NL Baseball

Manny Ramirez flunked a drug test because of meds he got from a Florida doctor. Ramirez isn't providing any more info, so we're all free to speculate on the nature of his "personal health issue."
I'm going to go ahead and rule out dandruff.

The notion that you are innocent until proven guilty is one of the founding principles of this country.
Baseball, of course, has managed to flip the premise on its head.

You want more proof that the economy is kicking sports like an old rugby ball? No, of course you don't. You've heard more than enough already, and you're ready to chase people who bring it up again with a pointed stick.
But this one you'll like. At least if you're a Giants fan who clings to tradition.

It would be silly to suggest that complete and total domination has no appeal in sports. To say so would be to dismiss Secretariat's Belmont or Tiger Woods' first Masters as anything but indelible moments.
But what tends to charm people even more so, what really elicits the cheers, is when the victors flirt with failure before giving 'em goose bumps.

The National League West race is over. Wrap it up and put a Dodger blue bow on it. Sports Illustrated's Joe Sheehan as much as says so.

About six hours before he threw his first pitch Monday night, San Francisco Giants pitcher Barry Zito posted a favorite quote from Abraham Lincoln on his Twitter page: "I don't like that man. I must get to know him better."

So this is what a typical San Francisco Giants game was supposed to look like this season.
Lights-out pitching. Tight defense. And a scrappy, opportunistic offense.

You want to know how Billy Wagner's left arm felt Tuesday after he threw off a pitching mound for the first time since undergoing elbow-reconstruction surgery in September? So do I.
So do most New York Mets fans, including the thousands who live along the Treasure Coast and elsewhere.
But Wagner, the Mets closer for the past three seasons, wasn't talking.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels faced off in an exhibition tune-up Thursday night, a pair of baseball big dogs expected to rule their respective divisions over the next six months.
Uh-oh.
"Favored to win." Famous first words. I'm not sure there's a sport less predictable than baseball, unless you count rock-paper-scissors.

The Mets are ready to go.
New York wrapped up its 2009 spring training season Thursday with a 9-8 comeback win over Baltimore. The Mets won seven of their last eight games, thriving on timely hitting, solid starting pitching and strong bullpen efforts.