LEAGUES AHEAD.

Byline: Redmond Carolipio Staff Writer

You have to put in work during the offseason if you want to stay on top. ``MVP Baseball 2004'' takes that lesson to heart.

EA's presentation of the national pastime takes a step forward from last year's best seller, delivering a huge dose of baseball's culture, history and off-field madness - in addition to the usual on-field tweaks.

But EA was wise not to mess with everything. Fans will welcome the return of the game's pitching interface, which allows you to control pitch speed and release point, using the controller's vibration feature to ``feel'' the boundaries of the strike zone.

This year's game gives you ``Total Swing Control,'' which enables players to adjust their swing according to pitch location. If you see a pitch coming inside, you can push the left thumb stick toward the batter and he'll make the proper shoulder, arm and swing adjustments.

The game's also got some new eye candy. Batters argue calls, pitchers warm up in the bullpen and Sammy Sosa even does his fingers-to-the-lips-and-heart gesture after he homers. But alas, no hop. Maybe next year.

Speaking of planning ahead, ``MVP Baseball 2004'' features a practically bottomless Dynasty mode loaded with the kind of off-field, wannabe manager stuff that will earn shrieks of joy from the most devoted seamheads.

Instead of simply playing through seasons and adjusting your roster, you now have to worry about things like player contract negotiations and building team chemistry. You even have to keep your eye on the farm system and get peppered with ``e-mails'' on the hottest prospects.

Which brings us to the inclusion of the minor leagues. The game features real Double-A and Triple-A squads. Forget Yankees-Red Sox. You can have the Erie Seawolves and the Toledo Mud Hens engage in epic, sparsely attended wars in an effort to find the next cornerstone of your franchise. The game does a great job of capturing the minor-league atmosphere.

Another snippet of baseball Americana is the game's featuring of all-time players. Fans can take their cuts with guys like Mantle, Cobb and Ruth. They've even got the old-school swings and uniforms. I like when sports games do this, because it can compel some fans to examine pieces of a sport's history - always worthwhile.

However, no matter how much legend and realism you put into a game, there are always some holes.

First off, manual fielding still feels a little awkward. Get used to seeing routine grounders roll by stationary fielders at the outset. Switching to the player closest to the ball isn't exactly second nature, and you'll find yourself running around in circles more than you'd like.

This next gripe really isn't a flaw ... it's more like a hard lesson about how sports games can sometimes work. Barry Bonds isn't in the game. In his place is a fictional white outfielder named Jon Dowd.

Bonds didn't sign the agreement that controls the licensing rights to players' likenesses and names, so he isn't appearing in any games this year. But fear not. Using the Create-a-Player feature, you can ``edit'' our boy Jon and create a reasonable Bonds facsimile. Sorry, Giants fans, but that's the best you'll get.

It's a shame that something like this could overshadow all of the good things that ``MVP Baseball 2004'' did to improve the franchise. Last year soundly buried the awful ``Triple Play Baseball'' era, and now EA has a legitimate yearly shot at the crown for best baseball game available.

It's amazing what a little offseason work can accomplish.

MVP BASEBALL 2004 - Three and one half stars

Platform: PS2, Xbox, GameCube.

Price: $49.99.

Rated: E for Everyone.

In a nutshell: Game set for breakout season.

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