New York Yankees

The O’Hare Hilton in Chicago is once a bustling Mecca of baseball decision-making this week as owners of the 30 baseball franchises meet with the Commissioner and members of the MLB front office. These meetings come just a week after the General Managers met here.

While not formally on the agenda, owners are planning to speak about the length of the post season and what baseball may be able to do to shorten the play-offs. There will also be informal discussions on the use of instant replay and whether to expand the types of calls that can be reviewed.

• Year: 1918
• Record: 55-71
• Win %: .437
• Win % Change: -73
• Run Differential: -81
• Pythagorean Record: 54-72
• AL Finish: 7th of 8
• Manager: Hughie Jennings
• Best Transaction: Purchased Marty Kavanagh.  This is a stretch, but Kavanagh is the only player the Tigers brought on bored prior or to or during the 1918 season.  Kavanagh was a former Tiger that was brought back for the stretch run.  Kavanagh hit .273 in 13 games (OPS+ 133) during this period before calling it a career once the season ended.  Told you it was a stretc
  

To start, if you're wondering what the Rule Five draft is, you can read this Wikipedia article for a quick explanation. In short, it's a way for players who are stuck in an organization to quickly advance to the major leagues with another team.

If a player is selected, they have to remain in the majors for the entire season. If the team can't keep them there, they are offered back to the original organization. In 2008, the Yankees lost Reegie Corona, Ivan Nova, Zach Kroenke, and Jason Jones in the Rule Five draft. 

As I chatted with Andy Strasberg about his new baseball related venture called Fantography™,  I couldn't help but hum Rod Stewart's 1971 anthem, "Every Picture Tells a Story."

In actuality, however, my musical recap of Strasberg's photographic venture may be best summarized as Paul Simon's Kodachrome mixed with a few verses of Take Me Out to The Ball Game .

Christmas shopping for all of us is about 30 days away.

For the Yankees and General Manager Brian Cashman, he may be starting his shopping in six days.

Friday, November 20 will mark the beginning of Major League Baseball's free agency period for all teams and all players.

So far, the 30 teams have six more days to re-negotiate with their players before they hit the open market for good.

Last year, the Yankees spent $161 million to get CC Sabathia, $82.5 to get A.J. Burnett, $180 million to get Mark Teixeira, and traded for Nick Swisher.

There have been many outlandish claims made when comparing the relative merits of baseball players, but to conclude that Johnny Damon is in the same league as Derek Jeter is as graphic an example of specious reasoning as baseball fans have ever heard.

The only way to accept the claim is to facetiously state that they are in the same league because they are both American Leaguers.


It Hurts Johnny Damon's Case

To give Johnny Damon a long-term contract borders on insanity. Comparing Johnny to Derek Jeter only weakens his position.

Hello, once again! To start, a big congrats to the World Champion New York Yankees! It has a been a long time coming for us fans, and the team definitely earned it this year with their clutch play!

Honestly, this was one of the best teams the Yanks have had in the last 20 years or so, I would say the only one that might best them would be the incredible 1998 Championship team. Enough about the past though, let us look ahead into the future to the 2010 team that will look to defend their championship.

Lefty Cuban pitching sensation Aroldis Chapman defected from his national team in July and he is currently a coveted unsigned Major League Baseball free agent.

ESPN The Magazine reported in the summer that Chapman vacated his hotel room in the Netherlands, where Cuba was in the midst of participating in a baseball  tournament, and never returned.

Roy Halladay in pinstripes?