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NL East Preview/Projection

*The NL East is the only division that can attempt to match the AL East with a lineup of…

Jose Reyes (ss-NYM)-With the epitome of range at SS and speed & OBP now at the top of the lineup

(120-17-68-60-295)

Chase Utley (2b-PHL)-The patience to be the perfect #2 hitter but the greatness to bat anywhere

(115-30-110-13-296)

Hanley Ramirez (lf-FLA)-Talent to bat leadoff or third & now he has Bonaficio and Maybin to drive in

(116-33-106-29-303)

Ryan Howard (1b-PHL)-HR & RBI leader of the MLB last year and again this year with a better AVG

(96-45-135-1-275)

David Wright (3b-NYM)-Has Reyes & Murphy in front and Beltran & Delgado behind; Got to love his line

(112-31-122-20-305)

Carlos Beltran (cf-NYM)-Batting 5^th will hurt his runs but gold glove CF with power & speed combo

(92-26-115-22-279)

Brian McCann (c-ATL)-Great line at Catcher; Another year under his belt and less weight above his belt

(68-24-94-3-298)

Jimmy Rollins (dh-PHL)-Rather Reyes at SS & Hanley in LF, but I’ll take Rollins at DH against the AL East

(119-19-75-39-278)

Jeff Francoeur (rf-ATL)-Gun for an arm and a rebound year for our last OF spot

(77-22-90-3-269)

….and a rotation of:

Johan Santana (NYM)-18 straight starts without a loss and A NEW BULLPEN – 20+ wins?

(20-2.85-1.15-209)

Cole Hamels (PHL)-Same fastball/changeup repertoire that BAFFLES hitters; Health issues?

(16-3.19-1.09-194)

Derek Lowe (ATL)-Durable. That’s all I have to say, but with all his groundouts, he would probably be effective even with Colorado, or Texas.

(14-3.75-1.25-140)

Ricky Nolasco (FLA)-Still underrated? Doubt it, but he’ll be almost as good this year.

(14-3.84-1.21-171)

Josh Johnson (FLA)-Better k-rate than Nolasco with Worse WHIP, but stud if healthy.

(14-3.65-1.33-175)

…and a solid bullpen of Brad Lidge(38sv), Francisco Rodriguez(42sv), JJ Putz(6sv), Mike Gonzalez(30sv), Matt Lindstrom(23sv), Joel Hanrahan(25sv) and let us not forget about ambidextrous Billy Wagner pitching with determination and for another contract later in the year.

*Breaking down the NL East by position and using a sample rank system, I came up with the following (as objectively as possible):

c: McCann(atl-5) – Really no other C in the NL East can compare

1b: Ryan Howard(phl-5pts); Carlos Delgado(nym-4pts); Jorge Cantu(fla-3pts); Adam Dunn(was-3pts); Casey Kotchman(atl-2pts) - Howard is the clear favorite; A somewhat offensive bounce-back from Kotchman is in place; Delgado, Cantu, and Dunn should all be solid again; Cantu is definitely still underrated with Bonifacio, Maybin sometimes, and Hanley Ramirez in front of him.

2b: Chase Utley(phl-5pts);Dan Uggla(fla-3pts);Kelly Johnson(atl-2pts); Luis Castillo(nym-1pt) – Castillo can be an effective 2b still at the 8-spot in the Mets lineup; Kelly Johnson can go 85-17-75-9-287 with maturity and confidence. Obviously, the Nationals have a 2^nd baseman in Anderson Hernandez/Ronnie Belliard – I just don’t think they’re worth writing about.

3b: David Wright(nym-5pts); Chipper Jones(atl-4pts); Ryan Zimmerman(was-3pts) Emilio Bonifacio (fla-3pts) – Chipper does deserve 5 points along with Wright if he could just stay healthy enough; If Bonifacio sticks to leadoff he can be a runs and sb stud; and Zimmerman should have a 85-20-85-5-285 line. His defense is fantastic and he has potential for 85-25-95-5-290. Pedro Feliz isn’t worth ranking albeit solid defense.

ss: Hanley Ramirez(fla-5pts); Jose Reyes(nym-4pts); Jimmy Rollins (phl-4pts); Yunel Escobar(atl-2pts) – I wanted to give 5 points to both Rollins and Reyes as well, but It’s true that Hanley is in an offensive class all by himself since he’ll have lots of rbi opportunities this year; I personally think Reyes can belt 19 home runs this year, but 16hr + 60sb is beautiful with a stellar .293-.297 avg.

lf: Raul Ibanez(tilde over the n)(phl-5pts); Daniel Murphy(nym-4pts); Matt Diaz(atl-3pts); Josh Willingham (was-2pts) – I love Daniel Murphy batting 2^nd in the Mets lineup. I think a very healthy 90-17-75-7-286 is very possible; Ibanez will be stellar there in the Phillies Lineup; Matt Diaz with playing time can be very good. Along with Brian McCann, he slimmed down a bit.

cf: Carlos Beltran(nym-5pts); Shane Victorino(phl-4pts); Cameron Maybin(fla-3pts); Lastings Milledge(was-2 pts); Jordan Schaeffer (atl-2pts) – Jordan Schaeffer is young and good. He’s already got 2 hr this year. He could switch with Kelly Johnson/Yunel Escobar for the top of the lineup if slow starts occur for either of the 2 or when Chipper sits (which will be enough) and Omar Infante is in the lineup. I think he can be good for 17hr-15sb. Maybin should bat 2^nd but may find himself at the bottom of the lineup enough to hurt. His lineup spot should have the following breakdown: 50% batting 8^th, 35% batting 2^nd; and 15% batting lead-off. A line of 85-15-65-25-269 seems great for where he went in drafts; Like I said prior, Beltran will lose out on runs and protection batting 5^th, but he should bat 4^th enough against lefties when Delgado bats 5^th.

rf: Jeff Francoeur(atl-5pts); Jayson Werth(phl-4pts); Jeremy Hermida(fla-2pts); Elijah Dukes-Austin Kearns(was-2pts); Church-Sheffield(nym-2pts) – Hermida was regarded very highly just a few years ago, and the rbi opportunities are there. He could get time batting 2^nd as well. I actually like him for a line of 75-18-75-6-260; Werth should be very good when healthy since right field is his. I see 24hr-15sb due to injury concern; Platoons and split-time between the Mets and Nationals right field situations should yield above average numbers. The difference between them and Francoeur however is obviously not nearly as great between say Chase Utley at 2b and Ronnie Belliard at 2b so I think they deserve 2 pts to Francoeur’s 5 pts.

sp1: Johan Santana(nym-5pts); Cole Hamels(phl-5pts); Derek Lowe(atl-4pts); Ricky Nolasco(fla-4pts)

sp2: Josh Johnson(fla-5pts); Javier Vazquez(atl-3pts); Brett Myers(phl-3pts); Maine/Pelfrey/Perez (nym-3pts) – To me, Josh Johnson is clearly the best #2 starter here with the other 3 teams having fairly similar numbers at the #2 rotation spot. The thing with the Mets is I’m not sure who the #2 will be by year’s end – same for their number 3 and 4 starters, and I’m a Mets Fan; Brett Myers Could be good at times and a mess at others. I think he’s better than Moyer this year (even though Moyer may be ageless the way he pitches) so I’ll put him here and Moyer in the 3-whole.

sp3: Jair Jurjjens(atl-4pts); Jamie Moyer(phl-3pts); Maine/Pelfrey/Perez(nym-3pts); Volstad(fla-3pts)

sp4: Joe Blanton(phl-4pts); Kenshin Kawakami(atl-3pts); Maine/Pelfrey/Perez(nym-3pts) – I think Kawakami can be as effective as the teams’ other #4’s since no one has seen him.

sp5/Minor League P call-ups: Tommy Hanson(atl-4pts); Jordan Zimmerman(was-3pts); Carlos Carrasco(phl-3pts); Jon Niese(nym-1pts) – the Phillies, Nat’s, and especially the Braves have a future Ace or #2 in the whole, while the Mets, to me have a future #4. I think the Phillies will need Carrasco quicker than the Mets need Niese or Braves need Hanson, but Hanson is the best among the new wave of NL East Starters. Jordan Zimmerman could and should put up better than league average numbers in his first season.

P.S. Livan Hernandez will be horrendous for the Mets. Hopefully they sign Pedro Martinez or Jon Niese and Tim Redding can be effective enough. However, I do see a deadline SP deal for the Mets, which comes later in the post.

closer: Brad Lidge(phl-5pts); Krod(nym-5pts); Mike Gonzalez(atl-3pts); Matt Lindstrom(fla-2pts); Joel Hanrahan(was-2pts)-Krod and Lidge will be great again. Gonzalez is underrated and can save 35 games without Rafael Soriano getting a chance. Tommy Hanson could get some opportunities if both Gonzalez and Soriano are unhealthy, but I think they’ll keep him as a SP as he sores to the Majors. Lindstrom can be very good with his 100mph fast ball and slider so long as he stays healthy. Per pitch, he was the hardest thrower in the majors last year, and let’s not forget about Jon Broxton/LAD or Joel Zumaya/DET.

setup: JJ Putz(nym-5pts); Rafael Soriano(atl-2pts) – If Krod goes down, the Mets should still be OK because of JJ Putz - just OK. JC Romero of PHL could have been here if he didn’t get suspended for substance abuse, but hey thanks for helping the Phillies win the World Series and thanks for playing in the World Baseball Classic. Horrendousness.

Figure 1.0: Results

	nym	phl	atl	fla	was
c	1	1	5	1	3
1b	4	5	2	3	1
2b	1	5	2	3	1
3b	5	1	4	3	3
ss	4	4	2	5	1
lf	4	5	3	1	2
cf	5	4	2	3	2
rf	2	4	5	2	2
sp	5	5	4	4	1
sp	3	3	3	5	1
sp	3	3	4	3	1
sp	3	4	3	1	1
sp	1	3	4	1	3
rp	5	5	3	2	2
rp	5	1	2	1	1
	51	53	48	38	25

Point-Breakdown:

*Obviously, this is a very basic statistical way (almost a weight system) of ranking the NL East, but still feasible. Those not ranked, still received 1 pt for the contingent positions. The above system ranks each team as follows: Phillies (53pts) Mets (51pts) Braves (48pts) Marlins (38pts) and of course lastly, the Nationals (25pts). So here, the Phillies rank 1^st. However, there are definitely contingencies this year, such as how the Braves play against the Phillies. They were 4-14 against the Phillies last year. The Braves rotation with Lowe, Vazquez, Kawakami, and Hanson later on in the season, will be much much better, and their offense should pick up quite a bit as well. Most Importantly – The Mets. They had the 3^rd most blown saves last season with 29 (Both the Cardinals and Mariners had 31). The additions by subtractions and additions by great additions/call-ups (Krod, Putz, Sean Green, Brian Stokes, Bobby Parnell) should subtract at least 15 of those 29 blown saves – and probably many more!!! All three referenced NL East teams need to watch out for the Marlins, but I don’t think they have the bullpen and rotation depth to compete for 162 games in the 2^nd best division in the Major Leagues for 2009.

Mets Trade Rumors:

*Lastly, there will always be trade rumors throughout the season, and at the deadline. It may be more intense this year than last due to the economy, and some non-competing teams may be very willing to rid of their expensive talent. I think the Mets will be big players in a sundry of discussions – mainly with the Blue Jays, Mariners, and potentially the Padres. I think Erik Bedard (sp) along with Jose Lopez (2b), Roy Halladay (sp), as well as Jake Peavy(sp) would be fantastic additions after Johan Santana in the Mets Rotation. Another interesting difference this year, can be the Mets POTENTIAL willingness to trade Fernando Martinez, the Mets top OF prospect since they found a stud in Daniel Murphy. I think an offer like Fernando Martinez(of), Jon Niese(sp), and either a Reese Haven(ss) or Brad Holt(p) + Nick Evans (of) could potentially help us land a Roy Halladay or Erik Bedard. If we can land Jose Lopez for 2b along with Erik Bedard, I don’t see how the Mets wouldn’t easily win the NL East.

Mets Roster Additions:

*I think Sheffield was actually a good right-handed bat of the bench for the New York Mets, and

can be a great platoon with Ryan Church (left-handed). Livan Hernandez/sp just won’t be effective anymore, and the Mets should attempt to woo Pedro Martinez for 1 year at 2.5 million.

*2009 NL East Projections: (Honestly I think the Phillies and Braves are Interchangeable)

1- New York Mets (91-71)

2- Philadelphia Phillies (88-74) – WC

3- Atlanta Braves (87-75)

4- Florida Marlins (85-77)

5- Washington Nationals (63-99)

*Very Early 2009 MLB Playoffs Projections:

Mets vs. Dodgers

Phillies vs. Cubs

NL Championship: Mets vs. Cubs

WS Championship: Mets vs. Red Sox

WS Champions: Red Sox

AL Championship: Boston vs. Yankees

Red Sox vs. Angels

Yankees (WC) vs. Twins

Did You Know:

Did you know in college, Mike Lieberthal had a Homerun Cycle – He hit a grand slam, a 3-run homerun, a 2-run homerun, and a solo shot.  I read this on the back on his 1991 Topps Rookie Card! Amazing!!!

Did you know – The founder of this Site, Jeff Gross’, Favorite player was [LAD/TEX/ANA/TOT/CHC/SEA/SAN/FLA Pitcher] Ismael Valdez. Fantastic.

Also Fantasy-eers – Don’t forget Brandon Inge/c-3b on the Tigers is eligible at CATCHER! But make sure you have Pujol’s avg on the team, b/c Inge will hurt that badly!

RIP Nick Adenhart. Best wishes to the Angels (no corny joke), his friends, and most importantly, his family.

You're a MLB Pro..Thanks For Coming Back!

So here we are everybody…the season is here! 2009 Baseball has begun!

I know the visitors and authors here are just as pumped as me…but things get really interesting in my household around this time…We are a home divided….3 Yankees fans, and 3 Mets fans….right down the middle here.

Team Mets:  Mom, Dad, Myself (Of Course!)

Team Yankees: Sister, Brother (Big Time), and Grandma

So around this time we see some serious bickering and taunting taking place…everyone is preparing their respective teams gear and preparing themselves for another seriously competitive household baseball season.

You know how it is, our teams have their good and bad weeks, and trust me…the other side lets the more unfortunate side know about it…

So I sit here…drinking a Blue Moon (My official baseball season beer) making some bold predictions with my brother about the upcoming season…

I cannot wait! So for myself, and all of the authors here on MajorLeagueBlogging.com I want to wish the loyal visitors of our website a wonderful 2009 baseball season! You can count on one thing…some really cool insight all season long from some seriously talented and dedicated fans of MLB teams.

Let’s Go Mets!

*Cough cough* no. Joba is good, but he isn’t All-Star good. Yet. And the Yankees rotation isn’t very dominating. CC Sabathia was grossly overpaid and pitched well in the inferior NL. He will be lit up by every AL East team other than Baltimore, not to mention other teams in the AL. And does anybody remember how the Red Sox lit him up in 2007? I sure do.

Wang is also good but he isn’t as good as the media has portrayed him as.Wang is also very hittable. Burnett had one good year—2008, a contract year. He was also well overpaid and he has never pitched under pressure. Chamberlain has great stuff but he has never pitched out of the rotation in the big leagues. 5+ innings is much different from the 1-2 innings he pitched before. And he will get thrown out many times if he continues to act the way he likes to—throwing two straight pitches at a batter’s head, like with Kevin Youkilis. And Pettite is old. He will be average at best this year.

But the Red Sox rotation is a different story. This rotation has the perfect balance of youth and veterans. Josh Beckett is both young and a veteran and he should have won the Cy Young in 2007. Daisuke Matsuzaka has been incredible in his two years in the Majors and he can only get better in his third year. Jon Lester is only the best lefty in baseball, and therefore must be better than Sabathia. Brad Penny should put together a solid year or better and John Smoltz is proven to be a terrific pitcher and a big game pitcher. Tim Wakefield is statistically the best pitcher on the Red Sox and the only problem he could have would be his catcher, who thinks he’s up to the challenge of the knuckleball. And Wake even said he has been comfortable throwing to him during Spring games.

Basically, no matter who’s out there for the Yankees WE are poised for a sweep every series. The Yankees have the offense, but the Red Sox have the pitching, defense, and consistency that never seems to come out of the Bronx anymore. All the Red Sox have to do is win the Spring game tonight and they will prove my point that the Red Sox CAN sweep the Yankees multiple times this year.

Last Saturday we travelled down to Bradenton, Florida to watch the Yankees take on the Pittsburgh Pirates at the Pirates’ spring training facility. It was really freaking hot, and our seats turned out to be on bleachers (without seatbacks) down the first base line, though we promptly moved down to field-level seats (with seatbacks), though even these seats were still directly in the sun, and so we fried for three hours. The Yankees’ starting pitcher was Phillip Hughes, who began the game by letting up a towering homerun to right field. And then another one. But then he settled in, more or less, finishing three innings without giving up any more runs.

While I am no pitching coach, Phillip Hughes still does not look ready yet. This is not such disappointing news as it might be – for the short-term, anyway – in light of the acquisitions of C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, and the re-signing of A.E. Pettitte. The 2009 Yankees already have a formidable starting 5, regardless of whether Phillip Hughes finally has his breakout year or not.

That having been said, it’s a good time for me to introduce to our loyal blog reader(s) my philosophy of Baseball (and therefore, of Life) – specifically, how to build a winning baseball club/dynasty.

Simply stated, I don’t believe in the C.C. Sabathias of the world; I believe in the Phillip Hugheses. Which is to say, I don’t believe in acquiring big name pitchers for inflated contracts who may have already pitched their best days with another team. I believe in young, unknown arms.

In fact, there’s no substitute, in my view, for a good homegrown, young ball club – pitchers and non-pitchers alike. Sure, you want to anchor a team with some veterans who will lead the young guys by example – including a crafty veteran pitcher or two who will keep the team competitive while the younger guys are coming into their own. But the older guys, as well as the guys who are in their prime, should make up less than 50% of your team, or you’ll have problems like the Yankees, and teams like them, have had over the last ten years (as they did in the 1980s).

I support this view in two ways. First, I notice that, almost every year, the hot team in baseball is not the team with all the hired guns, but rather the team with players that none of us have heard of yet. This is because Baseball is not about how many big guns you have on your team, but is really about how well the players play together as a team. Consequently, chemistry is everything. Some recent examples include: the 2005 Chicago White Sox, 2006 Detroit Tigers, 2003 Florida Marlins, 2008 Tampa Bay Rays, etc. Indeed, last year’s championship Philadelphia Phillies consisted of stars – Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins – all of whom were homegrown players who started and developed together as a team.

I remember another team that did this: the 1996-1999 New York Yankees. While the 1998 Yankees, for instance, consisted of a great balance of battle-hardened veterans and key trades (Pail O’Neill, Chuck Knoblauch, Scott Brosius, David Cone), the nucleus of that great dynasty was the awesome young, previously-unknown, homegrown talent (Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Bernie Williams). The problem came when the aforementioned veterans got old and retired. But instead of waiting a few years to build another dynasty around the Jeter-Rivera nucleus, the Yankees’ ownership instead opted for quick-fixes by buying every hired gun that came available in an expensive effort to plug holes in a ship that nevertheless continued to sink.

Which brings me to my second point: that hired guns generally do more harm to team chemistry than good. And the problem only gets worse the more you do it. Instead of a team, what you get is a collection of individuals, and a ball club with a median age above 30. E.g., NY Yankees 2001-2008. In fact, the only team of hired guns to win a World Series that I can think of is the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays (who, admittedly, did kick a lot of ass). But generally speaking, great teams begin in the farm system.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m very happy that C.C. Sabathia is pitching for us, and not on the Red Sox staff. But how he performs, at least to me, is not nearly as important as how the Phillip Hugheses and Joba Chamberlains of the team do this year. Because that is where the next great Yankee dynasty will come from.

Bye Bye Yanks, hello LA. Abreau is headed to the Angels! To be honest, it is a monster pickup in my humble opinion. Sure they lost K-Rod, but another bat in the lineup will certainly increase the cushion for the next closer in those late innings.

According to some reports, the Angels are eyeing to offer a deal to free-agent outfielder Bobby Abreu, although General Manager Tony Reagins still has to comment on this subject.

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com said that two general managers are told that Abreu will be transferred to an American League team. Another source told Rosenthal that the deal concerning the Angels was closed.

Two other sources said that Abreu and the Angels have had a stern conversation involving the outfielder’s on year deal with the team.
When Abreu entered the free agency pool, and went on finding a potential three year contract averaging $16 million, but in a league overflowing with talent and a not so good market made Abreu to think twice, although there had been rumors that he would go for and $8 million, one year deal.

Boasting a career average of a .300 hitter with a .498 slugging percentage along with a .405 on-base percentage, Abreu would provide a good balance to a team that is full of right handed bats. Kendry Morales, who is expected to replace Mark Teixeira this season at first base, is the only left handed player with power.

If Abreu signs with the team, this would put a mark of ending Garret Anderson’s chances of suiting up for the Angels. Anderson, the club’s most prolific offensive player is also a free agent, with the Mariners expressing their interest along with Ken Griffey, Jr.

“I’m just waiting to see where this goes,” Anderson said. “I’m being patient, and I’m optimistic something will get done.”
Signing Abreu will mean leaving Adam Dunn on the market. All these for the fact that they see Abreu as the best all around player, being able to play bothe left and right field, not considering his history as a good base runner.

Abreu has stolen 22 or more bases for the past 10 seasons, and being with the Yankees in 2006 after 8 1/2 seasons with the Phillies.
He began his career with the Astros in 1996.

Abreu has produced at least 100 RBIs across seven of the past eight seasons, and has delivered 20 or more home runs in his eight of the past 10 seasons.
With Gary Matthews Jr.’s accessibility for the start of the season questionable due to his recovery from knee surgery, Abreu would join Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter and Juan Rivera in a four-man rotation that would be involving the three outfield spots and the designated-hitter role.

Here we go again…A-Roid is stirring up trouble and controversy in the Yanks clubhouse. This really makes me wonder how the new guys are handling this situation… Sabathia, Texeira…Should they be worried too? I suppose time will tell.

After hearing Alex’s Rodriguez’s explanation after testing positive of using performance enhancing drugs, the Yankees are all but eager to help A-Rod move forward.

The Yankees broke media silence on A-Rod’s predicament just hours after the latter talked in an interview with ESPN’s Peter Gammons.
The statement reads: “We strongly believe there is no place in baseball for performance enhancing drugs of any type, and we support the efforts of the Commissioner to continually improve the testing process,”

“We urged Alex to be completely open, honest and forthcoming in addressing his use of performance-enhancing drugs.  We take him at his word that he was.  Although we are disappointed in the mistake he spoke to today, we realize that Alex — like all of us — is a human being not immune to fault.

“We speak often about the members of this organization being part of a family, and that is never truer than in times of adversity.  Alex took a big step by admitting his mistake, and while there is no condoning the use of performance enhancing drugs, we respect his decision to take accountability for his actions.  We support Alex, and we will do everything we can to help him deal with this challenge and prepare for the upcoming season.”

Rodriguez stated that he had been in constant communication with Yankees officials and also with teammate Andy Pettitte, who also confessed of using human growth hormone almost one year ago.

Before Rodriguez’s interview was televised, shortstop Derek Jeter and catcher Jorge Posada told reporters from the club’s Himes Avenue Minor League complex in Tampa, Fla. Both said that they support Alex.

“Alex is my teammate and Alex is going to be my friend forever,” Posada said. “I’m going to support him any way I can.”
Jeter uttered his concern that the results of the 2003 testing, which was supposed to be unspecified, gauged to see if a test was to be repeated the following year.

“They said when the Mitchell Report came out, ‘This is the end of it, everyone will move on,’” Jeter said. “Now we have this. What if something else happens? … The thing about the list that you’re supposedly concerned with is the fact that it was supposed to be anonymous.”
Both Jeter and Posada were asked if they were bothered that they might be included on the similar testing as Rodriguez’s, both Yankee player said they weren’t. “Why would I worry about me being on the list?” Jeter said. “I think that I’ve done things right,” said Posada, “and I don’t think I put anything on my body that could be positive on one of those tests.”

This season will surely be the time for A-Rod to face. In his interview still with Gammons, he spoke of the Yankees’ chances this 2009 season and is excited to play with new teammates CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira. A-Rod also was relieved since he spoke about the three stained seasons with the Rangers.

“The most important thing for me in my career is to be honest and forthright, to go into my ‘09 season as part of the greatest organization in the world, as one of the guys to go out and try to reach our goal,” Rodriguez said. “And when you have that monkey on your back, it’s really hard to be the person that you know you can be. It’s hard to fulfill your potential that way.”

Issues concerning Alex Rodriguez would always be on a constant shadow for the league, whether it may be good, bad, or otherwise.

“The Yankee Years”, a 447 page book by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci should’ve sparked the not so entertaining days of Spring Training even if the CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira controversies weren’t interesting enough.

All of a sudden, no one is that interested in what was noted in the book: people in the clubhouse calling him “A-Fraud,” rumors of him opposing with Derek Jeter and the ever so popular peanut butter and jelly sandwich agenda

With Sports Illustrated’s shocking story last Saturday that ARod had tested positive for two anabolic steroids during his AL MVP season last 2003, current terms such as testosterone and Primobolan, is twisting the tale to another direction.

Although there were no penalties for testing positive during the 2003 survey, it is safe to say that Rodriguez is in no danger of a suspension that would deteriorate his 2009 season.

Rodriguez’s wealth is on the safe side as well: Sources told Sports Illustrated that the 10 year, $275 million contract is still on the go, since there is no word about the steroids news that would put Rodriguez on the line.

Is it safe to say that A-Rod is the complete package: All his potential as well as the shadows of controversies all molded into one person?

“No,” A-Rod said then. Sunbathing topless in Central Park, and scoring Madonna’s cell number can be one way to put it.

Torre praised Rodriguez for his work ethic, but at the same time commented on the latter for gaining too much attention in the clubhouse.

He also made it a point to note Rodriguez’s measures, although it is not always true. One thing is on the honest point though; A-Rod was indeed a steroid user.

A number of writers have already promised in print that they will not vote for Rodriguez as a Hall of Famer, according to a Sports Illustrated article. But with his contract not expiring until the end of 2017, decisions could very well be changed overnight, considering Rodriguez’s name should appear on the 2002 ballots.

With 553 home runs under his belt, Rodriguez only needs 210 more to surpass the record held by Barry Bonds, a likely feat that would soon be accomplished in the near future.

Instilled with his provocative actions is the media, wherein flocks of reporters, writers and not to mention critics going where the Yankees go, those responses is short lived since Alex Rodriguez is rumored to be in the Bahamas.

It was on a lone summer that Any Pettitte stole the limelight away from A-Rod. Before his teammates and the media, Pettitte apologized for his actions, which he described to be “stupid and desperate”.