Quick Hits: Baseball Money Flows; NBPA Does Good; Mara a Hero

Would-be Yankee pitcher Kei Igawa took a visit to Yankee Stadium last night as the Yankees and the 27 year-old lefty close in on contract negotiations. Reports say that the two parties have agreed in principle on a five-year, $20 million contract. The Yankees bid $26 million just for the right to negotiate with Igawa after failing to bid enough to negotiate with Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. While in town, Igawa was traipsing around in some glaringly white pants. Gothamist isn't the most fashionable person in town, but it's way past labor day, Kei.

In other Yankee news, the Bronx Bombers topped the Majors in salary again, but their average salary per player dropped to $6,947,232. The Mets came in 4th with an average salary of $3,859,172 (behind the Astros and Red Sox).

The National Basketball Players Association did some good for the holiday season by providing food and personal care items to 10,000 families. The players union joined with the Abyssinian Development Corporation and Feed The Children to distribute the boxes to families in Harlem.

Following his fight on the trading floor, Stephen Mara was treated as a hero by some of his colleagues. When we first heard the story, we echoed the sentiments of former Giants tight end Mark Bavaro who told the Post, "Give him a helmet! Get him out on the field!" While some people stopped Mara to snap photos with him and others could understand his actions, some traders found that he had gone to far. The Post found their sample to be split on the matter.

And since the New Jersey Nets are easily the best basketball team in the area, celebrities are regulars at home games. Last night's win included courtside fans Jay-Z (one of the Nets' owner) and his girlfriend Beyonce, Missy Elliott and Ciara, who cozied up with Sly. Sly, you wolf, you! And we don't know if Bruce Ratner plans to change the mascot to something more Brooklyn-y, like a squirrel or parrot.

Photo of Kei Igawa at JFK airport in his fab white pants and shoes by AP/Frank Franklin II; photo of Ciara and Sly the Nets mascot by AP/Bill Kostroun