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The Stephon Marbury Brothers Flying Circus that has encompassed the New York Knicks over the past, oh, I don't know, since whenever he got there seemed like it was peaking, when, as Ziller noted, Starbury refused to play even after Mike D'Antoni offered him his starting job back.

Perhaps that's because, as Steph mentioned in an hour-long interview with the New York Post, he wouldn't let D'Antoni walk his dog across the street, so deep is his suspicion of the coach. Oh, yeah, and he really wants out of New York.

In Marbury's Thanksgiving Day talk with The Post, the fallen star insisted his Knicks exile "needs to end."

"We need to separate from the relationship," he said. "The marriage is over. It's a done deal."

Marbury also revealed:

He hopes to meet with Walsh Friday.

D'Antoni told Marbury's teammates of the guard's impending exile before the season opener -- without informing him.

He never refused to play, and would have played had D'Antoni given the order.

His suspicion of D'Antoni is so deep, "I wouldn't trust him to walk my dog across the street."

Feel that buuuurn, Mike D? Yeah. And smell that? Yeah, that's the stink of stubborn desperation. And a little whiff of "crazy". Oh, and yes, you also smell the scent of stupidity, because Marbury doesn't get that the more he exacerbates this situation, the less tradeable he becomes.

With the Yankees in serious danger of missing the playoffs for the first time since 1993, and general manager Brian Cashman in the final year of a three-year deal, there's been a lot of speculation that Cashman won't be returning to the Bronx next season. With both the Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies expected to be looking for new general managers this offseason, Cashman's name has been mentioned as a possible replacement there, and possibly even Washington should the Nationals can Jim Bowden.

Of course, none of that will matter if this report out of the New York Post is true. Turns out that even though the Yankees aren't going to make the playoffs, both Hal and Hank Steinbrenner want him back next season.

According to a MLB source, the Steinbrenner family has decided Cashman is the man to lead the organization back from a nightmarish season that will end with the Yankees missing playoffs for the first time since 1993.

Cashman, who last week shouldered the blame for the dismal season, met with Hal and Hank yesterday at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. No contract offer was made but, according to the source, Cashman is aware of the Steinbrenners' wishes.

I would hope Cashman was aware of their wishes, I mean, it's not like the Steinbrenner family has ever been shy when it comes to expressing their feelings.

I know, that sounds ridiculous -- and this story is from the New York Post -- but apparently Scott Boras has been in discussions with who he believes is the "frontrunner" to purchase the Cubs this offseason about Alex Rodriguez owning a portion of the Cubs as a partial trade for his free agent services.

According to the magazine [New York Magazine], Boras is peddling a Second City deal that could go for an average of $30 million a year over 10 seasons, with much of that cash backloaded for the 32-year-old Rodriguez - who would then be given the right to buy a chunk of the Cubs at the contract's conclusion. The report does not indicate who would pay for this proposed, precedent-setting deal.

Asked about the potential deal after the Yankees' win yesterday over the Blue Jays, A-Rod said only, "I don't know what that's about."

New York magazine doesn't name the front-running owner wannabe but reports that it is not Dallas Maverick owner Mark Cuban of the NBA, who's expressed interest in grabbing the Cubs.

Um ... wow? Though it's hard to imagine any Bud Selig-approved ownership group having the balls to give Alex Rodriguez a long-term share of the team, this is, at the very least, an interesting idea. Did I say interesting? Sorry: I meant mindblowing.

I would argue that, were the Cubs to offer an ownership spot, A-Rod's salary should probably take a slight hit in return. I'd also argue that offering Rodriguez a backloaded ten-year deal at the age of 32 is a horrible, terrible, no good very bad idea ... but what do I know?

The Yankees are in desperate need of starting pitching. We all know that. Instead of sitting around waiting for Roger Clemens, New Yorkers have already started wondering who the Yankees can trade for in July.

From the New York Post:

If the Indians tumble out of playoff contention, they are expected to deal lefty ace C.C. Sabathia since they aren't expected to sign him.

If it's in the Post then it has to be true.

Of course it's just a rumor printed in a newspaper, so in reality it doesn't mean anything but it does have some of it's facts right. The Indians have already re-signed Jake Westbrook to a three-year extension, and the team is trying to work out a new deal for Travis Hafner.

They haven't said anything about working out a new deal for Sabathia. The big left-hander will probably be too expensive for the Indians to retain next season, and with his injury history the team probably feels it's not worth the risk. So if the Indians do fall out of contention, than it's not crazy to think Sabathia could be gone in July.

The question is whether or not the Indians will be out of it in July. They won't be. The AL Central, barring a major injury or two, is going to be a four-team race all season. So if Sabathia does end up in a Yankees uniform, I wouldn't expect to see it until next season.


Previously at the Fanhouse:
Sabathia Looking To Cash In
Jake Westbrook Is Rich

Okay, so yesterday I posted excerpts from a Peter Vecsey column on Josh Smith's bad attitude. After Smith's second disciplinary problem of the season, it didn't seem that far-fetched that the third-year stud might have some issues.

Vecsey's smug takedown told us of the time Smith almost got into a fight with a bouncer. There was also a locker room confrontation between Smith and teammate Zaza Pachulia that ended with Zaza pinning Smith and threatening to end a career. And it wasn't his. Not so fast, says The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Sekou K. Smith, who actually covers the team:

The only problem is Childress said the incident never happened. "That's a figment of someone's imagination," Childress said. "It's unfortunate for both of us to have someone put that out there, something that disrespectful, and to have it done intentionally to badmouth someone."

And what about the Pachulia confrontation? Vecsey's a little closer on this one, but still way off:

I don't know who told that version what happened (Pachulia uttered words along those lines, but across a crowded locker room and not directly at Smith), but they've got a future in storytelling.

As Smith (the writer) clarified to True Hoop, he was there when it down. Vecsey wasn't. While Vecsey can't be everywhere at once, it seems like in this case a little bit of research wouldn't have hurt. Or maybe he should only bother with Hawks lore that's found its way to YouTube.