Big League Wiffle Ball Hits It Out of the Park

When Nick Benas and Jared Verrillo of Big League Wiffle Ball were kids, they had no idea that the game they played on the cul de sac at the end of Bunker Hill Road could wind up being a career. Or maybe they did.

“I remember thinking,” Benas says, “Someday I’ll do this for living.”

Not an hour’s drive from where wiffle balls and wiffle ball bats are made in Shelton, Connecticut, Benas and Verrillo played wiffle ball until the sky went black. Their parents almost had to handcuff them to get them back in the house. “The best part was, you always knew where to find them,” Benas’ mother, Dian says. “They were always out on the cul de sac playing wiffle ball.”

Twenty years later, they saw the game that they loved transitioning into a sport. Benas knew that it was more than just a child’s game. It was baseball for the 21rst century. Where neighborhood-wide baseball games were nearly impossible to amass due to fast paced schedules, a highly competitive wiffle ball game only took three or four players, two if necessary. The white plastic ball with eight holes in one side caused pitches to defy the laws of physics.

Fields could be creatively adapted to backyard nuances. Even a young person’s limited finances could be accommodated as a bat and ball cost less than ten dollars. Above all, it was a form of baseball that still enabled your average American kid to be a champion. It didn’t take steroids and scholarships and big money contracts. All it took was friends, a love of the game, and a few bucks for a ball and bat.

Benas explains: “Nothing is more American. This is the evolution of baseball. People don’t realize what a pitcher can do with a wiffle ball scuffed to his or her liking until they see the videos on the internet. People don’t realize until they see it. Then they become intrigued. Then they invest in a ball and bat. Then they spend some time in front of a strike zone, pitching and swinging a bat. Then their friends get interested. Then they sign up for their first tournament. Then they’re officially hooked.”

Benas and Verrillo have been running some of the most premier wiffle ball tournaments in the country. All the strongest contingent of professional wiffle ball players reside in New England, they’ve run tournaments on both coasts and even have a branch in the Midwest. They had a wiffle ball homerun tournament at Fenway.

They’ve made wiffle ball an official game at Connecticut’s Nutmeg State Games. Other states are falling in line to make wiffle one of their state games. A reality show is being filmed about their exploits, and they are gunning for the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest wiffle ball tournament in history.

They have a weekly show on their website www.bigleaguewiffleball.com where interviews are posted with premier professional wiffle ball players and business people. Benas says: “Once people get passed the idea that this is a kid’s game and see that it is coming into its own as a sport, it begins to make sense to them. All it takes is for them to see what a professional wiffle pitcher can do with the ball and the feeling of cracking a line-drive homerun passed their opponent.”

America is catching on. With serious money being handed out for tournament prizes and professional wifflers transforming what was once just a backyard game into a highly competitive, organized movement, there appears to be no height that Benas’ and Verrillo’s dream can’t scale.

When America’s pastime collides with the innovative and ever-evolving American dream, why shouldn’t it?

An Open Letter to Yankee Fans

Dear Yankee Fans,

I have had the good fortune to come in contact with a few of you over the last twenty four hours.  That is always a distinct pleasure.  It is good to see that you are able to find something of interest to deflect your attention from the sorry state of the current edition of your baseball team.

The news that ex-Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez had been suspended from Major League baseball as a result of failing a random drug test seemingly pumped new life into what has become a rather meek and troubled fan base.

Congrats.

There is this gleeful hope among you that this news will serve to undo what is such a painful period in your beloved team’s history.

“See? The Red Sawx cheated too,” you seem to be collectively shouting. “Now the World Series wins are tarnished!!!!”

Actually, very few Yankee fans use the word “tarnished,” because it is multi-syllabic but you get the idea.  I do admit that I admire your fighting spirit since you root for the American League version of the Washington Nationals.  That said, I am sorry to inform you that neither this new revelation, nor any that will follow will tarnish the World Series Championships won by the Red Sox in this decade.

You see, the sad reality of this baseball generation is that it will be forever tainted by Steroid use.   Performance Enhancing Drugs infiltrated the sport to such an extent, that no team should expect to have escaped the stigma of having juicers on their roster and no player should expect to escape suspicion of the authenticity of his statistics.   No one who enjoys the game of baseball likes this Steroid-induced cloud under which baseball finds itself but we all must accept that it has.

If and when the smoke clears and we have a more complete understanding as to just how many players used or are still using, it seems pretty certain that every franchise will have been implicated to some degree.

Your problem, dear Yankee fans, is that since 2004, you have become so fixated on the Red Sox that you simply cannot comprehend what is going on in the baseball world.  Thus, yesterday’s breaking news allowed you to rejoice in the fact that a former Red Sox player, and not a current or ex-Yankee had been implicated.

Perhaps, it might be useful to re-count the Yankees, past and present, who have been identified as having violated baseball’s policy on the use of PEDs: Jason Giambi, Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield and Kevin Brown.

Giambi, Pettite, Rodriguez and Sheffield were all members of that infamous 2004 Yankee team that will be forever remembered as having established a new low for choking in major league sports.  They have become the standard against which all post season collapses, in all sports, will forever be measured.

Given the aforementioned widespread use of PED since the mid 1990s, it is patently absurd to attempt to make a case that any of the World Series Championships are now somehow diminshed.  Yes, misery does, indeed, love company but you should take no joy in this.
Yesterday’s news painfully reminds all baseball fans that the gaping wound the players, and due to their complicity, the owners and player’s union, have opened in the fabric of the game will not soon heal.  It doesn’t, however, change history and no thinking person would attempt to build the case that any one team benefited or was harmed more than any other team.

The World Series Championships of 2004 and 2007 mean as much to Red Sox fans today as they did early Thursday morning.  Sadly, Yankee fans, there is no Time Machine in which you can travel back and revise history.  It is, what is.

How ironic that history, once your biggest ally (”1918!!”) now haunts you to such a debilitating degree.

Sox And Phils Have A “Sweep” Weekend

You could definitely say the Phillies and Red Sox had a very “Sweep” weekend.

According to MLB.com, the Yankees and Red Sox series this weekend “provided countless forms of excitement for their fans”.

There was a walk-off win on Friday night despite a two-run deficit with two outs in the ninth, a slugfest victory on Saturday to overcome a six-run deficit and finally a 4-1 triumph on Sunday that included an electrifying straight steal of home by Jacoby Ellsbury.

No only did the Red Sox sweep the Yanks this weekend, they extended their winning streak to 10 games.

Dustin Pedroia called it a fantastic weekend for the team, but acknowledged that he plans on seeing the Yanks in the end!

The World Series hangover just might have snapped this weekend, as Phillies swept “the Fish”  to boost the teams record over the .500 mark for the first time this season. Jamie Moyer capped out the series allowing only 1 run in 6 innings, as Phillies cruised to a 13-2 victory on Sunday.

MLB.com reports that the Phillies had little quality pitching before the weekend. They were 6-8 and carried a 6.31 ERA into the series, the worst mark in the NL. They had just four quality starts, the fewest in baseball.

Charlie Manual is optimistic that the Phils have busted out of the early season defensive slump.

Phillies fans can also expect Cole Hamels back on the mound this week.

ARod Cooperative In Interview With MLB Investigators

MLB investigators and Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez met Sunday to discuss the slugger’s admission to the use of steroids during the 2001-2003 time period while playing for the Texas Rangers. During the two hour session, Rodriguez was deemed to be very “cooperative” and helpful to representatives from the MLB’s Department of Investigations and Labor Relations Department.

The investigators seemed to be interested in a few details including where the steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs were exactly administered, and a few security issues involving a trainer from the Dominican Republic. Major League Baseball has announced that no further comments about today’s interview will be made or released.

Before the so-called scheduled interview, ARod followed the normal Yankees Spring Training schedule, taking part in the game against the Cincinnati Reds earlier in the day. He was also expected to arrive in Jupiter, Florida Sunday night to meet with the Dominican Republic team that he intends on playing with in the World Baseball Classic.

Despite his wrong doings, ARod has admitted to his mistakes and has begun the long journey needed to help heal the game of baseball by showing his willingness to cooperate. We really need to step back and see what exactly ARod is giving back to America’s Pastime, something I believe is being seriously overlooked.

Mike Clay reported last month; The best way to judge an era’s impact is to imagine how it will be looked upon in the future. When I’m 80 years old, sitting in my rocker daydreaming about this era, I won’t be smashing holes through my wall with my cane as a result. Like all of you, I’ll never completely forget the steroids and the related controversy, but more so, I’ll remember feeling like a 10 year old as I sat behind the Braves’ bench at Spring Training in Florida last year. I’ll remember meeting Nate McLouth last season at a Pirates game and getting him to sign my all-star shirt with his name on it. I’ll remember chatting with guys like Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, Gavin Floyd, Robinson Cano, Dustin Pedroia, and Jon Lester while they were still playing Double-A ball. I’ll remember paying almost $100.00 for MLB TV so I can watch every afternoon game of the season at work.

2009 AL East Preview

The American League East landscape changed dramatically last season as the Tampa Bay Rays finally wrestled the AL East Crown out of the hands of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. To add insult to pinstriped misery, the Rays arrived as a legitimate World Series contender and pushed the Yankees out of post season play for the first time since 1994.

The Rays went on to defeat the defending World Series Champion Red Sox in a seven game ALCS battle before their magic carpet ride of a season ended in a World Series defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Rays, with a year of post season experience under their belts, on paper, seemed to have improved themselves. The Yankees have reloaded in a way that must have made Old Man Steinbrenner proud. The Red Sox added depth to what was already among the best pitching staffs in Major League Baseball.

The stage is set for a three way, Steel Cage Death Match, to decide the 2009 AL East Champion.

Any discussion of an AL East race must begin with the Yankees as their off season moves made it very clear they intend to be the team to beat. They beefed up both their already potent offense and, what was a thin starting pitching staff, as well.

It’s almost seems unfair to plunk Mark Teixeira in the middle of a lineup that already features Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. Teixeira is an OBP machine who, like most of the Yankee batters, battles on each and every at bat. Opposition pitch counts are going to pile up quickly this season.

Teixeira may have as big an impact defensively as he will at the plate. He is an exceptional fielder and will have a positive effect on a Yankee infield that has been erratic defensively.

The Yankees’ lack of post season success over the past few years was due, in part, to the lack of a true Ace at the top of the rotation. Chien-Ming Wang has been a very good regular season starter but his post season struggles have been a source of disappointment for Yankee management and fans.

That all changed with the signing of C.C. Sabathia. The big, lefthander is a horse. Manager Joe Girardi enters this season, unlike last year, confident that his ace matches up very well against the other #1 starters in MLB.

The Yankees also added AJ Burnett but, while he has great stuff, Burnett has demonstrated an inability to stay healthy on a consistent basis. One thing the Yankees do not need is Carl Pavano, the Sequel. That said, there is no doubt that the pitching staff taking the mound in the Bronx in 2009 is far superior to the 2008 edition. And let us not forget, they have Joba Chamberlain and the great Mariano Rivera in the bullpen.

The biggest question surrounding the Yankees this season is the progressively more volatile situation surrounding the admitted (well sort of) steroid use of Alex Rodriguez. Following a press conference in Tampa during the first week of Spring Training, it seemed that the controversy might be somewhat diffused. Subsequently, each day seemed to bring to light information that rendered Arod’s public apology more than a bit hollow.

New York teams, especially the Yankees, are used to being in the glare of the media spotlight. Should ARod’s explanation continue to unravel, the negative fallout would be tremendous, even by New York standards.

In a much more serene setting to the South, the nucleus of young talent that propelled Tampa Bay to its improbable march to an AL Championship, is returning in 2009. This year, the Rays are a year wiser and brimming with the confidence gained by hanging on to defeat the Red Sox in the ALCS.

What should put fear in AL East rivals is the knowledge that the Rays should have an improved batting lineup this season. Carl Crawford, once the team’s best player, was hampered last season by hamstring problems and had a sub par offensive season as a result. He is expected back at full strength.

Rookie of the Year 3B Evan Longoria who began last season in the minors will have a full season to improve on his impressive rookie numbers. Often times, during a young player’s second season, MLB pitchers will find and begin to exploit holes in their swing. While that is always a possibility, I don’t think rival managers are holding their collective breath in anticipation of Longoria suffering from the Sophomore Jinx.

The Rays also added another big stick to their lineup when they signed free agent Pat Burrell. The ex-Phillies’ slugger is slated to DH and will provide needed power to the Tampa offense.

Rookie pitcher, David Price, who rocketed through the Tampa Bay minor league system before a September call up to the majors, will likely be slotted at the end of the starting rotation. It won’t be long, based on his post season performance, before he takes his place at the top of the Rays’ rotation. In the meantime, James Shields, Scott Kazmir and Matt Garza will man the top of Tampa’s staff.

Rays’ Manager Joe Maddon masterfully guided his young charges last season as his unusually laid back approach served to keep his team relaxed and seemingly unfazed by the pressure of playing in big games; most for the first time in their careers.

This season, Maddon’s biggest challenge will be to keep the team from reading, and believing, its press clippings. It is not unusual for a young team to suffer a drop in performance following the first taste of success. Maddon will need to ensure the team doesn’t experience an early season hangover from Banquet Circuit following last season’s Cinderella ride.

The Boston Red Sox, with the notable exception of their pursuit of Teixeira, took a decidedly relaxed approach to this off season. The investment they have made in rebuilding their minor league system has been bearing fruit over the past couple of years which allowed the Sox to be discriminating in the pursuit of high priced free agents.

Farm system products Dustin Pedroia (reigning AL MVP), Kevin Youkilis (runner up to Pedroia in MVP voting), Jon Lester, Jonathan Papelbon, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jed Lowrie all played pivotal roles in last year’s team and they are the core of the franchise moving forward. The good news for Red Sox fans is that youngsters such as pitcher Michael Bowden and 1B Lars Anderson are no more than a season away from challenging for a spot on the Major League roster.

While Boston did not make a big ticket free agent purchase, they did sign veteran starting pitchers John Smoltz, and Brad Penny as well as ex-Dodger closer Takashi Saito. All three experienced injury plagued 2008 seasons but are expected to contribute for Boston this season.

Smoltz, in particular, could be a valuable addition once he completes his rehab and joins the team, reportedly in May. Should Smoltz regain some semblance of his past form, he would slide comfortably into the “big game,” pitcher role occupied by Curt Schilling since 2004.

Saito and Penny are also slated to become important components of a very deep pitching staff. Saito could help offload some of the innings absorbed by Jonathan Papelbon, who admitted he was breaking down due to overuse at the end of last season.

While the Red Sox have a very productive lineup, it remains to be seen just how badly they will miss Manny Ramirez. The enigmatic left fielder’s production will not be matched by his replacement, Jason Bay, who, despite being a solid major league power hitter, will not rival the numbers put up by Ramirez during his time in Boston.

Time will tell whether the upgrade Bay brings in terms of defense and emotional stability can offset the shortfall in offensive statistics.

The Toronto Blue Jays had been the dark horse pick to challenge the dominance enjoyed by the Red Sox and Yankees over the past couple of years but were never quite able to crash the post season party.

While the Jays do have some talented players such as ace starting pitcher Roy Halladay, OFs Alex Rios, Vernon Wells and hot prospect Travis Snider, they have not improved significantly from 2008. Losing Burnett to the Yankees created a hole in the starting rotation and it’s unclear who is going to fill it.

The Orioles have been in a decade long rebuilding process and the once proud franchise has become one of MLB’s more inept organizations. Orioles fans have grown increasingly frustrated as highly touted prospects reach the major leagues only to be dealt in order to avoid having to sign them to long term contracts.

This past off season, the Orioles stepped up to sign young star OF Nick Markakis to a six year contract, perhaps signaling a willingness to pay the price required to keep young talent on which to build the foundation for a successful franchise.

The Markakis signing combined with the expected arrival of top MLB prospect, catcher Matt Wieters to the major league club could serve to give long suffering Orioles’fans some hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The AL East race could very well remain unresolved until the final weeks of the season as the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays slug it out until the final bell. The prediction here is that the Red Sox hang on to repeat as Divisional Champs while the Yankees return to the post season as the Wildcard team.

Photos From Keith Alison- Flickr.

ARods Guilt Will Save Baseball Part 1

So I woke up Tuesday morning and I heard that Alex Rodriguez is going to face the New York Media. It was to be a show down for the ages. They ask all the questions that Peter Gammons forgot, and under there steely gaze A-Rod would wilt like he was batting in the 9th inning in October.

Well, at least that’s what was supposed to happen and then I started to wonder.

Could A-Rod getting caught really be good for baseball?

I’ll let you catch your breath before I continue on down this path. I am not about to suggest that I think steroids, there use and abuse has any place in this game. Not Coke, Greenies or HGH, not a single one of them is good for baseball.

But can we make their legacy something. By we, I am talking the royal we, you, us, baseball, the people that love it,cherish and celebrate it. The numbers are what they are…..don’t forget the Asterisk.

But something else has happened, something very genuine. I mean we can be serious for a moment, the steroid scandal is kind of like a bell. You can’t unring a bell, and you can’t pick and choose which numbers are legit. To be fair without the leak and/or release of the results of ever drug test ever conducted we’ll never know.

Ken Griffey Jr.? Are his 600 plus homeruns legitimate? Some would say of course they are, look at that sweet swing. True, but wouldn’t steroid use explain this knee conditions, and you can’t tell me with the ability to speed up the healing process wasn’t an option considering the amount of time he missed due to injury.

What about Howard, Ortiz, Thome, Pujols and Manny? What about Miguel Cabrera? He wouldn’t break into the Majors in 2003 but he’s 25 years old with 175 homeruns, should we question every last cheese puff or potential needle that entered his body in the minors?

All that being said my intention here wasn’t to muddy the waters around guys that have yet to have their so far good names dragged through the mud. My point is that we have to do what we can to clean up the game, but dirt digging and claims of indiscretions from 2003 aren’t going to do that.

Luckily I believe that A-Rod and his outing have done what Bug Selig couldn’t do, what Senator George Mitchell couldn’t do, what House Government Reform Committee was unable to do, what the Players Association has been unwilling to do. That is genuinely starting to heal baseball.

In the broadest sense this will help baseball from the point of view of the fans, players and owners. I’ll start with the fans, and then describe the betterment of the game from the other you points of view later. This could get a little long. So I promise I’ll break it up for you.

Let’s start with the Fans of the grand old game. Our first reaction to steriods was to be expected. We were outraged, upset and indignant. As a collective we acted exactly how social scientists would have predicted. We started tearing through the 5 stages of grief.

1 – Denial. There was no way all our home records were brought down by these Juicers? Was there?

2 – Anger. How could they do this to us? How could they do this to baseball?

3 – Bargaining. Every time we saw another name we’d make one of two deals. If one more star comes up Dirty I am done with this game! Or that has to be the last one right? I’ll give anything for this to be the last one.

4 – Depression. If you guys are like me you didn’t want to follow baseball anymore. You questioned yourself, you fandom. You still loved the game, but felt like you’d been hurt too many times.

Now this is where you come in.

5 – Acceptance. You can admit it, it’s ok, and I saw them too. I saw the articles, and was battered and bruised by the Colin Cowherd’s of the world that said. I don’t care, what’s done is done. Juicer or not, give me interesting, screw the integrity of the game. Who gives a flying flip if he did them or not? They were all on them, so what?

If was at that moment a rumble started, somewhere in the pit of a collective stomach. A rumble that said, the MLB isn’t baseball. It’s just a league. People were rejuvenated. See we had given the MLB power over our game; they were its care taker. Under their watch, it had fallen, fallen into a state of disrepair. Like a little kid with a skinned knee. He knew we must pick it up, dust it off. Start cleaning out the wound. You remember being seven, the rubbing alcohol is going to sting. In the long run, it’s worth it. Alan Bug Selig only wanted to talked Revenues and Attendance. What Bud failed to tell you is everything in an America was up, the Dow Jones was up, the Real Estate Market was up, and the Price of Gas was up. Revenue’s aren’t the indicator of a strong game of baseball.

That is like saying what is the great movie of all time? People will say the Godfather, Citizen Cane, Gone with the Wind, not a single one of them is in the top 50 in Revenue. According to Old Bud the best five films ever are as follows, Titanic, the Dark Knight, Star Wars Episode 4, Shrek 2, and E.T.; does that seem wrong to anyone else? As a matter of fact only 3 of the top 30 all time were shot before 1990. Only 5 of the top 50 were filmed before 1990, and in that top 50 we have movies like Night at the Museum, Dr. Seuss: How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Home Alone, Meet the Fockers, and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.. According to the American Film Institute only 5 movies made since 1990 crack the top 100 and none are in the top 50. Oh yeah and of those 5, one are in the top 50 in revenue.

Now that being said, A-Rod some how managed to take that group, you know the one that missed baseball and all it’s glory. His positive test some how seemed to bring together a group less interested in his persecution and more interested in saving their game. Restoring it so that when he was passed on, it was in a condition that their fathers would’ve recognized.

A-Rod was the one we could believe in. We hated him, but as I’ve said before we hated him for all the right reasons. He was really good and he was a New York Yankee. In baseball those two tend to combine into a lot of hate. But again the good kind, the I love my team and hate you cause your not on it kind. A-Rod was a player we all wanted to have on our team. Don’t get self righteous Sox fan, you acted like a spurned lover when we was traded to the Yankees.

But he looked Katie Couric in the eye and said, never. Never had he taken steroids, never had he thought about taking steroids. And at 553 home runs it would only be a matter of time until Bond’s was wiped off the books. Then it slipped, maybe never wasn’t a time that included 2001-2003.

Maybe never wasn’t as all inclusive a statement as we had thought after all. But I will tell you what never now means. Never will we give them our game back. We the fans now must hold the standards up and decide who measures up. We must demand more as the Owners, Commissioner, Players Association Heads, and Players themselves weren’t willing to do it.

If we can be fair, this A-Rod positive test was just galvanizing force we needed. How will this affect the owners? How is it a positive for the game as far as the PA and Players are concerned? Well that I will cover in my next article, so yeah there will be a part two and three.

But for now understand simply, it’s not there game it’s ours. They’ve proven they can take care of it anymore. So let’s take it back.

To quote Zach Del Rocha, who had a very different vision of an America, “It has to start somewhere, it has to start sometime, what better place than here, what better time than now.”

Alex Rodriguez Took Steroids 5 Years Ago. Who Cares?

If you’re one of the millions who attended a Major League Baseball game last season, obviously you don’t. If you’re one of the millions who watched a Major League Baseball game on television last season, you don’t either. And if you’re one of the millions who still consider themselves a fan of Major League Baseball through all of this, clearly you don’t really care either.

I know I don’t. Odds are, even as someone who despises the Yankees, I won’t even crack “The Yankees best player is a cheater” remarks to fans of the Bronx Bombers. Why? Because the odds are actually pretty good that at least a handful of my favorite players also juiced at one time or another. The same goes for you.

You might be mad. You might even be heartbroken that the game you’ve loved since childhood has come to this. But let me assure you that deep down, you don’t care as much as you think you do and you will get over it—at least enough to enjoy the game for the rest of your life.

Although A-Rod is the big name this time, it was Roger Clemens last time, Barry Bonds before that, and the Rafael Palmeiro/Sammy Sosa/Mark McGwire debacle before that. The list goes on and on. There were 90 names in the Mitchell Report and over 100 players failed a drug test the same time A-Rod did. Of course, we may never know who they are since the list was meant to be confidential, but does it even matter? And what about all the users we don’t know about?

The best way to judge an era’s impact is to imagine how it will be looked upon in the future. When I’m 80 years old, sitting in my rocker daydreaming about this era, I won’t be smashing holes through my wall with my cane as a result. Like all of you, I’ll never completely forget the steroids and the related controversy, but more so, I’ll remember feeling like a 10 year old as I sat behind the Braves’ bench at Spring Training in Florida last year. I’ll remember meeting Nate McLouth last season at a Pirates game and getting him to sign my all-star shirt with his name on it. I’ll remember chatting with guys like Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, Gavin Floyd, Robinson Cano, Dustin Pedroia, and Jon Lester while they were still playing Double-A ball. I’ll remember paying almost $100.00 for MLB TV so I can watch every afternoon game of the season at work.

I wish steroids were never a part of the game. I really do. But, I accepted a long time ago that they had an impact and I’m over it. The way I see it, we will never know every name of every player who popped a pill or stuck themselves with a needle, so why even worry about it? Major League Baseball, and Congress for that matter, has made significant strides over the last couple of years and so I believe it is safe to say that the steroid era is over.

So be angry. Be disappointed. Be whatever you want. But, at end of the day, just ask yourself one question: How much do I really care?

Yankees Get Serious And Sign Andy Pettitte

According to various news sources including Jon Heyman of SI.com, reports that the New York Yankees are currently engaged in serious conversation with Andy Pettitte have begun to surface just like Joe Torre’s negative book.

Pettitte recently turned down a $10MM single year deal from the Yankees-a deal that remained on the table for almost two months.

Heyman is expecting Pettitte to accept a lower offer than the previous offer of $10MM from the Yanks since he did indeed reject that previous offer. Pettitte earned $16MM with the Yankees last year, and most likely was not expecting a pay cut. As the free-agent market continues to dwindle and time runs out, Pettitte and agent Alan Hendricks may be forced to soon settle with lower numbers.

Other free-agents such as Ben Sheets, Oliver Perez, Jason Varitek, and Manny Ramirez still have not agreed to a dime. It is now crunch time! Look for Pettitte and Varitek to kick off an interesting week!

UPDATE: 1:00 PM EST- Other reports have stated that Pettitte’s deal could be worth $6MM with another $6MM coming as incentives. Will Andy Pettitte get more than his previous offer? If it was any other team but the Yankees, I would say no. A deal is expected to be made any minute now.