Correct me if i'm wrong but i do believe in 2009 the Yankees will need to be the best team in either league to be guaranteed a playoff spot. Considering that, the team needs to improve in several key areas

Catcher- Just get Jorge healthy and it will be stellar.

1st base- I don't want to hear any crazy stories about how the Yankees shouldnt spend money and build form the ground up. We're the Yankees; we spend money when we have to and when the perfect player at this position is available... YOU TAKE HIM. SIGN MARK TEXEIRA... please.. do i have to beg or do a dance to ensure this happening?? because I will!

2nd Base- Robinson Cano will return to form and be an excellent second baseman next season... whether or not its in a Yankees Uniform may be left up to debate. I dont think me OR Cashman would give up on Cano unless it was for someone that DRASTICALLY improves a need like CF, 1B, or an ACE.The only reason Soriano's not still our Second baseman is because A-ROD became available.

3rd base- A-ROD.. because of how dominate hes been from such a young age you can argue he is the greatest player to play Shortstop OR 3rd base.

SS- Derek Jeter... and he'll be Derek Jeter.

LF- Damon. he works the count. he gets hits. sometimes big ones. he can steal some bases. he's got pletny of range in Left.

CF- TRADE ALERT. the free Agent pool is terrible. Brett Gardner doesnt impress me. Melky impressed me.... last year... and in April this year. However, I, like most of NY, have fallen out of love for the Melkman because of his TERRIBLE performance from May on. I will obviously expect something to be done in the offseason to not have a question mark in center (putting a premium on Valuing Cano' potential over Melky/Gardner). With guys like A-rod, and Texeira in the lineup; you can have a question mark.. I'm choosing Cano because just look at what he's already done in the majors. Who do i want for centerfield? Anyone of these names.. in no particular order:: Carlos Beltran, Nate McClouth, Ichiro, Grady Sizemore, Matt Kemp, and Josh Hamilton.

RF- Nady. I wanna see what he does in a full season for us. I'm excited; because hes a great player, but hes not really a count worker.

DH- re-sign Abreu. His ability to work a pitcher is too valuable to lose. Trade Hideki Matsui to someone who needs a productive, consistent bat in the lineup as a piece for a Centerfielder. he still has value, and is a better hitter than Abreu, i just think Matsui makes better trade bait to get a centerfielder.

Bench

Molina

Ransom

Betemit

Gardner/Melky(whichever isnt traded)

Starting Pitching- Our Biggest need seeing as we only have 2 of which set by cashman as known starters.

1. CC Sabbathia. Sign him; sign him. SIGN HIM. the only scenarios id forgive the Yankees for not signing him would be if we traded for Jake Peavy, or another shut down Ace like that; or if his arm literally falls off next season and Cashman can be all like.. TOLD YA SO.

2. Wang- will prove how badly we missed/needed him.

3. Joba Chamberlain will prove that he can be part of a big league staff all year, and will be more valuable and a necessity for us as a starter.

4. Re-sign Mike Mussina to be the same crafty vet who won 20 games in 2008. Convince him that a WS ring on his finger would treat his HOF status quite nicely; and be just as good of a high note to end on as winning 20 games.

5. Phil Hughes has so much potential, i just hope he lives up to it. How can you not notice how great his minor league numbers are. He was completely dominant there; he truly was. I am giving him the benefit of the doubt that he was hurt in the beginning of 08, no one who is that good jsut gets bad. he was doing just fine once he was rehabbed. Otherwise try out Aceves, Kennedy, Andrew brackmans coming back from Tommy John Surgery, idk try out a few guys and see if someone sticks... then trade house for someone before the deadline if it's not working.

Do i need to mention the Bullpen.. i guess i do.. leave it be.. we will have the best bullpen in the game.. expect something like this on opening day::

Rivera

Veras

Bruney

Ramirez

Marte

Coke

Robertson

Sometimes I wish i could fast forward to 2009, okay... being a total yankee homer, and someone who is about to turn 21 in the beginning of 2009 might have something to do with it being more like all the time... but thats neither here nor there.

2009 means changes and improvements for the yankees who should face a humiliating loss by not makign the postseason for the first time since i was in the first grade.

I also WANT the Mets to have some postseason success because i feel like it will kick the Yankees into gear and make them make some noise to get the city's love back, because as the yankees fail and the mets succeed the town is starting to favor the mets again.

Can the yankees make a move for a legitimate centerfielder? (there are no free agents i would want, unless the list I'm looking at isn't accurate) maybe even fix two needs if you wanted to commit joba to the Bullpen and get a starter and really pile it on. How about Matt Cain and Aaron Rowand? I dont know what it would take but Aaron isnt a terrible hitter and plays very very hard baseball. Not to mention Cain being a pitcher with GREAT stuff. I'm sure if you kept piling on the players theyd eventually accept. Any giant fans around here??? how about Hideki Matsui, Melky Cabrera, Wilson Betemit, David Robertson, and Ian Kennedy?? would you take that for Aaron Rowand and Matt Cain? It would give you a starting 2B or 3B, whichever you choose for him to play. A solid bat that will give you 100RBI and 20-30 HR in LF. A solid relief prospect that has had some success in the bigs as well as a young, great defensive outfielder; and a guy who has dominated as a starting pitcher on the AAA level and is still young.

Needless to say i am completely torn about the main starting rotation issue:: is Joba durable enough to last as a starter? I'm leaning towards leaving him in the pen just because our bullpen with Joba in it makes me absolutely giddy because the pen is SO GOOD. He's proven to be an excellent starter but he did get hurt after a few months, which doesnt bode well for his future as a starter. if Joba is less likely to be injured coming out of the bullpen, then thats where he needs to be to always be able to help the yankees win games.

Sign Sabbathia and Texeira. Do I need to say why? Sabbathia is a dependable Ace regardless of his girth, and Texeira is a first baseman who can actually produce AND play defense. Something us Yankee fans havent seen since Tino Martinez. Re-sign Mussina. he deserves it.

If and only if my trade for Cain and Rowand comes through, re-sign Abreu to DH for the team as well as alleviate the outfield to allow Nady to move to left and Damon to DH occasionally. I do not like Abreu as an everyday outfielder because his range is small and fear of walls is high. However, i do like his baserunning skills and his plate discipline, making him a potentially good guy to have around to DH. If the trade doesnt go through, let Abreu walk; as we would still have Matsui to DH...However, let's assume my plan works... we also need a guy we can count on to pinch hit form the left hand side in the absence of Betemit, so i figured a free agent like Eric Hinske could do the job. this should leave the roster looking like this for opening day::

Damon LF/DH

Jeter SS

Abreu DH/RF

A-Rod 3B

Texeira 1B

Nady RF/LF

Posada C

Cano 2B

Rowand CF

Bench

Molina C

Ransom IF

Gardner OF

HInske OF/1B

Rotation::

Sabbathia

Wang

Cain

Mussina

Hughes

Bullpen

Rivera

Chamberlain

Veras

Ramirez

Bruney

Coke

Marte

I think if you follow New York sports... you'll come to find everyone knows how to fix the yankees... but I'd rather tell you why they need to be fixed soon. The best reason is sheerly their roster when all these injury ridden players we need start coming back now that it's at the end of the year. The mere thought of this roster is sending tremors of Psych-itude through my body like an earthquake. The Yankees might actually have the best team they've put together on October 1st, 2008 than any team they've put together since 2003... all they have to do is stay close to the wildcard until Hughes and Joba come back before the end of this month and then turn it on for one big push and my dreams can become a reality, and hopefully a big old championship ring on each one of their fingers... they certainly look like they're capable of it as long as we an take care of those gosh darn Angels and that stupid Rally Monkey. Lets start with the lineup::

Damon -CF(I don't care how crappy his arm is, he's way too productive to ride the bench in favor of melky. Plus, he can still cover the ground in CF)

Jeter- SS

Abreu- RF

A-Rod- 3B

Giambi -1B

Nady- LF

Cano- 2B

Matsui- DH

Rodriguez- C

im not writing off Melky Cabrera; he will be playing often... just not every day... spelling for the outfield and matsui... basically being a super 4th outfielder ala Coco crisp in Boston. When Matsui comes back, it may have to happen to get all those bats in the lineup most nights. rotation time::

Mike Mussina

Chien Ming Wang

Joba Chamberlain (the DL stint clearly won't affect this horse... and Joba at number 3... can u ask for anything better?)

Andy Pettite

Phil Hughes(yes he will be healthy and return shortly and prove he's an EXCELLENT pitcher and help guide the yankees into the playoffs)

side bar on Hughes:: why not rehab him in the big leagues?? we need him or really anyone who can be effective, even if its for a limited pitch count. Let's use that awesome bullpen we've created and let Hughes into the rotation... He really seems to be a great pitcher and is barely 22 (look at his ridiculous minor league numbers... hes torn the league apart the past 3 years) ok back on track:::

Bench

Melky Cabrera (already explained)

Richie Sexson (defense and a bat against lefties)

Jose Molina (more defense)

Justin Christian (I put him in over putting Robertson in the pen for some late game speed on the bases... you cant overlook a pesky baserunner)

Wilson Betemit (who else was i gonna put as our utility infielder... miguel cairo?!)

now for the best Bullpen in baseball:::

Rivera

Marte

Bruney

Ramirez

Veras

Giese

do you feel it?? its like a system overload to how psyched I am... this is a legitimate championship caliber team. All we have to do is contend and soon enough this team will approximate itself... we just have to stay at least close enough to striking distance (about 3 games) until we can turn it on when the 2 young guns(Joba and Hughes) come back at the end of this month.

I had originally tried to write an article to justify that Mike Mussina deserves to be considered for the Cy Young... i mean he does have 9 more starts to get 5 more wins and 20 wins IS a pretty big deal... but I dont see how i can honestly say he deserves it when he's not even the best pitcher on the Yankees.... not with Mariano Rivera being absoulutely dominant this year.

First off, the Yankees don't take the easy way out often and let rivera face 1 or 2 batters like other closers (see K-Rod's games appeared to innings pitched.. then look at Rivera... you can clearly tell Rivera's ERA and WHIP are not maniupulated because of how hes being used; like Fransisco Rodriguez and almost every other closer in this league (minus Joakim Soria and maybe Brad Lidge). They all come in with no one on and with a lead they just have to get 3 outs and it's now becoming increasingly more popular to just bring in the closer for the last 1 or 2 outs if a save opportunity arises. The Yankees are TRULY using rivera when they need him, and his higher total of innings than games appeared is evidence enough.

They bring in Rivera in the 8th inning with men on, they bring him out for the whole 9th, bring him out against the very best hitters in the league, and he does what he needs to in order to get the door closed for his team... and he dominates. His WHIP is .72 and you can still count his total walks on one hand... it's 5... 5 walks all season?! that's absolutely absurd.. i had to do a double take when i looked at that like in a Saturday morning cartoon and spit out water everywhere.

Unless mike mussina or cliff lee turn it up to a new degree of excellence only matched by Rivera's current dominance and throw a no hitter and then finish the year with 21+ wins... I just don't see how anyone besides Rivera could win the Cy Young.... if everyone continues at this pace... if K-Rod or wins the Cy Young i swear to God (or Jehovah, Mohamed, Yahweh, Buddha or whatever other religious figure you want me to swear on) i will go berserk.

If i hear the words Bronson Arroyo and the New York Yankees in the same sentence one more time i might just lose my mind. There are certain "beloved" talk show hosts on WFAN who on an almost daily basis make the case for this pitcher to be given a shot on the Yankees because of our hurt staff. Is there seriously any reason why I would want a washed up red sock reject who can't even cut it in the NL Central? Please... he'd get eaten alive in the AL East.

I'm not one to bash people without coming forward and proving exactly why I do NOT want this guy on the Yankees:: A guy making 12 million a year who has an ERA of 5.97 and a WHIP of 1.66. For those who don't know about WHIP and why it's so amazing, it is a stat kept to see on average how many runners reach per inning due to the pitchers fault(errors are not included... but it tracks walks, hits, and HBPs). It is one of the most useful tools to truly determine how effective a pitcher is without ever watching him pitch. A WHIP of 1.66 means if he lasts only 5 innings, on an average he would allow more than 8 baserunners... those are stats of pitchers who do not belong in the majors at all let alone someone we shoudl seek that could help us.

If the yankees were to make a trade... shouldnt it be for someone more effective than the guy they're replacing?? Arroyo simply cannot provide that. There are PLENTY of guys who are better than Ponson... Arroyo is in NO WAY one of them.

Our current 5 starter is Sidney Ponson who is letting up SIGNIFICANTLY less runs and less runners than Arroyo, ALSO, he costs the yankees next to nothing because he is a minor leaguer who was brought up into the bigs to help through our injury ridden staff, oh and we already have him. We didn't have to trade any prospect for him, just signing him to a minor league deal.

I can't believe how any Yankees fan wants Arroyo on the team.

ok i recently saw an "anti-all star team" even though it probably should've been titled the all-scrub team... but that's neither here nor there...anyways what it really did was get me thinking what an all-star team made up of guys who seem like they have a case for all-star glory.... especially when Varitek and Lowell deserve the All-Star Honor... that boggles my mind... but hey so as long as i dont pick a guy like Varitek i Should be safe. Heres my all-snub team:: i made a rather unusual 25 man roster... but here goes::

Starting Lineup

1. 2B- Brian Roberts. hes putting up a respectable all star year for a 2B.... hitting almost .300 more than a handful of homers... hes a productive guy right? oh yea and he has 25 SB... hello leadoff hitter of the ALL-SNUBS.

2. SS- Jose Reyes- Say what you will about his attitude but his numbers clearly show hes an elite SS.. and needs to be in the all star game way more than Tejada.

3. LF- Carlos Lee. he's driving in everyone and taking full advantage of not being pitched around because of Berkmans awesome year

4. RF- Pat Burrell. 1.003 OPS and 22 Homers... i think i said enough

5. 1B- Mark Teixera. 17 HR 67 RBI.. he is having by most standards an all star year... unfortunately, 1B is an extremely talented position in the NL... seemingly all the guys not named chipper having good years are first baseman.

6. DH- Break out the Stache's for Jason Giambi. His stats look like it's 2002 since he hit rock bottom in May.

7. CF- Jermaine Dye. I know hes not a centerfielder but it's my team and hes got solid numbers

8. 3B- Evan Longoria. The kid's for real... and pending an explosion from a rookie pitcher in the second half... he may be the unanimous rookie of the year... get him on the all star team with those votes... hes like Mike Lowell if Mike Lowell could hit when he wasn't in Fenway and was 10 years younger.

9. C- Ryan Doumit. the Pirates catcher is having a career year but wheres his all-star love? .320 BA.with 11 homers.... i found my All-Snub Catcher

Reserves

OF- a little love for the injured Johnny Damon right here. He's had a solid year up until he got hurt.

OF- Xavier Nady. How can you not love his sort of production... its Paul O'Neill esque.

OF- Jacoby Ellsbury and his AL leading 35 stolen bases... can also give me some MUCH NEEDED defense in the outfield... he's my only real centerfielder.

3B- David Wright. Always a proven and solid player time and time again and 70 RBIs cant lie.

SS- J.J. Hardy. AND not because we share the same nickname and initials(which is pretty sweet.. I'll admit it) but because this guy produces.. and has produced better than tejada this year

2B- Brandon Phillips. great player... hes just unfortunately in a logjam behind Uggla and Utley... but hes definitely worthy of the All-Snubs

STARTING PITCHERS

Mike Mussina. I did what others couldnt and i gave the old man a break and put him on the team... hes having a very solid year. and the games at his homefield... so I'm starting him

Cole Hamels. if Mussina wasnt an obvious choice to be an all-snub... this is a close second... hes a lights out pitcher.

CC Sabathia. Strikeouts and innings Galore... been his usual all-star self after a terrible April... I'll take him... just like the Brew crew did

Kyle Lohse. on a staff where most of the pitchers are injured. hes giving the Cards two things... wins and hope. 10-2 record?... he makes the cut

Johan Santana...How can I not take a guy with a sub 3 ERA and pitching in NY?? even though his record doesnt show dominance and is not having a Johan quality year...I'm gonna call this a legacy pick.

John Lester. I hate the red sox... but this kid can pitch... and he's doing it in by far the toughest division in all of baseball. he threw a no hitter this year too... welcome to the All-Snubs Mr. Lester.

Bullpen

with only 3 blown saves and a sub 3 ERA... Brandon Lyon iss putting up better numbers than other all star relievers.. so he makes the cut for the all-snubs

Bobby Jenks and his 1.95 ERA.... makes it and he might close it out for me

B.J. Ryan... hes 16 for 18 and is a lefty.... I need one in my pen so he might as well be a shutdown closer too

Troy Percival... the guys proven he can still do it... regardless of if hes been hurt.. he's the closer for the team with the best record in baseball. sidebar:: he's also the only pitcher named to the All-Snub bullpen without a first name that starts with the letter B

granted... I might have made this swing in my favor a little by having quite a large bench and a small bullpen but whatever... its an allstar game.... I'd like to see my All-Snub team play... i think these boys can take the real All-Stars

So this is my first post on YB.... let's see how this goes.. ok? awesome:

I sincerely hope that this pick of Danilo Galinari works out for Donnie Walsh. I thought this was the start of a new regime, but i am most certainly disapointed right now. Galinari is definitely not a cornerstone type of player that we needed. Honestly, there hasnt been any cornerstone european guys yet. Definitely solid players. Definitely helpful additions to the team. They just unfortunately are better as the second or third guy on the team. Look at Dirk Nowitzki; he is a great player, but cannot be counted on as THE MAN in Dallas. Pau Gasol has Kobe and the triangle Offense to help him. Best case scenario, hes a younger smaller stronger Dirk; which is VERY exciting, but I dont think a calm poised guy can really be the face of the Knicks. But i think the flop factor is HIGH on galinari. Probably because i know how well Frederick Weis worked out for the Knicks.... but hear me out... I WANT TO BE WRONG... I want to have the words, or maybe even a picture depicting our "iItalian Stallion" tattooed to my rear in homage to Danilo taking New York from being a complete joke in basketball, to relevance and respect.

Unfortunately for me and the rest of Knicks' fans, we have lots of holes so I dont know if i should have a right to complain when our team did get a piece that should makes us better. Part of me wanted to catch a glimpse of that huge overhaul to really get that fresh start feeling from top to bottom; not just a guy who seems like he could play good fundamental basketball. I sound spoiled, but (I am a New Yorker after all) we need a star in the biggest city in the world. Which by the way, we have PLENTY of baseketball fans, and potential excitement for the sport. I may have to continue to root for the New York Cavaliers of Cleveland unless Donnie Walsh makes some good moves this offseason. That would be upsetting to have the Knicks continue to struggle and be a laughing stock after all this promise of a brighter outlook. It would also not be fun to only catch my team once a week at best.

This is taking me way too long to write because Iron Chef is an addiction. I keep getting lost in its glory. It's so entertaining beyond even the shows original vision. I couldnt even begin to explain how it is as great as it is.

thanks to all two people who will read this... if I get more than two... I will be so very proud of myself.