2015 Yankees: I know it's over (and it never really began) -- also, my theme song choices for A-Rod

Squawker Jon, I am already predicting your Mets to do better than my Yankees. But did you really have to compare CC Sabathia to Bartolo Colon? That was a low blow!

Isn't it interesting that, as my friend Sully notes, neither of the two most-talked about ballplayers in New York this year played one inning last year?  Of course, Alex Rodriguez and Matt Harvey missed 2014 for very different reasons, but still.

Anyhow, I have zero expectations that the Yankees will do anything this year. Way too many things would have to happen for them to make even a wild card berth. Unfortunately, this is not going to be a good team, or even an interesting team. And I agree with Pedro Martinez about Masahiro Tanaka -- I don't think he is going to last the year. To quote a Smiths lyric, I know it's over (and it never really began.) And that goes for Tanaka's elbow and for the Yankees' 2015 fortunes.

Oh, and since Brian Cashman didn't even think that anybody from the farm system was capable of being even a utility infielder, there really isn't a rookie position player to get excited about. Ho hum.

The one bit of excitement and anticipation I have about the Yankees' Opening Day is because I am very curious to hear what reaction Alex Rodriguez gets. I think it will be the loudest of all the players, with the combination of cheers and boos. But I think the cheers will be louder than the boos (I think 70/30), at least for the first at bat. (Of course, if he strikes out, the boos will be back.)

There was a pretty interesting story on Vice.com about what type of reaction A-Rod will receive this year. Bleacher Creature Bald Vinny, of all people, said some really positive things about Rodriguez (he used to despise him, and then he met him and changed his mind.) Now he is selling pro-A-Rod shirts and arguing with Yankee fans who don't like Rodriguez (welcome to my world -- at least the latter part!). Vinny said (emphasis added):

"A-Rod could've walked away from all of this, stopped having to deal with the Yankee fans who vehemently hate him. He's already made himself the laughing stock. Cooperstown is out of the question. And he's got more money than he could ever spend. He could have disappeared, but he' s coming back to play for pride. He's got passion and wants to prove people wrong. The guy's gonna' be forty-years-old, has two bad hips, and he's busting his ass. I think it's kind of awesome. If Yankee fans can't respect that a little bit... How do you not support a guy like that?"

I agree. I want to see A-Rod have a great year. I want to see Willie Mays in the stands cheering Rodriguez on when he breaks the Say Hey Kid's record. (Imagine how much Hal Steinbrenner would squirm over that. Oh, wait, he doesn't actually go to games! Scratch that -- imagine how much Brian Cashman and Randy Levine would squirm!)

And I want Alex to use one of my theme song ideas. He could pick the great Mark Ronson/Bruno Mars song "Uptown Funk" for his walkup music -- specifically, the part that says "Don't believe me, just watch." (Listen to the song here.) I think it would be a great choice. And it actually is plausible that he might choose this.

But I have one other pick that would get people to flip out and lose their minds. He ought to pick Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" -- it is such a catchy, infectious song, isn't it? (An aside -- there is a reason "Saturday Night Live did that skit about adults becoming Taylor Swift fans! Every time I hear "Shake It Off,", I want to dance around the room!) Don't these lyrics work well here for him?

But I keep cruising
Can't stop, won't stop moving
It's like I got this music
In my mind
Saying, "It's gonna be alright." 
'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play 
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate 
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake I shake it off, I shake it off

Kanye West, the Jets, and Ines Sainz, the sports "reporter"

I'm still too peeved to write about the Yankees' Arlington meltdown this weekend (I'll write on it later, when I'm less irate!), so I'll stick with some other topics I found of interest this weekend.

I watched a bunch of the MTV Music Awards; partly to see Eminem perform "Not Afraid" and partly to see how Taylor Swift and Kanye West would act. Taylor wrote and sang some whiny song that put me half-asleep halfway through. And she was onstage, barefoot! Would you want to be barefoot on the same stage where Snooki and The Situation were? Not me!

I think while Kanye was rude last year, bum-rushing the stage during Swift's moment, he was also right that Beyonce's "Single Ladies" video was one of the greatest videos of all time. One year later, "Single Ladies" is still being parodied, while who remembers Swift's video except her hardcore fans.

Anyhow, in the show's finale, Kanye did a brand-new, very catchy song called "Runaway," where he offers toasts to the d-bags, a-holes, and other assorted miscreants of the world (himself included, of course!) And the worlds were all spelled out in the song -- no bleeps for the chorus, even though I don't even want to spell them out in the blog. Come to think of it, Squawker Jon, Kanye's toast could be the new Mets theme song!

2010 MTV Video Music Awards - More VMA Video

Anyhow, whenever you leave the audience singing the chorus of a song that nobody's heard before, you've won. So that match goes to Kanye West.

* * *

I recently started watching "Hard Knocks," so I''m digging the New York Jets these days. (Rex Ryan is a new hero of mine!) Then I heard about the latest controversy regarding the team. Ines Sainz, a Mexican TV sports reporter, complained that the Jets were giving her a little too much attention on the sidelines, and in the locker room, at this weekend's practice.

Sainz is a woman who bills herself as "the hottest sports reporter in Mexico." Her Twitter page looks more like one for a bikini model than a sports reporter. And she showed up at Jets practice in skin-tight jeans and a low-cut top -- an outfit more appropriate for a nightclub than the sidelines. Now she is shocked, shocked that the Jets apparently made catcalls at her. Gee, who'da thunk it?

She also seemed shocked to find out that, yes, players are naked in the locker room, tweeting:

“I die of embarrassment! I am in the locker room of the Jets waiting for Mark Sanchez while trying not to look to anywhere!”

What, were the players supposed to have covered up on her account? C'mon now.

Yes, the Jets should have acted professionally around her, and their reported behavior was inappropriate, and should be dealt with. But this is also a two-way street. Perhaps if Sainz dressed more appropriately for her job (here's another one of her outfits, while she touches a player), and seemed interested in acting more like a real reporter than a model, the players would have taken her more seriously.

What do you think? Tell us about it!