Baseball notes

MLB is expected to announce the formation of the World Baseball Classic, which will be a worldwide baseball tournament. Assuming the games will be played during the middle of the typical baseball season, I wonder where the US team will get its players. Since the MLB players union had to sign on to the deal, the assumption is that major league players will be used, but which team is going to give up players to play in a tournament? I suppose details like that will be in the formal announcement, which is expected today.

This weekend, Sammy Sosa was to make his first appearance in Chicago since being traded by the Cubs this past off-season when the Orioles come to town to face the White Sox. The bad news is, Sosa went on the DL yesterday and will not make the trip. The good news is, that means the media can focus instead on a weekend series between the teams with the two best records in baseball.

Not only will LaTroy Hawkins not be the closer for the Cubs, he won't even be the setup man. He's been banished to very long relief.

Tony Pena resigned yesterday as manager of the Kansas City Royals, who are off to a 8-25 start. Pena has generally done a good job making chicken salad out of chicken doots during his time with KC, but this year's team is full of AAA players, and you can only do so much with that.

Another manager in a similar situation, who has done as good a job, is Lloyd McClendon of Pittsburgh. He's had a little better talent and had a little better results, but like KC, Pittsburgh is a place where a fantastic year would be finishing .500. Those franchises in particular just don't have the cash to compete.