If the Yankees are buying a championship, at least it’s a good looking one

Give me a minute or two to be completely and utterly ridiculous (and talk about the Yankees)...

The New York Yankees have just plunked down nearly half a billion dollars for the service of three men. A.J., CC and MT will be around for the next five, three or seven and eight years respectively. But I’m not here to talk about them.

Have you seen their wives?! Gosh golly gee-willikers and every other darn tootin’ phrase from the 1950’s!!

Karen (Burnett), Amber (Sabathia) and Leigh (Teixeira) are all a sight for sore eyes. Their presence at the new Yankee Stadium will leave even Hank speechless, if only for a few minutes.

Mrs. Burnett looks like she could still be attending school in search of her undergraduate degree, and I mean that in the best way possible. She’s smoking hot, but seems to come off with that air of “I’m better than you.” I bet she was a cheerleader at some point in her life.

Mrs. Sabathia reminds me of Jada Pinkett Smith. Very beautiful but kind of scary at the same time. Hey, you’ve got to have some ‘tude if you’re going to tango with 295 lbs. of man.

And finally to Mrs. Teixeira, where I see a hint of Anne Hathaway in her. I guess that fits right in with New York City, being as Ms. Hathaway was born in Brooklyn, NY. (Destiny?) She’s very pretty, but in that “girl next door” kind of way that almost any guy will pant like a dog for.

And ladies, I did not forget about you. A.J., CC and Mark are nothing to scoff at.

Burnett reminds me of that high school jock that all the ladies wanted and all the guys wanted to be. The uber-male. I guess that makes sense, since he’s the one married to the “cheerleader.”

Sabathia may be a big guy, but he’s just a big ol’ teddy bear. Who wouldn’t want to cuddle up next to this guy to stay warm on a cold winter night?

Teixeira strikes me as the guy who always volunteered for things. Soup kitchen, nursing homes – whatever it was, he was ready to go. None of the ladies noticed him in high school, but as he got older, he became a man and a hot commodity.

So not only have the Yankees brought in some new guys to try to lead the team to victory, the new faces – both the players and their significant others -- are all pretty nice to look at!

(Photo credit: AJ and Karen, Mrs. Sabathia and Mark and Leigh - Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images.)

Yanks sign another

The Yankees have now signed Mark Teixeira. That makes CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Teixeira in the last two weeks.

For continuing updates, check out Scott Proctor's Arm.

Could Obama speed up the free agency process?

With President-Elect Barack Obama set to take office on Jan. 20th, 2009, some big baseball deals may want to hurry the process along to see as much of that money as possible.

I don't want to get political here, so just stick with me. Feel free to post your love / hate for politics in the comments.

Obama has planned to raise the federal income tax rate from it's current 35 percent up to 39.6 percent. This may not affect you and me, but for the multi-million dollar deals that go down in Major League Baseball, this is a big issue.

From the AP:

Next year's major league minimum is $400,000. Agent Scott Boras, negotiating eight- and possibly nine-figure deals for free agents Manny Ramirez and Mark Teixeira, already has thought about the possibility of asking for larger signing bonuses payable this year in some of his contracts.

"There's some consideration to be had with the impact of the election," he said.

Free agents can't start negotiating money with all teams until Nov. 14. Only a relatively small percentage of contracts are finalized before Jan. 1.

Still, for a big-money free agent earning $10 million in 2009, Obama's plan could increase his federal tax by more than $400,000.

I never really thought about how the election affects baseball and it's players, mostly because they earn enough money as it is. Still, it should be interesting to see if any players jump right in to save a chunk of change on their new contract.

Gamble

One of each, please. Thanks!

Omar Minaya is going to have a few pricey free agents to choose from this offseason, and the Mets will probably make a run at at least one of them.

As I've chronicled many times, I'm a big fan of Manny Ramirez, and so is Minaya. The latest numbers have Manny asking for a five-year deal, worth $85 million. That seems a little steep to me, but maybe the Mets can snag the "New York" guy (born in Dominican Republic, grew up in NYC) on the cheap.

It looks like Mark Teixeira won't be an option, as they're hinting at bringing back Carlos Delgado. But there's always the chance they trade Delgado and move for Tex. He shined with the bat and the glove all season, and made a run to the World Series with the Angels before it was cut short by the Red Sox. Doubt it will happen though.

Francisco Rodriguez will be very, very expensive. Can't see the Mets shelling out that kind of cash for a one-inning pitcher. I think they'll get Brian Fuentes to close, or promote from within.

CC Sabathia presents an interesting issue: Can the Mets afford two "aces" on the same staff? I don't think so, but Minaya needs to make a big, bold move this offseason as the Mets head into Citi Field. Sure, he landed the biggest fish in the barrel with Johan Santana last off-season, but Santana & CC together? I'm salivating.

Orlando Hudson would be welcomed with open arms. Luis Castillo will be shopped to every team for every price. Won't be surprised when (not if) Minaya dumps him elsewhere, eats most of the contract, and watches him prosper into an injury-free, slap hitter extrodinare. Hudson needs to shake the injury bug, but when he's good to go, he's a great player. I'd like to see that Reyes-Hudson-Delgado (Teixeira?) double play.

Will Omar land one of these guys? Maybe two? We'll have to wait and find out, but don't be shocked to see a landmark move by the GM.

Looking ahead: There will be a battle for Mark Teixeira

Mark Teixeira will be a free agent this offseason. He is seeking a 10-year deal, worth approximately $20 million per year. The only teams I could think that would be able to afford him are based in Boston and New York.

According to the LA Times, one of Teixeira's favorite cities to play is NY:

Heard Mark Teixeira say his three favorite places to play are New York, Seattle and Anaheim.

Is it safe to assume he will sign next year with New York, Seattle or the Angels?"

I said my three favorite stadiums are in those places," Teixeira said.

"So it just comes down to money and who pays you the most, and that's where you will play next year?" I said.

Teixeira was taken aback. "Am I on 'Candid Camera'?"

Depending on whether or not the Mets want to pick up the option on Carlos Delgado, I can see both the Mets and the Yankees getting into a bidding war for their new first baseman.

Delgado can be bought out for $4 million, instead of picking up his $12 million mutual contract. If Delgado can keep up what he's done the last few months, I'm all for him playing at Citi Field next year.

If he declines, and goes back to what he had been playing like for the last year and a half, I'd be more than happy to purchase a Teixeira jersey.