2001 Ad

Mac and Sammy. The Pinstriped juggernaut. Wrigley Field fights. Every baseball season has a story (or stories) all its own. What's on tap for Major League Baseball this season? Read on.

Play ball, for now. With baseball's current collective-bargaining agreement set to expire at the end of the season, another work stoppage could be forthcoming. The game's powers-that-be have yet to deal in a serious manner with escalating player salaries, growing revenue disparities among clubs and the resulting competitive imbalance. That, in turn, increases the likelihood of a lockout. Think it can't happen again? Remember: The fate of the sport is with the owners, a group with all the foresight of, well, baseball umpires.

New York, New York. Sick of the Yankees? Too bad. Baseball's big-spending bullies may be better than ever after acquiring Baltimore stalwart Mike Mussina, the owner of the fourth-highest winning percentage (.645) among right-handed pitchers with 200 or more decisions. With Mussina joining Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite and Orlando Hernandez, manager Joe Torte has a whole deck of aces. Couple them with uber-closer Mariano Rivera, superstar sluggers Bernie Williams and Derek Jeter, an aging-but-still-clutch veteran core and (most importantly) a willingness by management to spend whatever it takes to win, and the Pinstripers are in prime position to capture their fourth consecutive World Series title.

Pay Rod, not pitchers. Texas owner Tom Hicks handed Alex Rodriguez $252 million over 10 years for one reason: to win a World Series. Problem is, the Rangers did little to upgrade their decidedly mediocre pitching staff, which posted the worst earned run average (5.52) in the American League (AL) last season. A rotation led by Rick Helling and Kenny Rogers only can improve so much and, after a dismal 71-91 campaign last season, Texas has a lot of improving to do.

Mo' money, mo' problems. The Rodriguez megadeal touched off an epic of springtime salary griping, as highly paid sluggers Frank Thomas, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Gary Sheffield all moaned about a lack of "financial security." Sheffield's case was particularly ridiculous: Laboring under the weight of a six-year, $61 million contract, the put-upon Dodgers All-Star said he felt "disrespected" and demanded an extension or trade before spring training. Otherwise, he suggested, his play might suffer. A maelstrom of criticism prompted Sheffield to drop his request.

Up next, Oakland. You won't find a more likable or potentially better team than the fun-loving, hard-hitting Oakland A's. After winning the AL West on the final day of last season and nearly dethroning the imperious Yankees in the first round of the playoffs, the small-market A's have become a league darling -- exhibit 1A in the baffle against revenue sharing. Oakland has a young but enviable core in most valuable player (MVP) Jason Giambi, superstar shortstop-to-be Miguel Tejada and newly acquired leadoff dynamo Johnny Damon. Moreover, pitchers Tim Hudson, Barry Zito and Mark Mulder are three of the best young arms in the game. The downside? As a little-bucks club in a big-bucks game, Oakland is sure to be strip-mined in the manner of the mid-1990s Montreal Expos.

A model import? Keep an eye on Ichiro Suzuki. Millions of Japanese plan to. With seven consecutive Japanese-league batting titles and a .353 lifetime batting average to his credit, the Seattle right fielder has an excellent shot at becoming the first Japanese position player to make it in the majors. Last season, Mariners teammate and fellow import Kazuhiro Sasaki notched 37 saves and took home AL Rookie of the Year honors.

Big Mac is back. Before a bum knee transformed him into baseball's ultimate pinch hitter, St. Louis slugger Mark McGwire was on pace for 50-plus home runs last season, smacking 32 dingers in just 89 games. McGwire, who underwent offseason knee surgery, needs just 46 homers to reach 600 for his career; if Jim Edmonds can repeat his sensational 2000 campaign (.295, 42 homers), Big Mac could end up with a whole lot more.

It's now or never. Time is running out on two of baseball's upper-division teams. The Cleveland Indians don't field a projected starting position player younger than age 30 besides catcher Einar Diaz; moreover, the Tribe's starting rotation contains three thirtysomething veterans in Chuck Finley, Charles Nagy and Dave Burba. Out west, Arizona might be even older: All but one of the Diamondbacks' projected regulars are older than age 31, and all their starring pitchers, save Brian Anderson, are older than 34. With Juan Gonzalez joining an already-potent lineup in Cleveland and Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling holding down the rotation in Arizona, both teams are still a threat -- but not for much longer.

Fearsome fish? Don't laugh. Florida might be baseball's surprise team -- this year's version of the Chicago White Sox. Three years after gutting its championship roster, the Marlins have reloaded with a bevy of young talent. At age 23, pitcher Ryan Dempster was the youngest player in last season's All-Star Game. Center fielder Preston Wilson was baseball's only 30 homer/30 steal player. And first baseman Derrek Lee enjoyed a breakout year. Best of all, the Marlins struck an offseason deal to build a new ballpark in downtown Miami, which means by the time they can contend again, they should be able to afford it.