Even 10 years ago, did you ever think you'd be able to watch baseball on your cel phone?

Good point. It is all just overwhelming sometimes...

On occasion, Classic Sports, YES & SNY has a replayed game worth watching.

Of course, it bears mentioning that the winter leagues are going strong in the caribbean (which usually lasts until spring training).

http://tinyurl.com/3xhrwu

so...

why on earth should the guy be mad about a 3 year / $45M contract?

"He is really mad," the source said. "But he'll still sign eventually."

http://tinyurl.com/39qhmx

he wants an additional option year.

c'mon, mo. don't get all sheffield on me now.

Bottom line, surely: no possible way he comes here to be a set-up guy, as some were guessing (dreaming?).

the article is dated as being published today.

thanks.

as you were.

That'll never happen. Mo is Latino, so the owners know they can tell him what to do, they can control him. Where Gary Sheffield's from, you can't control him. You have to talk to him with respect, talk to him like a man.

And while we're at it: Gary Sheffield never did steroids. Steroids are when you stick a needle in your butt.

sheffieldisms are beautiful things.

So I assume all the "i"s are dotted, "t"s crossed, dollar signs filled in, and just waiting for Mo's John Hancock.

"It was never was on my mind," Rivera said. "I asked for three years and that's what they were giving. I don't know where that came out, that we wanted four years. I never asked for a fourth year."

Now with Rivera secured, the Yankees can continue revamping their bullpen.

Two House panels are planning mid-January hearings featuring former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, author of a bombshell report last week that linked more than 80 baseball players to the illegal use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. Players, likely some of those named in the report, could be invited to testify as well.

Anyone in the City know how the "Fire Isiah" protest went? I'm guessing its over by now.

Those must be some amazing pictures of Dolan he's got.

"Ever had someone spit in your face and tell you it's raining? That's how it felt watching former Senator George Mitchell's press conference on steroid use in Major League Baseball. The former Senate majority leader unleashed his "investigative findings" in the somber, deliberate tones of an exhausted undertaker. Mitchell strained to heap scorn upon baseball owners and the player's union for being "slow to act." Yet beneath the surface, his report is ugly, sanctimonious fraud, meant to absolve those at the top and pin blame on a motley crew of retired players, trainers and clubhouse attendants. This is truly the old saw of the magical fishing net that captures minnows but lets the whales swim free. "

===
Elsewhere on the Santana front, a tug-of-war could be looming between Yankees GM Brian Cashman and Principal Son Hank Steinbrenner over Santana.

It's clear that since talks broke down, many of the Yankees' baseball people have had second thoughts about including Phil Hughes in any package for Santana -- which effectively would obliterate any chance of that deal happening.

But according to one baseball man who has spoken to the Yankees' brass, Steinbrenner is "moving towards it." And if he moves any further toward doing that deal, he could find himself in a fascinating debate with Cashman and others over whether to pull this very large trigger. If that happens, why do we think it might not be the last debate Cashman has with Hank Steinbrenner?

And as the Yankees, Mets and Red Sox jockey for prime Santana position, the rest of the sport watches from afar, trying to handicap where this will lead. One AL executive still thinks it will eventually lead Santana to the Bronx.

"The Twins are doing the right thing, waiting for the right deal," he said. "But the Red Sox don't need to panic. They don't need him. There's no reason for them to get anxious. But the Yankees actually do need him. They're just trying to convince themselves they don't."
===

And near as I can tell, with my lousy Spanish, the Yankees have pulled Melky Cabrera from winterball, but are allowing Robinson Cano and Bobby Abreu to play. Hmmm....

---
The Johan Santana Sweepstakes are likely to come down to whether new Yankees boss Hank Steinbrenner is willing to overrule GM Brian Cashman again. Steinbrenner wants to go for Santana, Cashman doesn't (at least not at the cost of Phil Hughes).

Word is that Steinbrenner the Younger would like to back Cashman, especially after disregarding the GM on whether to hold firm at three years for Jorge Posada and no years for Alex Rodriguez after A-Rod opted out. However, some executives around the league are predicting that Steinbrenner will ignore Cashman's advice to keep Hughes and save the $23 million a year or so, and that the Yankees will eventually land Santana.

The package would be expected to include center fielder Melky Cabrera, pitching prospect Jeff Marquez and another prospect in addition to Hughes. The Red Sox and Mets remain in the bidding and can't be counted out. But the Twins appear to be waiting for someone to bend, and the short history suggests that Junior Steinbrenner is the most likely to do so.

---
Interesting that, according to this, Cashman didn't want to sign ARod after he opted out and thought they should hold the line on Jorge.

And yeah, that bit about A-Rod is interesting...

I wonder if Cash is feeling like he is losing control again and doesn't want to deal with it.

Cashman was right not to initiate discussions with A-Rod. Alex had to go to the Yankees first. Personally, I'd rather go with the kids than trade a bunch of them for Santana.

Hank, OTOH, doesn't seem to worry about things like that. See his "deadline" to the Twins with regard to Santana.

Winter's for the fucking birds.