Joe Mauer Dips into Mr. Pohlad's Wallet

WOW, THAT'S A HUGE CONTRACT the Twins just gave Joe Mauer. $182 million for only eight years! But you know what's even more amazing? That the Pohlad empire has finally loosened the purse strings after so many years of creative bookkeeping and supposed negative cash flow. All money talk aside, this easily trumps the bad news about the other Joe (Nathan) in the Twin Cities.

David Wright's Matching Helmet & Bat

ALL SIGNS POINT TO A SERIOUS POWER FAILURE OVERHAUL when the team's best player opts for an extra-padded, extra-large batting helmet and the outfield wall is chopped down in half. It's hard to say whether New York Mets' third baseman David Wright's power numbers were hurt due to shattered confidence after getting beaned or the 16 foot high wall in center field at Citi Field. So rather than guess, Wright and the Mets took measures to overcome both possible hindrances. Personally, I think his power drop had more to do with the team finishing 23 games behind the Phillies than anything else.

Tim Lincecum's Bullet-Proof Arbitration Vest

IT MIGHT BE ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED EVENTS this offseason, Tim Lincecum's arbitration case, that is. $8 million or $13 million? It probably would be more exciting if the Lincecum party asked for, say oh, $18 million. I mean, not since Roger Clemens have we had a 2-time, back-to-back Cy Young Award winner go to arbitration. It's silly to even think about reasons why Lincecum should not deserve to win, and that's exactly what the Giants have to do. The back-to-back Cy Young Awards are like a bullet-proof vest that ought to deflect any criticism. The Giants are in a tough spot. They don't necessarily want to give Lincecum a deal yet like the one Justin Verlander got if they can go cheaper by going the arbitration route. But I can't imagine either party wanting to go to arbitration for the next two years as well. Lincecum will get his $13 million, but the Giants should really begin considering a long-term package for their franchise of a player.

McGwire's Steroid Admission & the Heavier Load

THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK and anger towards Mark McGwire since his admission to using steroids during the bulk of his career, and much of that anger is justified. There's nothing like rooting so hard for a guy only to find out that he was a fraud. Baseball fans have been left with feelings of anger, sadness, disappointment, betrayal and other negative feelings juxtaposed against these incredible memories of greatness from 1998. It's impossible to reconcile the two types of feelings. One thing is sure, McGwire's admission only puts additional pressure on guys like Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens to come forward and admit their wrongdoing.

Andre Dawson, Hall of Famer '10

Farewell #51

Trading Aces: Halladay for Lee

Chone "Gone" Figgins to Seattle

THIS ONE WAS TOUGH to stomach as an Angels fan, Chone Figgins as a Seattle Mariner, wreaking havoc alongside Ichiro throughout the American League. In this day and age when true leadoff hitters are so hard to find, the Angels weren't all that interested in the end. Yes, the up-and-coming Brandon Wood was out of options and needed to be given a chance to truly prove himself, but sheesh...I can't help but feel like Reagins let a good, no, a great one get away.

Vintage Joe Mauer: A.L. MVP '09

A MUCH DESERVED AWARD for Minnesota Twins backstop and hitter extraordinaire Joe Mauer. Whenever I think about Mauer, the first thing that comes to mind is the vintage Twins catcher's helmet he wears. So in honor of his MVP award, I've chosen this view for this sketch.

Funny Things Happen: Timmy Lincecum, 2009 N.L. Cy Young Winner

OK, SO I COULDN'T RESIST A LITTLE POKE at Tim Lincecum for his youthful indiscretions with pot earlier this month, but winning consecutive Cy Young Awards is some serious stuff. Nobody can call 2008 a fluke because little Timmy dominated National League hitters once again. Oh, and his 15 wins is one less than Zack Greinke's total in '09. Hmm, maybe voters are finally starting to look beyond win totals.

Zack Greinke A.L. Cy Young 2009: The Last Shall Be First

GREAT FEEL GOOD STORY TODAY with the announcement of this year's A.L. Cy Young Award going to Zack Greinke. Considering the fact that the Kansas City Royals finished in last place again this year (though no fault of Greinke's), it's quite an accomplishment to nab the award. An instance of when the last shall be first.

#2722: Derek Jeter Surpasses Gehrig

Earth to Pittsburgh!

AFTER YESTERDAY'S LOSS to the Cubs, I'm not sure what's worse: 17 straight losing seasons or over 100 years without a World Championship? I mean, the Cubs have had some pretty exciting seasons that, yes, ultimately ended up short, but the Bucs just haven't given their fans much of anything to hold on to these past 17 years.

Adam Lind the Monster

EIGHT RIBBIES FROM A NO-NAMER? That is on monday night when Adam Lind became a monster at the plate, hitting his first career slam enroute to defeating the Texas Rangers, 18-10. Well, no-namer no longer as Adam Lind is one of the fastest rising stars in baseball.

The 2009 New York Mets: Putting a Fork In It

FORGET THE PEN as MLB's 2009 reality show. If there was a storyline that qualified as true dramedy, it would have to be the 2009 New York Mets. From the adventures of Oliver Perez to the loss of Reyes & Delgado to K-Rod's tussle with Brian Bruney to Luis Castillo's error to David Wright's beaning to Eric Bruntlett's game-ending triple play to Johan Santana's bone chips, this was the ultimate train wreck of a season. Just about everyone expected this team to be duking it out with the Phils at the top of the NL East, but now it's high time to just stick a fork in it, let the September callups play and look to next year.

Eric Bruntlett's Game-Ending Triple Play

A Fenway Bash

Trevor Bell and the .300 Hitters

THAT'S GOTTA BE AN AWESOME FEELING for Trevor Bell, notching his first career win last night while being backed up by a full lineup of .300 hitters. The Halos have been absolutely scorching the ball over the past month and it definitely conjures up images of that magical 2002 season.

Stephen Strasburg Nats $15 Million Bonus

IT MAY NOT SEEM LIKE A LOT OF MONEY compared to what CC Sabathia got last winter, but $15.1 million is a boatload for a phenom who has only pitched competitively at the college level. Yes Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jose Contreras landed at least twice that amount, but for all competitive purposes they were much more seasoned than Strasburg and were either entering or in their prime, even if never having pitched at the big-league level.

John Smoltz Looking for a Ride