Another year, another World Series, and another Champion$hip for the Yankee$.

For the record, I don't begrudge the Yankee$ their well played and hard won Champion$hip this season.  They played hard, played well and battled back from a dismal beginning of the season.  I remember there being rumors or speculation that Yankee$ manager Joe Girardi would be/could be/should be fired.

There are those who will say the Yankee$ bought the World $eries this year.  They may have, as they spent close to a Half Billion dollars in off-season Free Agent signings.  It might not have been that expensive but for the bidding war with the Bo$ton Red $ox who go after the same players so the Yankee$ won't get them.  And have you ever noticed that when a Big Player is on the trading block or free agent market, those two teams are always in the discussion due to their ability to cough up large amounts of cold, hard, highly paid balllpayer cash?

But for all the charges of the Yankee$ buying the series this year, they did bring up a few of their players through the minors, players that they drafted and developed on their own.  Their free agent signings were additions, not saviors.  Even if they did cost enough to settle the debt of some companies at the Bailout trough.

There is a part of me that would love to see a more reasonable way of ensuring competitive balance, so that teams like the Minnesota Twins will not just make the playoffs, but have a chance to actually beat the Yankee$ or Red $ox.  Teams who can, have and will again make horrible mistakes on free agent signings (Kevin Brown, anyone?).

Yet, I look at the NFL and their enforced parity and what I see is a competitive balance that is a result of widespread mediocrity in the league.  There are few, if any, great teams in the NFL.  The Patriots over the course of this decade are the exception and not the rule.  Still, they have flaws in their overall game.  The Steelers, for all their recent success, haven't been able to put two great seasons together.  And we also have a lack of teams going to the Super Bowl in consecutive years of late.

Sort of like Major League Baseball.

It has always been fashionable to bash on the Yankee$ for their deep pockets, willingness to throw $$$ at ballplayers and make fiscal mistakes that would ruin other franchises.  It is all a part of the commitment to the franchise that the Yankee$ owner has made over the years.  Whether I like it, or not.

So, congrat$ to the Yankee$.  They got their money's worth this season.  And then some.

Ok, so a couple of days ago, I took a look back at the National League predictions I made back on April, 9 of this year.  They seemed like good ideas at the time, but...that's why they play the season.

In the aftermath the of the 12 inning AL Tiebreaker last night, we look at what I had to say about the American League races now that their season is finally over.  To refresh:


AL East: Tampa Bay
AL Central: The Tribe
AL West: Angels of a couple of municipalities in Southern CA
AL Wildcard: BoSox

I blew it in the AL East.  Tampa Bay had a rough year, in what amounts to the toughest division in MLB and finished out of the running.  I didn't see the Yankees putting it all together this year, but they did.  Still leaves Boston in the Wild Card, so I go that one right.  The AL West was a gimme.  That division is loaded with teams that aren't so very good.  The Texas Rangers outstanding season was a complete surprise to not only me, but the world around us as well.  We all knew they could put up a ton of runs, but they finally got some pitching.  Not enough for this year, but they appear to be a team to watch in the future.

And then there's the AL Central.  Cleveland looked just about ready to take that final step.  Yet, the only steps they took this season were to unload payroll by trading their big guns away and starting over.  By the All-Star Break, they did this...


I'm going to take the easy way out and just pick the Yankees to win it all. 

I hate the Yankees....

Way back on April 9th, I posted how I saw the 2009 Championship season panning out for Major League Baseball.  I have no illusions about being taken seriously as prognosticator, so keep that in mind as we look at where I went so horribly wrong....

To refresh, my selections in the National League were:

NL East: NY Mets
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: LA Dodgers
NL Wildcard: Philly Phillies


I sure screwed the pooch on the NL East and Central didn't I?  The Mets finished 18 games under .500 and in 4th place.  Whoops!  And the Cubs would have finished better than 7.5 games back of the Cards in the Central were it not for an amazing late July/early August rampage the Cardinals went on.  Still, 5 games over the break even point shouldn't win you a Division Crown.

The Dodgers did everything they possibly could to hand the NL West to the resurgent Rockies of Colorado, waiting until this past Saturday to actually win the division.  Keep in mind that the Rockies were 12 games or so under .500 in late May.  This race shouldn't have even been close.  The Rockies are playing terrific baseball and should do well in the playoffs.  

As much as I love the Cardinals, ending your season with a 5 game losing streak, a bullpen that looks shakier than a Cubs fan during the playoffs doesn't bode well for them in the Postseason.  I can see and Three and Out for them, even though the ESPN wonks say the Cards are the strongest team in the NL.  (And I didn't see that coming this spring, that's for sure...)

We'll look at how I botched the AL on Wednesday, after the Tigers and Twinkies play their Extra Game on Tuesday to see who wins the AL Central.

It has been 20 years since Pete Rose was banned from Organized Baseball for gambling on Baseball. 20 years. 20 controversial, tumultuous years. Rose denied, denied, denied for 14 of those years. "Hell no, I never bet on Baseball!" was his mantra for 14 years.

He appeared to be taking the approach that if he said it enough, people would believe it and it would be true. People did believe him. It still wasn't true. He finally confessed to what the evidence said he did. He confessed to get paid. I still see his book on the bargain pile from time to time.

I really disliked Rose as a kid. I recognized what a great player he was and admired that. He just reminded me too much of the smug jocks at school who could get away with most anything because of what they can do with a ball in their hands. Rose was like that. He thought he was bigger than the game. I believe him when he says he loves the game. I just believe he loves himself more.

His apologists, outside of his friends, just don't get it. They never have and I doubt they ever will. Rose's crime was against Baseball, not Society. So, the notion that drunks, drug addicts and the like are somehow worse offenders in a Baseball sense is bullshit. Drunks and drug addicts hurt themselves more than society (unless they are driving) and their immediate families suffer as much. Teammates suffer from the side affects of the self-abuse.

Gambling on baseball, betting on games in the same league you are playing in or even in the minor leagues gives the impression that you have inside knowledge of who is going to win or lose that game. That the game isn't on the level. That somebody out of the field isn't giving their all to win for the Home Team.

The 1919 World Series scandal tore apart the game of Baseball. The crime of gambling is committed against Baseball, not Society. That's the difference. You must keep in mind the victim of the crime to determine the severity. In this case, poorly reflecting on the Integrity of the product on the field is worse than anything else in The Game. With that loss of faith in that integrity, MLB becomes little more than Pro Wrasslin' and we all know how 'real' that is.

I think Rose has finally learned his lesson. It's almost too bad that it happened late for him to have gained anything from it. I take little joy in Rose being banned from the game. His accomplishments on the field demand a place in Cooperstown. However, his actions off the field and in the managers office demand that he not. Those demands come first.

The tale of Pete Rose is an American Tragedy and Rose has been the architect of his own demise.

I read today that the Chicago Cubs are in talks with rival bidders to purchase the  "storied franchise."

What the hell?  What do they mean, "storied franchise?"  Since when did losing, being poorly managed, having idiots for ownership, doing stupid things like having the ill-conceived "Committee of Coaches" rather than a manager, oh and not winning a World Series since 1908 (101 years for you mathematically challenged folks) become the grounds for "storied?"

I mean, I guess the criteria for "storied" says interesting, and the collapse of 1969 sure qualifies.  Losing the 1984 NLCS after being a game away from their first WS since 1945 qualifies as well.  Blaming that poor schlub Bartman for the instant inability of the Cubs to field their positions 5 outs away from the WS a few years ago would make for storied.

But...isn't "storied" usually reserved for WINNING?  "Storied" and the Yankees, Packers, Bruins, Celtics, Cowboys, Lakers, Canadiens, Steelers and New York Football Giants makes sense.  But "storied" and Laffable Loser just doesn't get it.  Because, that's exactly what the Chicago Cubs are.  Losers.  101 seasons of losing, not measuring up, day baseball, Harry Carey, and blowing it in the clutch.  If being an outsider looking in on 101 years of World Series Championship celebrations, and 64 years of a complete and utter lack of the Cubs sniffing World Series air is the criteria for being storied, then the LA Clippers are a storied franchise.  The Cleveland Indians (oh wait, they were in the WS in the 90's....scratch that) could be storied.

No, the Cubs only claim to "storied" fame is their loveable old ball park, their lovable day games, their loveable and very faithful fans (which makes me wonder when masochism becomes a prequisite for fandom) and being in one of the largest Media centers in the Country.    And that old ballpark.  And the ivy.  And the old ballpark. And day baseball.

No, the Cubs are most assuredly not "Storied."  Being that bad, for that long makes you laughable, not something to be celebrated.

I believe I am going to set myself out on a small writing project.  The idea is to write 100 haiku/senryu about baseball.

I've no bloody idea what to do with them when I'm finished, but I like the idea and the challenge...

Memorial Day weekend and let's now take a look at the standings...

Boston and New York are atop the AL East with Tampa Bay surging.  The Detroit Tigers are leading the AL Central with the surprising Kansas City Royals in 2nd.  Well, not surprising to me.  Their manager, Trey Hillman is a good skipper and the team has done a fine job drafting and making a few key signings.  They are building from within and keeping the good players.  This could signal a return to the glory days for the Royals.  And in the AL West, the Texas Rangers are 3 games up in the Angels of multiple designated regions.

The Rangers are doing with good hitting and good pitching.  They could well be for real.  Would be nice for the fans of the Rangers and make for an interesting race with the Angels and the Rally Monkey.  It appears that the most exciting race could be in the AL East where the Blue Jays were sitting pretty for a while.  The only clunker in the division is the perennial also-rans, the Orioles.  I wonder when Oriole fans are going to wake up and stop going to the games.  That's the onliest way that ownership will start putting a good product on the field.

Over in the Senior Circuit, the Phillies Mets and Braves are having some fun fighting it out.  It makes things more exciting because they ALL have the Nats to kick around.  And sad to say that the Nats are one of the worst teams in pro sports...and I don't see that changing anytime soon.  Nice park they play in, though.  Watch out for the Marlins in a season or so.  They are a good young club with lots of star power.  It would be nice if fans in their area gave a damn and went to the games.

The NL Central is solid from top to bottom.  The Cubs would be better if they could hit, and that goes for the Pirates as well.  Great pitching staff that the PIrates have, but they can't hit worth two cents.  Still, they are only 4 games under .500.  And there's the Lastro's living down to their name.  They can't do anything right, it seems.

The Cardinals weren't picked to win anything this season, and thus far have been battling for 1st place in the Central.  They have struggled against their main rival (so far this season), the Brewers and that may be their undoing.  The Beer Makers have improved pitching, improved defense and Ken Macha managaing.  Of course, how the team reacts to and recovers from the loss of SS Weeks for the season will tell a large part of the story from here on out.  LaRusssa is doing it with smoke and mirrors this year, using more rookies this season than he can feel comfortable with.  It remains to be seen whether Troy Glaus ever comes back from his injuries.

And finally in the NL West, the Manny-less Dodgers are running away with a bad division.  The Giants are a couple seasons away from being seriously competitive.  I have no explanations for what happened to both the Rockies and the D-Backs.  Then again, I don't pay much attention to that division.

Wrapping up, Manny Ramirez shows us that "Manny Being Manny" will no longer be something to smile snidely about.  What he did to not only his teammates, but the game is inexcusable.  Dodger fans who were calling for the head and bat of Barry Bonds for being a cheater who cheer for Man-Ram upon his return will show themselves to be the hyporcrites they are.  Because they will.  Which gives tacit approval to the behavior and kicks dirt on the players who ARE clean, who ARE honest and who honor the game by being honorable themselves.

I'm as sick and tired of the steroids blather in baseball as the next guy.  I also wonder why nobody seems to give a damn about the prevelance of steroids suspensions in the NFL (all of which are greeted with a "ho-hum" attitude by both fans and the media) and part of me just wishes it would all go away.  But, until dipshits like Manny and other idjits continue to try and create shortcuts to success, I guess we're stuck with it.

(The less said about that sad sack, Pay-Rod, the better...what a loser he turned out to be...)

And finally, does anyone BUT me find the tricked out red hats for Memorial Day (and I presume the 4th of July) to be just a bit much?  All the teams wearing red hats with Red, White and Blue team insignia's on them?  That's just off to me somehow.  I'd much rather see some form of camouflage uniforms to better honor our soldiers, past and present.  The red hats just smack of gimmickery to me...


And for a completely different view of baseball thane one I share, check out Rick Reilly's column about what he'd do if he were commissioner.  There are some things I don't agree with, but I like the way he writes it all up.

We're a couple of weeks into the season.  A couple of days ago, the Florida Marlins were 11-1 and the Sports World was all ga-ga over them.  "Are they for real?  We'll talk about it after THIS message!" 

The Marlins are a good, young team.  However, they got to 11-1 by beating up on the Washington Nationals.  The epitome of a Really Bad Team.  While is doesn't have quite the same ring as the original, "Washington.  First in Peace, First in War and Last in the National League East" pretty well sums up this baseball team.  So, beating up on them is to be expected.

Fast forward a few days.  The Marlins are now owners of their first losing streak of this young season.  They've dropped two in a row to the not-quite-as abysmal Pirates.  Seems they are having trouble scoring runs.  As in they have only scored 2 in the last two games.  See what happens when you run across a better class of bad team?  It's a long season. 

Another Chicken-Little subject has been the early season explosions of home runs at New Yankee Stadium.  Because they have nothing else to talk about (Except the NFL Draft, it appears), some stat monkey extrapolated it out and came up with the boggling number of 400 plus home runs if things continue at their current pace.

They won't.  It's a long season...

Stat Monkeys talk lots about "small sample sizes" and then trot out stuff like this?

It's a long season.  As Chris Berman (my favorite blow hard on TV) likes to say (with style and gusto and a lot of chutzpah), "That's why they play the game"

I don't get terribly excited about the standings in April.  May, I might look once a week or so.  I finally start paying attention in June.  Mainly because, historically, that's when the Cubs swoon and things start to settle out for the rest of the season.

The serious questions that should be asked now are;

1. Is Wang really in trouble and do the Yankees need to worry?
2. Is the 6.9% drop in attendance a trend or is it attributable to the weather?
3. Is David Ortiz washed up?

Just some random thoughts from early in the season.

The summer of 1976.  I was 12 years old (I can hear the adding machines whirring now) and I had a hero.  He was a lanky, spindly, long haired pitcher for the Detroit Tigers.  His name was Mark "The Bird" Fidrych.

I remember sitting in the den of the neighbor's, watching a Tigers game in May of that year.  The late George Kell was in the broadcast booth (Kell died earlier this year, as a matter of fact), doing color commentary.  I forget who the play-by-play guy was, but I don't suppose it matters much.  What I remember, clear as yesterday, was this gawky guy, running out to the mound, kneeling and smoothing, patting and moving the dirt to suit him.  He then talked to the baseball before he threw it.

If he came along now, the interwebs would have a field day with what an obvious phony this guy was.  Which he wasn't.  He was for real.  He was just unique.  Totally different than anyone else who came before or since. 

Fidrych was a phenomonon.  It is hard to explain what it was like in the era before ESPN, or baseball games on almost every day of the season.  The Game of the Week was just that.  Local TV coverage was pretty well limited to weekends and day games.  20 games of your local team was a lot in most markets, and that certainly was the case in the Detroit area.  Which Ann Arbor wasn't very far from.

I first heard the Trashmen's song, "The Bird is the Word" when Fydrich-mania exploded.  I still think of him when I hear that song.  A book, "Go, Bird, Go!" was penned and released before the season of 1976 was over.  He was viewed with curiosity and not more than a little affection.  He made the Major League mininum that season.  $16,500.  He was, for that one magical season, the biggest thing in Major League Baseball.

Wherever the Tigers went, the night Fydrich was scheduled to pitch, the house was packed.  The Tigers got a lot more TV coverage that season
and his appearences on Monday Night Baseball were the highest in a five year period.  The Bird was more than just a baseball phenomonon, he was a cultural phenomonon as well.  It was a wild and wooly summer for Bird-Mania.

But there's more.  He could pitch.  Flat out, fog 'em in there, pitch.  He had nasty stuff.  He made great hitters look foolish, waving bats around like they were at a badminton game.  All while talking to the baseball, and being his carefree, lovable goofy self.  He wasn't humble, he was an innocent.  And people accepted him at face value.  This wasn't the age where everything good and wonderful was greeted with bored cynicism.  People bought into Fidrych, his eccentricities and loved him for it.  That he was a helluva pitcher was almost (but not quite) beside the point.

Fidrych died today.  The same day as Philedelphia Broadcasting legend, Harry Kalas.  Two men who put smiles on faces just by being who they were.  The world is a little poorer for their passing, was a little better for their precense.  I smile when I think of either one of them.

Except today.  Today, I wipe a tear away.  A tear for another small piece of my childhood slipping away.  A tear for the families of these two fine men, and a tear for the game of baseball.  Which is a little sadder today.

I'll smile tomorrow.

The Bird is gone.  Yet, he'll live on.  For one glorious summer, he achieved immortality.  And was my hero.

Henry Pearson, 25
Courtney Stewart, 20
Nick Adenhart, 22

Three young people are dead.  We only heard of this accident on the National News because of the occupation of Nick Adenhart.  Usually, the names of the other two victims are buried deep in the story if they are mentioned at all.  Such is life in our celebrity obsessed culture. 

I feel horrible for the families of all three victims, and to some some extent, I feel some sympathy for the alleged driver's family of the mini-van that took the lives of these three young people.  I only feel a smoldering anger at the alleged driver, Andrew Thomas Gallo who is also 22.  I also feel some resentment to a society that can acknowledge how dangerous drunk driving is, yet do so little to prevent it.

Consider this; Gallo was allegedly driving with a suspended license from a previous DUI.  He'd already been arrested and convicted once of Drunk Driving.  At present he faces a battery of charges, not the least of which is 2nd Degree Murder charges for the three dead kids.

However, if drunk driving was treated with more seriousness, then perhaps repeat offenders wouldn't have the chance to do things like this.  If Drunk Driving were treated with harsher penalties for the first offense, then just perhaps the rate of drunk driving accidents would be lower than it is.

To me, driving drunk is pretty close to waving a loaded gun with your hand on the trigger in a public place.  The slightest 'OOPS' moment can cause Bad Things To Happen.  Driving Drunk is (mis)guiding a loaded weapon, with little to no control.  Punishment should be harsh.  It should be stiff enough to discourage people from even thinking about it.  Penalties for driving with a suspended or revoked license should be harsh, over the top, and borderline ridiculous.

It appears that the current laws don't do much good.  Just ask the families, friends, co-workers and fans of the deceased.

It's that time of year.  Time for me to act like I know what I'm talking about and throw my pre-season MLB picks out there for the world to see.  I'm no expert, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, and since my Bracket Picks for March Madness were SO AWESOMELY bad, I just can't resist another chance of looking like an idiot.

With that in mind, here we go:

In the National League;

Since the Cubs had the best record in the NL last season, yet proved they truly are Completely Useless By September (CUBS, get it?) by winning as many post season games as the St. Louis Cardinals (who finished 4th in the NL Central) I have little trouble picking them to win the NL Central again this year.  The Brewers lost their pitching studs to free agency, and they still can't field worth a lick so they're not much threat.  The Cardinals are a cypher, bullpen wise and are depending too much on Chris Carpenter returning to his Cy Young form, but could still make some noise.  Having El Hombre in your lineup means you're seldom out of the the game.

In the East, the Mets improved themselves enough to actually hang on to win those games they should've last year.  The Braves have improved their pitching, but not enough.  The Marlins are young, but they always are and the Nationals are comfortably awful like the Senators of yore were.  The Phillies won't repeat as the Champs of the East, but could very well take the Wild Card.

The West is the Dodgers to lose.  Everyone else is either lousy or lacking depth.  Manny is a huge difference maker in that division.

So, to summarize:

NL East: NY Mets
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: LA Dodgers
NL Wildcard: Philly Phillies

And in the Jr. Circuit....

The AL East is a dog fight, without Michael Vick or his scummy buddies.  The Yankees have the best team money can buy, but they are old.  They also have A-Rod, which is both a blessing and a curse.  Joe Girardi isn't skilled enough to work with the assorted egos to bring out the best in these Yankees.  The Red Sox are the Red Sox and making up for years of bad ownership and the attendant bad decisions that went along with that.  And the Rays appeared to have gotten better in the off-season.  

The AL Central is a mish-mash.  The Royals are vastly improved, the Twins are the Twins and the White Sox are solid.  The Tigers are a mess, it seems.    Three years removed from the WS and ownership is looking for a reason to give Leyland the boot.  But the Indians seem to be the Pick of the Division.    The Royals could make things interesting, but I think they are still a year or two away.

And the AL West appears to the Angels of Anaheim's to lose.  And then they'll bow out after the first round of the playoffs, just like clockwork...and enjoy Junior of his farewell tour.  Even if he hasn't said so, the end is nigh on a terrific career.

So, to recap:

AL East: Tampa Bay
AL Central: The Tribe
AL West: Angels of a couple of municipalities in Southern CA
AL Wildcard: BoSox

We'll revisit this at the end of the seaon and see how much I screwed this up.  Should be a fun year.

Once is a fluke in sports.  Twice...twice is a trend.  The new trend here is that The Netherlands can face down the mighty Dominican Republic baseball team and beat them.  Not once, but twice.  Over the weekend, they beat them 3-2.  Last night, they did it again.  2-1 in 11 innings.

I am kind of wanting to ask Big Papi, "Who's your Daddy now?"

Ok, enough snarkiness...

I'm amazed at the complete yawn such a feat is getting here.  It's the seventh story down on the NY Times web site.  It WAS the lead story last night on Sportscenter and ESPNews last night.  But the vast majority of U.S. baseball fans are "Meh" about the whole thing.  Don't care about the World Baseball Classic in general or what happens with Team USA.

Which is a real shame because the players care.  Especially after team USA got slapped around in the 2006 edition of this event.  Finished 8th out of 16 teams.  Ouch!  Team USA has taken a different approach this year.

And nobody cares.

What really bugs me is that I couldn't watch the Netherlands win last night.  The game was only availalbe on ESPN Desportes or MLB TV, neither of which do we get on our Satellite provider...and it was an exciting game.  End of 9 innings, still scoreless...

In a recent series of email exchanges with a Cards fan from out of state and a couple of Cubs co-workers she has to put up with, the boasting took a turn for the fun...

As in, making bets.

Those three, working together or living nearby get to offer up fun stuff, like beer.  I like beer.  Beer is good.  MMMMmmmm.....beer.

I believe it's against the law to mail beer, and besides the thrill of drinking beer bought by somebody else is lessened if they aren't there to watch you consume the winnings and rub their nose in it a little bit.  Buying a Kubz hat or shirt for the purpose of getting my photo taken isn't prudent, and I can think of better things to do with the money.  Paying taxes comes to mind...

Anyhow, because most of the sorts of bets are made in a spirit of fun and amusement than anything else, I offered to use a Kubz Logo as my profile photo on my Facebook page for a week.  That seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to do.  They can do the same in return, but make it a Cards logo instead.

There is one of them who wants me to wear a shirt he'll purchase and ship to me and get my photo taken.  It's his money....

Anyway, Pitchers and Catchers report in just a few days and it should be an exciting time in the NL Central this year.

As a Cardinals fan, I'm thrilled.  As a baseball fan, I'm very pleased.  As a football fan, hippypaul  doesn't care...

An amazingly consistent season by Pujols illustrates what a great player he is.  I'd go on, but better baseball writers than I will say it better.

I am a baseball fan of the highest order.  Most times, if there's a ball game on TV, I'll be watching.  Doesn't matter who plays, just want to watch the game.  Heck, I even watch the Cubs on occasion (don't root for them though...that would be bad).

I'm also a huge Green Bay Packer fan.  Neither of these admissions should come as a surprise to long time readers of this here LJ...

The problem, you ask?  What to do on Sunday Night!!!

Y'see, the New York Yankees play their last game EVER at Yankee Stadium Sunday night and the game is on ESPN.  The Packers, with new QB Aaron Rodgers play 'Merica's Team (yarite), the Dallas Cowpokes on NBC at the same time.

What's a man to do?  I don't want to spend the whole night channel flippin' as that wears your average couch potato out...but WAUGH!!!!

I am so confused...

Not everyone loves Harry Carey.  ListGod (remember ListGod?) took this on one of his world famous bicycle rides around the City of Chicago.

There are times I find ListGod to be a breath of fresh air...

The ever brilliant Don Fehr, leader of the Major League Baseball Players Association, has said they plan on looking into why Barry Bonds hasn't been offered a contract by any of the apparently smarter MLB teams in the off season.  Bonds says he wants to play, he's been training and is ready to go.

Clue phone ringing, Mr. Fehr.  Here's the answer to your question.  Bonds is a grade A, first rate a$$hole.  Self-absorbed beyond belief, and has more baggage than a ship's hold, plus there's this pesky perjury thing and the allegations (pretty well proven) of steroid use.  Combine that with his churlish demeanor and the fact that he's of little use to a National League team because he's more of a defensive liability than Jose Canseco (which is really saying something) and it's no wonder why the guy has no offers.

I doubt it's collusion, Mr. Fehr.  Just an occasional outbreak of common sense amongst the MLB owners.  Not usually something you'd think would happen, but there it is...

Oh hell, that's easy...a perfect world would be one where the NY Yankees never, ever, ever win another World Series title.

Rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for Microsoft or something...