It's a shame, that the great sport of baseball has been tarnished by this "steroid era". Just when you think the talk of juicing is starting to erode away, it rears its ugly head yet again.

Again we hear the way-to-late apology from another record breaker and the theme is that steroids weren't used to enhance performance but more to maintain performance, or to recover from potential career ending injuries. Is this an excuse or truly the reasoning behind most steroid users?

I must have been clueless in the early nineties, because I never saw steroid use or did it even cross my mind in my pitching days at the University of Pittsburgh. Maybe it wasn't anywhere in college baseball at that time, since that was likely the beginning of the MLB steroid era.

Now almost 20 years and 3 shoulder surgeries later, I still can't decide if I would have made the same dumb decisions the players of MLB have made. Especially since I only had about 2 years of a 90+ fastball before shoulder injuries dramatically reduced my velocity. I can say one thing, I totally understand how these guys could have made this choice.

Many players only have baseball and nothing else to fall back on. Imagine if your whole life can be altered simply by casually taking a performance enhancing drug, whether for recovery or to get stronger. It could mean millions of dollars for a player and his family. Or maybe it simply means reaching the dream of playing professional baseball.

Sure McGwire's apology is a few year too late, but I believe players like McGwire and Andy Pettite are truly embarrassed by their actions and regret that they ever went down that road of no return.

Nothing really surprises me anymore with MLB players, as long as I don't Griffey Junior spattered all over the front pages. If that story ever makes headlines, then Major League Baseball has would have finally struck out.

If you're a baseball coach or parent don't allow your players to be inactive in the winter months; get them off those video games. If they don't play a winter sport such as basketball or wrestling, then get them into some sort of conditioning program.

At Play Ball Academy, we follow the strength and conditioning teachings of Velocity Sports Performance to help us guide baseball coaches and parents all over the world to condition their players safely and effectively. Though members of our staff are well experienced in baseball conditioning due to the high level baseball that we achieved, but sometimes it's best to step aside and let the experts take over. This is why we joined forces with Velocity Sports Performance.

So whether you want to seek out personal training or educate yourself on the proper techniques, it is imperative that all baseball players take their off season training seriously. Just remember, good baseball players are a dime a dozen, if a ballplayer becomes lazy, slow, and out of shape, there is always someone waiting to take their place.

In 2009, however, I believe they are back as a group of role players and team players. But you may be thinking they still have the big payroll and guys like Alex Rodriguez and C.C. Sabathia. This is true, but there is a new attitude in the Bronx; one of play hard, have fun, be relaxed, and the wins will come.

Make sure you watch the playoffs this October and see how these Yankee players sacrifice their at bats to move a runner, work the count to increase the pitch count, congratulate each other after getting a bunt down, and simply play the game the way it was meant to be played.

These really aren't skills that are taught, but rather a mindset; being unselfish and unaware of personal statistics.

Again, watch the postseason closely to pick up the little details that the Yankees and the other great MLB teams do and try to project that style of play onto your players. You'll be surprised at what a group of players with a common goal in mind, can accomplish.

Since the game was the blowout, we had time to check out the new cathedral.

My first impression of the stadium was that it is massive. The main concourse is huge and very bright with the skylight ceiling and an enormous large video screen at one end. The outfield, however, is more confined and congested. I personally, was disappointed in how they laid out the configuration in the outfield.

The stadium is much cleaner then the original house that Ruth built and there are an unbelievable amount of concession stands, selling anything you could possibly want to eat.

Of course, with New York comes crazy price tags. Including:

- $30 to park in a very suspicious garage. - $10 beer (approximately 20 ounces) - $7.50 cheeseburger - $15.00 cheesesteak (USDA Prime Beef Variety) - $5.00 soda

Luckily, my friend got us free tickets from his workplace or I would have needed to take out a loan for the game.

I really think the Yankees should be ashamed of themselves for screwing fans the way they do; and I'm saying that as a longtime Yankee fan. A family of four would easily spend $400 to go see a game at the new Taj Mahal of baseball parks.

The park is nice, clean, and comfortable, but it just doesn't have that same mystique like the original. I would always get a chill when I stepped through the corridor to see the grass where baseball legends once roamed.

I didn't get that feeling yesterday.

Possibly it was the bad taste lingering in my mouth from the $50 already spent just to get to the stadium and park my car, or maybe the stadium just needs to grow on Yankee fans.

Who knows, maybe in 30 years when I take my grandchildren to the house that Jeter built, they'll get that same chill that I once experienced.

Well to summarize the story this kid has baseball skills like the scouts have never seen before and his 6 foot 2 inch, 200 pound frame is already the atypical body size of a major league ballplayer.

The article suggests that one of his homeruns has been measured at 570 feet. I kind of find that one hard to believe, even with aluminum bats. Over the years of hearing about how far a kid hits a ball or how fast a pitcher throws, I've learned to realize that usually these numbers are inflated or skewed in some manner.

It will be very interesting to see how this kid progresses over the next few years. Will he remain healthy or get burned out? After all, the story stated he's already playing between 80 and 120 games a year.

I wish this kid luck, because apparently Scott Boras has already got his hands on him as an adviser. Just remember the name Bryce Harper and check out the article from SI and you can determine for yourself if he's the next Arod or just another Sid Finch.

Let's be honest, I would be bored too if I had to stand in the outfield for an hour waiting for a ball to come to me. Imagine what a 10 year old is thinking.

Keep your players active in practice.

I grew up a Phillies fan and continued to be a fan of the team even while I was playing. I even had my agent try to get me in the organization every off-season that I was a minor league free agent. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to play in the Phillies organization.

Like I said, I just realized, this off-season, how big of a fan I really am. I have found myself looking at the free-agent list just to see where players are going. I never would have done that while I was playing. I don't just look at the Phillies, but I am looking at the entire league. Wondering where certain players are going and how that will effect the Phillies for next year. This game is addicting.

Winning seasons or losing seasons, true fans are always paying attention to their team. I have even crossed the line of all lines, I have talked about the Phillies and said, "WE". I know I am not on the team or have anything to do with them winning or losing, but that is the kind of fan I have become. I have entered the "WE" zone and I love it. This is a great game and I hate that it's the off-season. I just can't wait for the middle of February to roll around and hear those awesome words, "Pitchers and catchers report". It can't get here soon enough.

I believe kids should take some time off from the game in the winter to recharge the battery for the next season. I really think it's important to allow time for the body to recover from the 8 months of playing. Especially pitchers. The arm needs to be rested in the winter months. In addition, this time off helps reduce any potential burnout for the sport. The older the ballplayer, the more important this recovery time is.

Don't pick up a baseball or bat until January; play some other sports and stay active. Playing other sports keeps the body flexible and maintains some endurance, agility, and strength.

If the ballplayer needs to get stronger, then definitely spend some time in the weight room, but ALWAYS DO PLENTY OF STRETCHING TO KEEP FLEXIBILITY.

I truly believe that the lack of flexibility as a I lifted more was the main reason why I experienced arm problems in my early 20's. Don't make that same mistake.