A new Major League Baseball season is ahead, and the inevitable offseason seismic shifts are upon us. Here are a couple of headlines to get the discussion started:

Hal Steinbrenner to be the Yankees' primary executive

Red Sox trade Coco Crisp to Royals for reliever

Best,

Geoff

Wow.

A testament to why the Royals have sucked for so long.

Glad to hear the Sox ripped them off for a reliever, but damn. Didn't they look at Coco's history with the team?!

Albert...2nd MVP !!!

Go Cardinals!!

Like everyone, we need some pitching and a closer.

Yeah! I love that the new MLB thread has already started, although I must admit that I haven't been completely paying attention to the goings-on so far, what with the NFL and NHL action going down.

Ramirez is a good reliever, but dang, the Sox already have a pretty solid pen in my opinion. I'll step out and say that I'm displeased with the Sox dealing Coco. The guy is magic in the field, and can surprise you at the plate. He's a total gamer, so I'm sad to see him leave. The Sox already have Ellsbury, who I also love, so I guess that's what trade-offs are all about.

For Coco's sake, though, he's good enough that he deserves a starting job, and Ellsbury is good enough that Coco's only option in Boston was to be a platoon man.

Book Review: 'The Yankee Years' by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci

Best,

Geoff

Here we go again:

Report: Retested Bonds sample positive

Best,

Geoff

Do you think there was a special steroids speakeasy for MLB superstars?

Best,

Geoff

Or, in English:

A-Rod admits, regrets use of PEDs

Best,

Geoff

Shouldn't that be A-Roid?

Best,

Geoff

Great article on this whole mess - http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=bryant_howard&id=3899274

The steroids thing is really ruining baseball for me. Stats are everything in baseball, and now none of the great ones can be believed.

Not that they are guilty, but how can any fan believe the stats of the following people are real:

Ryan Howard
Manny Ramirez
Albert Pujols
Vladimir Guerrero
Ken Griffey Jr.

I just won't be surprised any more by anyone who is caught using.

From Letterman:

Top Ten Messages Left on Alex Rodriguez's Answering Machine


10. "Hey, it's Mark McGwire. Want to get together this week and not talk about the past?"

9. "Joe Torre here -- thanks for helping book sales"

8. "Could you find a steroid that keeps you from choking in the playoffs?"

7. "Are you worried this will taint all the championships you didn't win?"

6. "It's Bernie Madoff. Nice try but I'm still the most hated man in New York"

5. "Michael Phelps here. Got any snacks?"

4. "This is Sammy Sosa. Just pretend you don't speak English"

3. "Michael Phelps again. Did I call you or did you call me?"

2. "Hey, it's Rod Blagojevich -- I'll say you're innocent, if you say I am"

1. "It's Madonna. You got a phone number for Jeter?"

I almost forgot:



GO DODGER BLUE!!!

Best,

Geoff

At long last, Manny and Dodgers strike deal

Best,

Geoff

Alex Rodriguez to have surgery -- out 10 weeks

Best,

Geoff

Here's the irony/karma for a Dodger hater. Their new spring training home is under a 5 minute drive from my house. I guess the good thing is that I always know I'll never root for the home team there.

And as you know, I like the Giants because I used to see their spring training games in Phoenix when I was growing up -- Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, great memories...

Silver Dragon Sound, you've got one of the best hitters of all time swinging his bat right by your house. You've gotta go watch!

...And you might want to shatter-proof your windows, just in case!

Best,

Geoff

'Zero regrets:' Curt Schilling retires

Thank you, Curt, for helping Arizona get its first major sports title.

Best,

Geoff

Curt was a great one. Does he go into the hall as a philly, dback or red sox?

Hard to say, but surprisingly there are pundits who don't think he'll go to the Hall of Fame at all.

Best,

Geoff

Opening day, anyone?

Best,

Geoff

Just like last year - half the games canceled due to weather.

Hope the Dogs lose! What did you expect from me?

I heard they actually made the decision to cancel the White Sox game last night but didd't announce it until this morning.

I didn't know that you hated the Cleveland Browns!



Best,

Geoff

dB