During Major League Baseball’s winter meetings last week, the New York Yankees not only had the checkbook open, they were attempting to sign any free agent who happened to walk by their commercial-flying GM, Brian Cashman (what an appropriate surname).  After signing the top 2 starting pitchers on the open market, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, the Yanks have made it known that they are not finished, acknowledging interest in Mark Teixeira, Manny Ramirez, and Derek Lowe.  While it looks like the Bombers will be able to field a potent starting nine next year, are they really building the nucleus of a championship team?

During their championship seasons in the late ‘90’s, the Yanks were built on home grown young talent, augmented with professional veterans.  Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera all came of age during those seasons.  But instead of surrounding them with superstars at every position, the Yanks roster was filled with solid vets, guys who had been there before and knew how to do the little things that winning in October requires.  Paul O’Neill, Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, Jimmy Key and David Cone, just to name a few, were the collective backbone of those teams.  As time went on, George and his cronies decided that the best way to stay on top was to replace these vets with superstar free agents.  This strategy has thus far earned them a lot of regular season wins, a dream lineup for rotisserie leagues, and cost them a  whole lot of money, but no world series titles since 2000.  

Too much was on my mind this week, so I decided to write about all of it.  If you want to read about sports leagues getting tough with their players, start below.  If you want a recap on the Pats game and some playoff analysis, start in the middle.  If you want a review of the P-Bruins at the quarter pole, head down to the bottom.  And if you want to read all three- well, thanks for checking out my column, Mom.

Plax, Avery Latest To Draw Commish’s Ire

 One day last week opposite pages of the Projo Sports section had 4 separate stories regarding suspended athletes.  With NFL Commissioner Roger Godell leading the way, professional sports leagues are policing the conduct of their players more strictly than any time in recent memory.  It seems, especially in the NFL, that the inmates are no longer running the asylum.

By now, everyone has heard the story of the New York Giants Plaxico Burress.  Plax is facing a very realistic three years in prison following the discharge of his gun in a Manhattan night club.  Add teammate Antonio Pierce’s involvement, and you have a story that will keep the New York Post busy for months.  Even in the event that Plax is able to plea down, or have the charges dropped, he still has to answer to ‘Don’ Godell.  The ruler of the NFL has made it his mission to keep his players behaving off the field, and Plax isn’t the first to be on the Commish’s radar.  Chris Henry and Adam Jones are both repeat offenders of the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy.  

The NFL isn’t the only league attempting to control the antics of it’s players.  NHL head honcho Gary Bettman suspended Sean Avery of the Dallas Stars last week for crude comments about his ex girlfriend; the actress Elisha Cuthbert, who is now dating the Flames Dion Phaneuf.  Avery, long known as a pest on the ice, made sure the cameras were rolling when he sarcastically congratulated Phaneuf on picking up his ‘sloppy seconds.’  The best part of this story is not the league taking action, but the reaction of his own organization.  Stars owner Tom Hicks claimed he would have suspended Avery had the league not, and his own teammates have thrown him under the bus, essentially telling him to produce on the ice or shut up.

Pro sports are entering a new era, and it is one whose time is long overdue.  Athletes are no longer exempt from the law, like they have been for the past 30 years, or even longer.  In regards to the Burress situation, of all people ESPN’s Keyshawn Johnson was the voice of reason.  Johnson made the point that if a player is fearful for his safety (a legitimate concern given the Sean Taylor tragedy just a year ago), the league will provide security (licensed to pack heat, no less), so the player can still enjoy his time in a club.  Baseball, with it’s stricter steroids policy is trying to police itself as well.  To put it bluntly, this is not the environment for Steve Howe to attempt a comeback.