Afternoon Baseball

I've been absent the last day or two.
Here's what I think I've missed in the baseball world:

1. The U.S. is nearing (near the bottom) a trip back to spring training, and Johnny Damon's shoulder is acting up. Neither is anything to worry about at the moment, and the former doesn't matter at all.
Damon doesn't have an arm anyway, so that's not nearly as much of a concern as if the shoulder would affect his hitting. After all, shoulder problems are a big reason why Bernie declined 3 years ago and not now.

2. Jaret Wright is still terrible. My January optimism about the 2006 campaign for the Yankees is dimming slightly.

3. The Pinstriped Bible riffs on Kevin Thompson's tweener status, Gary Sheffield talking, and jitters about the mortality of Randy Johnson's career. His back appears OK, which has always been the signal of greatness in the past. Let's hope that trend holds.

4. Replacement-Level Yankees Weblog details Rivera, Johan Santana, Wright and Aaron Small, who is just begging for a terrible year this year. 2005 wasn't totally a fluke -- he pitched very well and had a shutout -- but it'd be a fool who'd expect anything similar this year. In a Ramiro Mendoza-type role, however, there may be potential.