New York Yankees News Recap: Crawford Ruse, Most Important Bombers

We know it happens, but you never hear someone admit to it. Brian Cashman said he faked interest in free agent Carl Crawford last offseason to drive up his price. He took his agent out to a meal with no intention of signing him. As much as I like Cashman's newfound outspokennes, it can't be a good idea to admit it so easily. Won't future free agents wonder whether Cashman wants them or are just using them?

Cash also had some choice quotes -

I wanted [Cliff] Lee badly enough to move [Jesus] Montero. You take all the players traded when Lee went from Cleveland to Philly, Philly to Seattle, and Seattle to Texas, and Montero would've been by far the best player moved in any of those deals...

What I said [before the season] was accurate: The Red Sox had a great winter, and I had a bad winter. But as it turned out, I had a better winter than anybody would've expected, including myself.

• SBN NY counted down the five most important Yankees (and Mets) of 2011. 
• One guy that failed to make the list was Mo Rivera (because his level of excellence was expected). But take a look at a BRef list and a Beyond The Boxscore article just to see how good he truly is. The best reliever of all-time is a given. But where does he rank on the all-time pitchers list?
• Mo talks about making his first baseball glove (out of cardboard). 
• Ed Valentine asks if Jorge Posada belongs on the post-season roster, who's the no. 3 starter, and who's the back-up catcher?
• In case you missed it, (relatively) new Yankee Russell Martin added a little spice to the rivalry with the Red Sox when he said he hated them -

Anything to get the Red Sox out would be awesome for me... because I hate the Red Sox.

Nice.

• There's a potentially great show on this evening chronicling the 1941 season, specifically the historical campaigns of Joe DiMaggio (56-game hitting streak) and Ted Williams (.406 batting average). 5 p.m. on MLB Network.
• New Red Sox pitcher Erik Bedard was served child support papers by a Yankee fan on Tuesday. On behalf of Bedard's ex-girlfriend (and apparent baby mama), a "lifelong Yankees fan," complete with Yankee shirt, walked into Fenway Park to serve the southpaw.
• A baseball practice facility in Oklahoma was named in honor of Yankee-legend Bobby Murcer.
• Do you like the Marlins' new logo?... Didn't think so.
• Several of the rock stars that recently played Yankee Stadium (which included Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth) talk about their favorite pinstriped players.