After winning the National League Manager of the Year Award for a record third time Thursday, Dusty Baker thought about the San Francisco Giants’ failure to win the World Series.
“Nothing balances losing, especially when you wanted to go all the way and the fans and everybody else wanted you to go all the way,” he said. “It’s been an emotional roller coaster, sort of. You go from being real good one week to real bad the next, then a couple of weeks later back to good again.”
Baker, whose team lost to the New York Mets in the first round of the playoffs, received 30 of 32 first-place votes, one second and one third for 154 points in voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Tony La Russa of the St. Louis Cardinals was second with 59 points, getting one first, 16 seconds and six thirds.
Bobby Cox of Atlanta was third with 41 points, followed by Bobby Valentine of the Mets with 16 and John Boles of Florida with 15.
San Francisco went 97-65, finishing 11 games ahead of second-place Arizona, the largest margin among the six division winners. The Giants then lost to the Mets in four games in the playoffs.
“We just want to continue this excellent run that, hopefully, we’re in the beginning of,” he said.
Mariners win bidding: The Seattle Mariners won the bidding rights for Japanese hitting star Ichiro Suzuki, opening the door for the first position player from Japan to play in the major leagues.
Seattle was one of fourl teams that submitted bids for the 27-year-old outfielder, who is Japan’s seven-time batting champion. The Mariners’ offer was the one accepted by the Onix Blue Wave, Suzuki’s Japanese team, the baseball commissioner’s office announced.
The amount of the bid was not disclosed, but published reports put the figure at $13 million that the Onix club will be paid if Suzuki signs with Seattle.
The Mariners have 30 days to negotiate a contract with Suzuki, who hit .387 last season. He is a career .353 hitter with 118 homers and 529 RBI in nine seasons in Japan. If Suzuki does not sign, he will remain in Japan for at least one more reason. He was paid $5.5 million last season.
Ramirez gets offer: Unwilling to meet Manny Ramirez’s demand for $200 million over 10 years, the Cleveland Indians offered the free-agent outfielder a seven-year contract. They declined to disclose its value, but a baseball management source said it is worth about $120 million.
No way, Jose: The New York Yankees declined Jose Canseco’s $4 million option, deciding to pay a $500,000 buyout.
Strawberry sentenced: Suspended Yankees outfielder Darryl Strawberry must return to a drug-treatment program after he completes a 30-day jail sentence for violating his probation, a Florida judge ruled Thursday.
Strawberry, 38, was arrested Oct. 25 for leaving the drug-treatment program in Tampa without permission and for testing positive for cocaine.
Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Florence Foster sentenced Strawberry to 30 days in jail but gave him credit for the 15 days he has already served.
“I’m willing to commit to my recovery. I’m not running from Tampa,” Strawberry told Foster in court Thursday.
The Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office had asked Foster to send Strawberry to prison for up to five years for repeated violations since he was given 18 months’ probation in 1999 after he pleaded no contest to solicitation of a prostitute and drug possession.
But Strawberry’s lawyer said his client needed to be in a program to treat his drug addiction and a recurrence of cancer, which was discovered in 1998.
Cubs name Kimm: The Cubs appointed former major-league catcher and coach Bruce Kimm, 49, as manager of their Class AAA Iowa team.
Jerry Reuss, who pitched for 22 major-league seasons, including two with the White Sox, will be the pitching coach. Pat Listach, AL Rookie of the Year in 1992 at Milwaukee, will be Iowa’s new hitting instructor. Dave Trembley will manage at Class A Daytona, replacing Richie Zisk, who returns to being hitting coach.
