Halos Heaven points out a story regarding Los Angeles Angels outfielder Gary Matthews Jr.

According to the article, an Orlando pharmacy was raided for alleged violations of federal and state prescription laws  in the climax of a large New York state grand jury investigation into Internet drug sales that could expose widespread illicit steroid use by professional athletes.

"The customers include Los Angeles Angels centerfielder Gary Matthews Jr., according to sources with knowledge of the investigation."

Who's next?

Baseball Musings, and Yahoo! Sports have more info as well.

My people in Boston have pointed out an article for Boston.com which cites the AP report that former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette is helping to establish a baseball league in Israel.   The league is scheduled to debut this summer.

Former Mets outfielder Art Shamsky is slated to coach one of the 6 teams.

This goes right along with the internationalization of baseball that many teams seem to be working on as of late. 

The Yankees have setup shop in China, and Mets GM Omar Minaya recently made a goodwill visit to Ghana which will be recapped on SNY in the coming weeks.

More info was also found on SNY.tv.

In an article for Yahoo! Sports, Tim Brown profiles the young Lastings Milledge. He highlights the off-season work Milledge has been doing to perfect his defensive mechanics. 

Regarding an outstanding outfield assist, Brown notes:

Milledge on the opinion last year from some that he was not mature:

Finally, he gets some good press. I know the whole Milledge thing has been beaten like a dead horse, but this article gives more insight to Milledge's thought processes which are usually not given an objective look.

I didn't see what happened behind the scenes last year, but I was there when he hi-fived the fans and there was nothing wrong with it.  It was refreshing to see a player letting loose and having fun.

I've never made an issue regarding the antics of Milledge and have always been for this kid who I hope succeeds wherever he winds up.

Update...

Check out today's post on MetsBlog for more info on Milledge's evolution.

Throughout most of the offseason on numerous sites, Oliver Perez has been almost singled out as the Met who will provide the surprise standout performance of the year.

Can someone who everyone thinks will be the surprise, still be a surprise?

This is why I give you, Ambiorix Burgos. In an article for the Daily News today, Mets beat writer Adam Rubin recaps Burgos' performance in yesterday's intrasquad game:

I think Perez will still provide solid numbers, but what a lift it would be if Burgos finds his control and winds up providing major relief for Mets starters who might rarely see the 6th inning.

I know he's only pitched one inning, but I'm setting the deadline for guessing the surprise of the year at Friday.