The talk has heated up recently with the injury to Chien-Ming Wang (Yankees) getting hurt running the bases, and Hank Steinbrenner addressing the media demanding that the NL get the designated hitter.  I don’t think the DH rule needs to change based on a pitcher not being prepared to run the bases without getting hurt, but I do think the rule needs to change.

The baseball purists would likely want the designated hitter out of the game in both leagues, making managers and pitchers earn their money.  Then there is the other side of the coin where the average fan would want the DH in both leagues to promote more scoring.

I honestly don’t care if they give the National League the DH, or if they take the DH out of the game all together.  However, I do think they need to change it one way or the other.  It is just embarrassing that the two leagues don’t play by the sames rules.  I can’t think of any other professional sport where one set of rules applies to one conference, but not another conference.  Imagine in the NBA if they had the Eastern conference get to shoot free throws when they were fouled, but the Western conference teams were not allowed to go to the charity stripe unless they played an Eastern conference team in their building.  How much since would that make?

Bottom line, they need to make both conferences in MLB play by the same set of rules! 

Popularity: 96% [?]

If you were a general manager in the respective sport, and you were forced to sign either Barry Bonds or Pacman Jones, which player would you sign?

Barry Bonds is the homerun king with an on-base percentage higher than some people’s credit scores.  Bonds is a polarizing figure that brings fans to the ballpark.  The career of Bonds is nearing its end, but he is still capable of putting up more than respectable numbers.

Pacman Jones is an aggressive cornerback that opposing quarterbacks are scared to throw the ball against.  Jones has the ability to make interceptions in traffic, and once he gets his hands on the football, he has a nose for the end zone.  There is little doubt that Jones would instantly improve any secondary that he joined.

Now comes the inevitable negative attributes about these players…

Bonds has been nominated as the poster man for performance enhancing drugs.  In fact, I think Barry Bonds has only been able to convince himself that he has not used banned substances. Conversely, the rest of the general public believes Bonds is nowhere near innocent from these allegations.

Pacman Jones has spent more time recently in strip clubs than he has trying to strip the football from opposing players on the field.  Jones has a lot to learn in terms of priorities and what company he should surround himself with.  Not to mention, it is not certain if Jones will even be reinstated into the NFL.

If I had to sign one of the aforementioned players, I would give the nod to Pacman Jones.  The reasons are simple as Jones is just now in his prime, where Bonds is at the end of his career.  I could force Jones to restructure his contract to lower his salary and protect my team if we needed to sever ties, where Bonds is still going to demand the kind of money people dream of winning in their local state lottery. 

One thing is for certain, similar to the lottery, there is a one-in-a-billion chance that Bonds and Jones will be able to escape extensive media coverage anytime soon.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Bill Shaikin of the LA Times stopped by to talk about the China trip and the Dodgers’ possible interest in a 3rd baseman.

Todd Kaufmann:  Were you surprised that Andre Ethier, Russell Martin and maybe a Kuroda didn’t go on the China trip?

Bill Shaikin:  No. It is common for established major leaguers to be excused from long spring trips, particularly when a split-squad game is available at home. In regards to Kuroda, the Dodgers did not send him — or Brad Penny or Chad Billingsley or Derek Lowe — because the team believed all that travel would have hampered the starting pitchers as they prepared for the regular season.

Todd Kaufmann:  How concerned are the Dodgers about Jason Schmidt still feeling pain in the same shoulder he had surgery on?

Bill Shaikin:  Not overly concerned. The Dodgers never really expected Schmidt to be ready for opening day. The track record for comebacks from this type of surgery is limited, and ups and downs are to be expected. The Dodgers would love to see Schmidt regain his velocity and effectiveness, but they realize neither outcome is assured.

Todd Kaufmann:  There’s been talk that the Dodgers are still looking for a 3rd baseman, have they had interest in the Phillies’ Wes Helms or the Tigers’ Brandon Inge?

Bill Shaikin:  Not to this point, particularly given Inge has three years and $19 million left on his contract.

Popularity: 6% [?]

The Cubs have apparently sweetened their offer for Orioles 2nd baseman Brian Roberts, but will owner Peter Angelos finally move his favorite player?

According to the Chicago Sun Times, the Chicago Cubs have a solid offer on the table for Orioles’ 2nd baseman Brian Roberts.  That deal is said to be infielder Ronny Cedeno and pitchers Sean Gallagher and Donnie Veal as well as hard-throwing pitching prospect Jose Ceda.  Both teams have had scouts watching each other and according to some, this may be a last minute deal that goes down prior to the start of the regular season.

What could make this deal even more interesting is, there’s a rumor that the deal could also include Cubs right-hander Jason Marquis.  I’m not sure how the Cubs would be ok with sending Marquis to Baltimore, especially after how he performed for them last season.

Whether this deal goes down or not still remains to be seen.  As far as I’m concerned, the Cubs are giving up too much for 1 player, especially if they have to include Marquis.  If the Cubs get another player back in return, then maybe they make out ok, but not a 4-for-1 or even a 5-for-1 deal.  The Cubs already lack pitching, trading Marquis makes them that much weaker.

Popularity: 4% [?]

The Houston Astros were one of the teams noone expected to make much of a splash in the off-season, but to everyone’s surprise they were one of the biggest movers.  Is it enough to stay with the Cubs in the NL Central or will these moves backfire?

Roy Oswalt, the ace of the Astros staff, has to be first person on my list.  Oswalt was the victim of a lackluster offense in 2007, getting decisions in only 21 of his 32 starts, finishing 14-7 with a 3.18 ERA.  The one thing that continues to amaze me about this 6′0″ 185 lb right-hander is, if you look at his numbers from his rookie season in 2001 to his recently finished 2007 season, not once has he finished with an ERA over 3.50 for an entire season.  More remarkable than that, 4 times in his 7 seasons he’s finished with an ERA under 3.00 (2001, 2003, 2005, 2006).  He was the biggest reason for the Astros run to the NLCS in 2006 and should continue to be the biggest factor for the Astros success for years to come.

One of the biggest off-season acquisitions for the Astros, Miguel Tejada, will need to bring some much needed offense as well as defense to the Houston Astros.  Tejada was traded from the Baltimore Orioles to the Houston Astros for a list of prospects, 1 day before his name came up in the Mitchell Report.  In an interview I did with the Houston Chronicle’s Brian McTaggart, he told me that Tejada has looked “terrible” during Spring Training.  The Astros have to hope that it’s just rust working itself out, because if it’s not, it could be another long year for them.

Another new acquisition for the Houston Astros is former DBacks closer Jose Valverde.  Valverde led the National League in saves in 2007 with 47 with a 2.66 ERA.  He comes to a team with a pressing need for a closer, especially after dealing former closer Brad Lidge to the Philadelphia Phillies.  Valverde should be exactly what this team has needed for the past few seasons, especially with the struggles they dealt with with the recently departed Lidge.  If he can bring the dominance he showed with Arizona last season, it will definitely give this team confidence with late leads.

The last person on my list, and offensively one of the biggest, Carlos Lee.  Lee had a big season for the Astros in 2007, he hit .303 with 32 HR’s and 119 RBI’s, the best since his 2005 season with the Milwaukee Brewers when he hit .265 with 32 HR’s and 114 RBI’s.  Lee, without question, is the biggest bat in the Astros lineup and will he put up big numbers, but it’s what he’ll do with runners in scoring position or even just runners on base that will be the biggest factor for him and the Astros in 2008.  If he can put up the same kind of situational numbers he put up in 2007 (runners on - .295/16/103,  runners in scoring position - .327/7/84,  bases loaded - .450/2/28) he’s going to be a huge factor for the Astros.

The concerning point for the team in 2008 is going to be their starting pitching.  Next to Roy Oswalt, you have guys like Wandy Rodriguez, Woody Williams, Chris Sampson and Brandon Backe.  These 4 guys will need to be much stronger than they were in 2007 if the Astros are going to stay in the NL Central race for very long.

Popularity: 4% [?]

After losing Miguel Cabrera and fan favorite Dontrelle Willis, the question in Marlin town is, when will this team be competitive again?  That answer may come sooner than they think.

Dan Uggla has to be first on my list.  The talented young 2nd baseman will become one of the leaders of this ballclub, especially after the departure of Cabrera and Willis.  Uggla, by his standards, had an off year in 2007, hitting .245 with 31 HR’s (19 with no one on) and 88 RBI’s but striking out 167 times.  The one stat that jumps out at me is, Uggla hit a horrendous .199 with runners in scoring position, .133 with runners in scoring position and 2 outs and, ready for this, .154 with the bases loaded.  Those numbers have to come way up if he’s going to help this team be a contender again.

Scott Olson is another player that should be worth watching in 2008.  He’s got all the talent in the world to be one of the top young pitchers in baseball, but his off the field problems have given him a reputation of not caring.  If he can turn that reputation around and lead this ballclub by example, watch this kid shine.  Olson struggled to a 10-15 record and 5.81 ERA in 2007, hitters were hitting .315 against him, a number that he’s going to really have to improve on.  If he can work on his control and movement on his pitches, he can be a very dominant pitcher for the Marlins for years to come.  If not, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Marlins try to work a deal before the trading deadline in July.

Hanley Ramirez is, arguably, one of the most exciting young players in the game to watch right now.  Ramirez had a huge year for the Marlins in 2007, hitting .332 with 29 HR’s and 81 RBI’s, even bringing his total strikeouts down from 128 in 2006 to only 95 in 2007.  When you talk about the face of a franchise, this kid’s picture is the face that the Marlins and their fans will be seeing for a long time to come….Dontrelle who?

I could talk about the Marlins’ young players until I’m blue in the face, because they’ve been an intriguing bunch for me.  Guys like Josh Willingham, Taylor Tankersley, Mike Jacobs, Josh Johnson and Jeremy Hermida.  The one player I would pick out of that bunch to be that one player to keep your eye on, without even hesitating….Taylor Tankersley.  Here’s a prediction for you, it might be bold, but I don’t think it’s going to be far off by the time his career is done.  Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, Taylor Tankersley.  He’s going to be one of the best closers this game will see for a long time.  He’s got great stuff, he’s got the mentality already to close games in the 9th inning, and he’s only 25 years of age.  He should be the Marlins’ full time closer going into 2008, if his control and ability to spot pitches is where it should be, he’s going to be a fearsome closer to deal with.

I know Marlin fans aren’t sure what they’ll see this year, and that thought process isn’t a bad one, but if this young team can come together, they can do some big things in the National League East in the next few years.

Popularity: 4% [?]