Although I just celebrated my 39th birthday, the adage of another year older, another year wiser does not seem to count when we're talking about me.

I mean how else would you explain this, considering I'm about to give you all some predictions and you know how GREAT (insert sarcasm here) I am when it comes to giving predictions.

That said, here are some things you can all expect (yeah, right!) will take place before I return from my extended vacation in a couple of weeks.

1) The Yankees will lose out on the CC Sabathia sweepstakes. From everything that has been reported, it sounds like CC wants to play out West and the Angels just might be the team that is willing to give him Yankee-type money.

2) With the biggest free agent pitcher off the board, the Yankees will overpay (dearly) to sign A.J. Burnett. The oft-injured pitcher (can anybody say Carl Pavano) will get the 5-year deal he's been demanding.

3) Expect either Mark Teixeira or ... wait for it ... Manny Ramirez to be closing in on a deal to come to the Bronx. Do you really think the Steinbrenner boys will sit on the sidelines and watch others, i.e. the Red Sox, get better without making a splash of their own.

4) Francisco Rodriguez will price himself out of the Mets' plans, making a Brian Fuentes signing a reality. I think that would be a good move because Fuentes would surely come at a better price, and I know K-Rod set the single-season saves mark, but I can think of several relievers off the top of my head -- Mariano Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon, Joe Nathan, Brad Lidge to name a few -- that I'd rather see in the ninth inning.

5) The groundwork will be laid for the Mets to unload Luis Castillo, with the Amazins closing in on a deal for Orlando Hudson. Mets' GM Omar Minaya has done a pretty good job building a solid team, but one of his worst moves was giving a long-term deal to Castillo, who is way past his prime. I'm sure to unload him, the Mets will have to eat much of his contract, but that's a price they will be willing to pay.

6) The Jets will struggle, but defeat the Broncos. Coming off Gang Green's huge win in Tennessee and Denver's embarrassing loss against the Raiders, this has all the makings of a trap game. But New York, in the end, will be good enough to survive, say 27-21.

7) The Giants will continue to steamroll toward a second straight Super Bowl championship with an easy win in Washington. New York is by far the most complete team in football and the Redskins will prove to be no match. Let's put the score as something like Big Blue 42-14.

8) Finally, Stephon Marbury will no longer be a Knick. This one's a real no-brainer given the history between Starbury and New York. It will be interesting to see where he lands and if he'll ever regain his All-Star form or even come close. My guess is no.

So there you have it, eight predictions, and if I get two of them right, that'll be a good thing for me.

Happy Thanksgiving!