Noah Lowry: flash in a pan or lightning in a bottle?
-- Dave Wise, San Francisco

Flash in a bottle? Lightning in a pan? I like him, but this year will tell for sure. He's so young (just 24) that you have to figure that he'll be around for a while, as long as he stays healthy. He's smart, too, already relying a lot on changing speeds. He doesn't look fragile, he looks smooth. It'll be interesting to see how he holds up for a whole year. If he shows he can, he should be in the Giants' rotation -- or some team's -- for years to come.

If Mark McGwire isn't taking all the heat for steroids, he's still getting thoroughly broiled while Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa are barely on defrost. Steroids or not, I still think the money I spent on tickets to see McGwire hit legendary homers was well spent. Bonds came out of the blue to take the single-season record (no seasons above 50 and then, suddenly, 73) and nobody talks about canceling his ticket to the Hall of Fame. McGwire holds a record for three years, retires out of the public eye, handles himself with quiet dignity and now he's the one whose legacy is destroyed? Anyone who doesn't vote for McGwire on the first ballot because of steroid suspicions (which, even if valid, don't amount to a rules violation) while handing Bonds the MVP year-in-year-out ought to have his BBWAA card burned before his very eyes.
-- Tim Ruberton, Appleton, Wis.

Tim, if you throw the steroids issue out of the discussion, Bonds is a much stronger candidate for the Hall than McGwire. If you consider steroids, Bonds is still a stronger candidate. It's as simple as that. You have to admit that McGwire did his legacy no favors with his miserable show in front of Congress. And Bonds' legacy? It's taken its hits, too. And more are on the way.

In your Payoff Pitch column you mentioned "I don't mind an ovation for Jason Giambi from the hometown fans. I guess you kind of expect it. Fine. But a standing ovation?" I couldn't agree with you more. I mean, didn't everyone in baseball, players included, mention that being publicly outed was perhaps the greatest deterrent in the new anti-steroid policy? Seems to me there is little risk in being "outed" as long as one performs. Once again, the incorrect message is being delivered to the youth of America. Bottom line, until MLB adopts the same drug policies that the Olympics use, I'll consider them the joke that they really are. Sadly, this is one joke I cannot laugh at.
-- Michael DeKeyser, Berkeley, Calif.

Fans are weird sometimes. The message the fans are sending -- it's not just Yankees fans -- is that, if you perform, you're all right with us. Blind allegiance to the home team, no matter what, is always a bit unsettling. Now Giambi, as I've pointed out, is a likeable fellow and all, and I'm all for forgiveness. But you're right. Seeing him lauded as some kind of hero is simply wrong. If it's any consolation, it'll all even out when the Yankees hit the road.

As much as I hate the Braves, I have always wondered why Leo Mazzone has never become a manager. He might make it to the Hall of Fame as a pitching coach.
-- Dan Keane, New Jersey

Yeah, Leo knows what he's doing. I'm not sure that Mazzone -- who can be way too blunt for general public consumption -- has the demeanor to be a manager. But as far as getting the most out of pitchers, and knowing when to let them be, nobody does it better.

As a Braves fan, I agree with your point on Andruw Jones -- I'll believe it when I see it. I'm more optimistic about Tim Hudson having an incredible year. With his attitude and talent and working with Mazzone and his knack for getting the best out of veteran pitchers, I'm cautiously thinking Cy Young as a real possibility. With all the attention on Smoltz's return to the rotation, I think this is being overlooked.
-- David Coleman, Richmond, Ky.

Hudson's start Thursday sure was better-looking than Smoltz's the other day, eh? You're not alone in your thinking, David. I've seen several people predict Hudson for a Cy Young. He's certainly in the running with guys like Jason Schmidt of the Giants, Pedro Martinez of the Mets, the Astros' Roger Clemens, the Padres' Jake Peavy and a few others. Hudson is one tough, wiry thrower, and he should thrive in the National League.

Didn't agree with your bit about Alex Sanchez and steroids. For the record, I don't care whether he's innocent or guilty. (Also for the record, I don't think Bonds took steroids.) Anyhow, I know you were trying to make a point but players should not need to change their everyday lifestyle just because there's this whole steroids thing going on. It's not fair for the innocent.
-- V. Lui, San Francisco

As a professional athlete -- especially one who is drug tested -- you need to know a couple of things: What you can't put into your body and what you do put into your body. Ignorance on either count is inexcusable.

You've been duped by Arte Moreno. L.A. did not draw more fans than New York, because there aren't two L.A. teams. The Angels are not in L.A., they're in Anaheim. That's not even in the same county as the Dodgers. If there were baseball in Portland, would you give those attendance figures to Seattle?
-- Tom Hitchner, Irvine, Calif.

C'mon, Tom. Portland-Seattle's not exactly the same thing, is it? Yeah, Anaheim and L.A. are two different cities and all, 25 or 30 miles apart. But we all know that they're all part of that Southern California sprawl. Face it. Live with it. It's OK.