Merry Opt-Out Clause Day

Yes, children, it's that special, jolly time of year, when the well behaved MLB pitchers from 2008, who have been mowing down batters in Lehigh Valley and Pawtucket, get to run downstairs and find their brand new presence.

It's Opt-Out Clause Day... when Opt-Out Clause himself flies around in his magic Igloo cooler, driven by eight tiny scouts, riding from Triple A city to Triple A city, aiming his enchanted radar gun at the brooding thirtysomethings, and bestowing bags of cash incentives.

Yesterday, these denizens of the farm were toiling in some town they only knew from the Applebee's and cloverleaf motel. Tomorrow, they could be in the Bronx.

The Yankees yesterday signed Brian Gordon from Phily's Lehigh Valley IronPigs -- (quick everyone: what city is that?) -- who was lights out in the International League, (where Kei Igawa holds most career records.) We also picked up RH relief pitcher Cory Wade from Tampa Bay. Gordon might start for us Thursday, but nobody knows.

Yet.. Opt-Out Clause could hurt the Yankees. It's believed that Scranton LH pitcher Randy Flores might have one, and be ready to move. It's hard to believe any team needs a LH reliever more than the Yankees. But you never know -- not on Opt-Out Clause Day.
The Redsocks apparently will promote LH starter Andrew Miller from Pawtucket, as an Opt-Out Clause Day gift.  He's 26 - 3-3 with a 2.54 ERA. Damn. It would have been nice to wave some Yankee green at him, eh? That's what Opt-Out Clause is all about: Going down the chimney and stealing another team's Opt-Out Clause Day children.

Supposedly, Carlos Sliva - or whatever his name is - has no Opt-Out Clause with the Yankees. He's injured anyway, and Opt-Out Clause does not visit hospitals. And we have no word on the biggest Opt-Out Clause Day gift of all: Kevin Millwood. Has he been naughty or nice?