MLB Bullets Looks Towards The Future

So is today Tanakamas? Or is it Festanaka? Tanukkah?

• As we wait on Masahiro Tanaka's decision, David Schoenfield looks at his appearances in the World Baseball Classic and provides a scouting report on him. He then does a follow-up on Tanaka's velocity, which is only 90-91 mph, and why it does and does not matter.
• Phil Rogers thinks that whatever team lands Tanaka, he will have to live up to a lot of big expectations.
• Jon Paul Morosi thinks the Cubs have a lot of good reasons to get Tanaka, but Tanaka doesn't have many good reasons to go to the North Side.
• Jonathan Bernhardt looks at the Yankees history with starting pitchers and the state of the rotationtoday, with or without Masahiro Tanaka.
• Mike Axisa tries to figure out what the Yankees will do if they don't sign Tanaka.
• Jeff Sullivan examines the notion that you have to have three quality pitches to be an effective starting pitcher and finds the bit of conventional wisdom overstated.
• The other big story continues to be Alex Rodriguez, as Jeff Passan and Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports revealed that the player representatives of the MLBPA agreed to kick A-Rod out of the union, only to be informed that they could not legally do so.
• David Brown thinks that the players threatening Rodriguez with retaliation, on and off the field, should put their names to their comments and not hide behind anonymity.
• Tommy Lasorda thinks that A-Rod "ruined the game." Well, I guess Lasorda won't be going to any more baseball games, then.
• Kostya Kennedy says that Michael Young is the anti-Alex Rodriguez.
• In a major upset, the winner of the first ever Commissioner Bud Selig Leadership Award is . . .Bud Selig!
• As Grant Brisbee points out, how many Cy Young Awards did Cy Young win? None!
• Tim Keown thinks that Selig deserves no credit for running PEDs out of baseball, not in the least because they're not gone.
• But compared to the Ghost of Commissioners Past, Selig looks like a freaking genius. Emma Span takes a look at Bowie Kuhn, the Man Who Was Always Wrong. Honestly, there are another couple half dozen scandals that she didn't mention, like the Cooperstown Memorabilia Scandal or his post-baseball law partnership with con man Harvey Myerson.
• Rob Neyer tries to sort of defend Kuhn in his dealings with A's owner Charlie O. Finley but just says that Kuhn's heart was probably in the right place. I think Neyer is being too generous.
• Rany Jazayerli says that the rule in baseball is that you never give a long-term contract to a pitcher. He also explains why Clayton Kershaw is the exception to that rule.
• Grant Brisbee looks at the plays in baseball history that the new instant replay rule would not have overturned.
• Greg Simons wants to stop the singing of "God Bless America" at ballgames and return to singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame." Please.
• Ken Rosenthal thinks that Robinson Cano may come to regret not including an opt-out clause in his new deal with the Mariners.
• Jack Moore lists several low-risk signings that could pay off in 2014.
• Not on that list is Bobby Abreu, who just signed a minor league deal with the Phillies.
• Or the Brewers signing Lyle Overbay.
• The Astros are interested in bringing Nolan Ryan into their front office in some capacity and the feeling may be mutual.
• Matt Kemp is unlikely to be ready to play on opening day.
• In late-breaking news, the Rays have acquired Logan Forsythe from the Padres.
• Finally, a list of the 100 best stadium experiences in sports, with Wrigley Field checking in at number 30.