Gary Sheffield

If Philadelphia Phillies fans need another grim reminder of where their team stands on baseball's food chain, they could consider the club's complete paralysis during this gaudy big-game, free-agent hunting season.Yesterday, while the Orioles signed Albert Belle to a contract akin to a small nation's budget, the Phillies remained on the sidelines, reduced to walkovers by an increasingly skewed market dominated by robber-baron teams and cemented in place by a system that is strangling the also-rans.

First of all, it's not all about the Yankees. Except that it's always about the Yankees. It's one of those funny coincidences that the Yankees were in town the day the last (at least it seems) obstacle was cleared to the Orioles reaping that big payoff from the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. You could almost hear the cry rolling from Camden Yards across the metropolitan area as soon as the news broke: "Open the vaults! Start slinging the cash! Time to catch the Yankees!" Easy for us to say. The Orioles, in fact, have been very careful to say everything but that.

PHOENIX -- And you thought Eli was bad.Say hello to chairman Tom Werner and the rest of the San Diego Padres' 15-man ownership group. The Padres finished third in the National League West last season, featuring the league batting champion (Gary Sheffield) and home run king (Fred McGriff). Now, they're the laughingstocks of baseball.Werner and Co. say they lost $8 million in 1992, and they've responded with a cost-cutting crusade that makes Eli Jacobs look like Santa Claus. Hey, at least the Orioles had a Christmas tree this winter.

NEW YORK - A quick glance at the highlights from yesterday's 6-4 loss to the New York Yankees would never explain the frustration Orioles manager Lee Mazzilli felt as he fielded reporters' questions with some of his shortest answers of the season. The Yankees, with their $180 million payroll and All-Star-laden roster, had done it again, right? Go ahead, scan the box score. Javier Vazquez got his 12th win. Derek Jeter had an RBI triple. Alex Rodriguez (No. 27) and Gary Sheffield (No. 23)

IT GIVES ME great pleasure to announce this will be the last column I write about steroids and baseball. Unless, of course, the grandstanding congressmen who want to squeeze every last drop of scandal out of the downsized Jason Giambi, among others, succeed in holding their scheduled "hearing" March 17 on Capitol Hill. Then this will be the second-to-last column I write about steroids and baseball. Maybe Rep. Tom Davis is getting a kickback from Jose Canseco's publisher. Nothing like a tell-all book from a disgraced slugger to drive the agenda of our nation's leaders.

SAN DIEGO -- Last year belonged to Cal Ripken. This year belongs to Mark McGwire.The home run derby that highlights the All-Star workout day has become a barometer of baseball batsmanship, at least over the past couple of years.Ripken set a record when he hit 12 home runs at SkyDome during last year's All-Star workout. McGwire tied it yesterday with 12 homers to highlight the American League's 27-13 victory over the National League in the home run contest held at Jack Murphy Stadium.McGwire had a chance to break Ripken's mark with his last swing, but his long fly ball fell on the warning track -- a couple of feet short of the fence.

Before I get into this week's column, I'm taking a minute to fill out an All-Star ballot at mlb.com, with some interesting results. After three weeks of the season, you'd be hard-pressed to find a first baseman worthy of representing the AL at this year's game in Detroit. Pretty sad. Chicago's Paul Konerko (seven HRs, .236 average) and Texas' Mark Texeira (five HRs, .229 average) both have big power numbers. But in a surprise move, I'm going with Toronto's Eric Hinske, who's hitting a respectable .290 with three HRs, 13 RBIs and a couple of steals.

At one time, using coaches was prohibited in Olympic sports. Systematic training was frowned upon. They were thought to be against the spirit of the games. Now performance-enhancing drugs are prohibited in Olympic and most other sports, essentially for the same reason. The current spotlight is on Major League Baseball because of the new book Game of Shadows, by San Francisco Chronicle reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams. Baseball superstar Barry Bonds is its villainous protagonist.

Florida Marlins third baseman Gary Sheffield is the first All-Star Game starter to represent a first-year expansion team.

Baseball Milwaukee Brewers -- Agreed to terms with 3B Gary Sheffield and P Juan Navarro on 1-year contracts.HNew York Yankees -- Named Ron Hansen major-league scout.