I'm Supposed to be HATING The Yankees!

"It's getting harder and harder to root for one team," I remember my dad saying back in my youth. We all know that it's a sad truth with free agency and all that. Well, I fear that our rivalries have also been getting a little hazy. Sure we've got new rivalries that spring up here and there (Rays/Red Sox), and good ole classic ones that never die (Giants/Dodgers). But when you find out that the player you hate has just been traded to Toronto, and they brought in a very likeable Ichiro, the old memories start to be forgotten--with the exception of a few managers and a few fans. When you're watching a game on ESPN and they show an online poll that says that the number one defensive play of all time is Jeter's (admittedly awesome) pop-foul over-the-shoulder catch and Willie Mays famous centerfield over-the-shoulder catch in like ninth place, you realize that there's a disconnect there (and that our elders aren't rushing to their laptops to submit a vote).

Now, for myself, being born and raised in the Southeast, hating the Yankees was in the water. Then after college I moved to southern California--where you're supposed to--again--hate the Yankees. Problem is, as all these transactions keep taking place and the seasons wear on, I find myself liking these particular Bronx Bombers more and more. How dare they with all their damn money!!

Let's start at the top: Manager Joe Girardi--er, HECK, George Steinbrenner took his calzones and retired resulting in no complaints from me--but back to manager Joe Girardi. In 2006 (two seasons ago), he was let go by the Marlins just hours after completing what was one of the best managerial performances that you'll see. He led the very young and always-last-place Florida Marlins to an impressive 6 games under .500 season (78-84) and ended the season only ONE game behind the then 15-straight-season champion Atlanta Braves. Thankfully, his job was recognized, and he was awarded the National League Manager of the Year...just days after being fired! Suck on that Huizenga (sp? why's the 'u' in there?) Anyways, he took a year off of managing baseball to option for the ever-popular alternative of Television Analyst. Just to note, he was offered a managerial position with the Baltimore Orioles last season, but had good instincts to hold off.

Alex Rodriguez is quite simply, a bad-ass. He didn't get any respect from the MVP voters until he landed on a winning team. Furthermore, just seeing the Yankees fans completely under-appreciate how good they had it at third base made us all want him on our teams, where he most likely would be appreciated. Granted, he was making quite a few errors defensively, and he wasn't able to maintain his 1.000 BA that he started in the early season of '07 (i kid), but I'm positive that these 'bad' spells were only a result of the "walking on eggshells" mentality that New Yorkers seem to have on its players.

Didn't Derek Jeter always give you that same resentment feeling that Michael Jordan gave you...always in the playoffs beating YOUR team? Yeah, I had that kind of hatred. What happened? Well, I guess I lost all my angst after several down seasons of Yankee baseball. Now, I'm starting to have more and more respect for him -- the same kind of respect I started to gain after Michael Jordan finally retired and couldn't beat my teams anymore. He's quite the class act, he hustles on every play, and something about seeing him make a big error, yet hear ZERO boos come out of the Yankee Stadium faithful, is awe-inspiring. Just take the May 20th game against the Baltimore Orioles, if **A-Rod** would've made that error during last season, the boos wouldn't have stopped until he left the field. Derek Jeter has commanded the respect of one of the most disrespectful crowds in the game...WOW!

I will always admire Jason Giambi for being one of the first active baseball players to admit that he juiced. I don't know if he remains a client of a Balco-style company or not, but he put himself out there, and hopefully tought some kids to keep it clean. Seeing him play well now makes me smile a little bit.

You can't really have any beef with Johnny Damon, Jorge Posada, Bobby Abreu, or Mariano Rivera...these guys have been putting forth their best effort since the beginning of their careers, AND in tough environments.

It was refreshing to see Joba Chamberlain show a lot of respect to Padres first-baseman Adrian Gonzalez after the close play at the plate last week, seems like a good kid. He looks and acts like a kinder, gentler Roger Clemens that doesn't want to take the 4 days off in between starts.

I don't want the Yankees to win it all, let's make that perfectly clear! I guess I just want these guys to be affordable.

All-Waiver Team: Players to Avoid

I've been playing fantasy baseball with pretty much the same group of guys since the good ol' days nearly ten years ago (when Sandbox was free) --and they have always been quite a smart group of guys and very tough competition. This season is the first year that I also joined a pay league--with visions of cash dancing in my head. Anyways, to make a long story short, I've noticed that you can tell how wise the owners are in a league by the names you find on their league's Waiver Wire.

During my near-ten-year-fantasy-participation span, I've been compiling a list of 'note-to-self's about certain players that I have learned to avoid AT ALL COSTS in the future! In other words, I love it when my fantasy opponents start these players. Now, obviously, no disrespect to these players because fantasy sports ignores certain 'little' parts of the game that are crucial to helping a team win, i.e., assists from the outfield, sacrifice bunts, Hit-by-pitches, etc. Unfortunately for these players, fantasy owners don't give a crap about those things, because they don't show up on the leaderboard. Most of these players can be considered good players by their hardcore fans, but on the contrary will be hated by their fantasy owners.

They will have a three-hit/four-RBI night, and after checking your Waiver Wire, you'll pick them up...fully hoping they'll get your slumping offense back up to your satisfaction, but I am here to tell you NOT TO DO IT....even if you're in a 12-team league!

C Paul LoDuca / Ronny Paulino / Ramon Hernandez
With catchers, you just want to find a guy that will give you around 140 games and can bat as close to .300 as possible. LoDuca hasn't had much to offer for a few years now. Unfortunately, I always miss out on Victor Martinez because I mistake him for Ramon Hernandez (I don't know why) during the very stressful draft process. There's a huge value difference there, I know, but I don't watch the Indians and Orioles very much these days.

1B Adam LaRoche / Richie Sexson / Carlos Delgado
When you're in the middle of the Mets lineup, you're bound to get some RsBI...as long as you can swing a bat. With Carlos Delgado, he can't help but give you some numbers, but AT WHAT COST??...much frustration, and a slew of blown opportunities Adam LaRoche will hit well for a week here and there, but you have to be quick to grab him right before that happens.

2B Orlando Hudson / Jose Vidro
Orlando Hudson seems to be the nicest guy in the league today--just watch him during his very first at-bat each night, exchanging XOXO's with the catcher and umpire. His hot streaks are longer than most other players, and also come with stolen bases, but is just no match for his cold streaks.

3B Bill Hall / Wilson Betemit / Aubrey Huff
Good luck on guessing when Bill Hall is gonna give you a multi-homer game. He'll give you five straight 0-4's before the 3-4, 4 RsBI. And Wilson Betemit never gets many straight days of being on the roster anyways.

SS Rafael Furcal / Jhonny Peralta / J.J. Hardy
Yeah, I know, and Furcal has MVP numbers at his April rate. Trust me, I am wondering when he's gonna cool off. This lengthy hot start is definitely his most impressive since his early days with the Braves. I'm still leaving him on my personal "Stay Away From" list, but don't worry, he's owned in most leagues already anyway. If you own him, see what kind of sweet trade you can get with him before he goes cold.

LF Gary Matthews Jr / Andre Ethier
Gary--it seems--has a lot to prove every year, and has a lot of Oh-fers between his big games. He'll get you most of his RsBI while he's on your bench. Don't waste the small amount of Bench-space that you have. Ethier has a great swing, but the Dodgers don't seem to have a whole lot of run production--especially when you are noticing.

CF Andruw Jones / Mike Cameron
Boy, Andruw just can't seem to get it going since his big homerun season long ago. Tons of fantasy owners hold on to those distant hopes...don't bother. He's a player that I LOVE to see my fantasy opponents pick up.

RF Shane Victorino / Jayson Werth
Victorino comes along with a few stolen bases, but just doesn't seem consistent, and just not very valuable overall. His teammate Jayson Werth just never had much consistent playing time....And I won't be surprised if they platoon in right field when Shane returns from the DL.

DH Jack Cust / Lyle Overbay
Yeah, I've owned Lyle Overbay a couple different times....never again. And man, is it frustrating when you're DH strikes out with no outs and the bases loaded.

P Gil Meche / Dontrelle Willis / Cliff Lee / Derek Lowe / Scott Baker / Braden Looper / Barry Zito / Tom Gorzelanny / Livan Hernandez
Even someone in my league gave Dontrelle Willis a chance this year! Isn't it weird to see him celebrating a big offensive inning in the dugout--when he himself contributes nothing? He's been bad for too long now. He's the next Jose Lima. And even though it seemed everyone had given up on Barry Zito by now, someone still picked up and started him in my pay league. None of these guys will give you more than two or three straight quality starts.

If any of these guys are on your starting roster, and there's no better option on the Waiver Wire, then find your strongest point, and make a trade with that.

Fantasy Box Score

This is the time of year when I like to make package trades. This is when I take a couple of guys and trade them for a star. It is my firm belief that the team that gets the best player in a trade, is the team that got the better end of the trade. Now is the time of year when owners are beginning to wonder if they have built a championship team, this means it is the time to exploit those owners. I find that traditionally super star players are what we think they are. Yet, owners panic when somebody gets out of the gate slowly. This is the time to package some late rounds picks for studs. I recently picked up Ryan Howard in one league and Alex Rodriguez in another. All I had to give up were the likes of Justin Morneau and Jimmy Rollins. This is also a good time to trade saves. Owners panic when they see themselves at the bottom of a category. In reality there are always closers to be had off of waivers so if you can get somebody to give you a contributor, definitely make the move. I am a big fan of improving my teams through trades, but it is also helpful to try and mess up another guy’s team in the process. I like to be a stickler for certain players from the other guy’s team to be included in any deals. This is because I want to throw a wrench in what the other guy is trying to do. In short, I love to trade, that is what makes fantasy sports fun.

Drag Bunts…

No matter what you get offered, don’t trade Jose Reyes. Chone Figgins playing second base. It happened the other night against the A’s, if it continues he becomes even more valuable.

You must get rid of Barry Zito.

Russell Martin playing third base, it could happen. Right now he is third on the team depth chart at the position.

Manny Corpas should be let go from your team. The guy has completely fallen apart. Brian Fuentes will be the Rockies closer for the rest of the season.

I see no need to keep Jorge Posada. It is hard to imagine he will keep the power he brings, so therefore he really can be dropped for somebody with more potential.

Chad Gaudin has been lights out. Pick him up if you can.

John Smoltz heads to the DL. The bummer here is that he was doing really well.

Francisco Liriano gets sent to the minors. I don’t know if it is time to cut bait with him just yet. He needs to get some innings in so I would wait and see how he does in the minors before I made any moves with the young pitcher.

Don’t sleep on Ryan Dempster.

Ditto with Jayson Werth.

I say it every time. Get Andre Ethier on your team if you can. He is playing great.

Hiroki and Andruw: Money Well Spent?

Considering that he pitched impressively in his only loss in three outings for the Dodgers, which came against the red-hot Diamondbacks, Hiroki Kuroda (1-1, 2.89) should be having the Dodgers fans pleased with their big-cash signing last offseason. And speaking of big cash, Andruw Jones' opening-weekend cheers turned to second-homestand boos, as he took a lot of heat all this past weekend at Dodger Stadium--probably because he came in batting a paltry .129 with 1 RBI after his first 31 ABs. Kuroda didn't start Monday's contest particularly sharp, and it appeared that he was feeling a little residual pressure to prove to the Dodger Faithful that their money was well-spent in his case, which--at the present time--doesn't appear to be so in Mr. Jones' case.

Hiroki quickly overcame his jitters and settled down nicely after the Pirates put up two early runs. He shut down Nate McLouth and Jason Bay, both of whom can be quite the party poopers. The only mistake made was that someone forgot to tell Kuroda that no one should try to slip a fastball over the plate late in the game to fastball-hitting X Nady. Nonetheless, Kuroda left the low-scoring game with a one-run lead. That was his third impressive outing in as many starts--after going to San Diego and shutting down the Padres for his first win, then, going to Arizona where the only thing you can really put on him was walking pitcher Micah Owings in a big situation late in the game.

Not only is his pitching enough to get excited about, but so is his hitting. He showed a great eye in the seventh inning against the Padres, drawing a pretty crucial walk after going up to the plate fully expecting to bunt Blake DeWitt's lead-off walk over to 2nd Base in a tie ballgame. Now, rarely do you see full-time hitters able to pull the bat back successfully on a borderline pitch off the plate in a bunt attempt, but Kuroda did it 3, if not 4 times in that one AB--drawing the walk and giving up no outs to rally the Dodgers in putting up 6 runs in the inning. (May I interject that my baseball-crush is much bigger for the DH-free National League) Then in Monday night's game, Kuroda showed more plate presence with 1 out and a runner on 3rd--dribbling an RBI double down the 3rd-base line, scoring the go-ahead run.

BTW, it was Andruw that got the triple ahead of Kuroda and scored that run--add to that a couple of great swings at the plate on Tuesday and Wednesday nights for Andruw--and it's starting to look like his bat is coming around. I could foresee him getting a homerun or two by the end of this weekend...But he's too streaky, and will strike out in the pressure situation most of the time. Most of his RsBI will come when the runs aren't needed.

Last Place Roto

-Roto Words - By AJ Jackson

If you’re like me then you are in more than one fantasy league. If you’re in more than one fantasy league then the odds are pretty good that you have a team sitting close to last place after the first two weeks of the season. So in this spirit, I give you the steals. The steals are the guys who are about to make a big splash. You can grab them off the waiver wire or get them in a buy low style of trade. But, with steals come busts. So below you will find the busts, the guys who need to be traded.

Steals

Joe Crede 3B, CHW – The general consensus heading into this season was that Josh Fields would take over the third base job for the White Sox. Now just a few weeks into the season, Crede has three home runs and what looks like a strangle hold on the starting third base job for the White Sox.

Peter Moylan RP, ATL – With Rafael Soriano injured, it looks like Moylan will get the chance to close out some games for the braves. You should definitely pick him up if you already have Soriano.

Mark Reynolds 3B, ARI – This guy is mashing right now. With five home runs, Reynolds has more home runs on the season than my beloved Dodgers. Who cares if Reynolds can’t keep this pace. If he can just have two or three more spurts like this he will be worth the flyer.

J.D. Drew OF, BOS – Drew has played superior baseball up until this point. As long as he plays, he will produce. Batting in the mighty Red Sox line up, he should pile up RBI’s.

Bill Hall OF, MIL – Hall is mashing. Hall is also getting a chance to play a few positions which will give Hall’s value a big boost. He might never be the player he was a few seasons ago, however, he is still a great pick up.

Busts

Andruw Jones OF, LA – The guy has been horrible this year. I mean just horrible. Now he is batting seventh in Joe Torre’s line up. I wrote in my column for HomeTown9.com about how downright chubby Jones has been looking.

C.C. Sabathia SP, CLE – One word describes this pitchers last start, yuck.

David Ortiz U, BOS – Ortiz has been the biggest busts of all this season. Ortiz really looks like that knee of his is still bothering him.

Dontrelle Willis SP, DET – Remember when Willis was traded, the general consensus was that he would benefit from a change of scenery. That hasn’t happened. Now Willis is heading to the 15-day DL with a hyper-extended knee. It is now safe to cut bait with Willis as it is just not going to happen for him this season.

Prince Fielder 1B, MIL – The big fellow became a vegetarian in the off-season. Now Milwaukee fans are wondering, where’s the beef? Fielder has yet to hit a home run this season. In fact, J.J. Hardy hasn’t hit a home run yet either, leaving the Brewers relying on the surprising power of Gabe Kapler.

No Worries

Jose Reyes SS, NYM – Remember, the season is more marathon then sprint. Reyes may be keeping owners up at night, but there is no reason to think that with a couple of days worth of rest, the speedy shortstop will not be back to his old self.

Must Be On Your Team

Andre Ethier OF, LA – The kid is out of control right now. What a smooth swing this guy has. Seriously, when you watch him play, you think, Wade Boggs. Joe Torre has been trying all sorts of different batting orders; the one constant is Ethier batting third.

April Showers Cause Rain Delays

April Showers Cause Rain Delays

Through the first week of season there’ve been a few surprises, a few injuries, and a lot of good baseball. But before you start predicting a Baltimore vs. St. Louis Word Series, let’s take a look at the contenders, pretenders, and everything in between.

Detroit Tigers: My favorite stat of the week: No team has ever started 0-6 and made it to a World Series. Another little known fact is that no pitcher has ever won a game in which he drank 9 gallons of chocolate milk and ate 12 boxes of graham crackers two hours before a start. Point is, the Tigers will turn it around and win the AL Central.

Colorado Rockies: At 2-5, the Rox are starting off like they do most seasons. People forget that before they went on that incredible 14-1 streak last year to close the season, they were a mediocre team. The Rockies are the 4th best team in the NL West.

Mike Hampton: For those who missed my earlier posts, I mentioned that Hampton has been paid $30 million over the past two seasons to not pitch an inning. Minutes before his first start of the season he pulled his pectoral muscle while warming up and now he’s back on the DL. On the other hand, if we were talking about Brett Tomko, it would probably be wise to pay him $30 million to not pitch for your team.

San Francisco Giants: They’re 1-6 record is deceiving; they could easily be 0-7.

Pedro Martinez: No shock here, he’s out 4 to 6 weeks with a hamstring injury. What is surprising though is he injured it in a freak cock fighting accident.

Baltimore Orioles: Tied for the best record in baseball! They’re on pace to win over 130 games! Buy your playoff tickets now!

Larry Bowa: Still a crazy, ornery, S.O.B.

If you’re anything like me, you’re name is Matt Toomey and you love ‘em with apple bottom jeans and boots with the fur.

Making Moves

-Roto Words - By AJ Jackson

Mike Pelfrey SP, NYM – Pedro is hurt. Surprise! Pelfrey will see a lot of primetime runs from one of the best batting orders in the game. He is now firmly entrenched in the starting rotation so this could be the year.

Billy Butler DH, KC – He may be a DH only, but he can hit. Get him if you still can, the Royals have more pop than you think.

Mark Lowe RP, SEA – J.J. Putz goes on the DL so Lowe becomes the guy of the moment in the city of rain. He is a must have if you already have Putz and a little roster space.

Joe Saunders SP, ANA – Saunders pitched 8 shutout innings the other day against a pretty good Twins line up. With injuries to Kelvim Escobar and John Lackey, Joe should get the ball a lot this season. He is somebody who should be picked up, especially if you own Lackey. Every year the Angels have a break out pitcher; there is no reason to think that won’t be Saunders.

Kevin Youkilis 1B, BOS – This guy scores runs. He is always on base and hits in the sweet spot of an obscene batting order. Yuuuuuuuuke won’t give you many homeruns, but he will draw a lot of walks which sets him up to score a lot of runs. Youkilis is looking to continue the production he had in 2007 when he helped lead the Red Sox through the post season on their way to the World Series Championship.

Gary Matthews OF, ANA – What people don’t realize is that Matthews is batting second in the Angels line-up. That means he bats in between Chone Figgins and Vladimir Guerrero. Matthews will see a ton of fastballs because teams will need to throw them to keep Figgins from running, and he will see a ton of strikes because nobody will want to put runners on in front of Vlad.

Mike Napoli C, ANA – Never underestimate a backstop with 20 home run potential.

Clayton Kershaw SP, LA – Kershaw is the next Dwight Gooden. At 20 years old, he is the best prospect the Dodgers have. Joe Torre practically drools over the guy and he has even said he thinks Kershaw will be ready to pitch in the big leagues sooner as opposed to later.

Nick Johnson 1B, WAS – Johnson is seeing most of the playing time at 1B for the Nats. He is worth a flyer if you have an injury risk like Albert Pujols. He could prove to be an effective stop gap down the road.

Blake Dewitt 3B, LA – The Dodgers are very weak at 3B. Dewitt, hasn’t looked bad at all in his first real playing time. It would not be a stretch to think that he could hold on to the job even after Andy LaRoche and Nomar Garciaparra come back.

Before I sign off for the day, let us discuss the often debated closer situation. I am always interested as to how people feel they should use closing pitchers. I personally do not feel that a closer is very important. There is always one who can be grabbed off of the waiver wire. Usually, the value you have to give to get a name closer isn’t worth the contribution the team gets in return. Closers really only contribute in Saves. If you look at the stats for the season to date, there are a bunch of guys who have saves that could have been had for nothing, and it is only the first week of the season. Well, that is just my opinion.

The McNamee Baseball Grounds

If you can visualize with me the title of this article on a sign at a youth baseball facility, you can see that there is a chance for Brian McNamee, accused sellout, to come out of this entire thing as a definite hero. The bipartisan episode that took place at the Congressional Hearings turned the entire event into a circus, ran by actual elephants who just wanted to get The Rocket's autograph and on his good side--which thankfully was all summed up perfectly in Chairman Waxman's closing statements. Taking a step back and looking at it as a whole, McNamee never had any intention of destroying Clemens' image or anyone else's for that matter until he was himself called a liar. He was asked to tell the entire truth from the beginning, which unfortunately he avoided to do, but only out of his own compassion. I wouldn't want to hand over hard evidence incriminating a friend of mine, for I would hope that my testimony alone would be enough--that is until I'm called a liar on the front of the "USA Today." A lot of people look at McNamee as a guy that's just trying to make a quick buck during his 15 minutes, when in reality he was simply trying to not commit perjury, after trying to not be a jerk.

Apparently a dealer -- on behalf of Brian McNamee -- has posted all of his Roger Clemens memorabilia on eBay....which is good considering that he was originally going to just throw it away. An estimated $75,000 could be fetched for the items, and I think there would be nothing better to do with the money than to put it to good public use. Spreading good clean baseball would be a great boost for his public image, but more importantly, his 80% of the total sales would be a great donation to start a nice little McNamee Baseball Foundation or something similar.

In a short period of time, McNamee was bombarded by investigators, Senators, the media, and a Congressional Hearing, but only time will tell if the whole thing merely afforded him the opportunity to just make that quick buck, or if he will use his past experiences and newfound national attention to do some good things for the game.

Opening Thoughts

-Roto Words - By AJ Jackson

So after the longest off-season ever, the fantasy baseball season is finally underway in earnest. It is important for owners at this time of year to remain patient. Two games is not a good sample of what kind of season a player will have. However, it is possible to get a feel for the way a team plans on using a certain player. Also, it is a time to see which rookies and sleepers look like they could make a splash this season. Here is a look at some developing players and situations that have come up in the first few days of play.

PLAYERS TO GRAB

Andre Ethier OF, LA – This guy straight up took the left field job from Juan Pierre. Joe Torre seems to be taking a youth first mentality with his Dodgers and Ethier is the main beneficiary. Ethier played in the first two Dodgers games, with Torre opting to bench Matt Kemp in order to get Pierre in the batting order. Grab Ethier if you can, it looks like he is in the starting line up for at least a minute.

Carlos Gomez OF, MIN – Jose Reyes has called this guy FASTER. In the first two games of 2008 he stole 3 bases. As the lead-off hitter for a not half bad Twins line up, he can help a roto team in both steals and runs scored.

Manny Corpas RP, COL – Corpas is the closer for a team that is going to win many, many games. Enough said.

Yunel Escobar 2B, SS, 3B ATL – He is eligible to play everywhere, bats second in a fairly strong line up and could hit .300.

DUMP THEM NOW

Pedro Martinez SP, NYM – Martinez had to leave his first start of the year early with a tweaked hamstring. Even if the injury is not severe, it is definitely a sign of things to come. Now is the time to pick up Mike Pelfrey who will go from being the Mets fifth starter to their fourth if Pedro is out for a start or two.

Barry Zito SP, SF – His first start was yuck, no need to think his second will be any better against Prince Fielder and the Milwaukee Brewers.

Juan Pierre OF, LA – When I was a kid I was the guy who bunted, stole bases and never hit a home run. This is why I love Juan Pierre. Sadly, his time is up. He has been outplayed by somebody who is younger and more talented. His fantasy value is down to just a marginal contribution in stolen bases.

I DON’T BELIEVE

Xavier Nady OF, PIT – No way he continues to jack out home runs, he is just not that guy.

Livan Hernandez SP, MIN – Stay away! He doesn’t do anything to help your team win a championship over the long haul. Really, stay away, he might get you innings, but he’ll hurt your ERA and he couldn’t strike out either one of my dogs.

I DO BELIEVE

Kevin Kouzmanoff 3B, SD – He has got 20 home run potential. He could hit 25 if he didn’t play at PETCO Park.

Jim Thome DH, CHW – 35-40 Home Runs. Yeah, I said it.

Jeff Kent 2B, LA – Future Hall of Famers are that way for a reason. He will get 20-25 home runs, that makes him a top ten 2B.

PITCHER YOU WANT TO PICK UP

Ubaldo Jimenez SP, COL – Jimenez will be a two start pitcher in the second week of the season and he will have decent match ups against Atlanta and Arizona.

Jair Jurrjens SP, ATL – The future is bright for this 22-year-old although I have no idea how to say his name. As the Braves No. 3 Pitcher Jurriens will get two starts in fantasy week 2, he has sleeper possibility.

THINK BLUE BABY!

Joe wins his first two. Larry Bowa loses his mind, I mean he really lost it, poor Joe is not spry enough to hold back Bowa, the Dodgers need to develop the Bowa meltdown contingency plan..... Seriously though, how could anybody say that Vin Scully is not the greatest sportscaster ever? The man is poetry….. Wait till Russell gets going, we haven’t seen the big gun unload yet…..Derek Lowe was impressive…..Takashi Saito is perhaps the best closer in the game.

NL Central Preview

Is this the year the Cubs finally win another World Series? Chicago fans sure think so, but they’ve been thinking that since 1908. The Cubs should win the weak NL Central, but the Brewers could make them work for it. Fortunately for the rest of the division, Pittsburgh has already volunteered to come in last place. Thanks, Pirates.

1. Chicago Cubs
2007: 85-77, 1st place
2008 Projected: 87-75

Every professional sport needs that historically bad team that hasn’t won a championship forever. The Cubs winning the World Series would completely throw U.S. sports into a state of anarchy. What next? The Arizona Cardinals winning the Super Bowl?

The Cubs signed Japanese star Kosuke Fukudome to complement their big 3—Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, and Aramis Ramirez. Felix Pie has been the Cubs’ can’t miss prospect for a couple seasons and he’s been penciled in as the Cubs’ starting CF.

Don’t you just love Carlos Zambrano? Me neither. He’s a good pitcher most of the time, but I don’t trust him in big games. With Ted Lilly and Jon Lieber as the next best starters on the team, the Cubbies better score a lot of runs this season

2. Milwaukee Brewers
2007: 83-79 2nd place
2008 Projected: 82-80

I love watching the sausage race in the bottom of the 6th inning when Brewer games are televised. If I owned the Brewers, I’d make Prince Fielder race the sausages every game. It may not fly now, but you could have totally slipped that into his contract when he was a rookie. Last season they added a new sausage to the race—Cinco the Chorizo. He even wears a sombrero! Pure genius, Bud Selig, pure genius. I now see why you are commissioner.

Along with Prince, the Brew Crew have some young talent worth paying attention to. Ryan Braun, J.J. Hardy, and Corey Hart have the potential to be household names (in the greater Milwaukee area) and they picked up Mike Cameron and Eric Gagne in the off-season to give them some veteran leadership. Cameron’s already shown the young guys how to make a red bull and amphetamine power shake while Gagne’s trying to rebuild his reputation after the Mitchell report disgrace.

3. Cincinnati Reds
2007: 72-90 5th place
2008 Projected: 75-87

The Reds, Astros, Cardinals, and Pirates are essentially the same team. They’re all considerably worse than Chicago and Milwaukee and probably slightly better than Pittsburgh.

Dusty Baker left his cozy ESPN job to manage the Reds? For you non-baseball fans, that’s like Angelina Jolie quitting her acting gig to become a drug mule. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for Angelina exploring new endeavors, but nobody should be forced to swallow heroin filled balloons…or manage the Reds.

Griffey Jr.’s as old as dirt, Adam Dunn hits the ball far but strikes out once every three at-bats, and once you get past Aaron Harrang, the pitching staff is in shambles.

It’s a good thing there are a lot of fantastic things to do and see in Cincinnati, because going to watch the Reds isn’t one of them.

4. Houston Astros
2007: 73-89
2008 Projected: 70-92

The Astros were busy this off-season, but being busy doesn’t necessarily mean improving this 4th placed team from a year ago. Miguel Tejada is a nice addition and with or without steroids he’s still an offensive force at a position that doesn’t usually carry a strong bat. Along with Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee, the ‘Stros have a decent 3-4-5 punch. But other than that, there isn’t much going on in Houston.

Perennial Cy Young candidate, Roy Oswalt, and newly acquired closer Jose Valverde are the only bright spots on an otherwise woeful pitching staff.

Second year outfielders Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn hope to make an impact, and for Houston’s sake, they better.

5. St. Louis Cardinals
2007: 78-84
2008 Projected: 70-92

It’s hard to believe this team won the World Series 17 months ago. It’s also hard to believe that manager, Tony LaRussa, still has a job. Though LaRussa is widely considered one of today’s best managers, if you take a closer look at his career, he’s quite overrated. His teams have won twelve division titles and two World Series (1989 Oakland A’s and 2006 Cardinals), but he was also blessed with some of the best talent in the league on those two teams. Names like Jose Canseco, Mark McGuire, Rickey Henderson, Dennis Eckersley, Dave Stewart, Albert Pujols, Chris Carpenter, Scott Rolen, etc. might ring a bell.

LaRussa will really earn his money this year if he can produce a competitive team. All-Star manimal Albert Pujols is the Cardinals offensive key and he looks very fragile with his nagging elbow problem that will most likely require surgery at some point. Trading Scott Rolen for Troy Glaus might bring more offense to the hot corner, but they’ll miss Rolen’s glove.

To put the Cardinals pitching staff in perspective, their best pitcher is center fielder Rick Ankiel.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates
2007: 68-94
2008 Projected: 70-92

Without looking, name one Pirate player other than Jason Bay. Sorry, Jason Kendall doesn’t play for them anymore.

This off-season, Pittsburgh brought in a new manager, new coaching staff, and a new general manager. Unfortunately for Pirate fans, it looks like a “meet the new boss, same as the old boss” situation. They did absolutely nothing during the winter to improve this team.

The good news is, they might be a year or two away from having the best starting pitching staff in the NL Central. Tom Gorzelanny and Ian Snell are the real deal and though lefties Paul Maholm and Zack Duke haven’t been able to put together a solid full season, this might be the year they turn the corner.

Offensively, Pittsburgh management has asked the league if Jason Bay can bat leadoff, 3rd, 5th, and 8th each game.

If you’re anything like me, you’re name is Matt Toomey and you totally lied about Cincinnati having fantastic things to do and see.

Hey Joe

The Hustle by Danny Russell

While lounging around after brunch on the patio I occasionally glanced up from the newspaper to the TV as the possible but unlikely Grapefruit League champion Los Angeles Dodgers were beating up on the real world champion Boston Red Sox. I watched the game with the volume muted (sorry Vinny) as L.A.’s new manager Joe Torre sat quietly in Holman Stadium’s breezy dugout trying to figure out just exactly who are these unfamiliar boys in blue. He scratched his head pondering how to create an identity for his hodgepodge team of misfits.

Last year they were a bit too young and a bit too old and their laid back skipper, Grady Little, was a little too much like the skipper… from Gilligan’s Island.

Lest we forget, their season ended in more confusion than an episode of Lost.The boob tube was muted because I was listening to a digitally remastered box set of the still futuristic sounding Jimi Hendrix Experience. Forty years later and his music still make the hair on my arms stand up with his soaring solos and magical riffs. I was engulfed in a purple haze when Jimi wailed, “So-uh, are you experienced? Have you ever been experienced-uh?”

That’s when it hit me – Experience. Jimi explained it all in song.

Experienced professional veterans. That’s who Joe will lean on early this season to send a message to his gaggle of talented young wanna be stars. Admittedly, some of the Dodger vets are long-in-the-tooth vagabonds but not so long ago they were decent professional ball players. Except now, in the twilight of their careers they're forced to listen to Joe not only because of his multi-championship past but because they really have no other choice.

Bad play or behavior will get you cut or traded lickety split in 2008. Trust me.

Unlike last year, when the team divided into factions between youngsters and vets, this season will carry severe consequences for such stupid behavior and selfish comments. The front office finally went out and hired a truly respected, capable manager who has the stature and knowledge to assemble the winning clubhouse needed to forge a championship attitude.

Now I would have preferred that Frank McCourt snatched up the effervescent Bobby Valentine from exile in Japan instead of Torre but that’s another column.

So, like every training camp in March 2008, hope springs eternal. Each and every team says, “this is our year,” but there’s something different going on down there in Dodgertown. Maybe it is a sign of the times because there’s real change in the air. This being the Dodgers last camp in Vero Beach is a part of it. And maybe even because of the groundbreaking and unprecedented presidential campaigns of Barack Hussein Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton there is a feeling of true renewal, actual change, and hope. Whatever the reason – it is real. And one thing that is for sure is that change is greatly needed in both the Whitehouse and in DodgerNation. The Dodgers are famous for making change, like when they integrated MLB with Jackie Robinson, and now they have to embrace change in order to break their twenty year championship drought.

The status quo isn't and wasn’t working.

Joe Torre suddenly became available during the off season and the Dodgers instantly gained a leader who commands respect, demands maximum effort from his players, and gets both. His resume alone is too damn impressive for any player to ignore. A guy like Jeff Kent, who can be a major league curmudgeon at times can still play ball in that old school Ty Cobb kind of way and is a good fit for Torre’s style. Also expect lovable but fragile Nomar Garciaparra and bloated question mark Andruw Jones to both give their best efforts for their new boss and have bounce back years. And expect a big trade or two by the 4th of July, especially if infamous hypochondriac Jason Schmidt doesn’t pan out. He’s been great in the past but he’s a head case. Dodger fans must rely on a miracle of modern medicine to repair his elbow and Torre’s best Dr. Phil imitation to save Schmidt’s fragile psyche.

General manager Ned Colletti has a lot riding on that big right arm too. He really rolled the dice on the former Giant ace and it’s not working out so far. I am very glad Colletti showed some patience and grande cohones by not trading away future all-stars Matt Kemp, James Loney, Russell Martin, or any other of their talented blue chippers like Andy LaRoche, Jason Repko, Andre Ethier, and Chad Billingsley. But, I suspect Repko or Ethier or both might be dealt away for a lefty. Especially if Andruw Jones proves to be sound and healthy.

Experience is what old Joe will lean on when the Dodgers begin playing real games this spring but his Dodger kids will be tested early because of nagging injuries. Kent and Garciaparra are banged up, heal slowly, and both remain creaky. As the season wears on into the dog days of summer Joe will depend and demand a lot out of Dodger youth, riding them hard so they'll be ready to perform into autumn when each pressurized game grows in importance. If you can remember all the way back to the mid 1990’s, Torre, a true hometown hero who had grown up in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, led his first championship New York Yankee team with young, unproven talents like Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, and Jorge Posada then leaned on vagabond vets in the fall like Jim Leyritz, Cecil Fielder, Paul O’Neill, and Luis Sojo.

Recently, the Dodgers brilliantly tapped into their most experienced and wisest baseball resource by incorporating the great Tommy Lasorda back into the clubhouse. I expect a great season at Chavez Ravine and can’t wait to see Joe Torre ask Tommy Lasorda for his input. We might even see Tommy sitting right next to Joe in the dugout offering a little of his experience ala Don Zimmer.

Jimi Hendrix was, is, and forever will be a mind blowing genius. I just didn’t know he was able to foresee the 2008 Dodgers return to glory by speaking for Joe Torre to me from the grave as they practiced under the Florida sun but apparently he can because I could hear Joe’s thoughts resonating in Jimi’s 40-year-old lyrics:

So-uh, are you experienced?
Have you ever been experienced? (-uh)
Well, I have
Uh, let me prove it to you, yeah
Trumpets and violins I can-uh, hear in the distance
I think they’re callin' our name
Maybe now you can't hear them,
But you will, ha-ha, if you just
Take hold of my hand
Ohhh, but are you experienced?
Have you ever been experienced?

Get ready Dodger fans; this year promises to be a mind blowing experience. Summer 2008 is going to rock much like the late sixties did and so will the boys in blue.

So, have you ever been experienced?

Indeed.

Thanks for reading the Hustle and remember... give peace a chance.

NL East Preview

Last September, the Mets pulled of one of the greatest collapses in baseball history—losing 12 of their last 17 games and blowing a 7 game lead with three weeks to go in the season.

The NL East should be a tight race again this season, and though the Mets are the pre-season favorites, they should have fierce competition from Atlanta and Philly. If Florida or Washington wins the division I vow to get “Timberlake’s Bitch” tattooed on my forehead.

1. New York Mets
2007: 88-74, 2nd place
2008 Projected: 92-70

One pitcher won’t carry a team, but if Johan Santana was a Met last season, you can bet your big apple the Mets would have turned one of those twelve losses into a victory and an NL East crown.

When healthy, the Mets will have one of the best pitching staffs in the NL. But Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez are fragile old men who will be lucky to have 35 starts between them. So, as a collective unit I will call them Orpedro.

Along with Santana and Orpedro, the Mets have quality starters in John Maine and Oliver Perez. Perez finally showed some consistency last season and the Mets are hoping Maine can do the same this year after having a superb first half in 2007.

Though both are former All-Stars, Carlos Delgado and Luis Castillo have seen better days and make up the oldest starting 1B/2B tandem in the NL. On the other side of the infield, David Wright and Jose Reyes are budding superstars.

With Carlos Beltran roaming centerfield, it won’t matter what two scrubs are in the corner spots. The scrubs of choice appear to be Moises Alou and Ryan Church. Alou will miss half the season with various injuries that can’t be cured by urinating on one’s hands, and Church is the Mets x-factor. He’s still young and has the potential to be a 25HR/90RBI type player. Look for the Mets to poach an outfielder in mid-season from a struggling team like Pittsburgh or Kansas City.


2. Philadelphia Phillies
2007: 89-73, 1st place
2008 Projected: 87-75

The Phillies big off-season transactions were signing 3B Pedro Feliz and RF Geoff Jenkins, which is exactly why they won’t win the NL East. Their 13th ranked pitching staff from a year ago has more holes than a Tijuana donkey show and should have been goal #1 to upgrade over the winter. Cole Hamels, Bret Myers, and the ageless wonder Jamie Moyer will have to carry the starting staff which could be tough if Moyer decides to start collecting Social Security.

Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins give the Phillies the best infield in baseball, but they’re going to need a lot more offensive help from the likes of Pat Burrell, Feliz, and Jenkins if they hope to compete with the Mets and the Braves.


3. Atlanta Braves
2007: 84-78, 3rd place
2008 Projected: 86-74

Eleven straight NL East titles from 1995 to 2005 made the Braves the class of the National League. With a little luck this season, they could give the Mets a run for their money. John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, and Tom Glavine are consistent, proven winners and should carry a staff that might include the return of Mike Hampton. Hampton, in case you didn’t know, has been paid $30 million over the past two seasons to not pitch an inning. I, on the other hand, have been paid $0 to not pitch an inning.

The Braves took a big hit when 5 time All-Star Andruw Jones signed with the Dodgers, but they brought in Mark Kotsay to fill some of that void. That puts the bulk of the offensive load on Mark Teixeira, Chipper Jones, and budding stars Jeff Francoeur and catcher Brian McCann.


4. Florida Marlins
2007: 71-91, 5th place
2008 Projected: 78-84

The one thing the Marlins have going for them is they play the Nationals 18 times. For real baseball fans in Miami (all seven of you), it could be a fun season to watch the young talent they’ve stockpiled over the past couple years.

Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla might be the only two names you recognize in the starting line-up but the Marlins definitely have some future stars who’ll they’ll trade away in 4 years for more prospects.

One name to watch for is Andrew Miller, the first round draft pick the Tigers gave up in the Cabrera/Willis trade. Miller was the centerpiece of that trade for the Marlins and is being rushed into Majors after less than two years in the minors.


5. Washington Nationals
2007: 73-89, 4th place
2008 Projected: 68-94

If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Ok…I can’t resist.

With the exception of Ryan Zimmerman, the Nationals are stocked full of has-beens, almost something’s, and never will be’s. Outfielders Lastings Milledge and Elijah Dukes, both top prospects a couple years ago for the Mets and Devil Rays respectively, are looking for a fresh start with the Nationals this season. Both are talented but come with a truckload full of baggage.

If you recognize more than two names on Washington’s starting pitching staff then you probably work for the Nationals. They’re holding open tryouts to the public on Saturday. See you there.

If you’re anything like me, you’re name is Matt Toomey and you picked Cal State Fullerton to go to the Final Four in your NCAA Tournament bracket.

Happy 50th Anniversary Los Angeles Dodgers

Oh, and happy 20th anniversary since the last World Series.

Don’t get me wrong, the past 49 years really have been fun. Or at least most of the last 34 years that I can speak of. Making the trip from wherever I am calling home to beautiful Chavez Ravine has never failed to show me a good time. I can say that I was a part of some truly magical baseball moments. There was Kirk Gibson’s miraculous homerun in the ’88 World Series. There was the unbelievable four consecutive homeruns the Dodgers hit in the ninth inning to tie the game and eventually win it in extra innings two years ago. There was the three hit shutout that Jose Lima threw against the eventual champs, the St. Louis Cardinals, for the first post season win since 1988 (a truly magical scene). And how can we forget Fernando-mania. These are memory’s I will never forget. And I am sure there will be more. But here we are at our 20th year from the last World Series, and they have one (1) playoff win since. That is unacceptable. Heck, the Florida Marlins have somehow found a way to win two World Series titles and it seems like every other year they are trying to lose.

The hiatus from the World Series has not kept me from the ole ball park though, as I will undoubtedly continue to make the trip as long as they stay competitive. There is no doubt, however, that I am getting a little anxious.

The thing for me, and most Dodger fans, is that even if they stay mediocre or a little above average, I am still going to show up and cheer them on. But that’s just it. Just good enough to be competitive seems to be enough for us Dodger fans. We have shown up in droves each year in hopes of a significant run, just to see it end in disappointment. The Dodgers have been second to the Yankees in attendance for the past four years. In that time the Yankees have 10 postseason wins. The Dodgers have one. The Dodgers are always among the top revenue generators. Yet they haven’t been able to land any of the marquee free agents. That translates into 19 years of baseball without even coming close to the World Series. So, if you want to talk about the bottom line as a business, then the Dodgers are successful. But if you want to talk about the bottom line as a premier baseball team, they are not. They should be both.

I know this is not at the level of the old Red Sox or current Cubs slumps where a curse had to be blamed, but this is L.A. and 20 years is a long time. So, as one of the biggest markets in the league with a city full of loyal fans, I think we deserve more.

The Case for Mike Morse

Mike Morse has been one of the most pleasant surprises for the Mariners this spring, hitting .581 with 2 home runs and 10 RBI. Despite this offensive explosion, though, he has virtually no chance of being named our starting first baseman. It's true that Morse has had only 31 at-bats and that its just spring training, which is often not a good indicator of how a player's season will go. But even so, his numbers so far this spring are absurd. Richie Sexson would have to triple his average for it to even approach .581.

Even disregarding Morse's incredible spring, he has managed to hit .302 in 291 big league at-bats over the past three seasons. His career statistics suggest that he is capable of performing much better in the big leagues than Richie Sexson did during 2007. His on-base percentage is low, but at .365 it still beats both Sexson's 2007 and career OBP, by 70 points and 20 points respectively. While many Richie fans argue that his power makes up for his low batting average and on-base percentage, his slugging percentage from last season exactly matches Morse's career mark at .399. In 2007, Sexson did drive in a run once every 6.8 at-bats, slightly higher than Morse's career average of an RBI every 7.8 at-bats. Over a full season of 600 at-bats, though, that's only a difference of 12 RBI. Morse more than makes up for this loss with a career batting average that is 97 points higher than the .205 Richie batted in 2007.

In addition to being a productive hitter for the Mariners, Morse has improved his performance each time he has been called up:

Year BA/OBP/SLG3w

2005 .278/.349/.370
2006 .372/.396/.488
2007 .444/.500/.556
2008 .581/.658/.903

The Mariners wouldn't lose anything defensively by getting rid of Sexson either. According to John Dewan's Plus/Minus System, which ranks players according to which defensive plays they made in comparison to their counterparts on other teams, Richie tied with Prince Fielder for being the third-worst first baseman in baseball last season. The year was pretty typical of Richie's defense, as his 2005-2007 plus/minus score was -25, which ties him for fourth-worst in either league. While we don't know how Morse will perform defensively over a full season, it is unlikely that he would end up being one of the bottom five defensive first baseman in baseball, especially considering he's never made an error as a Mariner at any position other than shortstop. Another defensive advantage of inserting Morse in the lineup is his versatility; he is capable of playing shortstop, third base, left field, or right field in addition to first base. This is in contrast to Richie Sexson, who can play first base and DH... if you want your DH hitting .205.

Despite all this, the Mariners are not even considering adding Morse to their starting lineup. In fact, he is not even guaranteed a spot on their bench. Morse is out of options this season, and if he's sent back to Tacoma the Mariners won't be assured they can keep him. It would be a shame to lose a talented and versatile young player who could become one of the cornerstones of the team's future because the Mariners are unwilling to part with aging former sluggers like Sexson and Brad Wilkerson.

I realize that Sexson is an expensive player to bench, and it is highly unlikely that the management would ever agree to it. Maybe Richie can have a comeback season, returning to his 2005-2006 form and hitting .260 with 30 home runs and 100 RBI. But if he keeps struggling to keep his average above the Mendoza Line this season, the Mariners are going to have to consider replacing him at some point. And when they do, I hope they'll consider the young man with the .581 batting average.

Ranking The Left Coast

With recent successes and big off season moves, east coast teams like the Mets, Red Sox, Yankees, and Phillies continue to be darlings of the media when it comes to press coverage, nationally televised games, and SportsCenter highlights. But there’s 26 other teams in MLB, and some of the best reside on the west coast. Though we’ll be doing pre-season divisional analysis here at thewestbias.com in the coming weeks, here’s a quick ranking of the teams on the west coast.

1. The Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim, Pomona, Laguna Beach and western Riverside County. I didn’t make that up, the Angels are expanding their hostile takeover beyond the friendly streets of Anaheim. Season ticket holders can vouch for me.

The Angels are the team to beat in the AL West. Did they overpay for Tori Hunter? Of course, but at least they didn’t overpay for Juan Pierre. Their starting staff is solid with Jon Garland, Kelvim “Don’t call me Pablo” Escobar, John Lackey, and Jared “Call me Jeff and I’ll kill you’re first born” Weaver.

Offensively, they should be fine, though with the addition of Hunter, they have a surplus of outfielders. Since Garret Anderson is old and past his prime, the Giants will probably trade for him and sign him to a long term extension.

2. The Los Angeles Dodgers. I had a dream the other night that the Dodgers traded Juan Pierre for a bag of granola. Unfortunately it was only a dream.

If Juan Pierre would miraculously disappear, the Dodgers are the best team in the National League. Bold statement, I know, but L.A. already has three solid outfielders in Andruw Jones, Andre Ethier, and future MVP Matt Kemp. The problem is, Pierre is in the second year of a 5 year/$44 million contract which makes him virtually untradable and a tough pill to swallow for Dodger management if Torre sits him on the bench.

The complaints about Pierre are well-known: he doesn’t walk, can’t hit, throws like a girl, and drops a lot of fly balls. Other than that he was a steal for $44 million. The DailyNews mentioned he has an incredible work ethic and is a really nice guy. So is my gardener, but I don’t want him playing left field for the Dodgers either.

3. San Diego Padres. The Padres, like the Dodgers, could be very dangerous in the crowded NL West. But just like L.A., they have a lot of question marks. The signing of Mark Prior, Randy Wolf, and Jim Edmonds could payoff big if they stay healthy. But that’s a big if since in recent years they’ve all been about as healthy as an asthmatic child with polio.

What the Pads definitely have going for them are rising stars Adrian Gonzales, Kevin Kouzmanoff, and Khalil Greene--as well as consistent arms Chris Young, Greg Maddux, and the best pitcher in baseball not named Johan, Jake Peavy.

4. Seattle Mariners: On paper, Seattle should compete with the Angels. A year ago they had the 10th ranked pitching staff in the AL and that should greatly improve with the off-season pick-ups of Erik Bedard and Carlos Silva. Plus, Jeff Weaver won’t be throwing batting practice to opposing teams anymore. Offensively, they didn’t improve themselves this Winter, but if Richie Sexson can hit his weight…well, he’d still be only be hitting .237. But that’s 32 points higher than last year and he should regain his power stroke this season.

5. Oakland A’s: Billy Beane gets more bang for his buck than any other GM out there—and I’m not just talking about the ho’s in the 510. But, as with last year, the A’s are still in rebuilding mode which they hope to turn into full-on domination mode by the time their new stadium is built.

If Rich Harden stays off the DL, they have a pretty good one-two punch in him and Joe Blanton, but after that it’s slim pickin’s. I hear Jeff Weaver is still available. My guess is they’ll trade Blanton by mid-season for a couple of good prospects and continue the rebuilding process.

As usual the A’s picked up a couple former all-stars from the scrapheap for dirt cheap—Mike Sweeney and Keith Foulke. Hey, it worked with Frank Thomas. But unless Billy Beane pulls A-Rod from his ass, the A’s will be lucky to win 75 games this season.

6. Marin County Little League All-Stars: These guys are stacked with some of the best 12 year olds in the state. I wouldn’t be surprised if they made it all the way to Williamsport.

7. San Francisco Giants: It’s going to be a long season in city by the bay. Anyone who disagrees is most likely intoxicated.

Aaron Rowand, who was the fifth offensive option in Philly, will be the lone bright spot in the otherwise abysmal offensive vortex of mediocrity. Unless, of course, you think aging veterans Dave Roberts, Rich Aurilia, Randy Winn, and Omar Vizquel are all due for career seasons. And if you believe that, I say have another drink, my friend.

The good news for Giants fans is they have two of the most promising starting pitchers in the league with Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum. Throw in Barry Zito, Noah Lowry, and Kevin Correia and you have a pretty good starting staff. But because of their anemic offense, bullpen from hell, and an incredibly tough NL West, the Giants could have triple digits in the L column by season’s end. .

If you’re anything like me, your name is Matt Toomey and you just bought the domain name http://www.tradejuanpierreforabagofgranola.com/ (and .org)

Back From Hiatus

So... I just bought a new macbook for myself, and have discovered the most amazing new applications called WIDGETS. Sure, I sound completely out-dated, I know. You're probably saying "duh, welcome to the twenty-first century!" but seriously guys, this computer is amazing.

So yeah, back to my widgets. I have been keeping fairly current with Spring Training, thanks to the widget I downloaded that gives me baseball scores across the entire day, inning by inning, starting pitchers, etc. It's awesome. Now if only I had the money to afford gameday... I'm working on it!

As far as Spring Training goes, I find the game scores quite humorous. I mean seriously, look who is leading the American League. Tampa Bay? wtf? Come on now. And Boston has lost 4 of their 7 games? Whoa. So in my estimation, scores aren't the important part here.

So what are we supposed to be looking at right now? PLAYER STATS. A total wealth of information there. Lets look at this a bit, shall we?

Johan Santana
This guy was a headliner basically all Winter on the trading front. The Mets finally landed him, after runs by both Boston and the other New York team, which wasn't all THAT much of a surprise. After two starts this Spring Training session, his ERA is now 7.20, having pitched five innings, and yielded 6 hits, 4 earned runs, one of which was a home run, while fanning 5 and walking 1. His win-loss record is currently 0-0. And sure, this is only the beginning now, and not exactly a full indication of what his season will be like. However, by those stats, not nearly as impressive as I think people really expected. But still, as far as his year goes, I believe he will benefit from the move as much as the team will. Hopefully for the Mets, this will stabilize their year after such a disappointment at the end of 2007.

Miguel Cabrera
Aside from Santana, Cabrera was another big story of the winter trade talks. Many believed either the Angels or Dodgers would end up being the frontrunners for him, which they were for a good duration of the talks. However, in a last surprising move, Cabrera, along with Dontrelle "D-Train" Willis, Detroit made the most appealing and successful bid. So far, the third basemen has played a total of 7 games during this Spring Training, totalling 18 at bats. He has 3 hits, 1 run, 2 RBIs and has struck out once, batting an average of .167 with an equal on-base percentage, and a slugging percentage of a non-impressive .222. If this is any indication of what his year will be like, not good. But in reality, I believe the Tigers may be a team to watch this season, regardless of the stats now.

Dontrelle Willis
To follow up on teammates, D-Train has had much better stats so far. He has started 2 games, pitching 5 innings, and his ERA is currently a healthy 1.80. He has yielded 5 hits, but only one earned run, a homerun, and has only walked one batter while striking out 4. Not bad, not bad at all. I'll be keeping an eye on him this season for sure. I mean come on, the guy is D-Train!

Orlando Cabrera
Coming off a career year, this trade really baffled, and still baffles, quite a few people. In reality, it may benefit the needs of each team, depending mostly on who and how the Angels decide to replace Cabrera with at shortstop. His stats so far are not very impressive as of yet, plying 5 games and 15 at-bats, only hitting an average of .200 with 3 hits, 1 run, 2 RBIs, and 2 strike-outs. But knowing Cabrera like I do having watched him play his game every single day as an Angel, the White Sox will get their money's worth.

John Garland
For Cabrera, the Angels got Garland, who has been highly criticized by his stat count for the 2007 season. however, the Angels' staff as highly praised him, and assured their decision. As far as his Spring Training so far, Garland has started his first game in uniform (set to start again tomorrow), pitched 2 innings, gave up 2 hits, no runs, no bases-on-balls, and has struck out 1, leaving his ERA at a solid 0.00. Good first start, but hardly enough yet to really get a sense of his game. Tomorrow's game may help to stabilize some results. So as far as my assessment of him, I currently abstain.

Torii Hunter
Now this guy, whoa. I was totally stunned at the acquisition of this guy on free agency, especially just following the Angels' first year of a five-year contract with Gary Matthews Jr, who really wasn't a failure of the season. So another center fielder?Definitely a strange move to me. But let's take a look at this guy as of Spring Training: games - 5, at-bats - 12, hits - 8, runs - 6 (4 of which were doubles, 2 triples, and a home run), RBIs - 6, strike outs - 1, walks - 1, avg - .667, obp - .692, slg - 1.583. Granted it's very early, but wow. Those are some really awesome number. I'm, certainly, impressed. And if this is ANY indication of his season, I can't wait, and I'm totally on-board about his signing. Welcome to LAA Hunter!

And that's just a look at some of the more talked about moves from Winter. There are a ton of things going on in Spring training, and I'm anxious to see what comes of it by the end of this month. I can't wait for the games to begin. It's so exciting I can't even contain it

Those excluded from the Mitchell report

I know the time to analyze and breakdown the Mitchell report has long passed, but I still have some thoughts concerning this ground-breaking document that I would like to share. Instead of discussing those included in the report, the whole time it was being covered I was hoping that those excluded from the report would be discussed. That also brings up another point, instead of pointing out ballplayers who may have taken steroids or HGH or whatever, they should have released a report that told us the players who, without a shred of doubt, never took steroids. It probably would have taken less time and would have given a ton of guys legitimate excuses as to why their numbers were so bad or even give them the ability to make the case that they are better than they're given credit for. But I digress. There should have been more time spent on talking about guys people were surprised weren't in the report. Of course this would be bordering on slander and defamation, but fun nonetheless. Then that idea got me to thinking. What about all the non baseball players who you thought were always on steroids, but because their respective associations didn't launch a poorly planned investigation that wasted an egregious amount of time and money, the American people lost a great opportunity to unfairly throw them under the bus based on mere speculation. I mean isn't that what the American media is all about?

So without further adieu, here are my top 5 most notable Mitchell report exclusions;

1. 50 Cent- Rapper; One of the more obvious I would say. I mean come on look at the guy. He puts out a multi platinum selling album at just about the same time Barry Bonds is hitting splash hit after splash hit. Coincidence? I think not. Plus, as has been well chronicled, the man survived 9 gun shot wounds. You mean to tell me he did this without the use of HGH? I find that very hard to believe.

2. Any current or former American Gladiator- Yea, like they weren't using. Dudes are HUGE. The women too. I've never understood though, why do you have to use steroids to operate that tennis ball gun, seems like I could do that.

3. Wesley Snipes in Blade 1 and 2- Have you seen this movie!? He's a karate master who can jump off buildings and run like a cheetah. Oh and by the way, he kills friggin vampires! But I mean, if you're fighting vampires I guess I can look the other way while Brian McNamee shoots your buttocks with "B12 vitamins." Plus the fact that he's a vampire himself, but he can survive in sunlight gives you the impression that he's almost literally a vampire on steroids.

4. Hannah Montana- We needed a female in this list. The fact that she is so successful is almost reason enough at this point for me to include her. Also, if you ever hear her talk on her show (not that I have, everyday at 4:30 on channel 55 or anything...) she kind of has a man voice. Other than that, just call it a hunch.

5. Bill O'Reilly- The man has an enormous head. Its truly large, think smallish pumpkin with less capacity for judgment and a slightly larger vocabulary. Also he has been prone to fits of anger and often is seen yelling at his guests. Can you say roide-rage? Really though, I just don't like the guy and have been looking for a way to smear his name. Oh wait did I just say that out loud?

So there you have it! Im more than willing to hear more ideas supported by made up evidence and biased speculation about others who were unfairly excluded.

Spring Happenings

Nationals outfielder, Elijah Dukes, is ready to turn over a new leaf. Uh…wait a minute…actually, in a recent interview the 23 year old said, “from now on you'll probably get a chance to see what the real Elijah Dukes is like.” So, I’m a little confused. Is the real Elijah Dukes the guy who’s been arrested 6 times in 7 years--or, is the real Elijah Dukes the one who left his estranged wife a voice mail last year threatening to kill her kids? Did I mention that her kids are also his kids? Oops.

With all the steroid news lately, I was glad to see Bret Boone finally come clean…for having a drinking problem?? Boone, attempting a comeback with the Nationals, told http://www.mlb.com/ that it got so bad he would drink 12 to 15 beers after a game. “For me, it was an alcohol thing,” Boone said. No, really? I thought the 12-pack you drank every night was so your kids could make money recycling the cans.

Reigning homerun champ and Brewers first baseman, Prince Fielder, has gone vegetarian. According to The Griddle, the 300lb slugger read the book “Skinny Bitch in the Kitch: Kick-Ass Recipes for Hungry Girls Who Want to Stop Cooking Crap (and Start Looking Hot!)” Uh…Prince, is there something else you want to tell us?

While we’re on the topic of hot fat dudes, why won’t anyone sign David Wells?

Word from the Mets camp is that even with the addition of Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez still considers himself the ace of the staff. I’ll remember that in October when Johan wins the Cy Young and Pedro spends 3 months on the DL.

Cardinals Manager, Tony LaRussa, refuses to believe that Mark McGuire used performance-enhancing drugs. This is the same guy who bats his pitchers in the #8 spot, had a recent DUI, and wore a mullet until 2004.

Ok…I just can’t let it go. The best thing about Elijah Dukes is that in 2003 he was the father of two children born eight days apart. Horrific labor for the mother? Or two different baby mama’s? You know the answer….

If you’re anything like me, your name is Matt Toomey and you ate 3 bowls of Cinnamon Toast Crunch for breakfast today.

40-40 club

Off the top of your head, name an exclusive baseball milestone. 500 homers. Check. 300 wins. Check. 4,000 strikeouts. Check. Seven no-hitters. Check. But what about the 40-40 club?

Of all the baseball milestones and benchmarks that are religiously celebrated by baseball fans, the 40-40 club should rank among the most exclusive. Yet, for some strange reason, it’s not nearly as high among the pantheon of great individual baseball achievements as its difficulty merits.

If there ever was a ‘Members Only’ club in baseball, the 40-40 club would be it. And it should come with a complimentary ‘Members Only’ jacket.

The number of players that occupy this exclusive penthouse wouldn’t even get you a five-finger discount at your local bodega. Who fills this elite list?

Canseco. Rodriguez. Bonds. Soriano. That’s it.

I know, I know. A few others have come close. Willie Mays (36-40). Bobby Bonds (oh-so close at 39-43). Eric Davis (37-50). Darryl Strawberry (39-36). A near-miss by Vladimir Guerrero (39-40). Carlos Beltran (38-43, in two leagues no less).

In fact, the 40-40 club has such an exclusive cachet attached to it that hip-hop mogul, Jay-Z, named his ritzy Manhattan sports bar “The 40-40 Club.” While you’re there, be sure to check out the “Girls Night Out” package offered by the Last Don of hip-hop. Now that’s big pimpin, Hovah!

Now, keep in mind all of these have occurred in the modern roto-era, though Canseco’s 1988 stats have come under closer scrutiny recently given his penchant for anabolic steroids.

Which reminds me … did anyone happen to see Jose Canseco on the World Series of Poker telecast on ESPN a few weeks back? After he lost, it looked as though he was actually looking around the room for people to notice him and approach him. Oh, how the mighty have fallen!! From 40-40 to $40 buy-ins. From tagging Madonna to tagging along with Phil Hellmuth. Maybe he’ll have his own reality show on VH1 someday and everything will come full circle for him. I’m rooting for him.

I don’t care what you say, I’m holding onto Canseco’s ’86 Donruss Rated Rookie card … just in case. It’s in a safe, and somewhat nostalgic place right now, in a self-storage facility sitting inside an old Le Coq Sportif shoebox with 150 Gregg Jefferies ’88 Fleer rookie cards, some SportFlics, a few Transformers, an old pair of Vuarnet sunglasses, and some random (and poorly-written, I might add) love notes from middle school romances.

So why should a fantasy owner pay attention to a club that only has four members?
For starters – and for keepers – it’s a fraternity that just may grow in 2008. And if you can snag one of these potential stat-stuffers for your fantasy team this season, you’re going to be really happy you did.

Since 1922, there have been 51 30-30 seasons posted by 31 different players. Ten of them are from guys named Bonds. Four from Soriano. Three from the oft-overlooked Howard Johnson. Two from Ron Gant. Two from Bobby Abreu Two from underachiever Raul Mondesi. And two from another unlikely source, Jeff Bagwell. Even Dante Bichette, Shawn Green and Jose Cruz, Jr. pledged this fraternity once.

In 2007, three fantasy studs got past the velvet rope and were let in by the muscle to the 30-30 club. Can you name them? I’ll give you a hint. They’re all infielders. They all play in the National League. Two of them play in the NL East. The other one’s middle name is Emil and counts Barry Larkin among his childhood heroes.

Yes, that’s right, David Wright (NYM), Jimmy Rollins (PHI) and Brandon Phillips (CIN).
So what will it take for a fantasy stud to join the 40-40 club in 2008?

First, it’s got to be a player that’s relatively young. The older a player gets, the less likely he is to risk his career and job security by stealing bases.

Second, he’s got to play for an aggressive, station-to-station, offensive-minded team. The manager has to be an advocate of the running game. No Earl Weavers need apply. This makes the National League a more likely breeding ground for a 40-40 candidate.
Third, it wouldn’t hurt if the player’s team is out of the pennant race early in the season. A player in the heart of a playoff run might not risk outs on the base paths or by swinging for the fences. Once a team’s season is shot, a 40-40 candidate could focus on individual stats with near impunity. In fact, it’s a great way for a losing team to put fans in the seats.

Lastly, you’d have to avoid injury. It’d have to be a player who plays in at least 150 games. In recent years, 30 home runs has become almost a mundane achievement. Even 40 dingers is a realistic goal for a lot of guys. It’s usually the steals component of the equation that gets ‘em. Most of the guys that put up prodigious home run totals are big, husky men. Like Ryan Howard. And Prince Fielder. And while they can pound the ever-living snot out of a baseball, they’re not exactly a terror on the base paths.

So who does that leave in the running for 2008? Well, Wright, Phillips and Rollins stand out as obvious candidates. Carlos Beltran and Soriano could certainly join the club under the right circumstances. If the stars were aligned, and all the right strip clubs were open, maybe A-Rod could take another crack at it. Even Bobby Abreu might have a shot at it.

Anyone else? Maybe my boy, Curtis Granderson? Or Chris Young, though he needs to work on that .237 batting average to have a shot. And don’t sleep on Hanley Ramirez. Speaking of sleep, my deepest 40-40 sleeper is Brewers OF Corey Hart, … though he might not even have a starting gig going into 2008. If he hits 30-30, I’ll … I’ll “wear my sunglasses at night” …

In between bouts of dementia, and day-dreaming about someday joining a cult, David Gignilliat is a freelance writer for the thewestbias.com. He can be reached at uvadavidg@gmail.com and at his other online home, Quixotica (http://quixoticawords.blogspot.com), where he makes up silly words.

AL West: Where Else to Start?

Of course I start with the AL West. For one, the Angels are my favorite team. For two, this is the West Coast, and we are SEVERELY underrated in baseball, thanks to the over-hyping of the East by most sports commentary. And third, the AL is the prime place these days. So it is here that I will begin to analyze what will come for 2008.

The AL West last season was basically dominated by the Angels, who led the division all but about 10 days of the season. Seattle actually put on a fairly good show for the better part of the middle of the season, but their inability to be consistent brought them down (they had some good 8 game winning streaks, but were generally accompanied by some long losing streaks as well… bunch of streakers…ha!).

I don’t see a whole lot of change to that dynamic this year either. And here is why:

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: The move of Tony Reagins to GM definitely made a splashing impact in the off-season. For the better part of the last few years, Bill Stoneman has been perceived as a contemplator, one who thinks more than acts, which showed in trading times throughout the seasons. So the transactions this off-season definitely headlined. I’m still speculative as to whether or not I think Reagins is doing the right thing here. It’s not so much the free agent signing of Torii Hunter that I question. Though I do find it a bit, shall we say, “excessive,” to have made this deal. I understand the need for a power bat in the line-up; the Angels goal is to bolster for the off-season, since they have fairly good chances of dominating their division for the second year in a row. However, with last year’s signing of Matthews Jr. for an extensive contract in center field (and he is quite amazing at that position, just as Gold Glove worthy as Hunter, in my eyes, had he been healthy more often), I see Hunter as an excess that somewhat throws off the dynamic of the Angels’ typical outfield. The idea, so I’ve read, is to keep Hunter in center, and to rotate Anderson, Guerrero, and Matthews from left and right and the DH position in the lineup. But look who else is on the roster – still no trading of any of the other outfielders, having avoided arbitration with Juan Rivera, and still no trades involving Reggie Willits, who I personally adore beyond all measure (how many rookies do you know get their name chanted every time they come up to bat? The guy plays ball like it should be played – with heart and soul and drive. Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now). And there are a number of others that can handle the outfield. So there is quite a bit of depth there, and if injuries occur, that is a good thing. But in all, excessive is the word I’ll maintain. The trade that really still bothers me is the Garland-Cabrera swap. On any of the major sports commentary websites, the trade was generally seen as most favorable for Chicago. The argument is that Cabrera is over 30 and his contract would be up in another year, and this would allow younger players the experience at short stop, while bringing in another pitcher to the starting rotation. The way I see it, everyone is always saying how great the Angels farm system is for pitching, if not the best in the American League (the Diamondbacks being the best in the National). So I don’t understand the need to bring a sixth man into the rotation (since they still maintain that Santana, despite a VERY frustrating season, will bounce back and be amazing as ever) whose numbers aren’t exactly stellar, when there are people like Adenhart in the farm system, and those like Saunders who have had to prove themselves time and time again. As far as using this as a springboard for the Miguel Cabrera deal, it fell short. And now, the Angels are out the most stable short stop of last season, and probably what I would consider their team leader. Now, the middle infield will be left to Izturis and Aybar, which does not concern me too much outside of the fact that I hope they find a way to keep Iz’s bat in the line up regardless of where he’s playing. He. Is. CLUTCH. Aside from these minor things, I think the Angels basically have it in the bag as far as the division title in 2008, unless some major injuries make some major holes in the chemistry. But they are really so far loaded with talent in all aspects – starting rotation, infield, obviously outfield, bench, and hopefully an injury-free bull pen – that I find that difficult to imagine.

Seattle Mariners: As far as previous deals, the best thing they ever did was taking Adrian Beltre from the Dodgers three years ago. I’ve read a few places that he’s been considered a bit of a disappointment, though I can’t really see how. Yeah, so the Mariners haven’t figured out how to outdo the Angels; I don’t see how that can all be landed on Beltre. I guess they figured having him would do it all, but you can’t put team responsibility on one player. He’s done his job, and hits when it counts, but he can only do so much as one player. He brings power to the hot corner that everyone else in the division is basically searching for – in fact, the Mariners probably have the most power in the corners with Sexson and Beltre than any team in the AL West. They also have Johjima and Suzuki, who are also strong players, and as of the off-season, still have much of their lineup intact. They did lose Jose Guillen, but as far as that being an issue I don’t see why everyone thinks it will effect the team so drastically. If anything, solid pitching has been the plague of the Mariners’ existence, especially since Jeff Weaver moved from Anaheim to Seattle. They have tried to solve this issue in the off-season, adding Dickey and Silva to the lineup with Washburn and Hernandez, but were unable to land Kuroda like they desperately hoped. But my diagnosis? Problems with inconsistency, just as in 2007, but I can’t tell you why or where it comes from for them, it’s just something they’ve had to deal with and I don’t see how they’ll fix it just yet.

Oakland Athletics: 2007 was a season plagued by injuries for the As. For example, Travis Buck, a rookie last season, had his season cut short by injuries. But by this spring training, he will be the most experienced outfielder. That should send warning signals. This will definitely be their rebuilding years. I can’t believe the names that poured out of that team. Obviously the big move was Dan Haren to the Diamondbacks for a package of top prospects. This may have been a good move, considering Arizona has one of the best farming systems in baseball. However, it’s what else accompanied this in the off-season. Kotsay was traded for prospects Devine and Richmond to make up for the loss of pitching; Swisher to the White Sox for three more prospects (trying to solve the domination of lefties in the lineup); midseason losses of Bradley and Kendall; the letting go of Kielty and Loaiza on waivers; trading Scutaro, Stewart, and Piazza. I can’t even think of any names that still exist with that team. That pretty much wipes the slate as clean as it can possibly get. And look at the pattern of trades – all for prospects. Which means, there won’t be much experience on this team this season. Even the returning guys aren’t all that experienced. Blame it mostly on the fact that the A’s farming system has been getting thinner and thinner. Hopefully, for them that is, all these prospects will pay off – if not, assume more movement and rebuilding to ensue. The A’s, in this state, will probably be lucky if they can pull over the Rangers this season. But I may be surprised, and these guys may pull out some ridiculous magic – but I don’t put too much stock in that.

And finally, Texas Rangers: Yet another rebuilding year for these guys. It really started for them at the end of 2007, when they started playing nothing but bench players and minor leaguers brought up for the experience. And who could blame them? They were back by double-digits from the lead, and were eliminated pretty early. Why waste your time playing losing combinations, if you can get a head start on finding winning ones? I think that was probably a smart move for them, and may work out and favor them in standings over the Athletics. The off-season for the Rangers has been dominantly centered on pitching, with the addition of Jennings, Guardado, Wright, and Fukumori. They also acquired Broussard from Seattle in December, along with Milton Bradley. The experience may help them, especially with the younger prospects elsewhere. They also have some options with Saltalamacchia and Laird, two pretty stable players. They also have some repeat names in the lineup in Kinsler, Young, Catalanotto, and Blalock. In all, I actually think they have a more solid chance than the A’s, and though that may not be saying much at this point, it’s a start. Uncertainty really lies in the exact makeup of the starting rotation, as well as in the production of the outfield. The infield will provide some depth, thanks to the more experienced players, but the bench may have some uncertainties in a lot of inexperienced prospects.

Miss You Before You’re Gone

The Hustle by Danny Russell

In less time than it takes waiting in line for a plain frozen yogurt with blueberries at Pinkberry, the Los Angeles Dodgers will begin their 60th and final season of spring training at Vero Beach. After more than half a century of sweat, morning thunderstorms, fungos, and Sandy Koufax pitching tips under the hot Florida sun, the artists formerly known as the Brooklyn Bums will lace ‘em up for the last time from the Atlantic coast. Bummer dude.

The boys of summer sever yet another tie to their colorful Trolley Dodger heritage and fly the coop from the city that serves as headquarters for the Piper Aircraft Corporation after 55 seasons in Holman Stadium, which opened in 1953. Adios Dodgertown. Later Grapefruit League. See ya snow birds.

Next spring, they head to the Wild West to christen a brand new 10,000 seat $76 million facility in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona. The 2009 Dodgers will share their fresh digs with the Chicago White Sox. Did I just say share? It seems kind of weird for a team with such a storied and prestigious past as the Dodgers to be sharing their training facility with another team. It’s sort of like time-sharing a new convertible with your mom. Or like wearing someone else’s BVD’s. Eew… Yuck.

Don’t get me wrong, team owner Frank McCourt has plenty of reasons for heading west, in fact, millions of them. For instance, televised Cactus League games will most likely attract more eyeballs because they’ll finally be playing in the same time zone. And southern California hardball nuts will be able to daytrip to camp or take off for a weekend vacation to check out their beloved former Brooklyn Bridegrooms.

And, of course, there’s nothing like that new stadium smell. Ahh. But still. What about tradition? Heritage? Loyalty? Your own parking spot? I never liked the Lakers and Clippers or the Jets and Giants playing in the same buildings. It doesn’t seem right. But that’s only a small reason why I’m waxing so un-poetically about the past.

The real reason I feel so nostalgic about the Dodgers leaving the tropical confines of Vero Beach is because it reminds me of something very sad (besides steroids) that looms over all of baseball – All too soon, and much to my sorrow, the Dodgers will be losing their richest, greatest, classiest link to their majestic past - Vin Scully.

Mr. Scully enters his 58th season and, who knows, maybe his last season as the voice of the Dodgers. He turns 82 on November 29th. And, just like I still hope for kids everywhere that Santa Clause is real, I hope for our sake that the Bronx native Vincent Edward Scully never retires. Future generations ought to be able to get to know him too. But even fairytales have a conclusion. All seasons come to an end. And, despite his amazing longevity he is, after all, only human. Sadly, at some point the bell tolls for all of us and inevitably Vinny will have to vacate his magical position behind his microphone. At most, he’ll step down within a season or two.

As Vinny says, "I caaan't believe it!"

So, here’s some friendly advice for anyone within earshot. And this goes for all you Dodger haters too. We know you’re out there. Take a little time from your hectic life and catch Sir Vin calling a game or two with his gifted smooth voice before it is too late. Put down the crackberry, (and Pinkberry) stop texting, get off those whacked websites, and find an afternoon or evening to just sit back and listen to Vin weave his fanciful yarns before he’s gone. Listen to him, stream him, podcast, him, watch him, steal him off your neighbors basic cable; no matter how you get him, just promise yourself one thing – you’ll try.

Wash the car, head to the beach, go driving, jogging, whatever; as long as soothing Vin accompanies you. Your stress will melt away with each golden syllable. The still red-headed Mr. Scully’s perfect style is somehow both erudite and folksy at the same time. He can work in world history, Hollywood tales, a player’s family tree, Shakespearean sonnets, a birthday wish here and there, and yet never misses a single pitch. Then, between innings, you’ll hear his long running Farmer John commercials that, I know for a fact, have converted countless starving vegetarians back to meat. No one can resist his enticing and endearing Dodgerdog promos. Mmm…Dodgerdogs.

Trust me, listening to the words, wisdom, and poetry of the former Fordham University standout will add rings to your tree and put a smile on your face. And, as a bonus, for the first time since 1988, the Dodgers actually have a shot at getting back into the Fall Classic. This is one of the most anticipated seasons in years for Big Blue. But much more on that later this season.

For now, I’m happy I found you, or you found me, and I hope that you take my counsel to relax a spell with Saint Vincent before his honeyed voice goes silent. He’s the sweetest man on the airwaves. Vinny, I miss you before you’re gone.

On a personal note – I look forward to you coming back to http://www.thewestbias.com/ and reading our columns, especially my little feature, The Hustle. I promise to be honest, share my feelings, think before I write, and tell you everything I know about all things sports. You’ll get my humble opinions, ridiculous rants, and silly tirades. Cockamamie theories, new ideas, and half-baked predictions; in other words, the very best I have to offer. I know you won’t agree with my perspective all the time, hell, you might not ever agree with me, but I truly welcome your comments, complements, and critiques. Just try to be fair and informed.
Remember, stayed tuned to Vinny, read The Hustle by Danny Russell, and give peace a chance.

My First Article – and a Brief Disclaimer…

I don’t claim to know everything about anything, especially a sport like baseball with such a wealth of history and strategy and player diversity. However, I do know what I think about it. I will add the warning label now that I am by no means an expert in all things baseball, and I will occasionally be human (oh God no!) and make mistakes and say something that may not make sense, be right, or be popular. But so long as you care to read, I’ll keep talking. And even if you don’t care to read, well I’ll just keep talking anyway!

Oh, and of course, expect my typical outbursts on how much I hate the prominent baseball writers’ dominantly East Coast bias. They WILL occur, and my own West Coast bias will be just that – strongly biased.

Right now, baseball seems to be in a bit of a funk. And no, I’m not talking about it being the off-season. I’m talking about all the conspiracies and unfair advantage seeking and the illegal usages that have plagued baseball – and really, most sports if you go back and actually LOOK for it – which have become a central focus the last few years, and especially this off-season since the release of the Mitchell Report. Now there are two ways I can go about this as an analyst. I can beat you to death with facts, opinions, and senseless musings on this topic, like most people will do on most sports news and commentary sites for the rest of the off-season and probably well into the regular season… OR I can actually talk about baseball. So this is all I will say about the Mitchell Report and steroids in baseball as it all stands as of this moment:

It is generally human nature to look for a sure-fire advantage over others. Some people have that natural advantage without having to go outside themselves; others… well, not so much. What happens? People look for an external means of getting ahead. This isn’t just drug use or baseball related. EVERYTHING works this way – insider trading, government conspiracies, studying the answers before a test… everyone has done something of this nature, I don’t care how innocent. Yes, things might not exactly be as illegal as say pumping yourself with toxins that totally alter the natural abilities of your physical state, but hey, you get the idea. So as far as making this whole steroid issue the big front runner of the off-season or the regular season still yet to come, I think we’re making a mistake in sports news. Yes, steroids are bad, and those that illegally went about using (note that HGH was not banned until 2004? Or 2005? Point being, people were using it before it was banned, so they can’t be held responsible for what was banned AFTER) should be punished, and probably will be. But what did we do in focusing all this attention on something negative? We detracted from the actual sport itself, and the people that play it fairly and incredibly well. Will baseball be forever tainted by steroids use? Only if we focus all our attention on negativity. But I say, we get off the train of pessimism here and go back to caring about the actual sport itself and not the corruption of some individuals who don’t define the totality of the sport itself anyway. We need to go back to paying attention to the players that do it right, and especially now in the off-season, the trades, acquisitions, and changes that we hope to see in teams that will make everything more exciting and competitive.

This is all I plan on saying about this issue in-depth. I feel like the sport itself needs to go back to being frontrunner, and that’s what I plan to do with my analysis. You want to talk steroids? Go ahead. As for me, I’m going back to talking about baseball.