CC, and Manny, and T.O., OH MY!!

Oh what a couple of weeks it been. In my short absence the sports gods have given us even more little stocking stuffers after the Plaxico present. I decided because I haven't posted in awhile and there are so many deserving topics that I would write down some quick hits on a bunch of subjects. So enjoy my musings and ramblings and expect more regular updates to the site in the future.

The Hot Stove, Surprisingly Cool?

Baseball's winter meetings have come and gone. The Mets added two, count em two, closers and I believe have had the most productive offseason thus far. The Yankees signed CC Sabathia to a ridiculously large contract and then went on to sign a smaller, but much more ridiculous contract with A.J. Burnett. Other than that there were not many splashes.

Some of the biggest names, most notably, Mark Texiera remains unsigned and there were not huge blockbuster trades anywhere near the magnitude of the Detroit and Florida swap last December. Many have mused that this is due to a strange economic climate and teams unwilling to be aggressive, but whatever is causing it, its ruining one of my favorite times of the year. The baseball season is long enough and the hot stove period can get very dragged out, but to basically accomplish nothing as a league at the winter meetings is simply unacceptable. How much longer do the Red Sox expect me to check the latest rumors every ten minutes....make some damn deals.

In any event, with so much still left to be determined I will give my thoughts on what has happened and what will happen going forward.

The Yankees have definitely improved their rotation. CC has been a horse and has more wins in the last few seasons than anyone else. He proved he has heart with his heroic run late last year with the Brew Crew and he is clearly already the Yankees #1. The question remains though, can he beat Boston, and can he win in October. CC is a big dude, and I have to wonder if the last two years and his struggles in the playoffs aren't due to the obscene number of innings he throws. Its not out of the realm of possibilities that CC's weight and his inning eating nature is gonna lead to him breaking down well before the end of his 7 year deal. A.J. Burnett is a good pitcher who has had two truly solid years, both contract years. He has electric stuff and his strike out numbers when healthy are fantastic...but really, this guy is gonna stay healthy? Nuh-uh. 82.5 Mill is crazy, enjoy him New York.

The Mets did an amazing job addressing their biggest weakness without creating any new holes. The Mets still need to find another power bat I believe, but they have shored up their biggest problem. If their starting pitching has a decent year they could finally get back to playing October baseball.

The Red Sox, while quiet so far this off season, may have actually made the best move. They locked up their MVP at an nearly unbelievable price. The 6 year 40 million dollar deal only pays Pedroia 1.5 million dollars for the 2009 season, and with Manny's contract coming off the books the Red Sox now find themselves with heir committed payroll just under 100 million dollars. This makes the Red Sox a perfect place for Mark Texiera to sign, and they could easily still sign Varitek and Lowe. Make a deal for another catcher. And if they don't sign Lowe, don't be surprised to see John Smoltz try to make it back to the majors in a Red Sox uniform.

The Angels are in some trouble. If they can't find a way to resign Texiera then their offseason will be marked by losing their best offensive player and their all-star closer. There isn't a lot out there in terms of power. I can't see Pat Burrell fitting in with Anaheim's small ball approach and Manny and Mike Socia doesn't exactly scream match made in heaven to me.

Those are just my initial thoughts, as things become more settled I will give my opinion on the entire league and let y'all know who is looking the best on paper.

He's Gonna Play for Manny, Manny More Years

Oh Manny, it had been almost 5 months since you had "been Manny". I'm so excited to see you back. Manny Ramirez reportedly has been so upset because their appears to be almost no market for his services that he is apparently contemplating retirement. Oh Manny.

Then, after saying this, he said that he was gonna stick around until he hits 700 HRs and would definitely play next year. The man is not crazy folks...just incredibly dumb.







TOtally TOo much T.O.

OK, i know T.O. has not made a habit of breaking the law like Pac-Man and isn't accused of any serious, potentially prison worthy offenses like Plax, but can't the NFL just suspend him indefinitely anyway? Please?

Honestly when I heard about the latest T.O. drama I realized something...T.O. might be the worst person ever. OK, maybe that's a bit overboard, but my god. How selfish can one man be. He has been thrown to more times, and has fewer catches (meaning more drops, more than likely) than the man he is complaining about.

I call on anyone who is so inclined to send emails to ESPN, or the Cowboys or the NFL calling for a complete boycott of this jackass.

The Beasts of the East

OH MY. Folks, circle January 9th on your brand new calenders. Celtics and Cavs, playing for the first time since opening night and right now looking like far and away the best teams in the league. (No, I haven't forgotten LA, its just that they are soft until proven otherwise)

Obviously I am biased, but I think the Celtics still have the edge. During their 14 game win streak they have beat several quality teams, and have run up a franchise best start. In addition, the offense that has been slow to start for the Celtics has improved by leaps and bounds the last few weeks. Rajon Rondo is playing out of his mind and Ray Allen has found his stroke. The bench gets better and better and they are beating teams by double digit scores nightly.

The Cavs have been playing phenomenally, don't get me wrong. Lebron truly is the King and the whole team is playing inspired ball. They play great defense, run smart offense, and frankly, when you have Lebron, you're hard to beat. But Mo Williams still gives me a little pause, and the champs are the champs til i see a reason to declare otherwise. Regardless, after the Finals rematch on Christmas day January 9th is the day to look out for.

Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up

Lastly I would like to be a little bit more serious than usual. This past week was Jimmy V week on ESPN. I love Jimmy V week because they re-air his amazing ESPY speech and it never fails to bring a tear to my eye. (If you haven't seen it, please find it on youtube.) As we head towards the holidays I think its important to remember how lucky most of us are. We have our health, great educations and most of us (not me of course) have great careers beginning. At this time in our country where so many people are hurting because of joblessness and harsh economic conditions I think we should all try to do whatever we can to try to make someone else's holiday a little better. Whether that means a small charitable donation, or bringing clothes to the Salvation Army, or giving to Toys for Tots, or volunteering at a soup kitchen I think all of us who read this blog can each do at least one thing to help someone else this time a year.

I hope you will all join me in doing something extra this holiday season when so many people are in need.

In any event, I've run out of ramblings, be on the look out for more entries this week and as we approach Christmas.