Baseball is returning to the Olympics in 2020. The question now is who will be playing.With the Summer Games falling in the middle of the major league season, the sport has never been able to produce the kind of best-against-best spectacle that Olympic hockey and basketball have. But even if that remains the case, there will undoubtedly be some big names taking the field at the Tokyo Games.It just might take a few years before baseball fans really know them.Baseball was a full medal event at the Olympics from 1992-2008, and it was a demonstration sport before that. In 1984, Japan won the gold medal game, beating a U.S. team that included Mark McGwire and Will Clark -- both of whom were a couple years away from their big league debuts. At the Seoul Olympics in 1988, the Americans avenged that loss when Jim Abbott beat Japan in the title game.Heres a brief chronology of Olympic baseball since it became a medal sport in 1992:Barcelona (1992): Jason Giambi and Nomar Garciaparra were part of this U.S. team, but the Americans were drubbed by Japan and Cuba and failed to win a medal. The Omar Linares-led Cubans took the gold.Atlanta (1996): Home-field advantage only meant so much for the U.S., which lost 11-2 to Japan in the semifinals and had to settle for bronze. Cuba beat Japan 13-9 for the gold, with Linares hitting three homers in the title game.Sydney (2000): Cubas Olympic dynasty was finally upended when the U.S. knocked off the two-time defending champions 4-0 to win the gold. Professionals were allowed in the Olympic tournament for the first time, but the conflict with the major league schedule meant the Americans still had a relatively unheralded roster. With Tommy Lasorda managing, Ben Sheets allowed one earned run in 22 innings, and his three-hitter in the final gave the U.S. the title.Athens (2004): The U.S. didnt even make it to the Olympics to defend its title. The Americans were eliminated in qualifying, and the gold medal went back to Cuba, which beat upstart Australia in the final. The Aussies had upset Daisuke Matsuzaka and Japan in the semifinals.Beijing (2008): The last Olympic baseball tournament for a while ended in dramatic fashion, when Cubas Yulieski Gurriel -- who signed a $47.5 million, five-year contract with Houston last month -- hit into a double play with the bases loaded in the ninth inning. South Korea held on for a 3-2 win and the gold.There were plenty of future major leaguers playing in the 08 Summer Games. Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched for the champion South Koreans, and the bronze medal-winning Americans had Stephen Strasburg and Jake Arrieta.Japan failed to medal despite having Yu Darvish, Masahiro Tanaka and Norichika Aoki.Here are a few developments from around baseball this past week:STANDING ALONEAlex Rodriguez is set to play his final game for the New York Yankees on Friday, and David Ortiz has announced hell retire at seasons end. If those two are indeed done after this year, then Albert Pujols will be the only remaining active member of the 500-homer club.The 36-year-old Pujols is at 581. The closest active player below 500 home runs is Miguel Cabrera at 433.FANTASY FOCUSNow that the trade deadline is out of the way and players are settling in with new teams and perhaps new roles, the next big issue to watch down the stretch is innings limits. Weve seen teams exercise caution with young pitchers in ways that can affect their fantasy value.Torontos Aaron Sanchez, the AL ERA leader, hasnt been moved to the bullpen yet, but the Blue Jays are clearly being cautious with him, using a six-man rotation. Detroits Michael Fulmer will also be monitored carefully.LINE OF THE WEEKBaltimores Manny Machado homered in the first, second and third innings, driving in seven runs in a 10-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday. That flurry of power gave the All-Star third baseman a surprisingly reasonable chance at a four-homer game, but he went hitless in his next three at-bats.---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister Air Max 270 Outlet . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. Air Max 95 Outlet Italia . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball. http://www.airmaxshoponlineitalia.it/scontate-max-plus-outlet.html . The phone hearing is scheduled for 4:30pm et/1:30pm pt. Winchester, who was not penalized for the hit, appeared to make contact with Kellys head early in the first period of Thursdays game in Boston. Kd Scarpe Basket Scontate . Bradwell was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday. Born and raised in Toronto, Bradwell is entering his sixth CFL season, with all six played for his hometown Argonauts. Scarpe Lebron James 2019 . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. CHICAGO -- Whether he had the Chicago Bulls on his shoulders or not, Jimmy Butler couldnt deny this. He sure gave them the lift they needed.Butler scored 37 points, and Chicago beat the short-handed Washington Wizards 106-95 on Saturday night.He took charge when the Bulls needed it, helping them pull away on a night when the Wizards were missing star guards John Wall and Bradley Beal.Butler finished two points shy of a season high he set against Atlanta on Wednesday. He hit all 14 free throws, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out a season-high nine assists.I dont consider that carrying, Butler said. I consider that making some shots and doing what they need me to do. Thats being aggressive.Butler showed it early on and helped the Bulls put away the Wizards in the second half, though he did have some help.Nikola Mirotic came on strong to finish with 17 points. Dwyane Wade scored 14. Taj Gibson chipped in with 13 points, and Robin Lopez added 10 points and 13 rebounds.The Bulls won back-to-back games for the first time since a 3-0 start, but forward Doug McDermott exited with a concussion early in the fourth quarter.Markieff Morris had a season-high 24 points after scoring 20 the previous night. Marcin Gortat added 18 points and 14 rebounds.Sheldon McClellan scored 15 with Beal missing his second straight game because of a sore right hamstring. Tomas Satoransky chipped in with 12 points and nine assists filling in at point guard for Wall, who scored 28 in Fridays loss to Cleveland, and the Wizards fell to 0-4 on the road.We got to play better, Gortat said. We got to compete. We need energy. We need effort. We got to make shots Theres a lot of things that we can do better. I mean right now, as far as I know I think we have one of the worst benches in the league right now.Washingtons reserves got outscored 32-18, though McClellan and Satoransky were in the lineup with Beal and Wall out.BUTLERS LIFTButler got off to a scorching start with 21 points in the first half and kept it going with 11 more in the third to help the Bulls turn a 56-553 deficit into an 81-70 lead.ddddddddddddWhen youve got a guy who is obviously an All-Star in this league but hes right in the prime of his career, my job and (Rajon) Rondos job and everybodys job is to get the best out of him, Wade said. Right now, were seeing it -- and he sees it, too -- how great he can be.Leading 70-68 with about three minutes left in the third, Butler hit two free throws, a layup and a step-back jumper with 1:19 left.In the closing minute, Wizards coach Scott Brooks jumped off the bench and got called for a technical when Jason Smith fouled a dunking Gibson. McDermott made the technical free throw. Gibson missed his foul shot, but hit a layup to make it an 11-point game.FOUL PLAYMcDermott was in the air going for a layup or dunk in the opening minute of the fourth when a rotating Morris hit his left arm and sent him crashing to the floor. McDermott banged his head in a hard fall that quieted the crowd.He walked off the court and headed back into the concussion protocol after missing a game 10 days earlier.Morris got called for a flagrant foul 1, and Mirotic hit two free throws.That was a regular old-school foul, Gibson said. But the way Doug took off, he left himself out in the open. ... I dont think nobody really tries to hurt anybody. Its one of those plays.TIP-INSWizards: Wall, coming off surgery on both knees, isnt playing in both halves of back-to-back sets. Coach Scott Brooks said that could change after the Wizards play Philadelphia and New York on Wednesday and Thursday. ... Beal is day to day.Bulls: Coach Fred Hoiberg said that Carter-Williams has not experienced any setbacks in his recovery from a bruised left knee and sprained left wrist. Carter-Williams was expected to miss four to six weeks after taking a hard fall at Brooklyn on Oct. 31.UP NEXTWizards: Visit Philadelphia on Wednesday.Bulls: The Bulls play six straight on the road, starting with Tuesdays game at Portland. ' ' '