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Spring training is a time for hope, for renewal, for green grass, fresh air and hours of mindless drills. It's also a time for questions, and here are a half dozen to ponder as baseball starts again with the Devil Rays opening camp today and the other teams following over the next week.
Is there anything the Yankees won't do to stay ahead of Boston?
The Yankees already had added Gary Sheffield, Javier Vazquez, Kevin Brown, Tom Gordon and Kenny Lofton to a group that includes Derek Jeter, Jason Giambi, Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada, Mike Mussina, Mariano Rivera and Bernie Williams, but still there was doubt. They'd lost Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemens, David Wells, Aaron Boone, Nick Johnson and, for some reason, a certain amount of their invincibility.
What to do? Just go out and, according to numerous reports, work a trade for the game's best player, Alex Rodriguez. No matter if it pushes their payroll close to $200-million, creates undoubted problems in their clubhouse (even though A-Rod supposedly will move happily from shortstop to third base) and costs them a few more young players. To the Yankees, it's all about winning. And to get A-Rod when the Red Sox couldn't only makes it sweeter.
Is this the beginning of the end for the Braves?
Their amazing run of 12 straight division titles seems to be in jeopardy due to ownership-mandated payroll cuts. They lost Sheffield, Javy Lopez, Greg Maddux, Vinny Castilla and Robert Fick, and they didn't do much to replace them except add J.D. Drew. And the Phillies got a lot better.
Who has the best pitching rotation in the game?
Is it the Astros, with Clemens, Pettitte, Roy Oswalt, Wade Miller and Tim Redding? The Red Sox, with Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, Derek Lowe, Tim Wakefield and Byung-Hyun Kim? The Cubs, with Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Carlos Zambrano, Matt Clement and maybe Greg Maddux? The A's, with Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder, Barry Zito, Mark Redman and Rich Harden? The Marlins, with Josh Beckett, Brad Penny, Dontrelle Willis, Carl Pavano and (eventually) A.J. Burnett? The Angels, with Bartolo Colon, Kelvim Escobar, Jarrod Washburn, Ramon Ortiz and Aaron Sele?
What are the Orioles doing?
They spent $120-million to bring in Miguel Tejada, Rafael Palmeiro and Lopez, and to bring back mediocre-at-best Sidney Ponson, but the rotation includes the likes of Omar Daal, Eric DuBose and Kurt Ainsworth.
Will new Angels owner Arte Moreno find that money buys happiness, or heartbreak?
After bringing in Vladimir Guerrero, Jose Guillen, Escobar and Colon, the Angels have one of the best lineups and pitching staffs in either league. But big names and big money don't always lead to big success, as the Mets and Rangers and others have learned. And those four aren't exactly models of health or consistency.
How long until Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez admits how unhappy he is to be in Detroit?
We'll take May 1 in the pool.
RAYS RUMBLINGS: Don't feel bad about Fred McGriff getting only the $300,000 minimum salary. The Rays still are paying him about $1.6-million in deferred salary from his first stint - half this year, half in '05. ... ESPN'S Peter Gammons is expected to do several live reports from this morning's opening workout. ... Top 2003 draft pick Delmon Young is likely to start his first pro season at Class A Charleston (S.C.). Shortstop B.J. Upton is probably headed to Double-A Montgomery (Ala.). ... MLB.com's Tom Singer might be first on the bandwagon, picking the Rays to finish fourth in the AL East (ahead of Baltimore) with a 78-84 record. ... The Outback boys may be selling their, um, stake in the team, but the Outback stand at the Trop is expected to remain open.
TV TIME: The Rays are working on a series of humorous TV ads featuring players Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli, Aubrey Huff, Tino Martinez and manager Lou Piniella. Crawford, for example, races the dogs at Derby Lane. "Pretty funny," Crawford said.
DUTCH TREAT: The Rays weren't happy when Darren Daulton quit abruptly as bullpen coach in August 2001, but Daulton claims no regrets. "I couldn't care less about that. I've always done things my way," he told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I was getting paid $100,000 to answer the phone - literally. I was never asked for anything - my opinion, anything. For what I felt I had to offer, and what I wanted to do, I did nothing. It was no fun. It was boring. I'd had enough."
MISCELLANY: Pat Gillick decided he is interested in the Dodgers GM job after all. ... Nolan Ryan will take a position with the Astros that includes some on-field instruction and evaluating. ... Beckett is dating Leeann Tweeden, a lingerie model who appears on Fox's Best Damn Sports Show Period. ... Dixie Hollins product Kurt Abbott has retired as a player and is going into law enforcement. ... Tampa's Geoff Goetz signed a minor-league deal with the Yankees. ... Reds radio broadcaster Joe Nuxhall, 75, is battling leukemia and will cut back to 80 games.
- Information from other news organizations was used in the report.