Your ears are not fooling you: Baseball is back

Reading time, two minutes:

Turned on the car radio this week and heard a most beautiful noise -- baseball.

The Giants' painful tradeoff in 2008: No Barry Bonds (finally) but will that team win 70 games?

Not good news in February: injuries to Omar Vizquel, Ray Durham, Rich Aurilia and Bengie Molina.

The Athletics and their own injured warrior: third baseman Eric Chavez (three surgeries in 2007).

Already blazing: Georgia-bound East Union senior Erin Arevalo and her 20-strikeout no-hitter vs. Pitman.

Has the recently ended Hot Stove League ever produced more heat than the Mitchell Report?

The only favorable result from Vizquel's injury: Kevin Frandsen on the field every day, showing whether or not he's a big-league talent.

About helmets now mandated for base coaches: They also should be worn by baserunners at third and fastpitch third baseman.

Let's just say it: Modesto Christian's 122-100 win over Encina may have been the most remarkable prep game ever contested in California.

Remember: High school games last only 32 minutes. The teams averaged nearly 7 points per minute.

Another jaw-dropper: The Crusaders' Reeves Nelson and D.J. Seeley combining for 83 points.

Philadelphia Soul quarterback and ex-Modestan Tony Graziani is smiling because he's reunited this AFL season with an old favorite: receiver Chris Jackson (131 TD connections with Graziani when they were in L.A.).

Graziani's rocking boss: Soul majority owner Jon Bon Jovi.

Raiders defensive tackle Tommy Kelly just signed a $50 million contract with $18.125 million guaranteed -- a lot of coin for a guy who had only one sack in seven games last year.

Forty Niners quarterback and 14-year veteran Trent Dilfer inches toward retirement. "It was a good five weeks before I was even close to right," he said this week in Modesto in reference to his Dec. 9 concussion vs. the Vikings.

They hate the media until they become a member: Sterling Sharpe and, today, ESPN analyst Bob Knight.

Did you know: Diamondbacks CEO and Managing Partner Jeffrey Moorad (Downey, MJC) also is a part-owner of NASCAR's No. 96 car driven by J.J. Yeley? Moorad replaced Troy Aikman on the ownership team last summer.

For the record: Yeley finished 25th at the Daytona 500.

The Bee's Jeff Jardine says steer wrestling could inspire a new TV show: "Dancing With The Steers."

Nearing the end: the Cow Palace, the scene of performances by everyone from John Fitzgerald Kennedy, to the Beatles, to Rick Barry, to Elvis Presley, etc.

If you think there is a rift between Kings coach Reggie Theus and Kevin Martin, you may not be wrong.

Can't feel worse about Scott Spiezio (Modesto Athletics, 1994): released by the Cardinals, facing arrest, clearly troubled.

Maybe the Angels can save Spiezio. He saved them with that three-run homer (Game 6 of the 2002 World Series).

No one is talking about it, but: Major League Baseball must covet the treasure trove of talent in Cuba now that Fidel Castro has stepped down.

Grab a bat, Roger Clemens, and prepare to duck: Now pitching, the FBI.

Bee sports columnist Ron Agostini can be reached at ragostini@modbee.com or 578-2302.