Some Christmas Day Links

Like yesterday I'm going to be out of the house for the rest of the day, here are some links:

- Here's a great story on SI.com from Alex Bleth of Bronx Banter about Ray Negron and the final night at Yankee Stadium back in September.

- Derek Jeter made a sick teenager's dream come true yesterday when the captain met with the boy in New York yesterday.

- Mike Puma discusses how Mark Teixeira is the quintessential George Steinbrenner player.

Professional. Structured. Loyal. These are just some of the words friends and associates use to describe the Yankees' new eight-year, $180 million free-agent acquisition. Add the tinge of military that flows through Teixeira's veins, and the perfect Steinbrenner creation is about to arrive in New York.

"We all know with multiyear contracts the risk you take, but if you're going to take one on a position player, he's certainly one you strongly consider," said former Yankees manager Buck Showalter, who managed Teixeira with Texas. "He's going to stay healthy, he's not going to embarrass you on or off the field. He's a clean, solid citizen."

- Ben Shpigel of the New York Times has an article about Teixeira's professionalism.

- Kat O'Brien describes how the Mark Teixeira signing went down.

Even Tuesday, hours before Teixeira agreed to terms, the Yankees were pessimistic about getting the 28-year-old slugger, the source said. Boras told the Yankees they needed a 10-year deal, with the last two years as player options. That got an absolute no from the Yankees, who had offered eight years and $180 million ($22.5 million per year).

Around midday Tuesday, Boras said Teixeira would agree to an eight-year contract, but only if the average annual value was $24 million per year, making the total contract value $192 million. The Yankees conferred, then told Boras no, that they had made a fair yet firm offer and would hold pat, the source said. Boras responded by saying that Teixeira would likely be a Red Sox. The Yankees refused to budge from their offer, and 20 minutes later, Boras called back and said Teixeira would take their eight-year, $180 million contract offer.

- In an article by New York Times writer Michael S. Schmidt Yankees' president Randy Levine defends the Yankees spending:

“The philosophy of George Steinbrenner, which has been continued by Hal and Hank, is that the Yankees are a sacred trust to their fans and they believe in continually reinvesting in the team rather than reinvesting in themselves,” Levine said Wednesday in reference to the team’s principal owner and his two sons. “We follow all the rules of baseball, we pay millions of dollars to other teams and we are essential to the revenues generated by Major League Baseball and its networks and other entities.”

In signing C. C. Sabathia and A. J. Burnett to big free-agent contracts and reaching agreement with Mark Teixeira on an eight-year, $180 million deal, the Yankees have now spent far more money this off-season than the other 29 major league teams combined. For those keeping score, it is $423.5 million to $296.6 million. That kind of discrepancy is too much for some commentators and for the Milwaukee Brewers’ owner, Mark Attanasio, who on Tuesday resurrected the idea of a salary cap as a way of reining in the Yankees.

He said that the Yankees, by spending substantially on players, were making sure they remained a top asset in the sport. “We are usually in the top of road attendance and we get some of the highest television ratings, both when we play national games and when we visit other teams,” he said. He said if the Yankees’ new stadium, which will be ready for the 2009 season, allows the team’s revenue to increase, then “so will the revenues of the rest of the game.”

- Peter Abraham posted Twas The Night Before Yankee Christmas on his blog. Check it out.

- And last but not least, here's a video my buddy Nick wanted me to share with you guys. He calls it "Yankees Yule Log":

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everybody