You can always tell when the days of February dwindle down to a precious few.  Baseball devotees await that first pitch to open spring training. 

But the sports pages, in newspapers, online, in blogosphere are filled with baseball gossip.  The fans would like to know how their teams and favorite players are doing as they round themselves into “mid-season form.”  Instead, they are being inundated with a non-stop onslaught of “Bronx Zoo” news.

Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown splashes the Yahoo Sports homepage with his interview with Yankees 3rd baseman Alex Rodriguez which centered on the end of his “blood brother” relationship with shortstop Derek Jeter — seemingly a clear case of long-term familiarity breeding contempt but also a by-product of both A-Rod’s ice-cold post season and of zoo which is the Yankees. 

The “Bronx Zoo” phenomenon is not new.  John Thorn, in his book “Treasures of the Baseball Hall of Fame” writes (page 156) about how Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig were best friends until Lou’s wife Eleanor asked Babe’s new wife Claire a private domestic question which set of a celebrated but ridiculous feud.   Babe and Lou didn’t speak for years until they reconciled on July 4, 1939 when Gehrig said his good-bye to baseball. 

And we have AP’s report for ESPN about Randy “Big Unit” Johnson unburdening himself (or was that bellyaching?) during a press conference about his treatment by the NYC media during his two seasons in “the zoo” and about how he pitched through pain which may account for his mushroomed ERA last season. 

Johnson also indicated that he believes that he can regain his domination and give the Arizona Diamondbacks at least 2 more good years.  The lefthander will be pitching behind reigning NL Cy Young Award winner  Brandon Webb in the D’back’s starting rotation.  With Livan Hernandez, acquired last season from the Washington Nationals in the threesome, Arizona has one of the better starting rotations in the NL.

In contrast with his treatment in the zoo, the Diamondbacks furnished  Johnson with “the same spring training locker he occupied during the best seasons of his extraordinary career.”

And finally, after days of posturing and positioning, it now seems that according to Paul Sullivan of the Tribune, Carlos Zambrano and the Chcago Cubs may beat the arbitration clock regarding a 1 year contract which will make Zambrano “very wealthy.”  And according to MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat;

The Cubs will likely reach an agreement on a one-year deal now and avoid the hearing, and could come to terms on a multiyear deal before Opening Day. 

Look for the Cubbies to make a serious run at Houston and St. Louis for the NL Central Division championship.

But I find all of this boring. Enough gossip, moaning and posturing guys, bring on some baseball!!

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 20th, 2007 at 6:32 am and is filed under Real-Time Baseball News and Commentary, Off-Season Action. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.