Really happy about how this interview came out, hope you enjoy it.

Maury Brown is a self-confessed baseball geek, who just happens to cover it most closely as a sports business analyst. He is the founder and president of the Business of Sports Network, which includes BizofBaseball.com, is an author for Baseball Prospectus, and a regular contributor for Forbes (his personal blog "Bizball" launches this coming week). He can be found on Twitter @BizballMaury

On to the questions!

Brandon C: Will there be an adverse effect on IFAs because of limits the new cba puts on spending?

Maury Brown: In the sense that there is now a defined amount that is set for each club to spend on them, yes. For the 2012-2013 signing period, each Club will be allocated a Signing Bonus Pool of $2.9 million and in subsequent years after, an additional $700,000 is added. So, you're going to see a drop as it pertains to some of the top-tier talent. What will be interesting is to see how this plays out against the background of an international draft. The details around it, which can be found beginning on page 268 of the just released CBA.

BC: Do you personally think there should be a salary cap and/or floor in MLB?

MB: No. I'm opposed to them in baseball for a variety of reasons. At the top end, the labor agreement has constraints via a soft cap on total player payroll and now on total amount that can be spent on signing bonuses. The rate of tax on total player payroll now can exceed 50 percent on every dollar over the threshold, and when you throw in a Luxury Tax on signing bonuses, you get further salary compression. At the bottom, the minimum salary acts as your floor. A flaw in the prior labor agreement was that revenue-sharing was simply defined as being used to improve the play on the field. You want that flexibility in that it allows clubs to use revenue-sharing to develop talent through aspects like minor leagues. But, clubs were using it for things like paying down stadium debt, and that was something that clearly the union didn't want to see happen anymore, and has addressed in the new labor agreement.

But, beyond that, the capped systems we see in the NFL and NBA have been rife with issues. They create technical problems that don't always scale properly (the NBA is a good example here as costs exceeded revenues and yet the capped system provided certain thresholds to be met), or can lend itself to other problems, such as the NFL is now seeing (collusion charges by the NFLPA against the NFL for artificially constraining salaries during the 2010 un-capped season).

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Before their current five game winning streak the Yankees were tied for last place in the AL East at 21-21, a .500 winning percentage. (yes, I am very good at math, thanks for noticing!) The slow start was certainly worse than what was expected, especially considering the quick starts by the Orioles, Rays, and Blue Jays.

However, the Yankees hung in there with the rest of the AL East and are winning games now, and look like they will win a lot more in the future.

One stat many writers have used almost every day in their notes is that the Yankees have not won a game in which they did not hit a home run. That certainly does not look like a positive, nor does the fact that the Yankees are among the bottom ten teams in on base percentage with runners in scoring position. Two wrongs do make a right in this situation.

The Yankees are destined for an improvement in hitting with runners in scoring position, as of the current nine main hitters (Jeter, Granderson, Cano, Rodriguez, Teixeira, Swisher, Ibanez, Jones, Martin) all but Granderson have much worse OBP with runners in scoring position than their career numbers. The team is simply struggling collectively with runners in scoring position, and when that changes the Yankees will be an unstoppable offense.

Next, there's the pitching. Andy Pettitte has surprised many with his fantastic start to his comeback campaign, but Pettitte became a necessity rather than a luxury due to the injury to Michael Pineda. Meanwhile, Hiroki Kuroda and Ivan Nova have given up far more home runs than expected, and Phil Hughes got off to a rough start.

Kuroda pitched a gem last night, Nova threw a solid outing Saturday night, and Hughes has improved mightily over his last few starts. Signs are pointing in the right direction for the rotation, and the pitchers are starting to throw as they were expected to.

While baseball can be a mystery sometimes, I'm very optimistic about the future of this team right now. Let's hope I'm right!

Well, it's over. Took me until today to really admit it, and fully come to an understanding with that fact, but it's over. The team that I, and I'm sure many of you, thought was destined to hold the Stanley Cup and send this site, and New York into a frenzy lost to the New Jersey Devils in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

The problem with the way that the season ended for the Rangers is that it just ended. That may not seem to make sense to many, but there was no time to feel like the season was about to end. The Rangers seemed to have the momentum and needed one goal to force a game seven at home. Less than two minutes in to the first overtime and the puck went into the net. Over. Done. Finished. Not just the game, not just the series, but the season.

Every single game I watched during the season went down the drain in the moment the goal was scored. I couldn't believe it, and I knew immediately I should not write an article because it would be an emotional mess, the equivalent to a breakup letter with an ex. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the team, and until now I haven't been able to truly appreciate this season.

The season was amazing. The Rangers were expected to be a 4-6 seed and get bounced out in the second round. Instead, the Rangers won two seven game series, won the regular season Eastern Conference title, finally got out of the first round, finally beat the Capitals in the playoffs, won the Winter Classic, were stars of a television series, and saw players breakout, including one in the playoffs.

What a season.

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Hiroki Kuroda was absolutely outstanding today, pitching eight shutout innings in a win for the Yankees. Over the season Kuroda has succeeded when hitting his spots, and struggled when missing his spots, so it came as no surprise that Kuroda was excellent today, given that he hit almost all of his spots.

Kuroda walked one hitter and struck out three Athletics, and perhaps most important of all Kuroda did not surrender a home run. Rafael Soriano closed down the game for the Yankees, earning his fifth save of the season in the process.

The Yankees offense came from a solo home run (fifth of the season) off the bat of Andruw Jones in the top of the second inning, and a RBI double from Mark Teixeira in the seventh.

Although the Yankees left eight men on base, failed to score with runners in scoring position, and only managed two runs on eight hits, there was a positive sign in the Yankees lineup. Mark Teixeira once again put together a multi-hit effort for the Yankees, and is now eight for his last fourteen with three home runs and eight RBI. Not bad!

After gaining a game on the Orioles, Blue Jays, and Red Sox, as well as sweeping the Athletics, the Yankees have a lot to be happy about right now. The team has still not won a game in which they did not hit a home run in, but as long as the Yankees win, who cares? The hits with RISP are inevitable, so home runs are more of a bonus for a future than a necessity for the future.

Off to Los Angeles to take on the Angels for the Yankees, as Phil Hughes will take the mound vs. Jered Weaver.

Comment of the Game: lololol's hilarious picture.

Happy Thursday, everyone! The Yankees have an off night, so an open thread will be posted tonight by Andrew. Until then, here are some links for you to spend some time reading.

Rob Neyer reviewed the New Yankee Stadium, and called it "meh." From Neyer:

Which reminds of something else that's disappointing ... The New York Yankees are supposed to epitomize class. But with the arguable exception of Derek Jeter's appearances still announced by the (now) disembodied voice of Bob Sheppard, there is almost nothing classy about Yankee Stadium. The Yankees could have afforded to eschew advertisements on the outfield walls, but they didn't. They could have jettisoned "YMCA", but they didn't. They could have built something in the grand tradition of the Empire State Building or the Chrysler Building or the Brooklyn Bridge or any of a dozen other New York City landmarks, but they didn't. Yankee Stadium's like a school in summer.

Thoughts?

This tweet should make you laugh.

Ed Valentine takes a look at 5 potential Yankees owners if the Steinbrenners do sell the team (which they likely won't) and the year so far in the MLB.

Now, I have a couple of questions. Do you like the news posts, or do you prefer scattered fanshots?

I'd like to find a slogan that I can keep on the site for a long time, so please vote in the poll.

Well, let's get right to the negatives. The Yankees are tied for last place in the AL East, have lost six of seven, and are on a 6-72 streak with runners in scoring position. That is not good, to say the least.

Pitching: The most surprising and disappointing of the group of problems that the Yankees have, in my opinion. I was more confident about this rotation going into Spring Training than I was about any rotation since 2009. Andy Pettitte essentially replaced Michael Pineda, which was disappointing, but not something I thought would make a huge difference. While it has not, the Yankees rotation as a whole has performed below expectations.

Ivan Nova and Hiroki Kuroda have given up more home runs than I could imagine, while Phil Hughes dealt with early season struggles. It seems like whenever one pitcher figures it out, another loses it.

The positive is that Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes have both improved, and Hiroki Kuroda is not throwing absolutely terrible games, just not quality starts. Ivan Nova struck out twelve in his last start, and was crushed by a Yankee Stadium special home run.The future does not look that ugly.

Offense: Once again I am surprised. I no longer want to hear about how crazy people are when they say Brett Gardner is one of the keys, if not the key to the Yankees offense. Alex Rodriguez cannot seem to hit a home run, but he has certainly come close. I'm expecting a power display soon from the centaur soon.

Meanwhile, Mark Teixeira is sick and struggling, Russell Martin is all kinds of awful, and players are taking turns having off nights. The Yankees need a complete game in which the team all gets to a pitcher and doesn't have to deal with "this player didn't produce" as usual.

I do not think moving Mark Teixeira to 7th in the lineup does anything at all, and I especially do not think it takes any pressure off of Teixeira. Teixeira is being paid a lot of money to get big hits and get on base, and he simply is not doing that. Just one of many players that really needs to step it up.

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NOTE: I am not saying all hope is lost. I am still confident that this team will win the series and will win game 5.

The New York Rangers once again blew a chance to take a commanding series lead last night, losing to the New Jersey Devils 4-1 in a terribly played game.

Players were benched, punches were thrown, players were ejected, and the Rangers completely lost control of not only the game, but the series. I am not saying that the Rangers are out of the series, or even that they will lose the series, but the Rangers blew a big chance to get one game away from the Stanley Cup.

Every single player outside of Henrik Lundqvist essentially allowed the Rangers to get outplayed by their opponents. The team looked completely out of it from start to finish, allowing the Devils to glide up and down the ice, get multiple chances to score, and take advantage of those chances.

Sure, the Rangers scored a goal, but the team deserved to be humiliated after that performance. Mike Rupp embarrassed the team by going after Marty Brodeur (someone I hate, but you do not do that) and was ejected from the game. Carl Hagelin took penalties mere seconds apart when the Rangers needed to score. That's just the third period.

The Rangers were outplayed, out worked, and embarrassed by the Devils. This isn't an isolated incident either, as the Rangers have not put a 60 minute complete game together in what seems like a very long time.

If the Rangers go out Wednesday night and play like they did last night they will not win, but I am confident that will not be the case. For now, let's do our best to look forward to a home win, but this needed to be said. Let's Go Rangers!

The Cincinnati Reds won their interleague series vs. the Yankees today, defeating the struggling Yanks 5-2. Johnny Cueto out dueled CC Sabathia, and the Reds offense got the job done when necessary, while the Yankees offense could not.

CC Sabathia was fantastic through six innings, surrendering only two hits, but the seventh inning spelled doom for the hefty lefty. Ryan Ludwick and Todd Frazier each hit solo home runs to tie the game, and then the Reds offense made CC work harder. Zack Cozart singled, and Sabathia lost control, walking three consecutive hitters to give the Reds a 3-2 lead.

Raul Ibanez provided the only Yankees offense of the day, who once again did not get a hit with runners in scoring position. Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, and Dewayne Wise were the only hitless Yankees, but the problems remain there for the offense.

Outside of the Raul Ibanez two run home run (another shot) Johnny Cueto got the job done, allowing two runs in seven innings pitched. Cueto was able to do what CC could not do, holding the lead when given it in the 7th inning.

After Cory Wade pitched a shutout inning of relief (and a third) Boone Logan and Rafael Soriano combined to surrender two runs, expanding the Reds lead to three.

Comment of the Game: GMan83201

As many of you have discussed here, this season the Yankees look a bit off. At 20-17, the Yankees are in third place in the AL East, only three games ahead of the Red Sox, who are in last place in the AL East.

Despite all of the panic going around, whether it be about the rotation, Mark Teixeira's lack of hitting, Alex Rodriguez' lack of power, or the injuries, I'm still confident about the future of this team offensively.

Let's first talk about the hitting. The Yankees are among the top ten teams in the MLB this season in batting average, runs, hits, home runs (obviously) RBI, OBP (!) and SLG.

The lineup may not look intimidating every night, but the Yankees work the count, get on base, and while they may mainly rely on home runs, they still get the job done. The offense will get a spark when (if) Mark Teixeira gets into his groove and gets healthy, and when (if) Russell Martin returns to his average self and Brett Gardner returns.

Meanwhile, the Yankees rotation is a problem right now. The Yankees are only in the top ten in walks allowed and strikeouts thrown, but the rotation simply is not doing their job right now. Hiroki Kuroda is wildly inconsistent, Ivan Nova regressed after a solid start to the season, and Andy Pettitte is a mystery right now.

The positives of the rotation are that CC Sabathia is, well, CC Sabathia, and Phil Hughes looks like he is improving. If Hughes can be an acceptable #4 or #5 starter, Andy Pettitte can pitch at least close to the Andy Pettitte of old, and Hiroki Kuroda can pitch like he did for the Dodgers, the Yankees rotation will be fine.

Still, that's a lot of ifs.

Once again, apologies for the late recap. I'm still working on fixing my laptop, and am attempting to post this open thread from my phone.

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

When people think about the New York Yankees this season, the names that usually come up include Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, CC Sabathia, and David Robertson, among the other "big" names.

While players like Mark Teixeira and Russell Martin are performing below expectations, there are a number of players that are performing above expectations. These players are the unappreciated, and sometimes even complained about members of the Yankees. Let's give some credit where credit is due.

First, we have Raul Ibanez, the player that many wanted cut in Spring Training after his putrid 2-37 start. Ibanez was signed to be a platoon DH, but when Brett Gardner went down with an injury, the Yankees placed Ibanez in left field for some games. While I won't bother defending Ibanez, his bat is a lot better than people are giving him credit for.

Ibanez launched seven dingers so far this season, while hitting 278./338./.583 vs.left handed pitchers (not including yesterdays game), the pitchers he was signed to face primarily. If Ibanez can consistently hit that way, when Gardner returns the Yankees can return him to only DH and the problem will be solved.

Speaking of players with specific roles on this team, Boone Logan has been fantastic as a lefty reliever in the Yankees bullpen this season. Logan struck out seventeen, walked six, and held lefties to a .226 BAA going into yesterdays game.

While he fills a role that many deem unnecessary on the Yankees roster, he does a great job filling it, and that's all we can ask of him.

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What. A. Game. Before I get to anything, I just want to say a few quick things. No matter how far this team goes in this series and the rest of the playoffs, this team has given me memories I will never forget. I truly believe there is some kind of "destiny" with this team, but hockey is a crazy sport, as evidenced by last night's game.

I felt like I was inside the Garden, though I was running around my dorm room trying not to make too much noise during "quiet hours" at my college. The feeling of just pure jubilation and joy washed over me as Brad Richards roofed the puck past Brayden Holtby and the Capitals defenseman, and the same feeling popped up when Marc Staal's shot ended the game.

There's more work to be done, don't get me wrong, but what a heck of a season so far. The goal has to be to be the only team to end the season with a win.

-Marc Staal was absolutely amazing last night outside of one minor slip up. Staal stopped a 3 on 1 on his own TWICE in one play, and scored the game winning goal.

-Speaking of defensemen, how about Dan Girardi as well? Girardi bowled over Mike Green and stopped an important 2 on 1.

-MORE defensemen! Anton Stralman scored the first goal, what a postseason offensively for him. Michael Del Zotto struggled, but set up the game tying goal.

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Andy Pettitte pitched yesterday for the Scranton Empire State Yankees in their home ballpark Rochester (seriously, who would want to play for the Yankees AAA team right now?) and declared himself ready for the MLB. Pettitte threw 92 pitches, 59 of which were strikes, and surrendered three earned runs in five innings.

While Empire State's defense caused Pettitte to work longer and harder than he should have had to, 92 pitches in five innings isn't the most encouraging outing.

Phil Hughes and David Phelps both pitched well in their last starts, and both are deserving of one more chance to prove that they belong in the rotation when Pettitte comes to take a spot in the rotation.

There is no harm in allowing Pettitte another start in AAA to work on his pitch count and getting him to 100+ pitches, while having more time to make a final decision on who goes where.

While the decision that will likely happen is David Phelps back to the bullpen and Phil Hughes in the rotation, if Hughes pitches like he did earlier in the decision and Phelps throws a gem the Yankees will have a tough decision to make. Hughes pitched his best game in a very long time yesterday, so perhaps the competition is helping him.

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The Yankees went into today's game in a bit of a rut, having lost two of three to the Kansas City Royals and Mariano Rivera for the season after tearing his ACL. New York needed a big win to get them going once again, and today the team got that win.

After a rough first inning for Phil Hughes, the former phenom settled down and looked like himself for the first time all season. Despite not appearing to have an out pitch, Hughes managed to locate his fastball and strike out seven Royals. Hughes' line doesn't look fantastic, but he did give up a home run to the last batter he faced on his 115th pitch.

Hughes certainly gave the Yankees something to smile about, as he only surrendered three runs in six and two-thirds (Cory Wade surrendered the fourth run). If Hughes can give them that every outing, I'm sure the Yankees would take it. The main improvement left for Hughes is working on an out pitch so he doesn't throw so many pitches. Some more good news about the righty is that he reached 94 MPH on his fastball in the sixth inning.

Another player that gave the Yankees reason to smile was Robinson Cano. With Luke Hochevar struggling in the top of the third inning, Cano came up with the bases loaded and launched a grand slam, as I predicted he would! Cano got another hit, so hopefully he's on track to be the same Robbie as last season, or even better.

Nick Swisher hit a solo home run in his return to the lineup, and Alex Rodriguez hit a three run bomb to add to the lead for the Yankees. Russell Martin was unsurprisingly 0-5.

The Yankees will head back to New York to face the Rays on Tuesday.

Comment of the Game: mikefromnbny

Yes, you read the title correctly. Greg Schiano announced the signing of Eric LeGrand today for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a move that has been highly praised by not only NFL analysts, but also fans, and people in general across the globe.

As you may know, LeGrand was paralyzed playing football for Rutgers, and the diagnosis looked terrible. LeGrand defied all logic by his quick recovery, and is still working hard to get to full strength this day.

Schiano said:

"Leading up to the draft, I couldn’t help but think that this should’ve been Eric’s draft class," Schiano said in a statement released today by Rutgers and the Buccaneers. "This small gesture is the least we could do to recognize his character, spirit, and perseverance. The way Eric lives his life epitomizes what we are looking for in Buccaneer Men."

What a class move by not only Schiano, but also the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization. It shows that Schiano, while leaving Rutgers, is still loyal to the men he brought up in his system and treated like a father (sometimes an angry father, to be fair) for years.

While Schiano left, he is still a member of the Rutgers family. Great to see this move.

Dewayne Wise, a journeyman lefty hitting outfielder currently in AAA for the Yankees, has been crushing the ball. Meanwhile, Brett Gardner is on the DL, Nick Swisher is day to day (or out longer) and the Yankees have relied on the likes of Andruw Jones, Raul Ibanez, and Eduardo Nunez to patrol the outfield.

I have no problem with one of Nunez or Jones playing the field, but two of the three, including Raul Ibanez as nightly members of the outfield for the next ~3 games? Simply does not make sense.

While it is of course against inferior pitching, Wise has hit the ball much better than Raul Ibanez. Wise is hitting .369/.343/.662 compared to Ibanez' .241/.297/.448. Ibanez was signed to hit right handed pitching, and he only boasts a .293 OBP against righties. Wise? .386 OBP against righties.

In no way do I mean to say Wise will be a tremendous improvement over Ibanez, but he won't be much worse. Not only is he swinging a hot bat to start the season, but Wise also is faster, and a much better defensive outfielder. The Yankees should not have Ibanez in the field at all, and even if Wise doesn't hit he provides an actual fielder.

Honestly, my heart can't take much more of Raul Ibanez in the outfield, and if Ibanez isn't bringing anything to the plate, what purpose does he serve to this team?

Call up Dewayne Wise, please, Yankees! It's the best for everyone's health and the Yankees success!

As we discussed last night, the Yankees finally made the switch from Freddy Garcia to David Phelps in the rotation following Freddy Garcia's disastrous start Saturday vs. the Detroit Tigers.

This was a decision I am very happy with, as Phelps has looked great in his long relief role, while Freddy Garcia has looked terrible in his rotation role.

This past off-season the Yankees faced a decision of either re-signing Freddy Garcia or Bartolo Colon, both members of the 2011 Yankees rotation. The Yankees chose Freddy Garcia, Sir Smoke and Mirrors himself, and signed Garcia to a $4 million deal.

The decision is not a popular one right now, but the Yankees made the correct decision. The Yankees had to sign someone as without the signing the Yankees would have no leverage in any potential trades or signings. Sure, the Yankees went out and got Hiroki Kuroda, Michael Pineda, and Andy Pettitte, but the team had no leverage and no ability to predict the future.

While many are crying out for Bartolo Colon right now, it seems like many are also forgetting Colon's main fault, the reason he was left off of the playoff roster as well.

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Here is your Sunday night open thread. Discuss whatever your heart desires, and hopefully Jedi Master A-Rod and Whatwouldjeterdo provide us with spontaneous animal pictures!

Well, it's official. Freddy Garcia has been demoted to the bullpen, as the Yankees have decided to put David Phelps in the rotation. The latest news is that David Phelps will start on Thursday night vs. the Kansas City Royals.

Phelps' role of long relief man (essentially long relief for Freddy Garcia) will now go to either Freddy Garcia, or recent call up D.J. Mitchell.

The Yankees will certainly mess up a few times with using Garcia and Mitchell in the right spots, but I trust Joe Girardi to use Mitchell and Garcia the right way. What is the right way to use the pair, you ask?

For Garcia, the best role right now is the role formerly given to Cody Eppley. Essentially a mop up role, Eppley pitched mainly in innings that didn't matter in blowouts, which is a perfect spot for Garcia to figure out his problems right now. Garcia can NOT be given any important innings with the way he is pitching right now. Simply put, if Garcia comes in in a close game, the Yankees are mismanaging him.

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The Yankees won 6-2 today, thanks to an outstanding performance from ace starter CC Sabathia, and home runs off the bats of Curtis Granderson and Andruw Jones.

CC Sabathia was spectacular, giving up two runs in eight innings of work, while only walking two and striking out eight. CC got his third win of the season, and pitched a much needed low pitch count game. The bullpen was only used for one inning, as David Robertson set down the Tigers 1-2-3 in the ninth.

As for the offense, the Yankees runs came from patience at the plate, and a bit of power as well. Curtis Granderson walked in a run in the second, and Alex Rodriguez drove in another on a single. In the fourth, Curtis Granderson hit a solo home run to dead center, which was almost robbed by Austin Jackson. Had Jackson robbed it, it would have been a play of the year nominee.

Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano, and Andruw Jones helped tack on a few more runs, and the Yankees finished off the Tigers to win the series.

The Yankees won despite leaving 22 on base, but not without a casualty, as Nick Swisher left the game with hamstring tightness. More news on that when we find out.

Comment of the Game: Jedi Master A-Rod's creative logo design.

Let's Go Rangers!

Sorry for the lack of content today, a bit of a scheduling mishap! I've had a ton of thoughts about the Yankees swirling through my head, so rather than separating them I'll get them all out here.

-I'm not worried about Hiroki Kuroda as of now. Last night he seemed to nitpick less and find some success through that change. While Kuroda is 1-3, the Yankees have not exactly given him great offense.

-Jon Morosi penned this piece for Fox Sports about the Michael Pineda, Jose Campos for Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi trade. Morosi declares that the Seattle Mariners are "winning in Pineda for Montero deal." Well, first of all, calling it the Pineda for Montero deal is simply wrong. Campos is as important of a piece as Pineda, yet Morosi focuses completely on Pineda and Montero. Poorly written piece, which is not exactly a surprise from Mr. Detroit Tiger.

-Robinson Cano still has one home run on the season, but I'm not worried at all. Cano is third on the team in extra base hits with nine, behind only Derek Jeter and Nick Swisher, who each have ten. Cano has double the amount of walks compared to strikeouts, and has grounded into more double plays (5) than times he has struck out. (4)

-I will almost certainly be at Saturday's game vs. the Detroit Tigers to see David Phelps Freddy Garcia face one of the best lineups in baseball. Oh joy!

-Rafael Soriano has pitched in six innings this season, which makes me wonder why the Yankees really need Cody Eppley on the roster? The Yankees would benefit from another outfielder much more than an extra relief pitcher at this point.

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Wasn't planning on writing today, but there were a lot of stories swirling around the twitterosphere (twittosphere?) so I feel it's my duty to inform you of the latest news and notes around the league!

First of all, Hideki Matsui is likely going to sign with the Tampa Bay Rays, according to Mr. Met.* Matsui was one of my favorite players, so I have bittersweet feelings about this.

Remember how some fans wanted the Yankees to acquire Jair Jurrjens in the off-season? Well, Jurrjens was demoted to AAA Gwinett today by the Atlanta Braves. Crazy to see a pitcher go from near All Star Game starter to AAA.

Speaking of AAA, Bill Hall will play in AAA if asked to, just not for the Yankees. He has nothing against the Yankees, but with the AAA Yankees playing in multiple home ballparks, and Hall raising a child, it's not a good fit for him. The AAA craziness could hurt the Yankees more than just this once this season.

How about this?

ESPN Stats & Info ‏ @ESPNStatsInfo

Elias says: Derek Jeter is the first Yankee to ever record 30+ hits in team's first 16 games of a season.

Ed Valentine takes a look at Jeter's hot start.

Andruw Jones used a fan as his partner for warmup throws last night. That's awesome.

Quick thought on twitter- Sulia=the worst.

*Does it amaze anyone else that writers like Jon Morosi (Detroit) and to a lesser extent Jon Heyman (Mets) can focus so much on one team and still be considered a national writer?

Hiroki Kuroda vs. Yu Darvish in Texas tonight.