First post of the "New Year"

Well, Wednesday turned into Thursday and I'm the first to get my blog on...

I'll try to take a point by point method so I don't lose our reader with my rambling.

- ESPN The Mag's article about how the Giants offensive line is the true league MVP is a decent read, but they fuzzed it up by adding the Tennessee Titans defensive line. Yes, they helped push that team to the top of the AFC South but try facing seven straight teams with winning records and opening holes for two 1,000 yard rushers while allowing Eli to stand back without fear means the league should split the award five ways.

- The Mets, the Mets, the Mets. What can I really say about my Choke Artists (Thanks, Cole Hamel). For starters, we're going to start the year with Ryan Church in right field and therefore our need is a right-handed stick for left field. I heard something silly about Andruw Jones or how they need to sign Manny Ramirez and I still think the latter is possible with the market moving so slow...

The market's snail pace means the Mets can sit back on Derek Lowe until the Red Sox
and Phillies get into a bidding war. When that doesn't happen and Scott Boras finishes another lap in his Scrooge McDuck Money Pit, maybe Lowe will sign with a fourth year added to the original offer of 3 and $36 mil.

- We're talking money, so let's get to the pink elephant in the room. The Yanks went out and did what they do which ruins the game, or so cheap bastards like the Brewers' owner would have you believe.

And this is coming from a Mets fan, but more importantly a baseball fan.

For starters, the Yankees have about $90 million coming off their payroll with the expiring contracts of Jason Giambi, Carl Pavano, Andy Pettitte, Bobby Abreu, Mike Mussina and others.
I pulled that from an article published in May of last year, so this was already in the works. They're actually going to spend less than they did last year, unless they get smart and get another free agent pitcher instead of trusting Hughes and Kennedy like last year or stay stupid and don't move Joba back to the pen.

Anyway, the thing about the Yanks is they make a ton of money AND THEN INVEST IT BACK INTO THE BLOODY TEAM. They also pay the luxury tax each year. So basically, the Yankees billionaires spend on the team, a large majority of the other billionaire that own teams take that money and buy expensive umbrella holders or hopefully they follow Lewis Black's advice and hire someone to just scrub and wash their balls.



- It took a while, but I finally was able to watch "The Dark Knight" and it's easily one of the best comic book crossover films ever. That's not saying much, so how about this - it's one of the best films of last year and if Heath Ledger doesn't get the Oscar, he should come out of his grave and demand a recount.

See, that was the biggest problem with the previous Batman movies. Like morons, they killed all the villians at the end of each film. This new version has played it about as smart as possible, keeping Scarecrow alive despite his capture in two films and ending this latest one with the Joker swinging from a rope. Ledger would have returned and been brilliant again, but there was that old "accidental overdose on prescription drugs" routine that all the kids are falling for nowadays.

- I'll end with the channel I'm sure I'll be tuning into nowadays and from now on. MLB Network debuted with Don Larsen's perfect game broadcast, will have Hot Stove updates till spring training, will broadcast 16 World Baseball Classic games and when the season starts, they'll have a live studio each night till the final out, providing jump-ins like Baseball Tonight but something tells me it will be a little better. It will also feature Harold Reynolds, Al Leiter, Barry Larkin and Matt "I still live in my mom's basement" Vascurgin. Let the games begin.