I give Dusty Baker a hard time here, deservedly so much of the time, but also a hard time that only a die-hard Cub fan can give. It's like a sibling - you can talk as much shit about them as you like, but woe is the outsider that casts aspersion.

One thing Dusty has been extremely right about are his comparisons of the steroid craze to McCarthyism. With Jack McDowell's recent idiocy, it gets taken to a new level.

I wish that McDowell, Palmer, and others could be held accountable for their baseless, truthless statements, but really, in a way, they are. I think that fans will see their comments and cost them what ever small scraps of credibility they have left.

Yes, this one's personal. I'm not a big fan of Palmer and yes, playing the steroid card on the guy I've based my book around hits me in the wallet.

***

For those of you with a good connection and some free time this afternoon should dial up www.espn950.com from 3-6 EST. McCauley and I will be talking a lot of baseball and might even bust out the announcement I spoke of yesterday. (I'm not teasing, I'm just waiting on the confirmation. The press release is at the ready.)