Toots and the Maytals' famous song ‘Pressure Drop' has a bright bounce to it, but there is no mistaking the message. The pressure is going to drop on you, so get ready to face the music. In big-market baseball cities around the country, ballplayers are accustomed to this feeling. Some, like Alex Rodriguez, have managed to transform from postseason goat to hero in a single year. As baseball season commences on satellite TV, the pressure will drop on these five players. Can they cope?
1. John Lackey, Boston. The signing of John Lackey was viewed by many as the response to the Yankees' 27th World Series Championship. It's mandatory to respond to Yankees activity in Boston or face the wrath of Red Sox Nation. Lackey is fortunate in that he has always had success against the Yankees and is joining a staff that includes Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Bucholz. Nonetheless, there is no mistaking that if Lackey tanks, he will be Goat #1. Keep NESN's HD network in your sights as this season progresses.
2. Cliff Lee, Seattle. We have learned that Cliff Lee is more than a dominating pitcher on a bad team, as he was in Cleveland. With the Phillies in 2009, he showed the sports world that he's an ace who can dismantle lineups as fearsome as the Yankees' under the brightest lights. Is the case closed? Baseball never works that way. Only the players who perform on the ultimate level for many years get to join the pantheon of immortals. As he comes to Seattle with a number of other players, the pressure will be on to supplant the Angels as kings of the AL West.
3. Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati. Some foreign-born ballplayers step into the HD spotlight with ease and perform at the highest level. The Yankees' El Duque had no problems with the pressure in 1998, saying he had many more worries escaping on a raft from Cuba, as he hoped he wouldn't be eaten by sharks. Others, like countryman Jose Contreras, simply wither under the bright lights. Chapman is just a kid. Can he handle the hype as the Reds try to progress?
4. Victor Martinez, Boston. Boston may be the most ‘What have you done for me lately?' city out there and V-Mart will be questioned if he is not performing at top form in 2010. The Red Sox couldn't resign Jason Bay and downgraded offensively. You can be sure all eyes will be on Martinez to carry the load. Many Ramirez is gone, David Ortiz a shell of his former self.
5. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees. Wasn't A-Rod the hero of the 2009 postseason? Absolutely: no one was feared more and delivered so frequently in the clutch. But Alex has a lot to prove whenever he steps onto the diamond as the highest-paid player in the game. Yankees fans want championship number 28; you can be sure all eyes will glued to the YES HD network to see what happens.
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