Disclaimer: Some information written in this section is strictly rumor, and has no factual information outside of what has been heard, or speculated upon, via outside sources.

Derek Jeter Minus the Pinstripes?

Nahhh… Although, this has come into question this week due to his contract ending after this year. Jeter has simply stated that he wants to remain a Yankee for the remainder of his career (3-6 years?). And about those pinstripes, he couldn’t imagine not wearing them. Jeter has been the heart and soul of the Yankees since they won in his first full season in 1996. He’s been a focal point during his five championships with the team and I assume the Yanks are prepared to reward him for his dedication and focus toward the team. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: despite not being a Yankees fan, I cannot dislike Jeter. He is the classiest guy in the game and I know ALL he wants to do is win. I hope the Yankees give him what he has earned and deserves.

Oh Brother, What’s the Problem

Mark McGwire is ‘saddened’ by his estranged brother’s book on his usage of performance-enhancing drugs, in which Jay McGwire has stated that his big brother took them to heal from injuries. Frankly, I’m a bit confused here. Isn’t that exactly what Mark said when he came out with his admission in January? Yes, it is. So what’s the big deal? I was watching ESPN on Thursday to try and figure out what the big deal was, and I figured it out. ESPN is airing an interview with Jay McGwire on Sunday so they are simply promoting it. This book will get hardly any sales. What Mark has done in response is announce he will likely not talk to his brother again. He does not respect his attempt to make money off something like this, and I don’t really blame him. Sad though.

Tidbits:

• The Cardinals are closing in on a contract with infielder Felipe Lopez, who was with the team for a few months two years ago. This offseason Lopez dropped Scott Boras as his agent and I hoped the Cards would swoop in. I like this pickup because Lopez fits the Cardinals system perfectly by playing multiple positions.
• I heard last week that the Yankees are dropping the Joba Rules. THANK GOD! I always thought it was insane to keep this guy under such a microscope. Now he can just go out there and focus on pitching instead of wondering how many innings he’s ‘allowed’ to pitch.
• The White Sox aren’t very happy with manager Ozzie Guillen. What else is new? Well, this time it’s because Guillen has started up a Twitter account, in which one can only imagine what he will say throughout a season. Which reminds me, check out MLBtoday.net on Twitter @MLBtoday !

-Chris