Yankees Rampant Rumors

New York Yankees' rumors rumble:

• The Moose is loose, the tracks head out of the Bronx and are headed home to Montoursville. Let's hear from his agent: Given the significance of this to Mike I would hope you can respect his desire to be the author of any such announcement..."--(Art Tellem/AP.) Good luck with that, there are a few thousand (hyperbole alert) news outlets in full frenzy.
• Mussina is a smart guy, when he signed his mamouth Yankee contract he was asked what he planned to do with his economics degree from Stanford when he retired. Mike responded, "I'll hang it on the wall next to my golf clubs.." (Paraphrased) Enjoy the links Moose.
• ESPN reports: "According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he's just the fifth pitcher since 1900 to win 20 games or more in the final season of his career -- and the first since Sandy Koufax in 1967. He's the only pitcher in that group to win his 20th game in his final start." When his Hall of Fame candidacy is considered, he'll be mentioned with Sandy Koufax rather than a long list of guys who hung around to notch 300.
• Endorsement: "To do what he did as a pitcher in the American League East during the steroid era, it’s a pretty big accomplishment.” (Johnny Damon) That would be an interesting inscription on a Hall of Fame plaque--Bud just winced.
• Shrewd stuff: "Last year, the Yankees overbid wildly (and against themselves) to keep their own free agents -- Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Alex Rodriguez. This year, they need outside free agents, and they appear set to overbid to get them. Their offer to Sabathia is $40 million higher than anybody else's so far, and one person with knowledge of their plans said they'd be willing to pay Burnett $15 million per year (which would mean $60 million over four years, and $75 million over five, if they want to go totally nuts and add a fifth year).( NJ.com)
• "Scary Rumors." "True, some Yankees fans would welcome a pitcher with the stuff of Burnett, but does anyone want him for five years and $80 million? Desperate strokes for desperate folks, someone has to fill Pavano's place on rehab mountain.
• Confidence builder? "If the season started today, Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera would be the Yankees' center fielders, but Girardi said the club has talked about outside center-field help in meetings."
• "But in Yankees Fan Fantasy World (the place where Mark Teixeira comes on the cheap and Melky Cabrera has trade value), the Yankees could obtain DeJesus to play center field.(LoHud) Teixiera will be anything but cheap, but subtract $80 million for a brittle, overrated Burnett or a mountain of money for Lowe, a 35 year-old pitcher who needs quality defense behind him and the price is right.

Photo/NY Daily News