Jeff Huson traveled to Tokyo as a backup infielder for the Cubs when they opened the 2000 season in Japan. He offered some advice to the Yankees and Devil Rays, who arrived there this weekend for a two-game series to open the season.
“You need a good sleep coach,” said Huson, now a Cubs’ minor-league instructor.
Both teams left for Japan after their exhibition games on Thursday. They reached their hotels about 18 hours later, which was around 2 a.m.Saturday in Tokyo.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden made the same trip for an NFL exhibition game last July.
“I took a nap and I read a book–it might have been the first nap and first book I read in years–and I got done and we still had seven hours to go,” Gruden told the St. Petersburg Times. “I was just shocked at the length of the trip.”
Organizers hope they have eliminated some of the complaints the Cubs and New York Mets had after the 2000 series–memorable for an international squabble between managers Don Baylor and Bobby Valentine–but some inconvenience is inevitable.
“There’s nothing we can do about the fact that Tampa is here and Tokyo is there on the map,” Major League Baseball official Jim Small said. “But we’re doing everything we can to limit the effects and mitigate what we can.”
Trying not to limit the opportunity for late roster moves by the displaced teams, MLB has given executives with the Yankees and Devil Rays special cell phones and installed fax machines in their hotel suites.
MLB has assigned staffers to Tampa and Phoenix to cut down the turnaround time if either team makes a deal and wants to rush the player to Japan before the Tuesday night opener.
After four games in Japan, including two exhibitions against Japanese teams, the Yankees and Devil Rays will return to Florida to play exhibition games next weekend before opening the North American portion of their schedule April 6-7 with a two-game series in Tampa.
Expensive draft: Having returned to his old job as the scouting director, longtime White Sox executive Duane Shaffer has spent much of his time lately crisscrossing the country watching high school and college games.
The Sox have six of the first 69 picks in this year’s draft, getting two compensation picks apiece for the loss of pitchers Bartolo Colon and Tom Gordon.
If they’re going to sign all of those high picks, club Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf is going to have to increase his budget, as he did under similar circumstances for the 1999 draft.
A year ago it cost $5.1 million for teams to sign the players they selected 18th, 32nd, 40th, 53rd, 59th and 69th, which is where the Sox will pick.
According to figures obtained by Baseball America, the Sox spent about $4 million on players in the draft and international signings a year ago.
That’s going to have to go up to more than $6 million if they’re going to take advantage of the surplus of picks.
It would be a shame if general manager Ken Williams had to choose between stockpiling prospects or making midseason acquisitions to try to win the Central.
Spring cellar: While Barry Bonds is having his usual good spring despite the BALCO mess, his team is showing signs of going under. The Giants were 7-16-1 through Friday, looking little like the team that won 100 games last year.
Lingering doubts about the health of pitchers Jason Schmidt and Robb Nen make it hard to be optimistic.
“I don’t want to talk about the spring-training record,” Giants manager Felipe Alou said. “They haven’t given me any raise or gotten me fired because of that. All I know about that is, 10 days from now that will be behind us. We have other stuff to be concerned about than wins and losses here.”
Alou’s biggest concern is the rotation. Entering the weekend, only two of his starters, Kirk Rueter and Brett Tomko, had been able to last five innings in a game. The rest of the rotation includes Dustin Hermanson, Jerome Williams and Schmidt, if he’s not on the disabled list.
Suspicious minds: Ken Griffey Jr. found it odd that he played seven consecutive games at one point recently. He said he thinks the Reds are trying to show other teams he’s healthy.
“I’m being showcased,” Griffey said. “I’ve seen scouts from Seattle, Atlanta, Los Angeles. I’ll be traded within two weeks. Why do I feel that way? Gut feeling.”
The Dodgers had three different scouts in a week watching Griffey. But he believes he might be headed back to Seattle. He wonders if a change in the design of his Nikes is significant.
“All my shoes have been red and black since I came to the Reds,” he said. “This year Nike is putting out a pair of my shoes in teal. You know who wears teal?”
The Florida Marlins?
“Yeah, they wear teal, but no,” he said. “Seattle wears teal.”
If Griffey is traded, it won’t be because the Reds can’t afford him. Owner Carl Lindner recently earned $1 billion when Provident Bank was sold.
On the mend: Once the regular season begins, agent Adam Katz will get serious in contract talks about Aaron Boone, the All-Star infielder who found himself a free agent after damaging his left knee in a pickup basketball game.
“When you look at it a certain way, some team is going to get a good player,” said Boone, who has been with his brother Bret in the Mariners’ camp. “It’s part of the excitement I feel right now.”
Boone is walking without a limp after surgery. It’s unlikely he’ll be able to contribute this year, so he’s likely to sign a two-year deal, like injured pitchers Jon Lieber did with the Yankees in 2003 and Ryan Dempster did with the Cubs this season.
Boone said more than 10 franchises have called already.
“I feel great,” he said. “I’m a fast healer, but I have to say I’m surprised at how good I feel. I’m looking forward to playing–this season. I will play this season.”
Whispers: Fred McGriff isn’t the only left-handed power hitter looking for work. Former Cubs outfielder Henry Rodriguez, attempting a comeback, declined a minor-league assignment with the Pirates after hitting .320 with one homer in 25 spring at-bats. . . . Like Magglio Ordonez, the Angels’ Garret Anderson is looking for at least $14 million a year on a contract extension. Owner Arte Moreno said getting him signed is the “top priority” of the spring but hasn’t offered more than $10 million a year. . . . Dan Evans is close to joining Seattle’s front office as an assistant to GM Bill Bavasi, who was Evans’ farm director with Los Angeles before being hired to replace Pat Gillick. . . . The Rangers are excited about 19-year-old shortstop Joaquin “Spiderman” Arias, whom they selected as the player to be named in the Alex Rodriguez trade. They claim the Yankees attempted to hide Arias in their minor-league camp, changing his uniform number on a daily basis and moving him around to different fields. . . . Given their on-field kiss after finishing off the Cubs, we think of the Peaches and Herb song, “Reunited,” following the renewed pairing of catcher Ivan Rodriguez and closer Ugueth Urbina. Rodriguez was influential in persuading the Tigers to sign Urbina, a major upgrade for their bullpen. The Tigers now want to trade for a starter.
The last word: “It looks like he put it in one of those vegetable grinders.”–Marlins manager Jack McKeon after injured starter A.J. Burnett put his dirty blond hair in cornrows, a la teammate Lenny Harris.
