Joba, Hughes and the Yankees Fifth Starter

The question of who will be the Yankees fifth starting pitcher is sure to be a hot topic until a decision is reached later this Spring. The leading candidates are the obvious suspects, Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, followed by Sergio Mitre, Alfredo Aceves and Chad Gaudin (in no specific order).

Early spring training starts aside, who is better suited to be the Yankees fifth starter? I don’t think I’m going out on the limb by saying that the spot will be given to either Joba or Hughes. The Yankees have visions of one of them being a starter this season, although, could you imagine how good their bullpen would be all season if they had both guys in there? They’d lock down the 7th and 8th innings before handing it off to Mariano Rivera. This was the case in the 2009 postseason and although Hughes didn’t pitch well then, I’d still be extremely content with having them both in the bullpen this coming October. 

The NY Daily News wrote a good article about Alfredo Aceves winning the starting spot and having Joba and Hughes in the bullpen. Although I can’t see it happening, the Yankees would turn their baseball games into six inning games. With Joba and Hughes working out of the bullpen, the Yankees may rarely lose games when having a lead after six innings. It would similar to 1996 when the Yankees were almost unbeatable when they had a lead after six innings. Mariano pitched the 7th and 8th innings and John Wetteland closed the door in the 9th. 

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Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium

December 30, 2010 will be the date of the first ever Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The bowl will feature the number three team in the Big East and the number six team in the Big 12. 

This will be the first bowl game to take place at Yankee Stadium since 1962. 

“Football’s always been a love of my dad: he played it, he coached it,” Hal Steinbrenner told The Star Ledger. “We made it a point when we built this stadium to ensure it was a year-round, multi-sport venue, and it will be that. There is more to come. Football is going to be a big part of it in 2010, and football’s going to be a big part of it in the years to come.”

Read more about the bowl.

Jets Free Agency and Trade Notes

Notes on some recent Jets moves and rumors:

The Kerry Rhodes trade is truly an addition by subtraction after listening to him during an interview with Michael Kay on 1050 ESPN radio. Rhodes left some parting shots in the interview and on twitter. On a side note, I find it funny that Jets fans’ knock on Rhodes is that he can’t tackle and Chargers fans’ knock on Jets newly acquired cornerback, Antonio Cromartie, is that he can’t tackle either. 

Articles like these make me want to destroy Bleacher Report. There are plenty more terrible articles on that website. 

Thomas Jones has signed a two-year deal, $5 million deal with the Kansas City Chiefs which officials puts an end to his career as a New York Jet. 

Former Jets receiver, Laverneus Coles, has expressed interest in rejoining the team for a third time and the NY Daily News heard the Jets have similar interest. I’m not in favor of Coles coming back to New York. He’s 32-years old and may not be able to bang in the middle of the field as a slot receiver. I’d rather see the Jets use their second round pick in the draft on a receiver. Coles credits a poor 2009 season to Bengals quarterback, Carson Palmer, only liking to throw to tall receivers. 

The market for Leon Washington is currently rumored to be the 49ers and there is speculation at ESPN that the Patriots could use him too. A team would have to give up a second round pick to sign Washington from the Jets. 

Free agent veteran running back LaDainian Tomlinson will visit with the New York Jets Friday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He is visiting with the Vikings Thursday. If he doesn’t strike a deal with Minnesota, he’ll be visiting with New York. 

Mike Tannenbuam and the Jets have their work cut out for them this off-season to make the team better.

Where Do the Jets Go From Here?

One off-season move can have a domino effect on the rest. As it stood prior to the trade with San Diego, Jets general manager, Mike Tannenbaum, had his sights set on selecting a cornerback with the 29th overall pick in the draft. By acquiring Antonio Cromartie, the Jets will be able to use their first round pick on a different position. 

Now that Thomas Jones has signed a two-year deal with the Chiefs and won’t be returning to New York, my question is where do the Jets get a running back from? If Leon Washington ends up remaining on the Jets, they should be content with going into the season with Shonn Greene as their premiere back and Washington as a change of pace and third-down back. I ‘d be elated if this happened for the reason that they wouldn’t have to acquire a new running back; one less need. If Washington signs with another team, then what? With Shonn Greene the lone running back left on the roster of their former three-headed rushing attack, would it make sense for the Jets to use a draft pick on a running back and have a rookie and second-year back making up their backfield? Do they instead sign a veteran back to split time with Greene? In this case, who is that veteran? 

The Jets could benefit from adding depth at some positions but before they add depth, they need to take care of some positions that could use a makeover at the top of the depth chart like an outside linebacker across from Calvin Pace, defensive end, running back (depending on Leon), safety and third receiver. 

Getting an outside linebacker is currently the Jets most critical need. For the people who question Cromartie’s skills, putting pressure on the quarterback will make Cromartie better. 

For now, Jets fans, we’ll have to sit patiently and wait for the next move and see how it effects other potential moves.

Giants General Manager Jerry Reese

There is a reason Ernie Accorsi received a 2007 championship ring.  Of the 22 starters for the 07 Giants, Accorsi was responsible for 20 of them including Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Eli Manning, Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, Brandon Jacobs and defensive captain Antonio Pierce.  Jerry Reese took the car Ernie Accorsi put together, added tires, and rode his way to a Super Bowl championship.

After the signing of Antrel Rolle, Jerry Reese has the potential to become the immediate scapegoat if the Giants fail this year.  In his first season taking over for Ernie Acorsi, Reese led the Giants to one of the most improbable upsets of all time.  In that year Reese’s draft picks were an integral part for the success of the team.  Kevin Boss, Aaron Ross, Ahmad Bradshaw and Steve Smith were vital components in leading the Giants to their third Super Bowl championship.  Reese only added one impact free agent that year to a 1 million dollar contract, Kawika Mitchell.

With a Super Bowl championship under his belt and P.S.L. dollars coming in, Jerry has opened up the bank.  The past couple of years Reese has spent big and spent early.

In the past two off seasons Reese has signed Chris Canty, Michael Boley, Rocky Bernard, and Antrel Rolle to the lump sum of 120 million dollars.  If this team fails to find success this upcoming season, Reese could see himself in hot water.  Questions of a Redskins type off-season could creep into the back of your mind.  One of the riskiest things you can do as a general manager is spend money freely.  It immediately puts a target on your back if those players don’t succeed.

Maybe Reese knows something we don’t.  Maybe the success of a general manager can always be tied back to the way he drafts. As every Giants fan knows Reese’s strong suit is the draft.  If Rolle and Canty fail to produce the way they are paid to, one of his decisions in late April could be the one saving his job.

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Kerry Rhodes Traded to Cardinals, Don’t Get Great Value in Return

On Friday, Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum said he expected Kerry Rhodes to take part in off-season activities and to be a part of the future of this team. 

On Saturday, Rhodes was traded. The Jets traded Rhodes to the Cardinals for a fourth round pick in this year’s draft and a seventh round pick in next year’s draft. Rhodes will fill in at safety for Antrel Rolle, who was recently signed as a free agent by the New York Giants. 

The Jets didn’t get a good value for Rhodes. A fourth round pick will rarely turn out to be a player with a similar caliber as Rhodes. But Rhodes and the Jets’ coaching staff weren’t seeing eye-to-eye, so the Jets probably are happy that they are moving forward without Rhodes, which to them, is worth the low value in return. 

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Top 10 New York Fantasy Baseball Targets for 2010

As the snow melts and spring inches closer, it’s hard not to imagine the beautiful green grass at the new Yankee Stadium, the brand new championship banner being hung, and hopes of a repeat in the minds’ of all the fans. Across town, the old saying, “hope springs eternal” comes into play at Citifield, home of the New York Mets, a team looking to rebound from an injury plagued 2009 season and unseat the defending National League Champion Phillies from atop the NL East. There are some great team storylines. However, though they say there is no “I” in team, fantasy baseball is all about the “I”. Will Jose Reyes bounce back? Will knee surgery affect Carlos Beltran’s bottom line? How will Curtis Granderson fare in The Bronx? I’ll answer these questions and more in my Top 5 Mets and Yankees to target in fantasy baseball for 2010.

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Giants Sign Antrel Rolle

The Giants have signed free agent safety Antrel Rolle to a five-year deal worth $37 million, making him the highest paid safety in NFL history. 

Safety was a major concern of the Giants heading into the off-season and they filled the void on the very first day of free agency. 

Whether the Giants overpaid for Rolle is a different story. That won’t be known until we see how Rolle does in a Giants uniform, but there’s no question he is an upgrade over the safeties the Giants strolled out to the field lat year. 

Don’t expect another big name free agent to head to New York after Rolle. 

I like the signing. It was necessary to upgrade at the safety position especially with questions around the health of Kenny Phillips. Linebacker should be the next area the Giants look to improve and I’d put my money on the Giants selecting a linebacker with their 15 overall pick in the draft.

Giants Need to get Involved in Free Agency

When the clock struck 12:00 p.m. last night, NFL free agency began. GMs and coaches lined up by the telephone in hope of signing coveted free agents. In less than 24 hours, a slew of players have already been signed leaving few talented players available.

For the past several years it seems as if the Giants have just ignored the free agency market. From what I can remember, their last significant free agent signings came in 2005 when they inked Kareem McKenzie and Antonio Pierce to long term deals. Both deals worked out spectacularly for the Giants, as both players became intrigal parts of their Super Bowl Championship team. However, since 2005, the Giants have bypassed the free agency period almost altogether and seem content by just improving their team via the draft.

In today’s NFL, teams must get involved in free agency. Relying solely on the draft to improve your team is much too risky. Especially with rookie contracts the way they are now, signing established NFL players is the more sensible choice.

With an aging offensive line, a running game that vanished, and holes in every level of their defense, you would think that the big market Giants would be extremely active this offseason. That just isn’t the case. Hopefully, the Giants will wake up and salvage what they can from the remaining free agents.

P.S. Jerry Reese – Antrel Rolle and Karlos Dansby are still available. Pick up the phone!!

Will Cromartie Stay Focused on Football?

The Jets might have answered their biggest off-season question last night by acquiring cornerback Antonio Cromartie from the San Diego Chargers. Cromartie burst onto the NFL scene in 2007 by leading the league with 10 interceptions and dazzling the highlight films with his kick returns. However, after 2007, Cromartie’s career took a nose dive. He was frequently in trouble with the law for driving without a license and being named as a defendant in several paternaty suits. The guy has 7 children with 5 different woman in numerous states. Yikes!

Cromartie’s talent is not the concern. The guy is an athletic freak who can match up man to man with elite receivers and run step-for-step with them downfield. The biggest question is his character and whether or not he can stay focused on football while now playing in the bright lights of New York City.

Cromartie actually played his way out of the laid back city of San Diego. But, he is still young (26) and can re-establish himself as an elite corner on the best defense in the league.

This type of trade, boom or bust, has become a staple of Mike Tannenbaum’s repertoire. He covers himself by trading mid to late round conditional draft picks on players that have warn out their welcome. Tannenbaum has become one of the best NFL GMs in only a couple of years with the reigns. I personally love the move. Now, the Jets can focus on getting an elite pass rusher in the draft.