Baseball ready for new year

It is never really too early to get excited about what is around the corner for baseball, and with the sun setting on 2007, this seems like the perfect time. This year brought many great stories in baseball, and discussing all of them in the depth that they deserve is far beyond the scope of this blog. With the good comes the bad, and we always have a few blotches that must be bleached out as well.

The 2007 year was graced with the culmination of the steroid era, and it is too bad that the zoo that is the Mitchell report has only begun. What a world it would be if I could go to sleep on New Year's Eve and wake up the next morning, the first of January, and be able to focus my eyes on the diamonds that we all love without the clutter of human growth hormone and disloyal trainers. This is a fairy tale world, one that may not be seen for another five or ten years, or even more frightening, never again.

The steroid scandal is baseball's morning cup of coffee. It is a ritual that is so engrained, life without it is unimaginable and cranky at best. To ask the new year to bring baseball's glory back, untainted at its core, is like asking Hollywood to get rid of the rehab-prone individuals who fill the pages of gossip magazines. What would life be like without the tabloids reporting the recent relationship struggles of the stars, where women and men turn to washups in their mid-twenties. Only one can imagine.

That would be my wish for the new year, only because I love the purity of baseball more than anything and believe that this game has much more to offer than stroy lines. It is a travesty to treat baseball like we treat those who are handed fame and then fall in the public eye. There is a certain level of reorting that must be down in any field, and I understand that goes with baseball as well. Steroids are a big part of the news these days and it would be wrong not to dabble in those waters at all.

But I feel there is a line of prosperity that is crossed all too often. Where does the line of reporting turn into the realization of flooding the game? I believe that baseball fans everywhere are utterly sick of the steroid scandal and would not care at all if we stopped putting it in the spotlight. Baseball and its heroes belong in the spotlight. The Mitchell report belongs on the backburner where it is investigated and the game is cleaned up, but without all the bells and whistles that we as a society have latched onto it.

We have failed in the sense reporting the news but talking about the things that fans actually tune in to sports for. Nobody is a sports fan so they can hear about more negatives in the world and that their safe haven may all of the sudden be tainted. That is out in the open and it is time to move on. High school is only four years long, fellas, and then it is time to graduate. Steroids has taken its final exam and returned its books. The only thing left to do is walk in the ceremony.

It is our fault as fans for letting baseball get so wrapped up in this. The media is responsible for what is printed in newspapers, what is talked about on sports radio, and what is seen on television. This is part of baseball, but it isn't what baseball is. We have lost sight of what the game actually is through this transgression. But, hey, this is has been a year that all of this was dropped on the game without warning. A tragic death in the baseball family. I get it. For that, 2007 gets a mulligan.

So for everyone who still wishes to get those last few thoughts about the Mitchell report, HGH, or Roger Clemens on paper, please use the final day of the year to do it. Because when that calendar says January 1, 2008, the baseball world is closing this chapter, damnit. We are moving on like Joe Torre to lands where your superior does threaten you.

January is the time of the year where we want to read stories about our favorite players getting their bodies in shape for the upcoming season and hitters picking up bats to be ready for Spring Training. By this time, we are delighted to hear about ptichers getting back on the mound so they are ready to report in another six weeks. We love to hear about the men whose bodies have failed them, but their hearts and minds pick them back up and give them another encouraing kick in the butt. What about these guys? Lets write some stories about the good guys in this game.

2008 wil be kicked off with reporting how Derek Jeter feels about the Yankees overturned rotation, how Travis Hafner is working out so he can rebound from his disappointing 2007, and how Hiroki Kuroda is adusting to the American lifestyle in Los Angeles. These players love the game of baseball and, because of their hard work and dedication, provide us with years worth of memories of sport.

You were a problem child, 2007, but you are still loved in the end. We accept the year for what it is worth, and look towards even brighter and healthier days ahead.

Here is to 2008 and returning baseball to its exalted throne!

Hamilton will thrive in Texas

If you are a sports fan, it is impossible to separate your heart and soul from feel good stories and athletes overcoming personal demons to rise up on the field. But as soon as we allow ourselves to get emotionally attached, the business side of sports is like the girlfriend who cheats after a happy couple of years. That is exactly what happened when the Reds traded Josh Hamilton to the Texas Rangers the other day.

I, like many others around baseball, could not help but root my heart out for the embattled slugger who was a "lock" to reach superstardom coming out of highschool. Hamilton's career was quickly derailed by drug abuse and many figured that he had wasted his shot at professional baseball. After the Reds took the outfielder in the Rule 5 draft, they gave him a short leash and a chance to rediscover the bounty of athletic gifts that were given to him.

Hamilton responded by having a solid season in the limited time he played, partly due to injuries. The slugger still has monster power to all fields, a cannon for a left arm, and playes great defense. The Reds took this above-average production and sold high. You cannot look at this move from a business standpoint and frown on what the Reds did. But it is indeed one of those stories that you only wished would have a fairy-tale ending.

Either way you draw it up, the Rangers and Josh Hamilton are good for each other. Texas was in desparate need of a centerfielder, and they found one without committing outrageous dollars to Torri Hunter, Andruw Jones, or Aaron Rowand. Relying on Hamilton to be the everyday centerfielder for the next five years may be the baseball equivalent of walking into the Taj Mahal casino and immdeiately putting 5 grand on red. It can be a bust, or you can hit the biggest jackpot yet.

I believe that all signs point up for Texas. If Hamilton can stay healthy, I believe he will be at worst a very solid major league player. At best he will become a perennial all-star. I would like to see Texas give Hamilton a full season in center in 2008 and then sign him to a multi-year contract next winter, given he has a good season and does not encounter any setbacks with his personal issues.

For Hamilton, this is a win-win situation. He is moving from one heaven to another. The Ballpark at Arlington is a great hitters park like Great American, and Hamilton will thrive as a lefthanded hitter. With the heat that englufs Texas for the better part of the baseball season, Hamilton can hit .300 and drop 40 bombs on American League pitching. Hamilton is still young enough and should be hungry enough to turn in some monster seasons.

Edinson Volquez, the pitcher the Reds got in exchange for Hamilton, shows a lot of promise but also has many question marks. The stuff is there for the righthander to succeed at the big league level, but there is only one thing that is spearating him for being a quality major league pitcher, and that is nothing more than command. Command, and ultimately command of the fastball, is what separates good arms in the minor leagues from equally good arms in the major leagues.

Assuming each player reaches their full cieling, I give the edge to Texas simply because of what type of player may possibly be hiding in that shell of Josh Hamilton. Volquez will not be an ace, and it would be hard to rate a pitcher over an all-star centerfielder who plays 150 games a year if that pitcher is not a bonafide number 1.

It will be interesting to follow the progression of the career of these two players, but there is no doubt that Christmas came early for the Texas Rangers.

Dodgers lean to the right

I thought baseball was a game of playing the percentages and playing the odds. Mixing and matching pitchers with the opposing hitters, and vice versa. Baseball is about answering the opposing manager's double-switch with a rebuttal of your own. What ever happened to mixing in a lefthander amidst a wealth of righthanders, to give the opponent a different look? Apparently those rules only apply to the bullpen, and even then they are under fire at times.

The Los Angeles Dodgers recent signing of free-agent righthander Hiroki Kuroda will serve them well over the course of his three year contract. Kuroda is suppossedly a horse who will eat up plenty of innings and provide consistent starts. Perfect. Exactly what the doctor ordered for the ol' Dodger Blue. Kuroda's addition to the Los Angeles rotation makes them a scary opponent in the National League West and will battle the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres for the best rotation in the West.

But, hey, the Dodgers sure aren't taking a secretive approach when it comes to managing a lineup. The projected starting rotation for the Dodgers on opening day includes these names: Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda, Jason Schmidt/Esteban Loaiza. All of those pitchers are righthanded. Notta one will bring that lefthanded tail on the fastball, or above-average pick to firstbase, and more importantly, a different look and something to chew on for the opposing managers when making out their lineup cards.

What is going to happen to the Dodgers when they face teams with predominantly lefthanded hitting lineups is the question I really would like to know. I am curious to see if these righthanders can keep those types of offenses at bay and keep the Dodgers in the ballgame.

So much of baseball is about developing a rhythm, timing, and feel. It may not seem like much, but when teams are playing 3 and 4 game series', hitters can get confident and get locked in knowing that they will be facing four righthanders over the weekend. You may ask, how will one day have any affect on the player the next day? It is simply a different look and something else to adjust to. Hitters are like the Constitution. The last thing they want to do is change.

This may seem like nitpicking, and it quite possibly is, but I really am curious to see how the games are managed and how this minute detail may come to affect the Dodgers' season. Will it have an actualy impact? Hard to say. But I honestly believe that the odds of this playing a role in the team's success is higher than slim to none.

But with all of that aside and the southpaw nowhere to be found, I am a firm believer in putting the best product possible on the field, and it appears that is what GM Ned Colletti is doing. There is no sense in putting a mediocre lefty in the place of a solid righthander for the sake of giving the team a different look. It is nice, yes, but you want to throw your best at the opposing team each night. If they all happen to righthanded, so be it.

One way to combat this slight disadvantage is to have a greater lefthanded presence in the bullpen. Sorry folks, Joe Beimel is not going to get it done. The Dodgers need to add at least another quality lefthander to the bullpen, two would be ideal. Without these nutty lefthanders around, Joe Torre's options are limited when he wants to break down a game in the later innings. Every other team will be playing baseball while the Dodgers are playing craps. Blow the die a soft kiss and let them fly with fingers crossed. That will be the Dodgers in a nutshell.

I hope this isn't the case because, beyond what would be my own personal enjoyment, it would be thrilling to see a staff overcome what is known as "the book". "Playing by the book" is only worth a couple of cents if it brings you a championship. Without the titles, it's worth, well, say a car with a flat tire. A water bottle with a hole in it. You get the idea.

The Dodgers will be one of the more exciting teams to watch next year due to their influx of young talent. This roster is one you look at and can picture so many great things from, yet the possibility of flopping is fresh in mind after the debacle that was the September of 2007. For the sake of the baseball fans who flood Chavez Ravine, I just hope these starting pitchers can throw a fastball inside and a changeup away.

Players coming clean

In the wake of the Mitchell report, we are starting to see some players admitting their use of HGH or steroids. A handful of past-users have already come out and said so, and there will surely be more to follow. Major League Baseball is going to conduct interviews with at least fourteen of the players who were listed in the Mitchell report and ask them questions along the lines of what their checks were written for.

There are two sides to this progress. As for baseball, this is about the only way that they can go about cleaning up the game and cracking down on the players who have used steroids or human growth hormone. Without failed drug tests, the only evidence that is availbe is someone's word against the player's word. Baseball needs to get to the bottom of this so the game, and the players, can move on and we can go forward and shed light on the play that is exhibited on the field throughout Major League Baseball stadiums.

The complete truth will never be known, no matter how much investigation takes place or how many interviews are conducted. There will always be more players who used HGH or some form of steroid than we know about. To be fair, there will probably be players who have been accused of using these drugs, but are indeed innocent of such actions. Either way, this era will not be tainted simply because it is known as the "Steroid Era". This era could be equally deemed as the "Lying Era", the "Unknown Era", or the "Speculation Era". It is a shame half of the media space available today is centered around issues like these, but I supposse it is time to turn all stones once and for all.

From the players perspective, the best option is to come out and tell the truth. We have already seen Andy Pettitte, Fernando Vina, and Brian Roberts, among others, come clean and admit that they used steroids or HGH at some point in their careers. HGH was legal in baseball at the time that most of these players used it. That does not take into the account the legal ramifications involved with the means of obtaining HGH, but that is for another time, and someone more qualified, to talk about.

For the players that used these drugs when they were "legal" in baseball, it would behoove them to admit that and then defend their image. If that is all there is too it, then these players would not have the rest of these allegations held against them. They can admit that they used it when it was not banned, and most will contest it was for healing purposes, and they should not be labeled as cheaters. For those who put it off and deny it, only for it to be discovered later on, are only digging themselves a deeper hole, and one that is not necessary. The only players who really are in favor of heavily denying or hiding their history is the ones that have or still do use steroids, and those stories will be brought to the surface at some point.

Rowand's impact will lie underneath the surface

Two men who patrolled the outfield grass while dawning the black and orange regalia left an impact on this Giants organization that will probably never be matched in the organization's record books again. Willies Mays and Barry Bonds are, of course, the Giants that have put this club on the map, one representing the old-school baseball days, and the other hailing from the new-school. Both men played on teams that were good, at times great, and always fueled a certain level of competition. The Giants-Dodgers rivalry is one of the most historic in the game of baseball, and is an absolute treat if you can respect the history and the mutual hatred.

But in order for us to dig up the game's bad blood and fighting words of the past, the Giants need to resemble a club that will make a run for the National League West title, and contend for World Championships. As of today, the Dodgers are way ahead of their rival in that race, and may be on the brink of a 5-10 year dynasty out West.

These are not your old Giants, San Francisco fans, but rather a debilitated group of ballplayers who are fastened to the depths of underachievement. Comerica will never be the old Tiger Stadium, Dodger Stadium, as great as it is, is not Ebbets Field, and the new Yankee Stadium, no matter how alike it looks, will simply not be the House That Ruth Built.

Originals always tend to be the best version of a product in the end, but we know they do not seize to last forever. New and improved versions must come along, and with that progression, comes periods of change and rebuilding. This is that time for the fans in orange by the Bay. One era is being closed and interjected into history, while the San Francisco Giants plant the seed for a new day and age that will be based around dominating young pitching. Fastballs will plow into the smooth, sturdy leather of the catcher's mitt, detonating a sound that will scatter ripples across the surface of McCovey Cove. Gone are the days of baseballs raining from the heavens, providing free souvenirs for fans everywhere.

Aaron Rowand is a baseball player through and through; I love the guy. He had a career year in 2007, and he was able to capitalize with a $60 million contract partly due to the Giant's desperate need of offense, and partly due to the sheer free-agent market. Is it likely that Rowand will continue to put up the numbers, or improve upon them, that he did in 2007? Probably not. The odds are in favor of him regressing, to whatever extent that may be.

He will provide defense, but he is not a superb centerfield prescence that will cut down balls in the spacious gaps in San Francisco. Yes, the Giants overpaid for the true value Rowand provides, but I believe "overpaid" isn't even worth discussing in today's baseball world due to the prodigious growth in baseball revenues which is responsible for part of the reason why the free-agent price tags seem so out of wack. The game is prospering and that is a wonderful thing. It may be time for us to adjust our expectations and raise the bar on our "sensible limits" when it comes to committing dollars to players. It is possible the dollar isn't as worth as much in today's age.

Regardless of all of that, the biggest impact Rowand will make on this ballclub is not his physical tools or mental approach, which every player should strive to obtain, but will come in the form of the Giants starting rotation. By adding Rowand to the roster, the Giants can end the senseless speculation about sending Tim Lincecum or Matt Cain to a club to get a slightly above-average hitter because GM Brian Sabean is having nightmares about sending this lineup to Spring Training.

By hanging on to Cain and Lincecum, this organization has a fighting chance to make something out of themself in the next five years. Lincecum for Rios? Are you kidding me? That isn't idiotic. That is indescribable. If the Yankees want to offer Alex Rodriguez straight up for Lincecum or the Cardinals want to offer Pujols for the same deal, alright then pull the trigger. But anything short of that is nonsense, because losing a young pitcher of that caliber will set San Francisco back five years ontop of whatever ground the club already has to make up.

Brian Sabean should focus this club on its pitching in the rebuilding process, and put a formidable offense on the field, but don't worry about putting a great one out there. The Giants play their home games in a "baseball stadium" this side of the Grand Canyon, anyway. The vast pool of green grass is a pitcher's heaven. Pitching and defense will play up in this ballpark, so that is what the strengths of the Giants need to be.

This is America, a free country, so waste away your precious offseason pondering hours any way you please. But before you stamp a big question mark on the face of Aaron Rowand's contract, don't simply look at what he will bring to the table in the next five years. Look at what his prescence saves the Giants in the next five years. The deal is awfully good if you look at it that way. Besides, like I said, this isn't the game of baseball played in the early-90s with strikes threatening our pastime. The game is like a millionaire at Christmas time, a twenty year old winning the lottery, a celebrity donating for charity. There's money to spend. Pony up and cut stingy from baseball's list of values, the bar has certinaly been raised.

Mitchell report fuels speculation

So, this is really the best thing we have to talk about, huh? It is unfortunate during these somber months of winter hibernation, baseball doesn't take a small peak out of the hole to see if the snow has somewhat melted, providing us with some hope or joy or optimism. I would much rather spend my offseason talking about things like which core of young kids is going to lead their team to the 2008 National League West title? Or, what can we really expect from the Mets in 2008? Or, how are the Yankees going to respond to being knocked off their American League East perch, and how will they play under first-year owner Hank Steinbrenner? And if we really msut dig deep, we can even continue throwing out our crazy ideas about Johan Santana.

But the Mitchell report is absolutely the last thing I wish to address in the game of baseball. It is important, I realize that, because the steroid issue has gotten way out of hand in baseball, and it probably began somewhere in the mid-90s, not just when Barry Bonds went on a tear that nobody in baseball history can match up to.

But, hey, what does the Mitchell report really do for the game of baseball? It's my understanding that a whole list of names are going to be released who "allegedly" used performance-enhancing drugs. Even if they did use those PEDs, then what? Do we call in the Armed Forces to personally walk them out of their respective clubhouses and out of the annals of baseball forever?

I am all for an extremely thorough, and extensive drug testing program. I think baseball has taken steps forward in addressing that issue, begining with bulking up the suspensions for users. But I just have a hard time believing we are going to do anything but spin our wheels if nobody has concrete evidence that a player used steroids. Concrete evidence to me is a failed drug test. There is so much speculation and he-said-she-said going through the world today, how can any of that be taken seriously? Especially when a player's career and reputation are on the line.

I might be crazy, but I just don't see the logic in the Mitchell report. I believe the investgation was a waste of time. I only say that because I don't see where baseball goes from here, after the report is released. I don't see the next course of action that will be taken. The only thing that is definite about this process is that instead of the entire country continually throwing Barry Bonds under the bus, the country will have 50 other names to drag to the ground, wrap up in a chokehold, and force to tapout.

Baseball is consumed with constant stories, books, and columns about potential steroid users that it floods the beauty out of the game. Everything is over done that I really believe half of baseball fans around America could care less what happens with the Mitchell report and this entire investigation. They simply want this whole deal to pass over so we can get back to enjoying the game on the field, and not worrying about futile words that float through press rooms.

In that sense, I am eager for this report to come out. The sooner the better, if you ask me. That way, Thousands of writers can park their stories upon us and the complete and utter accusations will not simply fly through the air, they will be the air. Take a breath, take in another steroid story blaming a player for something that has yet to be fully proven. That's how the world is today and it is ridiculous. Once this all happens, the sooner baseball will be to coming out on the other side where we can actually talk about the game again.

But, if it was up to me, I wouldn't spend more thn five seconds looking over or thinking about that report. It will do nothing but add more fuel to the fire and provide more mundane story lines to be inked. There is no way that I am the only person in America who is completely sick of all of this steroid talk and what players allegedly have done. Now tell me, baseball fans, how about them 2008 Cubs?

Gagne makes good off of past

There once was a time when the lyrics of "Welcome To The Jungle" rocked the air that was hovering above the field in Dodger Stadium and everybody knew what was about to happen. Eric Gagne would come on, unmercifully expose the holes of wounded men, and record yet another save in succession. There was no wondering what would happen if a few men just so happened to find their way on base. Those thoughts didn't exist because they were as close to impossible as you can get without being a perfectly sure thing.

Those days are in the past and this is not the same Eric Gagne, but I believe the man can still do the job. Gagne got out of what was a personal nightmare in Boston, and reached an agreement with the Milwaukee Brewers on a one year, $10 million deal. Gagne will be moving into the National League Central, the weakest division in all of baseball, and will close for a team that could be the fronturnners to win the division.

The Brewers did not give that kind of money to Gagne based on his 2007, which was indeed a tale of two seasons. Gagne pitched well for half a season in Texas before being dealt to the Red Sox at the trade deadline. His time in Boston went about as horrible as it could go as his fastball was hammered, and Red Sox Nation never embraced him as part of the family. Rightfully so.

With that in the past, Gagne can focus this winter on getting ready for a brand new stage in his career that could take off with the Milwaukee organization. There isn't any doubt that he can return to his old form and dominate the ninth inning like he used to. This guy was the best closer in baseball for a period of four years. He had the best three season stretch of any closer in baseball histroy.

So it is not as if Gagne is an unproven piece who is being thrown into the bullpen to try to get some value out of his arm because he cannot cut it as a starter. Gagne will still run his fastball up to 94 mph, and his change up can still be a great pitch. It would help Gagne to mix in a breaking ball and throw the change up a little more often. This will make his fastball an even better offering, and he will be able to put righthanded and lefthanded hitters away with it.

The biggest factor of all is his health. Gagne has battled arm and back problems recently, and he needs to show that he can stay healthy for a full season again. I would assume that he is as healthy as he has been in years, or else the Brewers would not of put this kind of money on the table for him. If Gagne regains his confidence and stays off the DL, he can flourish in the National League and return to the status of one of the game's best closers.

Detroit hits the jackpot

In the wake of the blockbuster deal that was agreed upon Tuesday night at the Winter Meetings between the Detroit Tigers and Florida Marlins, we can now begin to speculate what may be when the players switch teams. The deal is not finalized, as it may be contingent on the players involved in the deal passing physicals.

Assuming that all physicals are passed and the deal is done, the Tigers get Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera in return for Andrew Miller, Cameron Maybin, Mike Robello, and two minor league prospects. Both teams bring in a wealth of talent, but I am going to side with the Tigers on this deal based on one major principle: proven production.

If you are a baseball fan that is following the offseason whatsoever, you know by now that Miguel Cabrera is a 24-year-old super-stud who is capable of being one of the best hitters in the game, and possibly one of the best hitters of his generation when his career is all said and done. There is really nothing he cannot do on the offensive side, making the Tigers' lineup downright scary.

Cabrera's defense will never be that great, and the Tigers would be plenty happy if he can be average at the hot corner. There has to be some correlation between Cabrera's poor defense and increasing weight, though. Many sources have stated this offseason that Cabrera has already lost 15-20 pounds and looks like he is in the best shape of his career. If the guy comes into Spring Training with his body toned and weight under control, it may not be long before we are talking about Miguel Cabrera the all-around player, and not just the hitter than we know now.

The Tigers bought low on lefty Dontrelle Willis and really have an opportunity to uncover a nice gem in the former ace. Sure, Willis had a terrible 2007 that left many people questioning his diminishin stuff and whether or not he still has the ability to be a good big league pitcher. I think Willis can return to his 2003 form when he was dominant and turn out to be the second-best starter in this Detroit lineup behind Justin Verlander.

Willis is still plenty young to find his arsenal again, and it may just be that he suffered a down year in 2007. I do not ignore the red flags that come with Willis, but I believe that in terms of talking about having a "bounce back" season, he has a good a chance as anybody.

The Marlins essentially got a cheap, average starting catcher and two players who have a chance to be superstars. There is plenty to be excited about when it comes to Cameron Maybin, and Andrew Miller. Miller, Detroit's 1st round pick in 2006, has yet to throw 100 innings in the big leagues, but did get some valuable experience at the major league level in 2007. The big lefthander can run his fastball up to 97 mph and counter it with a devastating slider.

Despite his age, there is every reason to believe that the Marlins will stick him right into the rotation come Opening Day, and he could turn out to their best pitcher, given the health concerns of Annibal Sanchez. The only factor holding Miller back rght now in terms of value is that he really hasn't done much in the major leagues. His talent is off the charts, but until he proves that he can be an 18-20+ game winner in the major leagues, he will not reach the level of superstar that he is capable of. We, the baseball community as a whole, like to get so excited about young kids and blue-chip prospects who look like the second coming of Roger Clemens or Willie Mays that we throw reality right out of the window. The odds are never in a young pticher's favor to succeed in the major leagues or reach his touted "potential", because the majority of big-time prospects over the years don't pan out to anything close to what was expected. This is even more true for pitchers.

Cameron Maybin has the chance to a five-tool centerfielder in Florida for many years to come. He and Hanley Ramirez in the 3-4 hole would be a pretty scary tandem, but Maybin in only 20 years old and should probably begin 2008 in AA-AAA ball. He got a cup of coffee with the big club in 2007 and hit his first major league homerun off Roger Clemens in Yankee Stadium, although he struggled overall. It would benefit the yougster to spend another full season in the minors for more seasoning, with a September callup as a reward.

I am just not convinced that this is the plan of action that the Marlins will take. Why? Two reasons. The first is that the fans, however small the number is, are eager to see what the hype is all about regarding the kids they got in return for the face of the franchise. To trade away Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis and then put Miller and Maybin in the minor leagues while the big club flounders in despair amidst the bottom of the NL East pile would not sit well with the Florida fan base.

Second, the Marlins just might not have any better options. They certainly don't have five starters who are better than Andrew Miller, even right now, so the kid has got to get the ball. And who in the world is there to hold Maybin back? Alfredo Amezaga? I don't think so. As ugly as the near future may seem in Florid, it is reality and there really is nothing the Marlins can do about it except roll the pieces out there and cross their fingers.

Baseball brings buzz to Nashville

Writers, agents, and club executives gather in the thick of winter each year for four days that usually turn out to be the most active in the trade market. The Winter Meetings will be held in Nashville, Tennessee beginning Monday, December 3. There hasn't been an offseason in recent years that can say it is creating as much speculation as this one, as many big name stars are being tossed and turned in trade talks.

With Johan Santana, Miguel Cabrera, Dan Haren, and plenty of blue-chip prospects possibly on their way to new homes in the following week, there is plenty of buzz to rev the engines of baseball fans. Santana has been all but labeled as a Yankee or Red Sox, possibly a Minnesota Twin if everything falls through and the GM's of Boston and New York realize it is not worth trading a wealth of cheap, young talent for a soon-to-be outrageously paid superstar.

But regardless of what teams should be doing to aquire the ace, the focus should be on what teams, meaning the Yankees and Red Sox, should not be doing. The Yankees have already been mentioned in a recent blog, so this one offers up perspective on the World Champions.

The Red Sox look like they are a team built to contend for many titles within the next decade. For the sake of an arguement, say health will not effect any team next year and the roster they have on paper will be the roster that is used throughout the season. How can Boston not be considered the favorite to win it all again? I know assuming zero injury is silly because avoiding it entirely is impossible, but that is essentially how we can evaluate teams right now since the injury bug should not plague family vacations in the offseason.

The Twins want Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, and another minor league pitcher in return for Johan Santana. The Red Sox should turn and run as fast as possible from this deal. Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz are both true number one starters, Buchholz will be soon at least, and Jon Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka as the 3/4 starters are far beyond what any club could expect out of those rotation spots.

Jacoby Ellsbury showed what he is capable of in the postseason and is ready to break onto the scene next year in his first full major league season, and will probably become one of the game's best centerfielders within three years. Minor leaguer Jed Lowrie is waiting in the wings and is suppossed to be a budding superstar shortstop destined for a great big league career. Justin Masterson, a candidate for the fourth player in the Santana deal, is a big right-handed horse who could be a frontline starter or dominating reliever at the back of the bullpen. Masterson and Papelbon? Forget about it.

I believe that Johan Santana is the best pitcher on the planet and that it is borderline crazy to not snag him when he is available. With that said, when does trading away a heap of talent become counter-productive? That is the position the Red Sox are in now. I think the Red Sox would be worse off, as crazy as this sounds, to trade for Johan Santana. They will not win as many games over the next 5-7 years with Santana as they would with Lester, Buchholz, Ellsbury, Lowrie, and Masterson all graduating to the big club and creating a nucleus of players that has the chance to be better than the group of Yankees that came up in the mid-90s, which included Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.

Much of negotiations is a game of cat and mouse, seeing which side is going to crack first. The Red Sox do not need to hold firm on their reluctance to trade Ellsbury AND lester for the sake of hoping that Minnesota will give in and settle for less. The Red Sox need to hold firm because they will be trading away the future success of the organization if they don't.

Wheelin' and dealin'

It is getting to that point of the offseason where the free-agent market slowly dwindles down and takes shape and organizations have a better feel for what is available via free agency. As more players sign, the more likely it is that we are about to enter the point of no return with trade talks. Teams looking to upgrade or sell high on certain players are zeroing in on the winter meetings in early December as the point to kick off the trade fest.

There are a few high-profile names being thrown around and none is more coveted than the Twins Johan Santana. It has been reported that the Yankees and Twins have begun trade talks involving the lefthanded ace, but that probably started months ago before any of the public or media knew about it. The Yankees were assumed to be in the middle of the negotiations given their amount of wealth and accumulation of Grade A prospects over the last three years.

Any trade sending Santana to New York is going to have to start with righthander Phil Hughes, and that is going to be a tough pill for the Yankees to swallow regardless of the pitcher they are getting in return. Hughes may be the brightest pitching
"prospect" in the majors and could be on the verge of really taking off and establishing himself as one of the game's elite. I can easily picture him winning 15 games next year and reaching twenty in 2-3 seasons.

What makes Hughes a "better" choice than Santana is obviously the overall money that is involved. The Yankees can control Hughes for another five years for virtually nothing, and it is not crazy to think that Hughes could pitch at a Cy Young level in at least one of those five seasons. Santana on the other hand, is going to make over $13 million next season and then is in line for a huge extension for whatever team trades for him.

No team would logically deal out some of their best propsects and young players if they didn't have any intention of signing Santana long term. The talks of signing Santana to a long term deal will likely begin around $150 million. The Twins will ask for Melky Cabrera to plug into center plus the Yankees top two hitters in the farm system, which would be Jose Tabata and Austin Jackson, both players with tons of upside.

The other guys are affordable to lose, but losing Hughes could create a bigger hole in the rotation than is forseeable right now. But in the day and age of win now, logic is put on the backburner and general managers are eager to make the big splash. It would behoove the Yankees to stick with their young guns and spend the excess money elsewhere. If somehow Santana was not traded and ended up hitting the free-agent market after 2008, the Yankees would almost be assured to be in the driver's seat of those negotiations given the fact that they will no longer have Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon's contracts to deal with.


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Miguel Cabrera will almost certainly be on the move by Christmas, and the Angels look like the best suitor as of now. The Angels have the best package of prospects to offer Florida, and it doesn't appear any other team will leave their farm system totally bare in order to obtain the slugger.

Florida will most likely want second baseman Howie Kendrick in return, and that may be a deal breaker for the Angels. Kendrick is turning the corner and will reach "absolute stud" level soon, and therefore the Angels want to capitalize on that cheap production.

As a substitute for Kendrick, the Marlins could ask for top pitching prospect Nick Adenhart, which would sting the Angels, but could end up sealing the deal in the end. Adenhart is looked at as a premier pitcher in the future, but the Angels would most likely shop him in order to solidify their lineup. The Angels would then be looking for future trades or free agent signins to bolster the rotation.

For a sleeper ace, look for Dan Haren to be on the move if GM Billy Beane decides its time to rebuild in Oakland.

Through the roof

Given today's status of baseball and its economic health, we are seeing undeniable trends of player salaries escalating through the roof. The free-agent and trade markets are as expensive as ever, as players are demanding dollars well above the overall value they are capable of providing in return. Baseball is growing in popularity and its fan base is contributing to the skyrocketing revenues. It is safe to say that there is no shortage of money in the sport.

Naturally, the players are asking for a greater share of the profit, because it is ultimately them who bring the money in. Quality starting pitching is worth a king's ransom these days, and even a solid reliever will command tens of millions of dollars as a free-agent. In order to obtain a power arm or impact bat via trade, and organization has to accept the reality that they will need to clean out a heavy portion of the farm system even to begin negotiations. The value of players today is at an all-time high.

That is not the only thing that is drastically increasing today, however. As a side effect of baseball's riches, there is a premium on young talent now more than ever. Young pitchers who are controlled for six years at practically nothing are coveted like gold. General managers are extremely reluctant to part with the arms that are capable of winning just as many games as one who is making $15 million annually.

Young hitters are coveted as they are the backbones of an offense that is looking to win while keeping the payroll reasonable. Instead of giving a Torii Hunter 5-years and $90 million for solid, but not great production, it is much more attractive to give a prospect a lions share of at-bats in the big leagues, knowing that the ballclub could reap huge dividends for somewhere around $500,000.

It should be clear now that a winning team is built around a nucleus of young, hungry players who are looking for that first taste of big league success, with a few proven veterans mixed in. Assembling an all-star team is not the way to go about winning a championmship, as the New York Yankees have proven in recent years. Often overlooked, a role player is still vital to the success of a team. Each club needs a couple hitters who are great coming off the bench to get a late-inning hit, or saving a run from scoring as a defensive replacement.

It is obvious the advantage a team has when the middle guys of the bullpen are rock solid, against righthanders and lefthanders alike. The closer is going to be good the majority of the time. But it is the 6-8 inning guys that really round out a pitching staff. Why spend $18 million for 3-years of service from a guy who is going to hold down the seventh inning? General managers need to instead look within the farm system for a power arm or a groundball machine, and give the kid a chance.

The relationship between the value of young talent and the market-value for current major league players is directly related and works in a cycle. Teams will strive to produce more homegrown talent, therefore holding off the outrageous dollars it would cost to find a proven solution. When this trend spreads throughout baseball, the market will be driven back down and the asking price of players will decrease as well.

Once that happens, young talent will become expendable and clubs will be looking to make more big splashes in the market. That seems a ways away since the players union is well aware of the money baseball is bringing in each year. Agents are going to be encouraged to go for the jugular in negotiations and it appears as if more and more teams will be making the transition to prospects. That is the cost-effective solution to filling holes on a big league roster, and will continue to be the staple of organizations for years to come.

Hot Stove Reports

The Thanksgiving week seemed to be relatively slow as not a whole lot was done leading up to Wednesday night. With the national holiday on Thursday, the week figured to come and go with not much on the baseball front. That sure turned around in a hurry with two major deals getting done and another minor one finalized as well.

Why save the biggest news for last? The Angels swooped in late Wednesday night to ink centerfielder Torii Hunter to a 5-year, $90 million deal. The Angels, with money to spend and an aggressive owner, were always in the talks but were not deemed to be the frontrunners for landing Hunter. Talk had been positive between Hunter and the White Sox and Rangers, so the majority figured he would land at one of those two destinations.

Angels owner Arte Moreno has been looking for two offseasons now for an impact bat to slip in right behind Vlad Guerrer in the order, and Hunter surely will help. He is not the run producer or power threat that Miguel Cabrera would be, but he will give pitchers something else to think about before throwing four wide ones to Guerrero.

The athletic fielder will man the centerfield spot for the Angels, leaving Gary Matthews Jr. suddenly without a position. Manager Mike Scioscia must find at-bats for Matthers Jr., giving the amount of money they spent on the outfielder last winter and the fact that he will probably produce more than Garrett Anderson. The best case scenario would to have Matthes Jr. rotating between left and right field. His offense and defense would be in the lineup everyday, and that would also allow the Angels to rotate Anderson and Guerrero through the DH spot, as both can only play limited time in the field at this point in their careers.

It is not out of the realm of possibility, either, that Matthews Jr. could be dangled as part of a package to bring in another offensive weapon, possibly Cabrera, as he has been made expendable with the acquisition of Hunter. The Miguel Tejada talks are not done, but I am not convinced how much that would truly benefit the Angels, given the dollars they would have to spend on the agin shortstop. Tejada is not the offensive force he once was, and many scouts believe he is no longer capable of playing shortstop, but rather more of a liability out there. If the Angels did acquire Tejada, it would be possible to see Tejada moving to third base and the Angels moving prospect Brandon Wood back to shortstop, his original position.


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The biggest free-agent pitcher, starter or reliever, on the market this winter was righthanded closer Francisco Cordero. Cordero anchored down the bullpen for the Milwaukee Brewers and will now take his services over to the Cincinnati Reds, as the two parties reached an agreement on Friday for a 4-year, $46 million deal. Cordero was thought to be worth around $12 million on the market today, so this deal was on par, but it is a bit of a surprise for the Reds to be the suitors.

Cordero will certainly make an impact at the back of any bullpen and will be a significant upgrade over David Weathers in Cincinnati, but on a losing team, the closer plays a rather minimal role. To give $46 million dollars to a closer on a noncontender is a bit perplexing.

That being said, the Reds are not that far off from being in the race for the NL Central. They have a solid group of hitters in the lineup with more help on the way. There have been rumors that they are shopping Josh Hamilton, Adam Dunn, and possibly even Ken Griffey Jr. This deal really will not make much sense if they ship out half of their offense, so it would behoove the Reds to try to wheel some trades for some starting pitching and go for it now.

With Hamilton, Griffey Jr. Dunn, and young slugger Joey Votto in the lineup, the Reds will put some runs on the board, especially conisdering the launching pad they play in known as Great American Ballpark. Top prospect Jay Bruce is lurking in the minor leagues, and that kid is a superstar waiting in the wings. He could be a 30-40 homerun threat in Cincinnati, making the Reds offense quite potent.

The obvious need in Cincinnati is simple, and that is starting pitching. The Reds have Aaron Harang to count on, and that is about it. Bronson Arroyo is not what he was in Boston, and he is playing way above his limits as the number 2 starter. Homer Bailey is on the rise and, with some more big league experience, will soon grow into the number on starter for the Reds. He is an arm that they can build around and should not trade away for any reason.

With not much starting pitching available on the free-agent market, the Reds will have to address that need via trade. The problem is that the Reds don't have a lot of prospects to offer in any package, and the ones they do have should be untouchable. They need to focus their efforts in the draft to starting pitching in order to make up for the lack of options. Still could be a few years of mediocrity on the horizon for the Reds, though.


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The Chicago White Sox reached an agreement with free-agent reliever Scott Linebrink for a reported 4-years and $19 million. Linebrink, who pitched for the San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers in 2007, posted a posted a 3.71 ERA in 71 games. He will provide immediate assistance to the White Sox bullpen, which posted a collective 5.47 ERA in what was a disaterous season for the South Siders.

The White Sox problems are vast, obviously, and help needs to be spread around the entire field. But with Jermaine Dye, Jim Thome, and Paul Konerko back to anchor the lineup, it would be impossible for that lineup to perform worse than it did in 2007 given everyone is healthy.

The defense has already been upgraded by adding Gold Glove shortstop Orlando Cabrera via the Jon Garland trade. The White Sox still need to address their centerfield vacancy, and they may have to look at the prospects for the solution. Linebrink will not be a complete savior to the bullpen, but he can provide a steady arm to bridge the gap to closer Bobby Jenks.

Boras' Falling Star

It would be tough to make an arguement against Scott Boras and his ability to benefit his clients, although he is sure taking steps towards that conclusion. Boras is still one of the most influential people in the business, and by far the most powerful agent the game has ever known. Nobody can impact a market and negotiations between a player and team like Scott Boras can.

With that being said, there seems to be at some point teams are forced to identify a line that they will not cross, under any circumstances, no matter the impact the potential player will have on their ballclub. This is tough to do in a society that is directly result-oriented. "What have you done for me lately?", is the typical cliche thrown around, but those mundane words ring true in every form of business. Baseball, like it or not, is part of the entertainment industry and that will always force superpower agents to seek the extra dollar that their client "deserves".

It becomes infinitely tougher to protect the integrity of the game when agents, like Scott Boras, take such a stranglehold over the market because his clients are the big fish in the pond. Agents negotiate on behalf of the player, but they have their own motivations for luring in the big contract because, quite frankly, their livlihood is on the line as well.

It appears that the baseball community has reached the point-of-no-return with Boras and coincidently many ballclubs are turning their backs on the agent and the players he represents. We must pose the question, at what point is Scott Boras really that helpful to those he represents?

The job of an agent is to land a player the best possible deal on the market, but also to find a suitor that fits the lifestyle and personality of the player. Too often, agents will close doors that may offer a comfort zone for a player simply because the overall dollar value is not in the vicninty of what the player "could" or "should" be worth. At what point is the extra millions the agent is seeking not worth the expense of comfort and stability for a player and his family?

This is where we have come with Boras and baseball owners. Boras is known for holding his players out and playing hardball in order to ultimately get the player the money that he thinks is inline with his "market value". This directly relates back to the pressure general managers feel for putting a winning product on the field. The players themselves are also to blame for the hit their images take because they have the ultimate say in any deal. We have begun to see players exercise their right to overrule Boras when it comes to what is right for them and their families.

Alex Rodriguez recently left Boras out of contract negotiations in order to return to the Yankees, and promptly locked up a 10-year, $275 million contract to keep the slugger in the Bronx for the remainder of his career. Rodriguez realized the opportunity he has in New York, not only to chase World Series rings, but also to write his name all over baseball's record books and stamp himself into Cooperstown as one of the greatest players to ever play the game of baseball. Chasing the extra money is worth the expense of that opportunity and the anguish and humiliation that goes along with muddy waters? I am not buying it.

Rodriguez was not the only player to recently take action and overrule Boras. Kenny Rogers took the extreme route, and ultimately fired his agent as contract negotiations with the Detroit Tigers stalled. In reality, Rogers has about one year of pitching left in his body, given that he stays healthy and his blood clot problems from last season do not pop up again.

Rogers most likely realized that he is at the end of his road and that he wants one more chance to win a World Series championship and retire on top. The southpaw is comfortable in Detroit with manager Jim Leyland, and he ultimately decided that that is what is important at this stage in his life. Boras was probably trying to find him a multi-year offer which all teams would almost certainly deny at this point in the pitcher's career. Again, Boras looking for the road to riches, and the player caught a wiff of common sense and took the appropriate path.

Boras does not only affect major league players who have proven their ability at the highest level. The agent represents many young prospects entering the draft, and his alliance has a great impact on those kids as well. When players who are regarded as first-round talents are being selected in the third-round, like pitcher Matt Harvey in 2007, due to their ties with Boras, there is obviously something corruptive about the power one agent has over the baseball market. On the opposition, though, it is hard to bear any remote feelings of sympathy because of the power of personal choice. Some players just tend to pick the poison.

It is possible, maybe, as a few more of these scenarios unfold where players override Boras, that the agent can tame his reputation of being a hardnosed negotiator, to the point where players at least do not suffer for simply being associated with the guy. Boras is too good at his job, if there is ever such a thing, and that power is coming full circle to the point where it is leaving a negative impact. He leaves his clients no choice but to physcially take the reigns for themselves and decide what is ulitmately going to be best for their careers. Boras will be around for many more years, but his mental monopoly over baseball's owners and general managers is surely dissipating.

Keep the Games in the States

It seems as if every major sport in America these days is looking to expand its season outside of the United States at some time during the regular season. It is perfectly acceptable to promote a sport overseas in many ways, but not when it comes to taking away from the rituals of America's pastime. That is what the World Baseball Classic is for and why our minor league players compete in an Olympic-style format with other nations during winter. Those are healthy ways to show other nations the great game of baseball and to encourage as many kids to participate as possible.

Major League Baseball announced that the Red Sox and A's will be opening up the 2008 regular season with a two-game series in Japan, on March 25-26. The beginning of what is already a long haul for professional ballplayers is not the time to be adding extreme travel scenarios and inconveniences to the schedule. An issue that is equally important is what the beginning of a baseball season means to fans across America. They are the heart and soul of the game and are the ones who spend summer days filling ballparks everywhere.

From a players perspective, making a trip to Japan right after breaking Spring Training has no benefit whatsoever. The long flight and foreign environment can cause players to drift from their routines that they meticulously groomed during the prior month and a half. Travel is harsh enough in this game where players get accustomed to playing everyday, unlike any other major sport.

But, honestly, the players are the least affected by the issue since they deal with adjusting to travel arrangements and less than ideal situations anyways. The main problem lies in the fact that we are taking baseball away from the fans who support these players and teams.

Winter is long and cold, often times leaving Spring Training as the only motive for us seamheads to fight against hibernation. There is nothing like following your favorite hitter as he progresses from batting practice to playing three innings in a Cactus League game to finally going 3-4 in the last game of the spring before heading north to open the season. There is nothing like hearing about how sharp your favorite pitcher has been in his early spring side sessions and then watching him eat up his teammates in intersquad games and roll through exhbition games, all the while steadily increasing the pitch count so he will be ready to go when April 1 comes.

Those are only two of the many things that baseball in the spring represents to so many in this country, and that passion and love for baseball is only magnified when the regular season begins. There is finally reason to plan family vacations, order tickets, and make your case for why your team is going to end the new season as World Series champions. These are all specialties that are products of a winter sports hangover and to delay them is not right.

Somehow, someway, the Oakland A's and/or Boston Red Sox will be missing out on a homegame unless this is incorporated into the schedule to count as two of their road games. If these are both road games, it would make the situation better, but still far from perfect because those two games would still be much better served being played in front of diehard American fans in a city that is either filled with optimism or simply looking for a reason to start fresh.

Japan has its league that those fans get equally excited for. If those baseball fans are so excited to see a Major League game, they will make a trip to the United States and witness one in the proper atmosphere and arena. Opening Day is no time to mess with the feelings of rabid fans who live and die with their ballclubs. Major League Baseball needs to stop worrying about promoting the game during a time when they should be focused about providing the best experience possible for the ones who ultimately pay the salaries. Baseball is the most enticing at the beginning and end, therefore the fans ought to be able to return the favor to the game they know and love.

Hank Is Gathering Some Kindling

I would not come close to classifying Hank and Hal Steinbrenner's start in New York as a good one, mostly due to Hank because Hal has taken an obvious backseat in the relationship. Hank is failing on many fronts in terms of handling his players and making them feel comfortable in a Yankee uniform. There is much more to baseball than the X's and O's, and the dollars and cents. There is a personal feel to the game-- which is required any time when dealing with other people -- that cannot be abused or left out in the cold.

Hank is dealing with contract negotiations in a very poor manner, one that is undermining all that Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada have meant to the Yankees over the last decade. He is trying to play hardball with two players who were part of the core group of farmhands that brought the Yankee organization out of the sellar and back into the limelight via multiple World Series championships in the late 90's.

Jorge Posada has agreed to terms on a contract with the Yankees and Rivera still remains unsigned, although that deal is expected to be finished in the near future-- as soon as Rivera accepts what should be the best offer out there at 3 years and $45 million. Earlier this week, Steinnbrenner said, among other things, "We will see just how committed they are". If that wasn't enough, Hank commented today on Rivera's status saying, " He'd be by $4 million a year the highest-paid relief pitcher... To say that is a strong offer is an understatement".

Those types of words create possible future problems in the Bronx, and are only adding fuel to the fire. There are a few reasons why Hank Steinbrenner was out of line.

First, is his whole question of "committment". Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera have nothing to prove to anybody in Major League Baseball or to the New York Yankees. If they go out and do what they have been known to do, they will be two of the top players at their respective positions. If anybody needs to prove something, it is Hank Steinbrenner. He is the one who inherited the ballclub from his father and has no proven track record.

As an owner, he has brought zero championships to New York. Posada and Rivera have four under their resumes. It would be one thing to make those remarks about a player who has never put on the pinstripes. Then, yes, it would not be unfair to assume how committed he is to playing for the Yankees. But we are talking about veterans and the face of the franchise-- Derek Jeter aside -- and the owner is throwing them under the bus like they newcomers who do not know what it means to win in New York.

Second, Hank is setting it all up so that he can cover himself and point fingers at others in the process. By saying, "To say that is a strong offer is an understatement", does nothing but back Rivera into a corner assuming he wants to negotiate with other teams. It is apparent that he will probably not get another offer quite like that on the market, but it is a lack of class to indirectly say that if Rivera declines the offer, he is a selfish player simply chasing an extra buck, which is essentially the seed Hank planted. If Rivera brings other clubs into the equation, you can hear the words Steinbrenner would spew then. He would question his character, loyalty, and, oh, lets not forget committment.

Hank is also creating a situation where others will be responsible for cleaning up his mess. When players have gripes about being called out by a rookie in the front office or are heated when their owner is downplaying their value in the league, it will not be Hank's job to stand up and fix the problem. That responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Brian Cashman and ultimately, manager Joe Giradi. What a way to welcome a new manager to the ballclub.

It is one thing to take a stand and support your point of view even if it goes against one of your players. Brian Cashman did that with the Alex Rodriguez situation, and he remained professional throughout the media circus. I will not completely give up on Hank Steinbrenner and his effectiveness for running the New York Yankees, but his unprofessionalism in the early going will make many of his employees weary about the support in the front office. And he is foolish if he believes that free agents don't take notice on what type of clubhouse atmosphere organizations provide. If Hank doesn't step back and realize that he is must show his committment and gain respect from his players, then the Bronx will be ablaze by mid-season. Only God knows how he will handle the first 3-game skid.

The True New York Agenda, Pt. 2

The first five "more important" items on the New York agenda involved the future of the Yankees through the eyes of the current roster and.or players. There were many decisions to be made about players who were key contributors to the 2007 Yankees. The next five areas that will be explored have little to do with the current state of the New York Yankees, but rather focus more on what they can do in the future to improve the ballclub.

Without further ado, here are the second five "more important" things on the New York Agenda:


6) LOCKED UP MONEY

Money is hardly an issue with the Yankees unless they somehow boost their payroll into national-debt range, at which point none of what we are talking about will matter. With no cap on the payroll, the Yankees will still feel obligated to go after the big fish as long as they have some sort of Steinbrenner at the ownership helm.

Would it be financially smart to cut the payroll as the team gets younger? Sure. Will it happen? Probably not. And that is due to the fact that even as the Yankees ship in young, cheap talent, they will be looking to make those $150-200 million free agent signings. The only one currently out there would be Alex Rodriguez, which if Hank and Hal Steinbrenner are smart, will not even be a factor in their offseason plans.

The Yankees still owe Jason Giambi a bundle of money in the seven-year, $120 million dollar deal he signed back in 2002. The problem is that New York is not getting anywhere close to their money's worth on this investment because Giambi has been injury prone. The slugger only played in 83 games in 2007 while hitting 14 homeruns and driving in 39 runs. Those are platoon-type numbers for a guy who was brought to New York to be the cornerstone of the offense. Add to the fact that Giambi is a horrible defensive first baseman, and we create a log jam at DH.

The Yankees also have Johnny Damon for one more season. Damon is no longer the centerfielder in New York, as that position belongs to Melky Cabrera. Cabrera played well and earned that job, but it would be naive to suggest that the decision to move Damon out of centerfield had little to do with his arm.

The move had every bit to do with his arm and diminishing speed. Damon at least played in 141 games in 2007 despite battling leg injuries, mainly cramps in his calfs. That may be a bigger problem than the arm because Damon is a speed guy who needs to run. Take the running part of the game away from Damon and you have a fourth outfielder at best.

These two guys will need significant playing time at DH in 2008, and that is just the problem. There really isn't a good way to platoon the two because niether will be able to get in the day-to-day rhythm that is needed to be a consistent hitter. Giambi is almost unmoveable for the Yankees due to the contract. Look for the Yankees to try to ship Damon away for a few spare pieces.

7) HITTING PROSPECTS

General Manager Brian Cashman has done an outstanding job of changing the philosophy in the front office. He has focused on pitchers in the draft and has stockpiled a handful of them in the farm. Young, quality pitching is the biggest commodity in baseball and is always great traid bait if they cannot be used at the big league level.

Here lies the question. What about the offensive side? We all know about the Yankee lineup and how they lead baseball in runs scored most years. But most of those hitters are big-time free agent signs who will no longer be useful soon as their contracts expire and as age sets in on their careers. The obvious solution would be to throw multimillions at the biggest free-agent in the market when during the winter that they must fill their holes. It is almost counterproductive financially to overpay a player simply because the market is reaching new heights due to the lack of quality talent.

It has been proven time and time again in the postseason the last 5-7 years that teams win with homegrown talent and veterans mixed in. The Yankees have two outfield prospects that grade out to be potential superstars. Austin Jackson is probably the closest to the big leagues, while 19-year-old Jose Tabata has the biggest upside, as he has a chance to be a five-tool type of player.

Outside of those two players, the farm is thin when it comes to production at the plate. The Yankees will need to address that in the coming years so that as they are building their organization around young pitching, they can mix in a couple cost-effective studs in the field as well.

8) MIDDLE RELIEF

The bullpen of the Yankees was the easiest scapegoat for the struggles of the team. In all honesty, that is where the blame should lie, with the starting rotation accepting some of the burden. The backend of the bullpen was great with Joba Chamberlain bridging the gap to Mariano Rivera.

It would behoove New York to bring Rivera back so they can 1) ensure a stable, battle-tested prescense in the ninth inning and 2) move Joba Chamberlain back into the starting rotation and begin to build the future around him and Phil Hughes.

It would not be a bad thing for the Yankees to drop a couple sticks of dynamite on their middle relief corps and start from scratch.

The Bronx Bombers will probably keep Edwar Ramirez around as the chageup specialist can eat up some innings and get some outs, saving the later-inning arms. Ross Ohlendorf got some experience in the bullpen, including an inning in the postseason, and could move into a seventh-inning role. Ohlendorf was acquired from Arizona in the Randy Johnson trade and is a quality arm that should provide some relief.

With those pieces in place, the Yankees still lack a set-up man, at least one lefthander, and a couple other arms to throw in the mix. They wil have to fill those voids via trade as not a whole lot is on the free agent market that isn't named Francisco Cordero. Luckily, the Yankees have a couple quality arms coming back from Tommy John surgery, Mark Melancon and J. Brent Cox, that could surface in New York by 2009.

9) DRAFT

It is always important to draft pitching and stockpiling impressive young arms so they can be used to swing in trades if not to overturn the big league staff. This should be secondary on the list for the Yankees entering the 2008 draft because they already have wealth of it. Their glaring vacancies lie on the offensive side. This would be a good year to collect some bats with good upside, even if they may be high-risk, high-reward type guys. That being said, there are time when you must draft the best overall prospect, and it is likely that guy could be on the hill.

10) INCORPORATING MORE "GRINDERS"

The mental approach to baseball is a part of the game that is overlooked, but is just as important as any other physical aspect. The Yankees seriously lack the "grinder" type of player(s) on their roster, and that could be a big reason why they have been without a World Series championship for seven years. It is awfully tough to win if you have to rely on the 3-run homerun. This is magnified when teams get to the postseason because you are facing the top two pitchers of each team for the majority of the series.

The Yankees do not have a prototypical catalyst on their lineup like Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis are for the Red Sox or Chone Figgin and Orlando Cabrera are for the Angels. If the Yankees could mix in a player or two who comes to the ballpark everyday looking to run through some walls andget his uniform dirty, they should undoubtedly be over the top of the losing hill. This is why I beleive Aaron Rowand makes just as much sense as anyone else for the Yankees this offseason. Torrii Hunter is the attractive name, but sometimes a price tag cannot be put on the influence a "grinder" has on a roster and in the clubhouse. The availability of Aaron Rowand marks one of those times for the Yankees, and they should not wait to pull the trigger.

To Review Or Not To Review

Baseball's general managers voted on whether or not it would be a good idea to implentent instant replay in baseball. The GM's voted 25-5 in favor of using instant replay on disputed homerun calls. The arguement is that the proper time should be taken in order to get the call right since a homerun can impact the outcome of a game. There is no good way to use instant replay without it completely taking over the sport like it has in football.

Where is the line drawn on when to use instant replay? If it is only used for homeruns "because of a homerun's impact on the outcome of a game", then that is not a sufficient arguement. Does a diving play in the outfield, unsure whether the fielder caught or trapped the ball, not have as big an impact on the outcome? How about doubles down the line, whether it be around the bag or down by the foul pole? Check swings on strike three calls during crucial at-bats late in the game?

The point is that there is a very fine line between what instant replay should be used for and what it shouldn't be used for. It seems to me that the advocates of instant replay are using this time to simply get their foot in the door. If replay is implemented for homerun calls only, they will take that. For now.

It will not be long before the next arguement comes up, and then the question will not be about whether or not to use replay, but how the use should be expanded. The answer to all of these questions is to simply not use it at all.

During regular season games, when there are only four umpires per game, it is possible in some stadiums that homerun calls near the power alleys or center field could be disputed. The calls down the line should not be a problem, if the base umpires are actually watching and doing their job.

There should be no arguement at all during the postseason when there is six umpires on the field. The placement of the extra two umpires, left field and right field, needs to be improved in order to maximize their use on the field. There is no sense in placing umpires 30 feet behind the dirt when the base umpires are standing just on the grass. What value does that have? The only calls they can assist with are calls that would be easily made by the base umpires anyway.

Instead of worrying about how to use instant replay, place those two extra outfielder further down the foul lines. If they are closer to the foul pole they will be able to help with calls determining whether the ball landed inside the foul line or not. At this position, they wil be practically looking straight down the outfield wall and will be able to clearly track the baseball and make the proper decision regarding whether the ball hit the top of the wall or something behind the wall and bounced back. That should be a no brainer.

As far as homeruns down by the foul pole? Having umpires stationed at the foul poles will aide in that as well as it will give them a completely different view that the umpires on the infield do not have. They will be able to look straight up the foul pole and determine if the ball crossed inside, which would make it fair, or outside, which would make it foul. This system is used in the NFL on field goals and extra-points. The referees stand directly under the goal post and look up to watch the ball and make their decsison.

Above all, these changes should be used instead of instant replay for the sole purpose that it keeps the human aspect in the game. Baseball is more of a flowing game than other sports because the players completely control how the game is played. There is no time clock determining when to throw a pitch or signaling the ending of a ballgame. The game dictates its own outcome and that is how it should remain.

I am all for doing what is necessarry to keep the game as pure as possible. There have been thousands upon thousands of great baseball games played in the last one hundred years, without the use of instant replay. Why start now?

Blue Week

With the baseball offseason officially starting last Monday, we are al able to focus our energy on all of the speculations that the Hot Stove brings. The offseason is far from the best time of the year for baseball, for obvious reasons, but it can still be an entertaining one. This is the time where our favorite teams make moves to improve their roster for next spring and make changes tthroughout the organization.

These types of transactions make for great baseball talk and fuel the dreams we have about what might possibly be when the calendar flips over next year, after the winter frost has melted away.

The first five days of "winter" could not of been more entertaining if you are a Los Angeles Dodger fan. It is believed by many that former Dodger manager Grady Little was run out of town because the Dodgers wished to pursue Joe Torre or Joe Giradi, both available managerial candidates. Little expressed his feelings that the Dodgers were not the ones who talked him out of leaving the organization, as Little explained his resignation was due to "personal reasons".

This story could be true or not, we may never know. But I would think that if Little really was run out of town and he indeed did not leave on his own terms, then he would come out and say that and the media would certainly be taking its swings at Dodger GM Ned Colleti. If that is the case and Little still is covering the front office of he Dodgers, then that is a prime exampel of the type of human being he is and the class and dignity he brings to baseball.

With Little out and Giradi accepting a job to manage the Yankees, Los Angeles went full force after Torre and ended up landing him for $13 million.

Torre coming to the Dodgers will certainly make an impact on the ballclub, and at the very least, it will fill the seats in 2008. That is a priority for the Dodgers given the numerous renovation projects that owner Frank McCourt has been working on.

Torre, to some extent, has been given the reputation of a manager who is not in favor of working in young players and turning the prospects loose. He, instead, likes to assemble a reliable group of veterans and go with what he has. This may have some truth to it, but I am not convinced that Joe Torre favors veteran players over young players with loads of talent. What Torre favors is better players.

The Dodgers will give Kemp, Loney, Ethier, and other young players plenty of opportunity in Spring Training to win a starting job for openeing day. Those three mentioned above will be playing everyday next season as they showed only a glimpse of what they are capable of doing in their limited roles in 2007.

Torre has had some experience with this recently in New York since the GM Brian Cashman has decided to refocus his organization on developing homegrown talent and graduating it to the big club. That worked out great with the emergence of Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, Robinson Cano, and Melky Cabrera. Ian Kennedy has made the leap to the big leagues and is on the cusp of earning himself a spot in the starting rotation next spring.

The fact that four out of those five players had prominent roles with the Yankees tells me all I need to know about Joe Torre. He understands that winning and winning consistently depends on the talent that is brought through the farm system. Prospects are the sould of an organization. If he has plenty of young players that prove they can excel at the major league level, you can bet that Torre will write their name in the lineup card. He doesn't after veterans for the sake of having 30+ year olds in the lineup. There are plenty of philosophies on the management of a baseball team, but production will always be the driving force behind any decisions.


* * * * *

With Joe Torre in as the new Dodger manager, questions concerning the futre of Alex Rodriguez immdeiately popped up. A-Rod would be a great fit in Los Angeles and would give the Dodgers the one superstar to mold the young core of players around. That being said, the Dodgers are not going to fork over the type of money that Rodriguez is asking for. It is quite possible that no team in baseball will offer the $30 million/10 years type of deal that he and Scott Boras want. The Dodgers are on the brink of becoming a real good team if a few pieces fall into place. They have a wealth of young talent that they can use to revamp their big league club, and the excess can be used in trades to bring in the missing links. If the Dodgers cannot strike a deal with Rodriguez, it would be much better off to save that $300 million and go after Johan Santana next winter and continue their search for a prominent bat.

The Mike Lowell sweepstakes are underway as the World Series MVP is the talk of baseball other than Alex Rodriguez. Lowell makes sense for many teams for multiple reasons. The guy plays an outstanding third base, pounds tons of doubles, and is arguably the best guy you can put in a clubhouse. Concerns have been raised regarding whether or not Lowell's production is a product of the Green Monster in Fenway. His homerun total may be a bit down if he goes somewhere else, unless it is somewhere like Philidelphia, but his overall production and RBIs will not take a huge hit. Lowell had 37 doubles this season to go along with his 21 homeruns. All of those doubles shot into the gaps at Fenway are still going to be doubles in any other ballparks. The doubles that slammed off the Monster are either going to turn into homeruns due to a shorter fence, or the will be laced over the left fielder. Either way, if the Green Monster effect is the primary concern for signing Lowell, the World Series champion should do quite nice for him and his family this winter.

Inside Corner: World Series Game 3- Rockies vs. Red Sox

SERIES: 2-0 Boston

Denver, Colorado- 45 degrees F

Starting Lineups:

BOSTON:

Jacoby Ellsbury- CF
Dustin Pedroia- 2B
David Ortiz- 1B
Manny Ramirez- LF
Mike Lowell- 3B
J.D. Drew- RF
Jason Varitek- C
Julio Lugo- SS
Daisuke Matsuzaka- P

COLORADO:

Kaz Matsui- 2B
Troy Tulowitzki- SS
Matt Holliday- LF
Todd Helton- 1B
Garrett Atkins- 3B
Brad Hawpe- RF
Yorvit Torrealba- C
Corey Sullivan- CF
Josh Fogg- P

TOP 1:

With Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia opening up the game with infield singles, it appeared as if the Boston good fortune would carry over into Game 3. Fogg, the Rockies most reliable starter thus far, followed up by striking out David Ortiz looking, and then getting Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell to fly out to end the inning. Fogg will not overpower any lineup by any means, but the righty relies on a good changeup and playable slider to fool hitters. The biggest asset of Lowell is his ability to get hitters to swing at his pitches, especially when he is behind in the count. That will be the key to his success tonight.

BOT 1:

The biggest story line coming into tonight's game, although not the most important-- that would be how the Rockies rebound from being down 2-0 in the series--, was how Daisuke Matsuzaka would pitch for the Red Sox. Would this be his true coming out party? Tonight offers an opportunity for Matsuzaka to finish his season on a high note, giving the fact that he had his share of struggles adjusting to life in America and the Major Leagues this year. So far so good. After Matsui led off the game with a single-- advancing to second on an error-- Matsuzaka found a way to escape the jam, partly due to Matsui's baserunning error and being caught up on a comebacker. Regardless, Dice-K is showing some good stuff thus far.

TOP 2:

Fogg has the Boston hitters at his disposal now as he is mixing in a curveball early in the count. He did this almost exclusively this inning, and that plants the seed for future at-bats. This probably will not be his go-to pitch later in the game-- that will most likely be his slider-- but this "strategy" could have a lasting effect on the Boston hitters as the game moves along. Throwing offspeed pitches for strikes and pounding the zone with the fastball. What a concept! Those two things relate to success, and Fogg has a real easy inning, with a Julio Lugo double being the only hiccup.

BOT 2:

Garrett Atkins was drilled to lead of the inning, but that was the extent of the Colorado threat. It is dead obvious that Matsuzaka is taking the same gameplan that Josh Beckett used in Game 2-- coming after the Rockies with fastballs. Dice-K is running his fastball up to 94 mph tonight, and it is dominating right now. Colorado must make an adjustment and take advantage of all these fastballs they are getting to put some runs on the board early. If they don't, it will be a long night and the breaking pitches will only be used as chase pitches, therefore becoming rather irrelevant. Typically, if a pitcher is going to throw breaking balls, you want to force him to throw them for strikes-- this will give you an opportunity to do something with them. The only way to do that is to hit the fastball.

TOP 3:

When lightning strikes, it strikes often. Baseball is a funny game in the fact that it can give momentum to a team so quickly with a handful of quality executed pitches, and then turn around and take it away so fast. The inning started off with Ellsbury slashing a double down the leftfield line, followd up by a bunt by Pedroia which just happened to fall in the perfect spot. The inevitable then happens when David Ortiz laces a pitch down the rightfield line. This inning continues to get worse and the game is quickly getting out of hand. Boston 6, Colorado 0.

PITCHING CHANGE-- FRANKLIN MORALES

Morales uses two pitches to get Pedroia to ground out to thirdbase and close out the inning. For a team who has scored two runs in 18 innings this World Series, a 6-run deficit is going to be awfuly tough to climb out of.

BOT 3:

With the pithing change with 2 outs in the third inning, the Rockies were stuck with pitcher Franklin Morales leading off the bottom half of the inning-- he struck out on a nasty gyroball. It appears that Matsuzaka is going to attack the order the second time through backwards, maeaning he is throwing more offspeed pitches for strikes early in the counts, and then coming back with his fastball to put hitters away. It was obvious he was coming after the Rockies with fastballs the first time through. He is now mixing in his slider and gyro and using his fastball as hit outpitch-- he was soft with Matsui in his second at-bat and then struck him out with a 3-2 fastball at the knees. With Tulowitzki, Matsuzaka came in with a curveball for strike one, blew a fastball by him for strike two, which set up the 0-2 slider leading in an easy 6-3 (shortstop to firstbase) punchout. Keep an eye on this pattern, and then see how Matsuzaka adjusts the third time through the order. This is what you call dealing.

TOP 4:

Quiet inning for the Red Sox, three up three down. At this point, Morales could use these innings to gain some confidence to build on for next season. He is not saving the bullpen-- in all likelyhood he will be pinch-hit for when his spot comes up-- as everybody is full go with a winter's worth of rest around the corner. One game around the corner if Colorado cannot get the offense going.

BOT 4:

We saw the first good swing on a Dice-K fastball tonight. That was by Todd Helton and it wasa foul ball. Dice-K is sticking to his plan that I mentioned earlier-- pitching backwards the second time through the order-- and it looks like the Rockies are unable to adjust yet again. It is much easier said than done to see a pattern and figure out what the opposing pitcher is trying to do. But tese guys are majore league hitters and do this sort of thing all the time. It is surprising that they can't get more quality swings on Dice-K then they are getting. He really hasn't been painting his fastballs-- the one he did paint on the outside corner was called a ball-- and his breaking balls are just flat out fooling the Rockies. Impressive performance thus far. Lets see if Francona sticks with him for more than five innings tonight if he is still going strong.

TOP 5:

Morales strands J.D. Drew at second ater a leadoff double.

BOT 5:

The Rockies had something brewing until Julio Lugo made a great play on a groundball in the hole to get the force out a third base. Tulowitzki had a 2-0 count with 2 outs and 2 runners on. Matsuzaka came up with a big pitch-- a 2-0 slider-- to get Tulowitzki to pop-up and end the threat. Matsuzaka, going through the order for the third time, looked as if he was sticking with his updated gameplan. Instead of going back to attacking hitters with the fastball, Dice-K threw the fastball early to plant the seed and then came back with mulitple offspeed pitches. This may be the common theme for the third time through the Colorado lineup. Even with a 2-0 count and two runners on base, Matsuzaka didn't go to his best pitch. Instead he kept throwing breaking balls and foling the Rockies' hitters. As the saying goes, good pitching beats good hitting, there is almost nothing Colorado can do against Dice-K if he continues to be this much on his game. The Rockies had an opportunity in the fifth, but allowed Matsuzaka to wiggle out of it.

TOP 6:

PITCHING CHANGE-- JEREMY AFFELDT

Affeldt came on a pitched a clean six, capping the inning off by striking out David Ortiz. 3-4-5 due up for Colorado in the bottom half, they must make noise now.

BOT 6:

After allowing back-to-back walks to Helton and Atkins, Matsuzaka's night comes to an end. Great outing by the "rookie". This performace should quiet some critics for the time being.

PITCHING CHANGE-- JAVIER LOPEZ

Brad Hawpe dumps the first offering from Lopez into centerfield for a basehit to score Helton. A possible resurgence of "Rocktober" magic looming? Torrealba follows up with a basehit, scoring Atkins and sending Lopez to the clubhouse. The Rox need to capitalize on this rally now before they enter Papelbon-territory.

PITCHING CHANGE-- MIKE TIMLIN

Colorado simply came out unlucky against Timlin as they smashed two balls that were caught for outs. Tough breaks, seems like none of the good ones are going their way this series.

TOP 7:

PITCHING CHANGE-- MATT HERGES

Herges looked about as good as he has all postseason, striking out Ramirez, Lowell, and Drew. All three of them were struckout on fastballs that had great movement to them.

BOT 7:

Rockies showing some life as Matsui lead off the inning with a bunt single, stole second, and Tulowizki followed with a single up the middle. Runners on the corners with nobody out and Timlin is gone. This is as much noise as the Rockies have made all series. Lets see if the meat of the order can make Boston pay.

PITCHING CHANGE-- HIDEKI OKAJIMA

Matt Holliday exploded on an Okajima fastball and sends it over the centerfield wall to make it a 6-5 game. Coors Field is absolutely rocking now, and you get the feeling Colorado isn't done yet this inning. Okajima is continuing to get a lot of the plate with his fastball and he is leaving it up. He is a guy who needs to keep the ball down and spot it up to have success because he is not overpowering. If this continues, the Rockies could pile on a few more before Francona can make his way out to the mound. Helton followed up with a single, but Okajima went to his changeup to shut down the rest of the inning. At least we have a ballgame now.

TOP 8:

PITCHING CHANGE-- BRIAN FUENTES

A walk, a knock, and a couple more dinks added 3 runs to the board for Boston. All of the momentum that was gained in the bottom fo the seventh is now gone and this game apparently seems out of hand again. Fuentes did not pitch horribly, but Boston continues to get timely hits, even though many of them could come off as breaks. I am not sure if Boston really is getting this lucky with the bats or I am not giving their hitters enough credit. Maybe both? Either way, the jury is still out on that one.

BOT 8:

With two on, Francona opted to bring in Jonathan Papelbon to create a dynamic matchup against Matt Holliday. Holliday, with the Rockies down by four runs, took the first fastball and flied out to the warning track in left. A lot of noise, but nothing to show for it. Still 9-5 Boston.

TOP 9:

PITCHING CHANGE-- LATROY HAWKINS

Mike Lowell provided the only hit of the inning, adding a stolen base as well. Lowell stealing third allowed Varitek to hit a fly ball to center and stretch the Boston lead to 5 runs. It is up to the Colorado offense to comeback against Papelbon in their last at-bats.

BOT 9:

A two out Brad Hawpe triple meant nothing as Papelbon left him there and sent the Rockies home staring a possible sweep in the face. Boston takes its 3-0 lead to Game 4 Sunday night, as Jon Lester is on the mound to try to clinch the World Series for the Red Sox.

Reboundin' Rocks

After taking a 13-1 Game 1 shellacking on Wednesday night, the Colorado Rockies will try to even it up in Game 2 Thursday night at Fenway Park. Ace Jeff Francis was not nearly as sharp as he has been so far this postseason, surrendering 6 earned runs and 3 walks in 4 long innings of work. Granted, the lefty has a lot of weight on his shoulders as he is expected to be the leader of the staff and set the tone for the ballclub. The guy is only 26 years old and has never been to the postseason. Nobody would of had to say that in order to figure it out if you watched him last night. Clearly rattled, clearly out of his comfort zone, and once again the Boston lineup feasted on it.

The most important thing for the Rockies to do is forget about it entirely and realize how good of a club they actually are. They could of lost 50-1 or 2-1, and regardless, they are in the same exact spot. The beauty of it is that it is only one game and doesn't mean terribly much. Ubaldo Jimenez will take the mound tonight and try to give Colorado the spark that they need on the hill. The rookie will have his hands full with the Fenway faithful, but he may just be up to the task.

I have a good feeling about this kid simply because of the electric arsenal he is capable of bringing to the mound. A high-90s fastball, solid slider, and good changeup are plenty to not only win the game, but make some hitters look foolish in the process. There is nothing that will silence the Fenway crowd more than Jimenez coming out early and dealing. He has the chance to really put himself on the map with a good outing, and he is more than capable of doing it. (See regular season game #162)

October baseball changes the way managers attack the game and how they address certain scenarios. There is less room for error on their part, and therefore they are much more apt to make a move sooner rather than later. Understandably, manager Clint Hurdle will have a close eye on his starter from early on.

There is no getting around that philosophy, because the season has come down to a race to four wins. With that said, it is important for Jimenez to pound the strike zone and get hitters out early in the count. This is a guy who rarely will finish the seventh inning, so it would be pretty unfair to ask of seven stellar innings from him in his World Series debut. But in all seriousness, he needs to give the Rockies a good six.

The word 'struggle' does not do the Rockies bullpen justice in terms of their performance last night. The bullpen gave up 5 walks and seven earned runs. Granted all seven runs came at the expense of rookie Franklin Morales, but the other guys did not look good either. Ryan Speier came on in relief for Morales and couldn't eve sniff the strike zone. Speier promptly walked three in a row with the bases loaded and was yanked out of the game.

It is unfair to deem the Rockies' bullpen susceptible after one game, but hey, that's the world we live in and baseball is a funny game. The bullpen has been outstanding up until this point, but if they have a terrible World Series, everybody will forget about all of the great outings the relievers had before now.

It appears these days that pitchers can't do much against this Boston offense because it is so red hot. Well, yes, if you let the entire lineup beat you then games will turn ugly pretty quick. The Colorado pitching staff must have a distinct plan of attack and execute it if they are going to win tonight.

Playoff baseball does not have to be pretty, because in the end, nothing matters at all if you win. So in order to have the best shot tonight, Colorado cannot look to make perfect pitches all of the time and dominate every hitter. It is not going to be that way, especially against a lineup this good. Their goal should not be to throw a shutout, because in all likelyhood, that will be down the drain within the first four innings.

What Colorado needs to do is manage the game, and minimize the damage. Here is how they do that.

Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz have been absolutely unconscious this postseason and that continued in Game 1 as they went a combine 6-for-9 with 5 RBI. Those guys are two of the greatest hitters in baseball and when they are locked in like they are right now, there is not much anybody can do about it. The focus of the Colorado gameplan should not be about Ramirez and Ortiz. They will get their hits, and they may even drive one out of the ballpark. The key is that they come up to the plate with nobody on base.

That all starts with controlling the two pests at the top of the Boston lineup-- Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis. Pedroia and Youkilis went a combined 3-for-10 in Game 1 including 2 walks, 4 runs, and 3 RBI. That is a combined OBP of .420.

Those two are the catalysts, and Jimenez and Co. need to focus their energy on keeping them off base. If they have a quiet night, the Boston lineup will become manageable from there on out. Ortiz and Ramirez will be forced to hit homeruns in order to beat the Rockies. If Pedroia and Youkilis run wild like they have been lately, it will be a long flight back to Colorado with a 2-0 series deficit to boot.

If Colorado can execute that plan-- controlling the two hitters at the top-- they will have a great chance to win. At the very least, they will be in a position to either hold of a late-inning Boston rally with closer Manny Corpas, or they will have a chance to let their offense bring them back from a couple runs down. But guaranteed, they won't be 12 runs down.