Free Frank Thomas

For the first time since 1990, Frank Thomas is not on a major league roster in April. The two-time MVP asked for his release after the Toronto Blue Jays reduced his role in the wake of a recent slump. Thomas had 10 hits in 60 at bats this year, which wasn't cutting it. He kept his usual impressive on-base rate with 11 walks in the same span. It seems like a short amount of time to give up on the man who hit 26 homers last year and, release or not, was to receive $9 million this year. There was the matter of the 2009 option, which was $10 million and automatically kicked in if Thomas had 360ish at bats.

I'd rather not see things end like this for Thomas, who's nearing his 40th birthday. He's been a prickly guy over the past decade. I'm not sure if the long stretches sitting alone in the dugout as a DH did that, or the slew of injuries that slowed his Hall of Fame career starting in 2001. In any case, he's an all-time great hitter, with the record for homers as a DH. Perhaps a team like the Mariners will pick him up on the cheap so Thomas can continue his bid for 2500 hits and 500 doubles. That .302 career batting average would be at risk. As much as Thomas likes to look at his numbers, anything under .300 would be an eyesore.

Matt Stairs and Rod Barajas will platoon at DH for the Blue Jays. When a Stairs/Barajas platoon is preferrable, it might be time to hang up the spikes.

The NFL draft will be over a week from now. As of this moment I have no idea what the Titans will do. It's looking like they will search for help on the defensive line. Drafting a wideout seems less likely. No rookie is going to boost the group of mediocre talent that performed so decently last year. Getting a dynamic running back to help ease the load, and minds of Titan fans, of the White/Henry duo, is a must, but that can be accomplished any time in the first day of the draft. I wouldn't be surprised to see a trade down as a team like the Falcons moves up to pick up Brian Brohm. I just want to enjoy draft day, which is a bit like Christmas Day for obsessed NFLers. I like it that everything NFL-related is hyped to the rafters. Most of the time, the hype is unwarranted. Some times you get a Super Bowl 42 or a 46-yard TD dash in overtime by Vince Young. If you don't watch, you might miss the magic.