The Christmas Yankeeland

For those of you celebrating Christmas, we hope you got everything you wanted and more and are sharing the day with friends and family.

The Yankees brass certainly got what they wanted this holiday season, but there's more going on than just CC, A.J., and Tex.

The Yankees, believe it or not, did get a bargain this week when they avoided arbitration by re-signing 2-time 19 game winner Chien-Ming Wang to a one year, $5 million contract. Wang matched his career high in wins in 2006 and 2007, and was 8-2 this past season before rupturing his Achilles tendon in an interleague game in Houston on June 15.

As part of his Turn 2 Foundation work, Derek Jeter hosted 500 top academic achievers in Central Park this past week.

The Yankees signed catcher Kevin Cash to a minor league deal as insurance in the event that Jorge Posada isn't ready when the season rolls around. Cash, who spent the past season in Boston as Tim Wakefield's personal knuckleball catcher, hit .225 in 142 at-bats with 3 home runs and 15 RBI.

One spoof site says the Yankees have signed Santa Claus to a long term deal, but no good will come of it. Meanwhile a NC Observer columnist doesn't like the spending spree, but understands the logic behind it. Even better is this Providence Journal article talking about how wonderful the Red Sox are with their money.

The new MLB Network will kick off on New Year's Day with the first TV re-broadcast of Don Larsen's perfect 1956 World Series game.


The humorous Peter Abraham has a funny take on the "Night before Christmas".


Alumni News

A nice article on Donnie Baseball's son Preston and his own battle to make it to the majors.

Dennis Werth was a mediocre ball player for the Yankees ('79 - '82), but his son Jayson was just a member of the World Champion Phillies and his daughter Hannah is one of the top volleyball players in the country.