Quick Hits: Yankees in China, MLB Stuffage, Miscellaneous Things...

Are the Yankees Going Red? Some time in the next week, a contingent of staff along with team officials and executives will go to China next week to foster an agreement with China Baseball Association to develop academies and the spread the game. In the long run, the Yankees could develop their own academy and garner a foothold in the communist nation.

Ah, isn’t that idea noble? Well, maybe, but there’s an inherent motive in anything, especially with business of baseball being as it is.

Kids already play baseball in China, and China/Chinese Taipei have had teams in the Little League World Series and China had a team in the World Baseball Classic. However, the Yankees want China to become another Dominican Republic where baseball is now the sport – just that the team wants to be the first to stake claim to the nation of more than a billion people. The Yankees are looking that plan to develop a pipeline of players and in turn, which will help the game for other teams.

The Dodgers and Blue Jays first made inroads in the Dominican and the Latin America, and boon came. The biggest names in baseball, Pujols, Soriano, Guerrero, Tejada and the list goes on all came from that country. Imagine an athlete in China who plays baseball & turns into the next big thing, sort of Yao Ming, and ponder what will do for baseball in China, marketing and the Yankee brand?

Also imagine Yankee blue as part of kids’ wardrobes with the NY emblazoned on shirts, hats, etc.

Yes, a lot of the deal also has to with branding and marketing, especially as China being such a manufacturing and industrial power, people may be apt to spend their discretionary income on Yankee gear.

There’s nothing wrong with the idea of the Yankees going to Japan, but let’s say it for what it is. It’s as much to do about spreading the game, as it is about making money and instilling the values and traditions of those in Pinstripe Nation.

I think the Yankees have another aspect of their arsenal to use against the Red Sox in the One Hundred Years Plus and Still Going War.

Finally, Mr. Drew: (thanks to My Baseball Bias for the Info...)

Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe reported tonight that the J.D. Drew deal to Boston has indeed been finalized, five years/$70 million with some protections.

Here are the details on how the Red Sox will be protected in case something does happen to Drew’s shoulder:

*If Drew goes on the disabled list for a shoulder related injury in year three of deal, Sox can void final two years.

*If Drew is injured in the fourth year, Sox can void the final year of contract.

*The out clause applies only if the injury is shoulder related.

It remains to be seen if he will make it through the contract. Based on track his history, the Red Sox may want to have that contract handy and make sure the part about the injuries is highlighted in yellow.

His 15 Minutes aren't up yet... Kevin Federline will be in a commercial for Nationwide Insurance during the Super Bowl. He got paid a half-million for it & goes to show that infamy does pay.

Jeff Weaver a Mariner? According to CNNSi.com, "The Mariners are closing in on a deal with the 30-year-old right-hander, a baseball official close to the negotiations said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the contract had not yet been agreed to."

He did great in the postseason for St. Louis, but the track record is not that good - buyer beware.

Jake Peavy: His disorderly conduct charge was dismissed after the pitcher apologized for a confrontation with a security officer when he double parked to unload baseball gear at Mobile Regional Airport.

Bernie Williams: According to NY Newsday, Bernie may know for sure now he's not coming back. Read some quotes from him below...

"Part of me says if they wanted me, they would have made an offer by now," he said in a story published yesterday. "When you play this game for a long time, you take things for granted and think it won't end. But the harsh reality of it is, it will." ... Williams also said, "My case is a little different. When you give a large chunk of your life to a team, it is hard. It's not like I am a journeyman."

And...

A Yankee from 1991 through 2006, Williams clearly is hurt by the Yankees' decision. Asked whether he would play for another club, he said, "Yeah, I think I could. The loyalty factor goes both ways. When a team that you've played for doesn't want to offer a contract, it is making a business decision. So I have to make a business decision.

Wow. I'd love to see him come back and even though I'm no fan of the Yankees, the man was always class act and seemed to be a genuinely nice person. It looks like he still has the fire and I can imagine him playing another year, but perhaps maybe not in pinstripe blue. After the year he had in 06, it might make sense for him to come back; however, if he leaves now, he'll walk out when he's still got his skills and a Yankee, assuming that means a lot to him.

O's News: Not much at all is going on in Oriole land, but Roch Kubatko updated his blog this morning about the baseball show going on here in Baltimore.