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.
Who knew Pablo Ozuna was such a favorite son? The White Sox are shedding more than one tear over the designation of utilityman Ozuna, who sent to the minors to make room for the return of the considerably more valuable Paul Konerko. Even Jose Contreras is sad. Awww:
Yet, there stood pitcher Jose Contreras, hours before his team's 8-7, 13-inning marathon win at Kauffman Stadium, looking like he had just received a thunderous body blow and there wasn't enough air in the room for him to take a breath. [...] He wasn't as upset as his manager.
''[Bleep] Jose Contreras,'' Guillen said. ''Nobody in this organization is more upset or sad than Ozzie Guillen. Nobody. If some of the players didn't like the move, well, it's easy to do. Just tell Ozuna to stay here and get them to get the [bleep] out of here and go to the minor leagues.''
Yeah, [bleep] you, Jose! Ozzie Guillen is way, way sadder than you are! In the pursuit of empathy, Ozzie Guillen will never be outdone!
Among White Sox fans, the empathy returns have been far more varied. Ozuna is a fan favorite, but so is Paul Konerko; if you have to pick one, that balding World Series-winning slugger wins every time.
The start of the 2008 season has not been kind to C.C. Sabathia. After getting knocked around for 12 hits and 9 earned runs in 3.1 innings against the Athletics on Friday, Sabathia's numbers now sit at 0-2 with an 11.57 ERA after his first three starts. C.C. hasn't even seen the 7th inning of a ballgame yet, as his longest performance thus far has been 5.1 IP in his first two starts, and he's only pitched 14 innings total.
Not exactly the kind of production you would expect from the reigning American League Cy Young winner. So what's the deal?
The obvious answer to that question would be Sabathia's contract situation. Since the beginning of last season, C.C. has seen the Indians give contract extensions to Jake Westbrook, Cliff Lee, Fausto Carmona, and Travis Hafner. All the while he's been sitting there twisting in the wind. None of us can ever really be sure of how it feels to be in C.C.'s situation, but I'm pretty sure if I didn't know FanHouse wanted me back next year, it would probably affect my writing a bit. (I'd be writing posts about how Pablo Ozuna is the best player in baseball. Bar none. I know Ozzie Guillen would agree with me.)
Now it's not all the Indians' fault, because C.C. broke off contract talks with the team once the season started because he didn't want it to become a distraction. In spite of such sound logic, I think it's safe to say it's become a distraction.
The Chicago White Sox added a little more depth to their team this weekend by reportedly signing Cuban defector Alexei Ramirez to a 4-year $4.75 million deal.
Two baseball sources have confirmed to MLB.com that the White Sox have agreed in principle on a four-year, $4.75 million deal with Alexei Ramirez. The versatile Cuban exile still has to pass a physical, and an official announcement from the team probably won't come until after the New Year.
"We have arrived at an agreement with the White Sox for a Major League contract for Alexei's services," agent Jaime Torres told the Associated Press on Friday.
Now, I'm not as closely wired to Cuban baseball as the rest of you, so I can't say I know much about Ramirez. I can tell you that he mostly played shortstop in Cuba, and he can also play at second base and in centerfield. Where the White Sox plan on using him, I don't know, but I'm guessing second base since Orlando Cabrera is at shortstop.
Ramirez is listed at 26-years old, but in Cuban years that means he's probably 28 or 29. In seven seasons with Pinar Del Rio Ramirez, he hit .332 with 87 home runs, and 391 RBI.
His addition to the White Sox also means that Juan Uribe's days on the south side of Chicago are over. With Cabrera at shortstop already, and Pablo Ozuna firmly planted in the role of super-sub, there really isn't a place left for Uribe on the roster. Which makes that contract extension the White Sox signed him too all the more confusing.
Ramirez could still have a positive impact on another member of the White Sox, though. Jose Contereras is a fellow Cuban, and actually played for Pinar Del Rio as well, and he's always seemed to be a better pitcher with a fellow countrymen around. I don't think it's a coincidence that Contreras' best years both in New York and Chicago took place when Orlando Hernandez was his teammate.
Making history, or falling prey to it? Fall Down or Fall Classic looks at the reasons each playoff team could win it all -- or could become a mere footnote in 2007's MLB yearbook.
Postseason baseball is becoming a bit of a habit for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Some of Southern California Including Orange County Some Of The Valley A Little Bit Of Malibu But None Of East Los Angeles. Since the Angels celebrated a World Series championship in 2002, they've made the playoffs in two of four seasons, making it to the ALCS in 2005 when the lost to the White Sox.
So how will the story end in 2007?
The Angels took over first place back in April and they never let it go. Sure, the Mariners provided some excitement at the beginning of September, but the Angels responded by letting us all know who the cream of the crop really is in the AL West. When it was all said and done, the Angels finished 94-68, five games ahead of the Mariners.
So will 2007 end up the same way 2002 did, or are the Angels on the verge of another early exit from the playoffs? I'm of the opinion that the Angels may officially take over the city of Los Angeles this fall, but that's just my opinion. Let's all take a deeper look.
The rumored waiver-wire trade talks between the Cubs and White Sox over Sox outfielder Scott Podsednik are dead, and, in fact, never had much of a pulse in the first place. One source suggested the chances were never better than ''one in a thousand'' from the outset.
Cubs general manager Jim Hendry says that he still has a couple of live claims on other players, but that he doesn't think he's going to be bringing anybody to Chicago.
As for the White Sox, I'm somewhat surprised that they didn't just let Podsednik go. While he has been a big factor for the team with his speed while he's healthy, he's just never healthy lately. Also, the likelihood of the team bringing him back next season is probably somewhere between slim and none.
With the emergence of Jerry Owens and Danny Richar in the everyday lineup, the Sox finally have the speed on the basepaths they've been missing all season with the injuries to Pods, Darin Erstad, and Pablo Ozuna.
There's also no reason to believe that Podsednik's injury history is going to change next season. Generally when a player's biggest attribute is his legs, and he starts having groin and leg issues in his 30's, they don't go away. It's something Scotty will be dealing with the rest of his career, and I'm pretty sure the Sox don't want to deal with it anymore.
Though I think I speak for all male White Sox fans when I say we'll miss seeing Podsednik's wife around the ballpark.
Pablo Ozuna is one of Ozzie Guillen's favorite players on the White Sox. He's the type of player that will play wherever he's asked, and play his butt off while doing it.
Ozuna led off the Sox first with a drive into the right-center gap, and after stumbling around first, he turned the jets back on to stretch it into a double. Ozuna slid into second safely, but awkwardly. He rolled over onto his right ankle and leg, causing the fracture and ligament tear.
Ozuna is going to be out for at least two months, and it's expected the Sox will call up Andy Gonzalez to replace him.
"No matter who we bring up, no one can replace Pablo, that's for sure," manager Ozzie Guillensaid. "He's so valuable to us."
Ozuna is one of my favorite players on the White Sox, too. Not because he's particularly good, but just because he's fun to watch. Whether he's falling down in the outfield while making a routine catch, or flying around the basepaths, he's always causing excitement somewhere.
It's going to be very hard to replace that kind of energy over the next two months or so.
''It's a little frustrating,'' the 2003 first-round draft pick said. ''I did really well in spring training and broke with the team but haven't been able to do much. It's not my decision, but maybe it's best for me to get some playing time. I'm 25 and need to be playing, whether it's here or Charlotte or somewhere else.''
Anderson has been struggling mightily so far in limited playing time with the White Sox. He's only hitting .118 in thirteen games, but most of those games have been as a defensive replacement.
The fact is that the White Sox could absorb Anderson's lack of offense last season because they scored enough runs, and his defense was superb. It's not the same story this season. Even before Jim Thome was placed on the disabled list, the White Sox have been struggling to score runs. Now that Thome is out, it's become even more obvious.
Hopefully Anderson will be able to get his act together in Charlotte after getting some regular at bats. With Scott Podsednik's injury concerns, the White Sox could really use Anderson's glove in the outfield because the current duo of Rob Mackowiak and Pablo Ozuna in left field isn't exactly comforting to White Sox fans.
The Sox won't call anybody up to replace Anderson until Tuesday because Ozzie Guillen wants to weigh his options, but he's leaning towards Luis Terrero.
The White Sox signed two players to contract extensions yesterday before their self-imposed deadline-Carlos Zambrano doubles as the Sox GM apparently-of the end of spring training.
Both Matt Thornton and Pablo Ozuna received a contract extension. Thornton's is for 3-years and $3.25 million, while Pablo Ozuna got a 1-year $1.25 million deal. Thornton came over to the Sox last spring from Seattle as a bust, but quickly turned things around on the south side under pitching coach Don Cooper, and went 5-3 with 2 saves, an ERA of 3.33 and 49 strikeouts in 54 innings as a setup man.
"Within two or three days of the trade over here [from Seattle in March 2006], I felt more comfortable than I did in almost two years in Seattle," Thornton said. "They treat you like family here. They root for each other and pull for each other and you go out and do your job and work hard, and that's what I try to do each day."
Of course, while Sox fans are happy with the news of these extensions, these weren't the two names they wanted to hear had been signed. The Sox didn't make a deal with either Jermaine Dye, Mark Buerhle, or Tadahito Iguchi, and as is team policy, there will be no contract talks until after the season is over.
The negotiation window is now said to be closed. The Sox won't talk with the representatives for potential free agents Buehrle, Dye and Tadahito Iguchi until the 2007 season is over. They will hold exclusive negotiating rights until 15 days after the World Series.
"As of Ozzie's (Guillen) meeting this afternoon, there are no more contract talks," Williams said. "We'll deal with that after the season."
Now, this is not a hard deadline. If any of the three parties approach the White Sox during the season, Ken Williams is willing to listen. The team just doesn't want to deal with any contract negotiations using the media. An example of this occured last season when the Sox offered Buerhle an extension, which he turned down, and it was over a month before word finally leaked out.
The start of the 2008 season has not been kind to 
The Chicago White Sox added a little more depth to their team this weekend by reportedly signing Cuban defector 
Don't pay any attention to what 
Pablo Ozuna
Brian Anderson
The White Sox signed two players to contract extensions yesterday before their self-imposed deadline-Carlos Zambrano doubles as the Sox GM apparently-of the end of spring training.
