The charismatic Sammy Sosa plays by his own rules. He always has and he always will.

Strong-willed, stubborn, borderline selfish but always competitive and almost always with a smile on his face, his strong personality is part of the reason he is loved.

 

And loathed.

 

For as many Sosa fans out there, there are Sosa-haters. He is the only person in the game that can get away with saying he does not have any offers from a Major League team to play and claim to have told his agent to stop offering his services to clubs while insisting he is not retired from the game and has not even thought about it because it's not time for that right now.

 

What? Confused? Don't worry, that's just Sammy-speak.

 

Sosa also recently announced his goal to play with Dominican Republic in next year's World Baseball Classic and said how much of an honor it would be to play for team Dominican manager Felipe Alou.

 

What? Where did that come from? Oh, Sammy.

 

Maybe he'll be on the Dominican Republic roster. Maybe. Last time I checked, the Dominicans already have a designated hitter named David Ortiz and an outfield full of All-Stars and potential stars. Cardinals superman Albert Pujols will likely play first so that means Sosa will be a fourth or fifth outfielder and potentially a pinch-hitter at best if he makes the club.

 

It seems none of that matters because Sosa has made up his mind to play for his country. And here's the reality of it all, he probably will and he'll probably hit a home run or two along the way.

 

Even at age 39, ancient for a ballplayer, Sosa can still make things happen on the baseball field on sheer will alone. He can't run or hit like he used to and his fielding is suspect, but a motivated Sosa will do something for team Dominican in 2009 and that's almost a sure-bet. He is still a great athlete. Making bold predictions and following through with them is what he does.

 

He did it with the Texas Rangers in 2007, making a comeback after sitting out all of 2006 and basically failing to compete in an abysmal season with Baltimore in 2005. Sosa hit .252 with 21 home runs and 92 RBIs in 114 games for the Rangers last year, a team the man has to have mixed feelings about. The Rangers kick-started Sosa's future, signing him as a teenager in the mid-1980s and giving him his first big league shot back in 1989. The same organization pretty much ended his career almost two decades later by sitting him and deciding to go with young players in the outfield and at the designated hitter spot for the final few months of the season.

 

The club's decision left Sosa on the bench and pondering his future. Apparently, Sosa is still pondering. He's just not worrying about it.

 

He never worries. That's part of who he is. There's no room for worrying in the Sosa universe. There is room for happiness and a little showboating.

 

Walking around Rangers Ballpark in Arlington clubhouse last season, it was easy to see that we were in Sammy's world, it was his spotlight and the rest of us were simply bit players on his stage. But he did it in a way that made you laugh, made you almost proud and made you feel anything but jealous or hatred. Rangers closer C.J. Wilson and the younger Rangers called Sosa a rock star. Sosa's Latino teammates called him a good friend and a living legend.

 

With 606 career home runs, it's easy to see why. The Dominican is one of the greatest home run hitters of all-time, the greatest from Latin America and one of the most intriguing characters in the game.

 

The bounce in his step last year said, "Look at me, I'm a superstar." It probably still does. His mouth literally said, "I love my life" and the phrase was heard more than once, often coming while he was tapping his chest. Sosa wasn't kidding. There is something to be said about enjoying your life and not being afraid of living. Sosa did both and he continues to do so on his own terms.

 

As usual.

 

When somebody like Sammy Sosa says he is not retired from baseball and you almost want to believe him even if you know better. People like Sosa don't retire from sports. Sports and its system retire them.

 

That's one rule Sammy won't get around no matter how hard he tries or how much charisma he has. But don't worry about it. He's not.

Sammy Sosa might be without a job in baseball these days but he says his playing days are not over.

The former outfielder told the Associated Press that his immediate goal is to play for the Dominican Republic in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and he's not thinking about retiring from the game at the moment.

"That's my wish," Sosa, 39, said, "to put on my country's uniform so people can see me playing again."

Sosa told the AP he is looking forward to suiting up for the Dominican team and playing under Felipe Alou, the veteran manager slated to lead the team. The Dominican club, led by current Nationals manager Manny Acta and a team of Dominican All-Stars, was eliminated by Cuba in the semifinals in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Sosa did not participate in the inaugural 2006 tournament.

Sosa said he currently does not have offers on the table from a Major League club and has asked his agent not to offer his services to any team. However, he says he has not considered the possibility of retirement because "It's not time for that yet."

A farewell tour with the Dominican team in the World Baseball Classic would be a fitting end to his career. Sosa was the first player born in Latin America to reach the 500-home run mark along with the 600-home run plateau and is revered as a hero throughout Latin America. From 1989 to 2007, Sosa hit 609 home runs and collected 1,667 RBIs with the Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles.

He is considered the greatest home run hitter of all time from Latin America.

Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton is one bad man. He could be the best.

 

If you haven't heard about Hamilton yet, especially you American League fans, don't be embarrassed. In no time, you'll hear all about how the former No. 1 draft pick spent as much time in drug rehab and on suspension as he did in the Minor Leagues, you'll hear how he has been sober since 2005 and how he just might be the best overall talent in the Major Leagues.

 

Listen closely, and you might even hear how we should not be celebrating a former drug addict and rants from those that choose to dwell on "how good he would have been" had he chosen a different path. Hamilton was so "bad," he'll never be "good enough" for some, but that's just the reality of living in a society where some choose to look everywhere but in the mirror.

 

But hey, the story-telling, the celebrating, the relating, and to a lesser extent, the judging, is exactly why Media Day at the All-Star Game is such an event. And there is little doubt that if Hamilton continues his torrid offensive pace, he'll be in the spotlight of spotlights and on the podium in front of reporters from across the globe at the Mid-Summer Classic in mid-July in New York.

 

Yes, it's only May. Yes, he is basically a rookie. But yes, he's that good. Hamilton hit the game-winning home run for the Rangers against the Twins on Thursday in extra innings and now leads the Major Leagues with 53 RBIs and is tied for the American League lead with 12 home runs. He is hitting .335 and is tops in the AL with 121 total bases. He was the American League Player of the Month for April in his first-ever month in the AL. His all-around talent rivals Yankees future Hall of Fame third baseman Alex Rodriguez. His life story blow's A-Rods away.

 

Any question you have about Hamilton will likely be answered - ten times over - in your local newspaper or second favorite website come July. And the interesting part of it all is the fact the outfielder will probably share his story with a smile on his face. It's part of who he is. It's part of his mission.

 

You see, Hamilton is an old school player. He is also a talker. Many say he is an inspiration. At the beginning of Spring Training this year, he went into detail about how addictions to alcohol and cocaine almost destroyed his life but his family and Christian faith saved him. A hot shot out from North Carolina, he was selected as the first overall pick by the Devil Rays in 1999 but fell into a downward spiral of drugs after landing on the disabled list in 2001. He went on to fail multiple drug tests, was suspended on numerous occasions and went to rehab eight times. Hamilton missed a total of 3 ½ seasons because of the substance abuse problems and was eventually picked up via Rule 5 Draft by the Reds in 2006.

 

Last season with the Reds, hit .292 with 19 homers and 47 RBIs. He was traded to Texas for pitcher Edinson Volquez this winter. Volquez is 7-1 and leads the Major Leagues with a 1.33 ERA so it's safe the say the move benefited both teams.

 

On the field, he shines. He's also a star off it. Hamilton speaks from experience. He also speaks from his heart. Ask him and he'll say most of the two dozen tattoos on his body represent demons. He'll also say his last tattoo, the one of Jesus Christ on the back of his leg, is the most symbolic and powerful. It represents victory.

 

One look at the man and one conversation with him and it's easy to see he's not that much different than anybody else (outside of all the muscle). Like the rest of us, he's doing the best he can with what he was given while walking the fine line between labels like "mistakes," "regrets" and "learning lessons." The beauty of it all is that Hamilton shares his story with youth groups, churches, fans, reporters and more importantly, readers, and he probably always will. It's what he does. It could be part of the reason there are so many Hamilton t-shirts and jerseys in the stands at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington these days. Almost everyone has known somebody that has voluntarily or involuntarily been to the emotional or physical abyss Hamilton once inhabited. Not everybody knows somebody that has made it back.

 

Fans love his game, but most of all, Hamilton represents hope in Texas. He might also help get the Rangers out of the AL West cellar for the first time in several years which would be a nice change of pace in North Texas.

 

He is already being compared to Rangers great Juan Gonzalez and some say his sweet swing is reminiscent of Rafael Palmeiro's. If A-Rod had not asked to be traded out of Texas, Hamilton would be compared to him, too. The truth is that Hamilton will never be viewed as just another Texas Rangers player because his talent-level makes it impossible. He should never be viewed as just another athlete because his past shouldn't let him.

 

And that's not a bad thing. Boo to the school that views Hamilton as just a ballplayer and ignores his past and future impact off the field. He doesn't see himself that way so why should anybody else?

 

You'll get the chance to make up your own mind in about two months when his face and story flood into your living rooms. In the meantime, enjoy the Hamilton show. He hits third every night.

 

 

The dancing, the fist pumps and the pointing into the air are all back for Houston closer Jose Valverde.

 

More importantly for the Astros, so is the consistent pitching. Valverde picked up his 12^th save in 15 chances Sunday in the victory against the Rangers with 1 1/3 innings of work. He has not allowed a run in 15 consecutive innings and has seven saves in his last seven opportunities.

 

 

"He has been our most consistent guy over the last three weeks," Astros manager Cecil Cooper said. "Every time we got a lead, he has nailed it down. His ERA has probably dropped three whole runs in the last month. He's good."

 

 

Valverde is pitching like the man who led the Major Leagues with 47 saves last season, the guy the Astros traded for and not the pitcher that blew three saves and had a 6.92 ERA in April.

 

Valverde is Valverde again. Just ask him.

 

"I feel more comfortable than before," he said. "I am getting to know my teammates and having fun on the field. Going to a new team is not easy but that is the past now. I am happy here. If you look around, I think you will see we have a good team."

 

Valverde said poor pitching mechanics were the reason for his control problems in April. On the night of April 15^th, the night he was tagged for four runs, including two home runs, in only 1/3 of an inning by the Phillies, he spent countless hours watching video and analyzing his performances. What he found was the solution: his hands were set too low before he went into his windup and the result was a spinning body action during his delivery that hurt his control and velocity. Additionally, he was not using the over-the-top follow through that had made him such a success in Arizona.

 

 

"All we can go on is the video and what he has done in the past and what he has done for us," Astros pitching coach Dewey Robinson said. "Now, he is back to driving the ball down and we even changed the grip on his splitter to get the ball to go down. We just got him back to what he was doing last year. He's been very efficient and I give a lot of credit to Jose."

 

Ask Valverde and he'll say he doesn't know how his mechanics changed, but admits it happens sometimes with pitchers. He also admits to trying to impress his teammates early on and might have been thinking too much on the mound. He never panicked in April but knew something was not right and it had to be fixed.

 

"I had no idea I was even dropping my hands but I was getting hit hard so there was a problem," Valverde said. "I wasn't doing my job the way I knew I could do it. You give up three runs here, four runs there and something is not right. I am the same pitcher as last year but I was giving up runs. Things are a lot better now."

 

Despite losing two of three against the Rangers during the weekend, there are plenty of reasons for Valverde and the Astros to remain optimistic. The Astros are 12-4 in May and finished the recent 10-game road trip with a 7-3 record. First baseman Lance Berkman has been leading the offensive charge, hitting .399 and riding a 17-game hitting streak. He has hit eight home runs during that span.

 

"This is a team that never gives up," Valverde said. "Everybody feels like we can win the game anytime and it doesn't matter what the score is. We get better after the seventh inning, always coming back and fighting. I am very proud to be a part of this team here."

 

Facing his former Diamondback teammates last month for the first time and earning his fifth save of the season along the way helped him close a chapter on the past and complete his transition into being an Astro. The pitcher looks back on his time in Arizona fondly, but said he is not looking back.

 

"I was throwing 99 mph that game," Valverde said with a smile. "It was fun but now they are just another team like everybody else. I have a new team and we are good here, too."

 

 

 

 

ARLINGTON - Expected to contend for the American League West title, a slow start has put the Seattle Mariners in last place in the division, left the clubhouse looking for answers and tested the general manager's patience.

 

The Mariners lost the first two games of a three-game series against the Rangers this week to drop the team's overall record to 15-26 and 2-11 in May. The Mariners have lost 12 of the last 14 games.

 

"We went into Spring Training with high expectations and a solid roster," said Mariners General Manager Bill Bavasi, who is traveling with the team. "They might have gone through the motions in Spring Training. Either that or they came out unprepared and are playing bad baseball."

 

Either way, Bavasi said he stands by the leadership and personnel on the field and in the dugout but is simply not pleased with the way his club has performed.

 

"They just have to do a better job," he said.

 

The Mariners had high hopes. During the offseason, the club traded for left-handed pitcher Erik Bedard and signed free agent pitcher Carlos Silva to compliment a pitching staff that features Felix Hernandez, Miguel Batista and Jarrod Washburn. Bedard and Hernandez are 0-5 for the month. The Mariners' starting pitching ranks 11^th in the American League with a 4.59 ERA and the relievers are ranked seventh with a 4.17 ERA.

 

The offense has also struggled, hitting .249 overall and .236 with runners in scoring position. Adrian Beltre, Yuniesky Betancourt, Jose Vidro, Wladimir Balentien, and Kenji Johjima have a combined batting average of .231. Richie Sexson is hitting .202.

 

"We definitely felt we have the pieces in place to make some noise this year and we still do," Washburn said. "But we have played about as bad as you can possibly play as a team. You are always going to go through stretches in team when the team goes bad, but maybe it's a good thing that it happened to us early on so we can figure it out and play good baseball the rest of the season."

 

The Mariners are last in the American League with a .308 on-base-percentage.

 

"Every team goes through things that we are going through," Vidro said. "We have good players but everybody is struggling at the same time. We have a lot of confidence. We are not walking around with our heads down."

 

The defense has not helped. The Mariners have committed 31 errors this season, the second most in the league. They committed five errors in the first two games against the Rangers.

 

"Even in the games we won, we probably have not played three games in a row of good baseball and it's caught up to us," Bavasi said. "We have the right parts but we are just playing bad baseball right now."

 

 

Mariners manager John McLaren remains optimistic. He believes the team has to "keep it simple" and not over-think the situation or the game. He says a momentum shifting play, be it a bloop-single, a double play or strikeout can get his team back on a winning streak.

 

He's just not sure when it is going to happen.

 

 

"We know what we are capable of doing," he said. "We've kind of been in an uphill battle for the last three to four weeks. We are fighting. You can't feel sorry for yourself, you can't sit in a corner and just mope. This is man's game and we know we are going to put it together. We just have out get out of this slump and get feeling good about ourselves."

 

The view from the bottom of the standings is daunting but Mariners infielder Miguel Cairo is not worried and said his teammates aren't either.

 

"There are four and half months to go and a lot of games left," Cairo said. "You just have to keep your head up and keep playing baseball. We have very good players in here and I believe in what we have. I am not panicking."

 

Bavasi might not be panicking either but he is definitely not buying the "it's still early" rationale. The Mariners are nine games behind the first-place Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the AL West standings.

 

"Enough time has gone by to where it's alarming," Bavasi said. "The only way back is to forget about wins and losses and simply play good baseball. Clean the game up and if it's clean, you will start to win games if you are good enough."

 

 

 

ARLINGTON -- Santiago Casilla's special delivery came early Sunday morning, had nothing to do with pitching and of all places, came from the Texas Rangers clubhouse via an eager clubhouse attendant.

In one small clear plastic container was the white rice, the other container had plantains. The Dominican Republic staples came courtesy of Rangers pitcher Franklyn German, Casilla's countryman and neighbor back home on the island, and the smell alone brought a smile to the Oakland reliever's face.

The timing could not have been better. Call it comfort food for a man that has never looked more comfortable. The right-hander is having success on the mound and enjoying every minute of it.

"Santiago's stuff has always been there, but now he's confident being in the Major Leagues and he looks forward to pitching in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings when we have the lead," Oakland pitching coach Curt Young said. "It comes with confidence. When you are comfortable in the situation, you can let your talent work for you. Success brings confidence, and he has had a lot of success."

Until he was charged with a run Saturday against the Rangers, Casilla had not been scored upon in 18 innings of work this season. He still boasts a 2-0 record with a 0.47 ERA in 19 1/3 innings in 2008. For his career, he is 5-1 with a 4.22 ERA in 81 innings starting in 2004.

"They scored on me, but that's baseball," Casilla, 27, said. "It shows that I was throwing the ball well and we are playing well. I'm just trying to do my job and have some fun. It's been great because I have more experience here. Last year, I got to know the league."

Oakland manager Bob Geren said he respects Casilla's streak, but all goals are ultimately team-oriented and Casilla has definitely helped the team reach its goal -- to win games.

"He has a great slider, he's throwing in the mid-90s and his location has been pretty close to perfect," Geren said. "If you watch him pitch all the time you can understand why he is doing so well. He has been very dominating at times."

In 2007, Casilla went 3-1 with a 4.44 ERA in 50 2/3 innings and helped fill in for Huston Street at times when the Athletics closer was injured. This season, he is a big reason Oakland relievers rank first in the American League with eight wins and a 2.79 ERA. Overall, Oakland's pitching is tops in the American League with a 3.29 ERA.

"He was kind of inconsistent toward the end of the season, but he was good and you always saw the flash of talent," Oakland reliever Alan Embree said. "From Spring Training on, he has had a different approach. He wants the ball and he wants to be on the mound."

"In order to be comfortable as a reliever you have to go through ups and downs," Embree continued. "You have to go through low points because it tests the character of a player. You have to come back to the high level you were before. Santiago understands that."

Casilla admits the road has been an eventful one. He once went by the name Jairo Garcia and claimed to be almost three years younger before the truth was discovered in 2006. It's a topic he does not like to discuss, because he said it's part of his past and he wants to focus on his present and future instead.

He's not shy about his distant past, however, growing up as one of 12 siblings near San Cristobal and about his brother Jose, a farmhand in the Giants organization.

"We were a normal family and everybody knew I wanted to be a baseball player," Casilla said. "My father played when he was younger, but I don't know if you can say we were a family of baseball players. Jose is good. He will be here one day."

"Here" is a good place for Casilla, because the big leagues are literally starting to feel like home. Casilla lives in the same Palenque neighborhood as Major Leaguers Vladimir Guerrero (Angels), Timo Perez, Juan Uribe (White Sox), Francisco Liriano (Twins) along with German and said having buddies on big league rosters is good for his confidence. It can't be bad for his hunger pangs, either.

"It's a great experience to have all of your friends here with you, to help you," Casilla said. "This is where everybody wants to be and I'm very happy to be here."

The Colorado Rockies have returned to Earth. The San Diego Padres have disappeared from the top and the San Francisco Giants are taking this "Us against the World" thing seriously.

 

The National League West, considered by some to be the best division in baseball from top to bottom, is providing some drama this season, but it's just not the story everybody expected.

 

There has been a big twist in the plot. There is no plot. The only thing thickening is the nacho cheese in the laps of the jaw-dropped fans who can't believe what they are watching.

 

It seems the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers are the only teams living up to the expectations and keeping this talented group from looking like a bad pay-per-view boxing match on a Saturday night - over-hyped and over-priced.

 

The three other teams in the division have losing records.

 

I bought it all back in March and bragged about it to anybody that would listen. This is the best division in the game I said. Well now, I want my $49.95 back or at least half of it. Call it buyer's remorse. I'm still looking for the truth in the NL West advertising.

 

It's only May. But we've been waiting for this division to start play since the Rockies and Padres needed an extra day to determine the NL Wild Card. We want a knockout. What we have received so far is Butterbean boxing or a bad night of Lucha Libra, Mexican wrestling. It's good for a laugh, but deep down inside we know it's not the real thing and it can get much better.

 

And maybe it will. It has to.

 

Any fool, even this one, will agree that one month does not a season make, and that's the good news. This soap opera will keep our attention in one way or the other. There is no way the Padres and the Rockies are this bad. Can the Diamondbacks be this good? How big will the Joe Torre factor in Los Angeles get played up in the media? And speaking of the Dodgers, what is wrong with Andruw Jones?

 

What hasn't gone right for Arizona? Ace Brandon Webb and Dan Haren have been as advertised and the bullpen has not missed a beat since trading closer Jose Valverde. Offense is not an issue this year, in large part because young players Chris Young, Stephen Drew and Justin Upton are a year older and more experienced.

 

Their team slogan last year was "Anybody, anytime." This year's should read something like "We are not fooling anybody with our wide-eyed act this year because we are a good team, professional athletes and have the ability to beat your team with anybody, anytime."

 

 

 

Granted, it's not exactly catchy and would probably look ugly on a t-shirt but remember these guys used to wear pinstriped uniforms and Barney the Dinosaur purple as the primary color.

 

A few things have been as expected. The brochure I read said the Giants can pitch and so far it's true. Tim Lincecum and company are legit. Barry Zito, on the other hand, has been as productive as the other famous Barry that once wore the orange and black this year and that guy has basically been forced into retirement. Zito to the bullpen and now he's back in the rotation? Maybe there are a few more twists to come in this novella.

 

 

The Giants are expected to finish last in the division this season and maybe that happens, but it looks like they are not going to the basement without a fight.  The offense is ranked 19^th in batting average in the Major Leagues with a .252 mark. By comparison, the Padres are second to last in the category with a .230 batting average. The Giants pitchers boast a 4.02 ERA, good enough for the eighth spot in the National League. The Padres are right behind them at 4.16.

 

Lincecum and his teammates are either deaf, determined, or just hard-headed. They refuse to listen to all the negative talk about their team and the whole weakest offense in the game label that once was the biggest knock on this team is not on their radar anymore. It still exists. It's just not on the radar.

 

The Giants are in third place behind Arizona and Los Angeles.

 

The Padres might want to learn a thing or two about resilience from their Bay Area neighbor. A big issue for the Padres has been an erratic bullpen and an overall lack of speed on the bases or on defense. Ace Jake Peavy is 4-1 with a 2.22 ERA but a Cy Young Award winner performing up to his ability is not a surprise.

 

Needless to say, the bottom of the standings is not where the Padres expected to find themselves after a month of play. Nobody expected it. And the "last-place Rockies" just doesn't have the same ring to it as the "2007 National League Champions" but that's the reality for now. Losing shortstop Troy Tulowitzki to injury and the fall of young closer Manny Corpas has not helped.

 

Inconsistent play can even make champions look like ... the opposite of champions.

 

The story is just unfolding and there is plenty of baseball to be played. Here's hoping for some fun in the NL West sun. The first month is not what we paid for. The last month better be free of charge.

 

Continue reading 'Wild West'...

Think Mets vs. Yankees. Think about Chien-Ming Wang vs. Johan Santana at Yankee Stadium. Now think about Wang and Santana on the same team.

 

The prospect of the dynamic duo in pinstripes sure does look a lot better now than when the subject came up during the winter. It's never going to happen. If there was ever a time to reinforce how important it was for the Yankees to go after, then fail to get Santana this offseason, this is it. If there was ever a time to look back on the immediate past and shake your head, now is the time.

 

The Yankees could have had Santana from the Twins but didn't want to part with Phil Hughes or Ian Kennedy? I'm not going to say "I told you so" but that doesn't mean I'm not going to think it.

 

Santana is 3-2 with a 2.91 ERA in seven starts. His presence on the mound makes batting instructors nervous and his teammates feel at ease. He's a two-time Cy Young Award winner and there is little doubt the Mets believe he is going to win every time he steps on the mound.

 

Kennedy is 0-2 with an 8.37 ERA and now back in the Minor Leagues. For all of his promise and obvious talent, Hughes is 0-4 with a 9.00 ERA and on the disabled list. I've never been a big fan of how the Yankees always acquire big names, trade the farm, and pay the most money for players because they can, but I've never hate them for it either. That's how the Yankees operate and that's how it worked for them in the past. If other clubs had the means, I'm sure they would operate the same way. But changing the philosophy and deciding against acquiring Santana because the club wanted to keep the organization's top pitching prospects was a not the best idea in this case.

 

 

Yes, the season is young and so are Kennedy and Hughes, but that's part of the issue at hand. The two Yankees pitchers are so young I don't believe anybody really knows how good they are going to be in their careers. There are people who have "hope" they will be great pitchers and people who "believe," "project," and "envision" these youngsters as superstars one day, but there are no guarantees.

 

Santana is a guaranteed winner. The Yankees should have acquired him and added another big name to the team no matter the cost. Wang is 6-0 with a 3.00 ERA. Two aces in the Bronx sounds pretty good right now doesn't it?

 

Will Hughes and Kennedy rebound? I'm sure they will. Will either ever be Santana? Likely not. Will the young duo get their act together in time for the talented (and aging) Yankees roster to put together another championship run? That's the real question.

 

The good news for Yankees haters (a group which does NOT include yours truly) is that the window is closing. Jason Giambi is 37, Johnny Damon and Bobby Abreu are both 34, Hideki Matsui and Derek Jeter will be 34 next month. Mike Mussina is 39 and Andy Pettitte is 35. Even Alex Rodriguez is on his way to 33 although he shows no signs of slowing down.

 

The great Mariano Rivera is 38 and Jorge Posada is 36. Speaking of Posada, his contract along with the club's failure to acquire Santana is coming back to haunt the Bronx. Posada has been a solid catcher for years but a four-year deal for a catcher that age was a huge risk. It's easy to say that now, but the reality is that aging and Father Time waits for no man, not even Posada. The veteran is on the disabled list with shoulder problems and when he returns (whenever that is), there is no guarantee he is going to be the same.

 

I can hear the Yankees rebuttal now. "But wait, we have Melky Cabrera (23), Joba Chamberlain (22) and Robinson Cano (25)."

 

Yes you do. Cabrera is doing his part but how's that .154 batting average and four-year deal looking for Cano these days? Chamberlain is an obvious talent and appears destined for great things. But let's just reserve judgment for a season or two until he becomes who he is going to become on the mound. Pitchers change. Sometimes they get better with more experience. Sometimes they don't.

 

What won't change, barring injury, is Santana. He is who is he is and what he is right now is a Met. Think about that when he faces Wang.

ARLINGTON - The numbers are down for Royals catcher Miguel Olivo. So is his playing time, as is the prospect of cracking the lineup on a regular basis.

He says he doesn't want to be traded. He just wants to play - everyday.

His manager doesn't blame him.

"How would it be for anybody? It's difficult," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "It's a difficult transition when you are used to coming in and strapping it on everyday. He wants to feel a part of it. It's a difficult proposition to get a guy at the end of the season looking back on it and see 'Hey it was a good place for me to be.''"

It's been quite a change for Olivo. While with the Marlins in 2006 and 2007, Olivo averaged 125 games played per season. This season, he has appeared in 13 games but with John Buck as the team's regular starter, the Dominican Republic native has only made six starts behind the plate. Olivo has also seen action as the team's designated hitter and the club is considering using him at first base. Left field is also an option.

"I'm not playing a lot but when I get in there I do my job and do the best I can," Olivo said. "It's a big change for me because I 'm used to playing. Now we have two first-string catchers. When I got here there was John Buck and now he is playing more than me. I understand. But when I got here nobody said that to me."<p>

The lack of playing time could be taking a toll on Olivo. He went 0-for-5 against the Rangers on Tuesday and does not have a hit in his last 11 at-bats. He is still hitting .233 with three home runs and eight RBIs. Six of his 10 hits this season have gone for extra bases.

"He's done a great job, he's has some very productive offensive games," Hillman said. "Overall, I'm pleased with what he has done. He brings great energy to the table. He's a great worker with a great attitude. He wants to play more and I'll never fault anybody for wanting to play more. He's open and honest. We talk about that. I encourage him to talk about that I want the guys to keep it perspective and he's been very good job with that."

Olivo could be too honest. When asked about his lack of playing time, Olivo said he is not ruling out playing for another club if the right opportunity presents itself. For now, he is content in his new role and wearing a happy face. He realizes if he does not take advantage of his opportunities when given he's not going to play anywhere.

He trains and prepares as if he is the everyday starting catcher.

"We'll see what happens. Maybe the team will trade me. I don't know," he said. "They have said I could play some other position but I'm a catcher. I don't want to do a bad job in another position that I don't know."

"It's a new team, new thing for me," he continued. "I've never been through this. I talked to my lawyer and they say maybe things will change but nothing has changed. This is very hard for me but things change and you have to adjust."

Hillman wants a resolution that benefits the team as a whole. Olivo, even in a part-time role, is an important part of the team.

"He makes our club better being here," the manager said. "That's why we went and got him and that's why we want to keep him. We'll see if we can keep him happy with the playing time and see how it shakes out."