The room is reserved. Networks have been notified. And now that Congress is playing hardball, it would be a shame not to take full advantage of its subpoena power.
When the Congressional committee finishes grilling Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro about their use of flaxseed oil and other performance-enhancing substances, there are other baseball matters worth examining. We would like some answers, under oath, to these questions:
– Are the Tampa Bay Devil Rays trying?
Last Wednesday marked the 10-year anniversary of this franchise having been awarded to Vince Naimoli, and it still hasn’t done better than 70 victories. With Montreal no longer fielding a team, more attention will be paid to the Rays’ embarrassingly low attendance (1.27 million last year).
According to the St. Petersburg Times, one of their former general partners, Bill Griffin, says ownership is like “managing a war with too little resources.” One of their current investors, Gary Markel, says he isn’t excited about 2005 because “we’re going to get killed.” And a telephone survey done this spring by the newspaper found that only 28 percent of Tampa Bay-area baseball fans named the Devil Rays their favorite team.
That’s the spirit, huh? Somehow the Rays have compiled their 451-680 lifetime record under one general manager, Chuck LaMar. Congress needs to find out when he was granted immunity.
– Should a player be allowed out of his contract if fans boo him before he has played in a single game?
The Phillies’ Jon Lieber probably wants to know. He was booed lustily when he was introduced before the team’s first home exhibition game. Suffice it to say fans weren’t impressed with the off-season handiwork of general manager Ed Wade.
“Fans are looking for that instant gratification,” Wade said. “I have to work in the real world of how this game is run. The fans don’t, nor should the average fan, get bogged down in the reality.”
Curt Schilling did Wade no favors by saying he wanted to come back to Philadelphia before accepting a trade to Boston last winter. He said he would have waived his no-trade clause for only a one-year extension with the Phillies, not the three-year deal he got from the Red Sox.
“The front office didn’t want me back,” Schilling said. “We understood that pretty quickly. . . . Ed’s not my biggest fan.”
– Is Juan Gonzalez made of glass?
Cleveland signed the two-time MVP even though he has played in only 185 games the last three seasons, including just 33 for Kansas City last year. He didn’t last a week of exhibition games before going out with a strained hamstring.
If Gonzalez is to stick with the Indians, he has to be healthy enough to play right field.
“Obviously, we need to see him play on a consistent basis to get a read on this thing,” manager Eric Wedge said.
– Leo Mazzone, man or myth?
Sure, it helps when your general manager trades for a Tim Hudson, and it sure doesn’t hurt to have John Smoltz already on your staff, but the Braves’ pitching this spring has been better than impressive. Atlanta’s starting pitchers weren’t scored upon in 17 innings entering the weekend. Hudson, Smoltz, Mike Hampton, John Thomson and Horacio Ramirez had allowed only eight hits between them.
No one has been more impressive than Hampton, who has been rebuilt by Mazzone, the Braves’ longtime pitching coach. Hampton allowed only one baserunner in his first five innings.
“He has been hitting the corners since he got here,” catcher Eddie Perez said. “He’s really sharp. He’s pitching like he did when he was with Houston.”
That’s scary. He was 22-4 for the Astros in 1999.
– Why was there no minimum-payroll provision in the 2002 labor accord?
Owners offered to include one but the union wasn’t interested. Now at least one team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, admits it has been using the increased revenue-sharing money to pay down debt, rather than build up the roster.
It’s not just Pittsburgh fans and fellow owners who have to be leery of the shoestring operation Kevin McClatchy is running. The Pirates sunk to a new low when they recently released catcher J.R. House, who is expected to miss this season after undergoing shoulder surgery in February.
They claim to be obligated only for $15,046 in termination pay rather than the big-league minimum of $316,000, which he would have been due on the disabled list.
“This came out of the blue,” said House, a former South Atlantic League MVP who twice had been named Pittsburgh’s top prospect.
“We had put in two good weeks worth of work since I had the surgery and I was just looking forward to working hard and coming back next year.”
New approach
After setting a major-league record with 195 strikeouts last season, Cincinnati outfielder Adam Dunn didn’t have one in his first 15 plate appearances of the spring. He also had only one walk as he worked on putting the ball into play early in the count.
“I’m trying to be more aggressive without being stupidly overaggressive,” Dunn said. “If I see a pitch in my zone early, I swing. And I’m not just trying to touch the ball to make contact. I’m not going to be a Judy.”
Dunn, who is 6 feet 6 inches and weighs about 270 pounds, has vowed to steal at least 25 bases this season. He had 19 in 2002 but only 14 over the last two seasons.
High praise
Because it’s always fun to oversell an unsuspecting 19-year-old, we couldn’t help but pass along Jim Bowden’s assessment of shortstop Ian Desmond.
“He has tremendous poise,” Bowden said. “He reminds me of Derek Jeter.”
Before the Nationals/Expos claimed him in the third round of last year’s draft, Desmond was playing for Sarasota (Fla.) High School. He hit only .227 in 55 games in rookie ball but has created a buzz in the big-league clubhouse.
“I’m telling you: His instincts are better than some guys I’ve seen play the game for 20 years,” said manager Frank Robinson, who is not easily impressed. “He doesn’t seem overwhelmed by the situation. He doesn’t panic out there.”
Desmond is expected to play in the low-A South Atlantic League but Robinson says he would be an option if shortstop Cristian Guzman was injured. For what it’s worth, Jeter hit .202 in rookie ball and .295 his first full season.
Whispers
The NL West is going to be a two-team race between San Francisco and San Diego. If Woody Williams can make 30 starts, the Padres have the look of a team that can hang with the Giants, who are better than the team that won 91 games a year ago. . . . Signing Carlos Lee to a long-term contract is going to be tough for Milwaukee, especially if his quick start to the spring (7-for-16 with four homers and 11 RBIs) portends a monster season. . . . Texas first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, Kansas City third baseman Mark Teahen, Milwaukee first baseman Prince Fielder and Angels catcher Jeff Mathis are among the young hitters who are making big impressions this spring. Gonzalez, who hit .304 with 12 homers in Triple A last year, could make Mark Teixeira expendable in a midseason deal for pitching. . . . Rookie Chin-hui Tsao is making a push for the vacant closer’s job in Colorado. . . . Alfonso Soriano is becoming a big concern for Texas. He was hitless in his first 13 at-bats and moving poorly in the field, as he was at the end of 2004. . . . Tony La Russa isn’t planning on giving Rick Ankiel many at-bats this spring. Because he must clear waivers to go to the minors, agent Scott Boras has sent a fax to teams telling them Ankiel has no intention of pitching again.
The last word
“If we play good, Smoltzie has a good chance at 20 wins.”–Braves manager Bobby Cox on Smoltz’s move from the bullpen into the rotation.
