I know you are tryng to push the all-natural blog but here is a story that in light of the highest paid player in baseball using drugs should get some air-play:

MLB is charging little leagues big time licensing fees for using the names of the teams. I understand that MLB is a business but this is a tad short-sighted. The cost of uniforms incrases from approx $20 to $30 due to licensing fees which raises little league registration fees by about 10%…or in these tough economic times could result in a loss of many kids.

Here’s a chance for A-roid and all the steroid poster children to really help baseball…with the a small fraction of the money they make they can outfit every little leaguer in America.

How about it A-rod???

Or something like that.

I think that hypocrisy is what is really getting folks ticked off.

Double standard, anyone?

http://www.nydailynews.com/spo.....pages.html

I think it really is too bad that ARod had to go and spoil all the good, warm & fuzzy feelings we could have all had about this season. The new players seem to be the right fit, at least right now, and optimism for a good season seems warranted. The cloud hanging over is really difficult for me to deal with. Waiting for the next shoe to drop with Alex is upsetting to say the least. I agree with those who have posted that they are afraid of Selena Roberts’ book, as I am also afraid. Especially since it will not really matter whether what she says is true. It will be in print, and it will be all over the place and it will be a “hot topic” for a long time.

The other thing that bothers me is the Yankees do not have a replacement for Alex Rodriguez. You can’t GET a replacement for Alex Rodriguez. So he better get his head screwed on straight. And we all have to keep our fingers crossed that someone doesn’t come out of the woodwork with something post 2004. (Though I tend to think if someone had to the goods on that, they’d have come forward by now.)

Jen, thanks! That’s not going to be something I worry about – I’m going to take SJ44’s tack: until A-Rod is proven to have used (and I don’t think he did) beyond 2003, this is all just a bunch of speculative hooey. I noticed that David Ortiz has come out with a positive quote about Presilan (sp?) – that seems to jibe with what Cano has said (I know M had concerns about this). I guess Ortiz’ quote won’t be splashed across the Daily News’ front page, though.

I love how honest he is about being “bummed” for a (very) short time after Tex was signed. That’s a natural reaction for any player because they’ve got to think about their own career. I truly believe, though, that he’s excited about his opportunity with the Yankees. As disappointed as I usually seem about Swish probably being relegated to the bench (Nady is expected to be the main RF), I do think that he will get his at-bats. Joe is pretty good about that and clearly the Yankees like a lot of things about Swish (which Joe enumerated in this article).

I also like the below: Girardi seems to recognize that it’s important to let players be themselves (to an extent). Also, it’s nice to see the players bonding. Every team is going to go through a rough stretch or two during the season, so the more cohesive they are (starting in ST), the better equipped the team will be to get through these rough times (ie: not falling apart when things aren’t all sunshine).

Swisher also has added a dose of personality to a clubhouse in need of some with the departure of Jason Giambi. He appropriated a set of stereo speakers from Damon and has plugged his iPod into them the last two mornings.

“You can tell when he’s in there,” said Girardi, who would prefer music be played on personal headphones but is willing to look the other way.

Swisher, though a fan of country music, has a playlist of hip-hop songs that meets with general approval. CC Sabathia has made his way to that end of the clubhouse to get a better listen. He and Swisher spent time together earlier this week after practice.

“A good guy, a fun guy to be around,” Sabathia said. “You like having guys like that on your team. He makes it easy for everybody.”