Matty and the mic

MLB Network just gained a little notoriety thanks to Matt Vasgersian. He curses. On TV. Viewer discretion is advised...

Pre-mature Manny?

The LA Times published a report titled "Manny Ramirez is back with the Dodgers," which was removed from the Times website several minutes later.

Could this mean that something's changed again in the Manny saga? Just saying...

Mid-season WBC games?

Tovin Lapan believes the World Baseball Classic needs to follow other world sporting competitions (his example is soccer's World Cup) and become a mid-season tournament rather than a spring afterthought.

It will need to take some tips from soccer's World Cup, one of the greatest sporting events around, to truly capture the attention of the baseball world:

1. Too many players sit out the WBC for dubious reasons because their loyalty to their ballclub and the signer of their checks still trumps playing for their country.

2. Even baseball fans would struggle to recall that Japan won the first WBC, and South Korea won the 2008 Olympic gold medal, but every soccer fan knows that Italy won the last World Cup and Spain is the reigning Euro Cup champ. Baseball fans need to get more familiar with international squads, which will come with increased exposure.

3. Once the WBC does gain the type of notoriety mentioned in points 1 and 2, then it will be able to suspend the MLB schedule in order to hold the games. If the Classic were held when players were at their peak, say in the middle of the traditional season, instead of in pre-season when they are just getting back into shape, the quality of play would be better and the games more exciting. After all, the NHL suspends its season for the Winter Olympics, and European soccer leagues work around the World Cup.

There are all sorts of problems with these points, including the fact that soccer takes a much different toll on the body than baseball does, and rarely does a team play more than two games in a week in soccer. But the biggest problem with the WBC is its lack of tradition. World Cups in soccer are nearly as old as the sport itself. When there were no multi-million dollar contracts from club teams, soccer players felt more of a loyalty to playing for the national team for free. A certain glamor became attached to playing for country, and soccer players and fans alike have developed a unique bond with their tournament that stands the test of time. The WBC enters the baseball world at a time of mega-deals between teams and players, meaning loyalty is firmly established between player and ballclub and not player and country. This situations makes it a lot more difficult to get players to risk injury and play for free.

Moving games to mid-season and perhaps taking a couple of weeks off to play the games might help build interest and attract players, but this could mean scrapping the All-Star game in favor of the international tournament. None of it, however, is likely. The grueling nature of a 162-game baseball season and the lack of traditional rivalries between nations in the sport means the classic will struggle to gain legitimacy in the near future.

A-Rod's hip

The hip that's potentially forcing Alex Rodriguez out of the World Baseball Classic is not a new injury, according to Yankees manager Joe Girardi.

"Alex expressed a little stiffness. There was really no pain," Girardi said on Wednesday, a day after the 33-year-old slugger played for the Dominican Republic in a tuneup for the World Baseball Classic. "We just thought it was best because he had some minor issues last year with it. We'll have a better idea after today with what the course of plan is."

The team announced on Tuesday that Rodriguez would get his hip checked by Dr. Marc Phillipon in Vail, Colo., on Wednesday afternoon. An exam Saturday revealed a cyst in the hip.

"Whenever you have something going on, you're concerned," Girardi said. "The fact he didn't have a lot of pain is a little bit more comforting. He's been able to play, and play at a high level. It hasn't kept him from doing anything. It hasn't kept him from driving the baseball. That's the good thing."

At this point it sounds like the Yankees and Rodriguez are trying to stop the injury from becoming a bigger problem, but if the issue lingered through the offseason into the spring there might be more to it than needing rest.

Acta: We don't want Barry

Nationals Manager Manny Acta summed up the interest level of at least one "rebuilding team" in Barry Bonds at his morning press conference.

"[Laughing]... it's not a match for us," Acta said. "I don't think at this stage of his career that Barry is going to pick a team that is rebuilding anyway."

Bonds would put people in the seats at Nationals Park, but that's not the direction the team is going in.

"Yeah he will, but that's not the main point here. It's trying to win, win in the long term basis and give a chance to younger guys."

The Nationals might not want Barry, but he would pick any team at this point. The only teams that might remotely be interested in him are the playoff contenders that fall into desperate straights later in the year.

They're the only ones that will even consider bringing on Bonds, and they won't be desperate for at least a few more months.