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We're just one month into the season, and already Phil Hughes is out of the Yankees rotation after landing on the disabled list. Hughes' sub-par performance has people questioning why the Yankees didn't acquire Johan Santana in the offseason.
Speaking of Santana, over at Shea, Mets fans aren't giving their team any slack over their up-and-down season. Let's delve into these situations a bit deeper ...
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The 2008 MLB season has just gotten underway.
Despite the Yankees and Mets relatively slow start, the effect of A-Rod at third in the Bronx and Johan Santana on the mound in Flushing suggests that baseball in New York is about to heat up.
This is how I see it...
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The 2008 MLB regular season is underway and there a number of issues to consider in both the Bronx and Flushing.
Will the Yankees' trio of young arms live up to expectations? Can Johan Santana go 34-0? How long will Pedro Martinez last?
We'll find out in time, but for now, here's what I believe ...
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As Spring Training enters its final week, all 25-man rosters will be set and that means the beginning of a new life for some players and the end of the road for others.
One player, however, who may not see a resolution to his career status just yet is Barry Bonds.
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Spring Training is in full swing, and there are a lot of players who are auditioning for roles in the major leagues.
There's a lot at stake for these three different classifications of players.
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Now that the Congressional hearings are over, I'd like to share my opinion on the whole performance-enhancing drugs issue.
Personally, I think Major League Baseball is headed in the right direction toward cleaning the game up.
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Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in a week, and the New York Mets will have a new hurler in their camp, namely Johan Santana.
As the Mets officially introduced Santana at a press conference at Shea Wednesday, let me give you my take on what he brings to the Mets. MORE:
All I can say is, finally! At last, Goose Gossage, one of the most feared pitchers of his time, was voted in to the Baseball Hall of Fame Tuesday as the only selection for this year.
Of course, the other big news around baseball is the Roger Clemens' steroid saga. Boy, is that getting crazy.
Get my take on Goose's call to the Hall, which players were snubbed and the Clemens' situation in my latest vlog.
On January 8, the Baseball Hall of Fame inductees for this year will be announced.
Last year, Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. were both no-brainer first ballot selections to the Hall. But this year, it could be argued that there is really no sure-fire candidate.
It's always great to debate on who should get in, so let me throw my two cents in on who should get the call to the Hall this time around.
The business at hand right now in the world of major league baseball is the Mitchell Report. There have been whispers of steroid use even back to when I played, so I must say, the findings in the report don't really surprise me.
With the MLB Winter Meetings in progress, the big news is the monster six player trade that sends Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to the Detroit Tigers for prospects.
In this entry, I’ll discuss the nuts and bolts of this deal, and also touch on the Mets trade of Lastings Milledge and Andy Pettitte’s return to the Yanks.
The biggest buzz around Major League Baseball right now is that Johan Santana may be traded, and if so, to where?
Well, of course the main focus is New York and the Yankees. If he does get moved, one thing is for sure; it's going to come at a high price.
In this installment, I talk about Santana's value, and also touch on the possibility of Miguel Cabrera coming to the Yankees and A-Rod's contract incentives.
There's been a lot of activity around the majors this past week, so let's touch all the bases on these recent events.
As you know by now, Alex Rodriguez was named the A.L. MVP for the third time in his illustrious career, and in my opinion he's going to go down as the best player in the history of Major League Baseball. It also doesn't hurt that he has the best agent in the game.
Speaking about agents ... Kenny Rogers fired Scott Boras, also the representative for A-Rod, but I think he did it as a strategic move to improve the atmosphere in his negotiations with the Detroit Tigers.
Keeping in line with the over-40 club, Tom Glavine returned to his original team, the Atlanta Braves, on a one-year deal, and you can bet that his decision had nothing to do with the money.
It's hard to talk about baseball without mentioning the Boston Red Sox. Mike Lowell did what was best for him by staying in Boston. But if I was a member of the Red Sox front office, I would have let him go and brought in a couple of right-handed powerhouses on the left side of the infield.
As I wrap up the events of the past week, it would be difficult to ignore the elephant in the room. Barry Bonds faces perjury and obstruction of justice charges, and the outcome doesn't look so good. On a more positive note, however, baseball couldn't be in a better place when it comes to generating revenue.
The Yankees say they are walking away from A-Rod. Where will he go next? The Angels, Mets and Red Sox all seem to be interested, but will they tamper with their players to make A-Rod a fit?
Joe Girardi has been officially named as the Yankees' new manager, and Joe Torre is now a Dodger. So, just how will the Joes fare in their new homes?
Upon Joe Torre's departure, the hype surrounding the search for his replacement is immense. Who will win out in the attempt to replace the Yankees legend? I weigh in on the chances of Joe Girardi, Don Mattingly and Tony Peña.
Now that Joe Torre is officially no longer the Yankees manager, I have a few thoughts about who might replace him.
Certainly Tony LaRussa is in the running. He's a Tampa guy who has been highly successful, but he's disenchanted out in St. Louis.
I asked Tony about the expectations that come with being the manager of the Yankees and he expressed that it's an extremely difficult job to hold. He also confirmed that the biggest and most difficult thing to do is to win the division, not to mention the unrealistic expectations that are placed on the manager by the Yankees' hierarchy and the fans.
 But when you equate the expectations with the money that's spent on the personnel, it's easier to understand.
Don Mattingly is clearly a favorite to replace Torre, and I think he would do a good job. I don't buy this nonsense that you need managerial experience, no way. It's all hot air.
Another guy who comes to mind is Joe Girardi. Girardi was the 2006 NL Manager of the Year with the Florida Marlins, but he ran into difficulty with the Marlins because he was only the owner's choice, he was not the General Manager's choice. He had an acrimonious relationship with the GM, not enough that would carry over, but he certainly has the credentials, coming off an excellent rookie season.
I have a feeling that when they made this offer to Torre, they probably felt that he wasn't going to take it. So in the back of their minds, they know who they want to manage this club.
What's amazing is that after the Yankees were eliminated, the focus of baseball and baseball watchers throughout the country was Joe Torre, not the games.
I know I was a member of the organization, played with them, but I've been around and there's nothing like the Yankees.
Whether it's playing for them, following them, being a fan, whatever it is, it just doesn't matter.
Personally, I would've taken the deal the Yankees brass offered Joe. You have an opportunity to make more and you certainly have the horses, but there were probably things in the background that no one's privy to.
I share my thoughts on the MLB postseason here in New York (read Joe Torre) and give my picks for the top spots in the ALCS, NLCS, and World Series.
Managing the New York Yankees is the highest standard any coach or manager is held to. But under the circumstances, the Yankees have a bad year if they don't win the World Series under the conditions that they played for the last 10 years. And the simple reason is that George Steinbrenner gets the players.
 In New York, the Yankees are supposed to win the World Series. It's unrealistic to expect it every year, but if you look at it in a very pragmatic fashion, it's a reality, because all the resources are handed to the manager.
Joe Torre has done a good job managing the team and getting them into the postseason, and if he was managing any other organization, there would be no question about his job status.
However, when you get into the playoffs and the World Series, you have to ride the wave that you have. If you have the positive wave, where your pitching and hitting is firing on all cylinders, you can win it. But if you go cold for three games, you're dead. In the next series, the championship series, if a team goes cold for four games, it's over -- and the same goes for the World Series.
That's what happened to this Yankees team. During the season, there's always room to exhale, but during the playoffs, there's no room to exhale. And the Yankees breathed their last on Monday at Yankee Stadium.
This Mets debacle is going to go down as the worst collapse in the history of baseball.
I remember back in 1978 when I was with the Yankees and the Red Sox had that legendary collapse. But what a lot of people forget about is the Red Sox collapsed, and then the Yankees went by them. Then Boston caught them, and they had that big one-game playoff. Boston's loss in that famous playoff game (thanks to Bucky Dent) kind of took away a lot of the sting of the collapse.
 This meltdown, like the Red Sox's, is monumental, but it's also different than Boston's. There are a few reasons which makes this one hurt worse for these Mets.
First, it's New York. It happened to a New York team that was favored to win; they had a huge lead in September and then collapsed. It also doesn't help the Mets that the Yankees made the playoffs after everyone and their brother predicted in July and August that it's finally the year the Mets will get to the postseason and the Yankees won't. If this happened to the "Kansas City" Mets, eh, they'd be upset for a day and a half.
Another reason why it hurts so badly is the amount of money the Mets are spending on these players. The Mets have the third highest payroll in the league - behind the Yankees and the Red Sox - and with that type of payroll, you're expected to win.
Now of course there are reasons for the collapse. Their pitching really wasn't that strong to begin with. Yes, they scored some runs, but it just so happens that when they were getting good hitting they weren't getting good pitching. And vice versa: if they got good pitching, they weren't getting good hitting.
I've been hearing a lot about the Mets mindset and that they were expecting to lose, so they lost their passion to win. That's not the case. They didn't lose their passion to win; they just couldn't get it clicking on all cylinders. That was the major problem.
Hockey season is coming upon us almost as quickly as the Mets collapse. That means it's time for everyone's favorite analyst, Stan Fischler, to be hitting the airwaves real soon. But do we really know everything about 'The Maven' that we should? Here are some interesting nuggets of information that might have happened if this article were real:
1) Up until the night of his wedding night, was always referred to as "The Maiden."
2) Recently admitted to NHL league officials he forged checks with Bill Chadwick's signature because "I thought he was dead."
 3) Refers to halvah as "the kosher cure" for E.D.S.
4) For 26 straight years, maintains his game day ritual of never combing his beard for lice.
5) Is the only member of MSG's announcing team to appear on "Tattle Tales" and actually pick a fight with Bert Convy, who later confessed to hitting on wife Shirley during commercial breaks.
6) Was arrested in a Toronto in 1978 for dropping King Clancy's name one too many times in a local men's shelter.
7) Not only has seen "Rent" at least 79 straight Wednesdays, but has since convinced Howie Rose to take up tap and jazz lessons as well.
8) Was named "Miss Subway 1956," narrowly beating out Bess Myerson in one of the worst scandals to ever come out of the MTA.
9) Is willing to admit his call to making the slapshot illegal in the NHL years ago was a dumb idea back then, only if Fran Healy at least admits that putting Frank Howard showering on You Tube was just as stupid.
10) Despite being considered an accomplished drummer in all his years of playing in the Catskills, Stan will tell you his best musical talents came out in the bathtub after a bowl of borsch.
When I played in the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry, and even before that when I was a kid watching it, it was always extremely intense.
 It's picked up a million-fold since 1967 because it's become a cult following in Boston - you're supposed to be in Fenway Park. The excitement is unbelievable there.
Now, that being said, I know one thing, if I'm the Red Sox I'd pitch around Alex Rodriguez this weekend. He would not get anything to hit. And that's the only way they are going to beat the Yankees.
A-Rod is having another MVP year. He's going to go down as one of the best all-around players in the history in the game, maybe THE best when you think of this kid going from being the best all around shortstop in the history of baseball to third base, where he'll probably win a gold glove this season.
People say he's not productive in big games, but I don't buy that for one second. I still wouldn't take any chances if I were the Red Sox. I would face eight Yankee hitters, not nine, and then it would be up to the other eight guys to do the job offensively.
I loved working with Phil Rizzuto. We would push the envelope and probably could have gone further than most because Scooter was a doll. He was so lovable. He could do anything.
 I remember one time in the late '70s, I said 'crap' on the air. Back then you couldn’t say that. Today, you can say anything, but not then, no way! So when it came out, I couldn’t believe it.
There was a pause, then Scooter said, "There you go Healy, thinking about those crap tables again!"
He got me off the hook. He would never leave another announcer hanging.
We also talked a lot of baseball. Scooter was a very knowledgeable baseball guy. We talked and argued about baseball. We argued about a lot of things, but we did it without anybody feeling uncomfortable.
If you listened to the arguments, you knew that we were raising hell. For me, it was exciting because my personality would lend itself more toward having a good time. Yes, call the game, but have a good time while doing it. It’s serious for the players and for the managers, but for the fan watching, some of that stuff could be a little boring.
If you take a boring game, and put additional entertainment into it, that would further engage the audience. That’s what we tried to do.
Phil Rizzuto might’ve been the first, or one of the first broadcasters to add the ingredient of entertainment to a baseball game.
Willie McCovey once told me if Hank Aaron didn’t try to hit home runs, he could’ve hit .400. And if he decided to just hit home runs, he would’ve hit over 60 a year. Willie thought the world of him as an athlete, but Aaron hasn’t gotten his due as a complete player.
 But even though Hank Aaron never got his due, he gave Barry Bonds his. I’m not surprised by Hank Aaron's video tribute after Barry hit No. 756. It would have been terribly embarrassing to baseball if Hank snubbed Barry.
Hank has a lot of class. He was a magnificent player, and he was a pioneer. He grew up down south and overcame a lot of obstacles.
Bonds comes from a different era, and a different area in California. But Barry was always a great hitter. If you were to take the best nine players of all-time in a lineup, you would have Barry in left field even before he allegedly took steroids.
He was a terrific hitter and hit a lot of home runs before the accusations. If there was one problem with Barry, it was his throwing arm, but he still made some unbelievable catches and won eight Gold Gloves. Count that, EIGHT Gold Gloves!
What amazes me is with everything swirling -- whether justified or unjustified, only he knows -- Barry was still able to compete at that level in probably the most difficult thing to do in sports: Hit a baseball.
When his power elevated, the accusations started. But prior to everything, he could hit. Not always with the same power, but he could flat-out hit.
Barry Bonds was always a great player. And now, despite being one of the most controversial athletes of all-time, he is getting his due ... from Hank Aaron.
Phil Hughes will be back in the Yankees' rotation shortly, and if he can come back at 100 percent and win a couple of ball games, he will have the experience under his belt to have a big season next year and also help the Yankees' chances of making the playoffs this year.
 This will help not only him, but also the Yankee fans whose psyche has taken a hit this season from a rough first half.
Hughes has had to go through a lot of rehabilitation in the minor leagues to make it back, but it can only help him to get some starts under his belt and take the ball from Kei Igawa as the No. 5 starter.
Across town in Flushing, Pedro Martinez is also drawing closer to his own return.
In today's medical profession, anything is possible when it comes to pitchers recovering from injury, but Pedro is fighting both injury and age.
Age can catch up to you in a hurry and, at 35, I do not believe Pedro will be able to come back and throw like he used to in Montreal or Boston.
However, his return would be a boost for the Mets and he should still be able to put up some wins in the big leagues.
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