Sunday, April 20, 2008
B7
BASEBALL
‘08
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INSIDE THE GAME
— By the Tribune-Review
fantasyREPORT
Don’t judge a player by his April
When you walk in the door to your job this week, you will be judged on everything you do. Every word will matter, and nothing that happens next week will mean a thing. That’s what the first three weeks of April are like for Major League Baseball players. Fans — and fantasy owners — make rash judgments based on a hot week or a starting slump. This month, that meant droves of owners rushing to pick up right-handed pitchers Brian Bannister (0.86 ERA in his first three starts for Kansas City) and Mike Pelfrey (1.50 ERA in two starts for the New York Mets). The first few starts mean the exact same as the last few — no more, no less. Bannister is still a league-average pitcher (see Friday’s five runs allowed in five innings) and Pelfrey a touted prospect who has been hammered in his brief big-league career. Don’t be fooled by the small sample of April.
Vick
Dogged about plans
The T-Bones, an independent league team in Kansas City, Kan., have scrapped a plan for a Michael Vick "Welcome to the Neighborhood" promotion May 28. Vick is serving a 23-month sentence at Leavenworth, about 15 miles from the T-Bones' ballpark. Officials planned to line the field with rubber barbed wire. The T-Bones would have worn black-and-white prison stripes on their uniforms and the visiting Gary Southshore RailCats orange jumpsuit tops. After receiving complaints about the promotion, the club announced Friday that it will drop the Vick-related events and will focus only on events that promote animal safety and adoptions. "It was not our intent to be culturally insensitive," T-Bones general manager Rick Muntean said. "We simply wanted to raise awareness for what we think are great causes.” Instead, the night will include a dog parade, pregame dog adoptions and entertainment by Rockin' Ray and the Sky Dogs.
Sosa
Clemens
Bonds
APRIL COUNTS... FOR SOME
There are some players for whom a quick start can be revealing. Hitters who typically start slow (shortstop Rafael Furcal) or struggled to adapt to the big leagues (third baseman Alex Gordon) are just a few of the types of players with something to prove in April. Here are five players whose early stats mean an awful lot: Name, team Avg. HR SB Rafael Furcal, LAD .403 2 2 Manny Ramirez, BOS .338 5 0 Albert Pujols, STL .375 4 2 Alex Gordon, KC .333 3 2 Chris Young, ARI .234 5 2 entering Saturday’s games
PHOTOS BY GETTY IMAGES AND TRIBUNE-REVIEW/FILE
LOOKING FOR EMPLOYMENT
Plenty of all-star veterans are still sitting at home
The ranks of the unemployed in the U.S. still harbors some of the biggest names in baseball history. And we’re not just talking about Reggie Sanders and Rondell White. Among those without a job as the season reaches its fourth week include the all-time home run king, the game’s No. 5 home run hitter, a seven-time Cy Young award winner, a 12-time all-star catcher and the only two players in baseball history to reach the postseason with six different teams.
Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza, Kenny Lofton and David Wells are just some of the free agents who still haven’t found any takers this year. An owner with a blind eye toward the Mitchell Report and a tolerance of past-their-prime, 40something former all-stars could piece together a big-name roster. Here is a potential lineup using available free agents — CF Lofton, LF Bonds, RF Sosa, C Piazza, DH Preston Wilson, 1B Julio Franco, 3B Corey Koskie (still recovering from post-concussion symptoms), 2B Neifi Perez (serving 80-day suspension), SS Royce Clayton. The pitching staff could include Clemens (354 career wins), Wells (239 career wins), Freddy Garcia (17-game winner in 2006), Russ Ortiz and closer Bob Wickman (267 career saves). The bench would be outfielders Sanders (305 career home runs) and White (all-star as recently as 2003) and catcher Damian Miller. Bonds, 43, is stuck at 762 career home runs and hasn’t moved closer to his 3,000th career hit (2,935). He is unemployed despite having the top on-base percentage in baseball last season and hitting 28 HRs with a major-league leading 132 walks. He won’t command anywhere near the $19.3 million he made last season, but even a discounted Bonds doesn’t seem worth the baggage. (Donald Fehr said the players’ union will look into possible collusion because Bonds drew such minimal interest). Only the Tampa Bay Rays sniffed. Piazza, on the other hand, might have a job soon. The Reds are reportedly interested in a right-handed bat off the bench. Piazza, 39, declined arbitration last season after a lackluster season as a designated hitter with the Oakland A’s. Here is what Reds manager Dusty Baker told reporters last week when he was asked about a 12-time all-star with more home runs than any catcher in MLB history (427): “That’s the first time I’ve heard Piazza’s name,” Baker said. “I thought he was retired, although I know he can still hit.” Clemens is busy watching his son, Koby, the starting catcher for the Salem (Va.) Avalanche, a high-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. “He’s nothing more than a proud dad who is trying to watch his kid become a major leaguer,” team CEO Mike Dee told the Boston Globe. — By John Grupp
Back on the hill
Former Pirates reliever Duaner Sanchez returned to the mound for the first time in 21 months when he pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the Mets on Tuesday. Why does anyone care? Well, Sanchez is extricably linked to the Pirates’ acquistion of right fielder Xavier Nady. Sanchez hadn’t pitched since suffering a separated shoulder in a freak taxi cab accident July 30, 2006 in Miami — the morning of the trade deadline. Because of that season-ending injury, Mets general manager Omar Minaya’s bid for a front-line starter became a desperate search for relief help. Minaya ended up dealing Nady to the Pirates for lefty Oliver Perez and 41-year-old reliever Roberto Hernandez, a deal in which many believe Minaya, in a position of weakness due to Sanchez’s accident, might have overpaid.
HOT PICKUPS
Name Team Hank Blalock TEX Randy Wolf SD George Sherrill BAL Pos. 3B SP RP
FREEZING COLD
Name Andruw Jones Carl Crawford Bill Hall Team Pos. LAD OF TB OF MIL 3B/OF
CAN I SEE I.D., MR. TEJADA?
First he became embroiled in baseball’s steroids scandal. Then, his consecutive games played streak ended. Now, it turns out Miguel Tejada is not 31 years old, as his baseball cards say, but 33. What does it mean? Not much, actually. Sure, it puts Tejada a couple years closer to retirement. But a player as durable as him won’t usually fall off much more at 33 than 31. The bad news: His power left a couple years ago anyway. If you are relying Tejada to carry your offense at shortstop, you’ll probably be disappointed regardless.
Girardi
Waiting game
Because the Pope is saying mass at Yankee Stadium today, the Yankees are only home for two days in between a pair of three-city road trips. They are the first team since the 1966 Orioles to play 18 road games in 20 days. “You’d like to be home a little bit more,” manager Joe Girardi said. “But who’s going to argue with the Pope?” Nationals manager Manny Acta also couldn’t say no to Pope Benedict XVI. The Pope celebrated Mass at Nationals Park on Thursday morning, and before he appeared on the field, he dressed inside Acta’s office. Acta, who says he does not practice any religion, was nonetheless honored to hand over his office to His Holiness. On March 30, Acta, a second-year manager, caught the ceremonial first pitch from President Bush.
BY THE NUMBERS 4
Consecutive seasons of declining strikeout rate for Giants pitcher Barry Zito. Zito should start twice this week, and some fantasy owners might be tempted to pick him up. Stay far away from the severely declining lefty.
a Q&A session with Pirates manager JOHN RUSSELL
1. What do you like most about playing or coaching at Wrigley Field?
When I was a player, just to walk out on the field in the morning. It’s different than spring training because it’s the season and being out in a major-league stadium that early, I always thought that was pretty neat. And the passion of the fans is something that I will never forget. Especially when I played left field. They were very passionate.
0.86
Career minor-league WHIP (walksplus-hits per inning pitched) of New York Yankees starter Phil Hughes. The major-league average was 1.39 last season. Hughes, 21, has struggled in his first few starts of 2008. But a track record like his (in 275 minor-league innings) isn’t often wrong. Stick it out.
QUICK PICK: JUSTIN GERMANO
The San Diego righty is only 0-1 despite a 1.35 ERA because of some bad luck (the Padres have scored three runs in his three starts). Unlike some quick starters, Germano has some upside — he is only 25, fares better against lefthanded hitters than righties, has impeccable control and induces lots of groundouts (22nd among 147 pitchers who worked at least 100 innings in 2007). He also is slated to start twice this week. Pick him up. — By David Sandora
russellTALKS
#7
Height: 6-foot Weight: 200 pounds Batted: Right Threw: Right College: Oklahoma Hired: Nov. 5, 2007
2. What is the atmosphere like when it’s three hours before first pitch in a day game and Wrigley Field is empty?
As a coach, when I was here, going out working with players early in the morning before people were here and this morning, walking down there, it’s a great feeling to be at Wrigley Field when nobody’s in the stadium. It’s a great memory that I will always have. It’s neat.
It’s in the cards
Former Cy Young award winner and current ESPN announcer Orel Hershiser once threw 59 scoreless innings in a row, but he was nearly as impressive in the National Heads-up Poker Championship. The event will be aired from noon-1 p.m. today on NBC as part of six weeks of coverage. Hershiser reached the semifinals of the 64-player event, which was held last month in Las Vegas. He won a reported $110,000 and has hired a poker agent. — By John Grupp
3. Do you like day games?
I don’t mind them. I don’t like too many in a row. It’s not so much getting up (early), it’s just you feel like your day is rushed and you don’t feel like you can get some of the early work you want to get done with your players. That’s the one thing I’ve always felt about day games. You feel like you don’t have enough time to really get things done because you hate to have a guy here at 7 in the morning. That’s the one thing I don’t like about it as much. You can’t get as much accomplished, in my mind.