-Buster Olney puts the Johnny Damon saga in perspective. Money quote follows, and it kind of makes you wish somebody had said this Scott Boras' face:
The Yankees are not required to pay him what he wants, just as Damon is not required to take what the Yankees offer. They are not required to pay him above and beyond what his value is on the open market. They might have, if they hadn't been rebuffed time after time in December by Damon and Boras
I'm in favor of ballplayers, or anybody for that matter, earning as much as somebody is willing (or stupid enough) to pay them. And so from that perspective, I have no problem with Boras. But he's been defying the odds for so long - repeated offers from "mystery teams" - that you have to begin to wonder when his luck will run out. It's a real possibility that the free agent market we've seen these past two offseasons may become the norm going forward, and Boras will have a rude awakening if he doesn't adjust.
-On the other hand, if you remember the circumstances under which Damon signed with the Yankees four years ago, he's gotten his just desserts.
-It looks like there is some truth to the accusations against Javy Vazquez, although I tend to believe that his trouble in tight spots has more to do with his mechanics out of the stretch than a lack of toughness or "clutchiness". Even still, Vazquez is better than Joba was last season, and Joba will certainly perform better than Sergio Mitre.
-After one of the slowest offseasons ever, it feels very, very good to finally be able to say that baseball will begin in earnest again this month.