Holiday Hustle

It wasn't last-minute shopping, but that didn't stop me from running around the past few days to gear up for Christmas. Major League Baseball is closed for business until next year, though that won't stop general managers from tapping away at their blackberries. And like last year, the Yankees made a big deal within the five days before Christmas. No, it didn't shake baseball's foundation like the signing of Mark Teixeira, but the trade that brought Javier Vazquez back to the Bronx was another example about how the champs aren't resting on their laurels.

The rich getting richer? Complain if that's your thing, but the Red Sox also re-loaded with John Lackey and may yet end up with Jason Bay back in green, red and white. And the last I looked, no laws were broken.

Vazquez's first stint in New York was anything but idyllic. After a strong first half, a bout with pink eye combined with a tired shoulder he refused to reveal to the Yankees' medical staff led to a 6.29 second-half ERA. His lasting impression was the two Game 7 home runs he surrendered to Johnny Damon (one a grand slam, the other a two-run bomb) that sealed the Yankees' epic ALCS collapse.

Now Vazquez has a second chance to write a new story. He returns a better and wiser pitcher, having finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting. Yes he's back in the hitter-friendly American League, but Vazquez put up some decent numbers while with the White Sox and has pitched at least 190 innings every season since 2000.

Also, in 2004 he was considered a front-line starter riding shotgun with Kevin Brown and Carl Pavano, two wonderful influences. In '09, he pitches behind CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte, a true ace, a fully-matured veteran and one of the best big-game pitchers in franchise history. Even if his homers-allowed and ERA rises, Vazquez's projected numbers will be those that teams will kill for out of their fourth starter.

This means either Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain will open the season in the bullpen. Chamberlain denies it, but his mojo is in the 'pen. Yet Hughes will work under an innings limit - the Hughes Rules - and Chamberlain will not. The fifth-starter competition will be a chief storyline during Spring Training with Sergio Mitre (another year removed from Tommy John surgery will make a big difference), Chad Gaudin and Alfredo Aceves also in the mix. That's a nice luxury to have.

Big projects are in store for my MMA coverage and especially the sport. I'm arranging an interview with Jon Jones for a meaty feature to run on FightMagazine.com before Bones' showdown with Brandon Vera, the headliner of the UFC's debut on Versus. Last week I had a great chat with Trevor Wittman, Rashad Evans' assistant coach during The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights, about Matt Mitrione. Despite "Meathead's" portrayal on the show, Wittman has great respect for him as a person. As a fighter, Mitrione must improve his ground game - and he knows it. The mental side to his craft, according to Wittman, will make or break him. Lots of interesting ground to cover there.

Huge props to WEC and Strikeforce for tremendous shows last Saturday night. The WEC continues to showcase exciting and compelling talent, while Strikeforce showed there's a lot more to the MMA world. Scott Smith provided dramatic and amazing theater of the unexpected while Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thompson tore it up in what was unquestionably a top-five Fight of the Year for 2009.

I wish you a very Merry Christmas. I'll check in again before the new year. Today and tomorrow are days to cherish with loved ones even more than usual.

Thanks for reading,



Jon

Never boring in Yankeeland

And it's not even February yet! The good news is the Yankees came to terms with Andy Pettitte on a one-year deal with incentives, which made too much sense. Even though this likely means more service time in Triple-A for Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, et. all, it's not such a bad thing.

The bad news is the firestorm caused by excerpts from Joe Torre's new book, “The Yankee Years.” My encounters with Torre as Yankees manager in 1997-98 and 2003-07 were nothing but positive. He never struck me as the vindictive type, which is why I was shocked to read some of the swings he took at the Steinbrenners, Alex Rodriguez and Brian Cashman.

These attacks at Torre's character are premature. The book must be read in full to make a fair judgment, but the fact remains that his name is on the cover and he authorized every passage from start to finish. Expect this to be the lead story once camps open for the Yankees and Dodgers in three weeks.

_______________________

Shameless plug No. 1: I have a feature on Anthony Johnson appearing in FIGHT! Magazine,,one of the top MMA publications in the business, in either the March, April or May. “Rumble” is one of the exciting and rising young stars in the UFC whose compiled his first two UFC wins in a combined 64 seconds, but too little people are talking about him. His next bout is against the rugged Luigi Fioravanti February 7 in Tampa.

Shameless plug No. 2: I'll be live and in studio Friday night on the “Sirius Fight Club” (Sirius Channel 127) talking Georges St. Pierre-B.J. Penn and other topics with hosts Randy Gordon and Chris Thomas beginning around 6 p.m. Randy is the former head of the New York State Athletic Commission and Chris is an MMA insider with connections everywhere in the industry.

The Pettitte Problem

The New York Times reported late Monday that Andy Pettitte rejected the Yankees' one-year, $10 million offer. As is the norm in Yankeeland, there will be a lot more to discuss besides Mark Teixeira joining the team.

Having Pettitte in the rotation helps the Yankees. He's no longer a front-line starter, but ideal for a No. 4 or 5. He led the team in innings pitched last season (204) despite a lingering shoulder injury that shut him down after September 21 and is the pefect mentor for not only the new faces, but the young kids either settled in the rotation (Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain) or looking to get over that hump (Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Alfredo Aceves).

If Pettitte doesn't come back, Hughes, Kennedy and Aceves will each get long looks in Spring Training. You cannot give up on neither Hughes or Kennedy despite their combined 0-8 record in '08, and I still think Hughes will be a star once he fully blossoms. But you can never - ever - have enough pitching. Better to have viable fallback options instead of being forced to use a Sidney Ponson. Buffing rotation depth starts with finding a way to end the Pettitte stalemate.

I'm off to Yankee Stadium for Big Tex and will have more to report later this afternoon.