Hello World!!

Hello everyone. My name is John Carpenter and I would like to welcome you to my little corner of the Internet called Carpenter's Corner. I will be posting my thoughts on a main topic in the sports world while touching on all of the hot topics of the present. If you don't know me already, I am 25 years old and currently living on Long Island. I am a Rutland, Vermont native and a Western Carolina University graduate(Class of '05). I am a huge Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots, and Bruins fan. I follow UConn hoops religiously as well.

Since the MLB Winter Meetings are taking place in Sin City as we speak, this seems like a logical place to begin. CC Sabathia has reached a preliminary agreement with the New York Yankees on a 7-year contract worth $161 million dollars. The Yankees are also reportedly close to signing AJ Burnett to a 5-year deal for around $90 million and are also in on Derek Lowe and/or Ben Sheets. To me, this signals that they don't have nearly the confidence in their younger starters(Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, etc.) that they had at this time last year. They had a chance to trade for the best pitcher in baseball in Johan Santana, but GM Brian Cashman felt that the steep price in prospects and also signing him to a lengthy and expensive contract extension was too much. Would they have traded for Santana if Sabathia wasn't a free agent this offseason? With the past results of big free agent pitcher contracts(Mike Hampton, Carl Pavano, Kevin Brown), I would be very careful in giving out such long-term expensive investments to starters.

That's enough about the Yankees. Let's turn our attention to the Boston Red Sox. It is no secret that GM Theo Epstein has lusted after free agent Mark Teixeira since he was a Texas Ranger. He is the perfect cornerstone for any franchise: a young switch-hitting 1B who has both an elite bat and Gold Glove-caliber defense. The Red Sox always have a threshold in contract negotiations that they stick to religiously, but this is a player you need to make every effort to add to your ballclub. At this moment, there are rumors that he has been offered an 8-year, $180 million contract by the Washington Nationals. Now Teixeira, a Severna Park, MD native, could take the obscene amount of money offered and have a chance to stay close to home. But the Nationals have been terrible since they moved from Montreal and show no signs of competing for the forseeable future. Why wouldn't you take, say, an 8-year contract at $160 million to go to the Red Sox and have a chance to win a World Series every year? As Herm Edwards famously said: "You play to win the game."

--I love the K-Rod deal for the Mets. 3 years and $37 million is a fair market deal for the best closer available. Omar Minaya wasn't done yet as he acquired former Mariners closer JJ Putz to set him up. That gives the Mets the best 8th-9th inning combination in baseball. Now, all they have to worry about is how to get to them when Johan Santana isn't on the mound.

--Went to the Garden last night to check out the latest edition of the Stephen Curry Show. Boy, was I impressed. He showed me he is a complete basketball player by his passing ability and his defense.

--I can't believe that Graham Harrell didn't get invited to New York as a Heisman Trophy candidate. His statistics(4,747 yards, 41 TDs, and 7 INTs) rivaled those of finalists Sam Bradford of Oklahoma and Colt McCoy of Texas. The award will go to Tim Tebow in the end.

--Is Andre Tippet and Vincent Brown available and in game shape? The Patriots are trending that way it seems.

--Good to see the Bruins back and playing great hockey. Milan Lucic and Phil Kessel are sure fun to watch. Former Vermont Catamount Tim Thomas has really found himself in net and made a nice career for himself.

Question of the Week

--Each week, I will pose a question that I would like feedback on. To start off, here is my first installment:

What suggestions do you have for this blog? Any constructive criticism is both welcome and encouraged. Please leave a comment if you have any suggestions.

Hopefully the next time I talk to you, we will be welcoming our new 1B to Boston for the next 6-8 years.

-John