Atlanta signed Casey Kotchman for the 2009 season, so he wouldn�t have to go through arbitration, either. However, Team USA would lose Carlos Quentin for the World Baseball Classic because Mr. Quentin himself needed more time to recover from his horrid wrist injury. Smart move, baby.
Oakland now had Kevin Cameron on her roster.
In other news, who won Super Bowl XLIII in Raymond James Stadium out in Tampa Bay? Pittsburgh. Santonio Holmes scored the title-clinching touchdown for the now 7-time Super Bowl champion Steelers. This happened while an all-time record 153 million Americans tuned in to see the spectacle, beating out Super Bowl XLII�s 148 million viewership record.
El Lado Latino del Beisbol (The Latin Side of Baseball)
N.B. Between February 2 and 7, 2009, I had to include this special MLB Network telecast.
2.2: Buena Suerte en la Serie del Caribe
That�s Spanish for �Good Luck in the Caribbean Series.�
For the first time, I had to bring up the �Caribbean Series� because MLB Network broadcast the entire series as her first live baseball telecast, from Mexicali in Baja California (in Mexico, people). Los Tigres del Licey y Aragua, los Leones del Ponce, y los Venados de Mazatl�n ganaron sus proprias Ligas Invernales antes de esto. (The Licey and Aragua Tigers, the Ponce Lions, and the Mazatl�n Deers won their respective Winter Leagues prior to this.)
MLB Network also changed its slogan for the occasion: �Nuestro Pasatiempo Nacional, Todo el Tiempo.� (�Our National Pastime�All the Time.�) I love your new slogan, MLBN!
Anyway, the Caribbean Series began with Venezuela vs. the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela just got lucky. Luis Maza got her (Venezuela) off to a good start over the D.R. (What was with those birds on the field?) Puerto Rico vs. Mexico followed five hours later, and Mexico won thanks to Adri�n Gonz�lez�s work.
Oakland got Michael Wuertz from the Cubs, and the Mets signed Oliver Perez for three more years.
Powerhouse ADRIAN GONZALEZ Showing His Heritage
In other news, Barry Bonds had more strikes against him. Shocking new evidence surfaced from the New York Times about a 2003 urine test that he took, and the result of that test was positive. Bonds pleaded innocent once more, but could his March 2 indictment give the public the final verdict on him? Only time will tell.
2.3: D.R. Pounds P.R.
I didn�t see the Serie del Caribe, but I read that the Dominican Republic unleashed her wrath, and let her Tigres de Licey maul los Leones de Ponce. Venezuela? She gave it good to Mexico.
In other news, Manny rejected Dodger Blue�s latest offer to come back to her house.
2.4: Venezuela Continues Her Dominance; Yanks Get a Brewer
I saw part of Venezuela vs. Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Series, and Aragua let Ponce have it again. Mexico kicked the Dominican Republic�s behind, and Adri�n Gonz�lez again served as one of the contributors to Mexico�s success in this game.
The Yankees sent Chase Wright to Brewers-Land and got Eric Fryer in return. Good. They didn�t need that piece of trash to begin with. Remember when he threw snowballs at the BoSox back in April 2007 and they blasted four straight home runs off of him? Now, he�s in �Old Milwaukee.�
Oakland got another Rocky: Cory Wimberly. The Rockies sent him to Oakland and got Matt Murton (not Matt Holliday).
That wasn�t funny.
Boston? He signed Brad Wilkerson to a Minor League deal!
2.5: Happy Birthday Hank Aaron!
Former home run king Henry �Hank� Aaron turned 75, and joining in his celebration in Atlanta were former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.
Mexico beat the living daylights out of Puerto Rico again, keeping the latter winless and fighting with Venezuela (who erased the Dominican Republic�s lead) over the title of �Campeon de la Serie del Caribe� (Caribbean Series Champion).
2.6: Andruw Says �No� to Yankees� S.T. Offer; Venezuela Becomes �Caribbean Queen�
For the first time in 27 years, Puerto Rico won a baseball game: their first win in the Caribbean Series�this one over the Dominican Republic. And Venezuela was crowned the Caribbean Series Champion after Aragua beat Mexico senseless. She claimed her first Serie del Caribe title since 2006.
The Yankees invited Andruw Jones to a non-roster Spring Training session, but he declined the offer.
Pedro Feliciano? He signed a 1-year deal with the Mets, which meant that no arbitration was required for him!
2.7: As the Caribbean Series Ended, A-Rod Took WHAT?!?
I tuned into MLB Network at 12:00pm ET, and instead of their scheduled All-Time Games Marathon that was to include a pair of K-Zone performances by Randy Johnson, they gave a Breaking News bulletin that revealed information more shocking than the Mitchell Report: A-Rod took a steroid test back in �03 (when he was a Texas Ranger and won his first MVP title), and tested positive. His name was on the list of 104 players who also tested positive for steroids. Great! Now many who used to love A-Rod will be against him. I lost respect for him myself. He probably won�t get into the Hall of Fame; that�s for sure.
This explicit naming and shaming of A-Rod caused a major uproar on the Yankees Message Board and on YouTube. �A-Roid this,� �The New York Blacksox that,� �No Hall of Fame for A-Rod this,� �Yankees stink that,� and then some. I thought the Mitchell Report was bad enough, but this whole A-Rod thing makes Roger Clemens seem innocent. I�m suspecting the Yankees never really were the great team that their historically defining achievements made them out to be, but that would mean Babe Ruth sucks, which he doesn�t. Anyway, enough of this stuff.
The Braves made an offer to Tom Glavine in an attempt to bring him back for �09.
For the grand finale of the Serie del Caribe, already champion Venezuela finally lost to Puerto Rico. Ponce just gave her a serious beating. I watched their game on MLB Network. Still, Venezuela finished with the best record in this Caribbean Series: 5-1. And she didn�t need any big names to earn her title, either.
Francisco Butto won the Serie del Caribe MVP title.
How did the Dominican Republic handle 2nd place Mexico? Well, listen to this: D.R. KO�d Mexico.
Handsome A-ROD Being Dissed for Positive Steroid Test
2.8: Schilling Wants to Know
Curt Schilling addressed the media, saying he wanted to know and he wanted the whole world to know the names of the other 103 players that tested positive in the 2003 test aside from A-Rod. I�m with you, buddy. If I were you, I�d want to know who those other 103 boys were.
In other news, Philadelphia signed her star performer (and hopefully not drug cheat), Ryan Howard, to a lucrative 3-year deal with no arbitration.
2.9: Meh�Now He Tells Us!
He got named; he got shamed; now he�s sorry.
A-Rod apologized to Peter Gammons and the world about using performance-enhancing drugs. Reportedly, he took steroids between 2001 and 2003, during his Ranger days. Pity, had he admitted to this from the get-go instead of lying about it to Katie Couric on 60 Minutes, I might have forgiven him, but too little, too late.
What happened was so many people lamented all this. Even President Obama said the fact that A-Rod cheated left a black stain on baseball. So now what? With A-Rod permanently out of the running for the title of �Home Run King,� not to mention Hall of Fame consideration, the MLB.com Editorials asked themselves and readers: �Will nobody bust the 762-home run record without performance-enhancing substances of any kind?�
Maybe somebody will. Let me observe some of the biggest home run machines in MLB today.
Would Ken Griffey Jr. have that potential? I don�t think so. He�s an old fart. Manny Ramirez? Hell no! Even if he made 500 home runs, he�s an old fogey, too! David Ortiz? He can hit that ball in games that Boston needs him to win, but he�s out of the question, too. And forget about Dustin Pedroia and Ichiro Suzuki. They have talent, but their HR output is lower than Lauryn Hill ever had albums released.
Albert Pujols? If he keeps hitting like 40 home runs a year, he might come close, but I don�t think he can do it. Jim Thome? He�s aging, so I don�t know about him. Josh Hamilton? I don�t think he�s legit enough to get there, either. Forget about Chipper Jones. He doesn�t stand a chance of making even 500 home runs.
Ryan Howard? So far, he looks like he has the strongest potential of shattering the 762-HR record�he�s an absolute Home Run Derby all in one. Carlos Quentin? If he�s not caught taking steroids, he might have a shot at making it.
You know what? Forget those reows and just give the title back to Henry �Hank� Aaron, from whom Barry *BLECH* Bonds stole the title in �07! Nobody cares about Hank Aaron except those that truly love baseball! At least Hank took the record from Babe Ruth for a good cause, and at least he wasn�t on steroids this or HGH that!
2.10: Johan Not in WBC
By the request of the Mets� officials, Johan Santana said no to WBC participation, so as not to further harm himself.
In other news, Miguel Tejada was charged with lying about the use of steroids. Shame on you, Mr. Tejada!!
2.11: A Furious Selig Threatens Punishment
According to the N.Y. Daily News, Bud Selig was so mad at A-Rod for admitting too late to steroid use that punishment for A-Rod was on Selig�s mind�a move that would include change to the record books, and give the (stolen) title of �Home Run King� back to Hank Aaron.
In other news, Bobby Abreu signed to the Angels of Anaheim; and Miguel Tejada said pure and simple: �I�m sorry.� Oh, so now you�re sorry, too?
2.12: Yanks� S.T. Report Climbs to 63�
�but that�s because they invited three guys to Spring Training.
Boston�s pitchers and catchers reported to their S.T. camp.
In other news, the B.A.T. created the Bobby Murcer Award, which would go to the A.L. and N.L teams with the greatest contributions to the MLB Payroll Deduction Program.
2.13: Ankiel�s Lucky 13th
He signed a 1-year deal with St. Louis and no arbitration.
In other news, Ken Griffey Jr. returned to Seattle and signed a 1-year contract with him. He played for the Mariners from (???), where Lou Piniella kicked his hat around the infield at one point.
2.14: Love, Spring Training Style
No surprise�all teams reported to Spring Training.
In spite of the previous week�s steroid scandal and damage of reputation, A-Rod had a stadium in his hometown named after him: �Alex Rodr�guez Park at Mark Light Field.� I guess the Miami City Commission loved him that much.
The Mets? They must have had their own friendly type of love affair with Liv�n Hern�ndez: they signed him to a Minor League deal. Ditto for Brett Tomko and the Yankees: they also agreed to a Minor League contract.
In other news, Carlos Zambrano took himself out of the WBC�s roster because he didn�t want his shoulder or his eye to get any worse.
2.15: �I Don�t Wanna Take Back the Title of Home Run King!�
That�s what Hank Aaron said on MLB.com! Aaron said Barry Bonds should keep the Home Run King title.
Speaking of the Braves, Jurrjens opted out of the WBC as did Aceves of the Yankees. Pujols also backed out of the WBC after having elbow surgery.
And would Atlanta take Ken Griffey Jr. instead of Seattle? The teams were fighting over him, so it would be up to Griff himself to decide whether to go back to Seattle or join Chipper and his crew. Stay tuned.
2.16: No More 1st in Line for J.R.
Jerry Manuel pondered taking Jos� Reyes out of the top of the Mets lineup, and placing him 2nd or 3rd in the lineup.
Big Papi? He suggested one-year suspensions for everyone who ever got caught getting high on steroids. As if 50 games just isn�t enough for Minor Leaguers!
2.17: A-Rod Explains�
In an anticipated press conference, A-Rod said one of his cousins ejected him with a steroid for better performance purposes. He also apologized to his former owner for doping during his Ranger days (�02-�03).
In other news, Andr� Ethier signed a 1-year contract with Dodger Blue, and as usual, no arbitration was required.
2.18: Powerhouse BRAD ZIEGLER Joining WBC Bandwagon
Oakland signed nine of her players to 1-year contracts, and sent Brad Ziegler to the World Baseball Classic roster as Joel Pineiro was abruptly removed from the rosters altogether. Ziggy was awesome in 2008, anyway. Huston Street was in 2006�s Team USA configuration, but now it was the much better Ziegler�s turn.
A-Rod�s cousin was identified as Yuri Sucart.
Did Atlanta get Griffey? No, but she would get Glavine back for the 2009 season.
2.19: Bernie Trains; Glavine, Frenchy Signed
As Bernie Williams went back to the Yankees for the purpose of training for the WBC, Atlanta signed both Tom Glavine and Jeff Francoeur to one-year deals.
Dave Stewart (formerly of the Oakland A�s) turned 52.
In other news, Alfonso Soriano denied ever using steroids.
2.20: Handsome CHIPPER JONES Being Entitled to Multi-Year Extension
MLB Network told me that Chipper Jones and the Braves were in the process of negotiating a deal that would allow Atlanta herself to keep Chipper for the rest of his playing career.
The first subject of MLB Network�s series premiere of her Spring Training show, 30 Clubs in 30 Days, was the Boston Red Sox. Nothing special, but the show gave me a behind-the-scenes look at Boston�s Spring Training preparations from Ft. Myers.
2.22: Former Angel Finds His Free Agency Destiny in �Chipper Jones Land�
Ken Griffey Jr. went back to Seattle, but Atlanta did get Anaheim�s Garret Anderson for the 2009 season.
Jerry Manuel put Daniel Murphy in the Mets� LF spot in their Starting Lineup.
2.24: WBC Rosters Finalized
I won�t get into all the World Baseball Classic Rosters, but let me tell you: Jeter, Chipper, Soria, David Wright, Peavy, Russell Martin�all these guys and others were on the rosters for sure.
2.25: Spring Training is Here!
It was, but once again, there were no live telecasts except for two games. These were San Francisco vs. Cleveland and Boston vs. Minnesota, both of which MLB Network televised from the teams� respective RSNs, not as her own. Boston split his squad, and where one squad pounded Boston College (with Beckett!), the squad facing Minnesota got their butts kicked by her.
The Yankees and Mets won, but Oakland and St. Louis tied with Milwaukee and Florida, respectively. A-Rod in particular received heavy booing vs. Toronto, and yet he made a home run to help the Yanks get their S.T. session off to a good start. And good thing Oakland didn�t relocate to Fremont, California: I can barely imagine her Athletics being renamed the �Fremont Athletics.� Sounds pretty tacky!
Atlanta? She got mauled by Detroit!
In other news, Dodger Blue made another offer for Manny. Meanwhile, the Windy City teams made 1-year deals with a total of 42 players, among them the sexy reow Geovany Soto and the super-handsome Carlos Quentin.
2.26: Not in the Cards�or Sox
St. Louis lost to Baltimore, but Yankees, Mets, and Braves�they all won. Shelley Duncan returned to glory as the Yanks kicked visiting Tampa Bay�s butt in Steinbrenner Field (take that, you American League Champion slut!); Jose Reyes� grand slam helped the Mets bop the team that jinxed them in the Shea Stadium finale and the season finale the year before (Florida!); and Atlanta gave Oswalt and the Houston Astros the finger. The Yanks, Mets, and Braves had their first telecasts of the season on YES Network, SNY, and ESPN, respectively. MLB Network televised only Arizona vs. Cleveland�.from SportsTime Ohio, that is. Dan Haren was pitching, so I watched that game only for him.
Boston didn�t win: Pittsburgh stole his lead. Oakland? She was absolute trash vs. Anaheim, Matt Holliday or not!
In other news, and speaking of grand slams, Brock Peterson of Minnesota made one vs. Cincinnati. Manny Ram�rez? He rejected the Dodgers� most recent offer made to him! It looks like retirement is on his mind.
2.27: A Complete Reversal of Fortune
Atlanta and St. Louis (who beat up the Mets and were featured on 30 Clubs in 30 Days) won, but that was it.
In other news, Miguel Tejada would play in the World Baseball Classic, and Grady Sizemore would be replaced by Shane Victorino on Team USA.
2.28: I Hate N.Y.
In Minnesota vs. Yanks, the 1st inning saw Joba give up two runs and A-Rod and now Nick Swisher in turn tie up the score. Did the Yanks win? No, but at least Joba didn�t get the blame. It was Dan Giese�s fault.
Was that really Tino yakking with Jorge Posada in the Yankees� dugout? Posey was scratched because of stiffness in his right shoulder. And A-Rod, after having an MRI, developed a cyst in his hip.
The Mets experienced the same scenario vs. Detroit: they scored first in the 1st inning; Detroit tied up the score; she won. Pity, Johan Santana didn�t even participate in an exhibition game vs. Team Italy because he suffered a sore elbow, the poor guy. This means that he might not be able to open Citi Field on Opening Day.
Boston split his squad wisely: the side facing the Northeastern University Huskies went wild on a 14-0 score, and the squad hosting Cincinnati in Fort Myers also went bat fuck insane and pounded the hell out of Cincy. St. Louis was good, too, vs. Washington, and Atlanta pounded Toronto. Oakland? She got lucky, frightening the Tribe 1-0!
Rick Ankiel is beginning to look sexier now than he did the past two years.
In other news, Ryan Howard made a home run in Tampa Bay vs. Philly. Hey, those teams met in the 2008 World Series!