Five frequently-asked questions from players:

Question:Who's the best team in baseball right now?

Answer: The Cleveland Indians -- and Kenny Lofton will be back in May as soon as he can throw far enough to reach a cutoff man. Oh, they may need another reliever, but they are really good, their new staff has energized them and they're playing with a respectful swagger they've never had.

Q: Does the media think that the only four players in baseball are Sammy Sosa, John Rocker, Ken Griffey and Mark McGwire?

A: Are they the best players? The obsession with those four is tedious. Griffey can certainly stake a claim as the best, as can Derek Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra, Alex Rodriguez and others. But the best all-around player in the game right now? I'd pick Roberto Alomar.

"I've been in the game a long time," says Mark Langston, "and Roberto is the smartest player I've ever seen, by far. He's ahead of everything."

Q: Who is making the biggest comeback?

A: Andres Galarraga, Moises Alou, Roger Clemens, Mike Lowell and don't count out Frank Thomas. If you thought Raul Mondesi had slipped, add him, because he's going to have a monster year in Toronto.

Q:Pick one player who could jump to superstar status.

A: Andruw Jones, whose talent isn't far from Griffey. If he could ever go the plate focused 500 times, use the whole field and grind it out, he could be the MVP. "The guy's still only 22," Walt Weiss points out. He's already the best defensive center fielder of the last couple of generations.

Q: Give me a half-dozen breakout years.

A: Kris Benson, Trot Nixon, Carl Pavano, Eric Chavez, Kelvim Escobar, Roy Halladay, Deivi Cruz, Richard Hidalgo, Matt Clement. OK, that's more than six. Kansas City's Carlos Beltran broke out as a rookie, but he looks scary. He's playing so well in Florida.