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On paper, Rafael Palmeiro is a sure-fire Hall of Famer. Unfortunately, in the real world he is not. He is the poster boy for the steroid era, and he in turn sullied the game the same way others like Rose and the Black Sox did.

Despite vehemently denying the use of steroids, he failed a steroid test, was named by Jose Canseco as a user and he was also named in the Mitchell Report. The amount of evidence against him is staggering, and because of that evidence, Palmeiro must be kept out of the Hall of Fame.

So far, the Hall has been able to keep itself uncorrupted from all the problems and illegalities that have plagued the game over the last hundred years. Letting Palmeiro into the Hall of Fame sets a precedent, allowing all other steroid users in, and justifying baseball’s gilded age. For the sake of the purity of the game, we must keep Palmeiro and all other steroid users out of the Hall of Fame.

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Tino Martinez was one of the greatest Yankee first basemen and should be in the Hall of Fame.  He had a career that spanned 16 seasons, including four World Series titles.  He is eligible for the Hall of Fame this season, and the voters should consider him.

Tino Martinez’s stats were not outstanding.  However, he did drive in over 1,000 runs over the course of his career, and was consistently one of the best overall first basemen in the game.

Martinez was also the most underrated defensive first basemen in the league.  He never won a Gold Glove award, but was a vacuum cleaner of a first basemen.  His defense was not appreciated until Jason Giambi replaced him.  

The main reason Constantino Martinez should be in the Hall of Fame is his intangibles.  Tino was a great teammate, who brought four World Series titles back to the Bronx, while replacing Yankee legend Don Mattingly.  Given the circumstances, no other player in baseball could have succeeded the way Tino did, and that is what endears him to the hearts of every Yankee fan.

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With the Phillies signing Cliff Lee, they create an unstoppable rotation that seems poised to steamroll the competition in 2011 to a World Series title.

Few teams will be able to stand in their way, but one team poses the greatest threat to them: the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cardinals have the pieces in place that could help them stand up to the Phils and beat them in a five- or seven-game series.

Here are the top 10 reasons why.

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The Boston Red Sox effectively dominated the Winter Meetings, landing both Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez. 

Their lineup is loaded, and have a deep rotation looking to have a bounce-back year in 2011.  The Yankees, meanwhile have stood steadfast, and have yet to make a significant move besides re-signing Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.

With the AL East’s balance of power currently shifted in Boston’s favor, the Yankees will no doubt strike back, resuming baseball’s Cold War.  Here are 10 possible moves the Yankees can make to turn back the tide:

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The baseball offseason is off to a slow, but exciting start. Personnel moves are a work in progress, but some dominoes have fallen which will no doubt allow for other big names like Lee, Greinke and Crawford to be moved.

Here is a list of the top five best and worst moves of the offseason so far:

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Answering the Red Sox‘s acquisition of Adrian Gonzalez, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera have officially re-signed with the New York Yankees. 

Yesterday, Rivera agreed in principle to a two-year deal worth $30 million and Jeter agreed to a three-year deal worth $51 million.   Jeter could also receive a fourth year if his option is picked up in 2014.

While negotiations with Jeter seemed tense, it seemed there was never a chance he would leave New York.  According to a Tweet from SI’s Jon Heyman, five teams called the shortstop to express interest in his services.  Jeter never expressed interest in any of the other potential suitors.

The deal will take Derek to age 39, and will most certainly put him in position for the Pete Rose’s all-time record for hits.  By the time this contract expires, Jeter should be around fifth on the list. 

It also gives the captain a chance to add more World Series rings to his resume.

Perhaps the tactics Jeter and his agent Casey Close were using was to get an extra $6 million out of the deal. 

As for Rivera, no one ever thought he would leave New York from the start.  Despite a three-year offer from the Red Sox, the Yankees‘ arch rival, Rivera took a two-year deal to stay in the Bronx.

Now that the top two Yankee free agents have been resigned, GM Brian Cashman can now focus on acquiring new talent.  The Cliff Lee sweepstakes will now heat up greatly and the Yankees are still in on Carl Crawford.

Several analysts on the MLB network are speculating CC Sabathia money for Lee.  However, rumors on ESPN seem to have the loser of the Cliff Lee sweepstakes winning the services of former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke.

On the Crawford front, the Yanks have been keeping tabs for weeks on Crawford’s negotiations with various teams. 

Lee seems to be higher on the Yankees’ wish list, but if Lee signs with another team, expect the Yankees to trade for Greinke and sign Crawford. 

There is also a chance both Lee and Crawford land in Pinstripes, if the Yankees saw fit.

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The New York Yankees have once again failed to reach their goal of winning a World Series Championship.  While the team was solid, it won nothing last year but a single playoff series.  Granted, it sounds pretentious to 29 other teams to call a trip to the ALCS a failure, but in Yankee town, that’s all it is.

However, in the offseason, youth springs eternal, and the Yankees will no doubt look to reload.  They already made the mistakes this offseason of resigning emotionless Joe Girardi (aka Joe Torre Jr without the great baseball mind and with a silly notebook) and passing on legendary pitching coach Leo Mazzone for their vacant opening.

That being said, the Yanks could still rebound this offseason and become champions in 2011 and beyond by making these moves:

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Picture a franchise player who was once considered one of the best players in baseball.  Fans watched him grow from an ambitious kid to a superstar, to now what could be the twilight of his career.  This is the case of Derek Jeter and the New York Yankees.

Ten years ago, Mr. Jeter signed a 10-year deal worth $189 million.  He earned every penny of that contract as he perpetually hit over .300, played stellar (and underrated) defense and won more championships than any other player in baseball except for his other core four teammates.

However, last year was his walk year, and Mr. Jeter had undoubtedly the worst season of his career.  He hit a paltry .270, and despite winning the Gold Glove, seemed a step slower in the field.  2010 was most definitely the worst season of his career.  Also, he turns 37 next June and it could be a recipe for disaster.

Any 36-year-old shortstop would have no business demanding a four-year deal.  Like catchers and pitchers, they have a short shelf life as they rely on their speed and athleticism to thrive in the field.  Couple that with naturally slowing bat speed—and a four-year deal usually does not work well for the team that signs the player.  Only two shortstops in recent memory were still playing at a high level into their 40s: future Hall of Famers Barry Larkin and Omar Vizquel.

That being said, Jeter’s agent, Casey Close, is pushing for a four or five-year deal.  Any other 36-year-old shortstop would never receive a deal of four years, and would likely get two at most.  The Yankees seem to be targeting a three-year deal.

So now, Yankees GM Brian Cashman is now stuck between a rock and a hard place. He must find a way to sign Jeter to a new deal because he is still the best shortstop available, and he is still Derek Jeter.  Jeter’s place in New York is so solidified that a failure to re-sign him would vilify Mr. Cashman for the rest of his tenure in the Bronx.

Both sides should agree to a three-year deal worth $45 million.  Jeter’s production was way down last year, but it could also be an anomaly, where he reverts back to form in 2011.  The deal would also give him a chance to reach 3,000 hits, a feat no Yankee has achieved, as well as the possibility of getting close to Pete Rose’s all-time hits record.   Most importantly, it keeps Derek in the Bronx for the rest of his career—a rarity in this business.

While newspapers, websites and ESPN seem to be making a big deal of the contract negotiations, and Yankees officials calling the negotiations a “messy” process, a deal will most definitely be done.  Expect Jete’ in pinstripes on opening day 2011.

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After a near two-month search, the Yankees hired Larry Rothschild to fill their vacant pitching coach position.  Mr. Rothschild resigned from his position inside the Cubs organization as their Major League pitching coach. 

He replaces former Yankee pitching coach Dave Eiland, who took the blame from the Yankees brass for the inconsistent pitching efforts of the previous season. 

An important objective for Mr. Rothschild is to fix the lackluster production of the Yankees’ greatest enigma—AJ Burnett. 

Mr. Burnett’s poor performance in 2010 was a major factor in the dismissal of Rothschild’s predecessor.  Mr. Burnett’s inconsistencies as well as his expensive contract make it nearly impossible to trade him, forcing the Yankees to fix him.

Several experts view the hiring of Rothschild as a maverick choice.  The top contenders included former Mets pitching guru (that seems to be the only way anyone ever addresses him) Rick Peterson and former Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone.

If Rothschild can fix Burnett and improve the rest of the staff, including a young and blossoming Phil Hughes, the move will be lauded as one the best move Yankee GM Brian Cashman makes this offseason. 

If he produces mediocre results as Eiland did, the move will be remembered as one of the poorest decisions Mr. Cashman has made in recent years.

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