FanHouse JeffKent

SAN DIEGO -- Joe Kerrigan saw it watching video over the winter. Zach Duke saw it in the attitudes of his fellow pitchers in spring training.

Now, the rest of baseball is seeing it too. The Pirates pitching doesn't stink. In fact, it's pretty good.

But is this real? Or just a three-week fluke?

Even Kerrigan, the veteran pitching coach, doesn't know for sure, but he's enjoying it while it lasts.

Jeff Kent, one of the best hitting second basemen in major league history, is set to announce his retirement from baseball Thursday after 17 years in the big leagues.

Kent was still productive last year, at seasonal age 40, but injured his knee and played only a small role in the Dodgers' final push toward the NL West title. Could he have been productive again this year? Sure, but given the way the market is treating players his age and with his skillset, Kent probably would have had to take a dramatic paycut to continue his career. It's hard to blame someone who's already set for life for deciding not to spend another year away from his family, especially at a discount rate.

And with that, the discussion about Kent's legacy -- to be more specific his Hall of Fame case -- can begin.

From the Windup is FanHouse's extended look at a particular portion of America's pastime.

Believe it or not, Spring Training is just one month away. It's been a long, cold winter -- at least everywhere except Philadelphia (or Florida or Southern California) -- but if you listen closely, you can practically hear the sharp crack of the bat. Daydream long enough, and you can almost see that first session of pitcher's fielding practice.

But we aren't there yet. The slow free-agent market has left plenty of unfinished business as the clock counts down toward reporting date. So with that in mind, here are 12 big questions that figure to be answered before the moving trucks are loaded and sent on their way to Florida and Arizona.

You shock the world once again by taking the advice of Joe and using it to conclude that, not only are you most happy playing baseball, but you're most happy playing baseball for the Dodgers' eternal enemy, the San Francisco Giants.

They're the only ones willing to take a chance on a guy who flaked out on an $85 million contract.

Barry Bonds is at your introductory news conference to give you the key to the city of San Francisco. Then you make waves by saying that, instead of hitting your home runs into McCovey Cove, you hope to hit your moonshots into the Atlantic Ocean. This causes many to question your sanity, and your lack of general geographical knowledge.

You're playing left field for the hated Giants in the Dodgers' home opener and you go insane, hitting a pair of bombs off of CC Sabathia. But as you're rounding the bases a second time, Dodger fans throw bottles at you, Giant fans throw bottles at Dodger fans, and a brawl breaks out in the stands, spilling onto the field.

Jeff Kent throws haymakers at opponents and teammates, and even Vin Scully is throwing down with Duane Kuiper. All the while, you stand and watch the whole sordid event with a single tear in your eye, knowing that you caused this carnage.

THE END.

(Not sure how you got here? Start Choose Your Own Adventure: Manny Being Choosey in Free Agency from the beginning.)

Adios ... Amigos.

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2009.

The funny thing about the Dodgers is that it's really, really easy to forget that before Manny Ramirez rode in on his dreadlocked donkey like a free-swinging Don Quixote, well, they were basically just your run of the mill mediocre baseball team.

Ned Colletti was, justifiably, on the hot seat, Andruw Jones and Juan Pierre were gathering larddustballs on the bench, and despite some pretty good pitching, there wasn't enough offense to limp the team towards a .500 National League West-winning record and OMG JOE TORRE FAIL.

But Manny did show up, and he did play the role of hero. The Dodgers streaked into the playoffs, the fans started flocking back to Chavez Ravine in their imitation 'locks and then Los Angeles shocked the world by sweeping the Cubs in the NLDS. Nowhere to go up but, right? Um, actually, no.

Gay marriage is a pretty hot topic in our country. And in San Francisco there is a Proposition 8 up for vote right now that would ban gay marriage. And, according to the local CBS affiliate, "Yes on 8!" -- a campaign against gay marriage for those that are confused already -- is being led by the Mormon church.

So, in theory, it would stand to reason that Steve Young, a San Fran resident and a Mormon, would not be supporting gay marriage. That reason would be wrong.

On Friday, there were also three Halloween-themed signs in Young's yard that also urged people to reject the gay marriage ban.

In addition, records show Young's wife, Barbara, has donated approximately $50,000 to the "No On 8" campaign aimed at defeating Proposition 8.

Steve Young, answering a doorbell ring at his home late Friday afternoon, declined to comment about the signs in his yard.

No huge surprise there -- his wife actually mentioned in an email to CBS that she was the one who was strongly against Proposition 8 for personal reasons and Steve was simply supporting her. (She feels approximately the opposite way that Jeff Kent's checkbook expresses emotion.)

That's not to say he feels one way or the other about it, which is actually fantastic. He's a public figure paid to give his opinions about sports, and it kind of behooves him to stay quiet about the whole issue. However, it is kind of fantastic that he's willing to support his wife in a cause that may or may not go against his religious beliefs and one that certainly thrusts him into the public spotlight.

H:T: Larry Brown

I don't know Jeff Kent personally, but I don't think I have to know him to know that he's not the friendliest person on the planet. Every time I read a story on Jeff Kent, it's usually about something he doesn't like. He didn't like Barry Bonds, so he got into a fight with him in the dugout. He doesn't like Vin Scully, and I'm pretty sure he didn't like losing his job to Blake DeWitt in the playoffs either.

But you know what Jeff Kent really isn't a big fan of? Gay marriage. Jeff is such an opponent of gay marriage, in fact, that he's even donated $15,000 to help get Prop 8 passed in California next week. Proposition 8 being a move to ban gay marriage in California.

Jeff Kent, who played second base for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, has stepped into the emotional world of same-sex marriage, giving $15,000 to backers of the California proposition on Tuesday's ballot that would ban it.

In a disclosure filed with the California secretary of state, Kent listed his occupation as professional baseball player for the Dodgers and his address as Austin, Texas. He gave the $15,000 in a transaction dated Monday but which only now is public.

Now I'm not going to start a debate here as to whether this is right or wrong because gay marriage is one of those issues where you can't convince anyone to change their minds anyway. Besides, I'm not even sure I support marriage between a man and a woman. Still, I will say that I think it says a lot about Kent that this $15,000 donation is the only one Kent has made. Forget important things like health care or foreign policy, we got to keep those homos from getting married!

(Hat tip to SPORTSbyBROOKS)

Everyone's favorite positive locker room influence, Jeff Kent, was thought to be out for the season with torn knee cartilage. Not so fast, my friend (hey, it's college football season, too). If the stars align and everything works perfectly for the heavy hitting second baseman, he could be back in two weeks. Operative word: Could.

(Dodgers trainer Stan) Conte said it was premature to say when Kent could return, and that the recovery process could last from two to eight weeks.

From the Dodgers' perspective, I'm sure they'll go on thinking they've lost Kent for the season. You don't want to plan on having a guy in the lineup and then never get him. If he comes back, that's just gravy. Plus, Kent's such a peach you don't want the guys in the clubhouse to get their hopes up in anticipation of Mr. Personality's return. You know, morale could take a huge dip ... like when the life of the party doesn't show up to your fiesta.

Jeff Kent has been in baseball a long time. He has also said that he has zero intention of going out the door like Brett Favre (you know, indecisive whining that tortures a fanbase). And now he may have a touch decision ahead, if he wants to stick to his guns on that call.

See, he's probably going to be out for the season. And it was supposed to be his final season. So, um, yeah.

Kent, 40, has been playing through pain from slightly torn cartilage in his knee for about a month, fully aware that the continued grind of playing baseball on an everyday basis meant there was a strong risk of additional, more painful tearing.

That additional tearing is believed to be what took place during Friday's game. Kent was said to be in "excruciating pain" after leaving the game, and club officials were holding out slim hope of getting him back in what is widely expected to be his final season.

"Knowing him, I can't say (he is done) for sure," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said.

Torre also went on to say that he felt like Kent's goal in sticking around was to help the Dodgers "win a pennant", which seems kind of obvious, but it's pretty indicative that he wouldn't have still been playing if the Dodgers didn't have a shot at winning this year.

Kent's a lockjob for Cooperstown, and it would make sense that the only thing he wants to do before he rolls out of the game is pick up a championship ring. But it also stands to reason that he knows how pathetic chasing one looks. So, he may just call the dogs off, head back home and spend the rest of his days not watching porn.