Fastball Fans

The San Diego Padres in 2006 grabbed the National League West division title, but were quickly disposed by the upstart St. Louis Cardinals. In about a month or so, the Friars will once again try to repeat as National League West Champions. The team had great starting pitching last season, but was devoid of power throughout the year, and they in turn at times suffered.

Recently, the team hired former pitcher Bud Black and hopefully he’ll be the guiding hand for a team blessed with pitching and young talent. The team has had quite a few new additions, including Jose Cruz Jr., Marcus Giles and Greg Maddux via free agency, while acquiring Andrew Brown, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Heath Bell and Royce Ring via trades.

Over the winter, the team lost Alan Embree, Ryan Klesko, Chan Ho Park Mike Piazza, Dave Roberts, Woody Williams and Scott Williamson via free agency and lost Ben Johnson, Jon Adkins and Josh Barfield via trade.

For the Friars, the starting rotation is very deep with a mix of young fireballers and crafty veterans. At the top of the rotation will be Jake Peavy who only was 11-14 last year with a 4.09 ERA, but is widely considered the ace of the staff. He had a rough year last season, but should be a strong candidate to bounce back and be the ace, as in 2004 and 2005; he had an ERA under 3. If Peavy can find the form of 2004 and 2005, he will easily be one of the most formidable pitchers in the league.

The second starter will be Chris Young who had a solid year, as he finished with a 3.46 ERA and 11 wins, so the Padres should expect more of the same from him in 2007. In the middle of the rotation may be Clay Hensley. He had an 11-12 record, but compiled an ERA of 3.71, and at only 27, he should be able to build upon last season and perhaps garner a few more wins.

The last two spots will be occupied by two elder statesmen of the game, Greg Maddux and David Wells.

Although Maddux will be 41 heading into 2007, he’s been consistent and foremost, a great competitor. He was 15-14 last season with a 4.20, fairly solid numbers and consistent with his numbers the past several seasons. At this point in his career, the Padres should expect him to be at or a few games above .500 in 2007, but he should give the team quality outings and his experience will be a godsend for the younger players.

David Wells will be 44(!) in May, but when he’s healthy, he can fool the best of them with his off-speed stuff, along with his guts and guile. He only won 3 games last season with a 4.42 ERA, but has finished with double digits in wins pretty much every year before 2006. However, if he’s not healthy, then expect some candidates from the bullpen such as Mike Thompson (19 starts, 4.99 ERA) to get a crack at the rotation.

Read More Here…

Ut-oh.

The steroid debate will only intensify that much more now with the latest news.

“According to various news reports, the feds raided two pharmacies in the Orlando, Fla., area on Wednesday and arrested four top company officials as part of a nationwide probe into the illegal distribution of steroids.The case, which is being led by a prosecutor in Albany, N.Y., involves several doctors, pharmacists and business owners who have been or will be arrested in Florida, New York and Texas.

Sealed indictments charge them with various felonies for unlawfully distributing steroids and other drugs, according to Albany County District Attorney P. David Soares.The Albany Times Union reported that investigators in the year-old case uncovered evidence that testosterone and other performance-enhancing drugs may have been fraudulently prescribed over the Internet to, among others, current and former major league baseball players, NFL players, college athletes and high school coaches.Sources with knowledge of the probe told the Times Union that the customers include Los Angeles Angels center fielder and former Oriole Gary Matthews Jr. (baltimoresun.com)�?

Other names also mentioned as a buyer is Jason Grimsley.

What does this mean for the sport? More scrutiny & allegations…

Gary Matthews’ reputation is probably soiled, especially considering the year he had in ’06 in comparison to his career numbers.

His life is about to become a little more interesting.

Well, here’s some selected players I decided to pull from the simulation I did for the 2007 regular season using MVP Baseball 2005 modified for the upcoming season.

Most of the players did what I expect them to do, and I’m so glad Bonds gets injured and misses breaking Hank’s record. However, Derek will not 38 homers, and Alex Rodriguez will hit more than 29, and J.D. Drew will not 41 homers for the Red Sox.

I’ll post more players as I go along, and I’ll do the pitchers later. If there’s anyone whom you’d like to see, let me know.

See More Here

I decided to do a simulation of the 2007 season using a modified version of MVP Baseball 2005 for PC, with the updated rosters and schedules.

Anyhow, here’s what comes from the simulation (Keep in mind, all the pictures came from a video game, and obviously has no bearing on reality, nor is it scientific). A lot of the results came out what I thought they would; however, some were off - way off. I’ll have the playoffs done later on today or in morning. Right now, enjoy, speculate and feel free to leave me comments.

American League East: I agree with the results, but I figured that the Red Sox would finish much better. The Orioles do finish above .500, though.

American League Central: I don’t see the Twins winning the division, and the White Sox should be at least 20 games better than they are record wise, but it does look like a very close race.

American League West: The Angels should be in second, and will have a record above .500.

National League East: The Phillies should be in first or second, and there’s no way they are worse than the Nationals.

National League Central: I don’t see the Brewers winning 90 games or the division, but it looks real competitive and close. The Cardinals sneak into the playoffs by winning the wild card.

National League West: The Diamondbacks will win more than 68 games, but this division looks like how I’d rank all the teams.

Stats of Highly Touted Free Agents:

See More Here

- photo from starpulse.com

The Queen City, Cincinnati has a long, hallowed tradition in the sport of baseball, but there has been little to celebrate for the past couple of years. The Reds have not been in the playoffs in the last decade, but in 2006, the team was in the hunt for a playoff spot until the very end in a competitive NL Central.

GM Wayne Krivsky instead of relying on the homer happy offense of the past several seasons, took a huge gamble to rebuild the pitching corps (mainly the bullpen) along with defense by trading away talent. The trade that sparked the most talk in baseball during in 2006 was outfielder Austin Kearns and infielder Felipe Lopez sent to the Nationals for pitchers Gary Majewski, Bill Bray and Royce Clayton.

As well, youngster Willy Mo Pena was traded for Bronson Arroyo – a move that would pay the Reds huge dividends.

In the end, the Reds came up short in terms of a playoff spot, but the team last season strengthened their bullpen and defense for 2007 and beyond.

The Reds had a quiet offseason on the market, but they added quite a bit of new pieces for 2007, including Alex Gonzales and Mike Stanton via free agency, and the team acquired Jeff Keppinger, Kirk Saarloos, Josh Hamilton and Jeff Conine via trade.

Several players left the team during the winter, and they are Rich Aurilia, Royce Clayton, Ryan Franklin, Jason Johnson, Scott Schoenweis, Jason LaRue, Brendan Harris and David Shafer.

The pitching rotation for the Reds came up big in 2006, and it should remain pretty much the same as it did last year. The top of the rotation is spear-headed by Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang. A week ago, both pitchers received lucrative contract extensions, so the team should have two strong, and durable hurlers for 2007 and beyond.

Arroyo in 2006 stepped up his game big time going 14-11 with a 3.29 ERA for the Reds. The change of scenery made him into one of the best starters in the National League during the first half, but then he struggled a bit after the All-Star Game break. In the end, he finished 2006 strong.

Aaron Harang was also another starter who found himself in last season. After a career where he’s shown steady improvement year to year, he won 16 games in 2006 and finished with a 3.76 ERA. If Bronson and Aaron can follow-up on last season, the Reds have a good 1-2 punch that could compete with anyone in the National League.

Once you get past the top of the rotation, things get murky. The middle of the rotation features Eric Milton who is prone to homer ball, but showed in an improvement last season as he finished 8-8 with a 5.19 ERA. He only gave up only 29 homers last season – a marked improvement from the 40 he gave up in ’05. They will need him to improve and keep the ball in the park for the Reds to improve.

Kyle Lohse will be the fourth starter, and he’s had a tough road the past several seasons. He’s not had a .500 or above record since 2003, and he was 5-10 with a 5.83 ERA in 2006. Blessed with a good arm and a great fastball, he’ll need to find the success he had earlier in his career, or he may find himself out of a job with the Reds. The fifth starter slot is up for grabs, but right now Kirk Sarloos might get some consideration as he was acquired in a trade and was 7-7 with an ERA under 5 in 2006.

Also in consideration for the 5th spot are Matt Belisle who appeared in 30 games and had an ERA of 3.60, Elizardo Ramirez, Bobby Livingston and Phil Dumatrait but the latter three will probably be in the minors when the season begins. However, the Reds will be watching Homer Bailey, who’s a great young prospect in the minors, and could perhaps be seen at some point in 2007 if all goes well.

The Reds in 2007 will once again have the appearance of a strong bullpen, albeit, there’s not a real closer. The bullpen in 2006 early on was a big problem, as Wayne Krivsky realized it was weak, and he spent the much of 2006 on improving thing as well as fighting for a playoff spot.

Read More Here…

Wow. I found this on Youtube and this is from one of my favorite Simpsons’ episode. I think is from 1990 or so and the episode is called “Homer at Bat”.

The Simpsons are my one of favorite shows, and it being the season of baseball - I decided to see what I could come up with.

This video was done by Sol Rosenburg, and I love what he did with the song and some of the images from the particular episode.

- photo from starpulse.com

For the past several years, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have been one of the powerhouses of the American League and perennial division contenders. Stocked with plenty of pitching, young talent and offense, the Angels should once again compete toe to toe with the Athletics in the American League West. As the Angels share a portion of Southern California that compromises L.A. and Anaheim, Arte Moreno has taken steps to re-invest in the team and battle the Dodgers for area supremacy.

The Angels had incredible pitching, especially from Jared Weaver and flashes of brilliance from the other members of the starting rotation. However, the offense struggled and that in turn hurt the team.

Although the team came up short in the AL West in’06, Moreno has once again taken steps to improve the team. Gone from the team are Darin Erstad who signed with the White Sox, Adam Kennedy who joined the St. Louis Cardinals, J.C. Romero and Brendan Donnelly and Kevin Gregg who were traded. The team in the winter added Shea Hillenbrand, Gary Matthews Jr., pitchers Darren Oliver, Justin Speier, Phi Seibel and Chris Resop.

The starting corps has some of the best veteran and young arms in the sport of baseball, as they were formidable in ’06 and should remain the same in ’07. The top of the rotation should compromise of John Lackey who was 13-11 with an ERA of 3.56 in 2006. Although he had a down year from ’05 where he was 14-5, Lackey should bounce back this upcoming season.

The rotation will also have amazing youngsters Jared Weaver who earned an 11-2 record with a 2.56 ERA & could be considered the ace of the staff; Kelvim Escobar who was 11-13, but with a solid 3.61 ERA & Ervin Santana who was 16-8 with an ERA over 4. All three pitchers were good in 2006, but Weaver was nothing short of exceptional. Santana should maintain the same level, Escobar may chalk up a few more wins and Weaver may have his ERA rise; however, he if can pitch at the level he did in ’06, he could be a Cy Young candidate.

It looks like both Escobar and Lackey were victims of the offense, and could have easily tacked on a few more wins.

The wild card in the rotation is Bartolo Colon. He’s had a stellar career with the Angels, White Sox, Expos and Indians, but he struggled last year to a record of 1-5 with an ERA over 5 until he went down for the rest of the season with injury. If he’s fully recovered, in good condition, and in shape, he should bounce back and return to his form before his problems last season.

If all 5 starters are healthy, the team will have one of the most impressive & talented pitching rotations in the game. Another pitcher who could step in play a role is Joe Saunders, rookie in ’06 who went 7-3 with a 4.71 ERA. For now, he may be a long reliever in the bullpen, but he may spot start or find himself in the rotation if someone struggles or goes down with injury.

The bullpen for the Angels is just as impressive as their starting rotation. Returning to the closer role in ’07 is longtime mainstay, “K-Rod�? Francisco Rodriguez. He was his usual dominant self with a miniscule 1.73 ERA and based on his record should be lights out in ’07 as well. Only 25, he’s got the chance to be one of the best closers ever in the history of the game.

Read More Here…

Wool out, Polyester In: On Opening Day, the sport will doff the traditional wool cap in favor of a new polyester blend model designed to wick away sweat before it can stream down a player’s face.

The change is part of commissioner Bud Selig’s focus on boosting player performance, a Major League Baseball official said, and follows a general trend toward moisture-managing “performance” materials in sports apparel.

And … “They look exactly the same, they breathe more and they won’t shrink,” Verlander said. “The best thing is, when it rains, the hats won’t stink like the wool ones did.”

Well, as much as I love the tradition of the caps – it’s a welcome change for me personally. I love the old fitted wool caps, but since I like to play a lot of sports outside with my cap on, and often to go ball games in the sweltering mid-Atlantic in the summer, the caps tend to shrink, smell and stain. More often than that not, after a wash or extended periods of time outside, the cap loses its shape.

Although the change may be radical to me, it’s a good thing and may serve all us cap wearers well.

Barry Bonds is a Fool. While being interviewed by reporters yesterday in camp, he said this:

“Let them investigate. Let them, they’ve been doing it this long,” Bonds said Tuesday after his first workout this year with the San Francisco Giants. “It doesn’t weigh on me at all — at all. It’s just you guys talking. It’s just media conversation.”

Buddy, I know you’re rich and arrogant, but it’s not a good idea to f**k with the government in anything. You might want to keep your mouth shut.

Baby, let the circus begin…

Read what Sooze and Lizzy of the Babes Who Love Baseball Say about the Issue…

Big Z got his Money: Ace pitcher and sometimes home run hitter, Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs agreed to a $12.4 million, one-year contract Tuesday, avoiding salary arbitration by striking the deal just before the scheduled hearing.

The A-Rod Saga, We Cover It So You Don’t Have to…

Ah, the media is so having fun with this. I miss living in New York City, but thank God for the Internet and blogs…

* Again I’m giving the Babes Who Love Baseball another shout, but I love the political incorrectness with the post…

My favorite paper of them all, the New York Post:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02212007/sports/yankees/jeter_drops_the_ball_as_captain_yankees_joel_sherman.htm

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02212007/sports/yankees/its_pin_strife_at_camp_chaos_yankees_george_king.htm

New York Newsday:

http://www.amny.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spyanks215103057feb21,0,3588505.story?coll=ny-sports-headlines

http://www.amny.com/sports/baseball/yankees/ny-spwally215103059feb21,0,6603166.column?coll=ny-sports-headlines

New York Daily News:

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/499447p-421115c.html

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/499448p-421116c.html

New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/21/sports/baseball/21yanks.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin

Bernie Williams:

From NY Newsday: “The Bernie Williams watch came to an end yesterday, as his agent confirmed that the outfielder would not be accepting the Yankees’ offer to come to spring training on a non-guaranteed, minor-league contract.�?

It sounds like the beginning of the end, unless the two sides can come to an agreement.

* photos from the baltimoresun.com, photofile.com, & cnnsi.com

More news from around baseball…

Jeter’s Turn to Speak: Maintaining they have a fine relationship on the field and in the clubhouse, Derek Jeter resolutely refused to discuss the deterioration of his friendship with Alex Rodriguez away from the ballpark. One day after A-Rod finally acknowledged the pair no longer are best friends, Jeter sat in the same first-base dugout at Legends Field and was asked to respond.

Jeter said: “I don’t have a rift with Alex,” the captain said Tuesday. “We go out there. We work together. This is our fourth year to be playing together. It’s annoying to hear about it all the time. Everyone assumes they know what our relationship is. Everyone assumes — they see us on the field, if one person gives another one a look, it’s a story. If we’re at opposite ends of the bench, people say it’s a story.”

Who cares - just play ball! This is all becoming a bit much now.

Bernie Done? From the AP: Bernie Williams was nowhere to be seen, and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman doesn’t think that will change. “It appears he made his decision. That’s all I can take from it,�? Cashman said. “I’m assuming at this stage that he’s not coming.�? Yankees position players took physicals Monday, a day ahead of their first workout.

Sigh. I hope he comes back, but I can easily see the debate from both sides…

Wrigley With Ads? I don’t consider myself to be a purist at all, but it’s pretty much agreed that Wrigley Field is a baseball cathedral, and for the most part should be untouched.

Well, that’s about to change.

According to the Baltimore Sun:

In a few weeks, Wrigley Field will become the latest stadium to carry the Under Armour apparel logo on its outfield wall. Given that the ivy-covered expanse hasn’t featured advertising since the first vines were planted in 1937, some Cubs fans are a bit upset.

“It’s not going over real well at all,” former Cubs public relations director Bob Ibach said. “There have been a lot of complaints about it because that ivy’s kind of sacred.”

I think the idea is bad, but sadly, it’s the cost of doing business and something has to pay for the salaries.

I have no idea if the cost of business was passed to the consumer, but I just think it’s wrong to plaster ads on the hallowed outfield walls of Wrigley.

The A-Rod Saga, We Cover It So You Don’t Have to…

Well, as we are into a new week and yet closer to the 2007 season, the Yankees have made news once again.

Former friends, but current teammates, Derek Jeter and A-Rod, as well all know have had a big thaw in their relationship since A-Rod gave an infamous interview to Esquire Magazine several years ago.

From AP: Jeter, the Yankees’ captain, has distanced himself since a 2001 Esquire article in which A-Rod said “Jeter’s been blessed with great talent around him” and “he’s never had to lead.�?… “You go into New York, you wanna stop Bernie (Williams) and (Paul) O’Neill,” A-Rod was quoted as saying. “You never say, ‘Don’t let Derek beat you.’ He’s never your concern.”

Here’s what Alex said in response to reporters asking about the issue this morning:

More from the AP: “The reality is there’s been a change in the relationship over 14 years and, hopefully, we can just put it behind us,” Rodriguez said. “You go from sleeping over at somebody’s house five days a week, and now you don’t sleep over. It’s just not that big of a deal.”

And…

“I’m a big boy. I’m 31 years old now, so I should be able to help myself out there,” he said. “I care about what he thinks about me on the field. I think it’s important for us to be on the right page. And we are. We’re here to win a championship together.”

“Let’s make a contract: You don’t ask me about Derek anymore, and I promise I’ll stop lying to all you guys,” A-Rod told reporters. (AP)

I’m just bewildered by this. I see this as a friend who pissed of his buddy years ago and the buddy won’t forgive him. However, the difference is that the tiff or perception of a friend was not plastered to millions of people and in print.

Sigh. A-Rod threw his buddy under the bus, he feels guilty and now the world wants to know you feel.

At this point, it’s too bad it came to all of this, but you really need to focus on baseball, instead of the never ending melodrama which is your life.

Sounds like he needs a hug.

* - image from photofile.com

- from freewebs.com

In Southern Florida, the outlook for baseball in 2006 was grim as the Marlins were supposed to dead on arrival. However, the young team under the guidance of Joe Girardi had other plans.

The Marlins got off to a slow start, which most of the baseball world predicted; therefore, they were not supposed to be a contender. The team, filled with a plethora of young talent, came together and broke out in a big way. In light of a payroll that was less than what a few players make in the league, the Marlins nothing short of shocked the baseball establishment with their success last season.

The questions right now are will anyone on the team regress, and will they be contenders this season?

Well, to start of with, a few changes were made in the off-season; however, none bigger than the release of Joe Girardi as manager of the team due to personal issues with team owner Jeff Loria. He was replaced by Fredi Gonzalez, who hopes to have the same success with the Marlins that his predecessor had. During the winter, the team lost closer Joe Borowski, Wes Helms, Matt Herges to free agency and Chris Resop and Jason Vargas in trades. The team added veteran Aaron Boone, and received Kevin Gregg, Matt Lindstrom and Henry Owens all via trade.

Much of the success the Marlins had in 2006 was due to the strength of their starting pitching, and for 2007 staff will be the same as it was last season. The rotation should compromise of Dontrelle Willis, Josh Johson, Scott Olsen, Anibal Sanchez and Ricky Nolasco. The D-Train, Dontelle Willis was 12-12 with a 3.87 ERA, but was solid for the Marlins. He’s the ace of the staff at only 25, and with all things considered, he’ll probably improve on his numbers. One of the most electrifying athletes in the game, his presence will take this young team a long way.

After Dontrelle’s spot in the rotation, the Marlins have a bunch of young guns in the fold. First, Josh Johnson was impressive going 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA, and could have won the ERA title; however, he struggled towards the end of the season. Scott Olsen was another youngster who broke out going 12-10 and had an ERA a tad above 4. However, the Marlins should expect great things from both players if they keep up their progress.

The young pitcher that got everyone’s attention last season was Annibal Sanchez. He had an amazing year in 2007 where he went 10-3 with an ERA, and threw a no-hitter. However, it’s unknown whether some arm problems might impact his 2007 campaign. If Olsen can progress, and Sanchez can parlay his success from last season into the upcoming one, the Marlins will have a formidable pitching staff that could rival anyone in the National League.

The wild card in the rotation is Ricky Nolasco who was a rookie in 2006. He finished 11-11 with a 4.82 ERA and struggled mightily at times. However, he could be consistent in ’07 and put it all together, he’ll be a solid presence for the rotation.

Right now, the Marlins bullpen is in flux with closer Joe Borowski leaving for the Cleveland Indians. Right now, it looks like Taylor Tankersley will be the closer and he had a good year appearing in 49 games, winning 3 games and finishing up with a 2.85 ERA. Based on the numbers, he might be the best candidate to close out games to start off with. Joining Tankersley in the bullpen will be Kevin Gregg, Carlos Martinez, Logan Kensing & Randy Messenger. As well, the Marlins have a slew of potential minor league candidates they can call upon to fill the void.

Read More Here…

Manny, Manny, Manny: According to CNNsi.com, Julian Tavarez said Manny Ramirez, his teammate, would report March 1 as he did last year when he received permission from the Red Sox to show up late.

Tavarez said: “I spoke to Manny [Sunday] and he said he’s going to be here March 1,” said Tavarez, a reliever who joined the Red Sox before last season. “He’s been going through a tough time because his mom, you know, they told him that she had a tumor.

“It wasn’t a tumor. She had surgery in between those ribs. She’s at home right now recovering and Manny’s there with his mom. He’s working out,” Tavarez said. “Nobody believes that, but it’s the truth about his mom. That’s really true.”

Terry Francona believes differently.

“That’s unfair because I haven’t talked to [Ramirez]. There’s a lot of, ‘he said, she said,’ that I’m not too sure is true,” Francona said. “If somebody calls me and tells me something happens, it’s easier for me to comment than on his publicist [or] Julian, saying this.”

Is it always something with Manny (Mike and Ian, don’t flame me…)?

Now, Ramirez is a man of immense talent, and as such, I think he gets away with a lot of the stuff that the 25^th man on the team dare not think of doing. Is it fair, who knows?

I just have a feeling he gets away with it way too often.

John Gibbons: The Blue Jays and manager John Gibbons have agreed to a one-year, $650,000 contract extension, a team official said Monday. He guided them to 87 wins and a second place finish.

However, will he keep his hands to himself – that is the question…

Miguel Cabrera getting a huge raise: Miguel Cabrera won his arbitration case and will make $7.4 million in 2007. Cabrera was offered $6.7 million by the Marlins in his first year of arbitration.

Tom Glavine: Tom Glavine made it sound like 2007 would be his final year in an interview on Friday.

“If I don’t win 300 games this year for some reason, then I will play next year,” Glavine said. “Unless my arm blows out and that’s the end of it. Barring something crazy, assuming I have a good year and I win 300 games, I’m not going to sit here and say that I won’t play. But it would take an awful lot for me to play next year, and I don’t mean monetarily. I just mean it would really have to be some unfinished business or some tremendous burning desire for me to go out there and play another year at this point.”

Right now, Glavine is 10 wins away from 300.

Willy Mo Pena: Outfielder Willy Mo Pena and the Red Sox agreed to a one-year contract worth $1,875,000, thus avoiding an arbitration hearing.

a href=”http://bp2.blogger.com/_WT47uHJXGgU/RddNO1UCU-I/AAAAAAAABF4/SwAC9e8OpZs/s1600-h/bedard.jpg”>
According to the Baltimore Sun, the Orioles have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal with Erik Bedard just this morning.

From the Sun: Bedard was asking for $4 million, while the Orioles were offering $2.7 million. The Orioles exceeded the midpoint to get the deal done, according to one club source, and will pay the pitcher approximately $3.4 million. “I am happy,” Bedard said. “The biggest part is not to go to a court hearing and hear you [stink]. I am just glad it’s over with.”

Woohoo. This is good news for the Orioles and even moreso for Bedard. He can finally focus on Opening Day and the task at hand – the 2007 baseball season.

If he has a standout 2007, look for a contract extension…

* Nats’ News: Second baseman Ronnie Belliard agreed to a non-guaranteed, minor league contract with the Washington Nationals on Sunday that will pay him $750,000 if he makes the team.

All My Yankees: It looks like Pavano and Mussina have brokered peace in the little tiff that Mike had with Carl last week.

From the AP: A day after Pavano said the rift between him and teammates was largely a media creation and Mussina responded with the verbal equivalent of a brushback pitch, the New York Yankees’ pitchers said they were ready to move forward.

“I told him where I was coming from, and he told me where he was coming from,” Mussina said Friday. “It should have been done without what happened yesterday, and I told him that. I apologized for that. It shouldn’t have happened that way. But at some point we probably would have needed to do it anyhow.”

Isn’t that nice? It will not doubt be business as usual once spring training begins, and the team starts to take shape. As for Pavano, he just needs to pitch and show he belongs in the majors at this point.

Bernie? According to the NY Post, Bernie Williams is expected not to show up in camp at all.

From the NY Post: According to GM Brian Cashman, there was no contact between the Yankees icon and the team yesterday. The Yankees offered Williams a minor-league invite, a chance to make the team as an extra player, but so far Williams has rejected that avenue to continue his stellar career.

“I believe Bernie can still play,” Cashman said during a pitchers-and-catchers workout at Legends. “If he believes he can help, we would love to have him. This [minor-league contract] is the only vehicle I could create. If he doesn’t want to do it, I understand. That’s all I can say.

Although the game is more of business now, I’m hoping Bernie does come back and play for the Yankees. I cannot imagine him not that on the squad. Still, I see a man with a lot of pride, versus a GM who has the interests and the bottom line of his team at heart.

***

Barry, Barry, Barry: (From ESPN) After weeks of back-and-forth between Barry Bonds, the Giants and the commissioner’s office over contract language, the slugger signed a one-year, $15.8 million deal.

Would we have expected anything less from the Giants and Barry Bonds? Could we have possibly doubted this wacky marriage would end this season where there’s so much money to be made and a record to be broken, plus fannies to be had in the seats?

Nope.

Another Day, More Yankee Drama: Mike Mussina has issues with Carl Pavano – so do his teammates.

Two quotes that got my attention:

“He needs to show a lot of people that he wants to go out there and pitch for us. If he shows us that, I think everything is going to be fine,” Mussina said.

and…

On Tuesday, when asked how much work Pavano had to do to regain the trust and respect of his teammates, Yankees manager Joe Torre responded: “It’s sizable.”

Geez. Read more here.

Even More Yankee Drama: Steve Swindal, Steinbrenner’s son- in-law and future owner of the Yankees, was arrested early Thursday on suspicion of driving under the influence. He spent more than five hours in a Largo, Fla., jail and was released on a $250 bond. Read more here.

Even More… Joe wants Bernie to come to camp. Read more.

Boy, has this been a hell of a week in Yankee land…

Carlos Zambrano: From CNNsi.com “Carlos Zambrano backed off recent comments that he would leave the Chicago Cubs a free agent after this season if he doesn’t get a multiyear contract during spring training. Although he would rather get a new deal done by opening day, the pitcher said Thursday he would be willing to negotiate next fall. He won’t discuss a contract during the season, though.�?

J.D. Drew: In the news of the even more weird, J.D. Drew might have to wait until 2030 to get all the money in his contract if he gets hurt.

Good lord. I guess that gives him incentive to stay healthy.