Chris Perez saved 36 games for the Cleveland Indians in 2011. (AP)Even if a player shows up to spring training in the proverbial best shape of his life, it's probably important for him to pace himself through the six-week schedule leading up to opening day. That appears to be a lesson Chris Perez learned the hard way on Sunday.

The Cleveland Indians' closer will be out 4-6 weeks after straining his left oblique while throwing a bullpen session last Thursday. As reported by the Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes, Perez stopped after 25 to 30 pitches after feeling a pain in his side. At the time, he thought it was a cramp.

But did Perez try to go too hard, too soon? That seems to be what Indians' head trainer Lonnie Soloff was saying when he spoke about the injury with the media.

"His body was clearly not ready for the intensity of that bullpen session," said Soloff.

Uh-oh! Was Soloff saying that Perez showed up to spring training out of shape? No, said the trainer, but the session was more than his body was prepared to handle.

Perez didn't think Soloff was criticizing him, either. Rather, he was saying that for the pitcher's first bullpen session of the spring, it was advisable to go 50 or 75 percent, instead of going all out with a 100 percent effort. However, Perez felt that to do anything less would've been a waste of time.

And, Perez insisted, he is not out of shape.

Concussion symptoms have limited Justin Morneau to 150 games the past two seasons. (AP)Justin Morneau has played in only 150 games for the Minnesota Twins over the past two seasons, due to the effects from a concussion he suffered in July of 2010.

The constant struggle with post-concussion symptoms has clearly taken a toll on Morneau, judging from comments he made while speaking with the media on Friday.

From 1500ESPN.com's Phil Mackey:

"I don't think there'll be a career if it's something I'm dealing with," Morneau said. "That's the reality of the whole thing. I've kind of come to grips with that. I'm obviously not going to continue to mess around with this if it continues to be a problem. There comes a point when you can only torture yourself so long. It's something I love to do, but you keep preparing and keep being let down, that's something that nobody wants to go through, obviously. It's been a tough winter that way. I try not to think about that kind of stuff."

Dealing with so many setbacks while trying to return to the lineup, let alone his former MVP-level performance, has obviously created plenty of doubt and uncertainty for Morneau. How long can a player keep trying to come back when he's being constantly thwarted by his body, especially from a condition that is so difficult to handle properly?

The request we're sending to bloggers of all 30 teams this spring is a simple one: What are the 10 best things about being a fan of your favorite team? What features of the franchise have you excited for opening day and what keeps you coming back year after year?

Over the next few weeks, we'll give each of the 30 teams a day in the spotlight, showcasing the icons and traditions that make each big-league hamlet special. Starting off the series is our own Ian Casselberry, the editor emeritus of Bless You Boys and a tried-and-true Detroit Tigers fan.

Despite a 2.74 ERA last season, Tim Lincecum finished with a 13-14 record for the San Francisco Giants. (US Pr …Yes, something else happened in baseball on Tuesday besides Prince Fielder and the Detroit Tigers joining forces to shock the world to the tune of $214 million.

On any other day, Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants would've been the top story. The two sides agreed to a two-year, $40.2 million contract, which buys out Lincecum's final two years of arbitration eligibility. He'll become a free agent after the 2013 season.

Lincecum was looking at a sweet raise, regardless of how the arbitration process worked out for him.

Last week, he asked for a $21.5 million salary for 2012, the most ever requested by a player with less than six years of service time. The Giants countered with a $17 million contract offer that was the highest ever offered by a team since salary arbitration was instituted in 1974. And oh, by the way, it would've given Lincecum a $4 million raise.

So this is a win for both sides, right? Well, yes and no.

Omar Vizquel will turn 45 years old in April. (US Presswire)If you were worried about preparing yourself for a baseball season that doesn't include Omar Vizquel, the 44-year-old infielder is doing his best to make sure you won't miss him.

Vizquel will try to keep this baseball thing going for a 24th season, agreeing to a minor-league deal with the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. The news was first reported by ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick, then confirmed by Vizquel himself. All on the Twitter, as the kids say.

Set to turn 45 in April, Vizquel won't be the oldest player in the majors if — and when — he wins a job with the Jays. He has Tim Wakefield (46 in August) to thank for that. (Both of them would cede seniority to Jamie Moyer, 49, if he earns a spot with the Colorado Rockies.)

Vizquel appeared in 58 games with the Chicago White Sox last season, batting .251/.287/.305 in 182 plate appearances. But as his 11 Gold Gloves will tell you, Vizquel has always been known more for his glove. Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos either feels that Vizquel can play John McDonald's former role of backing up every infield position, or he's hoping that bringing in another infielder might challenge incumbent utility man Mike McCoy and recently acquired Luis Valbuena.

Victor Martinez hit .330 and drove in 102 runs for the Detroit Tigers in 2011. (AP)

A relatively quiet offseason for the Detroit Tigers just got noisy.

But for all the wrong reasons.

Anthony Rizzo struggled in his first big league season, batting .141. (AP)Should we start with the bad news, Chicago Cubs fans? Your team won't be signing Prince Fielder this offseason.

But the good news is that the Cubs will still be getting a new first baseman, one who could eventually man the position for years to come (and will be arriving in town with a much lower pricetag than Prince).

Anthony Rizzo is a familiar face to the Cubs' new front office. GM Jed Hoyer was with the San Diego Padres when they acquired Rizzo from the Boston Red Sox in the Adrian Gonzalez trade last winter. Team president Theo Epstein was the Red Sox GM when the team drafted Rizzo out of high school in 2007.

The 22-year-old struggled in his first taste of the big leagues last season. In 153 plate appearances, Rizzo batted .141/.281/.242 with one home run and nine RBIs. He showed big-time power in the minors, averaging 25 homers and 100 RBIs over the past two seasons. But Rizzo became expendable in San Diego when the Padres got Yonder Alonso from the Cincinnati Reds in the Mat Latos trade.

Hoyer admitted that he probably rushed Rizzo last year and sees him starting in the minors next season, with Bryan LaHair — who hit .331/.405/.664 with 38 homers and 109 RBIs for Triple-A Iowa — being the Cubs' starting first baseman. While that's probably disappointing for fans who were hoping for a flashier move, this is more in line with the rebuilding approach Epstein and Hoyer have taken thus far.

Dave Duncan had been the Cards' pitching coach since 1995. (AP)When Tony La Russa retired from managing the St. Louis Cardinals, the presumption was that pitching coach Dave Duncan would immediately follow him off the stage.

The signs, after all, were there. Not only was the famous La Russa-Duncan coaching team breaking up, but Duncan's wife was also sick and needed care. "Personal reasons" could have been cited and no one would have doubted Duncan's true intention.

And though the 66-year-old first said he'd like to stick around for the final year of his contract, it turns out that Duncan will join La Russa and Albert Pujols as ex-Cardinals, announcing on Thursday that he's resigning as the team's long-time pitching coach.

The idea of leaving home during spring training and going through the grind of another baseball season while his wife needs care was apparently something Duncan didn't want to deal with. Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak told Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal on Thursday night that Duncan was taking a leave of absence from the team.

Mozeliak said that the team was leaving the door open for Duncan to return, perhaps to a different position within the organization. Yet Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote on Twitter that his sources told him Duncan was actually resigning.

In subsequent tweets, Miklasz wrote that Duncan's wife is doing well and the family is encouraged by her recovery. But as the P-D's Joe Strauss reported, Duncan feels that he can't properly fulfill his baseball duties while devoting himself to his wife's treatment.

Who could?