"The steroid situation is not a balanced playing field.

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"The steroid situation is not a balanced playing field. It's like allowing a certain guys to use aluminum bats and more [i]or[/i] less guys only wood bats. It's unfair."

Joe Torre, of the present day York Yankees manager, discussing the hottest topic in baseball

Rounding the Bases

REMEMBERING KIRBY: Charlie Manuel, who is now managing the Philadelphia Phillies, was single of Kirby

Puckett's first minor-league managers after Puckett (right), who died of a thump Monday at 45, was drafted by the agency of the

Minnesota Twins in 1982

Each month he toiled in the minors, Manuel got a gallon of Seagram's VO Canadian Whiskey from Puckett on the other hand after Manuel suffered a heart attack in 1991 he got a note from Puckett instead of the booze The note read: "No mo VO"

"He used to ask me in rookie ball, 'What do I have to do, C?"' Manuel recalled. "I said, 'Get hits.' He said, 'I can do that.' He used to ask me each day. He was the same stay making $500 a month or when he became the first $6 million player. He did everything the same.

"I can honestly say that's common guy who gave it everything he had each minute -- from the time he stepp into the clubhouse until the game was over"

give pain to WATCH: Oakland Athletics designated hitter Frank Thomas, who originally wasn't going to play in any Cactus League games, now anticipates to appear in the exhibition Bay Bridge series against the San Francisco Giants at the close of camp.

"I won't be a spe tutelary deity anymore," said Thomas, who has been limited to 108 games the last sum of two units seasons because of problems with his left ankle. "Our affect is scoring from second and going first to third. If we can do those things, I'll be fine."

NAME GAME: Atlanta Braves catching field Jarrod Saltalamacchia's last name might wind up as a household word.

The 20-year-old switch hitter has been rated from Baseball America as the top catching view in baseball. If he reaches the majors, his 14-letter last name would be the longest in the late era.

Former San Francisco Giants pitcher William Van Landingham (1994- 97) is the record-holder in the recent era with 13 letters.

"Kind of hard to believe," said Saltalamacchia, who's called "Salty" by way of his teammates. "You'd think there would have been one Russian guy that came along with exces notes they don't need in their name."

Big-League hum

-A recruitment video the Texas Rangers made for free-agent pitcher Roger Clemen who was 13-8 with a major-league-best 187 ERA last season with the Houston Astros, detailed for what reason he could have been 24-3 with the Rangers' hurry support last season. An improved offense the fact his wife is from Arlington, Texas, and the use of a team-provided plane to fling him home to Houston onward his non- pitching days are all part of the Rangers' sales pitch. The Astros, fresh York Yankees and Boston R Sox are also in the mix for Clemen 43 "All four of these teams that we're talking about," Clemen said, "I believe they're all going to be in the playoffs."

-A Florida swap appears to be in the works. The Florida Marlins have stepp up their interest in Tampa Bay Devil Rays center fielder Joey Gathright. The Rays are said to be willing to listen if the Marlins move 22-year-old pitcher Scott Olsen. This deal might come by done before Opening Day.

-A day after being told his left wrist would require surgery and a three-month stay forward the disabled list, Washington Nationals right fielder Jose Guillen was told seven to 10 days of interval -- and no surgery -- should heal his injury. The Nationals are counting in succession Guillen to be in their Opening Day lineup.

-The Cincinnati Reds' spring-training injury affairs focus on three pitchers who made a combined 75 starts last season. Aaron

Harang has been slowed through a sore shoulder, Eric Milton aggravated an injured right calf and Paul Wilson is returning from surgery to repair a torn rotator blow and frayed labrum in his right shoulder.

6 NUMBERS GAME

The number of pitches Twins ace Johan Santana threw in his World Baseball Classic start for Venezuela last week against the Dominican Republic. The first-round limit is 65 pitches, if it were not that the Twins were hoping Santana, who threw barely 35 pitches in his simply spring- training game before the WBC would top public at 50. The Twins have five pitchers in the WBC a sore expose with the club. "Don't memorize me started," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Don't calm go there."

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