New Yankees?

These last couple of days have been days of varying emotions.

Recovery from Sunday, perhaps the most debachery-filled day in the 23 year old career of SM.

Happiness from maybe the most pleasant dinner in the history of the Momo family courtesy of Peter Luger's out in Brooklyn.

But only one word can describe my feelings on what's been going down in baseball over the last three days: ECSTATIC!!!

1. The Mets sent 2 prospects, one being 19 year old Gabby Hernandez for Paul Lo Duca. I love this move. Despite being a rumored roid rager, which has caused a significant drop in his power numbers, Paul Lo Duca is the man. He brings a Robin Ventura "good guy" persona to a team that already has a ton of character.

This guy is tough as nails, he's solid defensively, he's good for 10 home runs, 65 RBI and a .280 average, plus he'll be a great guy for the clubhouse.

He's already been quoted as saying, "I'll be disappointed if we don't win the NL East... I'm excited."

When this guy was traded from the Dodgers every LA baseball guy I knew was devastated. Fans, teammates and management all love this guy.

He is cheaper than Bengie Molina or Ramon Hernandez would have been and the guy even grew up a Mets fan.

Some fans mourn the loss of Gaby Hernandez, a 19 year old hurler who impressed in A-ball last season. Time to face some facts here, folks. Like it or not, Omar is constructing a team that can win now. If that's the mentality, the Gaby Hernandez's of the system are trade chips.

You want top value of course, and it's possible Hernandez might have netted slightly more, but nevertheless doubtful he would have commanded a real haul.

The catchphrase creators might have jumped the gun, but the "Next Year is Now" mentality has defined the offseason leading into 2006. Carlos Delgado. Billy Wagner. These are not the names you import when you're hoping to make something happen two or three years from now.

With that in mind, there's not a lot not to like about this deal.

A.J. Burnett to the Blue Jays

Burnett signed for 5 yrs, 55 mil with the Blue Jays. While this guy has never applied it, every year people say he has the nastiest stuff in all of baseball.

The guy has a 99mph sinker, enough said.

Between Burnett and B.J Ryan the Blue Jays have immediately become the big stud of the AL offseason. Did I mention that they play the Yankees 18 times?

Between the Blue Jays making these two signings, the Red Sox getting significantly better (Beckett, Lowell, Mota), The Devil Rays coming off a very strong second half in 2005 and the New O's featuring four potential #1 starters, all of a sudden their is a lot of heat in the AL East.

Meanwhile, Randy Johnson and Mussina are a year older. Pavano and Wright are coming off injury-plagued seasons (and really weren't that good to begin with). Aaron Small and Shawn Chacon have given us no reason to consider them as anything but 1-year wonders. And if Chien Ming Wang werent a "young Yankee picher," no one would like him nearly as much as they do.

Then there's the starting lineup. Sheffield's jerky shoulder is a year older. A-Rod will have more winter in Chelsea. Jeter's already slow bat and lack of range are getting into their 30's. Giambi is another year removed from steroids.

All of a sudden, the Yankees are in trouble. Everyone else is getting better and they're getting worse.

They made one big signing this offseason, Kyle Farnswroth: 3 years, $17 mil.

Kyle Farnsworth smells a lot like Carl Pavano. He is coming off his best year in two very pitcher friendly ballparks, Detroit and Atlanta.

In 2004 he posted a 4.73 ERA, and now he is coming to Yankee Stadium where lefties salivate for the short right field porch. He is a huge downgrade from Tom Gordon and I am very curious to see how this hick handles the big spotlight.

THE YANKEES LOST SERIOUS MONEY LAST YEAR

The number is supposedly between $50-85 mil. This, despite the fact that the Yankees sold 4 million tickets at the most expensive stadium in baseball.

I don't know all the details, but other than their gargantuan payroll they apparently misvalued their YES network.

The Yankees aren't ignoring the players they used to covet because they don't want them. They simply cannot afford them as easily as they used to.

Do you think there is any chance the Yankees wouldn't have outbid to keep Burnett out of their division and secure the offseason's top free agent starter?

Finally, years of being over the luxury tax are starting to bite these assholes in the butt, and man is it enjoyable.

This is an early prediction: if things stay the same, the Yankees will win no more than 89 games in '06. Their meltdown, and the sudden disappearance of their fans will prove how terrible they are, and how terrible the non-Met-loving portion of New York is as a sports city.

To all you Yankee fans, stay the fuck away from Shea. It is ours not yours and you are not even close to welcome there.

NEW METS!!!

4. Completely unrelated, but the new season of the Gauntlet just came out.

Despite having no Miz, the show features a ton of Real World Legends. Brad, Ace and David from Seattle. Cameron and the chick from playboy. I don't care what age you are, even you Pop, B.O.A.F.O.M.G., everyone needs to get on board.

It combines America's meatheads, dumbest coeds, booze, physical challenges and sex. There is nothing not to love about this show.

Unfortunately, it does have Adam, the light skinned black dude from paris who used to pain us with his awful beat poetry or rap. Along with Cedric from Laguna Beach, we are looking at the two worst people not only on MTV, but maybe in the whole entire world. Nothing is perfect.

That's all for now. Tommorow I will be writing my farewell to NY piece, I'm out west on Thursday.

God forgives, when will you son?

SM