Background: I like Mike Silva. I had the chance to meet and chat with him at the Bloomberg event a few weeks back. I’m not against my fellow members of the Yankosphere for taking controversial stances or putting forth creative/new/wacky ideas. But we have to expect to be called out on them, when appropriate.

That said, Mike posted a doozy today, one that had my head spinning. Let’s start here:

The Twins could get a king’s ransom from the Yankees for Mauer. Think Hughes, Joba, and Montero as cornerstones of the package. If they are concerned about development timeline of Montero, then perhaps you could add Posada to the deal since he only has a year left on his contract. If the Red Sox come calling then the package could get even better.

Let’s ponder that for a moment. Hughes, Joba AND Montero, and that’s just the opening offer?!?!?! I’m speechless On what planet would Cashman ever do this? He balked dealing Hughes, IPK, Melky and whoknowswhoelse for Johan Santana, and you know Cash’s love of ace starting pitching. Why? Well, one reason was the “double dip cost”; huge hit to the farm system AND a huge financial committment. Well, the difference between then and now is that Hughes and Joba are integral parts of the major league club, no longer prospects. They are expected to contribute in significant ways, again. And Montero is merely the best catching prospect in the game today at the precocious age of 20. There’s room for him to grow, physically, mentally, emotionally and skill-wise behind the dish. The long term “value” for those three, given their costs, is astronomical.

Oh yeah, throw in Posada and his final year as a toss-in. Never mind that his own Yankee legacy, though not Jeterrific, is pretty damn impressive.

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Not baseball-related AT ALL, but funny in very twisted sorta way. And yes, there’s some NSFW language (it is SouthPark, after all). Consider yourself warned.

Via Buster’s blog (Insider only), we get a glimpse into why the MLB soft “slotting” system is a complete joke:

Lincecum was draft eligible as a sophomore at the University of Washington, and did not have a great season. The Indians still liked him and took him late in the draft.

The Indians were told it would take $1 million to get The Freak to sign. That’s a lot of money for a player taken the 42nd round. The Tribe made him a $700,000 offer, much to the chagrin of Frank Coonelly, who was in charge of the draft’s unofficial slotting system for MLB. Coonelly is now president of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Indians had already gone over slot specifications with a couple of other players and Coonelly was not happy. Still, they made the offer.

That an official could frown upon a team’s desire to make an offer and influence their decision, while other teams pay that official no heed, shows how silly the slotting system really is. The Indians still bid on Lincecum but the Big Brother-aspect of this simply highlights the ridiculousness of the system.

Either have a slotting system or not. This “suggested” slotting method where the FOB’s (Friends of Bud) are the only ones to adhere to the “recommendations” while other teams do as they wish needs to be fixed.

Some pretty startling news coming out of Arlington today, the day after Rangers’ manager Ron Washington admitted to using cocaine:

But in July that was going to be the end of that story. Washington kept his job, and nobody would know. The entire episode would be swept under the bat rack. And was, as the season gave way to fall and winter.

Then, however, came the blackmail threats.

Somebody, you see, did know. How or why he knew, that’s unknown.

But this team employee, fired after the season, had all the details. He also had a list of demands for the club, which if not met would mean the Ron-does-dope story would suddenly become national news.

Some of his demands were met, but the club balked at personally giving this person a glowing letter of recommendation and also refused at least one other item. By January, word leaked that the former employee was bad-mouthing Washington around north Arlington.

Blackmailer was real unhappy, but all was still quiet as spring training opened in Arizona nearly four weeks ago. Then this week, Washington received a call from a national baseball writer saying he had the Ron-does-dope details.

It’s uncertain if this is how the blackmailer made good on his threat to disgrace Washington and embarrass the ballclub, but I’d definitely wager that way.

I don’t blame the Rangers for not doing or saying anything. Why? Because the first positive test is supposed to be confidential and the Rangers handled it internally. It’s part of the collective bargaining agreement (as well as HIPAA laws, I believe; correct me if I am wrong). I feel badly for Washington, though I don’t buy his story. Regardless of the circumstances, there’s no excuse and it was good to see him not looking to make one. I don’t think the Rangers would have been right to fire him immediately; one “acknowledged” slip-up should not cost someone their career. He should, however, face some disciplinary action. What that is, I am not sure. Suspension? Fine? He’s already gone through treatment so perhaps that is enough

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Honestly, I am sick of the daily temperature taking going on… “Phil has the inside track”, “Joba’s gotta put up or shut up”, “Joba’s back on track”…

Until there’s some real news on the matter of the #5th starter, I’m going to do my best to simply refrain from making (any more) noise in an already hysterical mass of banter and blabbering. I’m guilty of contributing to it but it’ll come to a halt unless, of course, you guys want more of it.

Let’s recap:

• Phil has had a solid Spring so far
• Joba had not, until today.

Games don’t start for another 18 days or so. Let’s see how that goes.

Maybe I can discuss Jeter’s contractual situation a bit more. Didya know Mo’s contract is up as well? At least it’s quiet in Yankee camp otherwise. Unless the ARod thing blows up. Though, I can promise there will be more of this to discuss soon, very soon.

Have I mentioned that I can’t wait for the games to count?

With Opening Day approaching and the competition for the fifth starting position taking off, it seemed like a good time for the first game recap of 2010 (albeit not as in depth as in-season recaps). The Yankees took a 6-2 loss to the Phillies in Clearwater today, however, there were a lot of positives to be taken away from the outing.

Pettitte started the game for the Yankees, whose lineup included only half of those who will most likely start on Opening Night. Andy looked good, but gave up one run in both the first and second innings putting the Bombers down 2-0. Francisco Cervelli, sporting the big helmet, smacked a RBI double in the fourth to put the Yankees on the board. A triple by Brett Gardner and sac fly by Nick Johnson tied the game up at 2 in the fifth inning.

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I’m nearly completely underwater today with work, but wanted to share this ode to St. Paddy’s Day with all of you. Whatever you do, please be safe today and please don’t drive. But if you’re going to fall on your head, please also make sure someone is videotaping because, well, it’s just funny.

So it seems that Hughes is leading in the “race” for the fifth starter for the Yanks, at least as of right now:

Hughes has worked eight and two-thirds innings in spring training, allowing seven hits, two runs and two walks, with four strikeouts. If Hughes was the leader for the fifth spot coming into camp, he’s done nothing to lose that standing.

“You want to see them get better each time out,” Manager Joe Girardi said. “They need to compete right now, and he did that tonight.”

Girardi, of course, will not say who is leading the competition, but the candidates are well known. Alfredo Aceves has pitched very well, and Joba Chamberlain, who will threw 4 innings or 65 pitches against the Phillies on Wednesday in Clearwater, has pitched poorly. Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre are also in the mix, though more likely as trade bait or long relief.

So if Hughes goes on to nail down the #5 spot, how much egg will be on the Yanks faces?

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Send your venom to the fine folks at Victoria’s Secret, if you (and your lady friend) are a fan/fans of the smaller market (or perenially losing) teams, the heretofore “unrepresented“:

MLB is partnering with Victoria’s Secret’s PINK brand to take aim at young women during the 2010 season with a new fashion line featuring the logos of 11 clubs, including the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels.

Well, maybe you don’t have to wait that long, fans of the “unrepresented”:

Women account for more than 40% of fans at major league games, MLB executive vice president Tim Brosnan says. He’s hoping fashion models will wear the gear at the annual Victoria’s Secret fashion show. “After we do the 11 teams, there will then be demand for all 30,” he says.

In other words: don’t hold your breath, ladies of the “unrepresented”. At least we are sure to hear more from Alyssa Milano and her clothing line targeted at baseball-loving women, including fans of ALL teams.

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And yes, this is only posted as an excuse to run the picture above. Got a problem with that? Didn’t think so.

This is not a financial discussion today. This is a positional debate, brought about by this comment by Mike Vaccaro:

Now, the Yankees aren’t likely to find themselves in the quandary the Orioles created for themselves not long ago by refusing to believe that Cal Ripken would ever get too old to play — or wanting to challenge in any way their most popular player. They’re too smart to do what the Mets did with Mike Piazza, refusing to come up with a smart succession plan that not only would have helped the Mets at catcher, but also might well have extended Piazza’s career as an effective offensive player.

The Yankees aren’t likely to be held hostage the way those teams were, and honestly weren’t held hostage here. It is still the right move to choose Jeter over a future uncertainty. It just won’t be forever.

Here’s my thought: The Yanks are exactly like the Orioles and how Ripken’s eventual decline was so impossibly difficult to navigate. Sure, Cashman & Co. are a smart bunch, but if Jeter signs a four year extension and his abilities finally begin to erode (yes, it will happen at some point), will the front office be able to move Jeter from SS?

Jeter, as we all know, is one proud dude. That’s what makes him great. That’s what drives him. That’s what helped his defensive renaissance last year, hearing the whispers. That’s why we love him. Will Jeter accept moving to LF? To DH? Where does that leave ARod, who will also need some time at DH?

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