The Picks - Post Season Award Talk

Arguably, the most ridiculous of all of the pre-season predictions are the awards. Which player will be the most valuable to his (or her) team? Which pitcher will have the best season? How about best rookie? The questions themselves seem simple enough, but when asked before a pitch has been thrown, they're a bit silly.

But, nonetheless, it's tradition. Before every baseball season, even if it's only in your own head, you have to think of some predictions, even if that only means picking your Silver Sluggers (and if that's your thing, more power to you...get it, more power to you. bah dumpt, chhhh). And so, Jordan and I have berned long and hard over these, stewing and brewing over predictions that will more than likely fall by the wayside due to injury or incompetence (on either the players' or our parts).

So, without further ado, the 2009 Berning On Sports Pre Season Award picks...

AL Rookie of the Year:

Jordan: Matt Wieters, BAL

Assuming he plays most of the season, this guy is bound for stardom. I expect once he comes up in May he'll hit near .300 and hit 15-20 home runs while making a big impact on the Orioles both offensively and defensively.

Scott: Same, BAL

I don't really know many other rookies. He's supposed to be good.

NL Rookie of the Year:

Jordan: Colby Rasmus, STL

This guy has been in the minors longer than the Cardinals wanted him there because of an already crowded outfield. Assuming he'll get plenty of at-bats this season, he'll do well because he plays for St. Louis and if you play for them, you hit, no matter what your name is.

Scott: Come on. My only other guess, Daniel Murphy, NYM. He'll bat second, and they say the kid can really rake, so long as his lack of a real position doesn't kill the Mets too bad.

AL Cy Young Award: J

Jordan: Jon Lester, BOS

He's an excellent pitcher primed for a huge year. With the benefit of a winning club that has a great offense, he'll win a lot of games, and statistically he's as good as anyone.

Scott: Roy Halladay, TOR

I love the pick of Lester, and while I'd love to echo Jordan's sentiment's a third time, I'm going to stay in the division, but head further north. The only thing holding him back is that he might not get enough wins playing for such a poor team, but his stuff and track record show nothing other than greatness and no signs of slowing.

NL Cy Young Award:

Jordan: Jake Peavy, SD

This one is harder because there are so many dynamite pitchers in the National League. But the 2007 Cy Young is going to be pitching with the extra motivation of wanting to be traded from San Diego so he'll have a huge year. The only way he doesn't get consideration is if he doesn't win enough games because his offense is so bad.

Scott: Johan Santana, NYM

This might seem like a pick made based on the fact that I live in his area, but he'd have likely won it if the Mets had any semblance of a bullpen at any point last season. He won 16 games with a league leading ERA last year, and now he has Frankie Rodriguez and J.J. Putz to lock down a few more W's for the resume.

AL Most Valuable Player:

Jordan: Mark Teixeira, NYY

The MVP almost always comes from one of the best teams that is playoff bound. Big Tex is a fantastic player as it is, but now he'll be the focal point of an already excellent offense since A-Rod will begin the season on the DL.

Scott: Justin Morneau, MIN

With Joe Mauer out of the lineup for a chunk of time, the Twins will count on the Canadian to pick up the slack, and he will. He might not slug you to death, but Morneau will carry the Twins all the way to a division title.

NL Most Valuable Player:

Jordan: Manny Ramirez, LAD

He's playing his first full season in the National League, which he destroyed last year. I understand it was in a contract year, but the guy mashes no matter where he is. The Dodgers will likely be NL West champs again, and Manny will be credited with leading them there.

Scott: Albert Pujols, STL

This is a give-up pick, but here's how I look at it: the guy's always great (which, I know can work against him for this award, a la Kobe Bryant or even Shaq), and no one on the Cubs stands out to me as a guy that would clearly deserve an MVP award. So, Pujols it is, if even by default. Again.

30 Teams In 30 Days

Los Angeles Dodgers:  Yes, I Know They Swept The Cubs in the Playoffs Last Season

(Over the next 30 days, BERNing on Sports will be previewing every team in the Majors, yes, even the Royals.  Only one a day, every day, so try not to get too hooked.)

As I Was Saying...

I know the Cubs lost in a sweep last year in Los Angeles.  So the jokes can end right here.  Save your James Loney jeers and your comments related to Cubs playoff errors for some other forum.  (Because you'll probably have more fodder for me this October.)  Yet even though my beloved Northsiders played a horrifying series against L.A. last October, last year's playoff run showed you what this Dodgers team can be when their lineup is healthy.  We'll have the obligatory Manny discussion (next paragraph) and his impact on the team.  But the supporting cast for Ramirez is not only good when healthy, but potentially dangerous.  Do they have any one great hitter other than Manny?  Well, no.  But they do have a line up full of good hitters like Andre Ethier, the aforementioned Loney and Russell Martin in the middle of the lineup.  They also have two good table setters in Rafael Furcal and Orlando Hudson who should provide many pitchers problems with Manny coming up next.  Casey Blake and the athletic Matt Kemp are solid guys as well.  This is one lineup in baseball that top to bottom really has no weaknesses, and it's what should keep the Dodgers in contention for the next six months.  

The Obligatory Man-Ram Discussion

How could we have a preview of the Dodgers without giving one of the most scrutinized players in the great game of baseball his own header?  Exactly, so here goes.  The whole off-season was just a series of non-stories until the inevitable conclusion that Ramirez would eventually be a Dodger finally came to fruition a couple weeks ago.  The truth is, no matter what Ramirez cost, or whether there was a market for him or not, the Dodgers had no choice but to bring him back in the fold.  He is one of the best hitters in the game, and assuming he doesn't significantly decline due to age, he's a game-changing player that makes the Dodgers a force just by his mere presence on the lineup card.  Furthermore, you'd have to think his work ethic and approach to hitting can only be a good thing for the young guys in this lineup.  You put up with his attitude, or his seemingly careless demeanor.  Because the bottom line is, he's a masher, and they need him.  

Can Dodger Stadium Save This Staff?

The Dodgers lost ace Derek Lowe to free agency this off-season, and without him this pitching staff should take a significant hit.  He was outstanding down the stretch last year and other than Manny he was the biggest reason L.A. made it to October.  Now Chad Billingsley will have to assume a bigger role anchoring the staff, as well Hiroki Kuroda and veteran lefty Randy Wolf.  If those three pitch well and reap the benefits of pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium, L.A. should be okay.  You can't rely on Clayton Kershaw to give you much, even though at times last year he showed promise, and if Claudio Vargas assumes an significant role that's clearly not a good thing.  The Dodgers pitching staff is usually good even if the names aren't there just because that ballpark historically helps pitchers pitch.  But what is normally a strength in The City of Angels could instead be a setback for the 2009 outfit.

Remember This Guy?

His name is Jason Schmidt, and what seems like eons ago he was a coveted top of the rotation pitcher.  He has made just six starts for the Dodgers after they inked him to a now infamous three year contract worth forty-seven million dollars.  Well this is the final year of the deal and Schmidt is nearly recovered from shoulder surgery.  He is allegedly healthy now, but will start the season on a minor league rehab assignment to build up his arm strength.  He hasn't had a banner year since 2o04, but if he is in fact healthy and is at all effective this could be the shot in the arm (no pun intended) that the Dodgers need in a pitching staff which lost its ace.  I'm not saying the guy's going to win 17 games, but if he can come back and win ten games for this team, it could provide them the pitching depth they need to battle for a playoff spot again.

Bold Predictions

1. The Dodgers will win 90 games this year and win the NL West again.  But their pitching staff with have a team ERA among the worst in the National League.
2. Chad Billingsley will finish in the top 5 in the Cy Young voting.  He's the next great pitching star in the National League.
3. People will stop considering the Dodger Dog some kind of ball park delicacy.  It's an overrated, average hot dog.

Up Next...Sunday, Mariners.

Bad Hammy, Manny?

Apparently there was no rush to get Manny Ramirez into Dodgers camp after all. Turns out the slugging left fielder has a bad hamstring that's going to keep him out at least a week of spring training games.

Man Ram injured his left hamstring running down a double to left by Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki in the forth inning of a game last week, and was removed the following inning.

Now do you see why you didn't get the four year deal you so desperately coveted, Manny? It only took you a week to prove what many GMs already thought (besides your history of laying down)--you're too old for a long term contract.

Ramirez turns 37 May 30th. And while last year he was still arguably the best hitter in baseball, throughout history we've seen only guys hopped up on steroids can continue to produce at the same level when they're 38 as when they were 28. Manny could shake off this hamstring injury and wind up fine. But these injuries often linger for players and take away from their performance.

Good thing this contract likely only lasts one year. Because if Manny is hurt this year and can't produce than the off-season saga was a big waste of time and discussion.

Jonathan Papelbon Rips Man-Ram

It's pretty much common knowledge at this point that Manny Ramirez and the Boston Red Sox did not get along at the end of his tenure there. But none of the Sox players really ever came out and put it into words, until closer Jonathan Papelbon came out firing in the April version of Esquire Magazine. Check out these quotes from Paps:

“He was on a different train! And you saw what happened with that. We got rid of him, and we moved on without him."

“So Manny was tough for us. You have somebody like him, you know at any point in the ballgame, he can dictate the outcome of the game. And for him not to be on the same page as the rest of the team was a killer, man! It just takes one guy to bring an entire team down, and that’s exactly what was happening.”

“Once we saw that, we weren’t afraid to get rid of him. It’s like cancer. That’s what he was. Cancer. He had to go. It sucked, but that was the only scenario that was going to work. That was it for us. And after, you could feel it in the air in the clubhouse. We got Jason Bay—Johnny Ballgame, plays the game right, plays through broken knees, runs out every ground ball—and it was like a breath of fresh air, man! Awesome! No question.”

Candid, sure. Surprising? No. But interesting to hear, to say the least. What do you think? Feel free to post a comment.

Weekend Headlines

A few musings from Friday night in the world of sports...

• The Celtics must be out to prove how little value Kevin Garnett actually has to the team's success.  Boston is now 4-2 without "The Big Ticket" in the lineup, and put forth an outstanding effort at home Friday night against the Cavs.  A game back in the race for the top seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the game, Boston came out on a mission and out-willed Cleveland 105-94.  The Celts made it their mission not to let LeBron James beat them, and they succeeded.    LBJ had just 21 points, six rebounds and five assists, but shot a miserable 33-percent from the field.  Mo Williams was great, scoring 26 points on 8-15 shooting, but if he's the only guy doing well for Cleveland you know they're in trouble.  Granted, the game was in Boston which no doubt was an advantage for the Celtics.  But the fact that Cleveland played as poorly as it did last night at TD Bank North Garden sends the message that if they don't nail down that top seed before the regular season ends, they're going to have to figure out a way to win in Beantown if they hope to reach the NBA Finals.  The Celtics are now 49-14 and while KG may be out another week or so, Boston is showing it doesn't need him for now.  A big statement was made between the top two teams in the East, and right now it appears Boston has the upper hand.
• Speaking of the Association, while the top teams in the East are the cream of the crop in the NBA, the opposite could be said about the teams holding the bottom seeds in the conference.  With their 15-point victory over Milwaukee Friday night, the lowly Chicago Bulls have now taken sole possession of the 8th seed in the East.  Let me be the first to tell you this Bulls team is not good.  The fact that they would make the playoffs if the season ended today is merely a product of the fact that there are just too many teams that qualify for the post season in the NBA.  I know, I know.  It would theoretically be good for the league if the Bulls made the playoffs because of Chicago's market size and the fact that Derrick Rose is one of the league's bright young stars.  But if the NBA were smart, they'd allow just 6 teams from each conference to make the post season and have the top two seeds earn a bye like the NFL.  Is it perfect solution?  Well, no, frankly.  But it's better than having teams like Chicago or Milwaukee who are five and six games below .500 respectively earning a spot in the playoffs.  That's really a joke, isn't it?
• Thankfully I didn't go to Florida State, nor am I a fan of their athletics.  It's not that I don't like them, but man are their fans bumming tonight.  The NCAA slapped the Seminoles with four years of probation and may force the football program to forfeit some of their wins in the record books as punishment for their academic cheating scandal.  Bobby Bowden's 382 wins ranks 2nd all time to Joe Paterno, who has just one more career win.  But if he has to give back some wins JoePa really distances himself in that book, doesn't he?  The 'Noles football program will have to forfeit two scholarships in recruiting this year and one next season, and that's just part of the problem.  Other sports are going to lose a bunch of scholarships and victories too.  Apparently the track and field program will have to give up three NCAA championship crowns.  That's what happens when a reported sixty-one FSU athletes cheated on an online test in 2006 and 2007, and also were provided the answers to tests and had papers written for them by university staff.  A couple of things I thought when I saw this:  1) While this is pretty significant corruption, athletes at every school in America cheat.  If they were going to cheat, they should have been better cheaters.  2)  What does it say about the pressure to win at FSU when university staffers are cheating for these athletes?  Apparently Myron Rolle didn't need the help.  Maybe they should be recruiting smarter athletes so they can handle the academics so FSU doesn't have to spoon feed them to keep them on their respective teams.  Or here's a thought, mandate some study time in their practice schedule!  Florida State basketball is actually good this year, but forget about that for a while.  Now that recruiting takes a hit the upstart team will decline, and so will seemingly every other sports team in Tallahassee.  Yikes.
• Is there a bigger joke than agent Drew Rosenhaus's claim that there are "several teams" interesting in signing Terrell Owens?  I guess the thought would be plausible if he hadn't thrown in the thought that he won't identify the teams that are in fact interested.  If you can't identify teams, then how can we believe there are several teams interested?  Conventional wisdom would suggest Oakland is interested, because they'll take anything they can get.  But beyond that, who?  San Francisco?  Maybe Washington?  That's three teams, which wouldn't suffice for my definition of several.  This could end up going a lot like the Manny Ramirez situation went.  No, T.O. won't end up signing back with the Cowboys, but Rosenhaus will try to create a market that doesn't exist for a player with significant character flaws.  Like Ramirez, there's no question that you'd want T.O. for the talent he possesses.  But how many teams want a guy who seemingly obliterates every locker room he enters?  Rosenhaus is doing his job as an agent, trying to create some leverage to find Owens a contract.  But please, enough with this garbage about how there are several teams interested.  I cannot believe that's true.  Can you?

Hump Day Headlines

In this week's Hump Day Headlines Manny Ramirez may finally be a Dodger, the scary story in the NFL gets worse, A-Rod's newest mess, and hockey's trade deadline comes just hours from now...

• A few days ago I suggested the notion that maybe Manny Ramirez's general apathy to the contract negotiations with the Dodgers might mean that in fact he does not wish to play baseball again. I guess now my theory is being tested. He's had a change of heart, maybe, as he's reportedly warming up to the idea of signing a 2-year, $45 million contract with L.A. These are the same terms he rejected on two occasions this offseason already. Yet, according to ESPNdeportes.com's Enrique Rojas, Man-Ram agreed to the general terms of the new deal. However, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark says there are still complications that haven't been solved yet, and Jerry Crasnick says the agreement in fact has not been reached. Either way, with all these reports starting to come out, you'd figure this mess will likely end soon. This would be good because as we have already mentioned here at BERNing, a) the Dodgers need him, b) he wants money from them, and c) once he signs, we won't have to hear about this anymore. The last reason is probably the best and most compelling reason for him to sign, but then again, what does he care what we the fans think?
• We know now that one of the men on the boat that went missing this past weekend carrying NFL players Corey Smith, Marquis Cooper, and two former University of South Florida football players was found, thankfully. But that's where the good news ends, unfortunately. Twenty-four-year-old Nick Schuyler was found, but the two NFLers and the other USF football player are still missing. Now the search for their missing boat has been stopped by the U.S. Coast Guard after inspecting 24,000 miles of ocean. Coast Guard Captain Timothy Close told reporters that he was sure the efforts of the search were more than sufficient, and the search would have found the men if they had survived. What a scary and difficult story to read. It's not like these men were out to cause trouble, like so many others in the NFL. Instead, what started as a fishing trip for four buddies turned into a tragic ending. Remind me never to take a fishing boat into the Gulf of Mexico.
• If the 24/7 coverage of Alex Rodriguez's lies and admissions about his use of performance enhancing drugs wasn't enough for you, or his inexplicable decision to represent the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic instead of the United States, where he was born and raised, now there's this: he has a cyst in his hip, and he's going to visit a doctor in Colorado today. Whether this affects his status for the WBC? That question remains unanswered. Yankees GM Brian Cashman had this to say about his embattled slugger's newest problem: "Alex has proven his durability throughout his career, and we will take every precaution and step necessary to ensure his health as we near the start of the 2009 regular season and beyond." No kidding. What a time to get hurt. There's no shortage of news when it comes this guy. I wonder if this will be a nagging injury that keeps him on the bench during any of the regular season. That would only create more fodder for the New York media. As if they need any help getting a story.
• The NHL trading deadline comes at 3 p.m. eastern time today, and some big names could potential be dealt. So, puckheads, beware. Rumor has it Ducks defenseman Chris Pronger could be headed to Boston in a deal. There are also rumors he could end up in Chicago. Basically, if by dinner time Pronger is still an Anaheim Duck, it would be surprising. Scott Niedermayer could be heading out of Anaheim, and Tomas Kaberle could be on his way out of Toronto. All-Star Panther Jay Bouwmeester could be leaving Florida, and so could Coyote defenseman Derek Morris. Over the last three years, there have been twenty-five deadline deals made. So unlike the baseball trade deadline that is often much ado about nothing, hockey fans might be seeing a lot of wheeling and dealing before the middle of this afternoon. Other names I've read could be traded: Islanders captain Bill Guerin, Coyotes forward Olli Jokinen, Wild forward Marian Gaborik, even though he's hurt, Edmonton's Erik Cole (who I've heard could also be traded to Boston), the Penguins Jordan Staal, the Blues Keith Tkachuk, and the Av's Ryan Smyth. There are others too, countless others that I have read could be traded. So for hockey fans, and those of us who are new hockey fans like me, it should be an intriguing day if any of these big named players get moved. If not, it's another ho-hum day as we get ready for March Madness to start already.

He Must Not Want to Play

Maybe it's not about the money, after all.

Manny Ramirez rejected the Dodgers latest 2 year, $45 million offer, which leads me to believe that maybe it's not even about the money at this point.  Maybe Manny Ramirez just has no desire to play.

We're already a couple of weeks into spring training.  Games are going on.  And while Manny Ramirez could easily walk in off the street and play opening day and be effective, maybe he just has no itch or desire to play after all.

He and agent Scott Boras continue to claim there are other suitors for his services and he's still waiting for the market to decide his fate.  Unless I'm missing something, there are no other suitors.  The Giants had mild interest but pulled out of the running a while ago.  There is no market for one of the game's greatest hitters and it's because teams are hesitant to pay a lazy jerk with a history of laying down. 

Isn't this pretty clear by now?

"We want Manny back, but we feel we are negotiating against ourselves,"  Dodgers owner Frank McCourt told reporters in a statement.  "When his agent finds those 'serious offers'  from other clubs, we'll be happy to restart the negotiations."

McCourt knows what everyone else knows.  There are no suitors.  They're throwing him a bone, by offering him $45 million when they don't have to offer him any more than fifty cents to be the highest bidder.  But since this prima dona wants to be paid $25 million a year, likely against their better judgment, they've offered it to him anyway.

And he still won't take it.  He must not want to play.

What else could it be?  He wanted out of Boston, played out of his mind in L.A. from August to the National League Championship Series presumably to break the bank.  He wanted a 4-year deal worth $100 million.  He couldn't get it.  And now that he's seen that there's no market for him because of his own doing, maybe he's decided he just doesn't need baseball anymore.

It's not like there hasn't been a love-fest from the players and manager Joe Torre in an effort to entice him to return.  After all, the Dodgers have already publicly admitted they need him, and without him they're considerably worse.  Considering they are in competition with no one and they're still willing to offer him nearly half his original asking price should be a sufficient message of respect.  And he was a mega-star in Hollywood last season.  Every time he strode to the plate they chanted his name at Dodger Stadium.  Trust me, I witnessed it live.

So if he won't go back to the Dodgers, when they're offering him $25 million for this season and $20 million for next season to play baseball in a depressed economy, it must be a lack of motivation.  At this point, he must know he cannot get the contract he desires.  And if he cared so much about returning to baseball, he'd take this deal and head to the locker already reserved for him at the Dodgers new spring training home in Glendale.  

Instead, he's still sitting at home.  And it makes me think maybe he's just tired of baseball.

Best Deal In Sports

Ah how Major League teams love young talent.  Giants 24-year-old ace Tim Lincecum just signed a one year contract worth $650,000.

A little more than half a million dollars for the 2008 Cy Young Award winner.  The man who went 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA and lead the majors with 265 punch-outs in just 227 innings.  

Oh yeah.  Maybe I should also mention that that 2.62 ERA was the third best in the majors and second best in the National League.  And those 18 wins?  Also 2nd in the league.  Only Cliff Lee won more games.  

Granted, after the 2009 campaign Lincecum will be eligible for salary arbitration.  So he'll get his payday soon enough, assuming he continues to pitch like he has.  But what a deal for a guy who's that good.  Gil Meche makes $11 million per year.

Amazing that Lincecum is making just $650,000.  And he's happy to play for that.  Manny Ramirez on the other hand won't settle for $25 million a year.  Unreal, isn't it?

UConn Post Game Turns Into Economic Debate

Sometimes reporters do stupid things that make the media look bad. Today after #1 UConn's 64-50 win over South Florida at the XL Center in Hartford, a self proclaimed "freelance journalist" may have asked a pointed question, but picked an inopportune time to ask it.

The man's name is Ken Krayeske, a 36 year old Hartford resident and political activist who apparently has made headlines in the area before. He decided Saturday afternoon to take the post-game press conference with UConn legendary coach Jim Calhoun and turn it into a circus.

Krayeske questioned Coach Calhoun about why the coach at a public university is making 1.6-million dollars when the economy is plummeting across America and especially in Connecticut. The question by itself might not be so outrageous, but it was completely inappropriate to ask him after a game. Considering it was the University of Connecticut that gave him his salary, he probably should have first talked to the administration. Furthermore, if he wanted to talk to Calhoun about this, he should have arranged an interview with him at another time to discuss it.

Calhoun at first jokingly said, "not a dime back" in response to whether he should give money from his contract back to UConn. Krayeske however, continued to fire pointed questions at him about the money he makes, when Calhoun understandibly started to get angry.

"My best advice to you is, shut up," Calhoun yelled back.

Maybe that wasn't the best thing to do. Maybe he should have acted more professionally. But Calhoun is a hot head and this guy was provoking him unfairly.

Then Krayeske threw the rest of the media he was standing with under the bus.

"If these guys covered this stuff, I wouldn't have to do it," he said.

Is this guy kidding? If Krayeske was an actual journalist, or at least one with any class, he'd never call out the rest of his "colleagues". Nor would he choose to make this post-game press conference into a debate. This isn't the time or place for him to be making political commentary.

"Quite frankly, we bring in 12 million [dollars] to the university, nothing to do with state funds, " Calhoun snapped back. "We make 12 million [dollars] a year for this university. Get some facts and come back and see me... Don't throw out salaries and other things... We turn over 12 million [dollars] to the University of Connecticut, which is state-run. Next question."

Calhoun felt the need to defend himself here, but really, he should have ignored this guy. Calhoun is a well respected, excellent basketball coach who is paid handsomely for bringing consistent basketball success to Connecticut. He doesn't decide his salary, and he's worth what the university is willing to pay him. Furthermore, just because the economy is bad and many people are struggling, why does that mean he should give back the money he's earned for success at his job?

Athletes and coaches are generally overpaid when you consider that they're multimillionaires for playing games for a living. There's no question that when you consider that teachers and firemen and policemen don't make even a fraction of the pay that Manny Ramirez gets paid to swing a baseball bat, it's unfair.

But the bottom line is this: people come out in droves to wherever Manny is playing and pay $100 or more per ticket day in and day out. The teams he and these other athletes play for are enormous money making machines beacuse of their performance on the field. Why shouldn't these guys get a piece of the pie? Why should Ramirez or Calhoun any other athlete or coach get paid a salary of a teacher when they are bringing millions upon millions of dollars to their respective teams and universities? Isn't this why we have a free market economy?

If people scalped hundreds of dollars to get tickets to watch firemen, they they could get paid more than they do. Nobody's buying tickets to watch teachers teach biology.

Jim Calhoun is right. Krayeske should shut up. And if he feels so strongly about it, write a column. Talk to the university. But don't blame Calhoun. He's just one of many people in many walks of life that makes more money than he needs. But it's not Krayeske's job to decide Calhoun's salary.

The Biggest Story of Baseball's Spring Training? Not the WBC...

When March 2nd rolls around, the most fascinating story in baseball will not be the World Baseball Classic.

Nor will it be your favorite baseball team training in Florida or Arizona.  Nor will it be where big named free agents like Manny Ramirez will sign.  

It will be Barry Bonds' perjury trial.  And if that's not intriguing enough for you, ex-teammate Bobby Estalella (and admitted steroid user) will reportedly testify against him in the proceedings.

I'm not a Court TV guy, although I did watch the Illinois State Senate impeach Governor Rod Blagojevich Thursday afternoon.  But this will be great television.  

Finally we'll see that scum bag Bonds get what he deserves.  He'll go to jail for cheating and lying.  We can finally put the famed asterisk next to his home run record of 762.  We can go back to calling Hank Aaron's 755 blasts the real career home run mark.  

Court proceedings are slow, so it's not like we weren't going to eventually see this trial come for the fairly unpopular slugger.  But it is long enough after Bonds retired, er, didn't have a choice but not to play since no team risked signing him in 2008, that we finally need some closure.  As a diehard baseball fan my entire life, seeing Bonds hit blast number 756 off Washington's Mike Bascik was one of the more unnerving moments I have had as a fan.  

Hopefully, soon after the March 2nd trial begins, we can finally put an end to Barry Bonds' records in baseball.

It's sad really.  The guy was one of the most tremendously talented baseball players I've ever seen.  As someone in my early twenties, there are few players I have ever watched that I marveled at as much as Bonds.  On his own merit, prior to his run with steroids, he was a good enough player by a long shot to earn a ticket to Cooperstown.  His career statistics look like those of a video game slugger that you've simulated ten seasons with.  They're insane.

But he was always a bad guy.  He was never a likable player you could rally behind.  Even when he was breaking records, he never had the adoration (except for in San Francisco) that Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa had in their magical (albeit steroid induced) home run race in 1998.  His accomplishments later in his career left a sour taste in the mouths of baseball fans across the globe.

So I'm ready for the demise of Barry Bonds.  He deserves whatever sentence he eventually earns in court.  And March 2nd, I'll definitely be watching the trial.

Not Worth The Hassle

According to various sources, Terrell Owens might be on his way out of Big D.

After a season in which Owens stirred up trouble (surprised, right?) with his quarterback and, of all people, his tight end, there is some thought that T.O. might be on the outs. Though the likelihood of such an occurrence appears to be slim because Jerry Jones isn't in total agreement with the above school of thought, the fact that we're even talking about it means that his welcome has been worn.

In what seems to be yet another chapter in the "Is He Really Worth It?" book being rewritten on an almost twice daily basis, Terrell Owens has basically forced another team to think about getting rid of him. Which on its face in an ideal world would appear to be insane.

A guy that is one of the best receivers in the league year in and year out, a guy that is coming off his third straight season of at least 1000 yds and 10 TDs. Not bad. Again, ideally, not bad.

Yet, when you consider all of the heartache that comes with Owens, the answer is simple: get rid of him.

Like our friend Manny Ramirez, T.O., despite his great on-field abilities isn't worth the hassle, nor should be rewarded for his antics. If there was some sort of thing as karma, guys like Owens and Ramirez wouldn't be able to get new contracts in new places with new teammates. They'd be actually punished for carrying on and complaining and jaking and jiving and showboating and lolligagging and anything else that fits under "these are the type of athletes/humans" most everyone can't stand.

To bring it back to football, my feeling is that no wide out is really worth the trouble. As great as T.O. was in Philly's run to the Super Bowl a few years back, truth is, most wide receivers simply aren't worth the effort.

League's leading wide receiver, Andre Johnson, hasn't played in the playoffs in his career. In previous years, the Patriots, Ravens, Bucs, and Steelers have won Super Bowls without the help of a top-notch WR.

Of the top 14 guys leading the league in yardage from that spot, only one is still playing-Larry Fitzgerald. Of those 14, only seven made the playoffs.

This isn't to say wide receivers serve no purpose. Come on, I've watched an NFL football game before. I know they have purpose, that they can change the course of a game. But, the honest truth that people need to come around to realizing is that while it might be fun to have the big name wide receiver, it may not be wholly worth it.

Especially when that guy is Terrell Owens.

Would You Sign This Guy? I wouldn't.

He has 527 career home runs and 1725 career RBI. He has a .314 career batting average and a career on base percentage of .411. He's also a 10 time all-star.

Yet he remains unsigned, because he's an expensive liability.

If I were a major league baseball general manager, I would never sign a guy like Manny Ramirez. I don't care how clutch he is, or the fact that he's won two world series rings. I don't care that he has hit 28 post-season home runs or that he has a .399 career on base percentage in the post season. He'd never be on my team.

He's lazy. He doesn't run out ground balls and he trots after fly balls that he knows will fall. He's a brutal outfielder whether he's trying or not.

He whined year after year about how he wanted out of Boston and how much he hated it when the fans there adored him and defended him no matter what, even when during a pitching change he urinated inside the green monster. It was just "Manny being Manny", they cried.

He laid down. He faked injuries and made up excuses to force the Red Sox to trade him to Los Angeles.

His performance with the Dodgers made this even more infuriating. His .396 batting average and 17 home runs in just 53 games in Dodger blue only showed what he's capable of if he's motivated. He basically carried a team that really wasn't all that good to the NLCS, and in the process was in serious consideration for National League MVP. And while he's an incredible player when he wants to be, how do we know he'd be motivated once he gets the contract he covets?

Obviously, that's why he hasn't been signed, and that's why he'll be a hard sell by agent Scott Boras to get him the four or five year, 25-plus million dollar per year contract he desires. The Giants pulled out of the race today, and the Dodgers say they're "talking" to him and Boras, but they're still not close to a deal. The Yankees opted to sign Mark Teixiera instead, and other teams that might have the finances to land the 36-year-old Ramirez are opting not to take the risk.

Some team will eventually bite the bullet and overpay to have him. They'll justify it by saying that he's a great hitter and he'll sell tickets. With those reasons, they'll be right. But they'll be taking a considerable risk that in a year or two his numbers will decline. They'll be making a bigger gamble that Ramirez won't destroy his new clubhouse or be an enormous off-field distraction in the near future.

But if it were me, I wouldn't pay him a cent.

Enough Already

It's December 23rd, sometime in the afternoon, do you know where your targeted Scott Boras client is?

Likely sitting at home.

As reported by Y! Sports, only one Boras client has signed a FA contract his winter.  His name, Felipe Lopez, and he's now a Diamondback, in case you cared.  Quick aside...best line of the whole article, came in the comments section:

"Shocking Boras even accepted him as a client."

While that observation is quite true, the more shocking fact is that he's the only one that's signed.  Then again, when you consider that Scott Boras could very well be the anti-Christ of Major League Baseball, it isn't that surprising.

Boras' supremely talented clients, Mark Teixiera, Oliver Perez, Manny Ramirez, and Derek Lowe among them, sit at home, while their agent postures and preens and pauses.  There are usually a few "mystery teams" that no one seems to know much about (their whereabouts, how they are offering that player a contract without anyone knowing about it, or why they are the only team offering 2 more years and 40 million more).  

There usually is a ridiculous waiting game played, where teams go back and forth saying they are "out" of the bidding.  Boston said they were out last week.  The Angels have withdrawn their offer.  Sure.  And the Yankees were really done bidding on A-Rod when they said so last year.

Now there's word out of Washington that the Nats are offering more money (up near the 180 million mark), with the potential for more years.  As has been said previously here on BERNing, that's clearly not a good idea.  Though, Collin Balester might have something different to say about that.

However it winds up breaking down, with Marky Mark wearing Bo-Sox red next year or Natty gray (who even cares what color they are?), I've had quite enough of this Mark Teixeira saga.  Let's get a move on this whole process.  Let's get him signed, let's get these other guys signed.  Who cares if it's for too much money?  At least, once it's over, we'll be able to get rid of Scott Boras til next winter.