A Reuters story previews the World Baseball Classic as a collision of stars, with a Team USA double-play combo of Derek Jeter and Dustin Pedroia and a Japanese team led by Ichiro and Daisuke Matsuzaka.

But the latest news hasn't been all good on the star front, as a steady stream of top players - and especially from Team USA - have essentially said, "Thanks for the invite, but I've got some dinner reservations, a tee time at the club, and I can't risk getting an infection in this hangnail."

Here's the running list of the U.S. players who were once considered for the roster, or were on the provisional roster before pulling out: Lance Berkman (shoulder), A.J. Burnett (resting), John Danks (resting), Prince Fielder, Roy Halladay (declined), Cole Hamels (declined), Josh Hamilton (declined), Ryan Howard (declined), Ian Kinsler, John Lackey (declined), Derrek Lee (declined), Brad Lidge (declined), Tim Lincecum (declined), Evan Longoria, Joe Mauer (surgery), Jonathan Papelbon (declined), CC Sabathia (declined), Joe Saunders (declined), Grady Sizemore (injured this week), Mark Teixeira (declined) and Chase Utley (hip injury).

Meanwhile, the USA bullpen has such superstars as Matt Thornton, Matt Lindstrom, J.P. Howell and Brad Ziegler.

When the Americans lose again, there's the excuse. And it's dampening the excitement. The list of players sitting out would probably beat the guys who are playing. It won't be a true world tournament until the best players actually decide to play.

More World Baseball Classic coverage: Schedule, facts, rosters and a recap of 2006 highlights.

A bonus to baseball's steroid mess, as conflicting as that statement might sound, was the creation of an investigations team with Major League Baseball.

They've been able to put a focus on the Dominican Republic recently, and some allegations of kickbacks, over-the-counter steroids and other sordid tales in the talent-rich Caribbean country.

The microscope on those operations indirectly took down its highest-profile person in Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden, who resigned on Sunday in the wake of a scandal involving the Nats' Domincan operations.

Bowden and former Nats special assistant Jose Rijo, who have been together since their days as GM and player with the Reds, are under federal investigation for the signing of a Dominican prospect for $1.4 million who faked his age.

"My resignation is based upon my realization that my ability to properly represent the Nationals has been compromised because of false allegations contained in the press," Bowden said in a statement released by the team, reported by the Washington Post. "I'm disappointed by the media reports regarding investigations into my professional activities. There have been no charges made and there has been no indication that parties have found any wrongdoing on my part."

Bowden should be commended for getting out of the way as games begin in Florida. But after a 59-102 season in 2008, Bowden should have felt fortunate to have the opportunity to resign instead of being fired, as Post columnist Thomas Boswell wrote.

On the field, it's time to start our countdown to the season, and wouldn't you know it, the first team to preview in our March to the 2009 Season is the Washington Nationals, who should be improved, regardless of who is in charge. There's only one way to go for last year's worst team in the majors.

Alex Rodriguez is the overwhelming choice for the title of most hated baseball player. But he has some competition in Manny Ramirez.

It's hard for baseball fans in any town, worried about their jobs, to feel any sympathy for a guy who thinks a one-year contract for $25 million - with a $20 million player option for 2010 - isn't quite good enough. And while I'm not an advocate for feeling envious about baseball player salaries - they get what the market bears, which at least used to be the American way - you just have to throw your hands up at what agent Scott Boras and Ramirez are accomplishing at this point.

As Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "This is not Manny being Manny. This is Manny being Stupid."

"We love Manny Ramirez," said Dodgers owner Frank McCourt in a news release. "And we want Manny back, but we feel we are negotiating against ourselves."

"... When his agent finds those 'serious offers' from other clubs, we'll be happy to restart the negotiations."

But there is a little more to this than meets the eye. Boras' counter offer was for the same amount of money and the same contract length. The issue is in the fine print, as much of the Dodgers' contract contains deferred payments, meaning that Ramirez would still be getting the full contract, but stretched over the next five years.

Still, more than half of the respondents on the Times' Web site advocate pulling the offer and forgetting about Ramirez.

I'll stick by the prediction that Manny will be in camp fairly soon, and in Dodger blue. Deferred or not, he'd like to be paid this year, I'm sure. I don't believe the Giants would offer nearly as much. Meanwhile, Ramirez is taking a whopper of a PR hit.

Many members of the Atlanta Braves were upset they didn't get Ken Griffey Jr. I have a hunch they won't miss him, though.

For $2.5 million, which is in the ballpark of what Griffey received from the Seattle Mariners last week, the Braves signed veteran Garret Anderson, who has spent his entire career in the AL West with the Angels.

Anderson is also left-handed, is two years younger, hits for a higher average - career .296 vs. Griffey's .288 - and has a good reputation in the clutch.

In Bill James' complex "win shares" formula - read more about sabermetrics here - Anderson has more than Griffey in two of the last three years, including last season, when Anderson had 19 and Griffey 15.

In 142 games, Anderson hit .293 with 15 homers and 84 RBI for an Angels team that won 100 games last season. In 143 games, Griffey hit a combined .249 with 18 homers and 71 RBI with the Reds and White Sox.

Anderson has more hits (2,368) than anybody on the Braves' roster, including Chipper Jones (2,277). And Anderson is two months younger than Jones. �He�ll make a difference,� Jones said, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. �The guy�s big time.�

So is Griffey, who might sell more tickets. But Anderson wins more. If Anderson had played for the Yankees for the past 14 seasons, he'd be a superstar. And because he played most of his games with everybody on the East Coast was asleep, Anderson has played under the radar for years.