Yankee Banter

What a week for Tiger Woods, huh?

Almost as hilarious as the voicemail released (which ranks an 11 on a scale from 1 to 10) has been the fan reactions.

“I will never look at him the same!”

“I can’t believe Tiger could have done this.”

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve been this surprised.”

Personally? I still look at Tiger the same today as I did 12 days ago. He’s a great golfer and nothing more.

Whether it’s A-Rod, Kobe, Michael Jordan, Mickey Mantle, Bill Clinton, Charlie Sheen, Dwyane Wade and thousands of others, entertainers such as athletes, actors and politicians live a fast, rich lifestyle that you or I can never imagine. Their sense of reality is a lot different than ours. Many of these celebrities are treated like Gods by fans, giving them the impression they can do no wrong.

The moral of the story is that you can’t look up to these entertainers as good people. Unless you know them on a personal level, you just don’t know them, no matter how hard their endorsement companies try to paint them as superior human beings.

I am not surprised in the least at this Tiger debacle. Nor do I care. All Tiger has ever been to me is a great golfer and guess what? He still is.

Good luck in the Masters.

In other news…

If I were the Yankees, I would continue to pursue Roy Halladay in a trade. However, I wouldn’t give up Phil Hughes or minor league catching sensation Jesus Montero. We finally saw Hughes display his potential on the Major League level in 2009 and with Jorge Posada’s contract up in two years, Montero can slide in as the everyday catcher and the Yankees wouldn’t miss a beat. He’s the real deal.

I would part, though, with Joba Chamberlain, who to me is nothing more than a future closer. The “Joba in the rotation guys” will scream that it’s rare to find someone with four strong pitches and to bury him in the bullpen is a mistake. That is true for most pitchers. What you do need to have to succeed as a starter is concentration and mental toughness and Joba lacks both. I can’t count how many times Joba took laps around the mound and stared at the sky in bewilderment once a couple of runners reached base. It’s just reckless to think Joba has it in him mentally to compete in 200 innings. I just don’t see it. The 157 innings he threw last year were excruciating and as the season went along, his performance got worse, not better.

If the Yankees can get Halladay for a Joba and Austin Jackson type of package with a couple of other prospects, they should jump at that opportunity. It’s too good to pass up.

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I really hope Johnny Damon makes his own decision when it comes to free agency and doesn’t sign somewhere just because Scott Boras told him to. Boras’ four-year contract demand for Damon is outrageous and the Yankees, rightfully so, will not agree to that. Will Damon really be more happy in a monster stadium like the one in San Francisco for four years compared to two more years in the new Yankee Stadium, which was built for him? The longer this goes on, the smaller the chance Damon returns. Hopefully, a deal can be reached in the next week or two.

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For those partial-plan ticket holders in the bleachers, the ticket increase from $12 to $14 was a computer error. Not that the $2.00 increase was that big of deal since the bleachers are the best value in all of New York, but any savings is good savings.

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You really can’t make up the fact that Joe Girardi was brought in by the Jets to teach Mark Sanchez how to slide and three days later Sanchez ends up getting hurt because he couldn’t execute one. Only the Jets. And only Girardi.

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Speaking of football, what a mess the Giants are these days. If they lose to Dallas this week, the season is obviously over and while I wish I could say they will win, I’m expecting the worst. It’s time to start focusing on the draft, specifically at the linebacker position. Also, here is a look at their spaceship-like new stadium. I took this picture at their last home game against Atlanta. Needless to say, the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field have this place beat when it comes to the exterior view.

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A quick programming note as I wrap things up: I will be appearing with Tim Gaffney on the Litchfield County Sports Show on Monday from 5:30-6 p.m. (WAPJ in Torrington, 88.9 and 105.1 FM) If you’re not in the area, you can check out past shows here.

Thanks for checking in and sorry for the delay between posts. Stop back throughout the baseball offseason as the Yankees are sure to make some moves.