Weird stuff to watch this season

From first pitch to final out, there's plenty for all fans in the 2003 season. A look at the fastballs, curves and screwballs in the upcoming year:

MYSTERY MAN: He could win a couple of Cy Young Awards, or he may never win another game in his career. The Cardinals still don't know what to expect from Rick Ankiel. Neither does he -- now 23, there's no telling whether the lefty wunderkind will ever figure out why he started throwing pitches to the backstop in the 2000 playoffs.

THE BIG HURT: Of all the names on the disabled list, one truly sticks out: Albert Belle. He hasn't played since a bad right hip forced him to leave the Orioles in March 2001. But if he retires, he can't collect on his $65 million, five-year contract. So he officially remains on the DL, and will stay there through the end of this season.

THE LITTLE HURT: Jay Witasick was lucky, because he almost trashed his entire season -- literally. The San Diego reliever strained his right elbow this month while throwing out the garbage. If it had been worse, he might've needed "Tommy John" surgery.

MIKE PIAZZA vs. GUILLERMO MOTA, ROUND 3: Basebrawl fans, mark down May 6. That's the first time the Dodgers and Mets meet in the regular season, so look for those John Rocker protective screens over the Los Angeles bullpen at Shea Stadium. Plunked in two straight springs by Dodgers pitcher Guillermo Mota, Mets catcher Mike Piazza isn't finished with him yet.

VIVA THE VAUGHNS: Greg Vaughn lost his swing last season, hitting .163 with eight home runs in 69 games for Tampa Bay. At 37, he's owed $9.25 million this year and could be baseball's biggest bust. Mo Vaughn came back from missing a year to hit .259 with 26 homers for the Mets. Slimmed-down at 35, he might be a lot more productive.

STAT FREAK: Boston GM Theo Epstein, 29, brings a lot of fresh ideas to the game, courtesy of the man he hired as an adviser, noted statistician and author Bill James. Among James' thoughts: Scrap the traditional ninth-inning closer. If the Red Sox win, look for a lot of teams to copy them.

STANDING PAT: The Angels took a novel approach to the offseason -- they did hardly anything, other than adding Eric Owens as a spare outfielder. Anaheim becomes the first World Series champion since the 1987 Twins to bring back its entire starting lineup and rotation. How'd Minnesota do the next year? Finished 13 games out of first place.

ON THE SPOT: New managers are all over the majors, with 10 of the 30 teams making changes since last year. So who's in jeopardy now? Maybe Mike Hargrove, whose Orioles have averaged 94 defeats in his three seasons. Owner Peter Angelos isn't likely to stand for much more losing.

ALL-STAR ANXIETY: A lot of people don't like the idea of giving the league that wins the All-Star game the home-field advantage in the World Series, and this is one big reason: What's to stop Athletics fans, say, from trying to sabotage the NL by voting for an outfield of Rob Mackowiak, Peter Bergeron and Chad Hermansen instead of Barry Bonds, Vladimir Guerrero and Chipper Jones? Something the commissioner's office has considered: Fans in AL parks vote for the AL team, same goes for the NL side. OK, it's not perfect, but it's a start.

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