Quite simply, screw over the universally respected John Schuerholz with shifty and sneaky dealings:

John Schuerholz, the Braves president and former general manager, Thursday called the dealings of Furcal’s agents “despicable” and “disgusting” and said the franchise would no longer entertain signing players represented by them – ever.

Having been in this business for 40-some years, I’ve never seen anybody treated like that,” Schuerholz said. “The Atlanta Braves will no longer do business with that company – ever. I told [agent] Arn Tellem that we can’t trust them to be honest and forthright. I told him that in all my years, I’ve never seen any [agency] act in such a despicable manner.

“It was disgusting and unprofessional. we’re a proud organization, and we won’t allow ourselves to be treated that way. I advised Arn Tellem that whatever players he represents, just scratch us off the list. Take the name of the Atlanta Braves off their speed dial. They can deal with the other 29 clubs, and we’ll deal with the other hundred agents.

Agent Paul Kinzer, the lead agent in the Furcal deal, works directly for Tellem. Tellem reported heaved Kinzer under the bus in trying to explain away Kinzer’s actions to Wren and Scheurholz. Kinzer’s reputation is in shambles after this one. In listening to Joel Sherman on XM yesterday, he had his great line: “I’m writing about this tomorrow. Would you like me to call you an idiot or a liar?”

I’m digging a bit more on this and have a call into an agent for their views on the ethics and conditions behind these sorts of actions. If I can get some additional color, you’ll know!

I penned a long rambling post last night after learning about an 8 year, $184m offer the Sox had put on the table for Teix. Then I awoke to this:

Red Sox owner John Henry e-mailed several media members late tonight with a stunning twist in the team’s pursuit of free-agent first baseman Mark Teixeira.

Henry’s words: “We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him. After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor.”

Earlier tonight, multiple news outlets reported the Red Sox had traveled to Texas to meet with Teixeira and his agent, Scott Boras, in the hopes of trying to finalize a deal. WCVB-TV Channel 5 reported that the Red Sox had offered Teixeira an eight-year deal worth $184 million (an average of $23 million per season).

I’ve pulled my initial posting for the time being, in full disclosure. Should this ploy by Henry be just a bluff, I’ll dust it off and toss it back out there.

Gotta love MLBTradeRumors for goodies like this, their massive list of 2010 free agents-to-be. And from the looks of it, it’s not a bumper crop. We’re going to be losing Matsui, Damon and Nady. If Austin Jackson is ready to take CF for his own in 2010, we’ll need two corner OFs (or one if we get a 1B and move Swisher to a corner OF spot). Here are the interesting names that stick out for me, either due to age or need or both.

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Sure it makes the headlines due to the Clemens angle, but it’s just sad:

Roger Clemens’ longtime mistress was hospitalized – after an apparent suicide attempt, Nashville police said.
……
A source told the Daily News McCready severed a tendon in her left arm that required immediate surgery.

I really hope she gets the proper counselling to get herself back together.

If you like William C. Rhoden (as much as I do) and his line of reasoning, the answer is yes:

Sabathia represents a potential breath of fresh air in a stale, cliche-ridden Yankees clubhouse, one with little personality and even less passion, and no recent championships to compensate for those deficiencies.

Sabathia is a good-natured star who has strong feelings about issues and isn’t afraid to share them. This is an anomaly in a clubhouse famous for antiseptic professionalism.
……
The common wisdom is that a team can buy Gold Gloves, big bats and strong arms, but it can’t buy chemistry.

The Yankees may have finally figured out how to buy that, too.

Well, he’s slightly larger than an eagle…although, he looks much thinner than I remember him from October. I am imagining things?

Let the hatin’ begin.

Leave it to the UniWatch blog to try to figure out how many pinstripes will be on CC’s jersey, and how many were on Babe’s, the Scooter’s, Joba’s…

Please tell me this is Hank banging his desk like a petulant teenager and that Cashman is looking at Hal as if to say “Let’s just placate him for now, but we won’t really do this“:

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For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

So sayeth the RedSox:

The Yankees’ recent purchases can only be further motivation for the Boston club. The American League East was typically one of baseball’s toughest divisions. And that was before the emergence of the Rays, who went from nowhere to the World Series in one season and now cannot fairly be expected to return to oblivion.

The Red Sox, having finally gained the upper hand in the rivalry with the Yankees by the virtue of two World Series championships in the last five seasons, cannot sit idly by and watch the Yanks make dramatic, if incredibly expensive, improvements. And that is what the acquisitions of Sabathia and Burnett were. The Yankees have not won a World Series since 2000, primarily because their starting pitching wasn’t of championship caliber. On paper, at least, that shortcoming has now been directly addressed.