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Just when Jason Giambi was becoming one of the more likeable Yankees, he goes and does something stupid like not live up to the forty billion dollar club option left on his contract. Tisk tisk.

He did steroids, admitted it (kinda), and still got to doff his cap in the final game at Yankee Stadium. That rules. I guess that's all I really saw in the guy.

Mr. Giambi and Carl Pavano both had their contracts extinguished by the Yankees yesterday, as the club options left on each of them were pricey to say the least. Giambi would have been given $22 million and Pavano $13 million, both far beyond what either can expect to make testing the waters of free agency. The front office in New York said that it shouldn't surprise anyone, but come on. When have nickels and dimes stopped the Yankees from doing anything? I'm surpised if only to make the front office wrong.

So, good luck guys. I doubt either of you will ever matter again.

You know what I'm enjoying? A Yankees-free postseason. The last time that happened I was fourteen years old. You know who was good back then? Freaking Paul Molitor. God forsaken Mark Langston was good back then. We had to churn our butter by hand. I feel like I'm living in Tomorrowland, now. Like the people mover is going to slowly roll me toward a happier America where Tampa has a sports team and Manny Ramirez is more than a Rated Rookie.

Oh well, no matter what the future holds, at least we'll have that fat-headed gentleman to the right, am I right guys? Guys?

Tonight's Dugout (OF TOMORROW!) is after the jump.

I'm not B. I'm B's evil twin! Give me your outfits!

When we ended the pre-Crisis Dugout universe in a grand event on the old site it revolved around the Kansas City Royals and the terrible things they were planning to do to baseball. Good and evil had it out, and when we were done we closed the book on the subject. But then we forgot that the Dugout isn't reality (although stuff like Elijah Dukes getting traded to the Nationals would argue otherwise) and that terrible things would continue to happen dangerously close to Buck O'Neil's seat.

Can't somebody throw a pair of robot legs on Bo Jackson and get him back in the game? Come on, Royals!

Jose Guillen looks for something to take, after the jump.

Starting today, The Dugout will be updating seven days a week rather than five. That's 1.4 times the fun, 1.4 times the athletes irresponsibly slandered!

Today's Dugout, after the jump, doesn't really ask for much preface. I'd just like to say that with Johan Santana gone, the Twins will have to fill the gap in their rotation. Time to let Sidney Ponson out of his cage!

Basebally season hasn't been over for very long, but I know Spring Training is truly on its way when I get to start writing Dugouts about where Mark Prior is supposed to be going and what Mark Prior is supposed to be doing before his heart explodes or his face gets melted off in a skiing accident or whatever and he's out for the season. Pretty soon the flowers will start to bloom, the fresh morning dew of Springtime seeming to light up the very morning with promise, and Ken Griffey Jr. will fall into a volcano.

Maybe Mark Prior will end up being like Sandy Koufax. He'll struggle for years with a weakness only to reach some sort of Zen Baseball Nirvana and become great again.

Maybe a monkey will fly out of his butt and severely sprain it on the way out.

Dusty Baker gets a press pass for the World Series because he's the manager of the Cincinnati Reds, and if the Reds finish in last place with 161 losses in 2008, Dusty will be fired and become the new head coach of the Devil Rays. Or the new head coach of the Phillies. Or the new head coach of some amalgamation of the Cubs and Giants. He'll coach the "Gubs."

Now is the season for managerial changes and the more things change, the more things stay the same. We know what a coach does. It makes sense. We've read books telling us that coaches do nothing. But as do-gooders or do-nothings, why are they always the same guys? Is Jim Tracy seriously in the top 30 baseball coaches in the world?

Today, the Dugout deals with intolerance. It has little to do with how much Dusty Baker looks like Ving Rhames in that get-up.

I've decided to address the Yankees again, since they've advanced to the ALCS and stand the best shot at winning the World Series.

Wait, I mean it's because they suck and I always find reasons to laugh at them. After reading, yet again, that George Steinbrenner's "fire Torre" threats might not be real, yet again, I tried to remember how many consecutive Octobers I'd heard the exact same story. Three or four, maybe? Same with the "will Roger Clemens return?" and "will Alex Rodriguez return?" stories.

I should count myself lucky. Some suffer from this repetition in news more than others. The plight of John Gotti, Jr. is featured in today's Dugout, after the jump.

(DISCLAIMER: I don't really have any hard evidence or conjecture supporting the idea of John Gotti, Jr. kidnapping people. I am making this disclaimer for fear of being kidnapped.)

(ADDENDUM: Esteemed commenter Phil has pointed out that the wrong picture was originally used for John Gotti, Jr. I have since changed out the photo.)