AND THE WHEELS KEEP TURNING

***SCOTT BORAS SPEAKS***
This is an interesting guy. He's always got some angle. He produces a "resume" for his players that resembles a doctorate thesis more than just a fact sheet. He's very patient, which makes teams come to him instead of the other way around and, of course, he also drags out the "mystery team" when convenient.
Now he's come out with the statement that his prize package, closer Rafael Soriano, would be willing to sign as a set-up man for only one team: the NY Yankees and Mariano Rivera. Of course, he'll still expect 'closer' money and 5 years, but he would do that out of respect for Rivera. Smart move; win, lose or draw, he's kept the Yankees in play.

Aha, but now Brian Cashman has said he absolutely won't give up his #1 draft pick, which he would have to do if he were to sign a Type A free agent, which is what Soriano is. So either that shuts off any deal for Soriano, OR...it's a negotiating ploy to get Boras to come down on the numbers. Cashman is fresh from his successful hard-ball tactic with Derek Jeter, but before you get too cocky, Brian, I've got to warn you: you're in there with the champ!

***ANOTHER FORMER YANK PASSES AWAY***
Reliever Ryne Duren, he of the 100-MPH fastball and shotglass spectacles, has passed away.
For those of you who don't remember, he was not only half-blind, he was also as wild as they come. His warm-up tosses almost always included a wild shot to the backstop, and even though most players knew it was a ploy, it always worked. Yogi Berra once said, "He's got a lot of different pairs of glasses, but it doesn't matter. He can't see with any of them."

***BAD NEWS FOR THE YANKS***
Tampa's Matt Garza has been traded to the Cubs. Why is this bad news? Because Garza had an ERA of 8.10 against the Yanks.

Still no word on Andy Pettitte. If this is a ploy to get more money, Andy, you should know that I'm willing to kick in a few bucks.

CP-