But my comment about the Yanks’s apparent “desparation” reflected in their “scrap heap” pickups was in joking response to another. I’m not opposed to such pickups – I don’t believe anyone suggested the Yanks should never make such moves – but I also recognize it’s not all peaches and cream. Sure there’s big successes like Ortiz and Carlos Pena. There’s also plenty of failures that go largely unremarked and forgotten. Ponson and Zambrano have landed in this latter catagory a number of times.

My concern is that acquisitions such as Sexson and Ponson could be allowed to play out for a while and wind up forestalling potential high risk high reward acquisitions that could make a bigger difference – my favorite is Xavier Nady. I’m not so married to our prospects that I think we shouldn’t part with any of the 20 odd starter prospects in our system. I also think sometimes you get what you pay for.

I’m not concerned with how the Yanks “look” either. But to tweak your appraoch a bit:

“Here’s the way the Yankees could really look bad to the rest of the league: by not making the playoffs when they (tried to fill) a hole by taking a player that costs them virtually nothing (and delivered exactly that).”

It’ll be interesting, because Sexson hasn’t lifted a bat in a game since July 8th. That’s when he hit one of only 3 extrabase hits between June 24th and then (playing every day).

Nevertheless, Smith is more a flyball pitcher than a groundball pitcher. Sexson will have his chances…but his bat is slower than molasses in January these days. Good luck.

Here’s the way the Yankees could really look bad to the rest of the league: by not making the playoffs when they could have filled a hole by taking a player that costs them virtually nothing.

The sense of entitlement in the comments saying that the Yankees should never take released or scrap heap players is obnoxious. Big market teams do this all the time and sometimes it makes them look like geniuses. The Sox got Colon this season and he gave them some effective starts. Several years ago they also took a player the Twins abandoned by the name of David Ortiz. He worked out fairly well.

How was Heath Ledger?

Please, no Bondy, guy is a terrible teamate and a class-A jerk. A disgrace to the pinstripes.

How many times are we gonna have to hear that?