With Spring Training winding down, I'm counting the days until my St. Louis Cardinals open the season against the New York Mets. But that doesn't mean that there isn't plenty of stuff going on now to talk about. A little recap of recent events.

Former Commissioner Bowie Kuhn Dies at 80

From what I can tell, this story just came across the wire not long ago. Kuhn's tenure as commissioner is mostly remembered for the beginning of the free agent era. He is also known for banning Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle for their connections to gambling casinos.

Pete Rose Says He Bet on the Reds Every Night He Managed

Alright, Pete, that's enough. First, you didn't do it. Then, no one had enough evidence to connect you to betting against your team. Then, as time was running out on your Hall of Fame chances, you said you did bet on your team. And now, with those chances pretty much long gone, you tell us that you bet on them to win....every night.

I don't know if this is some kind of ploy to get people to say, "Well, he had so much faith in his team that he bet on them to win every night." Or that you'll get some people to say, "If he bet on them to win, that means he probably didn't screw around with lineups/rotation to help them lose and make himself money."

Look, here's the thing: I respect Pete Rose for his hustle and his skill on the ball field. He is the all time hits leader, and who knows if that will be broken anytime soon? But watching Pete Rose go from "Charlie Hustle," to "That Guy Who Can't Keep His Story Straight," has been absolutely painful. I am one of those people who has always teetered on each side of the "should he be in the Hall?" argument, but this may cement my stance. If Pete Rose is trying to win people over, he's doing a miserable job at it.

I'd hate to see him go unrecognized for his accomplishments, but I also hate to see him screwing up everytime someone shoves a microphone in his face.

Gary Matthews, Jr. "Never Took HGH"

That's fine. That's what they all say. Whether Gary Matthews, Jr. is telling the truth or not, who knows? He played with 8 teams before heading to Texas and having a great season which parlayed into a $50 million contract. So even if he suffers through a lot of scrutiny, that $50 million is enough to ease his pain.

I would like to believe the guy. I would hope he isn't as dumb as Rafael Palmiero was in 2005 when he flat out denied any steroid use before testing positive for steroids a few months after that. But sadly enough, it's become our expectation as a fan to hear these things, causing us to decide whether or not the ballplayer is telling the truth.

Speaking of steroid scandal...

Sammy Sosa Re-Learns English

You remember Sammy "It's So-o-o-o Real" Sosa, don't you? The guy who was a shoeshiner in the Dominican Republic before coming to America, underwhelming with the White Sox before being traded to the Cubs and smacking 580-some-odd homers? The guy who was a media darling in 1998 for his brotherly relationship with Mark McGwire during the home run chase? The guy who had his bat explode on him, exposing cork? How about the one that, during his last game as a Chicago Cub, would leave the ballpark 15 minutes after the game began and then lied to everyone about it? The guy who was put in front of Congress in 2005, where he somehow forgot to speak English?

You got it now? Anyway, he's become a big story again for trying to latch on with the Rangers after he completely crashed headfirst into the Camden Yard sod during his one year tenure with the Orioles two years ago. And guess what? He can speak clear English again! And you know the best part? He doesn't need a lawyer to help him!

It looks likely that he'll be back on a big league club as he is probably the Rangers' best option at DH. So not only do we get to hear Sammy Sosa speak the English language again, we get to see more of that goofy hop he does out of the batter's box, and that tacky kiss thing he always does into the dugout camera after smacking a home run.

If Sammy can do it, surely Mark McGwire and Raffy Palmiero can too, eh? Who is with me?!