Ahh, the promise of spring training: your team has yet to lose a game, everyone is in "the best condition they've ever been in" and everywhere you look there is optimism (well, not for the Mets; hope does not spring eternal there this season) in spades. That is until those "season ending injuries" start to pop up. Poor Twins; they suffered a myriad of injuries last season that doomed them to a 99-loss 2011 campaign. And now Morneau is talking about possible retirement if he doesn't fully recover from concussion symptoms and they've just lost another. Minnesota had signed very hard-throwing Joel Zumaya to a guaranteed contract despite his injury-plagued career. When a guy can hit 105MPH on the radar guy, the upside is rather high. But not this year and, possibly never again: Zumaya tore a ligament in his pitching arm and is done for the season, possibly to retire. He's only 27.

The A's face a similar situation at third-base. The team should recognize this as Eric Chavez could not stay healthy and hold down the hot corner for them. This year, Scott Sizemore who was set to be their everyday third-sacker has gone down for the season. As of right now it looks like the Oakland team who weren't going to go anywhere in that division anyway, till use utility men in that position.

I really don't want to talk much about the Ryan Braun situation because I don't think we really know the truth and probably never will, but I do recommend reading this piece on the subject:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=As7nNrJJpHKcQ2T58vfF2PwRvLYF?slug=jp-passan_ryan_braun_drug_test_appeal_testosterone_022712

As for my own baseball writing, I am strongly thinking about throwing my hat in the ring to be a correspondent on the Yankees for the BBD (Bronx Baseball Daily) web-site; no pay, but linked through the ESPN site. Maybe we will have more readers here.

Meanwhile, I am passing more screenplays through the potential literary manager. I would bet he's waiting to send me the contract he said would be coming until he hears back from that company that is allegedly currently reading "Field Trip." If I held my breath waiting on things like this, more than my hair would be blue.

Thanks,
Brian