Peter King of SI.com reports that Mets owner Fred Wilpon will own a professional football team in the new United Football League, which is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2009. The report notes that the franchise will be located in New York and will play at Citi Field next season.

The UFL will have six teams located in the following cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Orlando, New York and Hartford. There is the potential for the league to expand to eight teams prior to the start of the season. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban will be one of the owners and the latest rumor has him owning the Los Angeles franchise. The Hartford franchise will play at the UConn football stadium.

Like King said, I can’t wait to see the chewed up grass during August and September at Citi Field in the middle of a playoff race. This is shaping up to be an awful location and disaster in the making.

With Mets VP Tony Bernazard taking a beating in the local media of late he seems to have plenty of allies in the Mets organization. Adam Rubin of the Daily News is reporting that ‘insiders’ are telling him that Bernazard could actually replace Omar Minaya if things don’t turn around.

VP Tony Bernazard is in prime position to assume the GM responsibilities if Minaya is ousted, insiders tell the Daily News.

Rubin goes on to write that Bernazard has the trust and respect of Jeff Wilpon. Jeff especially likes Bernazard emphasis on homegrown players.

The reports that Bernazard is a bad guy are abundant but the ones that I’ve read aren’t very specific. Eddie Coleman of WFAN the other day told a story of Bernazard sitting in the dugout with Jerry Manuel while Willie Randolph was throwing batting practice. Chris Russo and Mike Francesa agreed with Eddie that there was something wrong with that. Now, I don’t claim to know or understand the correct etiquette but some of this stuff should be explained further. If someone is a bad guy and a backstabber then specific incidents should be easy to sight. Seems like the media may have focused on a fall guy here and it might be a bit unfair.

Hat tip to The Final Score for the video.

Bart Hubbich at the New York Post relays word that Mike Pelfrey has been impressive early in camp. Orlando Hernandez and his struggles to stay healthy may give the young right hander a leg up on the fifth starter role.

With the way Mike Pelfrey is throwing so far (terrific, by all accounts, with good movement his fastball), don’t be surprised if Pelfrey – not El Duque – comes out of spring training as the Mets’ No. 5 starter.

Pelfrey was praised by Mets owner Fred Wilpon during a bullpen session recently who told him he looked more confident and was hitting his spots better than usual.

Pelfrey will make his first Spring Training start against Detroit on Wednesday.

Considering Duque’s durability issues, he might be better off in the bullpen to start the season, while giving Pelfrey the fifth spot. The Mets don’t see Pelfrey as a reliever and if he was to fail to make the rotation, he’d be better off pitching full games in the minors anyway.

Lets hope Pelf has turned the corner. He had an outstanding game in Atlanta last year, thats the kind of performance he needs to display with more frequency.

Ken Rosenthal is at it again. He is reporting that the Mets and OF Moises Alou are discussing a 2-year deal, not the one-year, $8 million deal reported earlier this morning.

Rosenthal notes that this would also mean that if Alou signs with the Mets, OF Lastings Milledge is all but gone by Opening Day 2007.

I've made up my mind and I think I'd rather have the platoon. We have enough offense and we need some defense in the outfield. Alou can't run anything down and Shawn Green can't field anything hit away from him while Milledge and Endy Chavez are both good outfielders (I know what you are thinking, but he had a bad series aganist Boston).

Now, about the 2-year deal. I get it on only one condition. They let Green walk after this season and they start either Milledge or Carlos Gomez in 2008. If thats not the case, then its a bad move signing him to the second season.

Dominican newspaper Listin Diario is reporting that a friend of OF Moises Alou told the paper that he is close to signing a 1-year deal worth $8 million with the M.E.T.S. New York Mets of New York Town.

Here is a translation of the article (note, the translator is off on some words, but you get the picture):

“The Mets of new York are just about to sign al Dominican Moses Alou
by a total reckoned in eight million dollars for the season of the
2007, according to it expressed a close source al gardener.

The
agreement is almost sure that be concluded this weekend and the
assembly will proceed to the confirmation and presentation of the
veteran, who will become a Hispanic one more than passes to form rows
of the subways.

Last night was reported that the player was outside of the Capital city, but people close to were echoed him of the movement.

The
virtual firm of Moses with the Mets would become the gardener the left
of that assembly, being joining with Carlos Beltrán and Shawn Green.
Cliff Floyd, who has performed that position in the last three years,
is an agent free and do not it is expected that the club sign it again.

To be specified the pact with Moses, would join with José Kings,
Pedro Martínez, July Franco, Guillermo Dot, Duaner Sánchez and Anderson
Hernández, as the Dominican ballplayers that act for the assembly that
has as general manager al native Omar Minaya.

Alou would
fortify exceedingly the house to be able of the Metro, that already
counts on Beltrán, the own Green, as well as Carlos Thin and David
Wright.”

I don't have a clue if I like this signing or not. The guy can hit the cover off the ball, but he is just about as injury-plaiged as OF Cliff Floyd. Our defense is sure to be horrible though. I'm sure a platoon of Lastings Milledge and Endy Chavez would be just as good, but I guess Omar Minaya likes Endy coming off the bench more.

Its a one-year deal, so I assume they would let him walk and play OF Carlos Gomez in 2008.

The Yankees are showing interest in 1B-3B Shea Hillenbrand.

Yankees P Scott Proctor might be moved to the rotation for 2007.

The A’s have promoted bench coach Bob Geren to be the clubs next manager.

The Red Sox are showing interest in former Expos and Brewers P Tomo Ohka, who was a former prospect in the Red Sox organization.

SS Alex Gonzalez has been offered a 3-year, $15 million contract from either the White Sox or Reds.

A’s owner Lewis Wolff said the club will consider bringing in OF Barry Bonds to replace the all-but departed DH Frank Thomas.

The Orioles could persue either Mariners 1B Richie Sexson or Reds OF Adam Dunn this winter.

The Cubs are open to trading C Michael Barrett for some pitching help.

The Astros and Rockies have discussed a trade that would bring P Jason Jennings to Houston while sending either OF/2B Chris Burke or P Brad Lidge to Colorado.

The Mets are showing interest in P Adam Eaton, but his agent says he believes the Mets have Eaton as a “backup choice”.

SNY had former Met Lee Mazelli in their headquarters for an interview yesterday. It is believed he would work during Mets broadcasts.

The Red Sox could try to convince P Roger Clemens to return to Boston to be the teams closer.

Wallace Matthews in Newsday, suggest that Steve Phillips did the Mets a favor by passing on Alex Rodriguez back in 2000.

Here are some noteworthy quotes around the papers regarding New York's newest millionaires, David Wright and Jose Reyes…

Joel Sherman in The New York Post…

Roger Rubin (Adam has a brother??) in The New York Daily News…

Ben Shpigel in The New York Times…

As was Wright’s stellar defensive game against the Phillies
on Saturday, when he speared a sharp grounder in the ninth inning that
would have driven in the tying run. The Mets’ front office resumed
negotiations with Wright’s advisers after the game, and Minaya joked
that Wright’s play cost the Mets money.

“We were sitting in a
conference room watching the game, and we turned off the TV when they
came in,” Levinson (Wright's agent) said, referring to Minaya; John Ricco, the assistant
general manager; and Tony Bernazard, the special assistant to the
general manager. “They all looked somber, and then I asked them, ‘So,
how’d the game turn out?’ ”

These days, Fred Wilpon lets Omar Minaya do the talking.

This is a very different Mets front office from the ones in years past. Steve Phillips was very tight lipped about what he was up to, and Fred Wilpon, never a particularly chatty man, would at least entertain an interview or two to give his state of the union address. Jim Duquette was a quick and devestating (the K word) blip on the Mets front office radar. Some might say there were too many cooks in the kitchen for Jim to take all the blame. He was the man given all the responsibility, with none of the power. Today, Omar is the Mets mouthpiece, blessed by Fred to pretty much have carte blanche and thats just how Fred likes it.

In an article in the New York Times, Murray Chase chronicles the new Met front office and the two suddenly quiet owners in New York.

He does, as well, point out that Brian Cashman, after all these years, still does not hold all the keys to the Yankees castle…

In February 2005, a column appeared in The Times reporting that when the Yankees signed Jason Giambi as a free agent in 2001 they deleted, at his agent’s request, all mentions of steroids from the contract.

Hearing
the report on a radio talk show while he was driving to work, Cashman
called the show and labeled the report hogwash. The next day the team’s
chief operating officer acknowledged that the Yankees did precisely as
was reported.

Cashman did not make a second call to the talk show saying: “Oops, never mind. I was wrong.”

Cashman can think he has all the authority, but as long as he works for Steinbrenner, the Yankees have a higher authority.