If you want to send some of yours up here, we'll be happy to take it off your hands.

In any event, if certain parties are going to do a dance on Cashman this is the kind of move they need to give him credit for. Somebody was paying attention when this guy's name came up and since Cashman seems to catch the crap it's only fair to give him the credit for this one. Good job.

As for Rickey, just because you can steal bases doesn't mean you can teach. He dogged. He didn't come to play every day. He gambled (as did Mick the Quick). Greatest lead off hitter in history. Not one of my favs. Not as big a story as Guidry could be as the Janks pitching coach.

As for the other move. First, it's Rasner with and E (not an O). Second, it is indeed a nice pick-up. A starter throughout his minor league career, Rasner had a nice year in double-A in 2005 (3.59 ERA, 1.19 WHIP), and his career minor league K and BB rates are solid (7.31 K/9, 2.84 BB/9 = 2.57 K/BB).

WSporter, thanks for the solid scouting report. Sounds good. Though I must say, Rasner's a much better pick-up than Small was. Small came to the Yankees as a 33-year old washout with a career mL ERA close to a run higher than Rasner's.

Lastly, as for the Yanks designating Anderson for assignment, he was outstanding for Columbus last year (2.66 ERA, 7.98 K/9, 2.39 BB/9), but he's out of options and--stop me if you've heard this one before--having not had a proper opportunity to prove himself with the big club last year, there was essentially no chance that he would make the opening-day roster. Thus, the acquisition of Rasner just sped up the inevitable.

I don't understand why people can run out, and what that means generally. If Bubba Crosby were injured and needed to be rehabbed, could he do it in the minor leagues?

of course i probably messed something up in there, so if someone could correct me if i'm wrong, that would be excellent.

Small worked out really well for us. The reference was meant to be aspirational in nature. One of the reasons I wish Bronx Banterers would find more joy in his story is precisely because he rose from the depths of a long and seemingly fruitless minor league journey to succeed on the biggest stage in the sport and managed through it all to maintain a charming sense of self and humility. He always looked so joyful to be where he was and to be doing what he was doing. I just like the guy.

Anyone who has a history of chiropractic or accupuncture/accupressure knows the tremendous benefits of these 'sciences'. I know every team has a slew of doctors....
do you think guys with back problems have tried chiropractic-accupuncture/accupressure.

I myself, would be crippled without chiropractic treatment.

Players who are out of options can only be demoted to the minors by clearing outright waivers, which is why you'll see that some players are "optioned" to the minors while others are "outrighted." Unlike major league waivers, which many players are secretly passed through after the July 31 trading deadline (which is more accurately the waiver deadline), outright waivers are irrevocable, meaning that if a player is claimed, his old team cannot take him off waivers and keep him. Also, even if a player passes through outright waivers, he still has the right to reject his assignment to the minors, thus becoming a free agent (this is why Mike Vento will be in camp with the Nationals this spring).

For the moment, Anderson has been designated for assignment, which means the Yankees have 10 days to decide what to do with him (release him, trade him, pass him through outright waivers in order to assign him to the minors, or return him to the 40-man roster having made room for him by removing another player).

Bubba Crosby is also (mercifully) out of options this seasons, while Andy Phillips is in the final year of his option period.

http://makeashorterlink.com/?K125422AC

That sentence is a little unclear: there are three separate seasons you can be optioned, but they don't have to be consecutive. Once you are put on the 40-man roster, you can be sent to the minors during three of the next six seasons.

For example, you could be placed on the 40-man roster in 2006, spend all of 2006 and 2008 in the majors, and then be sent to the minors at various times during 2007, 2009, and 2010. In 2011 you would be out of options.

Of course the rule is even more complex as if the player is not out of options in his sixth year, he must give his permission to be optioned to the minors (but does not need to clear waivers as he's still within his option period). Also, if the player spends three full seasons in the majors that also exhausts his option period, even if he was never optioned to the minors at all.

The clearest way to think of it is that you use an option year any time you're on the 40-man roster, but aren't on the 25-man roster at some point in the season.

This also gives certain players, who remain entire seasons in the minors, a fourth season of option-eligibility, during which they can be stashed in the minors or sent up and down with impunity.