Another Blockbuster Yankees Signing

After a quiet off-season in which the Yankees renewed veteran players' contracts instead of brokering blockbuster deals, General Manager Brian Cashman has once again pulled out the checkbook. His latest signing? Sixty-year old comedian and actor Billy Crystal. Crystal signed a one-day minor league contract and will bat against the Pittsburgh Pirates this Thursday, in honor of his 60th birthday.

Crystal isn't the first celebrity to wear a gold-plated cup onto the baseball diamond. Country musician Garth Brooks generated headlines in 1999 and 2000, when he signed deals with the San Diego Padres and the New York Mets, respectively. At the time, Mets GM Steve Phillips said, "We are part of the entertainment industry, and I think this will add some excitement to our spring."

It's open to debate whether sports are part of the entertainment industry or not, and some fans and sports commentators have objected to the Crystal signing. I tend to agree with Pittsburgh manager John Russell, however, who said that, "[Billy Crystal has] been a big ambassador for baseball... I have no qualms about it whatsoever." Hey, Red Sox GM Theo Epstein: I hear that Stephen King turns 60 this September...