Random Baseball Thoughts

by SonDog

Numero Uno: According to an Associated Press report, Barry Lamar Bonds has vowed to lose roughly 40 pounds this off-season, returning to his late-90's playing weight of 200 pounds. The same report says that Bonds is losing the weight in order to take pressure off of his surgically repaired knee. Look, I love watching Bonds play, I really do. But, call me Master of the Obvious, but if Bonds truly does show up to spring training 40 pounds lighter than his playing weight of last year, it will not be simply to take pressure off of his knee. Others may be fearful of admiting this, but Bonds simply cannot afford to pull a Rafael Palmeiro. It's generally acknowledged that, while Bonds has never failed a steroids test, the man has been on the juice. With his continuing chase for Hank bringing in lots of 755-merchandise money (remember, Bonds pulled out of the Players Association two years ago so he could essentially market his own record-breaking merchandise) the last thing he can afford to do (not financially, but more so for his legacy) is fail a roids test. I hope, I sincerely hope, that the man is clean and off the juice, and he can break the record in the same fashion that he hit his firt 500 or so homers... clean.

Numero Dos Equis: The 5 year, $47 million contract given to B.J. Ryan by Toronto was unwarranted and absurd. The 3 year, $21 million contract given to Esteban Loiza by Oakland was unwarranted and absurd. The 3 year, $11.3 and $12 million contracts given to Scott Eyre and Bobby Howry by Chicago were unwarranted and absurd. The list goes on and on. This is nothing new to anybody, but my question is: Can we not find 30 non-retarded and mildly educated General Managers to run the teams in Major League Baseball? I mean, honestly? Come on? Really? No? This is just stupid. How Toronto can in any way justify "setting the market for closers" ( a term thrown around baseball circles like it's the freakin' stock market all of a sudden) by giving a record deal to a 30-year-old closer with exactly one... COUNT IT... ONE (AS IN, 1!!!) year experience as a closer is beyond any form of common sense.