few days into this new Girardi-led era, but I must say that I am feeling good about things. I really did want A-Rod to stick around, but it seems abundantly clear that he is obviously not the type of team player we had hoped he would be ($350 mil just to talk? You make me sick.) Abreu is a man of pure golden consistency and is a shining example of good attitude and teamwork, and at $16 mil he is certainly affordable in today's market. The Cash Man has also said that convincing Pettitte to stick around is a "priority", so that is a good sign, as well, and we have thus far heard no rumblings of ridiculous "all our youngsters for one old dude" trade rumors, which one might expect to be hearing with A-Rod gone. I love Torre. I love Mattingly. I even love (or loved, anyway) A-Rod. But you know what? Out with the old. I'm on board with Girardi.

Now that the Torre-to-Dodgers speculation has finally become official and we know where the dear man will be hanging his managerial hat for the next few years, I think it’s fair to start the conjecture over which former Yanks he’ll be taking cross-country with him. It seems fairly clear from rumors all around the interwebs (if someone writes it online, then it MUST be true, obv) and from the not-so-subtle clues we can take from his various press conferences/interviews that Mattingly will end up serving as Torre’s right-hand man on the bench in LA, but there is also speculation that Larry Bowa and Lee Mazzilli will be on board, too. It sounds like the Dodgers are giving Torre all the leeway in the world to do as he pleases with his coaching staff, and I’ve yet to hear of a man that has worked with Torre that doesn’t like working with him, so it stands to reason that whomever Torre wants in LA, he can probably have. The thought of the old Torre-Mattingly duo in the dugout together in Dodger blue rather than pinstripes strikes me as simultaneously creepy and reassuring – creepy because, of course, we’ve never seen Mattingly in anything BUT pinstripes and we have become so accustomed to thinking of Torre as a "Yankee", and reassuring because they are just a heartwarming twosome.

Once a contingent of ex-Yanks has formed over in LA in the form of management and coaching, then the REAL fun can begin: the "will A-Rod, Mariano, Pettitte or Posada end up back with Torre and Mattingly in 2008??!" game. If this was to happen, and we see a whole crew of Yanks favorites out in LA, will we see some Yankees fans heading to the Dark Side to root for the enemy? Will the poor YCD (Yankees Chick Dad), who spent his whole life rooting against the Dodgers, have to support the team because of his love for Torre et al? Tis a conundrum I have a feeling we will all be facing very soon...