Opinion

Let’s take a walk down memory lane. Not many people are aware of the deep history of the Atlanta Braves. This is a team whose roots go all the way back to 1869, in Cincinnati, where they were the first established baseball team in the history of the game, the Cincinnati Red Stockings. After trips to Boston—complete with a name change to the Braves in 1912—and Milwaukee in 1953, they moved to Atlanta in 1966 and settled into their new home where they would stay.

The Phillies' recent acquisition of Cliff Lee is drawing the attention of baseball writers all over the country.  Many of them commend GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and his bold decision to acquire the lefty, but others are not quite as generous.  

As the quantity and quality of remaining free agents continues to shrink, those remaining are continuing their search for a team in 2011. Those that remain searching for teams include major names that were expected to have already found a team by now, including Adrian Beltre, Carl Pavano and Rafael Soriano.

Besides that, players who have been the subject of trade rumors find themselves still there as they remain with their current teams. Justin Upton was never close to being moved despite much discussion for a few weeks, and Jonathan Papelbon remains a member of the Red Sox.

I can understand where Oney Guillen is coming from.

Someone was taking shots at your dad, and you want to stick up for him.  I totally get it.

This wasn't the way to do it.

The son of White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen took it upon himself to respond to an interview departed White Sox reliever Bobby Jenks gave in which he criticized Guillen's handling of the bullpen and his trust in Jenks.

Spring training is still many weeks away, but it is never too soon to begin thinking about the upcoming baseball season.  For Phillies fans, the promise of the new quartet of ace starting pitchers and a ballclub full of rested, healthy players breeds excitement.

But before one becomes overwhelmed with anticipation, all fans should sit down and make a practical list of important New Year Resolutions.  Here are a few to get you started.

It won’t be too long now before Nationals’ General Manager Mike Rizzo has completed the revamping of the team’s lineup.

Whether or not he succeeds in finding that top-of-the-rotation starter, that extra reliever or a thumping first baseman, won’t be known for some time yet.

For the most part, Nationals’ fans are a forgiving lot. Over the years, both Rizzo and former GM Jim Bowden have made some pretty bad personnel moves and they all were taken in stride.

Field of Dreams: James Earl Jones (Terrence Mann) to Kevin Costner (Ray Kinsella): "Ray, people will come Ray."

"They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. 

It's almost too easy to recall Rafael Palmeiro's wagging finger at the Congressional trials in March 2005 over steroid use as he memorably said: "I have never used steroids. Period."

That July it was announced he tested positive for steroids and was suspended 10 games.

Palmeiro insisted this was true in a phone interview with SI.com posted Wednesday, saying "I was telling the truth then, and I am telling the truth now."

I have mentioned this a few times already, but he is worth the attention again.
 
Rafael Soriano is still a free agent, available and on the market. Whatever it is shocking considering he was the AL’s dominate closer in 2010 with the Tampa Bay Rays.
 
Even before Cliff Lee’s decision, Soriano as a player would have been more than enough for the New York Yankees to walk away with heads high.
 

It is becoming painfully obvious that the Washington Nationals are doing everything they can to sign a competent major league first baseman this off season and the two players remaining—Adam LaRoche and Derrek Lee—are doing everything they can to avoid signing here.

I mean, the math isn’t that difficult. The Orioles and Nationals need a first baseman and the only two left are Lee and LaRoche.