It's finally here: The very unofficial start of the baseball season. This week pitchers and catchers reported to spring training, and next week the rest of the players will follow.
One ongoing story that has created some controversy is the condition of Blue Jays' pitcher Mike Sirotka. On Jan. 14, Sirotka was involved in a six-player deal that sent ace David Wells to the Chicago White Sox. But it was learned this week that Sirotka had a torn rotator cuff at the time of the trade and is likely to miss the entire season.
The Jays have asked the White Sox to rework the deal, and if the Sox do not offer a satisfactory solution, Toronto will petition the commissioner's office to intervene. It remains possible that the trade could be reversed - a welcome outcome for all teams that would like another shot at trading for Wells.
Speculation abounds at this early point, as rumors can't yet be disproved. Here are some:
1. Will Sammy Sosa be a Cub all year?
No. With his contract up at the end of the year and the Cubs seemingly unprepared to offer Sosa a big-time deal, it's likely he will get traded to a contender sometime before the deadline. It's very possible that the Cubs will only be able to get prospects in return, as Sosa will probably test the free-agent market after the season.2. Does the acquisition of Mike Mussina give the Yankees the pitching they need to win another championship?
No. Mussina has never pitched in New York, and you can never tell how a player will react to the intensity of the NY media until it happens (i.e. Kenny Rogers). And the Yanks really need him to be the Mussina he had been in Baltimore. Roger Clemens is 39 and Orlando Hernandez' arm trouble from last season could be a recurring problem, considering his unique delivery.3. Will David Cone start for the Red Sox?
Yes. Cone is a fighter and has something to prove. Word is he worked hard this off-season, so expect him to be one of the Sox' top few starters.4. Will the strike zone be any different than it was last year?
Don't count on it. Despite all the talk about calling belt-high strikes, these umpires have been calling the strike zone as they see it and have been doing so their entire careers. There may be a few surprising strikes called, especially early in the year, but expect little change.Moving off the diamond... Sunday's NBA All-Star game was the best in recent memory. The undersized East came from 21 points down in the last nine minutes of the game to win 111-110, as Allen Iverson scored 15 of his 25 points in the 4th quarter and was named MVP.
The most compelling story this season in the NHL has been the comeback of Mario Lemieux. Going into tonight's game, Lemieux has 37 points (19 goals, 18 assists) in 20 games played. To put that in perspective, Colorado's Joe Sakic, the NHL's leading scorer, has 78 points in 57 games. At his current rate, if Lemieux had played as many games as Sakic, he would have 105 points and would be running away with yet another scoring title.
That's not a realistic prospect, though, as Lemieux's back is beginning to bother him, and the veteran might start sitting the latter game when Pittsburgh plays two contests in two days.
In college hoops... North Carolina, having beaten Duke, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, and Maryland in its last four games, is currently the number one team in the nation. The Tar Heels were able to claim the spot when Stanford, now ranked #2, lost to UCLA on Feb. 3. The Cardinal, in its first 19 games, did not allow an opponent to shoot over 46 percent. But in the last four games, they have allowed three teams to shoot over 50 percent (one was UCLA). Stanford, however, remains a balanced team that no one will want to play in March.
