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All eyes will be on Albert Pujols for the next few days until he reports to Spring Training.

If his self-imposed deadline for a new contract comes and goes without an extension being reached with the St. Louis Cardinals, he will rule the headlines for the duration of the season.

Everywhere the Cardinals go, the top questions asked will be, “Where do you see yourself playing next season?” and “is your contract status a distraction?”

Arguably baseball’s best player, Pujols will wind up the top story of the year regardless of what happens on the field with his historic payday fast approaching.

In the meantime, there are three other historic milestones that will be reached at some point during the 2011 season that bear mentioning.

Three players will wind up breaking into some of baseball’s most exclusive clubs this season and so far on the eve of Spring Training, no mention has been given to their impressive feats.

3,000 Hit Club

At just 74 hits shy of achieving his 3,000th career hit, Derek Jeter is assured of reaching this milestone during the 2011 season.

Jeter currently averages 1.27 hits per game over his storied career. The captain of the Yankees will be remembered in history for leading the Yankees to five World Championships and three consecutive World Series Championships in 1998-1999-2000.

Jeter passed Hall of Famer and fellow Yankee Lou Gehrig to become the all-time Yankee hits leader in 2009. He also ranks as the all-time hits leader as a short stop and his career .314 batting average ranks seventh among all active players (76th overall).

Based on his career averages, Jeter should reach the 3,000 hit club around early June.

600 Home Run Club

The second most exclusive club in baseball is set to accept a new member this season when Jim Thome hits his 11th home run of the season.

Thome will be only the eighth player in Major League Baseball history to reach this milestone, behind Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755), Babe Ruth (714), Willie Mays (660), Ken Griffey Jr (630), Alex Rodriguez (613) and Sammy Sosa (609).

If Thome is able to reach 20 home runs for the season, he will match Sosa for seventh all time. Thome averages a home run approximately every 4.06 games, meaning he should reach the 600 club around mid-May.

400 Stolen Base Club

Ichiro Suzuki is sitting on 383 career stolen bases, leaving him just 17 short of reaching 400 career stolen bases.

While it is a far step away from the career record set by Rickey Henderson (1,406), it is still an impressive accomplishment.

Ichiro has played his entire Major League career in an era that does not value the stolen base compared with other statistics and on-field contributions. Although his career statistics from Japan are not combined with his Major League totals, he also has 220 career stolen bases in Japan’s professional league.

While he currently ranks tied for 80th on the all-time list in MLB steals, his combined total of 603 stolen bases would rank him 18th all time.

Ichiro averages a stolen base approximately every 4.14 games. If he maintains this average, he should reach his 400th stolen base in the middle of June.

Johnny Damon is actually two stolen bases closer than Ichiro to reaching 400 career steals. Entering the season, Damon has 385 career stolen bases.

His speed has decreased the past two seasons, however. After stealing 29 bases in 2008, Damon only managed 12 stolen bases in 2009 and only 11 last season with Detroit.

Damon will come close, but may need to wait until 2012 to celebrate his milestone.

With the three major milestones all presumably reached before the All-Star break, we will have plenty of time to focus our attention back to the Pujols saga.

For three games, however, these future Hall of Fame players deserve baseball’s full attention and ovations.

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We all know that the Yankees have another solid team heading into the 2011 baseball season.  However, there is a reason why they are not the favorites this season and it is much bigger than failing to get Cliff Lee and barely attempting to get now new Boston Red Sox, Carl Crawford.

The Yankees still have a powerful lineup especially when clicking all at once.  They have a much improved bullpen as they signed Pedro Feliciano and Rafael Soriano.  They are finally heading into a spring training where they will give Jesus Montero and Austin Romine a big chance to make the Major League squad.  Of course as we all know only one can make it.

They have Damaso Marte coming back from  injury to give them a viable second left handed reliever to bring out of the bullpen along with Feliciano.  Though they did lose Andy Pettitte to retirement, they have two front line starters in C.C Sabathia and Phil Hughes along A.J Burnett who believe it or not will rebound in 2011 to have his usual 14 or 15 win season.

Now, of course Burnett will have games where he makes you want to throw and break something.  But, on the positive side, he will also have those spectacular outings that will make you wonder, why with a curveball like he possesses is he not one of the greatest pitchers in the game?

That’s the good side of the Yankees as a whole.  The bad side—well we all know what it is.  They have mediocre pitching at the 4th and 5th starting rotation spots. Their bench is okay at best and some might say that Derek Jeter’s defense is another issue.  But frankly that is ridiculous.  When Jeter is hitting well the media says he is playing great defense and when he is batting .260 like he was last season his defense is a “liability”.

It is to be expected that this team will not look the same when we get into the dog days of August and September because of the two glaring holes on the bench and in the starting rotation.  That is the beauty of of having rich bosses who will undoubtedly invest money in a starter and some bench help by the July 31st trade deadline.

With that said, the biggest concern with this Yankee team is Joe Girardi.  The truth is that though they are not the favorite to win it all this season the Yankees have a really good shot.  It is up to Girardi to not mess it up and to help this team overcome all the flaws that they have this season.  That is what good managers do.

Thankfully this writer is willing to help.

Now, it is well known that managing from your living room couch when you are not in the public eye, and criticizing from the outside looking in is much easier than being one of only 30 major league managers.  Not to mention that a Yankee manager works for an organization that has no patience for not winning it all.

But eh! I decided to do it anyway.

Here is how the 2011 Yankees should be managed from starting pitching, to the lineup, the bullpen, the bench and defense.

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Unless you have been living under a rock you already know the deal.

The New York Yankees main focus in this past offseason was to acquire starting pitching. Brian Cashman’s genius plan was to put the teams hopes, dreams and eggs all in one basket named Cliff Lee.

Cashman, ever the fool, believed that the Yankees could wave their bank account under the nose of Cliff Lee, sprinkle it with the pride, power and prestige of the Yankee pinstripe tradition and he would become giddy like some 14-year-old boy getting his first real kiss…and sign on the dotted line while trying not to drool.

The arrogance and short sightedness of Cashman is truly astounding. The colossal mistake the Yankees have made and continue to make has nothing to do with Cliff Lee. It has everything to do with Joba Chamberlain.

(If only the Yankees had a farm system like the other teams where they could develop their own talent…What? They do? Hmmm…)

The Yankees need for Lee was obvious as their rotation coming into the 2011 season was anchored by the ever steady C.C Sabathia, an as yet to be fully tested Phil Hughes (one season of 18 wins coming off another season in which he was banished to the pen does not instill massive confidence in a repeat performance), a disappointing A.J Burnett (Well, I am not sure Burnett was really disappointing more than he was just slightly off what he usually delivers…he is a career .500 pitcher, it’s not like he is Cy young material) and an unproven rookie named Ivan Nova.

They needed Lee, or any pitcher. It would be nice if they had someone in the fold that could step up.

(Joba Chamberlain is available…oh wait, never mind. The Yankees are pissed that he has not delivered on his talent even though their management of him is the real problem. It’s easier to blame the kid.)

Then of course, at the time, there was the Andy Pettitte “will he or won’t he” dance that has become annoyingly familiar in New York.

To make matters worse, the Yankee pen was full of holes.

If they lost out on Lee and Pettitte retired, the Yankees were seriously looking at a third or fourth place finish…no joke.

(Joba Chamberlain can start…but won’t because Brian Cashman is not qualified for the role he currently fills in New York. He is, in every sense of the word, unqualified.)

Lee ended up in Philly most likely due to the fact that A:) He knew he could not handle the pressure of New York B:)The treatment of Derek Jeter told him what to expect C:) He did not like the way his wife was treated by the Yankees fans in the Post Season D:) He looked at the Philly rotation with him in it and well, the man is not stupid.

I do not care what Lee has said, nor what people believe…I believe that those are the reasons, and all played a role, in why Lee chose to take the job in Philly. I look at Lee as a coward that did not want the pressure cooker of New York. He is a very smart, well paid coward though.

(Joba Chamberlain is in New York…under contract…in pinstripes…he can start…hello?)

Pettitte finally manned up and made a decision to retire most likely due to the fact that A:) The Roger Clemens trial would be a distraction for him and the team. Pettitte is a creature of habit and does not like his routines to be messed with. B:) Without Lee in the mix Pettitte would have a ton of pressure upon him to perform…Pettitte is a big game pitcher but he is most comfortable as the middle of the rotation guy, not the savior C:) He honestly wants to spend more time with his family.

I do not care what Pettitte has said, nor what people believe, I believe that those are the reasons, and all played a role, in why Andy has chosen to ride the recliner in Deer Park and not don the pinstripes in 2011.

(Joba Chamberlain was seen getting a ticket heading to Tampa to report to spring training as a reliever when the Yankees need starting pitching. Cashman is a genius, not.)

So the Yankees, in fear of facing a third or fourth place finish go out and bolster their bullpen by landing Pedro Feliciano and Alphonso Soriano (In what will go down as the biggest contract joke ever in the history of baseball…I mean seriously, Cashman is a fool. I have no doubt Soriano will deliver, but 35 million dollars with an option for him to opt out at anytime? Are you kidding me?) giving the Yankees arguably, on paper, the best bullpen in the game right now with or without without Chamberlain who figures to play a very minor role this season because, due to his past performance, he cannot be trusted.

(Of course the Yankees and their management of him plays no part…no, of course not. The boy failed on his own in a team sport, imagine that.)

However, they need starters. The market is thin. What is a team to do?

(Joba Chamberlain as a starter has an ERA in the low 3’s…I think he is on the Yankees Roster. Does Cashman know he is there? Someone should email Brian and let him know that Joba has started before. Let’s not forget he is still young and a serious investment into his talent and ability could pay off for a decade or more…but hey, it’s easier to just toss him into the pen where he can do minimal damage, right Brian?)

In desperation the Yankees go the low risk, hopefully huge return route of signing former starting studs Mark Prior, Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia to minor league deals. There is nothing else out there, unless you consider Chamberlain, which Cashman in his infinite wisdom won’t do.

(Didn’t the Yankees have a young kid that was a “phenom” a few years ago? No not Phil Hughes…the portly big boy whose father was always in the stands. I think his name was Joba. What? He is still on the Yankee roster? Wait, wasn’t he a starter once?)

So, where does that leave the Yankees for 2011?

A starting rotation of C.C Sabathia, Phil Hughes, A.J Burnett, Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia is the most likely scenario at this point for 2011. Garcia was 12-6 last season and seems to have rebounded from injury. All he has to do is out pitch Sergio Mitre, which should be possible for the veteran, and he is in.

Again, the Yankees bullpen is set with the likes of Rivera, Logan, Feliciano, Soriano, Robertson, Mitre, possibly Prior and some kid named Joba Chamberlain, who has a 1.54 ERA as a reliever. I think he used to start once upon a time but hey, why quibble over small details.

Bottom line folks…the Yankees don’t need Chamberlain in the pen, they need him in the starting rotation. Yes, the debate rages on but seriously…

As a reliever Chamberlain goes against his natural talent and thinks too much on the mound. When Joba thinks on the mound bad things happen. He is a machine…adding artificial intelligence only mucks up the mechanics.

I have watched this kid, and yes, he is a kid, pitch as a starter and a reliever.

If you have watched him as well you will agree with me that when he comes on as a reliever he thinks too much. He has a starter’s mentality. When a runner gets on base he gets unnerved. He pitches from the stretch which is something a reliever should never do. 

He tries to be too fine with his pitches. He gets rattled too easily because in his mind he knows he is only out there for a few batters, maybe one inning…but he approaches it like a starter that is rushed and thus gets rocked.

When Chamberlain was “lights out as a reliever” he came in, worked quickly, did not shake off the catcher and just threw smoke. Look back when he first came up…work quick, smoke, pump fist. Check.

When he gets rocked he takes his time, throws a lot of off speed stuff and tries to be too fine…just like a starter.

When he started and did well, he worked quickly, did not shake off the catcher and threw smoke with a nasty change mixed in. As a starter he gave up slightly over three runs per game over his career starts. That is better than every starter currently in place to pitch for the team this coming season.

The Yankees, in my opinion, are making a monumental mistake of keeping Chamberlain in the pen and not working with him during the offseason to build his stamina, get him on a serious diet, work on his mechanics and pitching with runners on.

Chamberlain, when working quickly and just trusting his stuff, is a better pitcher than Burnett, equal to Hughes, blows Mitre away and has better stuff than Garcia.

Chamberlain in the bullpen is yet another example of Brian Cashman’s lack of baseball knowledge…and arrogance and ego of not wanting to look bad by committing the Kid to start. The less he is seen the less chance he screws up, right Brian?

C.C Sabathia, Phil Hughes, A.J Burnett, Freddy Garcia and Joba Chamberlain…it’s the Yankees best option for the coming year barring some blockbuster trade that appears unlikely to happen.

Joba gets a lot of flack from fans and media alike but the Yankees management of this kid is the real problem…it’s a disgrace actually.

Let the kid pitch…

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After finishing in second place last season and not adding another world championship to their collection, the popular thought was that the Yankees would reload over the offseason. All signs pointed toward yes during their pursuit of Cliff Lee, but as it turns out, money really ISN’T everything to some people.

The challenge the Yankees will face this year will be their rotation. While CC Sabathia is a solid ace, once you get past him there are a lot of question marks. Phil Hughes looks like a solid starter, maybe not a No. 2 which is most likely where he will fall in the rotation this year, but solid.

AJ Burnett is looking to bounce back from a down year which seemed more related to his mental approach than his stuff. Joba Chamberlain, we’re being told, won’t be a starter and Andy Pettitte has decided to retire. The recent signing of Freddy Garcia at least moves either Ivan Nova or Sergio Mitre out of the rotation, thankfully for all those Yankee fans.

If Cashman can find another arm, Burnett find his way back into form and Hughes continues to develop, they could have a very good staff; if all those things don’t happen, it will be below average. Unless of course you’re holding out hope for Bartolo Colon to round into form.

Notable Losses: Javier Vazquez, Lance Berkman, Marcus Thames 

Notable Pick-Ups: Freddy Garcia, Rafael Soriano, Andruw Jones, Russell Martin, Pedro Feliciano

While overall I still see a 90-plus win team here, the concern is not that the Yankees have declined, but how much the Red Sox have improved. On paper I would see the Yanks finishing in second once again, but this year it will be behind the Sox. Of course, that’s just on paper and there’s a reason they still play the games.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The news for the Yankees this offseason has been generally negative. Missing out on Cliff Lee, the Derek Jeter contract debacle and Andy Pettitte retiring. Add a peppering of has-been players, and the Yankee Universe isn’t looking as rock-solid as it has in the past.  

There are a few questions, both big and small, for the Yankees heading into spring training. 

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Ever wonder how you could spend close to a quarter billion dollars on a baseball team (assuming of course that you are not the New York Yankees)?

Try filling your roster with these players and you would have an excellent start.

Here’s a quick run down of the highest paid player at each position entering the 2011 season.

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Well, the Super Bowl is over, and that only means only thing: the countdown to Opening Day has just begun. There are 51 days left until then (as of Monday, February 7). That gives us just about a month and a half to prepare.

The Yankees have had an interesting offseason; and by interesting, I really mean disappointing. Highlighted by the failed signing of ace Cliff Lee, the Yankees also watched its two toughest division opponents go in opposite directions.

Before we look ahead to this season, let’s recap last year.

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Mets owner Fred Wilpon owes lots of people lots of money. According to published reports, his total sports-related investment debt exceeds $1.5 billion dollars. Add to that a $300 million-$1 billion exposure in lawsuits filed against him by the victims of Bernie Madoff, and he finds himself in a significant hole.

It suddenly dawns on you why the Mets can’t afford to play in the free-agent market anymore. They’re lucky if they can afford the subway fare to Citi Field.

Meanwhile, attendance is sinking, the fan base is deteriorating and the Mets have gone from being championship contenders to the laughing stock of the Major League Baseball.

Mets fans—what’s left of them—deserve better. And Wilpon, despite his financial and legal woes, has a great chance to give it to them. 

Right here—right now.

Fred can get out from under his sports-enterprise debt, redeem his reputation as a sportsman and rescue the Mets—simply by selling the team to its New York fans.

Packers for the People

Don’t laugh. Fans in Green Bay, Wisconsin have owned their professional football team since the 1920s. And over the past 90 years, the team has won 12 world championships—more than any other franchise in the NFL.

Here’s how it works for the Packers; there are over 4.7 million shares of Packer stock, owned by 112,000 stockholders, and according to recent news items, shares go for $200 each.

Some simple multiplication of the published figures shows the Packers are valued at $950 million. That’s $100 million more than the $850 million price tag that Forbes magazine placed on the Mets last year.

All of which means that a fan buyout of the New York National League franchise is completely doable—it just depends on how Fred Wilpon wants to play ball.

The Ugly Alternative

If Wilpon and his partners decide to hold onto the Mets, things could get even worse for the team and its fans. Strapped for dollars to pay interest costs and fees that reportedly range upwards of $100 million per year, Wilpon would be forced to loot the team. He would have to sell off its most valuable assets for cash.

Imagine José Reyes taking over Derek Jeter’s job at second base for the Yankees, or David Wright joining the Phillies. Or developing stars like Ike Davis and Angel Pagan being sold to the highest bidder. Such fire-sale atrocities can and will occur when Fred Wilpon finds himself short of cash and on the wrong side of the Bernie Madoff lawsuit.

Time to Share

If Wilpon follows the Green Bay Packers model to transfer the team to its fans, he would have to sell 4,250,000 shares valued at $200 apiece. Such an offer would reignite fan passion for the team. And what sports fan wouldn’t want to own a piece of his beloved major league team? The shares would be gobbled up within hours.

The best part is this; fans who buy a share of the nonprofit corporation would have a voice in determining how the Mets are run. Taking a page out of the Packers playbook, shareholders would vote on choosing members to serve on a Board of Directors, and that board would choose an Executive Committee, which would direct the management of the team.

Steering Clear of the Scammers

The ownership arrangement that works for the Green Bay Packers was created long before the current crop of scam artists who have control of American business. 

They’ll tell you it can’t be done. That the Mets cannot be owned by their loyal fans. They will say such things because they want a piece of the action, and they want to keep control.  

But the continued and successful existence of the Packers can be used to beat down any of their arguments.

What’ll It Be, Fred?

Which leaves it all up to Fred Wilpon. He has complained that lawyers for the trustees in the Bernie Madoff lawsuit are ruining his reputation.

Well Fred, with one swoop of your pen, you can gain a reputation for being the most respected sports hero New York has ever known.

Just sell us the team.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada are no longer the New York Yankees’ “Core Four.”  After a 16-year career, Pettitte announced his retirement today. 

In an official press conference in New York, the left-handed starter acknowledged thoughts of retiring after last season, but said he felt obligated to return after the Yankees were unable to snare free agent starter Cliff Lee.

Pettitte realized his heart was just “not where it needs to be” after starting workouts.  Instead, the veteran will stay home and spend time with his family.

Pettitte is the first of the four to call it quits. However, while Jeter and Rivera have new contracts that go beyond 2011, Posada is entering the final year of his current deal.

Early indications show that this will also be the backstop’s last year in pinstripes, regardless of whether he retires or not following the season.

The Yankees had held out hope that Pettitte would return. Now, New York has a big hole in their starting rotation as Spring Training approaches.

CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, and A.J. Burnett will have the three top rotation spots. After that, the window is foggy.

Continue to the full article on Double G Sports.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Andy Petite, an all-time great pitcher, announced his retirement from the New York Yankees after 16 Major League Seasons—13 of them pitching for the Yankees.

He will be introduced at a press conference on Friday at Yankee Stadium, providing him an opportunity to take a bow in front of the New York fans and media.

The Yankees will likely honor him with a “Day” at Yankee Stadium during the upcoming season when the fans will have a chance to show their appreciation.

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