Musings from River & Sunset

As spring training creeps ever closer, we're getting some things off our chest here at River & Sunset, baseball-related or otherwise.

• Derek Jeter weighed in on the Joe Torre-Alex Rodriguez issue on Wednesday, and as you can imagine, he said nothing of any interest ... at all. "We're all behind Alex", "Joe never wanted to hurt anyone", "The sun comes out during the day." zzzzzzzz. Has this guy ever said anything in his career that raised an eyebrow? Like, ever? Is Derek Jeter secretly the most boring dude on the planet? Does this explain why he's still single?

• Good to see that Chase Wright gets a fresh start after being traded to the Indians on Wednesday in exchange for a Class A prospect. I still see him ducking Cleveland's first trip to Boston this season, however. "I think the deli tray went bad, skip. I better sit this one out."

• There was a time when being a Knicks fan was fun, a source of pride even. I swear. Watching Kobe and LeBron desecrate MSG in back-to-back games shows you how far the franchise remains from respectability.

• Heard Torre's interview on Tuesday with Mike Francesa. Don't think I was the only one thinking, "Man, Russo would have really stirred things up here." WFAN's flagship show just isn't the same without the two hosts playing off each other. Meanwhile, I'm not even sure the Mad Dog is still alive at this point. Those satellite radio contracts are weird -- you get your big money and full autonomy, but it comes at the cost of obscurity. Buyer beware.

• I'm not so sure the Yankees are prepared for a possible scenario whereby Jorge Posada's shoulder forces him into a designated hitter role by June. I'm not sure the prideful Georgie's ready for that prospect, either.

• To use a baseball analogy, I think U2's new single, "Get On Your Boots", is a purpose pitch. It's a high-and-tight fastball meant to back you off the plate, to get you feeling uncomfortable. It's something sorely needed after the solid, if blatantly by-the-numbers, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb in 2004. I expect more radio-friendly singles to follow, but this one has a different goal.

• Am I the only that's completely weirded out by the prospect of going to a different Yankee Stadium in a couple of months?

• Please, please, please let Cotton Eyed Joey be gone from my life forever. Hank, I'll buy you a fresh carton of Newport Lights to make this happen.

• I imagine Laura Posada watching Leigh Teixeira on SportsCenter last month and thinking to herself, "That bitch is trying to steal my undisputed Hottest Yankee Wife title!" Meanwhile, Karen Burnett is bashing Amber Sabathia over the head with a steel folding chair, motioning to her waist and yelling maniacally, "I want the belt, Po! I want the belt!"

With that, I'm going to bed. World Series dreams to you all.