Keeper

But will Jeter and the Yanks have a messy divorce after this season? I don't see it happening.

Eh, never really liked Nomar. Always thought he was a juicer.

Absolutely devastating for the Twins.

Pedroia had a good season, but he is definitely capable of more. However, I do think that what he did in 2008 is his ceiling. Still, it's important to remember that distractions off the field can severely impact your peformance. Baseball players are human, too.

If Favre retires, you can stick a fork in the Vikings and the Packers are the clear favorites, but the Bears have closed the gap. Peppers was overpaid, but he is an elite pass rusher and should be productive for a few more seasons. And while Chester Taylor isn't the greatest RB in the world, he's an upgrade over Forte and should take some pressure off Cutler. There are still a lot of issues to address, namely the offensive line, free safety, and the secondary. The receiving corps isn't that strong either, but Devin Aromashodu emerged late in the season. And Knox and Bennett are young and full of promise. Say what you want about Mike Martz, but Ron Turner was boring and predictable. So far, the biggest concern with Martz is will he utilize Greg Olsen, and if not, should Olsen be traded?

Every organization overhypes prospects. Just the nature of the beast.

Youk and Pedroia.

You're right. Nevertheless, he was a high profile player. The point stands.

I couldn't be happier with acquiring Peppers. The six-year deal might be a bit too long for someone in his early 30s, but the guy gives the pass rush instant credibility. And it takes a lot of pressure off Tommy Harris, so hopefully he can bounce back. Chester Taylor is also a nice pickup. If the Bears are smart, he'll get most of the carries. But I expect another obstinate stance from Lovie Smith. "Matt is our running back." Two straight offseasons where the Bears lock up high profile free agents? It's unprecedented. Don't stop now, Angelo. You're not getting anything from the draft this year.

Dunn would be perfect to replace Ortiz as the DH, but he should never, ever pick up a glove again if he goes to the AL.

Sarcasm. And Lou is waaaay over the hill.

Rollins is still elite, though. Easily one of the best defensive shortstops in the game, he has pop, and he can steal bases. His plate discipline is his only weakness. Almost a five-tool player.

In terms of the whole package, I think Tulo is the best SS in the game right now. The defensive metrics really don't do him justice. I also think Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins are elite, although Rollins' best years are behind him.

Pretty significant difference in BA with RISP. I'll take V-Mart over Drew in the heart of the order.

I'd say Youk and V-Mart are the best candidates for 3 and 4 in the order. They're both sort of interchangeable. Drew isn't aggressive enough to drive in runs, IMO. I'd put Drew near the top or 5th or 6th. You've got to play to his strengths.

Speaking of Youk, has there ever been a bench-clearing brawl in the history of Spring Training?

It must be really exciting for college players to play these games. I know I'd get a little extra geared up for them.

Nieme or Huet... still anybody's guess.

Well, I can't speak for the Patriots' situation, but I would definitely take Thomas back on the Bears. Forte is very good at catching passes from out of the backfield. That's about all he can do, though.

It makes all the sense in the world under the right circumstances. If Ortiz and/or Beltre shits the bed in the first half of the season, you'd better believe Gonzalez will be on their radar. If Beltre is replaced, Youk moves over to third, Gonzalez goes to first, and Ortiz remains the DH (with Lowell possibly spelling him against LHP). If Ortiz is replaced, Beltre remains at third. And Youk or Gonzalez could play first or DH (take your pick). They only signed Beltre to a one-year deal. At present, they're not married to him or Ortiz.

Thomas Jones is about to released by the Jets. Still a very productive and durable RB.

Oh yeah, found another son of a former MLB player. Orel Hershiser's kid plays for USC.

As far as my brother is concerned, the scorekeeper took away two hits from him this series. One went through the hole on the right side. The second basemen dived for it and couldn't reach it. Scored an error. Another was a line shot that the second baseman couldn't get to in the first or second game. Scored an error. The scorekeeper was charging infielders with errors left and right, including my bro at third. On a force out at second, the second baseman dropped the ball. Error charged to my bro. Hot shot to third, initially scored a hit. Then five minutes later, the scorekeeper changes his mind. Error charged to my bro. In all fairness, he was doing this to everybody. The field umpire made some really awful calls in favor of Belmont. He was pretty much their 10th player. My bro hit a ball that had HR distance down the right field line yesterday. The home plate umpire called it foul. It only seemed to hook foul after it had already crossed the foul pole. It was close, but every close call went Belmont's way.