During the off-season, fans will constantly hear about arbitration in baseball. But many are not sure what it is. Does it consist of a bunch of lawyers arguing on the behalf of their clients? Do the teams’ lawyers have valid arguments? What exactly is the legal process?

Arbitration hearing are for players and teams who cannot agree on a salary for the upcoming season. Sounds simple right? However, lawyers will tackle much more complex issues. For a first-time player to be eligible for arbitration; he must:

1. Played in the Major Leagues for at least three years. but no more than six.
(Players are free agents after six seasons of team control)

2. Players, who have played for more than 6 seasons and become free agents, are available to receive arbitration from their current team. It is solely the team’s decision whether or not they will offer the player arbitration. If they offer a player arbitration and he accepts, there typically isn’t anymore debate. Players that teams do not want to retain are not offered arbitration.

Team Obligations:

Here’s the tricky part of arbitration(lawyers get involved here)

1. Clubs must contract free agents before December 1 to offer arbitration.

2. The player has until December 7 to accept. If he accepts, he goes back on the team’s roster. Debate about a final number may continue if the player accepts. If he declines arb, the sides can continue to negotiate.

3. Teams must offer players at least 80% of the prior year’s salary.

If teams can still not settle on a salary, lawyers are brought in. These lawyers take salary proposals to a panel of professional arbitrators.

4. Both parties must make cases for their aforementioned salary figure to the panel. Lawyers will note statistics, awards, and other accolades on behalf of the player. Lawyers for the team will note attendance numbers and other team related expenses. This process takes place in February.

5. The panel decides on a final number. The team or player can tell the lawyer to appeal the case. Appeals normally take a week to hear.

Ultimately, teams will not use their lawyers to upset their players. Typically, the team’s better young players will appear before arbitrators. If the team wants to retain this young talent long term, they will not upset him through contract negotiations.

More recently, Tim Lincecum of the SF Giants, almost went through an arbitration hearing. However, the Giants had their lawyers proposed a 2 year/23 million deal to Lincecum’s lawyer right before the hearing. Lincecum had initially filed for $13MM, the Giants for 8MM.

The two sides were able to settle, but I hope this article shed some light on the entire legal process.

We visited this topic last week, but let’s go 2nd level.

Many Yankee fans are aware that Derek is in the last year of his 10 year, $189 million contract. Jeter, 36, has been the face of the Yankee franchise for the past decade. Jeter is a career .317 hitter. Jeter became the Yankees All-Time hits leader during this past season and currently has 2,747 hits. Jeter is a career .313 hitter in the post season. Jeter is also the all-time postseason hits leader with 175. Defensively, Jeter had one of his best defensive seasons ever last year, posting a +4.4 UZR, 4th best in baseball (compared to -0.5 UZR in 2008). Jeter finished 3rd inAL MVP voting as well.

Jeter is making $21.6 million this season. The question becomes–how long and how much Jeter’s next deal will be worth. Yankee fans and baseball experts will most likely use A-Rod’s current 10 year, $275 million contract as a bench mark. A-Rod was also 32 years old when he signed that deal(Jeter will be 37).

When it comes to Derek Jeter, the Yankees will most likely give him whatever he wants. He is the fan favorite, one of the few living Yankee legends, and the current face of the franchise. The decision will rest on Jeter’s shoulders. How long will he be able to keep up his current statistics? What about the defense? Joe DiMaggio retired when he was on the top of his game(37-years-old). DiMaggio also had heel problems, but knew when it was time to retire.

I’m not suggesting that Jeter should retire after this season, but I don’t think he should try to hang on either. As Yankee fans, we want to remember Jeter for his 2001 playoff ‘flip play in Oakland’, the dive into the stands vs. Boston in 2006. We don’t want to see a broken Jeter at the end of a contract.

Keep in mind too that if Jeter signs a 5-years deal, the Yankees will be paying a 42-year-old Jeter and a 41-year-old Rodriguez roughly $50 million in 2015. But that won’t matter this offseason.

Prediction: 4 years/$85 million

Is this too much? Too little? What do you think?

Last week, I covered A-Rod and Teix’s fantasy prospects. Today, I will cover NY Pitchers.

With pitchers and catchers reporting in only 2 days, baseball fans and fantasy owners are beginning to foam at the mouth. Drafts are quickly approaching and final rankings are being adjusted.

Strategy with Pitchers:

I agree with the majority of fantasy gurus that Fantasy baseball teams should be built around hitters. I won’t even think about taking an arm until Round 6 or 7. Elite arms are a scarce commodity in fantasy(only 6 in my opinion). There are also durability concerns when it comes to high velocity arms; which can ultimately destroy your fantasy team.

What makes for an elite, starting fantasy arm? It comes down to three major components: Wins, ERA, High Strikeout Totals.  After the 2009 season, Lincecum, Halladay, Sabathia, Grienke, Verlander, and Felix Hernandez, these six fit the bill and should be drafted accordingly in 2010.

Let’s discuss New York Arms

The Elite Starters:

#4 CC Sabathia, SP, New York Yankees—Sabathia had a great first season with the New York Yankees. Sabathia won 19 games, posted a 3.37 ERA, and had 197 K’s. Given his offensive support and pitching demeanor, Sabathia is one of the best bets to win 20 games in the league. Sabathia is a consistent work horse and is the least likely of the ‘Big 6’ to suffer an injury. Sabathia would be the 4^th pitcher to come off the boards in my opinion(behind Lincecum, Halladay, and Hernandez)

Round to Draft: Round 3

Projection: 20 Wins, 3.25 ERA, 205 K’s.

#8 Johan Santana, SP, New York Mets—The biggest question concerning Santana? Has he fully recovered from his surgery in September? Are the bone chips gone? Santana has already begun throwing in Florida and claims that he feels better than ever. Fantasy owners and Mets fans must be a little concerned. His strikeout rate has considerably dropped from 2008(9.66/9innings) to 2009(7.88). Santana really has the ability to finish Top 5 in fantasy, but are you going to draft him over Jon Lester, Justin Verlander, or Cliff Lee?

Round to Draft: Round 5-6

Projection: 16 wins, 3.10 ERA, 175 K’s

Secondary Starters:

#11 Javier Vazquez, SP, New York Yankees—Vazquez will get his 2nd chance in New York. I think he’ll make the most of it. Vazquez finished 4^th in NL Cy Young voting last season. Vazquez posted 15 wins, 238 K’s, and 2.87 ERA. I expect his number to come back down to Earth this year, but to still be worthy as a #2 in Fantasy. He has the Yankee offense aiding him, which will add a few wins to his total.

Round to Draft: 7-8

Projection: 15 wins, 3.80 ERA, 190 K’s

#24 AJ Burnett, SP, New York Yankees—Will Good AJ or Bad AJ show up? That’s the question Yankee fans must tackle when Burnett takes the mound. When AJ is on, he is virtually untouchable. When he is off, well, he’s off like a light switch. Burnett had 195 K’s in 208 innings last season. The strikeout potential is there, but Burnett walks so many hitters.  Scale back your expectations for AJ and you won’t be disappointed this year.

Round to Draft: 9-10

Projection: 15 wins, 4.20 ERA, 190 K’s

Relievers

#1 Mariano Rivera, RP, New York Yankees—Mo is still the best in the game. Rivera had one of the best seasons in his career last season. He posted 44 saves in 46 opportunities, posted a 1.74 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and had 72 K’s(in 66 innings). Rivera, 40, has been the best closer in the league for the past 12 seasons. He keeps providing to be one of the most valuable assets on the Yankees and on fantasy teams. He is and will be the first closer drafted. If anyone attempts to tell you that Nathan is better, pop in the tape from the 2009 ALDS.

Round to Draft: 7

Projection: 44 Saves, 1.99 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 70 K’s

#4 Francisco Rodriguez, RP, New York Mets—K-Rod is arguably the most entertaining closer in the game. The Mets provide Rodriguez a ton of opportunities. Rodriguez recorded 35 saves last season with 73 K’s in 68 innings. Look for him to continue his success in New York. I would draft K-Rod after Rivera, Jonathan Broxton, and Joe Nathan. Definitely take him ahead of Papelbon.

Round to Draft: 10

Projection: 40 Saves, 2.90 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 71 K’s

Some of you may not know that Derek Jeter has an all-time great dating record. We are talking about the hottest female celebrities ever. Jeter has dated everyone from Jessica Alba to Mariah Carey to Jessica Biel to currently Minka Kelly, star of the TV show, Friday Night Lights.

Some for the guys reading our blog today, I leave you this link; giving you a full break down of Jeter’s dating resume.

Jeter will definitely make the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. I’m sure Hugh Hefner will have room for Jeter in his.

Written By: Matt Vereb

With the annual NBA Dunk Contest set to take place on Saturday at 8PM on TNT, I wanted to share my favorite dunks, performed by the best dunkers of all-time. My list of the best dunkers includes: Julius Erving, Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, and Dominique Wilkins.

1. Julius Erving is arguably the best dunker of all-time. Erving won three NBA championships, four MVP awards. Erving set the golden standard for signature dunks. He is known for dunking from the foul line. Check out of one his signature dunks below.

2. Michael Jordan is the best basketball player of all-time. Jordan earned five MVPs, six NBA championship, and is known for his signature “Air Jordan” apparel line. Jordan followed Erving’s signature dunk series by implementing variations from foul line dunks.

3. Vince Carter is the most exciting dunker of the modern era. Vincesanity is known for high-flying, rim shaking dunks. Carter is best known for this dunk, seen in the 2000 NBA Dunk Contest

4. Dominique Wilkins is “The Human Highlight Reel”. Wilkins, a two-time Dunk Contest Champion, is known for his epic Dunk Contest battles against Michael Jordan.

Who do you think rivals these four dunkers?

“I like linebackers. I collect ‘em. You can’t have too many good ones.” – Bill Parcells

As the NFL Draft continues to draw closer, mock drafts from experts and bloggers alike are updated daily, sometimes hourly. Today, let’s look at a player that ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. currently has going to the New York Football Giants in his latest Mock Draft, outside linebacker Sergio Kindle of Texas, considered by many the best outside linebacker in the 2010 draft class.

Kiper says Kindle is “a need pick for the Giants,” and I agree.  There are plenty of needs on this defense, starting with middle linebacker (more on that in a bit), followed by safety, and then followed by outside ‘backer.  There are lots of different situations that can play out between now and the Draft, but let’s look at one that would end with an outside linebacker as the Giants first-round pick.

Just as they did with Antonio Pierce in 2005, the Giants sign a veteran middle ‘backer through free agency rather than draft one.  The Giants did not have a first-round pick in 2005, because their selection (12^th overall) was traded to San Diego one year before in the Eli Manning trade.  Before this year’s draft, the Giants will elect to sign a veteran presence in the middle of the field to replace the recently released Pierce; either Karlos Dansby (Arizona) or Larry Foote (Detroit)  [NOTE: free agency officially begins on March 5]. With a middle linebacker in place, and with Rolando McClain’s stock rising to a potential top-10 pick, the Giants need to look elsewhere with their first-round selection.  This year’s Draft is deep with talented safeties, so the Giants can wait until the second-round to fill that need in the secondary.  The Giants’ pass rush from their front-seven was all but nonexistent in 2009.  Osi Umenyiora, who lost his starting job with a month remaining, led the team in sacks with just 7.0.  Outside linebacker Danny Clark showed no signs of being able to play with pride as the season came to a close.  Outside ‘backer Michael Boley had a good year, but disappeared at times, and Clark showed no heart on defense.  Boley and the rest of the defense were scrutinized by former-Giant linebacker and Hall-of-Famer Harry Carson, and Boley responded to Carson’s shot at the defense by saying, “it doesn’t mean anything to me.”  When you discard a statement from one of the greatest linebackers in Giants history – one of the greatest linebackers ever – you don’t belong in the Giants organization.

A ferocious linebacker that possesses speed off the edge, with physicality and agility in the open field and sure-tackling ability is exactly what the G-Men need in this situation.  With that, the Giants select an outside ‘backer.  Here’s an extensive look at Sergio Kindle:

Scouting Report

The Giants were terrible last year in putting pressure on the opposing quarterback, a key component of successful NFL defenses and the heart of the Giants Super Bowl defense.  Kindle’s speed, strength, athleticism and size are off-the-charts, with room to develop. Possessing elite-level speed and closing quickness, Kindle is a flash off the line of scrimmage and will beat most tackles off the ball, especially right tackles.  He led Texas in quarterback pressures his senior year with 36, playing most of the year at defensive end. Kindle has plenty of experience playing in both three-point and two-point stances, but weighing in at 255 pounds warrants a spot as a mainly blitzing ‘backer, and not a full-time defensive end at the next level. He is at his best when rushing the quarterback.  Kindle has a very good bull rush and will use it to run over backs in blitz pick-up. Kindle possesses great flexibility in his hips, which allows him to take angles that most pass rushers cannot.  He closes quickly and very aggressively on the quarterback.  Kindle boasts fluid lateral movement, and tremendous flexibility. He turns the corner well, and has good footwork and balance coming off the edge.

One thing he needs to work on at the next level is using his hands to disengage blockers, but he can be taught techniques in the NFL. Kindle is a physical specimen with top-level strength, who only got stronger in his senior season by dropping weight and adding muscle.  Trust me, he will test off the charts at the Scouting Combine.

Kindle has the speed to run with receivers, tight ends and backs.  He’s a little slow reading and reacting to the quarterback, which needs to be addressed at the next level.  He won’t be able to rely on his talent if he misreads a pro QB, but a linebacker with Kindle’s talent can be taught reads in the NFL.  While Kindle is a litle slow at reading and reacting to quarterbacks, he’s quick adjusting to pass plays, getting into the flat with exceptional speed when he is given pass responsibility. He also does a good job knocking down passes and getting his hands up at the line when rushing.

Kindle has the ability to be exceedingly productive when he is able to roam free and make plays in the open field. He has exceptional range as an outside linebacker, with the ability to cover sideline-to-sideline.  At times, he can be tricked by misdirection and too quickly relies on his speed and strength instead of reading the offense, which is something that can be taught.

A violent tackler, Kindle has great strength and speed, and combines them when hitting the ball carrier. His arm length allows him to wrap up after contact, and stop plays at the line of scrimmage.

Kindle has the skills to become a defensive playmaker. He has proven that he can play as a defensive end in the 4-3, or as a SAM (strong-side) linebacker in either the 3-4 or 4-3; that’s impressive flexibility.  At the next level Kindle is primarily an outside linebacker or a third pass rusher off the edge. Kindle has solid football instincts, with room to develop the physical and mental aspects of his game.

During the pre-Draft process, Kindle is very likely to have his stock soar.  He is a top-15 talent in the Draft, but teams will surely be cautious of drafting a blitzing linebacker/defensive end hybrid.  Last year, no rush linebackers were taken in the top-15: Larry English (16^th overall to San Diego), Robert Ayers (18^th to Denver), and Clay Matthews (26^th to Green Bay) all went in the latter-half of the 2009 Draft. Only Matthews has really panned out so far.  The conversion rate of defensive ends/rush linebackers from college to the NFL is very low in recent years; Vernon Gholston has not registered a sack in his NFL career.  Not one sack, for someone considered a sure-thing coming out of Ohio State.  You’d think he would at least get one by accident.  Anyway, the point is it’s a risk to take a rush linebacker/end in the Draft. The risk would be higher for the Giants who run a 4-3, and Kindle seems like the prototype for a blitzing linebacker coming off the edge in the 3-4.  With a new defensive-coordinator in New York, Perry Fewell, the Giants are mulling over changing defensive schemes from a 4-3 to a 3-4.  I feel they don’t have the right personnel right now to make the change to a 3-4.  If they are going to make the change, whether it’s now or in a couple of years, Kindle would be a great fit as an athletic, blitzing ‘backer with a tenacity that New York fans would love.

USA (1-0-0-0, 3 points) vs. Norway (0-0-1-0, 0 points)

What to Watch For:
For Norway, all eyes will be on goalie Pal Grotnes, who was brilliant for two periods versus Canada before leaving with an injury, believed to be leg cramps.  If Grotnes is able to go, as he believes he will be, the Norwegians have a puncher’s chance.

For the United States, it will be interesting to see where their chemistry stands.  Against the Swiss, there were a few occasions where guys were caught out of position, and there were a number of ill-advised passes.  Team USA has only been together for three days and is still trying to find its way when it comes to line combinations and chemistry on the ice.  Will a full day of practice set the team right? We should find out early on against the Norwegians.

Last game
USA beat Switzerland, 3-1; Norway was defeated by Canada, 8-0.

Team Reports

Norway – The Norwegians threw a scare into the Canadians for one period on Tuesday by playing a passive forecheck that closed down the neutral zone and blunted Canada’s speed. Clearly, they will try to do the same against the Americans.  A “defense-first” style only works if you have the ability to counter-attack offensively.  The Norwegians have zero NHL players on their roster.

USA - The American fourth line was the team’s most dangerous in Tuesday’s game.  With goals from Anaheim’s Bobby Ryan, “Real American” David Backes of the St. Louis Blues, and Tampa Bay’s Ryan Malone, the Americans have no goals yet from their top-six forwards.  But, the top line of Zach Parise, Paul Statsny and Patrick Kane did manage to fire 8 of Team USA’s 24 shots.  Look for that top line to produce Tuesday.  The Americans will also look to goalie Ryan Miller, who played very well against Switzerland and made the saves he needed to make.

Total NHL players - Norway: 0. USA: 23

Puck Drop
Don’t expect the USA to take the Norwegians lightly.  The Americans know they need to be hitting on all cylinders come Saturday’s showdown against Canada. Norway provides the perfect opportunity for a quick tune-up to work out any fixable setbacks.

“This is the first 60 minutes that these guys have played together and, with that yardstick, I’m pleased with the game,” American GM Brian Burke said. “Some of these guys barely know each other. You’re not going to get the reading off of each other that you get from units that play together on a regular basis. You’re not going to see that, not early in the tournament anyway.”

Prediction
The Americans find their offensive groove in this game and set the pace early on.  Team USA wins 5-1.

Shot Calling - goal for Phil Kessel.

New York Yankees 24-year-old right handed pitcher, Joba Chamberlain has been under much scrutiny during his major league career. Joba first appeared in the bullpen with the club in 2007. In 19 appearances during that season, Joba threw 24 innings resulting in 6 walks, 34 strikeouts, and posted a 0.38 ERA. After the 2007 season, fierce debate broke out between Yankee management about Chamberlain’s role on the team as a starting pitcher or reliever. After only 24 Major League innings, Hank Steinbrenner went on to annoit Chamberlain as the “Yankees’ Josh Beckett”. Tension also rose between media outlets as one notable New York radio personality kept screaming that the kid(Chamberlain) “had a second skill”.

Ultimately, Chamberlain performed in both roles in 2008 and 2009 due to the infamous ‘Joba Rules’. Joba Rules stated that Chamberlain would not be permitted to go above a certain amount of pitches thrown per season. This number was never disclosed to the public. The Yankees allowed a 57 inning increase from 2008 to 2009.  In 2009, Joba made 31 starts, posting a 9-6 record. Joba had 133 strikeouts over 157 innings. His ERA was 4.75. More staggering, Joba’s average fastball velocity has dropped from 95 MPH(2007) to 92.3 MPH(2009). Is this a product of energy conservation from starting instead of relieving? Did Joba get tired during the season as a starter?

We’ll ultimately find out this season because ‘Joba Rules’ are over. In the past two seasons, Yankees pitching coach Dave Eiland had to worry about appeasing management by limiting Chamberlain innings. ‘The kid gloves are off on Chamberlain. He’s not going to have any restrictions, so Joe (Girardi) and I are not going to have to go into the game thinking, ‘Oh, he’s got 85 pitches or six innings or whatever comes first.’

There is no guarantee, however, Chamberlain will win the Yankees’ 5th rotation spot. The Yankees also have right handed pitchers, Phil Hughes, Chad Gaudin, and Sergio Mitre in the fold. Ultimately, I think it’ll be won by whoever performs the best between Hughes and Chamberlain during Spring Training.  We will have to closely monitor Grapefruit League action this spring.

Prediction: From the way Eiland spoke about Joba, I assume that he’ll be the 5th starter this season. Phil Hughes was excellent in the bullpen last season(51 innings, 65 strikeouts, 1.40 ERA during the regular season). Gaudin and Mitre will be solid long relievers and can be used in case of an injury. For this season, I would go with Joba as my #5 and start the Phil Hughes starting pitcher experiment next season after Andy Pettitte retires. Will we see that tantilizing 98-100 MPH Joba fastball we saw in 2007 this season? He’s great when he doesn’t hold anything back. I hope to see more of that in 2010. Ultimately, I’m sure a lot of teams would die to have pitching depth decisions over two bonafide arms in Hughes and Chamberlain.

Coming from someone who has never stepped foot in a pair of skis or on a snowboard, I have an unbelievable amount of respect for USA Snowboarder, Shaun White. The Artist Formerly Known as “The Flying Tomato”(due to his red hair) has been renamed, “Animal”; solely based on the Muppets character, Animal, who shares the same hair style as White(pictured below). For years, I have tuned in to exclusively watch White compete in various X-Game events. White competes in Snowboarding, Skateboarding, and Surfing. The guy can deny gravity with any type of board. White is truly the face of extreme sports.

White took it to a whole new level tonight. After posting a score of 46.4 during his first run of two(out of a possible 50); no competitor came within a 1 point of White’s score. White’s 2nd run was a victory lap. He had already clinched Gold. However, he wanted a historic run. White unveiled a trick that he has been secretly crafting for months now, a 1260 Double McTwist. The trick includes three revolutions with two mid-air flips. Watch this link: It’s truly worth the 2:24.

While I’ve been skeptical of the Olympics, White and the US Hockey team are the true bright spots of the games for me. Hopefully we’ll see another ‘Miracle’ on ice this year. We already saw Animal win Gold. If only Kermit won silver.

Outside of the Olympics, there isn’t much to write about right now. Spring Training has just begun and the media is kicking around different ideas to write about. Johnny Damon is still twisting in the wind. Apparently, he doesn’t want to play for the Tigers now. He played golf with White Sox catcher, A.J. Pierzynski on Monday, for whatever that’s worth. But anyway, on to Wednesday night’s link dump. Just an article that I found interesting. When a story breaks, we’ll be sure to report it and provides analysis.

Joe Girardi’s expectations for the Yankees

**After reading this article; Interestingly enough; Yankee numbers 6, 21, 35, 51, 55, and 18 were not given out to players during Spring Training. 6(Torre); 21(Paul O’Neill); 35 (Mike Mussina); 51 (Bernie Williams); 55 (Hideki Matsui); 18(sigh, Johnny Damon)

Of those number, I only think that Joe Torre and Bernie Williams’ number should be retired. Torre was the catalyst for all of those Yankee championship runs in the 90s. Time heals all wounds and in time, I think the Yanks and Torre will be at peace.

Bernie Williams finished 5th all -time in teerms of Yankees with 2,336 hits. Bernie Williams has 51 Postseason extra-base hits; 1st all-time. Williams is also 1 of 16 players to be a Yankee for 16+ seasons. More importantly, Bernie was an overall, good guy. A classy Yankee; one of whom I’ll never forget.

Who else should have their number retired in your opinion?