Focus on the actual teams and players has been overshadowed for much of the off-season and spring training by the steroid witch hunt that has been brought about by the BALCO trial which introduced us to the terms "The Cream" and "The Clear" and also gave way to Yankees slugger Jason Giambi give perhaps the strangest press conference in years in which he simply did his best impression of a husband at fault and simply kept apologizing without any mention of what he was actually sorry for. Jose Canseco's tell-all book in which he named plenty of fellow ball players he personally injected with steroids was enough of a reason for a U.S. congressional hearing to be held with invited baseball players. I'm still not sure what the purpose of that hearing was other than to watch Mark McGwire give his best Michael Corleone impression and plead the fifth and sidestep every question asked of him.

Before I get off the topic of steroids, has there ever been a more inauspicious way for a city to welcome and try to generate interest in an expansion team than that of the newly minted Washington Nationals? The franchise formerly known as the Montreal Expos finally escaped their uncertain life as baseball gypsies only to land in a city that's holding congressional hearings on the rampant use of steroids, decreeing that many of the sports' stars and heroes are in fact nothing more than cheaters and fakes who's records should be subjected to the asterisk - the sports world's equivalent of the Scarlet letter. Is this supposed to get people excited about a new club? Where do I sign up to buy my Nationals' season tickets?

Anyways enough of this steroid talk, onto some actual baseball content.

	Mets fans can thank Anna Benson for the team's free agent signings. (Source: AnnaBenson.net)

The New York Mets were one of the off-season's busiest and most successful clubs landing prize free agents Pedro Martinez and the biggest catch of the off-season Carlos Beltran. Perhaps wooing all these free agents was made easier by last year's omission from Anna Benson - smokin' hot wife of Mets starting pitcher Kris Benson. Ms. Benson proclaimed that if her husband ever decided to cheat on her she would publicly humiliate him by sleeping with everyone in the Mets organization - from the players to the groundskeepers. How many tempting situations do you think Benson's teammates are going to be putting on him while the team is on the road? Martinez and Beltran must have mulled over the Benson factor when they were deciding between the Mets and other clubs.

"Do I return to the team that just won it's first World Series in 86 years or do I bank on the fact that Kris is bound to slip up on the road sometime this year?"

If it weren't for his second knee operation in six weeks much of the press this year would have been centered on Barry Bonds' chase of Hank Aaron's all-time HR record. Bonds is only 52 HRs short of catching Aaron but the record watch will now have to wait until next year due to the amount of time Bonds will miss this season. Even if he only plays a quarter of the season he will be certain to pass the great Babe Ruth for 2nd on the all time list - Bonds is only 11 back of Ruth. Regardless if Bonds sets the record or not there will be many fans that will be cheering against Barry because he comes across as such an unlikable guy due in large part to his callous relationship and disregard for the media. Most fans' perspective comes from a player's interaction with the media and Bonds interacts with the media about as well as Chris Webber fits in with the 76ers. I just wonder where they're going to find a homerun crown big enough to fit Bonds' 9 ¾ head when he eventually sets the record.

	Manny Ramirez and the defending champions are ready to rub their new found success in the Yankees' faces. (Source: AP)

Another off-season, another revival of the best and certainly one of the most loathsome filled rivalries in sport; the Red Sox's remarkable comeback from 3-0 down in last year's ALCS was certainly improbable and historic. The fact that it came at the expense of the Yankees was simply a form of vindication for the past 86 years that was full of torturous defeats at the hands of the Evil Empire. The free agent war is once again being played out between the two clubs. The Red Sox's managed to land an ex-girlfriend of the Yankees with the signing of David Wells. Maybe signing Alyssa Milano will be next step just to spite the Yankees and their new starter Carl Pavano. There are many rivalries that are media created and only exist on the periphery surface but this one has a genuine feel to it right down to the shots taken by the Sox on A-Rod and the timing of the ring celebration ceremony to be done right in front of the Yankees.

MLB is using fans as the focal point for a new advertising campaign this season. You don't think this a clever and veil attempt to draw attention away from the pill popping, needle-injecting players do you? Wonder if the NHL will use a similar emphasis on fans when it returns…that is if they can find any actual fans.

A trend that is really becoming prominent in baseball is that of young impact Canadians coming through the ranks. Rich Harden, Jeff Francis, Jason Bay, and Justin Morneau are four of the leagues' best young talents and they all happen to be Canadian. It's a shame that the Blue Jays aren't drafting or signing more of these homegrown talents because it would certainly go a long way in helping Toronto's shrinking fan base, which has been receding faster than Julius Hodge's hairline ever since they stopped winning.

Acne team - Oakland Athletics: The A's are my pick for the team that's most likely to breakout this campaign. Too many people are dismissing the small-market club after they dismantled the Big Three by trading away Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder in the off-season. They got great assets in return and can plug guys like Dan Haren and Dan Meyer straight into the rotation. Plus Barry Zito is still here and he has looked pretty good in spring training and he certainly can't pitch any worse than he did last year. The sleeper of the whole bunch is Rich Harden. The guy throws hard and has a full season of experience under his belt to draw from. By the end of the season Harden might well be the ace of the staff. The A's have balanced hitting led by Eric Chavez and off-season acquisition Jason Kendall. Overall this team will be much better than people are giving them credit for.

Predictions:

AL Cy Young: Johan Santana to repeat…I called him to win it last year - I'm banking on him again.

NL Cy Young: Oliver Perez: Brought over along with NL rookie of the year Jason Bay in the Brian Giles deal with San Diego. Gets zero attention because he plays for the Pirates but his numbers last season were sparkling (12-10, 239K, 2.98 ERA) and he's due for a little more dap this year. Will win the Cy Young if his team can help him get between 16-18 wins.

AL MVP: Johan Santana: Manny Ramirez would be a good candidate here but because he plays with fellow MVP candidate David Ortiz the two cancel each other in the voting race. The Twins can virtually pencil in a win every five days when Santana is on the mound. Santana should be able to pick up where he left off from last season. After last year's All-Star break the young lefty went 13-0 with a 1.21 ERA.

NL MVP: Albert Pujols: You might as well pencil the guy in for .320 Avg, 40+ HRs, 125 RBI and 120 runs because he's been posting numbers like that ever since he entered the league. If it weren't for Barry Bonds, Pujols would already have a couple of MVP trophies. With Bonds out with an injury to start the year the door is wide open for Pujols to get his much deserved hardware.

World Series: Minnesota Twins over the San Diego Padres/Florida Marlins. The Red Sox's pitching staff is weaker than last year, in part due to injuries. The Yankees are overrated; I really don't think Jaret Wright or Carl Pavano will perform up to expectations, which leaves the Twins. The Twins have a great hitting lineup with power and speed and Johan Santana is the bonafide ace of the league. I'm torn between the Padres and Marlins as the NL Champs. The Padres have a real nice pitching staff led by Jake Peavy who has Greg Maddux-esque control. The club also has a very well balanced lineup that can get on base. The Marlins on the other hand are a great hitting club with Miguel Cabrera, ex-Jay Carlos Delgado, Mike Lowell, and Juan Pierre. The big concern with the Marlins is injury troubles with the rotation. If Beckett and Burnett can stay healthy this will be a real tough club to beat.