This will be the last post on Baseball News Blog. Thanks to everyone who has visited the site over the last four years. It's been fun.

Mariners, World Champions that Weren’t. Derek Zumsteg: "'The Mariners had Junior, A-Rod, and Randy Johnson, and they didn’t win squat.' I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told that about the Mariners. But I’ve never sat down and taken a serious look at that window, and considered what might have been, and how it could have got there." (U.S.S. Mariner)

About Schmidt. John J Perricone on Jason's loss of command since his groin injury last August. (Only Baseball Matters)

Chat: Paul Lukas. (The "Uni Watch" guy, not the "Watch on the Rhine" guy.)

Cris E (St Paul, MN): So where did all the color-coordinated shoes go?

Paul Lukas: The Cards still have red shoes. And the Rangers and Cubs still have blue. Personally, I like basic black (except for the A's, who of course should always wear white).

I'm with Lukas on this one. To anyone who says the Cardinals have the best uniforms in the majors, I say the red shoes automatically disqualify them.(Baseball Prospectus)

Fish gotta swim. "Vegas' dim stadium prospects notwithstanding, MLB seems eager to talk up Sin City as the destination-du-jour for the Marlins, and likely for any teams eager to scare their home towns into coughing up cash for new stadiums. This is the role that Tampa Bay filled for MLB in the 1980s and early '90s, when at least five different teams threatened to move to Florida's Gulf Coast (if you're scoring at home: the White Sox, Indians, Rangers, Mariners, Giants and probably a couple of others I've forgotten) as part of stadium-blackmail deals." (Field of Schemes)

One on One: Nothing But The Stats.

Did you think Miguel Tejada's 150 runs batted in were a fluke last year? Well, he has 25 RBI in 22 games in 2005. I know it is (really) early, but I still find it interesting that Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Hack Wilson are the only players ever to knock in 150 or more runs in consecutive seasons. Gehrig and Ruth each turned the trick three years in a row. Of note, these historical seasons were all turned in from 1929-1937.

If Tejada drives home 100 runs in 2005, he will tie Alex Rodriguez at six for the most consecutive years of reaching the century mark while playing shortstop. A 25-HR season will give the 2002 AL MVP six in a row, tying A-Rod and Cal Ripken, Jr. for second place one season behind Hall of Famer Ernie Banks.

Except for a downtick in 2003, Tejada's HR/AB ratio has gone up every year since his rookie season in 1997. The ironman shortstop is working on his fifth straight campaign of playing in every game and has played 159 or more games every year since 1999.

(The Baseball Analysts)

Prospectus Triple Play: Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets.

In the Roberts-only division, Brian has already established his place. He's tied Dave Roberts (not the active one; follow the link) for most home runs in a month by a Roberts, and will try to knock off Leon (22 in 1978) for most home runs by a Roberts in one season. Nineteen of Dave's 21 homers in 1973 came in July, August and September, so Roberts will really have to get it in gear if he plans to have the best second half by a Roberts.

It's unlikely that the power surge is completely random--if four home runs in 641 at-bats represents Roberts' true ability, then the chance of him hitting at least seven in 69 at-bats is .00000028, or around one in 2.8 million. Roberts is 27, and may be developing some pop as his career peaks, but there's still a lot of luck in play here--Roberts is not going to finish the year with an 1187 OPS. Enjoy it while it lasts, O's fans.

(Baseball Prospectus)

What Can Brown Do For You? "Watching Kevin Brown struggle in pinstripes again this past weekend raised the question -- at least in my mind -- is he the greatest Brown ever to play major league baseball? Raise three fingers in the air if you know the answer to that right off, as we prepare for another exciting rendition of Baseball's Hall of Names ... Woohoo!" (Batter's Box Baseball Blog)

Tek the Best Catcher, Pythagorean Standings. "Jason Varitek has to be one of the best catchers in the game. With apologies to Texas, Florida, and Detroit, it is no longer Ivan Rodriguez. With emphatic statements to New York, it is not, never will be, and never was Jorge Posada. Let’s compare." (Fire Brand of the American League)

King Kaufman reviews Forging Genius: The Making of Casey Stengel by Steven Goldman.

"When Stengel joined the Yankees in 1949," Goldman writes, "and for most years thereafter, the team required a wise hand to smooth over its flaws. The years Stengel spent managing untalented ball clubs prepared him to recognize talent, distinguish it from the chaff, and utilize it in ways that enabled his teams to exceed the sum of their parts."

That, and not when to call for a bunt or yank a pitcher, is what makes a great manager, though Goldman shows Stengel was pretty good at those things too. "He simply ran rings around other managers," Goldman writes, detailing a few instances when Stengel outmanaged a foe. "It turns out that the class clown had been paying attention."

(Salon.com)

Chat: Joe Sheehan.

BigPapi34 (Boston): 87 wins for the Yankees? That is by far the most pessimistic forecast I've seen. I'd be giddy if it actually happened, because the headlines from New York (and Tampa) would be priceless. Defend thyself.

Joe Sheehan: Aging hitters. Aging fielders. Overrated and overpaid rotation that, aside from the tall guy, will be victimized early and often by the latter.

It's been a great run. Time to start over.

(Baseball Prospectus)

Again? Really? "I have to exercise my 'being-happy-about-a-sweep' muscle more because I'm getting a cramp here from overuse after a long period of inactivity. Second sweep in a row at home for the Diamondbacks, thanks to a 8-6 victory over the Padres Sunday afternoon, and I'm still trying to remember how I should respond." (Random Fandom)

New York Fancy Ladies 4, Toronto Blue Jays 3. "I thought earlier this week that Alex Rodriguez had been handed the plot to his inevitable cheesy Hollywood bio-pic: if I was a screenwriter given the task of writing The A-Rod Story, I would do my damnedest to hang the story around A-Rod saving the kid in Boston...[T]he pre-kid-saving blackhearted A-Rod was in full effect against the Jays last night. If it wasn't the ridiculous argument with the umpire after he ran way outside of the baseline (which, in my opinion, made him look like the biggest fancy lady on a team of fancy ladies), it was the comically A-Rod-sized bag of ice applied to his tiny little nosebleed. It was bigger than his head! Nothing appears to have changed since the girly-slap last fall, and that's a real shame, because the screenplay has potential." (Batter's Box Baseball Blog)

Blast From The Past: Wally Berger. "Wally Berger was on track for a Hall of Fame career before his injuries. Had he not been injured or even played his career on a contender, he would be likely had a plaque in Cooperstown." (The Hardball Times)

Business of Baseball Report: George Steinbrenner Stadium, Baseball in D.C., and More. "Rumors and reports are filtering out of the Yankees' front office that an agreement with the city and state is close to completion, and that the New York Yankees will have a new stadium to play in for the 2009 season. George Steinbrenner has been hot for a new, luxury box-laden stadium for quite some time, and has even played the “I’ll move the team” card on occasion by threatening to take the team to New Jersey." (The Hardball Times)

Who's who?

Another nobody failed his drug test, got suspended, and was supported by his teammates, manager and general manager yesterday. What a difference in the way the media has handled the first three steroids 'cheats,' as compared to the way they've treated Bonds for the last four seasons (who, by the way, has never failed a drug test, admitted using steroids, or been accused by anyone with first-hand knowledge of using steroids).

But Bonds hit 73 home runs in 2001, and the obviously well-informed mainstream media wants to know; how could he have had such a huge upswing in home runs without cheating? It's not possible for someone who's never hit more than 46 home runs to suddenly hit almost 30% more, is it?

(Only Baseball Matters)

The Devil's Advocate: A Major Disaster. "The problem with the Yankees has nothing to do with Joe Torre or Mel Stottlemyre. It’s not about lineup construction or bullpen usage. The Yankees are struggling because the front office did a terrible job of building a team with the resources they had. For whatever reason, they neglected their depth and their defense, they placed too high an emphasis on single-season performances rather than career progression, and have vastly overvalued veteran players, particularly veterans with postseason experience, over more promising players entering their prime. It’s made for an old, expensive, high-risk team that will impress nobody with its successes and be a target for merciless derision should it fail." (The Hardball Times)

Cooperstown Confidential: Regular Season Edition #1. The Yankees' first week; trade rumors; the 1975 World Series; Carmen Fanzone; more. (Cooperstown Confidential)

Willis pitches second straight shutout. The Marlins' team ERA is now 1.36. They have four complete games; the other 29 teams have a grand total of two. (Yahoo!)

Roger Out. "In the best game of the young year, Kazuhisa !sh!! reined in his control to play gunslinger with official Pro-Bites sponsor Roger Clemens. The fat-headed Texan threw smoke (but no splintered bats) and shut the Mets down through seven. !sh!! did the same and should be commended for it even though the Astros have one of the worst lineups in the National League..." (East Coast Agony)

The 1957 Kansas City Athletics.

The 1957 Athletics led their league in home runs, with 166, and they led by a wide margin: the second-best team hit 153, and the average of the seven other teams in the league was 123. Yet the A’s were dead last in their league in runs scored, with 563, and by a wide margin: the next-to-worst offense scored 597, and the average of the seven other teams in the league was 664.

Question: How exactly does a team solidly lead the league in home runs, and yet solidly trail the league in runs scored? Answer: With difficulty. If it happened at any other time in major league history, I’m not aware of it, and the 1957 Athletics accomplished the feat with a flourish.

(The Hardball Times)

Sorry for the unexpected two-week absence. Back to baseball!

The Red Sox Home Opener! (4-11-05, Complete with Pictures and Videos!) (Fire Brand of the American League)

Sitting among the Fenway faithful. Bill Simmons: "I'm not claiming that I helped spawn the miracle fetus or anything, but the doctor told us that the baby was conceived shortly after the Cabrera trade. Maybe she didn't do as much as Schilling or Big Papi, but she definitely did more than Byung-Hyun Kim. Regardless, she's entering a world where the Red Sox aren't considered lovable losers, where we can watch playoff games without enduring dozens upon dozens of Babe Ruth references, where 35,000 people aren't secretly expecting the worst possible outcome in every big game. And when I carry her into Fenway some day, I'm pointing to the 2004 banner and telling her, 'That was the team that changed everything.'" (ESPN.com)

Milton Bradley Cranks Up His Game: Dodgers 9, Giants 8. "For the Giants, it's October 2, 2004 all over again, as a 'defensive replacement' mishandles a ball and causes the team to implode. It wasn't pretty, but the Dodgers won. And Milton Bradley, for one day, can spell his name K-i-r-k G-i-b-s-o-n." (6-4-2)

Three alarm fire. "And I'm not calling the Giants firemen to put it out. After yesterday's disgusting, disheartening, destructive, derailing 9-8 loss to the despicable Dodgers, I just have to ask.... What the hell is going on here??!?!" (Only Baseball Matters)

Custodians. John J Perricone:

If McGwire (or Bonds, or Sosa, or Brady Anderson, or whoever) used steroids prior to 2002, it wasn't cheating, it wasn't against the rules, and they didn't hurt anyone. Bill Madden, (or any one of these sportswriters) writing that Bonds should retire, for the good of the game, cannot make the same claim. He is writing something that is hurtful, that is not based on facts, and in fact, is against the rules (the journalistic code of ethics). Hall of Fame voters saying that they will keep Mark McGwire out of the Hall of Fame are doing the same thing. They are abusing the privilege they enjoy, for reasons that have no business being included in the discussion, based on innuendo and speculation and slander.

Furthermore, as writers like Bill James and Joe Sheehan have begun to question the Hall of Fame voters exclusive status, let me say that should these voters be pompous and self-righteous enough to deny Mark McGwire or Barry Bonds his plaque in Cooperstown; it will be their downfall. They've kept Rose out, to the anger and frustration of many, many fans. Their exclusivity is a privilege, and fans will put up with only so much. Should they follow through on their foolish stance; they will force the Hall to reconsider the current arrangement, the fans will make sure of it. Mark McGwire is a Hall of Fame player, and the fans idolize him. Denying him his place in the Hall will not be tolerated.

(Only Baseball Matters)

More of John J Perricone's excellent posts about steroids and baseball are collected here.

I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide...and I'm on TV. Jay Jaffe will be appearing live on MSNBC's Connected Coast to Coast today (Wednesday) at 12 noon EST/9 AM PST. Topic: steroids. (Futility Infielder)

First Time Caller, Long Time Moron.

The greatest of all sports talk traditions is the mock trade. Two rules of the call-in show mock trade:

1. Assume the prospect you've heard about on your team is as valuable as the best prospects in the game. If Daric Barton and Dan Haren add up to Mark Mulder, then Todd Linden and Brad Hennessey must equal Mark Mulder, too. Why didn't the stupid Giants trade for Mulder?

2. The scapegoat of the Giants needs to go in the trade. However, and this is crucial, the player's value is not affected by his being overpriced and/or terrible. In 2001, Marvin Benard was in every trade proposal. In 2004, it was Neifi. This year, make sure your trade includes Kirk Rueter. Now that makes it Linden/Hennessey/Rueter for Mulder.

That's all there is to it. This, of course, was all just a long-winded lead-in to my open call for trade ideas. The Giants might need a centerfielder. They could definitely use another strong bullpen arm. What are your mock trades?

(McCovey Chronicles)

Offseason Rankings: Part Two. "I'll just say this about New York's offseason. If you had come up to me, a Red Sox fan, in early November and hand me a sheet of paper listing everything the Yankees ended up doing and told me that's what the Yankees would do, I would have been thrilled." (The Hardball Times)

Offseason Rankings: Part Three. "It's pretty simple, really. Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez were probably the two best free agents available this offseason, and the Mets got both of them. They paid a lot to get them, but all that matters is they did get them, and that will make them a lot better." (The Hardball Times)

New York Mets Preview. "In the off-season, the Mets hired Omar Minaya as General Manager. After years of dealing with microscopic budgets in Montreal, Minaya must have been thrilled by the resources in New York. He promptly signed Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran, and hired Willie Randolph to manage the club. With these additions, the Mets are considered by many to have a legitimate chance at winning the division. Do they, really?" (Batter's Box Baseball Blog)

Cards move Ankiel to outfield.

JUPITER, Fla. -- Cardinals lefthander Rick Ankiel, once deemed the game's most promising young arm, will convert from pitcher to outfielder, effective immediately.

The Cardinals confirmed the move Wednesday morning shortly after rain washed out what was scheduled to be Ankiel's spring debut in a B game against the Florida Marlins.

"We are fully supportive of Rick's decision to convert to an everyday outfielder," Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty said in a prepared statement. "Rick will continue to train with the major league club this spring, and we look forward to seeing his development as a full-time batter and outfielder."

(St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Prospectus Triple Play: Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals, Texas Rangers. "If you want an early read on how the Astros view this season, keep your eye on second base. A team that believes that they're making one last valiant run at contention just might fall into the veteran leadership trap and run Vizcaino out there every day. The smarter choice is to realize that this team likely won't keep up with the Cards and the Cubs, and get Burke the experience that he needs." (Baseball Prospectus)

Detroit Tigers Preview. "I think if you look at the moves the Tigers have made, the reason that a lot of sabermetric analysts are dismissive of those moves is that they are a relatively expensive way of ensuring a slightly below-average team solidifies into a fairly average team. Percival, Farnsworth and Ordonez are not likely to push this team to contend with New York, Boston, or Anaheim. What the Tigers have done in this offseason certainly hurts their push to be an elite team down the road. But it is a move towards being an average team. And an average team in the AL Central, will win about 83-84 games and contend; that's the kind of division it is." (Batter's Box Baseball Blog)

For my eyes only. John J Perricone: "From what I have read, the list of side effects associated with steroids could hardly be described as life-threatening; or even very dramatic; it's possible this could happen, maybe that could happen. There seems to be little proof of these side effects, other than to say, lots of people think they are real. Even if it's a given that high doses of steroids can be said to have side effects, these side effects certainly don't seem to be any worse than the side effects for almost any of the prescription drugs you can find advertised on television these days." (Only Baseball Matters)

Hypocrisy 101. "I don't understand, if [the owners] knew that steroid use was such a tragedy, such a tremendous risk to the players life and health, they would have done something, anything, to save the life of a player, no? Wouldn't Schuerholz or Towers or Selig or somebody intervene and save somebody's life? Why didn't they? Because they know that it's not that big a risk, not measured against wins and losses and money. And even if it was, they couldn't have cared less, just like they couldn't care less now. If baseball owners cared so much about the players health, they'd shut down the game right now if that's what it took to stop players from the vicious cycle of uppers and downers so common to today's game." (Only Baseball Matters)

Giambi homers as Yankees bash Sox. The Yankees pick up right where they left off...in the top of the 9th inning of Game 4 of the ALCS. (Yahoo!)

Breakfast With Bill James. Part One. (The Baseball Analysts)

Breakfast With Bill James (Part Two).

RL: There you go. In the 1982 Baseball Abstract, you introduced the Defensive Spectrum, which I believe was one of your biggest contributions. How did you develop that and does it still hold true to today?

BJ: It still holds true. I use the Defensive Spectrum as an example to try to explain to somebody why the definition of sabermetrics proposed by the dictionary ("computerized study of baseball records") is totally wrong. The Defensive Spectrum doesn't have anything to do with numbers, doesn't have anything to do with computers, statistics or anything. It has to do with organizing concepts so that you can understand them.

The Defensive Spectrum is still tremendously useful to me. The Red Sox...we don't have a shortstop -- we're losing (Orlando) Cabrera -- so there's a debate in the organization. If we had no second baseman and could come up with a lefthanded-hitting second baseman and a righthanded-hitting second baseman that were pretty good, no one would worry too much about it. But shortstop is really hard to find guys who are good. If you wind up filling in someone at that position, you almost, by definition, wind up weak. If we needed to attune at first base, we'd be fine. We'd find a guy who could crush lefties and a lefty who was pretty good, and we'd be fine.

At shortstop, if you have to fill in, you're in trouble most of the time. The Defensive Spectrum is a necessary concept to explain why that is true because there is nobody drifting into the shortstop position because he failed [chuckling to himself] at somewhere else. Nobody! There are guys who are good and there are the guys who are not shortstops because they're not good.

(The Baseball Analysts)

Breakfast With Bill James (Part Three). (The Baseball Analysts)

An Interview with JP Ricciardi.

During this past off-season, free-agent salaries jumped significantly and unexpectedly. Was this a permanent change, or just a one-year blip? "I don’t know," said JP. "[What] you have to think about is, the Mets were under pressure to do something, and the Diamondbacks had money. The hardest thing to do is what we are doing in Toronto: we’re rebuilding and trying to be competitive at the same time. Fans don’t want to hear that, but it’s the reality of where we are.

"If the Diamondbacks don’t want to wait, and go and sign [Russ] Ortiz, etc. then good for them," said the GM. "But all credit to Paul Godfrey for saying, 'Let’s do it the right way.' I honestly believe we’re not that far away – when we turn the corner, we’re going to be good for a while, and I think we have a chance to be .500 this year. The way we’re doing it takes time, but I think that in 2006 and 2007, the best baseball will be played here."

(Batter's Box Baseball Blog)

Offseason Rankings: Part One. Ben looks back at the off-season and ranks the 30 teams based on what they did.

Talking about the Pirates is depressing, so I'll try to keep this one brief. Basically, they finally got rid of Jason Kendall, but didn't even get rid of his whole contract, and they replaced him with the ancient Benito Santiago. In the Kendall deal, they picked up a mediocre starter (Mark Redman) and an old reliever (Arthur Rhodes), who they then flipped for an old, injury-prone outfielder who makes about $7 million and is basically an average player at his position (Matt Lawton).

So let me get this straight, the Pirates got rid of a player, who is actually good, because he makes too much money, and they ended up with three players who are each average at best and combine to make even more money (in 2005) than the guy they got rid of?

(The Hardball Times)

San Diego Padres Preview. "From being drafted 9th overall in 1998 through to a solid first full season in the big leagues in 2003, Sean Burroughs' career path was straight out of a textbook. In 2004 he hit a bump, a bump that cost him 40 points of slugging percentage. Call it the sophomore jinx, blame it on PETCO, whatever – at 24-years-old, it’s much too soon to write Sean off. In fact, he’s best candidate in the Padre lineup to have a breakout year." (Batter's Box Baseball Blog)

Several Red Sox Players Hit by Line Drives While Staring at Johnny Damon’s Wife.

"It’s become a little bit of a problem," said Terry Francona, while holding ice over his own swollen eye. (Francona said he injured the eye while walking into a door.) "We like having Michelle here, but the players have to learn to control themselves and concentrate." Kevin Millar agrees with Francona, but says it’s easier said than done. "I’ve been hit three times since Spring Training started," he said. "You try to stay focused on what you’re doing on the field, but then your eyes start to wander a little bit, and before you know it you're staring at her and saying, 'Oh, my G-,' and then boom! My knee is still pretty swollen."

(Call of the Green Monster)

2005 Season Preview (American League). Includes a paragraph on every significant player on every team. (Doubleswitch.com)

2005 Season Preview (National League).

RF - Brian Giles - OK, we all know the bad news. The Padres traded Jason Bay and Oliver Perez to get Giles in 2003... and you know, it's not a totally farfetched idea that Bay and Perez could be the MVP/Cy Young winners this year or next. I'm not sure what's more remarkable, that the Padres traded away two young players of such quality, or that they still have a half dozen more who may be almost as good.
Anyways, Giles had a good year in 2004, and is now 33 years old. I'm going to go out on a short limb, and say that Giles will partially redeem the trade by having a monster season in 2005. If guys like Edmonds and Finley can age well, I don't see why Giles can't.

(Doubleswitch.com)

The Biggest Difference. "An aging team should take steps to insulate itself from the potential pitfalls an older team will tend to incur. Injury risks and regression candidates abound for both the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. The Red Sox are well prepared to withstand such potential problems while the Yankees, to say the least, are not." (The House that Dewey Built)

On Eric Byrnes. "You hardly need me to point out that the Pirates are, in John Perrotto's words, 'hot' for Eric Byrnes. Various sources are speculating that the deal will definitely happen, that it will never happen, and that the cost will be two prospects...A GM certainly can attempt to achieve many things at once, but I have no idea what Dave Littlefield is trying to achieve. The only compelling explanation for his actions that I've heard is that he's trying to 'Drive for 75' wins each year, sacrificing a little of the future and a little of the present at the same time in order to keep the Pirates from having a disasterous season and keep them from being pressured to spend money. What this means would be that the Pirates are sacrificing shots at the playoffs and the World Series just to avoid being completely abysmal." (Value Over Replacement Blog)

What to expect from the Cubs this season... "So here comes another great season of Chicago Cubs baseball and following that are the expectations of a Word Series in Chicago. Is it realistic?" (Baseball Told the Right Way)

Sign On, Harvest Moon. "Great story here. Call me ignorant - or precociously progressive - but I didn’t know Dodger prospect Ryan Ketchner was deaf." (Dodger Thoughts)

'12 Black Aces' span generations. "The label refers to the dozen African-American pitchers who have posted 20-win seasons in Major League Baseball history. That's it. Twelve. A modest number that should both stun and inspire admiration for the few who share in the accomplishment." (MLB.com)

Prospectus Triple Play: Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants. "[I]t might not be a bad idea for the Dodgers to pursue the Rockies' soon-to-be-free Charles Johnson, whom GM Paul DePodesta tried to acquire to replace Lo Duca at last year's trade deadline. The Rox, who were ticked that he wouldn't waive his no-trade clause to go to L.A. last year, sat Johnson in favor of rookie J.D. Closser. They reportedly plan to release Johnson at the end of spring training, despite his $9 million contract, unless they can find a trading partner in the interim. In that event, whoever picks him up will be paying only the league minimum, while the Rox eat the rest." (Baseball Prospectus)

"Who Was Your Favorite Player Growing Up?" A "talented group of writers, analysts, and baseball executives" answers the question. Part 1 of 3. (Baseball Analysts)

Day Two: "Who Was Your Favorite Player Growing Up?" (Baseball Analysts)

Smoltz for Alexander. A great trade for the Braves and...a great trade for the Tigers. (The Hardball Times)

The Williams-Santo Cubs: 1970-1973. "If the Cubs were frustrated following 1969, they had to have been devastated following 1970. One would think they would be more motivated than ever to get it right this time. Yet their sequence of off-season transactions was bizarre, almost insane." (The Hardball Times)

Jays Roundtable - Getting Bang for the Bucks. "The Blue Jays announced that they'll have $210 million to spend on player salaries from 2005-2007...Where should the Jays try to improve with the extra money?" (Batter's Box Baseball Blog)

A spelling guide from Blue Cats and Red Sox. "Jason VARITEK. I can't believe I forgot this one, I see it all the time and it drives me bat**** insane (thanks Commentor Cathryn for the heads up. I'll even forgive the fact that she uses livejournal). People. It is is not spelled Veritek. Verily he is a good catcher, but verily his name is spelled with a frigging A. VARItek, like his manly charms are many and VARIED. So many bloggers screw this one up. Aaargh. I'm going to go break something."

Peavy has Padres believing he has the stuff of legends. "Peavy is one of baseball's scarcest commodities – a young pitcher whose performance matches his potential. He led the major leagues last season with a 2.27 earned-run average, winning 15 games despite seven missed starts. He is, consequently, a person of singular importance to the Padres." (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Father, May I? "The reason the Padres are so intimidating is they don't have many candidates for decline. Maybe Mark Loretta, sure. One or two of the bullpen heads could stumble. However, the rest of the team looks to perform as well or better than last year. The team won 87 games last year, even with the injury problems they had. They didn't lose a Beltre-sized talent, and are probably going to be a better team than what they fielded last year." (The McCovey Chronicles)

Division Title, Neat. "For all of the talk about the Dodgers being the Hated Dodgers, they are absolutely necessary. They are the counterpoint, the villian, the Snidely Whiplash tying our heroines to railroad tracks...Erase the Rockies, though, and no one would notice. Stetson-bedecked wordsmith Tracy Ringolsby would wake as if from some horrible dream, and start to cover the Royals. Coors Field would take on this sort of enigmatic monument quality, as scholars would argue what it was previously used for. The 'celestial calendar'-faction would have a sizable advantage." (The McCovey Chronicles)

Big Spenders. "The Diamondbacks were broke. Real broke. Then they put a coat on they haven't worn in years, and found millions and millions of dollars. They bought Troy Glaus and Russ Ortiz, and traded for high-ticket items like Shawn Green and Javier Vazquez. But is it art? Or, rather, a good team?" (The McCovey Chronicles)

Yankees notebook: Womack assumes he'll bat leadoff. Red Sox fans cross their fingers and hope he's right. (Newark Star-Ledger)

Scoping the San Diego Rotation. (Dodger Thoughts)

The Williams-Santo Cubs: 1966-1969. (The Hardball Times)

Clemens Rocketing Up the All-Time Charts. Ranking Roger. (Rich's Weekend Baseball BEAT)

Santana to get four years, $40 million. (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

Four More Years! "For a small-market team like the Twins, committing a huge chunk of the payroll to a single player is very dangerous, regardless of how great that player is. If Santana, who had his elbow cleaned out following the 2003 playoffs, misses one season over the life of the deal, he will not only leave the Twins with a gaping hole in the starting rotation, he will wipe away as much as 20% of their total payroll. However, while this signing has a great deal of risk involved, I just don't see any way the Twins could have passed it up." (Aaron's Baseball Blog)

2005: Worrysome Offseason May Be Best Season Yet. Anthony Odarczenko is optimistic about the Cubs. (The View from the Bleachers)

No Words Necessary. Yankees and Muppets: Separated at birth? (Basegirl)

Expanded Roster. More of the above. (Basegirl)

Early NL Central Preview. "The Pirates' big move this offseason was to dump one of their few unambiguously good players in Jason Kendall on the A's in exchange for some money and a few trinkets. That bad move looked even worse as February rolled around and the Pirates found themselves several million dollars under budget and with no one to spend their money on. GM Dave Littlefield has said that the Pirates plan on spending that money this year come hell or high water, so expect them to trade promising young talent for a terrible veteran who will block a better and younger player the Pirates already have." (Value Over Replacement Blog)

Boston glee party for Pauley. An interview with the 21-year-old pitcher who went from the Padres to the Red Sox in the Dave Roberts deal. (The Daily Times-Call, via Ducksnorts)