Baseball

Major League Baseball has a real knack for standing under black clouds and refusing umbrellas.

Just when the nation was beginning to think the league drug testing policy was working, a story is broken about Ron Washington testing positive for cocaine in 2009 and receiving no punishment.

The Texas Rangers manager says that as soon as he found out he would be drug tested last July, he informed league officials and team ownership that he had made a “mistake.”

Am I the only one who is confused by how Major League Baseball hands down suspensions?

Barry Zito of the San Francisco Giants hit Prince Fielder in the back on purpose at the beginning of spring training but didn’t get suspended.

Joba Chamberlain of the New York Yankees has thrown at the head of Kevin Youkilis on numerous occasions, but nothing ever happened to him.

But the Seattle Mariners’ Cliff Lee throws over the head of Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Chris Snyder and gets suspended five games? Really?

For the second consecutive year, the Cincinnati Reds entered Spring Training looking for someone to fill the fifth spot in their starting rotation.

Last season, the competition between Micah Owings and Homer Bailey ended with Owings winning the job.  However, it was Bailey that eventually took a firm grip on a spot in the rotation as he finished the season strong and rekindled the optimism that once hovered over the young right-hander.

When you are two-time National League champion, there is little room for non-roster players looking to make the squad.

As a Phillies fan, I am no longer looking hopefully as Ricky Ledee or John Wockenfuss are added to the squad, with past potential or successes leading to a promising Phillies season.

Nope. I am in baseball hog heaven. These are the gravy years.

Here’s a look at some catchers who could struggle to match their 2009 production.

Rod Barajas, New York Mets
Going to the Mets is likely to sap the power numbers (19 HRs & 71 RBIs) he had with Toronto last year. 

I will put this next post into the “I didn’t see this one coming” category.

In a very surprising move, the Washington Nationals have released outfielder Elijah Dukes. Dukes was supposed to be the Nationals’ starting right fielder in 2010.

What was the reason for the release?

Nationals’ manager Jim Riggleman called the release purely a “baseball related” decision. There are a lot of things I am buying in this world and this isn’t one of them.

What in the wide world happened to Johnny Damon this offseason?

And even to a lesser extent, Felipe Lopez.

When I originally started to type this feature up, I was almost sure Scott Boras was going to royally jam Damon into the corner. Then the Detroit Tigers went ahead and ruined a large portion of my argument.

However, I still think there is enough ammunition to at least put a few holes in the Boras balloon.

There are extremely different views as to the value of Nelson Cruz.  Prior to 2009 he was considered a Quadruple-A player, so there are those who believe that last season was simply an aberration. 

Then, there are those who fully believe in his breakout campaign, thinking that the sky is the limit for him in 2010.

Which is the right way to be leaning?  It’s a tough call, to say the least, so let’s take a look and come to a conclusion.

First, his 2009 statistics:

More than a decade after the last Major League Baseball game was played in the Astrodome, the "Eighth Wonder of the World" still elicits memories from countless Astros fans who found their way to Houston's groundbreaking stadium.

The 'Dome never hosted a World Series, but it was the site of two All-Star Games, two emotionally draining National League Championship Series, and a cavalcade of remarkable pitching performances.

So let's get this straight. Current Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington tested positive for cocaine just after the 2009 All-Star break, yet Major League Baseball did nothing to punish him, and the Rangers organization didn't—and won't—fire him because of the positive test.

Do you still believe in the strength of Major League Baseball's drug testing policy?

Since 2008, baseball managers, coaches, and trainers have been subjected to the same random drug tests as all MLB players. Not one non-player has been publicly outed as a user—until today.