## The Yanks have improved in two places: shortstop and the bullpen. Didi Gregorius may be a fine shortstop but he has yet to prove he can hit major league pitching. When one scout was asked about Gregorious' play at shortstop, he replied, "His defense is very good." When asked about his hitting, the scout said, "His defense is very good." Okay, I get it, but he doesn't have to do too much to hit as well as Jeter and that would certainly be better than Brendan 'Automatic Out' Ryan.
Ah, but Andrew Miller is a different story. This guy is lights out just like Dellin Betances. I don't think David Robertson will be back, but they may not miss him too much with these two guys. My only worry is that Girardi tends to overuse his big bullpen stoppers. There are reports that Miller turned down an offer from the Astros that was $4 million higher just to sign with NY. If Robertson signs with Houston, his stats may suffer since he probably won't get many save opportunities.
## The Winter Meetings start on Monday and the agents are all primed and ready. They prefer the owners meetings since the owners don't have to check with anybody to pay out the big bucks. How big? Well, to start, consider that Max Scherzer turned down a 6-year deal for $24 million per year last spring. There are reports that Jon Lester is looking at 6 years at $25 million per year. James Shields won't get quite that much but it will be enough to keep him in cheeseburgers for a while.
I just read that the Yanks are preparing an offer for Scherzer. It's supposed to be so big that Brian Cashman had to send out for more zeros for the check.
## Buster Olney says he will turn in a blank ballot for the Hall of Fame as a sort of protest that the voters can only include 10 names on their ballot. He feels that there are at least 15 candidates worthy of election out of 34 on the list. Is he voting for every name he recognizes? I mean, Aaron Boone? Eddie Guardado? Darin Erstad? I see only six names that I would list:
John Smoltz
Craig Biggio
Mike Piazza
Jeff Bagwell
Lee Smith
Mike Mussina
## One sportswriter has written an article saying that Yankee fans should get ready for a last place team this year. Certainly possible if everybody gets hurt again. on the other hand, Baltimore hasn't gained a thing yet and have lost Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis. Tampa hasn't made any significant moves and we're still waiting for the Red Sox to come up with a pitching staff. Toronto has added some good pieces but that's what everybody thought last year and look how that turned out. Let's wait until March before we make any wild predictions.
Around the horn:
## RG3 is on the bench in Washington. Word is, the coach has had it with him, his teammates don't like him and they don't think he'll ever be an NFL quarterback.
## The Knicks are doing well, aren't they? The famed basketball guru, Phil Jackson, has his own coach and his own players, has the team running his legendary triangle offense and has supposedly sold ball-hog, Carmelo Anthony on a team concept. The Knicks are 4-17, 11.5 games out and have lost 7 in a row.
## Kobe Bryant continues to take more shots and make fewer than ANY other player in the league.
## Giants coach Tom Coughlin can't get his team organized enough to get them all on the bus at the same time. If it gets any worse. we may see Peyton Manning ask his brother Eli to take his name off the jersey.
## It doesn't look like my favorite player will be back with the Yanks next year. Chase Headley is looking at more money than the Yanks want to spend on a third baseman. All this stems from the overboard contract Boston gave Pedro Sandoval. It looks like a good bet that Headley will end up in San Francisco.
***THEY SAID IT***
"100 brains were missing from the University of Texas. Does this even need a punchline?" -- Janice Hough
"A minor league hockey team, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, offered fans who attended a recent game free prostate exams. You think you hate it when fans remove their shirts..." -- Brad Dickson
"The Knicks’ “triangle offense”: Carmelo Anthony shoots from all three corners." -- Phil Mushnick
"Only in soccer: Seattle’s Sounders FC ties 0-0 in its final first-round
MLS playoff game and advances. Then it wins its final second-round playoff game
2-1 and gets eliminated." -- Dwight Perry
"Last Sunday, Patriot’s QB Tom Brady completed
more F-bombs on the sidelines vs Green Bay than he did touchdown
bombs." TC Chong
"Jon Gruden is playing hard to get, but my sources tell me the Raiders believe they have a shot at
landing Frank Caliendo.” -- Scott Ostler
"Holiday shoppers in Houston are lying on top of flat-screen TVs to prevent others
from buying them: “Instead of a referee, the manager of the store has to come
over and determine who has possession." -- Jimmy Kimmel
" New NU head coach Mike Riley has a master's in physical education. Uh oh, I think this means we just hired a gym teacher." -- Brad Dickson
"A baby was born in Colorado that weighed 13 lbs, 13 oz. LSU coach Les
Miles was about to offer the kid a scholarship until he learned it was a
girl." -- Janice Hough
"Several fire departments rallied to rescue over 1,400 piglets from an
overturned trailer near Indianapolis. Over in D.C., there aren’t enough
firefighters to save RGIII's bacon." -- RJ Currie
CP-
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