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Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Casting a Shadow: Baseball in 2005

foray number 2:

Casting a Shadow: Baseball in 2005
By John Paul Manahan

Much is abuzz in Major League Baseball, maybe the most since the labor strike in 1994. However, much of that buzz lies with the issue of steroids. Still, there are many things to look forward to the upcoming season, which starts on April 3.

1. Steroids, Steroids, Steroids. The steroids issue was pretty much settled with the new testing policy currently enforced during Spring Training and will be implemented at the start of the season. However, Jose Canseco wrote in his tell-all book that he did admit to using steroids when he was the Oakland Athletics. He also named other major league players like retired 1st Baseman Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro as steroid users. The steroids controversy has recently moved into the realm of the House of Representatives, as Congress, in their inquiry to the steroids issue, has subpoenaed Canseco, McGwire, Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, Frank Thomas, Curt Schilling, Jason Giambi, and MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to shed light onto the issue. However, only Canseco, Schilling, and Selig have agreed to appear in D.C.
2. Barry Bonds. He still remains to be the centerpiece of the steroids controversy, which will grow as he (703) chases Babe Ruth (714) and Hank Aaron (755) for the home run record. He is still on track in his recovery from elbow surgery. In Barry’s desire to win the World Series, the Giants acquired power-hitting outfielder Moises Alou (manager Felipe’s son) to protect Bonds, as well as getting catcher Mike Matheny, shortstop Omar Vizquel, and closer Armando Benitez.
3. Yankees – Red Sox. This rivalry still goes on even after the Red Sox extinguished the Curse of the Bambino and winning the World Series after 86 years. After allowing the Red Sox to come from behind 3-0 and win the ALCS, the Yankees reload with pitchers Randy Johnson, Jaret Wright, Carl Pavano, and 2nd Baseman Tony Womack. Boston got shortstop Edgar Renteria, and pitchers Matt Clement, Wade Miller and former Yankee David Wells, to make up for the losses of Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe.
4. New York Mets. Speaking of Pedro, the Mets managed to snatch him away from the Red Sox with a 4-year deal. They also signed Carlos Beltran with a seven-year deal. They also made history by hiring Yankee bench coach Willie Randolph as the first African-American manager in New York. They also have young pitchers in Victor Zambrano and Kris Benson, and veteran Tom Glavine.
5. Washington Nationals. The team owned by Major League Baseball finally completed its move to become the Washington Nationals from the Montreal Expos. Manager Frank Robinson has said that they are looking forward to the upcoming season, adding talents like Esteban Loaiza, Jose Guillen, Vinny Castilla and Cristian Guzman to a lineup that has Livan Hernandez, Brad Wilkerson and Jose Vidro.
6. Los Angeles. The Anaheim Angels have decided to rename themselves this season as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, much to the protests of the Anaheim local government. The defending American League West Champs, who are doing very well in Spring Training, have parted ways with 3rd Baseman Troy Glaus (Arizona), shortstop David Eckstein (Cardinals), and closer Troy Percival (Detroit), handing it to Dallas McPherson, free agent Orlando Cabrera (Boston), and Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez. They also signed pitcher Paul Byrd from Atlanta and outfielder Steve Finley. The Dodgers, on the other hand, not only lost Finley, but also 3rd Baseman Adrian Beltre (Mariners). Inspite of that, they managed to snatch 2nd Baseman Jeff Kent, shortstop Jose Valentin, outfielder J.D. Drew, and Lowe.
7. Chicago Cubs. All eyes are on their two stud pitchers: Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, as both are experiencing injury woes this early in Spring Training. Any chance of ending their Curse of the Billy Goat since 1908 rests on their pitching, as their offense took a hit with the departure of Alou and Sosa.
8. Other New Faces in New Places. The Oakland Athletics decided to retool, trading pitchers Mark Mulder to St. Louis and Tim Hudson to Atlanta, while getting catcher Jason Kendall and losing Damian Miller and Jermaine Dye. Other faces that are with new teams include names like Carlos Delgado (Florida), Ritchie Sexson (Seattle), Magglio Ordonez (Detroit), Shawn Green (Arizona); as well as pitchers like Kevin Millwood (Cleveland), El Duque Hernandez (White Sox), Eric Milton (Cincinnati) and Javier Vazquez (Arizona).
9. Given all the hype surrounding the season, the 2005 MLB season surely is one to watch out for, with intense competition all around.

Written by the Ninja @ 11:14 PM

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