MALADIES

Just jotting some quick notes from around the local sports scene:

* Pedro Martinez is having toe problems and may not pitch in the WBC. Well, good thing the Mets had him healthy last season for their FIGHT FOR .500 push at the end of the year. Only three more years of paying the Perennially Pouting Princess Pedro. Just think how smart the Red Sox will look in 2008.

* Speaking of washouts who almost ended up in a Red Sox uniform, Carl I WAS TRADED FOR PEDRO Pavano is already having health problems and is shut down for the beginning of spring training for the Yankees. At least Regular Joe has Mel in Tampa this spring to keep mixing those gin and tonics.

* Jeff Weaver is worth the money on the West Coast, but worth a whole lot less on the East Coast. Unfortunately, Weaver will like win 15 games for the Los Angeles in Anaheim in the OC in California Angels. On the plus side, he will be pitching in Yankee Stadium again and he is likely already stressed out about it.

* I am glad to see Jayson Stark over at ESPN.com feels the same way about the Yankees signing flame-throwing flame-out Kyle Farnsworth. Imagine fans wishing they still had Flash Gordon in the pen. I wonder what that would be like?

* One more article about Keith Foulke and his unlikliness to bounce back this year and I will explode. I will put it up in flashing neon if I have to: Foulke will save 35 games or more this season. Double knee surgery after the most taxing post-season by any reliever not named Mariano Rivera and the local scribes try to play him as a head case because pain in the knees and lack of strength robbed his fastball? Give me a break.

* I think Toronto is going to find out that A.J. Burnett, while not Chan Ho Park, sure is not anything like Josh Beckett. How does a guy like Burnett who has a hissy-fit and gets thrown off the team while underperforming the entire second half gets $55 million? The Josh Beckett trade looks better and better the more I look at Burnett.

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