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Loudmouth Jay Mariotti of the Chicago Sun Times wants MLB to investigate the claims that former player Jose Canseco is making in his new book about introducing steroids to Yankees’ third baseman Alex Rodriguez and Tigers’ outfielder Magglio Ordonez.

Call him a sinister, greasy, vindictive, money-grubbing creep, if you’d like. But also acknowledge Canseco has some measure of credibility after calling out Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and Jason Giambi as steroids users in his best-selling book three years ago — and ultimately seeing his claims backed up. So when he writes in his new book, “Vindicated: Big Names, Big Liars and the Battle to Save Baseball,” that he introduced Alex Rodriguez to a steroids supplier in the late 1990s, you definitely listen. And when he tells a tale about injecting Magglio Ordonez with steroids in the White Sox clubhouse in 2001, you have no reason to summarily dismiss it as a lie and every reason to ask again why Jerry Reinsdorf and Ken Williams signed Canseco when everyone knew he was a steroids freak.

Ah, but it’s not over, A-Rod. If baseball has any chance of minimizing the disproportionate power numbers of the Steroids Era, he must obliterate the 762 homers of Bonds in the bigger context of a steroids-free career. He is a man who can save baseball from the syringe binge, but also a man who could do much more harm if he hasn’t been pure. More than anything else, including the folly of staging Opening Day on foreign soil, baseball needs Rodriguez to be the anti-Bonds. And now, we have Canseco suggesting he isn’t.

I think Mariotti makes a good point in that second paragraph. Fans want to forget Barry Bonds because he supposedly cheated in order to capture one of the most sacred records in all of sports. A-Rod could help us forget Bonds, although obviously not if he cheated too. Mariotti is right – baseball needs to go after these guys and either put Canseco’s claims to rest or punish those who cheat. Baseball needs to step up for once, but I realize that’s asking a lot.

Darren Everson of the Wall Street Journal wonders aloud if former Yankees’ skipper Joe Torre is worth the money in Los Angeles.

In close games, in which a manager’s decisions in baserunning, pitching and substitutions tend to make the most difference, Mr. Torre’s teams have struggled in recent years. Over the past three seasons, his record in games tied after the sixth inning is 23-31 — a .426 winning percentage, compared with .588 in all games. Several of his peers, including Ron Gardenhire of the Minnesota Twins and Willie Randolph of the New York Mets, have performed better in close games.

There’s also some evidence that Mr. Torre negatively impacts the performance of his players. Last fall, David Gassko, a former major-league consultant and a contributor to the Hardball Times Web site, did a study of major-league managers through 2006, determining how many additional games a manager won or lost for his team per season. Of the 422 managers he studied, Mr. Torre’s score was the sixth-worst. The best manager ever, according to Mr. Gassko’s study, is Bobby Cox, the current manager of the Atlanta Braves.

Everson brings up some pretty interesting points, although he has to take into account how bad the chemistry is in L.A. For years the Dodgers have had the talent to win, but the harmony in the clubhouse hasn’t allowed them to reach their potential. Who knows if Torre is worth the big contract, but he’s well respected and will get the attention of every player in that clubhouse. He might not be that great of a game manager, but he should dramatically improve the team’s chemistry.