NL Baseball

The New York Mets spent a lot of money in the offseason to make sure their bullpen was improved.
With closer Billy Wagner (reconstructive elbow surgery) likely out the entire season, the Mets signed free agent closer Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz to serve as a setup relief pitcher.

Blake DeWitt's hometown of Sikeston, Mo., experienced an ice storm last month that hit with enough force to cause millions of dollars in damage and a major power outage.

It's only February, but you can't help but wonder how these New York Mets will perform in September.
New York has collapsed in the final month of the past two regular seasons -- worse in 2007 than last year -- and both times fell just short of the playoffs.

David Wright didn't need anyone to tell him when to come to camp.
The New York Mets third baseman didn't need a reporting date.
Or a nudge from his manager.
He showed up early -- because the sooner the new baseball season begins, the sooner he can erase the miserable memories of the way the last two seasons ended for the underachieving Mets.

Whatever happens in the realm of admissible evidence -- and it sounds as if the prosecution's case took a hit Thursday -- Barry Bonds' reputation will take a savage beating in his upcoming federal trial. He'll be exposed, humiliated, ratted out, rendered hopeless as a Hall of Fame candidate, you name it.
But sent to jail? Sorry, but that's way over the top.

The Tampa Bay Rays enjoyed a dream season in 2008.
Reality comes calling in 2009.
A team that had never lost fewer than 90 games in its first decade of existence, Tampa Bay found itself in the World Series in year 11.

Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti continued discussions with agent Scott Boras on Wednesday, one day after Boras appeared to have issued a warning to the team regarding its attempts to re-sign Manny Ramirez.
The two sides did agree on something.

The Los Angeles Dodgers took a second stab at re-signing Manny Ramirez by extending the slugger a one-year, $25 million contract offer, according to a baseball source, but the offer was turned down late Monday.

Rickey Henderson and Jim Rice are going into the Baseball Hall of Fame!
In the words of Matt Foley, the late Chris Farley's SNL motivational-speaker character, "Well, whooptie-frikkin'-doo."
Not that Henderson and Rice aren't worthy, but the Hall itself isn't what it used to be.
Sadly, the Baseball Hall of Fame has lost its fastball.

After months in hiatus to be redesigned and re-cast, the morbidly popular surreality TV show "Cream'n'Clear Cavalcade," is back on the air.
Yes, it's more fun with steroids and their chemical brethren, and on both coasts for different reasons.