A couple of thing about baseball's two biggest lightening rods, Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez. Plus the Best. Quote. Ever.

Is it possible for A-Rod to look like more of a joke? First all the stuff in Joe Torre's book, then the steroids, and now the goofy pictures in Details magazine. Is he really so oblivious to his self-absored public image that he didn't realize that he'd be seen as a big joke? Thank goodness the Sox didn't end up with him in the winter of 2003. I'm thinking about sending Donald Fehr and Gene Orza a thank you note.

One of the big questions of the winter was how Manny ended up with a $45 million contract. Here's what I think. Somebody in the Dodgers organization did the math and figured out that the additional revenue streams that Dodgers with Manny bring in over Dodgers without Manny were worth the money they were paying him. I'm talking tickets, concessions, sponsorships, increased TV ratings, etc. Let's put it this way. Assume the average fan going to Dodger Stadium spends $100 on tickets, food, drink, souvenirs and such. The Dodgers would have to draw an additional 250,000 fans this year to cover his $25 million salary. That's about 3,000 a game. Can Manny put 3,000 fannies in the seats a night? Frank McCourt is betting he can.

Here's a classic quote from Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby from the Baseball Hall of Fame's Memories and Dreams magazine: "People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." That about sums it up, although I think the 21st century equivalent would be watching the MLB Network and wait for spring.