Mark Teixeira Did It the "Yankee Way"

Bombers Out-Do Themselves This Time

We knew the Yankees were desperate to contend again, but who knew they were going to spend $423 million in one offseason?

I think the whole Pittsburgh Pirates team makes less than half of that in one season.

And what about Mark Teixeira, the Yankees' latest addition? The kid from Baltimore who said he'd love to play close to home, and maybe even for his hometown team?

Well, fans, he'll be at Camden Yards on Opening Day—just not in an Orioles jersey.

If you haven't heard by now, Teixeira agreed to an eight-year, $180 million contract with the Yankees. As of Sunday, no one knew that the Yankees even had a chance to grab him, when all signs pointed to them pulling their offer off the table.

But in a true Yankee move, they snuck right in and took Teixeira out of the grasp of any team that thought they had him.

This leads me to ask the question: Did Teixeira ever really want to play for the Orioles at all? Was it just a ploy to get other teams to ante up their offers? Or was it just a lack of trying on the Orioles' or Nationals' parts?

Either way, great job, Scott Boras. You kept the Orioles and all their fans on the edge of their seats, only to never give them a chance to put out another offer. You made a commission that would make any other agent salivate.

I can honestly say as an Orioles fan, this one hurts. Our hometown pride and joy goes to the team that we hate the most. We wouldn't have minded the Nationals, but the Yankees?

Either way, it's going to be a very interesting Opening Day in 2009. Will the fans boo, or will they cheer? We shall see.