• Against Hank Steinbrenner's wishes, the Yankees allowed Johan Santana to slip into Queens.
• First Base: A year ago the Yankees did their best to keep Jason Giambi away from here. This time, he is easily the best player at the position in the final season of a seven-year deal

Last year, Giambi was easily the best player as well if he's the best player now. Were Andy Phillips, Josh Phelps and Doug Mientkiewicz reall that much better than Shelley Duncan and Morgan Ensberg? Considering Phillips and Phelps were both waived and Mientkiewicz is trying to catch on as a backup, I'd say... no.

He then goes on to praise Melky, Jeter, Cano, A-Rod, heap accolades on Abreu (who he says is going to the Mets(?) next year), Posada, and Matsui, and says that Damon will be somewhat challenged, but the bench is pretty strong. OK, that doesn't sound negative/postseason armageddon, right? Then, he does it. He drops the most asinine comment I may have ever read from a sportswriter:

• Moving Chamberlain in front of Rivera was not only the right move for 2008, but forever. Finding somebody to dominate the seventh and eighth innings is harder than discovering a fourth and fifth starter.

Let's take a look at that comment: Joba's ceiling is a 4th or 5th starter. Keep in mind he was called one of the best pitching prospects of the past 10 years by Baseball America, ahead of Josh Beckett and Mark Prior. However, George King's superior scouting ability has him as a 4th or 5th starter, at best.

Now move on. Finding somebody to dominate the seventh and eighth innings is harder than discovering a fourth and fifth starter. Finding a set-up guy is harder than finding a starter. Finding a complementary bullpen piece is harder than finding a starting pitcher. Finding a guy who can throw 80 effective innings is harder than finding a guy who can throw 200.

If this were the case, you would think that reliever's salaries would dwarf those of starters, wouldn't they? It's odd then that the setup market is capped at around $4m/year, while guys like Carl Pavano are pulling down $10M per.

Can George King actually believe it's harder to find relievers than starters? A reliever needs but two pitches - a starter needs about four. He wants to cap Chamberlain's innings at 80/year for his entire career.

Johan Santana - who you chide the Yankees for not getting - used to be a reliever. Should he have stayed in the pen, Mr. King?

Ok, so let's assume the Yankees do need Chamberlain in the 'pen, as King says. That much mean the rotation is in perfect order, right?

• Rotation: Welcome to the biggest question mark in the Yankees' universe. Santana would have answered a lot of problems. With Wang and Pettitte (if healthy) the Yankees should be OK. If either misses extended time, the Yankees are kaput. Mussina had a good spring, but nobody can predict what Hughes and Kennedy are going to deliver.

So, let me get this straight... King wants to take Chamberlain, the highest rated prospect in the Yankees system, out of the rotation and put him in the bullpen, but the rotation is too shakey to withstand any injuries? What kind of sense does that make? Add into it that he wants a converted reliever who he considers the best pitcher the Yankees could have in the rotation.

Final prediction: 90-72, second in AL East. Last game of the year is Sept. 28 in Boston.

I'm sure he just pulled the record from his butt, and didn't take into account that Boston actually has more pitching rotation questions than the Yankees do right now, without Schilling and Beckett to start the season and have to rely on ... (wait for it...) an aging veteran and a couple of kids. Oh, and Boston's incredibly hard to find set-up guy? He was an afterthought castoff from the Japanese leagues.

Labels: douchebag, george king, joba chamberlain, mediots