Going Shopping...

Well Black Friday always marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, and it usually marks the beginning of the Baseball Offseason as well. Let's get caught up on what's going on.

Derek Jeter
Well, these negotiations have pretty much turned "messy" as Hal Steinbrenner forewarned. Word around town today is that he wants $150 million (cue Dr. Evil pose). That's much much more money than Jeter (or anyone else for that matter) is worth at this point. The Yankees have drawn the line in the sand with $45 million for 3 years. I don't understand why they don't sign a reasonable player contract and then do one of those personal services contracts for when he retires. I think, no matter what, Jeter's probably going to be laughing all the way to the bank.












Mariano Rivera
There had been talk about Rivera pulling an Andy Pettitte and going year to year, but now he apparently wants a 2-year deal. I don't see why the Yankees don't sign him to that contract right now. The second year is probably tied to the chance to pass Trevor Hoffman on the All-Time Saves list. This deal will probably get down soon, and with hopefully less drama than Jeter's deal.





Cliff Lee
And now we move on to the biggest non-Yankee target the coveted left hander Lee. There are conflicting reports on whether an official offer has actually been made, but Cash Money (Brian Cashman, not the rap label) went down to Arkansas to visit with him and his family. It's probably more a matter of years at this point, because Lee's going to want about 7, but he's 32 so he's probably going to have to settle for less.







So that's it for now. But as more news develops, we'll keep you updated.

SEE YA!

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Offense slugs Yanks to victory

I took in today's game in the Bronx. First things first, it was hot. Like really really hot. I was loving it when the Yankees were up 5-0 and Javy was dealing. It was going to be an easy Yankee win and take about two and a half hours. Then the 5th inning happened.

But the Yanks offense was able to help Javy out and get him over the .500 mark. But I'll tell you some of the stories that you wouldn't get from watching on TV.

First of all, I was sitting in Section 203, home of the Bleacher Creatures. The roll call that takes place at the beginning of every game is cool when you hear it from another part of the Stadium but it's another thing to actually participate in it. I recommend doing it at least once.

Funny story about Colin Curtis's home run. After we were done trying to figure out why Gardner had been thrown out, I turned to my dad and said, "Now Curtis is gonna step up and hit a three run homer." Four pitches later, and Curtis is taking a curtain call after belting his first Major League home run. I'm not on the level of Paul the Octopus, but you know, baby steps.

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Lucky Town

I'm going to put off doing my home work for a little while so I can get a blog post in for what is a huge win for the Yankees.

First of all, the win gives the Yanks the series win in Anaheim, the first time they've done that since in forever.

Second, it gives the Yankees a 6.5 game lead over the Angels for home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Third, the Yankees lowered their Magic Number to 5 to clinch the division. Now, if the Royals can finish off the sweep (yes, you read correctly the SWEEP) of the Red Sox, it will be 4.

Fifth, AJ Burnett finally remembered how to not give up a boatload of runs. He went 5.2 innings, which could be better, but he struck out 11 and walked 3 so that drove his pitch count up. The most important thing is he only allowed 2 runs after the Bombers had already spotted him 3. Now if Joba can get back on track we might be a little more confident about the starting rotation headed into the playoffs.

Sixth, Robinson Cano finally got a hit with runners in scoring position! (It's the end of the world as we know it, but I feel fine). His two-out, 2-run single in the fourth inning was the difference in the game.

Seventh, Ian Kennedey returned to the mound after having surgery to remove an aneurysm earlier this season. He pitched a scoreless inning where he walked two (which can be expected in an appearance like that, especially in your home town) and struck out one.

Other notes (Not big enough or related enough to the game to get a number):

• Jorge Posada's x-ray on his right foot came back negative. He fouled a ball of his foot last night and did not play in today's game. Girardi said Posada may not play Friday against the Red Sox.
  
• Boston is up 6-2 over the Royals in the sixth inning, so the magic number may stay at 5 heading into a 3-game Battle in the Bronx. I don't want to put the cart before the horse, but how sweet would it be if the Yanks swept the series to clinch the division and reach 100 wins against the Sox? I can't say I expect that to happen, but it would be amazing.
• Happy Birthday to the "other" Boss, Bruce Springsteen, who's song Lucky Town came off the 1992 album of the same name.
  

We'll try to get something out to you tomorrow, so until then...

SEE YA!

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I take that SEE YA! back, I just noticed we are at 98 fans on our Facebook page. Come on people, just two of you need to become a fan for us to reach 100. (Well technically 4 of you do, because John and I are already fans, but that's just semantics)

What would do if I said the 99th and 100th fans get fabulous prizes?

If you answered "Call Jim a big, fat liar," you're correct. While we don't have prizes, imagine the pride you'll feel knowing you became our 100th fan.
Or you could just do it to make John and I feel good, that works for us.

We're also on Twitter (because at this point who isn't?). @KaysSuccessors is where you can find us.

Ok, I'm sure this time...

SEE YA!

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How sweep it is

Yankees 6 8 2
Twins 4 5 1

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Mark Teixeira. He broke his 95-at-bat homerless streak in the fifth inning to give the Yankees another insurance run.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

PLAY OF THE GAME: It wasn't a spectacular game, so I'm going to give it to Teixeira's home run.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Dave Robertson getting Joe Mauer to get out of the 4th innings, where the Twins had already scored 2 runs. Robertson did not help himself that inning, but was able to get Mauer, a Yankee killer, to end the inning while the Yanks still had the lead.

GAME NOTES:

• The Yankees not only swept this series, but the season series against the Twins.
  
• Another big day for the bottom of the lineup as Cabrera, Ransom, and Gardner, each had a hit and combined for 4 RBI's.
• The lineup is really clicking now. Let's just hope it carries over into the Angel's series, because we never play well against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of California of the United States of the World (LAAACUSW for short).
• The Yankees made 2 errors. The won't get away with that against the Angels.
  
• This win brings the Yankees within half a game of the Red Sox for first place in the AL East. The Sox play tonight against Kansas City and Greinke isn't pitching , so odds are the Yankees will still be a game out at the end of the night

TOMORROW:
Yankees at Angels

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