Here's hoping that AJ turns into Pavano The Sequel.

What a joke baseball is to permit this.

As to your bailout comment, it's more apt than I think you intended -- the principal ticket holders at New Yankee Stadium are company executives of the bailed out financial services firms that committed to long term tickets, boxes and suites at Yankee Stadium before the economy and their companies collapsed.

The Orioles should take the $200 million that they allot for Teixeira and bribe Selig to move the O's to the AL Central and move the White Sox to the East.

Or, as a friend of mine suggests, MLB ought to re-allign its divisions each year based on payroll.

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Pete's reply: I understand your frustration, but I would never root for a player -- even a Yankees player -- to get hurt.

I find it funny that the Yankees are spending like there is no tomorrow yet the stadium apparently needs around 450 million more dollars from New York?

When do the tenants ever pay the rent?

I would understand a team on hard economic circumstances asking the state for help with the stadium, but, the Yankees aren't exactly hurting for money.

So this is what we are left to do, hope the moves others make don't pan out while we sit on our hands. Hard to be a fan.

It's great to be a YANKEE and if for nothing else, to hear you all soak...lol

this is absolute BULL! baseball is so unfair! i mean the orioles,royals,pirates just to name a few will never be able to compete! this aint cuz we dont spend its because we cant even get a decent starter(a la burnett) cuz we have teams throwing 80 million at him!!! screw you burnett i hope you get career ending injury and i wish C.C to get even more overweight and not be able to aviod a fastball headed right at his face!! it sucks being an orioles fan!!! TEX will go to boston! then roberts is next!! we have nothing to look forward too EVER 3 years we will have to trade markakis cuz we wont wanna sign a extension with a suck*** team like us!
so we will always be rebuilding! sounds like fun

How about blaming the individual, Peter Angelos, who is responsible for the O's pathetic situation instead of hoping that AJ gets hurt. I hate the Spankees and Red Sux as much as anyone else but atleast they have ownership that wants to win. What has Angelos done in the last 10 years except provide alot of lip service. I remember past comments about how when a certain player becomes available, Tex, then he will spend the money to get the player. He's available now, let's see what happens. Look at the state of this team, it breaks my heart. Unfortunately, there will never be a salary cap in baseball, the MLBPA won't go for it. Angelos needs to sell the team!

I have to be honest with you it sounds like a lot of sour grapes here.

The Yankees lost close to 90 MM from there payroll this year with contracts coming to an end. They are still down about 50 MM with the signings of CC and Burnett. The people complaining about the Yankees spending are the same people who complain about the wealthy owners (FAR more wealthy then the Steinbrenners) who do not put money into there teams and pocket the money that they receive form the Yankees from the Revenue sharing.

As for CC, Joe G cares a great deal about the conditioning of his players. He really works his players hard to get them in good shape for the season ahead. That sounds to me like it would benefit CC in the long run. As for Short term CC has been over weight the last 3 seasons and I don’t see where is has effected him negatively, he goes deeper into games and pitches on shorter rest then most other pitchers in Baseball, The only showing that he has been fatigued has come after he was abused by the Brewers and Indians pitching on 3 days rest 4 starts in a row.

As for Burnett yes he has had injury issues in his career mostly with teams that he was one of the two pitchers worth a damn on the roster and was rushed back into the rotation prematurely. His numbers against the AL East are incredible a record of I believe 20-5 if I recall. Yes there is a risk with A.J. but with most Baseball Executives saying he has better stuff then Beckett a proven track record in the AL East I think the upside out weighs the downside.

As for the Tenant paying the rent comment, Having Yankees Stadium in the Bronx makes the city of New York hundreds of Millions of Dollars in a year. From simple things like public transportation and the taxes every single person who goes into that stadium will pay. The property taxes on the stadium and the hugely elevated property taxes for the buildings surrounding the Stadium, the city chips in to help out the Yankees because simply they WILL make far more money in the end keeping the Yankees in the Bronx.

Baseball will always be my favorite sport but I am done with MLB. Until real competitiveness is restored between large and small market teams I am done. Why is there no mention of leveling the playing field? Does nobody else care about this? Watching these 200+ Million dollar teams win every year is like watching a college team play against a bunch of 8 year-olds. And don't even mention the Rays. They had a great year but they won't make the playoffs this year. Mark my words. The Red Sox and Yankees will spend whatever they need to make sure that doesn't happen. Baseball, please get a real commissioner!!!!

I understand that the Yankees are desperate, and Burnett and CC Sabathia are good pitchers, but these two contracts are easily a couple of the stupidest deals in MLB history.

First off, signing any pitcher for more than four years is just plain stupid. But the Yankees went ahead and signed Sabathia for seven. The history of seven year contracts for pitchers is brief, as it should be, but it's pretty ugly:

1. Kevin Brown, seven years, $105M, Dodgers. Brown was solid for the life of the deal, but after making 35 and 33 starts in '99 and '00, he ended up missing 70 or so starts over the next five years. The Dodgers should have seen that coming when they signed a 34-year-old to such a long-term deal. Luckily for them, they were able to unload Brown to the Yankees.

2. Mike Hampton, eight years, $121M, Rockies. After signing the 28-year-old Hampton before the '01 season, the Rockies thought they finally had a pitcher to build a team around. They were way wrong. Hampton was awful in Colorado in '01 and '02 and much better after they unloaded his contract on the Braves. But after four healthy seasons (didn't I say signing any pitcher for more than four years is just plain stupid?), Hampton completely fell apart, missing two full seasons and making just 25 starts over the last four years of the deal.

3. Barry Zito, seven years, $126M, Giants. It's a bit harder to judge the stupidity of Zito's contract, because he's just heading into the third year of it. But the Giants bid against themselves and offered way too much money and way too many years to a guy whose best years were way behind him, even at 28 years old.

Then the Yankees went and signed A.J. Burnett for five years. Burnett will be 32 this season. He's been healthy in one of the past three years and two of the past six. With a history like that, how in the world could you gamble that this guy is going to stay healthy for five consecutive years?

Again, I understand that the Yanks are desperate, but I don't understand why they went out and made some really stupid decisions.

carcmuck -

The 2008 World Series was played between two teams that ranked 13th and 29th in team payroll.

And what makes you think the Rays won't make the playoffs again? Adding Matt Joyce rounds out one of the best defensive outfields in the game and subtracting Edwin Jackson makes room in the rotation for David Price. Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton, Carlos Pena, Dioner Navarro, Matt Garza, James Shields and Scott Kazmir are all a year older and more experienced. These Rays are going to be around for a long time. Saying otherwise, especially without backing up your claims at all, makes you look ridiculous.

And aside from the Rays, you've got the perennial contenders in the Twins, Marlins and A's at the bottom of the barrel and the D-Backs, Indians and Brewers in the middle of the pack.

Look at the Mariners. They're in the top ten in team payroll and they were the worst team in baseball last year. Look at the Mets. They're #3 and they choked at the end of the last two seasons because Omar Minaya couldn't figure out how to build a decent bullpen. Baseball doesn't need a salary cap. Poorly run teams need better ownership, better upper level management and better scouting.

How long before the NY Post has this headline...."Burnett to see Dr Andrews"?

Hey SUNHILLS. You are not a YANKEE. You are a fan who gets value in his life from rooting for a team. You arent an athlete, get a life!

And while Yankee stadium may make some money for NY city, why do federal tax payers have to subsidize it? It is being looked at by Congress as to how the stadium qualified for tax exempt bonds to finance it. So if you want to try and stick it to the Yankees, write to your congressman asking them to investigate why a team that can spend all this money on players, needs federally tax exempt bonds to finance their new stadium?

Better do something about that aging offense, MFY's.

That Burnett contract might be the worst one I've seen since Barry Zito got his from Brilliant Brian Sabean.

Good luck with alllllllllll that, Yanks.

Well said b!

These stupid contracts just put more pressure on the likes of Omar & Brian Cashman. If those teams don't make the playoff & advance, then the additions of these contracts will spell the end of a GM's tenure. Management will take the fall.

I'm still willing to see if Andy can build an organization on the same level as the Twins or A's, and if so, we'll be in good shape. Even in this division. And I agree the Rays will still be a team to be reckoned with!