Dan Haren: Better Investment than Johan???

The recent battle between the Yankees and Red Sox over Johan Santana has taken center stage this offseason, but is he worth what both teams would be giving up. The Yankees would be giving up Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera, and at least one more prospect, while the Twins are demanding two of the following: Jon Lester, Jacoby Elsbury, and Clay Buchholz. Essentially, both teams would be giving up the best of their best prospects.

The other team in the sweepstakes, the Mets, seem to have turned their focus towards another pitcher on the market: Dan Haren. Although the Athletics are looking for a similar package for Haren, GM Billy Beane will probably be more reasonable with his asking price. The Mets may be trying to acquire Haren before the Twins trade Santana, hence not competing with the loser of that bidding war, whether it be the Yankees or Sox.

Personally, I feel Haren is the better option for all clubs involved. He has more years left on his contract than Santana,, and is a few years younger, and does not have nearly as much mileage on him.

As for the Mets chances of landing Haren, they lost a valuable chip when they traded, I mean gave away, Milledge to the Nationals. As much as General Manager Omar Minaya wants to defend the transaction, no sane fan can agree with it, especially after holding him out of various trades in the past (ie: Dontrelle Willis), that could have greatly improved their roster today (ie pitching staff).

Basically, although Dan Haren isn't the most attractive pitcher on the market, he's the smartest investment.

Warriors On the Rise!

After coming off a surprising 2006-2007 season including the first ever 1 vs. 8 upset in the NBA in a 4 out of 7 series format, the Golden State Warriors were looking to improve off of this great result. On the other hand, the Warriors began their season 0-6 proving to many people that this team was just a one team wonder or just those same old Warriors. However, some fans may have forgotten that the team captain, Stephen Jackson, had missed the first six games. Since Jackson’s return, the attitude and mentality on the team has changed drastically.
The Warriors coming off a 113-94 victory on Thursday night against the Houston Rockets have improved to 8-7 on the year, which includes an incredible 8-1 record with Jackson in the lineup. "It definitely feels good," Jackson said. "It was hard work. We want to continue to stay above .500. We don't want to go on another slide where we lose six in a row." Moreover, the Warriors won their fifth game in a row, including three straight at home and four out of five wins on the road. The Warriors also picked up key division victories against the Kings and the division leading Suns. The Warriors and Suns play a similar quick paced, “run ‘em and gun ‘em” exciting type of game. It will be extremely interesting to see what the Warriors can do as they continue to become more experienced and mold together as a unit. Could they threaten the Suns in the Pacific Division this year?
The heart and soul of the team is without question: Baron Davis. Baron Davis leads the Warriors in points, assists, and steals with 24.0, 8.6, and 2.0 respectively. He led the team from almost playoff elimination to serious playoff contenders last season. With tremendous depth on the roster, the Warriors are looking to make another playoff run. One thing is for sure, this is a young and talented team that will only continue to get better as the learn more from head coach Don Nelson. In addition, the team will improve night in and night out as they learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses. This team can be a serious contender once April, May, and dare I say June comes around. But, it is early and powers of the Spurs, Suns, Mavs, and others still need to be dealt with. I still look for this team to make a nice run in the postseason.