NoMaas' Reginald Cornelius III checks in with his Top 10 Yankee Story Lines of 2008.  Reginald's dedication to NoMaas is an outward sign of Dustin Pedroia's motto, "It's all about championships."

Click here to read the article.
 

01.04.2009 NoMaas Evening Chat Series Kickoff, this Tuesday night

Sensei John Kreese, NoMaas' merciless leader and tyrant, will be conducting live Q&A this Tuesday starting at 8pm.  He'll not only be fielding questions about the Yankees, but he'll also take questions about anything you want to know about NoMaas -- the history, the drama, the child labor...Now's your chance to get a peek behind the curtain.  Just head back here on Tuesday night to participate.  If you want to submit questions beforehand, send them to chatseries@nomaas.org.
 

01.03.2009 ESPN, please seriously do something about this guy

Peter Gammons created a list of his top 10 story lines. When talking about CC Sabathia, he decided to make a completely irrelevant reference to his boy-toy.

6. CC Sabathia. Faced with the prospect of a $161 million contract, to go out and make one start after another on three days' rest was an extreme outward sign of Pedroia's motto: "It's all about championships." (Source)

Hall of Fame journalism?

01.01.2009 Some administrative items

A couple things...we organized all of our interviews into a neat, little archive.  It's now much easier to check out all the interviews we've conducted over the years.  Peep it.

We'll also soon be posting our top graphics of 2008 on our Facebook page.  Sign up.
 

01.01.2009 Shock rumor: Torre to leave LA for Marlins

The Marlins are expected to sign former Dodgers right-hander Scott Proctor to bolster a bullpen that has lost several veterans.  Proctor agreed to a one-year contract for $750,000, with another $250,000 in incentives, according to an industry source.  But the deal is contingent on Proctor passing a physical, and he had elbow problems last season. (Source)
 

12.30.2008 Have a great 2009, NoMaasians

12.30.2008 Introducing the NoMaas evening chat series

We tried doing this about a year ago, but each member of the NoMaas staff gave birth to a new baby and we didn't have time to do it.  Now, we're going to do it for real.  Over the next few weeks, we'll be hosting live Q&A where you'll be able to talk to some of your favorite NoMaas personalities.  We're doing evening chats, because we all have full-time jobs (at least until we're laid off).  Each chat will have a different theme and each host will add his own particular flavor.  Below is the lineup and we'll post more info about each chat as the date approaches.

Tuesday, January 6th, 8pm: Sensei John Kreese
Tuesday, January 13th, 8pm: Brisco County, Jr
Tuesday, January 20th, 8pm: Reginald Cornelius III
Tuesday, January 27th, 8pm: Lane Meyer

12.29.2008 What Phil Hughes does in the offseason

12.28.2008 We're not comfortable with Phil Hughes as the 5th starter

At least initially.

We are still Phil Hughes believers, but there are a few reasons why would rather see him start the season in AAA. 

First, with the velocity, mechanics, and injury issues he suffered last season, we'd like to see him build on his Arizona Fall League success and continue to gain confidence.  We don't believe that throwing the 22-year old into the fire right away would be the best move. 

Second, this rotation will need innings.  We already know that Joba Chamberlain will be on an innings cap.  Then, you have AJ Burnett who has the elbow and shoulder of an elderly woman.  Adding Hughes, who has been plagued with injuries in his short professional career and will also likely have an innings cap, leaves the rotation thin on durability.  The 5th starter needs to be an innings-eater, which is why we hope Pettitte returns or the front office finds a more suitable option.
 

12.28.2008 Just how good is Mark Teixeira?  Part II

We showed you how valuable Mark Teixeira is offensively.  He is a premiere hitter, no matter how a certain fanbase may be trying to spin it.  However, for we Yankee fans who have been used to seeing Jason Giambi lumber his way around the bag, it would be useful to see how Teixeira fairs defensively as well.

According to the Hardball Times' Revised Zone Rating, Teixeira converted 83.4% of balls hit in his zone into outs during 2008.  That was second among qualified 1B, only behind Albert Pujols. 

Giambi in 2008?  67.9%

Talk about a huge freakin' upgrade.
 

12.27.2008 Just how good is Mark Teixeira?

There has been a lot of dispute since Mark Teixeira agreed to terms with the Yankees about what type of player he really is.  People like to downplay the signing by saying that he isn't "elite" or that his numbers come from a position (first base) where they aren’t anything special. Without even considering defensive contributions, we can use VORP to compare Tex offensively to other first baseman over the last two years.  Remember, VORP is a counting stat, so we've included games played and VORP rate (VORPr) to help add more clarity.