Is That The Best You've Got?

YAHOO.com- Andruw Jones agreed Thursday to a $2 million, one-year contract with the New York Yankees, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

Though I'm not even looking at ESPN, ESPN.com, or any other ESPN entity for the rest of my life, I stumbled upon the above article on Yahoo! Sports.

Anyhow, is this the best the Yankees have got? I mean, after seeing the Red Sox vastly improving their squad in the off-season, and after getting bounced from the playoffs from the Texas Rangers, one would think that the Yankees would put the foot down and make a splash. Not so fast.

I mean, is this 2005? Because I'm pretty sure that's the last time Andruw Jones was a vital part of a winning team. What are the Yankees doing? Do they want to lose to the Sox and Rays next season, because their team isn't any better than last season's squad that was bounced from the playoffs. Obviously, as a huge Sox fan, I'm always pining for the Yankees to regress, but this off-season had been baffling for any baseball fan. The Yankees ALWAYS get their man and spend good money to get him, but not so this year. They failed to get Cliff Lee, Carl Crawford, and Jayson Werth, and now have to get lower-tier players.

Will the near-inactivity from the Yankees hurt them in the 2011 MLB season? Probably. You cannot compete against upper-level teams without improving your squad SIGNIFICANTLY in the off-season, just ask the 2010 Red Sox. Andruw Jones is a great guy and was ONCE in the upper-echelon of MLB players, but those glory days are over. And if this off-season is a foreboding sign (for Yankees fans at least), the Yankees reign of dominance over the past 15 years may be halting as well.

Through the Looking Glass

I'm not making any Lost references despite the title of this post. The only connection between Lost and last night's game -- and the whole season, for that matter -- is that things didn't add up, boggled my mind, and ended in a manner unlike the majority of the sample size. Regardless, it's time to take a step back in the aftermath and look at this Patriots season in retrospect.

It had the makings of our glory days. It wasn't like the '07 team. This team spread the ball out on offense. Made plays on defense. Protected the football. Made sound decisions. Played mistake-free football. Where did it all go on Sunday night? How could such a shocker go down in such an epically disastrous fashion? In the end, the upset that shocked America may not have been such a stunning defeat after all.

Breathe, Breathe

During a trying time like this, when grey clouds hang over Boston, it's great to see a silver lining. So breathe, New England sports fans. It WILL get better. It could be worse. At least you're not a Cleveland sports fan.