Hotstove

"Hotstove" is the nickname given to baseball news that comes out during the winter, when the long major league baseball season is at rest.

It's just a month now until pitchers and catchers will be reporting to their major league training facilities in Florida/Arizona. Here's a few observations about baseball's winter news to date:

• Sutter to HOF. Bruce Sutter threw a mean forkball for the Cubs in the late 70's. He was really the very first career closer in the major leagues -- a pitcher who specializes in pitching the closing inning(s) of a game, generally to preserve a small lead. Many closing specialists will be added to the Hall of Fame in future years, thanks to the groundbreaking career of Bruce Sutter.
• Palmeiro out? Rafael Palmeiro sounded so sincere, and so professional at this time last year, when he testified before the US Senate that he had never, ever, used illegal drugs to enhance his baseball skills. Just a few months later, he became the biggest name to ever test positive for use of illegal drugs. His claim is that he accidentally injested the substances through means he has still yet to determine. The Baltimore Orioles, his team of last year, have cut him. It appears his career, already on the down side, may now be over.
• Sosa in Washington? Another testifier was Sammy Sosa, the slugging former Cub who is the poster boy for pro baseball players who "look" like steriod users (I say "look" because he has denied use, and he has not been found guilty through drugtesting). Sosa is also on the backside of his storied career, but reports suggest he may take his home run swing to Washington DC next year to play for the NL Capitals.
• AL taking it to the NL. The National League was dominant in the 80s and early 90s. The trend has reversed the last 10 years, and continued that direction this winter. As free agents shift around, it seems more are ending up in the AL than NL. This has a lot to do with money. The Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles are big budget teams fighting in the same division. They are driving prices up ... way up. The Angels, Rangers, Indians, White Sox and Blue Jays aren't afraid to spend a little coin too. The NL budgets aren't competing, and the talent is fleeing.
• Iowa Farm League draft upcoming. OK, not exactly. We're still about 2 1/2 months off. But it won't be long until the baseball magazines start publishing their draft issues. I have been the commissioner of the "IFL" for 10 years. I know summer is coming when we fire up the fantasy baseball fix.
• Hags Hawgs finish first pole to pole to claim their first IFL crown in five years. Now I'm really getting ahead of myself.