Emergence of the Tampa Bay Rays, Closing of Yankee Stadium, Mets Collapse and More!

Mark Teixeira has signed with the New York Yankees. Boy was my earlier prediction wrong. Here are my thoughts on the signing.

K-Rod bringing the heat:

Upon signing with the Mets, Francisco Rodriguez is quoted as saying “Of course, we’re going to be the team to beat“.

K-Rod you may want to ask Carlos Beltran how his prediction last year turned out. I understand that K-Rod should be confident in his and the Mets ability but as a Mets fan who has watched his team collapse over the last two years, I really don’t want to hear all the chatter. Let’s cut out all the handshakes and “team to beat” quotes. Let’s play some good solid baseball this year. Am I the only Mets fan thats tired of the talk?

Bonds Will Hit For Food:

Barry Bonds says he’s not retired. I think it’s time for Bonds to face the music. He’s had zero offers in the last two years and there are still some pending legal issues he has to deal with. There is no GM in baseball who is going to risk their career and take a chance on Bonds. Besides if Bonds were to come back it would be in a DH role and there are plenty of DH free agents out there that are more appealing than Bonds (Jason Giambi, Pat Burrell, Milton Bradley). Would you want Bonds on your team? I know I wouldn’t.

Brian Giles:

Brian Giles has been allegedly caught on tape physically abusing his girlfriend and she has in turn filed a lawsuit against him. We’ve recently seen the NFL take a stance against improper off the field conduct (example Pac Man Jones). I’m wondering if MLB needs to start doing the same thing? Brian Giles actions are without a doubt a black eye for baseball and I think it’s time that MLB start to come down harder on it’s players who conduct themselves poorly off the field.

A Lot of talk in the New York area today about the Yankees apparent interest in Manny Ramirez. At the end of the day, my prediction is Manny will sign with the Angels. Where do you think he will end up?

For More Info on Manny Ramirez, check out his player profile on mlb.com