MLB First Basemen: Thanks Ryan Howard!

Before I get into anything else, I'd like to congratulate Ryan Howard for pulling a fast one on the Phillies. And to Phillies management...I'd like to an extend an open-hand slap to you for completely distorting the salary picture in Major League Baseball. Howard is a great player that has shown the kind of dedication you like to see out of your stars. He's gotten himself in better shape and gotten at least marginally better at first base (still by no means a great first baseman). But how is he worth more than Joe Mauer? Mark Teixeira? Really? Howard is still a couple of years away from free agency and yet the Phils (who have pressing needs this coming offseason, like re-signing Jayson Werth) made him the 2nd highest paid player in baseball. And yes, I am bitter about the contract because of the baseline it just set for the Albert Pujols negotiations. If Howard got $25 mil, expect Pujols to get nothing less than $30 mil/year for about 8-10 years. And the Cardinals have no choice but to pay him. Assuming their payroll pushes to just over $100 million, they'll have almost half of their entire payroll locked up in Pujols and Holliday. Damn you, Phillies (but from the offices of the agents of Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols, and Adrian Gonzalez a collective THANK YOU).

In my bitterness, I'd like to, with a smile and a laugh, welcome back Brad Lidge. I guess the Phillies really need you back. In your first appearance, you showed exactly why the Phillies missed you. Wait...you gave up two hits (one of them a home run) in your 1/3 of an inning to kick off 2010. Sure, you missed some time and you're just getting back into "game shape". I would give you the benefit of the doubt, but you look exactly the same as you did last year when you gave up nearly 2 HRs per 9 innings and had a WHIP of over 1.8. If I was running the Phillies, I'd be looking for closer help NOW. I just can't see relying on a guy that hasn't been a dominant closer since 2005. And now everyone (and by everyone I mean no one because no one is actually reading this...I'm writing for myself) will jump up and down and point out how he didn't blow a save in all of 2008 and that he was hurt most of last year (whatever excuse he needs to justify the putrid numbers). So yes, Lidge did his job in 2008 and got the saves he was supposed to. But ever since that Pujols moonshot (apologies on the quality...Major League Baseball has done a great job of killing its popularity by removing nearly any video from YouTube), Lidge has never had a WHIP of below 1.23. At times he's gotten the job done, but it's never been the same. Every save is an adventure and, come playoff time, I'd rather take the closer that has every hitter going "Oh sh*t".

Speaking of hitters saying "Oh sh*t", I'm getting way too excited about Stephen Strasburg. And I'm not even a Nationals fan. Why have none of their fans written a letter to the owner and sent it to the Washington Post begging management to bring him up? Bring the dude up NOW and give your fans some excitement. What else can the Nationals do that will generate any kind of buzz? You're not contending this year, you're not going to be competing in September...give the fans a reason to buy jerseys, a reason to go to the ballpark, and a reason to actually identify themselves as Nationals fans.

And building off of that, might I actually start watching the Nationals over the next couple of years? After this June's draft, I'll have my answer (and you should have yours as well). If they take Bryce Harper with the #1 pick, the Nats could have one of the most exciting young trios in baseball by 2011 or 2012 (Strasburg, Harper, and Jordan Zimmerman coming back from Tommy John). Zimmerman is the most under-the-radar of the bunch but was considered the top pitcher in their system before his opening season was cut short by Tommy John surgery (and the subsequent drafting of Strasburg). So please, Nationals management, draft Bryce Harper and give your fans genuine hope (If they don't draft Harper, fans need to scream for draft reform. It already needs to happen, but this will be the best and most extreme example of why the MLB Draft sucks. Teams can't trade draft picks and there's no real rookie slotting system. Teams that have less money end up drafting guys based on signability as opposed to the top player available. Ask the Padres how they feel about this.) But hey, let's live optimistically for the time being. Here's to the future of the Nats...and to the hopeful demise of the Phillies and that damn contract.