(As I spent today being treated for a kidney stone, this is my first post under the influence of Vicodin. For some reason, I feel compelled to write about the Green Bay Packers.)

*If I'm ever fortunate enough to be a billionaire sportsman, Lamar Hunt will be my role model. If, on the other hand, I wind up being an ass with a lot of money, I'll just channel Jerry Reinsdorf.

*Between the Matsuzaka signing, the Blue Jays' offer to Vernon Wells and whatever Barry Zito is able to extract from the Mets, Rangers or someone else, the Soriano contract is already beginning to look a little less out of this world. By the time, the Cubs sign Ichiro! and Alex Rodriquez next winter, I bet the Soriano deal will seem downright mundane.

*Over at cubs.com, they're raising the specter of Felix Pie starting the season as the Cubs regular centerfielder. That would be consistent with the team's decision not to sign Kenny Lofton. At the same time, Pie isn't doing much in Winter ball, at least not with his bat (.216 with 25K's in just 125 AB), which would be consistent with Brian McRae, Lance Johnson, Damon Buford and Corey Patterson.

*Congratulations to "Innings Eater," the first turn of phrase to have been elected an Enemy Of The Blog. IE will be officially inducted at a ceremony later this month, where it will be joined on the dais by Milo Hamilton and several other enemies yet to be identified.