Aha! We've finally got some news we can sink our teeth into.

First, talks between the Yankees and the Diamonbacks concerning a possible trade involving Randy Johnson have stalled. Evidentally, Arizona asked for everything but GI Joe with the Kung-Fu grip. But while negotiations are dead for the moment, it is still very early in the game. Remember, the deals that brought Roger Clemens, Chuck Knoblauch and Alex Rodriguez to New York all happened late in the Hot Stove season.

Now, the big 'un. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Jason Giambi admitted that he used steriods when he testified before a grand jury last year. The newspaper reportedly obtained a transcript from the trial. Dig:

"Did Mr. [Greg] Anderson [Barry Bonds' trainer] provide you with actual injectable testosterone?" Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nedrow asked Giambi.

"Yes," replied Giambi.

Nedrow then referred Giambi to an alleged calender of drug use seized during a raid on Anderson's home. Addressing a January 2003 entry, the prosecutor said: "OK. And this injectable T, or testosterone, is basically a steroid, correct?"

"Yes."

"And did he talk to you about the fact it was a steroid at the time?"

"Yeah, I mean, I -- I don't know if we got into a conversation about it, but we both knew about it, yes," Giambi told the grand jury.

Giambi said Anderson described "the cream" and "the clear" as "an alternative to steroids, but it doesn't show on a steroid test.

"And he started talking about that it would raise your testosterone levels, you know, which would basically make it a steroid ... or maybe he said it's an alternative of taking an injectable steroid," Giambi said. "That might be a better way to put it."

Uh, anyone got thoughts about this one?

Meanwhile, on a less meaty note, Derek Jeter weighed in on the Pedro Martinez situation:

"I like facing Pedro. You talk about the rivalry, it's part of it. You get the opportunity to face one of the best pitchers in baseball," Jeter said on a conference call yesterday. "I enjoy the competition. I enjoy competing against him. But you never know what's going to happen."

..."I can't comment on what our organization wants to do," he said. "I'm speaking on my behalf. I enjoy competing against guys. I enjoy competing against [Curt] Schilling. It's the same thing.

"Would you like certain guys on your team who are going to help? Of course. I enjoy facing Pedro. He's one of the guys who represent the Boston Red Sox, and I haven't thought about him being on our team because he's not. I've always been competing against him." (N.Y. Post)

But wait, there's more:

"I don't want to comment about what would work in the clubhouse. It's not a situation I've spent time thinking about," he said. "All this stuff is speculation. Pedro Martinez is not on this team. Until he's on this team, you can speculate all you want."

..."The bottom line is that you have a job to do. If someone is on your team, you have to find a way to work together. It doesn't mean that everyone you've played with in the past you've liked, as long as you have a common goal, that's fine." (Daily News)

Finally, the News is reporting that the Yankees and Mets are close to swapping Mike Stanton for Felix Heredia. There you have it. You may fire when ready, Grizzly.