Wang's reps emphasized his 19-win total two straight seasons. They also tried went a little nuts in the hearing room when they described him as "the Michael Jordan of Taiwan,'' and actually produced a graphic depicting how the Taiwanese stock market fluctuated on days he pitched.

As the arbitrators ruled: Who cares about that?

MLB is a $6-billion business, with only about $3 million of that coming from Taiwan. Besides, Wang makes millions in endorsements in Taiwan, separate and apart from his Yankees salary. The Yankees pointed that out, and predictably, Wang suffered a tough loss, a rarity for pitcher who normally enjoys incredible support from his team.

All that playing time doesn’t necessarily make the player more valuable; rather, it increases the certainty with which we can evaluate a player and forecast his future. That doesn’t mean Triple-A Red Sox outfielder Brandon Moss is a better prospect than low Class A Blue Jays outfielder Travis Snider because Moss is closer to the majors—it means there is more certainty to which we can predict the value that Moss will provide to a major league team.

And the closer a player is to the majors, the less there is that can go wrong in his career, be it injuries, on-field problems or issues away from the field. All that said, the idea of anything being “certain” in baseball is somewhat misleading; we’re talking in terms of degrees of confidence.

Despite only occurring once a year, the Yankees vs. Media game has spawned its share of memorable moments in past seasons, including Journal News beat writer Peter Abraham's walk-off home run off Mike Mussina in 2004, Carl Pavano's perfect game in 2005, and a bench-clearing brawl in 2006 that saw Gary Sheffield attack Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan and ESPN Page 2 pop-culture writer Bill Simmons, who lost four teeth and received a gaping head wound that needed 45 stitches to repair.

Rodriguez also denied a claim last week by former Texas teammate John Rocker that doctors from management and the players’ association told A-Rod, Rafael Palmeiro, Ivan Rodriguez and Rocker following a spring training meeting how to effectively use steroids. Rodriguez and Rocker were with the Rangers in 2002.

“That did not happen,” A-Rod said. ...

“Andy is one of the greatest human beings I’ve ever met,” Rodriguez said. “I have two daughters—well, I have one and one on the way. If I had a daughter, I would want ‘em to marry Andy Pettitte. The age difference might be a little awkward, but in today’s day and age anything is possible.”

5. Joba Chamberlain, RHP: His stuff may be better than Buchholz's; needs to prove himself as full-season starter, 22.3 (years old).
16. Ian Kennedy, RHP: Good bet to become a No. 2; induces soft contact; has found success everywhere, 23.1(highest placement I've ever seen Ian get).
33. Austin Jackson, CF: 2nd-half surge was no coincidence - learned to pull the ball; expect a breakout year, 21.0.
35. Jose Tabata, RF: More consistent but hasn't flashed as much power as Fernando; also broke hamate, 19.5.
70. Jesus Montero, C: $2.0 M Ven. signee was solid in 123 rookie PA; success could translate well to A-ball, 18.1 (first time I've seen him this high on a Top 100 list).
138. Andrew Brackman, RHP: 2nd-highest upside of any NCAA pitcher in '07 draft?; '07 TJ patient and still very raw, 22.2.
145. Alan Horne, RHP: Durability will decide if he's No. 5 or reliever; BB% rose every month from Apr. to Aug., 25.1 (really surprised to see him this low...and behind Brackman).

Are you willing to concede that Boston, my favorite team, is the superior organization right now?
No, I will never concede. They’ve got a lot of talent, and you’ve done very well the past few years, but let me put it this way: I don’t think you guys wanted to play us in the ALCS. So I will concede nothing. I think we’re better than you.