Dose of reality from O'Leary

About two years ago, however, he had a thought, born mostly out of frustration from not being able to land a friend a job in baseball and all of the negativity surrounding baseball's steroid scandal. He realized that baseball, even with all of its extensive scouting, might be missing the occasional diamond in the rough.

So he began thinking about a concept for a baseball TV reality series. Month by month, it started to get more creative and involved. He added associates in Alexandra Athanasopoulos and Mike Pearson. He got ex-players and friends like Reggie Jefferson, Mike Stanley, Darren Lewis, John Valentin, Jeff Cirillo, and Rafael Naboa to commit to roles. He received guidance from Reds manager Dusty Baker and from former agent and current special adviser to the White Sox Dennis Gilbert.

Now O'Leary, 39, is ready to become the Simon Cowell of baseball on a show called "Play Big or Go Home."

"My dad John told me, 'If you don't try this, you'll regret it the rest of your life,' " said O'Leary, who played 11 years in the majors, six with Boston. "I had the idea and I knew what I wanted to do, but my dad gave me the push to follow through with it and explore it.

"We're ready now to sell it. It's taken two years of a lot of work to really get it the way we want it and to condense the concept so people will understand it."

The concept starts with baseball players preferably aged 18-22 sending O'Leary videos of them in action. O'Leary will evaluate them and select 15 players from the East, Midwest, and West regions. When he's whittled them down, that's when the judging and voting begins.

According to Athanasopoulos, an IT professional for Wells Fargo in Chandler, Ariz., the show will incorporate a human element, with stories of the players' lives and backgrounds - even "love stories." O'Leary and a panel of judges, likely made up of ex-players, will determine whether they continue or pack up and go home. O'Leary's goal is "to find the five-tool player and to get them an invite to a major league spring training camp."

The final 15 players - five from each region - will come together on a field in Arizona for the final competition. There will be judging, just as there is on "American Idol" and "Dancing With the Stars," as well as Internet and text voting. O'Leary and his associates are hoping the series will run 12-16 episodes per year.

"We're hoping to attract more than the diehard baseball fan," said Athanasopoulos. "We're hoping to attract the casual fan and also entice them with the human-interest side of their story."

O'Leary said he's not interested in the thirtysomething player who's trying to get back into baseball or make it for the first time. What he wants is a young player who has slipped through the cracks of major league scouting.

O'Leary said his friend, Dennis Barker, was that type of player, ideal for the show. A player who had, in O'Leary's opinion, a nice swing that could have been developed into something big.

"I'm just trying to put a positive spin on baseball," said O'Leary. "There's been so much negativity with the steroids. Baseball's been viewed in such a negative light.

"This is all positive. It's the chance for kids to chase their dreams. I'm hoping to get a good, positive response from baseball teams and the hope is they'll give these kids a chance. We're not guaranteeing anything but a major league spring training invitation or a chance to play in an independent league.

"Some of them, just because nobody's heard of them or because they didn't show up on a scout's radar, or maybe because they went to a small college that wasn't scouted, they're not given the chance to even get their foot in the door."

O'Leary said he has turned down opportunities in baseball to scout or coach, that he was very content to spend time with his family and teach kids in the area how to play baseball. But this project has him hooked, and he's ready to pitch it to the networks.

"We believe in the show and the concept," he said. "We believe people will watch and it will be interesting. It combines baseball and life. It shows you how much a kid will do to make it. How much they'll do for that one shot to live their dream."

Go ask Alex

You constantly hear about "edge" and "chemistry" and how the Mets lack it. What do you think?

AC: "Chemistry is a three-game winning streak. We all get along. It's a great mix. In Boston we had it, too. You win three or four games in a row and everyone gets along. You lose three or four and there's problems in the clubhouse."

You weren't in New York last year, but is it hard to overcome the disappointment of the last two years?

AC: "To be honest, I could care less what happened the last two years here. Sure, there's frustration because they could have a World Series ring, but like that great philosopher Manny Ramírez once said, we have to turn the page."

Your GM, Omar Minaya, said last week the team needs an "edge." Do you agree?

AC: "I heard a few things that were said over the weekend about edge and stuff like that. I'm a big believer in that baseball is 162 games and it takes time to get used to each other. With everything that's happened here the last two years, there's kind of a negative spotlight. It's still one of the best places to play baseball."

You were a guy brought in to maybe give that "edge" or bring a winning attitude here. Can you do it?

AC: "The only thing I can do is show up early and do my routine, and that shows people that it takes more than three superstars to win a championship. It takes 25 guys plus. It's a whole organizational effort. When you see a utility guy like me coming out early and working maybe guys will say, 'Hey, even that guy wants to win.' "

Do you still want to manage when you're done?

AC: "I enjoy teaching and learning about others. I've been in a lot of good places to play baseball - LA, Cleveland, Boston, and New York. I'm getting prepared for whatever is next for me in this game. But I'd like to play for another five, six, seven years. I still think of myself as an everyday player, but this is the role I'm cast in, so I make the best of it. In the future I may get that shot."

Violation of drug policy is hardly a deal-breaker

While Dodgers owner Frank McCourt will get $7.7 million in relief for Ramírez's unpaid 50-game suspension, owners would like to get rid of such contracts altogether.

"There ought to be something to protect us from something like this," said a National League owner. "We sign a contract with a player in good faith and then the contract is violated and the player basically can't live up to the terms of the contract because of his behavior.

"It's just not right that we have to be stuck with a contract like that."

Of course, the suspensions are bargained in the Basic Agreement, and trying to void a contract would result in a protracted legal mess. And in the Dodgers' case, they have centered a marketing and promotional campaign around Ramírez.

The Dodgers will watch closely to see how Ramírez responds to the suspension. If he's remorseful and can somehow win over the fans again by speaking out against the use of performance-enhancing drugs - thus turning a negative into a positive - they should be OK.

They also should be able to hold their ground in the NL West until he gets back.

Ramírez is allowed to be around the team, and the hope in Los Angeles is that he sticks with the team, goes on road trips, and remains supportive. He is still considered a role model (for his work ethic) to young hitters like Matt Kemp and James Loney.

While the drug policy seems to be working, baseball still needs to get a blood test to detect human growth hormone, which accelerates the healing process. Right now, the only way a player can be caught with that is with a paper trail tying him to a distributor.

2. Tanyon Sturtze, free agent reliever: Sturtze got his release from the Dodgers May 1, and now the Worcester native is contemplating his future, which could include retirement. Sturtze, who served as a de facto coach for the Dodgers last season while he was recovering from an injury, said he's spending time with his kids and looking at his options.

3. Abe Alvarez, LHP, Palfinger Reggio Emilia: The former Red Sox farmhand surrendered Claudio Liverziani's 1,000th hit in the Italian Baseball League. Liverziani, who plays for Fortitudo Bologna, became the fifth player in Italian League history to collect 1,000.

4. Carlos Beltran, CF, Mets: It has taken him a long time to mature, but he may have arrived. Beltran didn't entirely dismiss the notion of being able to hit .400 for a season, but said, "I'm seeing the ball so good at the plate that I'm not thinking about that. My job right now is to just take advantage of how I feel. I don't think about .400 because that's almost impossible, but you never know. I don't look at my stats. I don't get caught up in that. You start looking at stats, you forget about what you're here for. There are days where I go 0 for 4 and I can make a good catch in the outfield and help the team. I know if I stay healthy I'm going to have a good year."

5. Gary Sheffield, OF, Mets: He would love more playing time but said, "I knew what I was getting into when I came here. I'm good with it. I enjoy being here and I'll contribute when I get the call." Sheffield, who was released by Detroit, has seen former Tigers teammates Marcus Thames and Carlos Guillen succumb to injuries since then. According to Mets teammates, Sheffield has been a force in trying to bring the "edge" that general manager Omar Minaya spoke of. Minaya said Sheffield has "hit the ball better than his [.158] average." Sheffield is also the resident boxing expert:. "[Floyd ] Mayweather should stay away from [Manny] Pacquaio."

6. Stephen Strasburg, RHP, San Diego State: Many scouts and front office personnel feel that Strasburg, the likely No. 1 overall pick in the June draft by Washington, will sign and start his career in the majors. There aren't many baseball people who feel he'd be rushed even at age 20. Strasburg is 11-0 with 164 strikeouts in 87 1/3 innings after fanning 17 in a no-hitter against Air Force Friday. He will be represented by Scott Boras, who will try to surpass the Daisuke Matsuzaka contract of six years, $52 million. Given the Nationals's state, they may have no choice but to meet the demands. The Nats didn't sign their top pick last year, have gone through tough times with the Jim Bowden fiasco, and need an attendance boost in the worst way.

7. Buster Posey, catcher, Giants: Hitting .314 with 5 homers and 22 RBIs in Single A San Jose, he is on a fast track to the big leagues. This is working out well for the Giants because Bengie Molina will become a free agent. In a perfect world, the Giants would want Molina to re-sign to mentor Posey, but Molina isn't ready for the mentoring role. He told reporters in San Francisco that he'll be looking for a starting job next year as well. He'll likely have suitors.

8. Jorge Cantu, 1B, Marlins: Applause. Cantu was one of the early Rays (he came up in 2004 at age 22), playing second base when Julio Lugo was the shortstop. Cantu had to go back to the minors in 2007 but has returned to become an offensive force in the National League. As the weekend began, he was hitting .387 (12 for 31) with runners in scoring position. He also owns Derek Lowe (7 for 8 with 7 RBIs over his career). Cantu, still only 27, hit 29 homers and knocked in 95 runs last year; he entered last night hitting .299 with 8 homers and 31 RBIs.

9. Josh Byrnes, GM, Arizona: He fired his friend Bob Melvin - a move some in the baseball community felt was unjustified - and replaced him with farm director A.J. Hinch, who has no managerial experience. The Diamondbacks are 100 percent committed to their development system, but right now they're sinking with that philosophy as their youngsters have slumped. The thinking with Hinch is to bring up the guy who developed the players. We'll see.

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com.