Opinion

Is anybody else convinced that Jorge Posada is so not on board with this full-time DH thing?

Po's been the Yankees' resident lovable curmudgeon for 15 years. He's not exactly the personality type that embraces change. And nothing good can come from change when you're a 39 year old catcher.

As Spring Training nears closer, baseball fever is beginning to run rampant. With only one week left in the NFL season, it's only a matter of time before people start looking south to Florida for hints at what's to come in the new season.

Over the next couple of months, I'll be breaking down a division each week before making my final predictions for how the season is going to turn out.

First up, the loaded AL East.

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With only one real big signing remaining on Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopolous' agenda before the season starts—Jose Bautista, the Jays roster looks to be almost set heading into spring training.

The ticking of the clock is growing louder and louder in St. Louis and throughout the baseball world. With each tick, everyone is wondering the same question, "Will the Cardinals show Albert Pujols the money?"

Mickey Mantle once said that playing 18 seasons at Yankee Stadium was the best thing that could have ever happened to a ball player. Unfortunately, that Yankee Stadium that Mantle referred to was torn down and rebuilt with a luxury boxes, club seats, and where for $5, you can see half of the stadium.

Ask yourself what the biggest baseball story was last year.

Some will say the multitude of no-hitters and perfect games.  Others will remember Doc Halladay's playoff no-hitter. Still, others will, of course, think about that scrappy Giants team and their surprising World Series victory.

These are not the biggest stories—not to me.

No, instead, by far, the biggest story of the year came on June 3.

As a die-hard New York Mets fan, I was not surprised at all when Fred and Jeff Wilpon announced on Friday that they had to explore selling a minority ownership of the Mets. For the past two years, the Wilpon family has repeatedly denied losing money from Madoff; they have always seemed to skirt from the truth. This time around, the team is claiming that they will need to give back their profits to recover lost funds from other investors.

Chone Figgins got it right—"I always said, it's a great thing to be wanted."

Right about now, the man Figgins was supposed to replace, Kevin Kouzmanoff, has got to be wondering what he did to fall out of favor with the A's and become so UN-wanted.

The Figgins-Kouzmanoff trade rumors are now dead.  Turns out, they happened three weeks ago and never progressed, but it puts another nail in the coffin of Kouzmanoff's Oakland A's career.

As of now, the first four starters in the New York Mets' 2011 starting rotation are set in stone.  Things could change, but the only spot that is currently up for grabs is the No. 5 spot, with free agent signee Chris Capuano going against prospect Dillon Gee.

There might be a couple of other pitchers contending, but those two are the main two. 

Don Mattingly's major league career with the New York Yankees started in 1982 and ended after the 1995 season. Mattingly's first full season as a regular was 1984.

From 1984-89 Mattingly batted .327, had an on base average of .372 and slugged .530. He averaged 27 home runs, 114 RBIs, 49 walks and only 34 strikeouts.