Six a Crowd?

BREAKING NEWS out of Houston. Our premier Lone Star source, the insider who broke the Carlos Lee signing for those of you who remember, just sent an "urgent" text message to the Sports Doggy. He's discovered the relationship between Drayton McLane and Roger Clemens has "against all odds, reached the stage of irreconcilable differences." While we know that Brian Cashman and Randy Levine are still "exploring every potential option to upgrade the rotation and are ruling nothing out," will they be able to convince Joe Torre to switch to a six man rotation? According to our sources, any move by Clemens away from his family in Houston is contingent upon the team switching to a six man rotation, a move to which Torre is firmly opposed. Might Torre soften this stance in light of Clemens' fallout with Drayton? Stay tuned.

Well, it's not Sammy

WE'RE HEARING BUZZ coming out of South Florida that Bernard Gilkey has personally contacted Tony Bernazard and asked to be considered for a Spring Training invitation. Gilkey hasn't put on a uniform since 2001, but our source informs us that "Tony didn't exactly hang up and dismiss the idea as absurd." I wonder what Lance Johnson is up to these days?

Weaver to try New York...again?

FILE THIS ONE under, well, interesting. A highly placed source within our Boston metro area network has heard rumblings of Jeff Weaver coming back to New York City, this time to pitch for its Senior Circuit resident. Needless to say, we expressed our skepticism to our source and pressed him for details. "With the exception of Steve Trachsel, the Mets are in on any arm that has experienced any success at the major league level." He goes on to say that the Mets "no longer view Zito as a forgone conclusion" and might be starting to get into "Kevin Appier (c. 2000) offseason panic mode." We'll be sure to keep you updated on this fascinating (?) development.

Suppan to the Crew?

JOHN DELCOS over at The Journal News is now confirming what we had reported to you earlier today: Jeff Suppan is set to agree to a 4 year, $40 million contract with Doug Melvin's Brewers, pending a last minute counter offer from another NL Central team. Conventional wisdom had suggested that Suppan would wait for the Zito ashes to clear, but our sources deep in the heart of Wisconsin and those close to the Scott Leventhal camp suggested otherwise.

About that slow rumbling...

Something might be coming at some point in the future.

Stay tuned. We'll keep you updated.

We've No Doubt

WE'VE NO DOUBT that you're tired of this phrase by now. So are we. Sometimes our editors here at NY Sports Doggy allow us to get away with tired, cliched ledes [ed. note: it would help if you'd send over a draft first, you know].

Rest assured that Thursday is not "We've No Doubt" day on NYSDy.

Housecleaning: A Word on Advertising

WE'VE NO DOUBT here at NY Sports Doggy that you've seen many websites that specialize in rumor-mongering. They read a story in a newspaper and guess where it might be headed. They then sprinkle in some quotes from anonymous "sources" in order to try to establish the veracity of their story. At these same sites, you're likely to find advertisements strewn about, begging to be clicked on by defenseless readers. This will not ever happen on NY Sports Doggy.

We promise that we'll never incorporate advertising into our business model. This place is for you: the diehard and casual New York sports fan. We could never take advantage of one of our own.

Door #2?

WE'VE NO DOUBT that you've woken this morning to find yourself bombarded with stories concerning the Mets meeting with Jeff Suppan and his agent, Scott Leventhal, yesterday morning. Your friends over at NY Sports Doggy were also bombarded with responses to this story from four of our most trusted sources. Their response was unanimous: Jeff Suppan is to Omar Minaya as Tom Hicks is to Scott Boras. "It's a naked negotiating ploy," one source wrote to us. "Don't believe it for a second." Based on what we've heard, we're betting that Milwaukee is Suppan's likely destination.

A slow rumbling...

YOU HEAR ONE PERSON WHISPER and you're dismissive. You hear a second and you're curious. You hear a seventh and you're doing everything in your power to calm yourself down. Something big might happen tomorrow. We make no guarantees, but if those whispers turn into shouts by tomorrow evening you can't say that we didn't warn you.

The Giants are coming...

A NOTE OF CAUTION regarding the San Francisco Giants. We've just received a text message indicating that they're "in this to win," though we've confirmed through our East Coast network that the rumored 6 year, $120 million offer was totally false. That said, while many are speculating that this is a front to appease their fan base, our Bay Area contact has emphatically said that "they're likely to come in legit."

Barry and the Mets

THE NUMBER SIX has taken on an importance not seen in Flushing since a ground ball trickled up the first base line some twenty autumns ago. It separates not only the uniform numbers of our newly GQ minted cornerstones, but also, more importantly, a potential reunion between a Jacket and his most lauded disciple. Our sources have indicated that Barry Zito will not pitch in Flushing next season unless he receives a guaranteed 6th year. This is a dealbreaker: Boras already has two teams eager and willing to make Barry theirs through the 2012 season. "It will not take $100 million to close this deal," another source told us via email, "but it will take six years." Given this landscape, it looks as though 6 years, $96 million is "the right combination of years and dollars," and it's up to Omar to "give Barry what he wants - six years alongside David Wright and Jose Reyes." We'll keep you updated as news trickles in.