Baseball is a great sport, it always has been. It's grown up with the country that adopted it; they've seen each other through thick and thin.

No, some might say, that both the country and the sport have become fat cats, arrogant brothers.

It's time for a change. Obama promises change for America, and I'm here to promise change for the game we love.

Starting with fines.

Not the typical fines for staying out late, throwing at a batter's head, or getting tossed for arguing balls and strikes. We're talking about performance based fines and compensation.

Bases loaded, bottom of the ninth, your team is up by three runs. The closers comes trotting out to throw water on the fire. He takes his warm up pitches, and you notice that the ball just isn't flying out of his hand, like normal.

The first pitch he throws towards home, lands 450 feet in the upper deck, for a walk off, game winning grand slam. The closer walks off the mound, only to find a clubhouse official waiting for him with an invoice totaling $25,000.

You're closer was docked for a poor performance.

On the other side of the field, after celebrating the walk of salami, the other team's clubhouse official is signing off on a check for $50,000. He hands it to the game's hero, who'll need it.

He was docked $10,000 the night before for his four errors.

One day into 2008, and Bed Selig just released his top ten goals for the upcoming season. In a 108 Red Stitches exclusive, we were able to get an advance copy of Selig's diary:

Dear Diary,
Happy New Year! 2007 had a rocky ending but I'm ready to look forward to a steroid free season. Seriously, this time I'm not kidding. So, with your help, here's my list of New Year's Resolutions:

1. Hire someone to take care of Canseco.

2. Make a killer "Bud Selig" create a player in this year's MLB 2K8. Anything less than 50HR/150RBIs and I'll reset my XBox.

3. Read the Mitchell Report and try to get past page 15 without passing out.

4. Win a Suzyn Waldman Look-A-Like-Contest.

5. Forgive Pete Rose.

6. Work on stand up act. See Resolution #5.

7. Hire this guy to lead new MLB tagline Committee.

8. Upload more MLB Fight videos to my youtube account.

9. Finish what I started.

10.


Fondly yours,

Buddy Selig.

Looks like the folks over at 2K Sports have released the cover boy of this year's installment in its baseball franchise, MLB 2k8:
Interesting choice of player, since Derek Jeter had been the front man for the past versions of the game. In a press release on their website, MLB 2K8 developer Ben Brinkman said;
"This year we have signed one of the most exciting players in all of Major League Baseball® as our official cover athlete. Jose Reyes is a multi-talented player – a great baserunner, fielder and hitter, making him the perfect spokesperson for Major League Baseball® 2K8.”
The game will be available for the XBox360, Playstation 2 and 3, PSP, and Wii consoles. Gone, it seems, is the version for the regular XBox...