27

The Yankees have won their 27th World Series title with a 7-3 win over the defending World Series champion Phillies in Game 6 in New York. Andy Pettitte was stellar on three days rest, and Hideki Matsui finished the night driving in six the Yankees seven runs, tying a World Series record for RBI in a single game, while falling a triple shy of a cycle.

This was the Yankees first title since 2000, when they beat their cross-town rival Mets in five games. The Yankees were last in the World Series in 2003, when they lost to Florida in six games under Joe Torre.

Joe Girardi becomes just the second person to win a World Series with the Yankees as a player and a manager, joining Billy Martin.

This is also the first World Series win for Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and C.C. Sabathia.

Matsui was named Series MVP, primarily for his one-man performance tonight.

Congratulations to the entire New York Yankees organization.

Manny Busted for PEDs; The Streak

UPDATE (12:20 PM CT): Just read some interesting facts, or rumors, take your pick. Apparently, Manny is attributing the positive test result to a prescribed medication that he's been taking, or was. He's been told he can't speak publicly about any of this, so we'll never really know, and will people even believe him anyway? But it's gotten to a point where you almost have to think that the testing has become so rigorous that you can't even take aspirin or ibuprofen for a headache, or Robitussin or Claritin for head colds or allergy issues. There has to be a fine line on what you can and can not take. Does anyone really think after all the trouble people like Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens and A-Rod got into, that a player of Manny's stature, with an agent as powerful and knowledgable as Scott Boras, would be dumb enough to take any PEDs to get a competitive edge? Still, as the old say goes, inquiring minds want to know.

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Well, so much for that. The streak is intact. Manny is not. Just heard, read, learned, whatever you wanna call it, that Manny will be suspended by MLB for Performance-enhancing drugs. Here's my next question: When was the test taken, and when did he take whatever it was he took? We'll never know. (But I only ask this because he hasn't been with the Dodgers very long, and I was curious as to whether the test took place before or after the trade, not that it even really matters.) But this puts a huge dent in the Dodger offense, and perhaps even in their clubhouse comaraderie. Manny is a well-liked player in the Dodger clubhouse and among the fans, and I'm sure this will ultimately change how the L.A. fans perceive him. Let's just hope this doesn't affect the rest of the team's play on the field for the next 50 games.

As for the streak, they are still 13-0 home, 21-8 overall, 20-6 against the division and have still won 7 straight. They have Washington in town for one more, with The Hated Ones To The North in town for the weekend. The streak and records and everything else still has some life to it, at least for four more games. Or does it?

Sure, taking Manny out of the equation will change things, but this is a still a very good hitting lineup even without him, and even in this division. Having said that, let's get one thing clear: Manny isn't the only one hitting on this team. If they can just stay consistent for 50 games until Manny returns, which would be July 3, the Dodgers should be fine. And by staying consistent I don't necessarily mean playing at a .700+ mark, but is .550 too much to ask for?

Last night for instance, the Dodgers had a 4-1 lead without Manny's help before he hit a bases-loaded, two-run double as part of that seven-run inning that stretched the lead to 9-1. The key for this team to staying afloat and to keep their current pace, which no one would expect them to do anyway, is their pitching.

As for Manny, this is about as shocking as finding out Alex Rodriguez was, and might still be, using steroids or PEDs. The only difference is the 50-game suspension for Manny comes from current testing, and not from some secretive blanket test to determine if testing is needed. So, now that two of the biggest names in the game have been hit with this in some way, shape or form, who's to say there aren't others out there? Does this mean we can start suspecting a hitter like Albert Pujols, as well? Probably not, but you can bet some people will now.

And one last thing, I have always said I didn't care if players were taking steroids or PEDs, simply because there were, and maybe still are, plenty of players using whatever they can find to get a competitive advantage. The playing field will never be even, and probably never was before all this.

So, back to the game on the field. Randy Wolf takes the bump for the Blue tonight against rookie sensation (well, he's not a sensation yet, but he will be) Jordan Zimmermann (no relation to Ryan, who only has one 'n' at the end of his last name). There's still a winning streak to keep intact. And Xavier Paul will be recalled to take Manny's place on the roster, however, Juan Pierre will likely get the bulk of the playing time in the interim.

BUSTED!

That one word in the headline says it all. Alex Rodriguez, the pretty boy everyone thought couldn't have ever used steroids, and had played his entire career the right way, clean, reportedly tested positive in what was supposed to be a blanket, anonymous survey test in 2003.

Here's what we know based on today's report:

In 2003, when rampant steroid used in baseball had come to the forefront, the league was looking for ways to salvage the sport's image by implementing a testing program with stiff penalties for positive results. In order to determine this, the league tested each of the 1,198 players in the league at the time, anonymously, and if there was more than a 5% positive return, a testing program would be implemented the following year. The league and the player's union agreed that the names of any player's test who came back positive from this testing would be kept anonymous, with no penalties. Of the 1,198 players, 104 players tested positive, an 8% positive return, thus testing would be implemented the following season.

A year later, when the BALCO investigation began to take shape, federal investigators searched one of the California labs that was holding the samples and other viable information, with a search warrant. The warrant allowed them to seize information regarding 10 specific players as part of the BALCO investigation, and in the process, the list of the 104 players that failed that 2003 test was discovered. The original list was supposed to be sealed by a court order in California per MLB and the player's union agreement regarding the 2003 testing.

However, several sources told Sports Illustrated that one of those names on the list was in fact Alex Rodriguez. Those sources also claim that several players were tipped by the player's union's chief operating officer, Gene Orza, about unannounced, upcoming testing, a direct violation of the agreement between the players and the league. ESPN has confirmed all of this through one more source.

Now, I've never been a fan of Alex Rodriguez, but I've always believed in his talent as one of the greatest players the sport has ever seen. I never really had any suspicions that he used, or was using, performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). The stories I read, and videos I saw of his work ethics told me he was genuine, and his achievements came naturally from raw talent. So to wake up this morning and see two text messages sent to my phone with breaking news alerts that A-Rod had failed a test back in 2003, was a surprise to say the least.

But here's what bothers me most about it. Before today, there was no evidence that A-Rod was using PEDs. (The only real link between A-Rod and steroids was in Jose Canseco's first book in 2005, Juiced, in which Canseco claims plenty of players were using steroids and PEDs anyway.) In 2007, his name never came up in the Mitchell Report. He probably figured that since it hadn't, he was probably in the clear, and could say and deny whatever he wanted, knowing that the results of this 2003 test were anonymous and couldn't possibly make their way out to the public because they were sealed by a court order in California. So, several days after the Mitchell Report came out, in an interview with Katie Couric of CBS News, she specifically asked him, "for the record," if he had ever used any steroids or any other PEDs, and he vehemently said "no" without any hesitation. And so, in light of today's report that he failed a test in 2003, he lied. To me, that holds more water in my pail than anything else.

I honestly really don't care that he took any PEDs, or even failed a test when there was no concrete testing for it, and steroids and PEDs hadn't been banned from the game yet. There were enough players using some kind of PEDs at the time that the playing field was leveled out anyway. (And I'm not talking about the 8% return mentioned above.) We already know based on information from the BALCO investigation when Barry Bonds supposedly started using. He was a great player, a great hitter for years before the suspicions came out. The same can be said for A-Rod, more or less. These are two great players who should not be punished in the court of public opinion for something when there were hundreds of players using PEDs. In my opinion, when the time comes, they both belong in the Hall of Fame.

But the fact is, and this is what irritates me more than anything, we now know he lied about it, and in the court of public opinion, that will hurt him more than anything else. Now, Alex Rodriguez will be labeled as a steroid user, and a liar. So the best thing A-Rod can do at this point to salvage what is now a tarnished image and reputation, as well a tarnished career, is to come out and publically apologize for lying in that TV interview with Katie Couric, and to admit he used steroids during his 2003 MVP season with Texas, and any other time, if in fact he did.

(A-Rod claimed in that inteview in 2007 that he had been tested "eight or nine times" and so far there's no evidence of any positive results. In fact, in 2005, when he and others were part of the WBC, every player was tested then, as well, but under international rules rather than MLB's rules. Any positive test would disallow a player from participating in the WBC. A-Rod played for Team USA in 2005.)

Earlier this morning, in light of the report, one of his former coaches, Larry Bowa, spoke on MLB Network about this, and about Alex: "Alex lets little things bother him. This is definitely not a a little thing, obviously. This is going to be weighing on his mind, how he's going to go about dealing with the media everyday, 'cause this is not just go on one day, this is gonna go on and on and on and on. It's not going to just end in Spring Training. It's going be an ongoing thing, and you got to be mentally tough, and hopefully Alex has gotten some mental toughness since he's gotten to New York 'cause he's gonna need it, and you know, he's a great kid. I'm concerned [how he's going to react to this] 'cause he's a sensitive kid."

Bowa couldn't be more right about A-Rod. All of that other stuff that's been going on with him, from cheating on his wife, to sleeping around with Madonna, takes a back seat to this. This just adds more fuel to the fire and his image. He isn't going to get away with keeping quiet, because if he does, it could be the worst damage he could do to himself and his reputation as a great baseball player, and this will no doubt drag on all season. Remember, he still plays in New York, the largest media market in the country, where the media is about as tough on anyone as any market in the country. And as Bowa added in his interview, he's going to have to face the media (and fans) in places like Boston, and the West Coast, where he will be crucified. Even in Texas and Seattle where he once played. A-Rod will not be able to run and hide from this. And he sure as hell won't be able to handle the backlash should he decide to deny it, or ignore it altogether.

Manny Gets Offer; Penny Bought Out

With about nine days of exclusive negotiating rights before he's eligible to talk to other clubs, the Dodgers tonight extended what is believed to be a two year, $55MM offer to Manny Ramirez. The deal would make him the second highest paid player in annual average salary in baseball, only behind Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, and the highest ever in Dodger history. Now the ball is in Manny's court.

I'm thinking this offer won't sit on the table for too long if the Dodgers don't get a response as they have other priorities that need to be addressed this winter. The Dodgers are said to be highly interested in free agent pitcher C.C. Sabathia as they do want to add rotation depth, but at what cost? And they would like to bring back at least one or two of their own free agents besides Manny, such as Rafael Furcal, Joe Beimel and perhaps Casey Blake. Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has reiterated that if other things come to fruition that they would address those needs as they come, regardless of the Manny situation.

It's no secret the fans want Manny back, and if I'm the Dodgers, I might even extend the offer to a third year just to sweeten the deal, but at the same time, they have to be responsible in addressing all their other needs. As of right now, the Dodgers appear to have about $70MM to spend, and that number is likely to shrink down to somewhere between $47 and $50MM once they take care of all their arbitration eligible players.

The question becomes, what happens if Manny rejects this deal, or any other deal the Dodgers offer, and signs elsewhere? What happens if they sign Sabathia instead of Manny? And more importantly, what happens if they end up with neither? The fans have made it clear. Could the Dodgers handle the backlash from the fans and the media if neither of them sign, especially Manny? We'll find out.

I'm cautiously optimistic Manny will end up back in Blue, simply because only one other team can come close to matching their offer in terms of average annual salary of $27.5MM. But will anyone give him more than three years because of his age? Time will tell.

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One other note: the Dodgers have bought out the final year of Brad Penny's contract for a cool $2MM, making him a free agent. This could be a blessing in disguise as I was not a fan of Penny's inconsistencies. Sure, he won 16 games in both 2006 and 2007, but other than 2007, he's never been able to put together a full consistent season.

Look for several teams to have interest in his services, including Toronto, who has shown interest in him in the past.

Mid-Season Awards

Before the season began, I went out on a limb and made some bold predictions on this year's regular season award winners. Now that we've reached the half-way point (in terms of games played), it's time to look back, and forward.

MVP

In the National League, I thought Matt Holliday would be a clear-cut obvious choice based on his history and what he did last season with the Rockies. But the Rockies are off to a horrid start, and despite hitting .337 up to now, his over-all numbers are well below where he would normally be at this point, in large part of the rest of the team's struggles. The nod up to this point goes to Atlanta's Chipper Jones. All he's done is hit .393, and is chasing a mark no one has touched since Ted Williams lsat did way back in 1941: hit .400 in a season. Can it be done? Sure. Will he do it? That remains to be seen. Staying healthy and avoiding any long slumps will help.

In the American League, the pre-season choice will always be Alex Rodriguez. There's really never much of an argument here. But having spent part of the season on the DL, he's fallen behind a bit and is playing catch-up. The Rangers' Josh Hamilton is having an insane season, already with 80 RBI. He's tied for the league lead in home runs with 19, and he's on a ridiculous RBI pace that could get him close to 160. he probably won't keep that up, but it will be fun to watch him from here on out.

CY YOUNG

Brandon Webb was my pre-season choice, and you could make a strong argument for him up to this point. Webb leads the league with 12 wins, and his ERA is a very respectable 3.21. He was 10-0 before the chairs were warm, but he's struggled of late, going just 2-2 in June with an ERA near 5. That has slowed him down and allowed someone else to enter the picture. Enter Ben Sheets. Sheets only has 9 wins by comparison, but he's been more consistent and has kept his ERA down (2.83). His team has also been more consistent as well, and he has a better chance of getting to 20 wins at this point for that reason. This one is a toss-up, but because of the team factor, I'm leaning slightly towards Sheets now.

In the American League, Eric Bedard was my pick going into the season, simply because of what he's done in the past, and the fact he would be pitching in a premier pitcher's park in Seattle. But he has struggled some and spent much of April on the DL and is playing catch-up, as well. Plus the Mariners are off to the worst record in the American League, and that makes it hard to get wins. That said, with 11 wins and an ERA of 2.26 despite pitching on a decent-at-times last-place team, Cleveland's Cliff Lee gets the award to this point.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

I figured Florida's Cameron Maybin would get enough playing time to be considered in the NL, but he's been down in AAA most of the season. But the Cubs' Geovany Soto, someone I overlooked before the season started, has emerged as the ROY winner to this point. All Soto has done is hit .284 with 13 home runs and an .886 OPS while playing a very tough position behind the plate. And this will earn him a starting nod in the All-Star game next week, as well. In the American League, I went with Evan Longoria before the season started, and despite Tampa Bay stunning everyone and starting him in AAA, he got his call and hasn't disappoint. Longoria is hitting .268 with 15 home runs and a .864 OPS for the league's best team. Soto and Longoria get the nods.

MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Of the two managers I thought would win the award in each league in pre-season, one is already gone: Seattle fired John McLaren two weeks ago. The other, Atlanta's Bobby Cox, has seen his team hover around .500 most of the season and currently sits at 40-44, but, just five games back of first place. That said, the two Florida managers have done what many thought couldn't be done through the first-half of the season: one has the league's best record, and the other spent a good chunk of the first-half in first place and are currently just one game back in their division. That said, kudos to Tampa Bay's Joe Maddon and Florida's Fredi Gonzalez for a job well done so far!

A Month Later...

Well it's been a month since I've had a chance to post anything, and we all know what's happened since. Dodgers got swept in Colorado, part of what has started an incredible run by the Rockies that has seen them win 21 of their last 22 games going back to Sunday before they swept the Dodgers, and earn themselves a berth in the World Series. And I must add, it has been a lot of fun watching the Rockies.

Back to the Dodgers. They went on an ugly tailspin that saw them finish 8 games out of first place and in 4th place overall in the standings. They barely finished better than .500 (the NL West is the only division in the Wild Card era to have four teams finish with better than .500 records). So now we move on to 2008...

Several players have already been cut loose: Shea Hillenbrand, Roberto Hernandez and Olmedo Saenz. Manager Grady Little will return as the manager next year despite the fact Joe Torre is suddenly available. Luis Gonzalez, Randy Wolf and Mike Lieberthal are unofficially a free agents (the filing period begins after the World Series). Gonzo is all but gone, and Lieberthal will probably return for another year as Russell Martin's primary back-up, but still no word on what they might do with Wolf. Jeff Kent's contract has become guaranteed for 2008 based on him reaching 550 plate appearances this year. But there is growing speculation in light of the clubhouse turmoil and differences between the veteran players and younger players towards the end of the season that Kent may not come back for another year.

The Dodgers have a lot of questions as they head into the off-season. Who's going to be the everyday third baseman next season? Will they pursue Alex Rodriguez should he opt of his contract with the Yankees? (Personally, I say, if he does, break the bank on him if you must!) Can Kent co-exist with Matt Kemp and James Loney should he elect to to return for his final year? Will they trade some of the young players for an established big bat in the middle of the lineup, say, of the Miguel Cabrera variety? Will Jason Schmidt be healthy enough to contribute every 5th game? Who will fill the 4th and 5th spots in the rotation? Will they move Juan Pierre to left field so they can pursue one of the better offensive and defensive free agent center-fielders on the this year's free agent market, i.e., Andruw Jones or Torii Hunter?

As the off-season kicks into high gear after the World Series, we should start to see some of these questions answered. Stay tuned after the World Series for more frequent updates and comments.