NYT: Piniella Says He Forgives McGwire

1 down...6,484 to go (flips over subbing “Kip” Fadiman’s cootie-filled score-keeping device).

Piniella said that McGwire worked very hard on honing his own batting style. That experience will help him relate to hitters.

“He worked on his swing endlessly,” Piniella said. “He swung and missed a lot early in his career. He learned how to make contact more and more. With his strength, the ball flew out of the ballpark.”

Of course, McGwire had more than his natural strength going for him. Last month, he admitted he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade, including when he broke the home run record in 1998.

Will McGwire have trouble gaining the respect of Cardinals players after acknowledging that he cheated?

“I don’t think so,” Piniella said. “I really don’t.

“He confessed. In this country, they forgive and forget. Who is out there that can’t confess to something? We in this baseball fraternity forgive him.”

Keith Law: Top 100 prospects

NO.  PLAYER
1 Jason Heyward, OF, ATL
2 Stephen Strasburg, RHP, WAS
3 Carlos Santana, C, CLE
4 Buster Posey, C, SFO
5 Mike Stanton, OF, FLA
6 Desmond Jennings, OF, TAM
7 Martin Perez, LHP, TEX
8 Dustin Ackley, CF, SEA
9 Justin Smoak, 1B, TEX
10 Jesus Montero, C, NYY
11 Brian Matusz, LHP, BAL
12 Starlin Castro, SS, CHC
13 Neftali Feliz, RHP, TEX
14 Domonic Brown, RF, PHI
15 Wade Davis, RHP, TAM
16 Aroldis Chapman, LHP, CIN
17 Jeremy Hellickson, RHP, TAM
18 Casey Kelly, RHP, BOS
19 Aaron Hicks, RHP, MIN
20 Brett Wallace, 1B, TOR
21 Logan Morrison, 1B, FLA
22 Tyler Matzek, LHP, COL
23 Jenrry Mejia, RHP, NYM
24 Michael Taylor, OF, OAK
25 Zach Britton, LHP, BAL

Scouting reports for the top 25 should be free, I think.

SNY: Doug Miles Interviews Tim McCarver (Audio)

Jerry Wexler! Willie Mays! Roger Maris! Sam Phillips! Tom Pepin! (finds roll of flat magnet wire in back of Crown Electric truck...reads noose loop instructions)

ESPN: Bryant: McGwire: Too toxic to return

Toxic! Shock! Records!

There are the three Hall of Famers—Carlton Fisk, Ferguson Jenkins and the affable Ernie Banks—who have criticized McGwire and his 1998 aide-de-camp, Sammy Sosa, urging him to “come clean.”

There is a fourth Hall of Fame player, one who shall remain nameless because we spoke in confidence, who told me last week that he planned on contacting Selig to tell the commissioner he had made a terrible mistake with his enthusiastic endorsement of McGwire’s return to the game as the Cardinals hitting coach.

And with only the workingman’s credentials, former players Jack Clark and Steve Trachsel joined the chorus, too.

This is not, in the popular phrase of players seeking the enemy, a “media creation.” The most important noise has come from the players themselves.

Perhaps one day over the coming months, McGwire will turn some kind of redemptive corner. After all, it’s early. Spring camps haven’t even opened yet. McGwire has done exactly one public appearance, one as carefully scripted as his Ari Fleischer-sculpted confessional. He’ll have other chances.

But as of today, the McGwire backlash underscores just how much La Russa and Selig seem to have misread the tea leaves—La Russa because his pit-bull loyalty to McGwire might be creating an impossible working environment for the Cardinals, and Selig because he made it clear that McGwire’s re-entry into the game had been blessed at the highest level of the sport.

Play a Hard Nine: Hall of Excellentitude: Ted Simmons

You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the inner circle of the HoE.

The Veterans Committee and their favorite pets. Sigh.  Without the two Hall of the Average Catchers, the averages go up to 53.7, 4.6, 25.2 and 16.2.  Quick thoughts:

* Simmons is slightly below average the Hall of Fame average for career WAR, and the bar will only go up when Piazza (59.1) and I-Rod (66.6) eventually find their way in.
* Simmons per season average is completely unimpressive, as he played a few too many years past his expiration date. The fact that Simba was the Brewers’ designated non-hitter in 1984, a season in which he hit like Jason LaRue, didn’t help.
* The “Greatness” stats don’t really set him apart. Sure, he’s better than the Bresnahans of the world, but does that prove Simmons was a Hall of Fame player? It’s iffy.  Simmons was more of your “very good” type of player whose WAR total is a bit enhanced by him having a career that spanned three decades.

...No, he didn’t deserve to get bounced off the ballot so quickly. Yes, he’s better than a handful of Hall of Fame catchers, but there’s just not any one aspect that sets Simmons apart. He is by far the far the best catcher ever to don the Birds on the Bat, and by reason that he’s in some solid Hall company is enough for me to enshrine him into the Hall of Excellentitude. But as for the Hall of Fame, I’ll just say that Simmons’ induction wouldn’t really lower the bar for future Hall of Fame catchers, but it wouldn’t really raise it, either.

It will be up the Veteran’s Committee to decide upon in 2011. Godspeed, Simba.

Calcaterra: The dump-McGwire campaign intensifies

This might be the most disturbing thing I’ve followed...since I once stared at the moving fleshclump on Eric Dolphy’s forehead!

Yesterday Ken Rosenthal gave Mark McGwire an ultimatum: repent or resign.  I had missed the fact that, earlier in the day, Peter Gammons had thrown a log on that same fire, calling McGwire a “distraction,” questioning whether his presence on the Cardinals is sustainable and, as a grand finale, saying “McGwire, La Russa, Mozeliak, DeWitt and Selig had better sit down and think it through, because less than two weeks into the return of Big Mac, this has all the feel of Tom Eagleton.”

For you kids who don’t remember the 1972 Presidential campaign, Tom Eagleton was a U.S. Senator from Missouri who was picked to be Democratic nominee George McGovern’s running mate.  He was forced off the ticket, however, when it was revealed that he had been hospitalized for serious mental health difficulties, had suffered from manic depression and suicidal tendencies and had been prescribed anti-psychotic drugs.

McGwire = Eagleton?  Really Peter?  A hitting coach who took some PEDs a few years ago inspires a comparison to a man with potentially debilitating mental health problems being a heartbeat away from the presidency?  Sure, why not.  But unlike Rosenthal, I’m willing to give Gammons a greater benefit of the doubt on this sort of thing because his commentary tends not to skew hysterical. To that end I’m assuming that Gammons is referring to the media circus that is developing around McGwire and isn’t making some sort of moral or psychological equivalence.

Viva El Birdos: Scott Rolen as George Sisler

Rolen at his best was an all-star caliber corner outfielder who played brilliant defense at a more premium position, which is definitely a Hall of Fame combination. But while he was always among the best-hitting third basemen at his peak, he was rarely a cut above, often behind fluke years (Bill Mueller, Adrian Beltre), immobile future first basemen (Phil Nevin, Miguel Cabrera, Garrett Atkins), and Chipper Jones and Alex Rodriguez. Among third basemen in the aughts his best years rank ninth, 23rd, 34th, 35th, 44th, and 48th in OPS+ (he also managed 13th and 45th in the nineties.) That’s good, and nobody’s defensive value approaches his, but it’s not the positional dominance existed by peak cases like… well, Jim Edmonds, who ranks 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 8th, and 13th among center fielders from 2000 to 2009.

Given Rolen’s reputation as the perhaps the best third baseman since Brooks Robinson, the way his peak extends two years or so in the other direction, and the way he’s progressed post-injury—considerably better than George Sisler, if not as well as alternate-universe Scott Rolens have made out—that’s not a bad run on which to hang a Hall of Fame career.

And now—look, I’ve cheated. I looked at the numbers already. Rolen at his best was clearly not as good as Mike Schmidt as his best. Schmidt led the league in OPS five times, took eight home run crowns, four RBI titles. He wasn’t as good a fielder as Scott Rolen, but he was good enough. George Brett and Eddie Mathews, too, were simply too brilliant offensively to match up to Rolen.

The problem for Scott Rolen—and Ron Santo, and Ken Boyer—is that there’s not much in the way of second tier talent in the Hall at third base. First basemen like Keith Hernandez compete with lesser lights like Harmon Killebrew or Tony Perez; the last second underserving or even questionably deserving third baseman elected was George Kell, who retired in 1957. Hall of Fame third basemen, by and large, are either forgotten or considerably better than Scott Rolen. It’s an awkward place to be.

“lesser lights like Harmon Killebrew or Tony Perez” (adjusts Berkel gravity feed slicer...ponders)

Play a Hard Nine: Hall of Excellentitude: Keith Hernandez

HOE on Keith. I know, shocking.

A few things pop to my mind when I think of Hernandez. Whitey Herzog just said no to drugs (and still adamantly does) and traded the coke-loving Hernandez for two nobodies. Bad decision. While Hernandez is remembered as a Met, his best days actually were in St. Louis: 35.1 WAR compared to 26.5 in New York. What also comes to mind are those ridiculously cheesy Just for Men ads, and my two favorite episodes of Seinfeld, ever.

Then there’s the fact that Keith Hernandez was a tremendously talented baseball player, one who I think is worthy of Cooperstown. His J-Hoffa scores rightly predicted him falling far short of reaching the Hall, but his WAR numbers tell a different and more accurate story of his worthiness.

...While his batting is not in the elite of the elite, Hernandez has better per season numbers than Murray and the overrated Sisler. (We’ll talk about Sisler in a future post). Mex had six seasons where he posted an OPS+ of 140 or better.

I have to say, I’m a little surprised that Hernandez received such little support for his Hall of Fame candidacy. You would think that he would have got at least some of the backing Don Mattingly has received.

The Telegraph: BUSCH IV, RIPS INTO McGWIRE

But being InBev with the enemy is ok…

If Mark McGwire thought last week’s admission of steroid use would get him off the hook, he was only partially correct. While many St. Louis fans seem to have forgiven the former slugger, former players, managers and baseball executive have leveled blasts at McGwire. Thursday, August Busch IV, the great-great grandson of Anheuser-Busch founder Adolphus Busch came out swinging against McGwire in a statement. The Busch family owned the Cardinals from 1953-1996. McGwire joined the Cardinals in 1997.

..."McGwire is not apologizing for his deceit, only for the embarrassment that came from his admission of having previously lied,’’ Busch IV said. “The timing of his announcement at the start of a new baseball season has allowed him to hide behind the frenzy of a new Cardinal season and the blinding faith of Cardinal loyalists.”

Busch also took issue with Cardinal manager Tony La Russa’s defense of McGwire, the former single-season home run king. La Russa has said he did not know McGwire used steroids when he managed him in Oakland and St. Louis.

“McGwire has chosen to come out of the closet at the perfect time - alongside a manager who also refuses to be honest, to the fans or to the game itself,” Busch IV said. “After all, why would Tony La Russa hire a hitting coach whose lifetime batting average was only .263?

“He was paid millions while perpetrating a fraud.”

Pineiro, Angels agree to 2-year deal

Free-agent right-hander Joel Pineiro agreed Wednesday to a $16 million, two-year contract with the Angels, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney.

Pineiro is due to take a physical Thursday.

Pineiro, 31, pitched a career-high 214 innings over 32 games last season, with a 15-12 record and 3.49 ERA for the National League Central champion St. Louis Cardinals.

Preston Wilson Looking To Make A Comeback

ESPN’s Jayson Stark is reporting that Preston Wilson is looking for an invitation to Spring Training now that the knee troubles that forced him from the game in the first place are behind him.

Wilson last played in the big leagues back in 2007, when he hit just .219/.265/.313 in 68 plate appearances with St. Louis. He appeared in 48 games last season with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League, hitting .302/.344/.474 while missing time with a broken eye socket (hit by a pitch) and a separated shoulder (suffered on a slide).

The 35-year-old outfielder is a career .264/.329/.468 hitting in the Majors, and was known for his prodigious strikeout totals (1,085 K in 4,436 PA).

Really, Preston?  Get back and don’t let me down.

Red Smith ‘Nice Guy’ winner Whitey Herzog holds nothing back

My Sons, My Sons, What Have Y’all Done?

For example, there’s this response to former slugger Mark McGwire’s recent admission of steroid use:

“I’ve got nothing to do with him,” Herzog said, clearly annoyed. “I don’t want to comment on steroids because they’re all lying. And they’re still lying. They get on steroids because they say they want to get back on the field. The reason they’re on steroids is because they got injured because they were taking steroids. Because their muscles grow too fast, and every time they make a false move, they slip and pull something. It’s always a pulled muscle, rib cage, a minor something. That’s bull.

“Let’s get to the bottom of this. It’s a health problem, but nothing’s going to happen. The people in St. Louis give Mark McGwire a standing ovation the other day, and (former major leaguer) Jack Clark said every steroid user should be banned for baseball, and they booed him. Now, what the hell is the matter with society when that happens?”

...On his style of baseball — speed, pitching, defense — vs. today’s power game

“I don’t know if we’ll ever get back to fundamental baseball. Because basically, the players make tremendous salaries today, and they only get paid for home runs, RBIs and batting average, ERAs and wins. Are they good guys? Do they get to the park on time? Are they good base runners? Can they go from first to third? None of that is ever talked about. So they don’t get paid for any of that. But it will never go back to that kind of baseball again unless they put up a ballpark that’s about 475 (feet) to center, 380 down the lines and 390 in the gaps. And that will never happen.

American Statesman: McGwire should put money where his mouth is

Mark McGwire received a standing ovation from a group of St. Louis Cardinals fans in his first public appearance this week.

Yes! Big Red is back! The man who broke one of the most beloved records in professional sports is ready to step back into the spotlight and help the local team hit the ball better.

McGwire is feeling better about himself these days. He has removed the weight of shame off his chest after years of denying he ever used performance-enhancing drugs. It only took an hour with baseball broadcasting dean Bob Costas to rid himself of the guilt and the shame that’s dogged him since he retired.

Now he can get back to working in the game he loves so much. Even commissioner Bud Selig passed along his well wishes. “This statement of contrition, I believe, will make Mark’s re-entry into the game much smoother and easier,’’ he said in a statement.

So that’s it? Admit to lying, receive a standing O, get a pat on the back from the commish, then report to spring training to work for Tony La Russa, a guy with a law degree who isn’t smart enough to realize that his first baseman’s production in his 30s had morphed nearly as fast as his physique?

Sorry, but I can’t let it go that easily.

Verducci: Teams that got the most bang for their buck last decade

Florida took advantage of the system over the past decade. The Marlins found a way to spend as little as possible and win just enough—well, maybe. They did win one world championship in the decade but gave their fans only one other pennant race. Here’s a good question for fans: would you take one world championship every decade if it meant punting eight of the other nine years?

If your answer is no, then the Cardinals are your choice for the most efficient team. They spent almost $300 million more than the Marlins and were in a race every year but one. St. Louis achieved virtually as much as the Red Sox but did so spending $325 million less....

How badly run are the Mets? Think about this: the Mets played in a World Series and still were the least efficient team in baseball. They spent $737.5 million more than Florida and won four more games than the Marlins.

Pujols fully in McGwire’s corner

Albert Pujols forgives you. Because he’s a nice guy like that.

Albert Pujols(notes) supports Mark McGwire, both for acknowledging his use of steroids and in his new role as hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals.

“I told him I’m proud of him for admitting what he used,” Pujols said Monday at the team’s Winter Warm-Up. “Everybody makes mistakes.”

Pujols angrily rejected the notion that McGwire made the admission to revive his chances of getting voted to the Hall of Fame. Despite hitting 583 home runs, tied for eighth of the career list, McGwire has received less than 25 percent support in four appearances on the ballot.

Could Jim Edmonds be coming back to the St. Louis Cardinals?

Woo-eee...I dearly miss those Leonard Barra-type pratfalls!

Told that Edmonds wanted to come onto the stage after the show, La Russa summoned Edmonds from his seat.

Upon arriving to the stage as fans cheered, the 39-year-old Edmonds took the microphone from La Russa and told him he would play for free in 2010 if the Cardinals would have him.

Edmonds later recanted and said he would play for the minimum salary of $400,000. But he did seem sincere about his desire to return to baseball after not playing since the 2008 season, and the Cardinals would seem to be a fit for him given their inexperience and youth on the bench.

Edmonds said he was “challenging” La Russa to give him a shot. Kiddingly, La Russa told fans he wished he would have skipped Edmonds’ appearance on stage. At one point, Edmonds continued to talk as La Russa stood next to him with his hand reaching out for the microphone.

Edmonds kept talking, and La Russa finally bent over, put his hands on his knees and stared at the floor of the stage.

Calgarysun.com: Calgary’s McFarlane has no McGwire regrets

Calgary-born comic book creator Todd McFarlane has no regrets about paying $3 million for Mark McGwire’s 70th home-run baseball, despite the sport star’s admission this week to using steroids.

The mastermind behind Spawn comics and the head of Todd McFarlane Productions Inc. and McFarlane Toys purchased the 1998 season ball at an auction in January 1999.

In a telephone interview from his office in Tempe, Arizona, the avid sports fan yesterday (WED) said the prized ball might be a bit tainted by the steroid scandal, but he’s still happy to have it.

“Regardless about your emotional feelings about the subject, the 70 ball is still the second-highest home run total,” said McFarlane.

McGwire cheered by fans, evades steroid questions

Mark McGwire received a standing ovation from Cardinals fans Sunday in his first public appearance in St. Louis since admitting he used steroids.

His scheduled news conference, only minutes later, was much more combative.

The second session was shifted to an overcrowded hallway at the last minute, and McGwire evaded questions about the criticism he’s received from ex-players. He repeatedly emphasized that he was ready to talk about the game instead of performance-enhancing drugs.

“I hope you all can accept this,” McGwire said. “Let’s all move on from this. Baseball is great right now, baseball is better.”

Dressed in jeans, a sweater and running shoes, the 46-year-old McGwire walked on stage to “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses, the hard-rock song played before his at-bats with the Cardinals. The team’s new hitting coach was cheered by fans who secured seats as much as 3 1/2 hours earlier.

“I’ve learned a lot,” McGwire told fans. “Especially to kids out there, steroids are bad. I made a huge mistake in my life and it’s something I want you guys to learn from. Don’t ever, ever go down that road.”

Jessica and Sarah Schaaf were in the front row of a downtown hotel ballroom jammed with perhaps 1,000 fans, and wore T-shirts made for the occasion that said “Welcome back, Big Mac Land,” with a photograph of McGwire.

“He did wrong,” Jessica Schaaf said. “But we still love him.”

In which it is proved that being the Best, Most Loyal Fans in Baseball is not always a good thing.

What’s next, Mo? - STLtoday.com

The GM was peppered with questions about everything from the state of the minor-league system (depleted by trades, Mozeliak agreed) to whether Jim Edmonds could return as that bat on the bench (not in the plans, Mozeliak said):

— Asked if it was possible McGwire could get a pinch-hit at-bat, as Tony La Russa suggested in a recent interview, Mozeliak was blunt: “No chance.”

— Asked whether there was a spot for free-agent outfielder Rick Ankiel on the team, Mozeliak said the outfield was set and such a return was a “long shot.”

— Asked about third base, Mozeliak said rookie David Freese will get a crack at the starting job, and the team is not trawling for a free-agent third baseman.

The Pirates, on the other hand, go trawling for just about every position.

NYT: Admission Doesn’t Guarantee Entry

The New York Times, whose reporters do not participate in the balloting, surveyed 35 Hall of Fame voters…

Twenty-six respondents said they had never voted for McGwire and did not expect to change their minds, although many reserved that right. Nine, or 26 percent, said they had voted for him, and all but Stone said they probably would continue to do so. Before McGwire’s confession, one who had left him off the ballot eventually voted for him.

Video of McGwire Taking Batting Practice

Well...he certainly looks better than Charlie Chant!

Super Shutterbug Chris Lee and I were trying to think of another time we saw a major-league hitting coach take BP with his pupils. I’ve seen it a few times these past couple years in the minor leagues. But I cannot recall a time in the majors. I saw guest instructor Larry Walker take some swings, but he wasn’t the hitting coach. So we’re still trying to come up with one. (Update: Asked the folks here in the Winter Warmup media work room, and P-D colleague and Captain Twitter Joe Strauss cannot recall ever seeing a hitting coach take BP with the players. Matthew Leach, of MLB.com, recalled that Detroit manager Alan Trammell took BP with the Tigers a few years ago.)

Forbes: Van Riper: McGwire-Hall of Fame Not All About ‘Roids

No, from one ripper to another...it’s about Keith Hernadez and the HOF.

An old TV ad once asserted that “chicks dig the long ball.” Hall of Fame voters do too - probably too much. Hernandez (162 career homers) obviously wasn’t the slugger McGwire was. But he was a better ballplayer, a perennial No. 3 hitter on contending Cardinals and Mets teams who’s generally considered the greatest defensive first baseman of all time.

And after factoring in the statistical differences for each player’s prime era (hitting stats were much higher during McGwire’s time), the gap in offensive production between the two wasn’t particularly wide. Hernandez batted 33 points higher lifetime. His .388 on-base percentage from 1976-88 outdid the league average by the same 66 points that McGwire’s .401 OBP did from 1987 to 2001. Hernandez received MVP votes in eight seasons, just two fewer than McGwire (both finished in the top five three times, with only Hernandez winning it - in 1979).

McGwire’s slugging percentage was far superior even after adjusting for his inflated power era. McGwire slugged an almost ridiculous .598 compared to a .413 league average. Hernandez outslugged his peers .444 to .380. But overall, it’s hard to claim McGwire has anything on Hernandez, a guy who could barely crack 10% of the Hall of Fame vote.

Jack Clark: McGwire ‘should be banned from baseball’

Jack Clark: The Taste of retch.

Former Cardinals slugger Jack Clark, talking about players who admitted to having taken steroids or who have been suspected of it, said today: “A lot of them should be banned from baseball, including Mark McGwire.”

“All those guys are cheaters,” said Clark, who was the Cardinals’ main power threat on the 1985 and 1987 National League championship clubs

“A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez): Fake, phony. Rafael Palmeiro: Fake, a phony.

“(Roger) Clemens, (Barry) Bonds: Fakes. Phonies. They don’t deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.

“They should all be in the Hall of Shame. They can afford to build it. They’ve all got so much money.

“And they could all go there and talk about the next way to rub something on your skin. The whole thing is creepy.

“They’re all creeps.”

...Clark and McGwire both are scheduled to be at the club’s Winter Warm-Up this weekend. Should they meet, Clark said, “I’m not going to say hello. I’m not going to shake his hand. He’s a sad excuse for a player in the industry of baseball. Just seeing him in uniform makes me throw up.

Now’s the time to speak for Maris - STLtoday.com

Sorry, but no. He just didn’t do enough in his career. He’s not a Hall of Famer.

If nothing else, Maris should at least have a spot in the Hall of Fame. The great Mr. Aaron already is in the Hall of Fame, but we should also push to have him recognized as the career leader for home runs, with 755.
....
Maris doesn’t have incredible career numbers — 275 homers and 851 RBIs in 12 seasons — but a few things stand out other than the 61 homers in ‘61. Maris won consecutive American League MVP awards, in 1960 and ‘61. He was a star performer on five consecutive pennant-winning Yankee teams, 1960 through ‘64. He appeared in seven World Series, more than any other player in the 1960s. He won a Gold Glove. He was a four-time All-Star, a two-time RBI champion. He had six 20-homer seasons and three 30-homer seasons. He drove in 100 runs three times.

BA: The Wizard of Waxahachie: Paul Richards and the End of Baseball as We Know It

Corbett had at his disposal a deep pool of resources, including Richards’ 1955 book on managing, titled Modern Baseball Strategy, an unfinished Richards manuscript, two recorded oral histories, and decades’ worth of quotes in newspaper stories and The Sporting News. Every reference is meticulously footnoted. With help from Richards’ daughter and surviving friends in Waxahachie, Corbett has augmented the anecdotes and stats, fleshing out Richards’ life so we can follow him from childhood to his death at 77 on a golf course, the one place he loved above all others, even baseball diamonds.

Some winter reading for you, perhaps.

Piñeiro Down to Mets and Dodgers

The Dodgers, who are still looking for a proven starting pitcher to bolster their rotation, have joined the pursuit of free agent Joel Pineiro. But they might be running out of time to sign the veteran right-hander, who also is deep into discussions with the New York Mets.

A well-placed source within the Dodgers organization, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that club officials have spoken with Adam Katz, Pineiro’s Los Angeles-based agent. But the source declined to provide any additional details…

However, signing Pineiro probably would require creativity on the part of the Dodgers and flexibility on the part of Pineiro. Although no one in the organization has admitted it publicly, all indications are that the Dodgers’ front office is hamstrung financially by the ongoing divorce of owner Frank McCourt and his estranged wife Jamie and uncertainty about whether Jamie McCourt has a legitimate ownership claim, an issue that isn’t expected to be resolved until a May 24 court hearing.

AP News Break: McGwire admits using steroids

Mark McGwire finally came clean Monday, admitting he used steroids when he broke baseball’s home run record in 1998. McGwire said in a statement sent to The Associated Press on Monday that he used steroids on and off for nearly a decade.

Get it up fast, snide comments will probably follow during the discussion thread.

Rangers sign Khalil Greene

Who’s running the Rangers front office at this hour with the Cowboys game on?

The Rangers have signed infielder Khalil Greene to a one-year contract to be their utility infielder. He will receive $750,000. The agreement is pending a physical. He batted .200 in 77 games and 193 at-bats for the Cardinals last year. He has had some personal issues but at one time was a front-line shortstop for the Padres.

Don Mattingly Should Not Receive Any Hall of Fame Votes

In Keith Hernandez’s 10th year on the ballot…oh, he wasn’t on the ballot in his 10th year. He was dropped because of a lack of support from the voters. Yet, Hernandez was a better player than Mattingly in every possible way.

Mattingly won nine Gold Gloves, which is impressive. Hernandez won 11. Mattingly’s on base percentage was .358, while Hernandez’s was .384. Mattingly had an OPS+ of 127. Hernandez had an OPS+ of 128. And Hernandez did it over a longer career: Hernandez played 2,088 games, while Mattingly played only 1,785.

Hernandez and Mattingly each won one MVP award and one batting title. But while Hernandez was a key part of the 1982 and 1986 World Championship teams (St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets, respectively), and the 1988 division champions (Mets), Mattingly was never able to lead his team into a single postseason game until his final season, when the Yankees lost the ALDS to Seattle.

The thing is, though, Hernandez did not belong in the Hall of Fame, and Mattingly does not either.

The writers who keep casting votes for Mattingly remember the player he was during his brief prime—of four years. For the rest of his brief career, he was never near Hall of Fame caliber.

Still, 87 writers keep voting for a first baseman who was far inferior to Boog Powell—Powell had a 134 OPS+ over a career that was about 100 plate appearances longer than Mattingly—and Powell drew a grand total of five votes from Hall of Fame voters.

Thanks to The Kieth O’dor.

Play a Hard Nine: Edmonds in 2014

And by that time he should really have his pre-dive stutter-step down pat.

“The Hawk” is only the seventh center fielder the BBWAA has ever elected into the Hall of Fame. The Veterans Committee has added more, making it 18 major league HoFers who played most of their games catching flies in center. With Dawson’s induction I thought to myself, “where does Jim Edmonds fit in this group?”.  His rise was swift, as was his decline, but for a sustained period Edmonds was one fantastic ballplayer. (Side note: Thank you Matt Holliday for changing your number to 7. Retire 15!)

Recognized as a fine player, but people have a tendency of overlooking Edmonds as being truly great player for a number of reasons. He was never really known for being the best player on his team, neither with the Angels or Cardinals. He didn’t win an MVP, set any records or reach any major milestones. He was neck and neck with Andruw Jones for as being recognized as the best center fielder of his era, and he won a slew of Gold Gloves (8) and he will always be remembered for some of his highlight reel catches.  But at the end of the day, I’m afraid not enough writers will recognize Edmonds for the truly great player he was. We’re just four years out, so let’s start the stumping now.