Since March 1st...

The truly fantastic thing about the month of March is that, unlike say November, baseball teams are active, living, and giving off subtle hints of glories or colossal failures to come. Devotees can argue the merits of one team versus another all through the dark winter months while their favorite nines are, more or less, static. Sure there are a few glimmers of activity between November and February, but the Hot Stove League gives off precious little warmth compared to the radiant sunshiny goodness of March in places like Sarasota, Scottsdale, and Kissimmee. Is it any wonder that two teams call a town named Goodyear home during the Spring and two others train in Surprise?

My point?

Since we at baseballbreaksyourheart.com started our round-the-league season snapshots, the teams about which we've been writing have been out and about and providing the careful observer with new nuggets of insight. New plot lines unfold, and we start to get a little clearer picture of what 2010 has in store.

Here are 10 quick items that have caught my eye since March 1st:

10) The retirement of Nomar Garciaparra.

Nomar kept playing baseball after July 2004? Well. Sort of. After Theo Epstein shipped his 5-time All-Star shortstop to Chicago in 2004, No-MAH simply became Nomar, and his fragile mortality was painfully and clearly revealed. Once the iconic batters box hyperactive from Beantown, Garciaparra became a nomadic traveling injury show after the trade. He managed 500 plate appearances only once in his life after Boston, that came in 2006 when he made the NL All-Star team as a member of the Dodgers and went on to win the Comeback Player of the Year Award. But injuries had him in their death grip. Last season, he appeared in 65 games for the hapless Oakland Athletics. On March 10, Garciaparra signed a one-day contract with the Boston Red Sox, and, No-MAH for one final day, he announced his retirement. He will join ESPN as a talking head on Baseball Tonight.

9) The Fall of Vin Scully

Have you ever seen or heard someone do something so perfectly that the thought flashes in your mind, "Wow, they're doing exactly what they were born to do!"? Like the goosebump-y feeling I get watching Usain Bolt sprint, Tiger Woods hit a golf ball, or Jerry Seinfeld tell jokes, my nervous system gets all wacky when I hear Vin Scully broadcast a baseball game. He's been a voice of the Dodgers since about the time that my mother was born. Heck, he was the person who, in 1955 after their triumph over the Yankees, proclaimed to unseen millions, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Brooklyn Dodgers are the champions of the world!" Scully's voice soothes, excites, and in his pleasing baritone he describes the game in a way that invites listeners to close their eyes and imagine the scenes unfolding on the field. But, Vin is getting up in years. Last Thursday, he took an unplanned spill to the floor in his home, suffering some bruises and earning himself a hospital visit. But Scully, who for health reasons only broadcasts the Dodgers home games and away games played nearby, was back behind the microphone on Sunday, telling the Dodger faithful, "I'm sorry to have caused the accident that caused so much concern." If you happen to be able to tune into the occasional Dodger broadcast and happen to hear the voice of voices calling the play-by-play, do yourself a favor: stop what you're doing and listen. Scully is par excellence.

8) Cliff Lee's Suspension

This is a new one. Before so much as lacing up his spikes for a regular season game with his new team Seattle, Cliff Lee, the Mariners cherished top-of-the-line starter has run afoul of the Commissioners Office. During a March 14 game in Arizona, the prized left-hander buzzed the head of Arizona's Chris Snyder, earning himself an early exit from the contest, and a five-game regular season banishment. The enforced time off may prove a blessing in disguise for Lee and for perilously optimistic Mariner faithful; multiple news sources report that Lee has recently experienced significant pain while throwing side-sessions.

7) Elijah Dukes' Unemployment

Yo. You out of work Dawg! In a move which caught most baseball people unawares, the Washington Nationals abruptly severed ties with their troubled but talented rightfielder last week. The Nationals had hoped that Dukes would leave his checkered past (You dead dawg!) in Tampa and bring only his immense talent to the Nation's Capital. To his credit, Dukes has stayed out of trouble, as far as this writer knows, since arriving in DC. But the incredible physical gifts of young Elijah have not yet translated into noteworthy on-field production. Although, he did provide one of my favorite moments thus far at Nats Park in June 2008 by launching a laser-like game winning two-run homer against the Cardinals on a night that I had gotten stuck with overpriced outfield terrace seats. The move leaves two big questions: Who will play rightfield in Washington this summer? AND What really happened to earn Elijah his walking papers?

6) A New Number in the Bronx

This isn't exactly a new development, per se, but, this March, we got our first in-game look at Joe Girardi's new number. As a constant reminder to himself, the team, and fans that the Yankees are pursuing their 28th world championship this season, Girardi has upped his uniform identifier from 27 to 28. Yankee fans, upon seeing the new number in Spring Training games, were reminded of all of the reasons that they love their team. Some of us saw 28 and thought of famine, suffering, and war.

5) Twitter Trouble in Chicago

Has anything good ever come into this world because of Twitter? Really. I'm curious, anyone who has ever witnessed the world becoming a brighter place because of a "tweet," please, let me know. Twitter is like a big can of Raid and we are all little bugs. Just ask the Guillen family. Not that Ozzie Guillen ever needs help in finding controversy, Twitter helped the outspoken White Sox skipper to land in the middle of a heap of it earlier this month. Thanks to his overactive tweeting, Guillen's son Oney was forced out of his job with the White Sox. The ensuing brouhaha has exposed what many feel is a widening chasm between Guillen and White Sox GM Ken Williams. It will be worth watching as the year progresses.

4) Brian Roberts' Back and Jose Reyes Thyroid

Did anyone else notice how far middle infield stalwarts Brian Roberts and Jose Reyes fell in their fantasy drafts? Roberts, the Orioles leadoff man extraordinaire and a lock for 50 doubles and 25 stolen bases every season has been plagued all spring by a herniated disc in his back which has caused him to spend most of the month shuttling between Orioles Camp in Florida and a back specialist in Baltimore. He is the table-setter for a Baltimore offense that will be leaned on heavily this season as young pitchers chuck and duck their way towards becoming bona fide big leaguers.

Reyes has a Thyroid gland problem. Of all the things to sideline a member of the Mets after last season's Hiroshima-esque explosion of bad luck, their shortstop has been disabled by one of his glands. As of this writing Reyes has been cleared for baseball activities but news outlets express skepticism about his readiness when the Mets open their season on April 5th in Queens against the Marlins.

3) Ron Washington Failed D.A.R.E

Theres a movie coming out which promises to be one of the worst of this generation, which makes it a strong candidate for worst all-time.



Really. Almost certainly epically bad.

I can't help but feel, however, that I myself have been transported back to the mid 80s. Earlier this month, it was revealed that Rangers' manager Ron Washington had tested positive for cocaine last season. For anyone who has ever heard stories about Dave Parker testifying in Federal Court about rampant baseball drug use, or heard tales of Tim Raines sliding headfirst so as to avoid breaking cocaine viles hidden in his pants pockets, or been exposed to the sad saga of Steve Howe, Washington's admission is a sad reminder to baseball fans that, alas, drug use still haunts the National Pastime just as it haunts the nation itself.

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the 80s. Heck, its when I was born. But I can do without 1980s-style athletes and drugs revelations.

2) Stephen Strasburg Facing Hitters

The Nationals recently sent uber-phenom Stephen Strasburg to their Minor League Camp, ensuring that the talented hurler will begin his pro career in the minors, likely in Double-A. In what we were able to see of him this spring, Strasburg seems a likely candidate to deliver on the lofty expectations which surround him. To quote the Washington Post, "Strasburg's spring performance cemented his can't-miss status." He struck out 12 hitters and walked only 1 in 9 innings of Spring Training work, running up a nifty 2.00 ERA in the process.

Once March Madness is over, set up your Stephen Strasburg Debut Office Pool. He's coming.

1) Joe Nathan to the DL, Joe Mauer to the Bank

Shortly after announcing that All-Star closer Joe Nathan will, as feared, miss the entire 2010 campaign, the Minnesota Twins went public with the news that they had signed AL MVP Joe Mauer to an 8-year $184 million extension. This is a remarkable paradigm shift for an organization which faced contraction in 2002. With a new ballpark opening this year, the Twins apparently do not view themselves as "small market" anymore. The Twins, it seems, intend to contend for the remainder of this oh-so-brand-new decade. The Mauer signing does nothing to fill their suddenly gaping void at closer. But, its noteworthy nevertheless.


Thank you for allowing me that brief interruption. Tomorrow, we're back to team previews with a look at everyone's favorite team to undergo a complete color-scheme overhaul in recent years: The Arizona Diamondbacks.