It's like clockwork, seriously ... recently, every year around the Baseball Hall of Fame inductions there is news that A) Bud Selig is or isn't considering lifting the lifetime ban against Pete Rose and B) names from the list of players who tested positive in 2003 are leaked.

As for option A, Pete belongs in the Hall of Fame -- but not in baseball. I mean seriously, he has the most memorabilia in the Hall of Fame, so induction is theoretically academic. Enough of that though, I want to take a look at the steroid list and the potential economic impact on baseball.

The Texas Rangers have a new name for their owner's suite: "President George W. Bush Owner's Suite", in honor of the 43rd President who bought an $800,000 stake in the team in April of 1989. After serving as general managing partner for five years, he sold the stake in 1998 for more than $15 million.

"I've looked this up, and in the 133-year history of Major League Baseball, never has a president been an owner except President Bush," Rangers owner Tom Hicks told MLB.com. "I'm glad he's home and can reconnect with this place. We thought it would be fitting to have the suite named after him."

"I was actually thinking of my time in baseball driving up here on the turnpike," Bush said. "Baseball is a great sport, and the Rangers are a great organization. Tom is a wonderful owner and has built this team up, hopefully guiding it to an American League pennant."

"I'm thrilled to accept it," Bush said. "I used to [sit in the crowd during the game], but my life changed in January 2001. I have a little less anonymity now."

I would love to see President Bush come to Fenway Park and try to take in a game from the bleachers.

"Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the crowd ... Buy me some peanuts and ... tofu dogs?"

Several years ago, if you were a baseball fan and a vegetarian, you were practically out of luck, left to dine on nachos, French fries, and the occasional cotton candy. But as we are becoming a less carnivorous society, some ballparks are choosing to adapt, adding veggie-friendly items to their menus.

Last week, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) released its list of the top 10 vegetarian ballparks. Making the list were Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies, as well as AT&T (NYSE: T) Park, where the San Francisco Giants play, and Atlanta's Turner Field - home of the Brave(s).

New York Yankee executives apparently read BloggingStocks. A day or so after posting on the American League baseball franchise's truly-stratospheric plus-$2,000 ticket prices (and empty seats) at the new Yankee Stadium, the Yankees announced a ticket price cut.

The Yankees cut prices on most premium seats, including a 50% cut in the top Legend Suite seats, to $1,250 from $2,500. Season ticket and partial ticket plan holders who purchased tickets at the previous price will receive additional, complimentary tickets as compensation or a credit.

It's a sign of the times: the New York Yankees, who just opened a cathedral of baseball, the $1.5 billion new Yankee Stadium, have underestimated the impact of the U.S. recession on sports/entertainment/leisure spending.

About 1,800 high-priced seats -- with prices up to $2,625 for each game -- have not sold. Imagine that. The Yankees began the inaugural season at their new home in the Bronx, located across the street from The House That Ruth Built, by increasing ticket prices anywhere from 5 to 50% per seat.

The headline in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) couldn't be any more dramatic: "Baseball writers brace for the end."

Wire reports and bloggers are rapidly replacing beat writers in all but the most die-hard cities, and financial problems at newspapers are leading to mass layoffs of sportswriters made less essential by technological progress and a generation of sports fans who don't read the newspaper.

The New York Yankees, the greatest and most storied professional, sports franchise in human history, open the New Yankee Stadium in two days.

Actually, the first, regular season home game isn't until April 16, but the ballclub will open the doors to their new palace on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. for a paid-attendance, afternoon workout and two exhibition games Friday night and Saturday afternoon, before starting the regular season on the road next week.

Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) has said that it generates $10 in revenue for every $1 it invests in sports marketing, and nets $3 of that amount in income. In theory, taxpayers as shareholders should support these deals if they will enhance the company's ability to generate income.

But still: The company has broken off its talks for a long-term endorsement deal with the New York Yankees amid fallout from the market collapse and the government's bailout of the firm. Many Americans and politicians feel that it's hypocritical for companies like Bank of America and Citigroup (NYSE: C) to take billions in taxpayer cash and then spend hundreds of millions on naming rights for stadiums.

With Stanford Financial in limbo as regulators pounce and assets are frozen, at least two Major League Baseball stars are facing some serious financial problems.

FoxSports' Ken Rosenthal reports that Yankees center fielder Johnny Damon doesn't have enough money to pay his trainer and Mets star Xavier Nady hasn't been able to purchase an apartment in New York. Apparently their money is tied up in the Stanford mess, and they don't have access to it -- at least for now.

The New York Mets, whose September collapses have delighted us Philadelphia Phillies fans, have screwed up even bigger with their $400 million stadium naming rights deal with Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C).

Baseball's premier choke artists are now denying an earlier report that the troubled New York-based bank was trying to back out of its commitment to the team. New York Newsday is quoting a team official "We're committed to our agreement with Citi, and Citi has indicated it is committed to users." He went on to defend Citi, saying that the bank "needs to advertise."

Many homeowners are now running into trouble with their mortgages because they didn't understand what they were getting themselves into when they signed up for artificially low payments with teaser rates. Then the payments exploded upward and now they're facing foreclosure. Similarly, free agent catcher Jason Varitek has cost himself millions of dollars because he didn't understand Major League Baseball's arbitration process.

Varitek served as the Red Sox catcher from 1998 through 2008 but at age 36, his numbers have been in decline for the last two years. At the end of the season, the Red Sox offered him arbitration -- a process by which Varitek and the team would exchange proposed salaries and an independent arbitrator would pick which number was most appropriate. Because of MLB rules, the least Varitek could have made was $10 million for the season.

Varitek rejected the offer of arbitration and became a free agent and because he is a Type-A free agent, any team that signs him will have to surrender a first round draft pick to the Red Sox.

It's a tough job market for everyone. In addition to all the investment bankers facing smaller bonuses, there's another group of people deserving of our sympathy: professional baseball players.

The sagging economy has Major League Baseball teams feeling a little bit cautious as far as free agent signings and on top of that, there is somewhat of a glut of players on the market. Experts are forecasting a drop in ticket sales, but baseball may prove to be somewhat recession proof because the deals with television networks that make up a large portion of revenue are long-term guaranteed contracts: Even if advertising revenue declines, that won't effect the league or its teams directly.

ESPN analyst Buster Olney tells BusinessWeek that the Boston Red Sox are "absolutely loaded" and well-poised to take advantage of the weak economy to score some good bargains on free agents.

The Red Sox are a great example of well-managed company. By not bowing to the pressure to overspend in good times (letting pricey free agents like Pedro Martinez and Johnny Damon walk), they have left themselves in a strong financial position that allows them to be take advantage of weakness and get more bang for their free agent buck when times are rough.

It's a shame more public companies aren't managed that way.

After the New York Yankees signed the three biggest free agents on the market, Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio sent an email to Bloomberg calling for a salary cap: "At the rate the Yankees are going, I'm not sure anyone can compete with them. Frankly, the sport might need a salary cap." He added that "I paid $220 million for my team; now they get three players for $420 million."

Under a salary cap system, teams would be limited as far as how much they can spend on player salaries each year -- the idea is to allow smaller-market teams to be competitive.

But in an interview with CNBC, Scott Boras -- the controversial super-agent who represents Mark Teixeira, Manny Ramirez and many others -- explained why he doesn't think baseball should have a salary cap. Of course it's a pretty self-serving argument but here's what he said: "I'm not sure what a salary cap does other than it prevents choices."

Of course Scott Boras could sell a champion sailor to a guy in the desert, but he actually might be onto something with this one: The free agent frenzy of out of control spending adds a "Hot Stove" season to baseball that others sports lack. And for all the talk about big budget teams killing competitiveness, the two teams that made it to the World Series ranked 13th and 29th (second to last) on the list of teams with the biggest budgets.

In light of current economic conditions, you might be worried about your situation: your job security, your home's value, your 401(k), and how you're going to pay for your kid's college.

But hey: quit being so selfish, and have a little sympathy for the real victims of this mess. That's right: professional athletes. MLB.com's Hal Bodley reports that "Economic uncertainties facing virtually every professional sports team, every player and, of course, each and every fan undoubtedly will have a trickle-down effect during baseball's offseason."

He goes on to say that teams are expected to be "more cautious, if not conservative, in locking up those not considered superstars," as they cut spending in anticipation of depressed attendance and advertising revenue.

But 2008 revenue hit a record high and some commentators, including agent Scott Boras, who is of course biased, say that baseball may well prove to be recession-proof. But I'm not so sure. It may be that attendance and consumer interest in the game will remain robust, but leading sponsors, especially in the financial industry, may be less aggressive with their marketing dollars. The PGA Tour is certainly seeing that effect already.

It looks like it could be a blue Christmas for Manny Ramirez.

The Boston Red Sox can take comfort in knowing that media tycoon Rupert Murdoch is in their corner tonight as they face potential elimination from the American League Championship Series at the hands of the Tampa Bay Rays. Whether that will help the Sox overcome a 3 games to 1 deficit is doubtful.

Murdoch, who probably prefers rugby or soccer to America's past time, is in a pickle with the World Series that will be broadcast over his Fox network. News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) shareholders, whose holdings plunged more than 60 percent this year, are probably gritting their teeth that the Philadelphia Phillies (my team) defeated ex-Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez and the Los Angeles Dodgers to capture the National League championship. Ramirez is one of the game's best known and controversial personalities. Moreover, the Dodgers attract fans from all over the country including older folks who remember them when they were in Brooklyn.

The Red Sox nation are among the most passionate fans in baseball. I bet they are miffed that the ALCS has been relegated to TBS while the much inferior National League basked in the glow of network television. Furthermore. the Red Sox , one of the most storied franchises in sports, are on the verge of being eliminated by a team from Tampa Bay, which gave the world Hooters. Okay, that was Clearwater, but it's close enough.