This being Holy Week, let us thank the Lord for Brian Cashman

According to Kat O'Brien of Newsday, it was Brian Cashman that pushed hard for the Yankees to sign Mark Teixeira, my future best friend. Cashman spoke out about negotiations in an interview with Newsday:

"Teixeira never was really an option," Cashman said. "It was something I kept
pushing, but it was not really being accepted by above me . . . I guess
persistence paid off. I knocked on that door, I guess, just enough that someone
finally answered. Hal really gave me the OK to pursue it over a few-day period."

So, let me get this straight - an owner with the surname Steinbrenner actually let his baseball people make the baseball decisions? This must be a mistake.

Within the article, Cashman admits that the Yankees only met with Teixeira initially to create leverage in their negotiations with CC Sabathia. He also does some XXX knob slobbing of our new favorite player:

"I remember telling ownership this is a guy that is the all-around,
All-American- type boy that he is talented but he will never make a mistake with
the media with a soundbite. He'll always represent himself and the organization
in the right way. If you could take them all like that, that's the way you would
want them."

So, after banging his head against a wall for weeks with upper management, Cashman finally resorted to pitching Teixeira as the anti-Alex Rodriguez. I told you he was smarter than you. (hat tip to MLB Trade Rumors)