2005 MLB All-Star Game Starting Lineups

Here are the starting lineups for the 2005 MLB All-Star game.

National League
1 Bobby Abreu RF
2 Carlos Beltran LF
3 Albert Pujols DH
4 Derrek Lee 1B
5 Jim Edmonds CF
6 Aramis Ramirez 3B
7 Mike Piazza C
8 Jeff Kent 2B
9 David Eckstein SS
SP Chris Carpenter

American League
1 Johnny Damon CF
2 Alex Rodriguez 3B
3 David Ortiz DH
4 Manny Ramirez LF
5 Miguel Tejada SS
6 Vladimir Guerrero RF
7 Mark Teixeira 1B
8 Jason Varitek C
9 Brian Roberts 2B
SP Mark Buehrle

2005 MLB All-Star Game rosters

Well, now we have the final 2005 MLB All-Star Game rosters. Each manager had a difficult time narrowing down the players for the final all-star team, but there were a few more players there should have been room for this year. There weren't a lot of them but these are the 10 biggest overlooks for the all-star team.

National League: Player, Position, Team AVG HR RBI / W-L ERA SV
Carlos Delgado 1B, Florida .288 16 66
Adam Dunn OF Cincinnati .239 23 52
Cliff Floyd OF, New York .287 22 55
Jose Guillen OF Washington .310 18 51
Trevor Hoffman RP, San Diego 0-4, 3.45 25

American League: Player, Position, Team AVG HR RBI / W-L ERA SV
Jeremy Bonderman SP, Detroit 11-5, 3.99
Eddie Guardado RP, Seattle 1-1 1.45 21
Travis Hafner DH, Cleveland .319 18 63
Torii Hunter OF, Minnesota .271 14 54
Hideki Matsui OF, New York .320 14 70

NATIONAL LEAGUE
Starters
Position--Player, Team AVG HR RBI
C -- Mike Piazza, New York .260 9 36
1B -- Derek Lee, Chicago .378 27 72
2B -- Jeff Kent, Los Angeles .304 15 60
SS -- David Eckstein, St. Louis .284 2 24
3B -- Scott Rolen-inj., St. Louis .251 5 26
3B -- Aramis Ramirez-7, Chicago .298 19 57
OF -- Carlos Beltran, New York .266 10 44
OF -- Jim Edmonds, St. Louis .272 16 51
OF -- Bobby Abreu, Philadelphia .307 18 58
DH -- Albert Pujols, St. Louis .337 22 69

Reserves
Position,Player, Team AVG HR RBI
C -- Paul Lo Duca, Florida .286 2 34
2B -- Luis Castillo, Florida .331 2 17
SS -- Cesar Izturis-imj., Los Angeles .275 1 20
SS -- Felipe Lopez, Cincinnati .304 14 48
SS -- Jimmy Rollins-3, Philadelphia .273 7 23
3B -- Morgan Ensberg-6, Houston .290 24 65
OF -- Moises Alou, San Francisco .316 12 41
OF -- Jason Bay, Pittsburgh .299 16 44
OF -- Miguel Cabrera, Florida .333 17 62
OF -- Luis Gonzalez, Arizona .283 12 51
OF -- Andruw Jones, Atlanta .272 27 67
OF -- Carlos Lee, Milwaukee .268 22 76

Pitchers W-L ERA SV
SP -- Roger Clemens, Houston 7-3 1.48
SP -- Chris Carpenter, St. Louis 13-4 2.51
SP -- Livan Hernandez, Washington 12-3 3.48
SP -- Pedro Martinez-2, New York 10-3 2.72
SP -- Jake Peavy, San Diego 7-3 3.14
SP -- John Smoltz, Atlanta 9-5 2.81
SP -- Dontrelle Willis, Florida 13-4 2.39
SP -- Roy Oswalt-1, Houston 12-7 2.45
RP -- Chad Cordero, Washington 2-1 1.13 31
RP -- Brian Fuentes, Colorado 1-3 2.41 12
RP -- Jason Isringhausen, St. Louis 0-1 1.78 25
RP -- Brad Lidge, Houston 3-2 2.43 20
RP -- Billy Wagner-4, Philadelphia 2-1 2.18 20

Manager
Tony LaRussa, St. Louis


AMERICAN LEAGUE
Starters
Position--Player, Team AVG HR RBI
C -- Jason Varitek, Boston .301 13 36
1B -- Mark Teixeira, Texas .290 25 73
2B -- Brian Roberts, Baltimore .345 15 49
SS -- Miguel Tejada, Baltimore .329 19 62
3B -- Alex Rodriguez, New York .317 23 72
OF -- Manny Ramirez, Boston .275 20 80
OF -- Johnny Damon, Boston .343 4 42
OF -- Vladimir Guerrero, Anaheim .335 15 50
DH -- David Ortiz, Boston .314 21 75

Reserves
Position--Player, Team AVG HR RBI
C -- Ivan Rodriguez, Detroit .292 6 32
1B -- Paul Konerko, Chicago .249 20 55
1B -- Mike Sweeney, Kansas City .318 11 44
2B -- Alfonso Soriano, Texas .275 21 56
SS -- Michael Young, Texas .333 14 47
3B -- Melvin Mora, Baltimore .298 15 47
OF -- Garret Anderson, Anaheim .304 11 65
OF -- Gary Sheffield, New York .298 17 68
OF -- Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle .311 6 32
OF -- Scott Podsednik-1, Chicago .294 0 17
DH -- Shea Hillenbrand, Toronto .302 9 42

Pitchers W-L ERA SV
SP -- Mark Buehrle, Chicago 10-3 2.58
SP -- Matt Clement-5, Boston 10-2 3.85
SP -- Bartolo Colon, Anaheim 11-5 3.42
SP -- Jon Garland, Chicago 13-4 3.37
SP -- Roy Halladay-inj., Toronto 12-4 2.41
SP -- Kenny Rogers, Texas 10-4 2.54
SP -- Johan Santana, Minnesota 7-5 3.98
RP -- Danys Baez, Tampa Bay 5-2 2.68 13
RP -- Justin Duchscherer, Oakland 4-1 1.49 4
RP -- Joe Nathan, Minnesota 1-3 3.43 25
RP -- Mariano Rivera, New York 4-2 1.01 20
RP -- B.J. Ryan, Baltimore 1-2 2.52 19
RP -- Bob Wickman, Cleveland 0-2 2.73 23

Manager
Terry Francona, Boston

Umpires
Home Plate -- Joe West
1st Base -- Tim Welke
2nd Base -- Eric Cooper
3rd Base -- Mike DiMuro
Left Field -- C.B. Bucknor
Right Field -- Andy Fletcher


1 - WON MLB FINAL VOTE
2 - selected, declined invitation
inj.- injured
3 - replaced Cesar Izturis
4 - replaced Pedro Martinez
5 - replaced Roy Halladay
6 - replaced Scott Rolen
7 - replaced Scott Rolen in starting line-up

2005 MLB Draft First Round

2005 MLB first-year player draft selections - first round
1. Arizona - Justin Upton, ss, Great Bridge HS (VA)
2. Kansas City - Alex Gordon, 3b, Nebraska
3. Seattle - Jeffrey Clement, c, USC
4. Washington - Ryan Zimmerman, 3b, Virginia
5. Milwaukee - Ryan Braun, 3b, Miami
6. Toronto - Ricardo Romero, lhp, CS Fullerton
7. Colorado - Troy Tulowitski, ss, Long Beach
8. Tampa Bay - Wade Townsend, rhp, Rice
9. New York Mets - Michael Pelfrey, rhp, Wichita St
10. Detroit - Cameron Maybin, cf, T C Roberson HS (NC)
11. Pittsburgh - Andrew McCutchen, cf, Fort Meade HS (FL)
12. Cincinnati - Jay Bruce, cf, West Brook HS (TX)
13. Baltimore - Brandon Snyder, c, Westfield HS (VA)
14. Cleveland - Trevor Crowe, cf, Arizona
15. Chicago White Sox - Lance Broadway, rhp, TCU
16. Florida - Christopher Volstad, rhp, Palm Beach Gardens HS (FL)
17. New York Yankees (from Philadelphia for Type B Jon Lieber) - Carl Henry, ss, Putnam City HS (OK)
18. San Diego - Ceasar Carrillo, rhp, Miami
19. Texas - John Mayberry, rf, Stanford
20. Chicago Cubs - Mark Pawelek, lhp, Springville HS (UT)
21. Oakland - Clifton Pennington, ss, Texas A&M
22. Florida - (from San Francisco for Type A Armando Benitez) - Aaron Thompson, lhp, Second Baptist School (TX)
23. Boston (from Los Angeles Angels for Type A Orlando Cabrera) - Jacoby Ellsburg, cf, Oregon St
24. Houston - Brian Bogusevic, lhp, Tulane
25. Minnesota - Matthew Albidrez-Garza, rhp, Fresno St
26. Boston (from Los Angeles Dodgers for Type A Derek Lowe) - Craig Hansen, rhp, St. John's
27. Atlanta - Joseph Devine, rhp, North Carolina St
28. St. Louis (from Boston for Type A Edgar Renteria) - Colby Rasmus, cf, Russell County HS (AL)
29. Florida (from New York Yankees for Type A Carl Pavano) - Jacob Marceaux, rhp, McNeese St
30. St. Louis - James Greene, ss, Georgia Tech

Sandwich Picks for Type A Players

31. Diamondbacks (for Type A Richie Sexson) Matthew Torra, rhp, Mass-Amherst
32. Rockies (for Type A Vinny Castilla) Chaz Roe, rhp, Lafayette HS (KY)
33. Indians (for Type A Omar Vizquel) John Drennan, cf, Rancho Bernardo HS (CA)
34. Marlins (for Armando Benitez) Ryan Tucker, rhp, Temple City HS (CA)
35. Padres (for Type A David Wells) Cesar Ramos, lhp, Long Beach St
36. Athletics (for Type A Damian Miller) Travis Buck, rf, Arizona St
37. Angels (for Type A Troy Percival) Trevor Bell, Crescenta Valley HS (CA)
38. Astros (for Type A Carlos Beltran) Eli Iorg, of, Tennessee
39. Twins (for Type A Corey Koskie) Henry Sanchez, 1b, Mission Bay HS (CA)
40. Dodgers (for Type A Adrian Beltre) Luke Hochevar, rhp, Tennessee
41. Braves (for Type A Jaret Wright) Beau Jones, lhp, Destrehan HS (LA)
42. Red Sox (for Type A Pedro Martinez) Clay Buchhotz, rf, Angelina JC (TX)
43. Cardinals (for Edgar Renteria) Mark McCormick, rhp, Baylor
44. Marlins (for Carl Pavano) Sean West, lhp, Captain Shreve HS (LA)
45. Red Sox (for Angel Cabrera) Jed Lowrie, 2b, Stanford
46. Cardinals (for Type A Mike Matheny) Tyler Herron, rhp, Wellington Community HS (FL)
47. Red Sox (for Derek Lowe) Michael Bowden, rhp, Waubonsie Valley HS (IL)
48. Orioles (for failure to sign Wade Townsend) Garrett Olson, lhp, Cal Poly

Sheffield Punch Update

I applaud the Boston Red Sox for quickly revoking Fenway Park access to the two fans involved in the altercation with Gary Sheffield. I also applaud the decision of Bob Watson, baseball's vice president in charge of discipline. Today MLB decided no disciplinary action will be taken against Sheffield. The MLB Commissioners office released this statement,

"We do not condone any interaction between fans and players whether initiated by either fans or players," commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "I am pleased that Gary Sheffield showed restraint in not overreacting to the improper and clearly aggressive action of the fan in question."

The unfortunate part in the "Athlete/Fan Interaction Drama" is that the Boston Police asked a clerk magistrate to decide whether a disorderly conduct charge is warranted against the fans, according to Officer John Boyle, a department spokesman. The charge, being a disorderly person and disturbing a public assembly, is a misdemeanor. The fans are already facing the reality of not watching any home games after the 86 year drought, but now a fine will hopefully be all that is added to that.

Remember the alleged punch in question didn't lead to a major altercation. Christopher House, a 12 year season ticket holder, was promptly removed from the game, subsequently banned this season from all home games, and his status for his season ticket status next season is subject to review. The other fan who threw the beer, who remains unnamed, was also banned this season from buying tickets as well. I know what they did wasn't wise, but it is getting a little heavy, considering Sheffield was reluctant to press charges himself.

Maybe all of this will blow over and costs some unruly fans some money, and the rest of the civilized fans can get back to enjoying some baseball.

Sheffield got punched

Last night on Jason Varitek's two-run triple in right field at Fenway Park, a Red Sox fan reached out and sucker punched Gary Sheffield for no apparent reason. Simultaneously another fan threw their beer at Sheffield as well. Sheffield picked up the ball, shoved the fan, and threw the ball back in towards first base. Sheffield, who thought he had a busted lip, and had noticeably been punched in the face on the replay, went back after the fan with his fist cocked. The bullpen security guard ran between the two and separated them before a fight ensued. The New York Yankees bullpen ran over and a shouting match broke out for a while. The sucker punch fan was ejected, but not arrested. The Boston Red Sox released a statement promising more signs and more security on Friday to remind fans not to interfere with play.

Here's my problem with things. What right does a fan have to assault a player? I understand the NBA having a problem with Ron Artest going into the stands after the wrong person, but Sheffield had the right person, and that person punched him in the field of play. Sheffield also has the right to defend himself. In a country that has laws that support any person that asserts the right to defend himself, the fan is lucky that Sheffield thought twice about beating his dumb ass down. MLB is doing an investigation and they have talked about suspending Sheffield for his reaction. Why not suspend the fan for obviously punching a undefended player?

I know people want to support their home team, but they shouldn't advocate assaulting visiting players physically. Let your team win the game. Fans are nothing more than spectators. They have no real involvement in the game other than making noise. After the flare laced brawl at the soccer match in Milan this week, MLB really needs to remember player safety is more important than the fan experience.

The Colorado Rockies Stumble out of the Gate

Of the 30 teams in major league baseball only 11 are under .500, the Colorado Rockies only have one win that came on opening day. Not that it's a surprise to anyone, but the Colorado Rockies are the last place team in all of baseball. To say that they suck would be letting them off the hook. Manager Clint Hurdle has to be beyond frustrated with his squad. He stated that "major league baseball isn't a try league, it's a performance league." He couldn't be more correct, unfortunately the Rockies pitchers haven't performed well so far. The Rockies pitching has allowed 49 runs in their first 5 games.

Their pitching staff has issued a ridiculous 34 walks in only 45 innings pitched. With that much traffic on the basepaths it's no surprise they have given up 49 runs. The bullpen is a joke again this year with reliever Scott Dohmann being the lead jester. In his 1 2/3 innings pitched he has given up 9 earned runs to sport a 32.40 earned run average. By himself he gave up four homeruns on the week. In the opener he gave up solo shots to Xavier Nady and Ramon Hernandez of the San Diego Padres. In the 10-8 loss to the San Francisco Giants he gave up a game winning 3-run homerun to Marquis Grissom in the bottom of the ninth. Not to be outdone the next day he gave up a grand slam home run to the ever dangerous Michael Tucker who was 1 for 12. The grand slam was the first of Tucker's career.

Some may think the Rockies pitchers may be suffering from the dead arm period right after spring training, but come on the strike zone is always the same dead arm or not. If the Rockies pitching woes continue they will be out of playoff contention by June. They have only 1 quality start from a starter this season. The bullpen is already being overused. Their starters haven't made it out of the 5th inning in three starts already. The Rockies never have trouble scoring runs. The Rockies have scored 32 runs in their five games. The Rockies cannot always outslug their opponents, last year proved that.

Last season the Rockies were 4th in the NL with 833 runs scored, 2nd in the NL in batting average at .275, 2nd in the NL in hits with 1531, 3rd in slugging percentage at .455, and 2nd in team OPS at .800. This is a great hitting team that suffers from atrocious pitching. Last year the pitching staff was last in the NL giving up .290 batting average to opponents, last in the NL in with a 5.54 ERA, last in OPS (On Base % + Slugging %) allowed at .845, last in the NL in walks with 697 or 4.3 a game, last in the NL in Strikeouts with 947 which was almost 400 behind the NL leading Chicago Cubs. Let's do a little math here. They scored an average of 5.14 runs a game while giving up an average of 5.54 runs and 4.3 walks. That is exactly why they finished 68-94, and that was only 1 more win than their inaugural season as an expansion team. This season is looking a lot like last season already.

Steroids in baseball

Steroids in baseball may be a bigger problem than MLB wants to admit. Over the weekend the first positive test at the major league level was reported to be Tampa Bay Devil Rays OF Alex Sanchez. It's not the allstar the public wanted, but Sanchez's story might be the tip of the iceberg. Monday MLB announced 38 minor leaguers from the Cactus League Spring training tests of 12 teams.

The MLB minor league testing includes testing for "reasonable cause" i.e. if a member of the Minor League Healthy Policy Advisory Committee receives information that gives him/her reasonable cause to believe that a player has in the previous year used or possessed a prohibited substance.

Minor league baseball also subjects all players to up to four unannounced tests per year for drugs of abuse and performance enhancing substances. If a player tests positive for either, he may be subject to additional testing.

A first positive test allows for entry into a treatment program, and a unpaid suspension of 15 games. A second and third positive test result in an unpaid suspension of 30 games and 60 games respectively. A fourth positive test warrants a one-year suspension. A fifth offense results in permanent suspension from baseball.

The list of banned substances includes: Steroids, steroid precursors, designer steroids, masking agents and diuretics plus pro-hormone nutritional supplements, ephedrine, human growth hormone and erythropoietin (EPO). The policy also prohibits drugs of abuse, such as amphetamines, cocaine, LSD, marijuana, opiates (i.e. heroin), phencyclidine (PCP), MDMA (ecstasy) and GHB.

The more stringent policies are the main reason for more positive results. Of the 38 minor leaguers that tested positive 10 were released. Another surprising statistic is that there were 37 first time offenders, and 21 Latin American players tested positive. It is a very surprising trend because it is either bad advice the players are receiving to make it to the majors from a distant country, or a gamble some players are taking in the hopes of a big payday at the major league level. Eventhough the US Dollar isn't worth a lot against the British Pound, the Euro, the Yuan, or the Yen, doesn't mean it isn't valuable in places like Venezuela, the Caribbean, the Dominican Republic, or Mexico where some of the Latin American players hail from.

Overall the numbers are shocking when you consider the Grapefruit League Spring Training has 18 teams and their tests haven't been made public yet. The Seattle Mariners had eight players test positive, including two players who previously played at the major league level, and they released one player. The Chicago Cubs had seven players test positive, and released two of them. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim had five players test positive, one previously played at the major league level, and they released one. The Oakland A's had five players test positive, including one third time offender, and they released one. The Texas Rangers had five players test positive, and they released three of them. The San Diego Padres had four players test positive, and released two of them. The Colorado Rockies had two players test positive, and the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox each had one player test positive. None of the three teams released anyone.

The MLB major league testing procedure follows these guidelines. One unannounced mandatory test of each player during the season, plus random testing of selected players (with no maximum number) during the season and the off season.

At the major league level MLB tests for: Steroids, steroid precursors, designer steroids, masking agents and diuretics. None of the other drugs and supplements, including ephedrine, are expressly banned in the agreement effective until 2008.

For a first offense players will be suspended without pay for 10 days. A second offense players will be suspended without pay for 30 days. A third offense players will be suspended without pay for 60 days. A fourth offense major league players will be suspended without pay for one year. The fifth offense players are subject to the decision of the Comissioner of Baseball for punishment. Players can also be “threatened” with a monetary fine.

According to the MLB steroid policy Alex Sanchez received a 10 day suspension. It's kind of too bad for him. He was recently reunited with his mother this spring after her defection from Cuba. They hadn't seen eachother in about a decade. He has been with a couple teams this spring. His positive test came on March 7, 2005, while he was a member of the Detroit Tigers. He claims that he has done nothing other than taking over the counter weight gainer milkshakes, muscle relaxers, and over the counter multivitamins. He has also hired a lawyer to dispute his test results as well. Alex Sanchez doesn't fit the mold of power hitter. He had 4 lifetime homeruns in 1351 at bats. Over his 4 year major league career he is only averaging 73 games played a season. Who's to say what the results are, but what if MLB administered a minor league test to a major league player to get a positive result? What if he is just a barometer of what is to come if MLB adapts to the more stringent minor league policy in 2008 and beyond?

NL Predictions

Baseball season is finally upon us. Let's look at the NL East first. Winning the division has recently been a tradition for the Braves, and this year that will change. The Florida Marlins will win the division this year. The Marlins added 1B Carlos Delgado in the off season. With Delgado added to the potent lineup of OF Juan Pierre, 2B Luis Castillo, OF Juan Encarnacion, OF Miguel Cabrera, 3B Mike Lowell, and C Paul LoDuca there isn't an easy out. Their pitching staff will be healthy for the first time in 2 seasons. The pitching staff will feature Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett, Al Leiter, Dontrelle Willis, and closer Guillermo Mota.

The Sleeper in the NL East is the Atlanta Braves. I know the Braves are the favorite to win the division for a lot of people, but they are depending on oft injured players to produce. OF Raul Mondesi, and OF Brian Jordan used to be big time run producers, but injuries, age, and sometimes attitude have prevented them from being major superstars. P Mike Hampton, and P John Thomson usually miss a few starts and have occasional bad stretches. If all of those issues are addressed P Tim Hudson and P John Smoltz are bound to have great years. Closer Denny Kolb is a decent closer with good placement instead of overpowering stuff.

In the NL Central the St. Louis Cardinals look good. The defending NL Champions have a chance to be healthy for the whole season. OF Larry Walker will be playing a full season with the club, which will prove very beneficial for them. Along with OF's Jim Edmonds, and Reggie Sanders, 3B Scott Rolen, and 1B Albert Pujols, the Cardinals have a great lineup. If their pitchers can stay healthy their rotation is good. P Mark Mulder, P Chris Carpenter, P Matt Morris, P Jason Marquis, and P Jeff Suppan are an improvement over last year's staff.

The Sleeper in the NL Central is the Chicago Cubs. The expectations for them are different this year. P Kerry Wood, and P Mark Prior won't miss as many starts as last year, eventhough Prior does begin the season on the 15 day DL. P Greg Maddux and P Carlos Zambrano proved they're more than able to produce wins. Their closer Joe Borowski starts the season on the 15 day DL. P LaTroy Hawkins will assume the closer duties, but he hasn't been able to close games in the past. The Cubs can look forward to a healthy SS Nomar Garciaparra, 3B Aramis Ramirez, 1B Derrek Lee, 2B Todd Walker, and no Sammy Sosa as well. OF Jeromy Burnitz assumes his old place in left field this season.

In the NL West the winner will be the San Francisco Giants. Even without Bonds the Giants look like the best team in the division. They were busy in the offseason upgrading their defense. They acquired SS Omar Vizquel, OF Moises Alou, and C Mike Matheny. OF Pedro Feliz has the chance to get substantial playing time until Bonds comes back from knee surgery. Their pitching staff will appreciate the upgrades on defense. The Giants have fallen victim to bad defense that has cost them important games over the last few years. The Giants have a good pitching staff featuring Jason Schmidt, Noah Lowry, Jerome Williams. They also acquired closer Armando Benitez.

The Sleeper in the NL West is the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are the only other team that dropped a lot of cash this summer in guaranteed contracts, despite reports of their imminent financial problems. The only real problem they have is at closer. They now start an offense that features 3B Troy Glaus, OF Shawn Green, OF Jose Cruz, OF Luis Gonzalez, SS Royce Clayton, and 2B Craig Counsell. Their pitching staff changed the most, now featuring Javier Vazquez, Russ Ortiz, Brandon Webb, and Shawn Estes. They have the potential to surprise many in the NL this season.

All in all the NL looks to be very competitive this year. The NL Wildcard will be a three team race between the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, and the Atlanta Braves. The NL will be a lot closer at the top this year. The competition for the wild card will be fierce. The wildcard playoff slot has been the World Series winner the last 3 seasons.

AL Predictions

Baseball season is finally upon us. It has survived the scrutiny of the US Congress, the American public, and itself to bring in a new season. Let's look at the AL East first. Winning the division has recently been a tradition for the Yankees, and this year won't change that. George Steinbrenner went out and spent a lot of money this offseason and he will see it pay off. The Yankees signed free agent pitchers Jaret Wright and Carl Pavano, and they also traded for pitcher Randy Johnson. The Yankees set another precedent, for the first time since 1903 a team added three 15 game winning pitchers in one offseason.

The Yankees have the potential to hit .300 as a team this season. 2B Tony Womack, SS Derek Jeter, OF Bernie Williams and 3B Alex Rodriguez just set the table for OF Hideki Matsui, OF Gary Sheffield, 1B Tino Martinez, DH Jason Giambi and C Jorge Posada to drive them in. Watching opening day against the Red Sox made the Yankees look like they were in good shape for the season. If Randy Johnson can stay healthy, he'll enjoy more run support than he got last year, and he looks like the 2005 AL Cy Young winner in the making. Last year they had a problem with an inconsistent pitching staff, which the Boss went out and fixed.

The Sleeper in the AL East is the Baltimore Orioles. In the last two offseasons they have added C Javy Lopez, SS Miguel Tejada, and OF Sammy Sosa. Along with 1B/DH Rafael Palmiero, and 3B Melvin Mora they have a potent line up. Their only problem is their inconsistent, young starting pitching staff. If they can get some good quality starts from their staff, their bullpen can close out games.

In the AL Central how can you go wrong with the Minnesota Twins? They have won the division for the last three years. They have experience and Johan Santana, the 2004 AL CY Young winner. Closer Joe Nathan looked almost unhittable until late last season. If P Brad Radke, P Kyle Lohse, P Joe Mays, or P Carlos Silva have a decent season the Twins will be hard to catch. The Twins also have a deep line up featuring phenoms 1B Justin Morneau, and C Joe Mauer. OF Shannon Stewart, OF Jacque Jones, and OF Torii Hunter are great in the field and always carry potent bats as well.

The Sleeper in the AL Central is the Cleveland Indians. They were in the race last year until a late August swoon that saw them go from eight games over .500 and in the race to four games under .500 in 20 days. If they can avoid crumbling late in the season, they might give the Twins a run for the division.

In the AL West the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim look really good. With reigning 2004 AL MVP Vladimir Guerrero in the outfield you are going to win some games. Joining him in the outfield is a great hitter in Garrett Anderson, and gold glover Steve Finley. The Angels have a good pitching staff if they stay healthy. In the infield 1B Darin Erstad, 2B Chone Figgins, and SS Orlando Cabrera. Skipper Mike Scioscia has guided the Angels to the playoffs in 2 of the last 3 years.

The Sleeper in the AL West is the Texas Rangers. The Rangers have the best compilation of young talent of any team in baseball. Looking around the infield they could all be allstars. 2B Alfonso Soriano, SS Michael Young, 3B Hank Blalock, C Rod Barajas, 1B Mark Teixeira along with OF Richard Hidalgo are things that keep pitchers up at night. All hit for average and power.

All in all the AL looks to be very competitive this year. The AL Wildcard will be a three team race between the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, and the Boston Red Sox. The wildcard race is always exciting and the Red Sox have won it the past few years. The Red Sox will get past the opening day letdown and compete for the wildcard, which has been the slot of the World Series winner the last 3 seasons.

Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds

What can I say about Bonds and McGwire that hasn't already been said? They're both phenomenal record setting athletes, pillars of run production for their respective teams, and both hiding under the suspicion of using "performance enhancing drugs." I personally grew up a fan of both McGwire and Bonds. I still have rookie cards of both from my youth. I grew up thinking they were great athletes. Bonds was a perennial 30 home run / 30 stolen base man. I remember the amazing Pittsburgh Pirates teams of the late 80's and early 90's. Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, and Andy Van Slyke were amazing in the outfield. McGwire broke into the scene with an AL rookie of the year award following a 49-homer rookie season, much to the dismay of Kansas City's Kevin Seitzer.

I sat and watched much of the 11 and 1/4 hour congressional witch-hunt, and saw much of the testimony from McGwire disappoint. I know he had a lawyer inform him of his rights and the implications of testimony in future prosecutions, but he just pulled a Ronald Reagan before the Iran-Contra committee. He blatantly refused to answer anything. I can understand evading the direct questions regarding his use or knowledge of anyone else's use, but he didn't offer much. He said, "It's not up to me to decide," regarding if steroids were cheating. He also hid behind "I'm retired," and "that's in the past, and I'm not here to discuss the past," It just seemed so insincere since he opened his testimony with such emotion. I understand that he had people to protect, mainly himself, but the backlash has been immense. Some want to revoke the stretch of the "Big Mac" highway; some want an asterisk next to his 70-homerun season, while others are thinking of stonewalling him from Cooperstown.

People act like those enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame are all respectable, upstanding role models of society. I shudder at the thought of Ty Cobb, the reported womanizer and fan of the KKK. No one wants Cobb taken out because of what he believed, or did during his non-baseball life. I'm sure there are cheats, bat corkers, baseball scuffers, racists, drunks, womanizers, and out and out non role models in the Hall as well. What about all the pitchers that benefited from a taller mound before 1969? Should their records have an asterisk? Can you imagine Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, and Curt Schilling's stats if they threw from a mound five inches taller? They surely would have more wins and strikeouts.

I see that steroids were a part of baseball for a while, but I have yet to see a steroid hit a pitch. Even if McGwire used steroids he still had to lift weights, practice hitting and train like the world-class athlete he became. So he had more homeruns than he would have without the rigorous training. How many fewer would he have hit? Are you sure it was the steroids, or was it the over wound baseballs, or the watered down pitching? The only thing McGwire has now is his friends and family, which has for the most part escaped public scrutiny. Barry Bonds on the other hand hasn't received the same amount of respect for his privacy.

Over the weekend the San Francisco Chronicle ran an article covering the grand jury testimony of a woman who has presented herself as Bonds girlfriend. She claims to have intimate knowledge that he has used steroids since the 2000 season; that he didn't report the income received from signing at memorabilia shows, and he allegedly gave her $80,000 that she used for a down payment on a house in Scottsdale, AZ. Whether you believe her or not it is not the first time the Chronicle has run a story that Bonds didn't like. Last year the Chronicle got a hold of the "sealed" grand jury testimony pertaining to the BALCO investigation that implicated Giambi, and Bonds of using their products.

Bonds looked worn out in his interview this week. He said he was tired 14 times in a very short 3-minute interview. It looks like he will miss at least half of the season to rehab his twice-operated on knee. It was noticeably conspicuous that the Chronicle baseball beat writer was missing from the interview. I think the allegations before wouldn't stick, but the testimony of the "girlfriend / mistress" contradicts most of what Bonds said to the grand jury in the BALCO investigation. All in all Bonds hasn't done himself a lot of favors by being so standoffish with the media over the years. I don't feel sorry for him, but he is still a person that deserves some of the "innocent until proven guilty" that the courts provide us in our Constitution.