Month: March 2006

I know it’s only spring training and it doesn’t count, but this one was kinda important as it featured the Chicago Cubs versus the Chicago White Sox. Maybe I’m a little sensitive about this whole Cubs/Sox rivalry having grown up only two miles from Wrigeley Field. The first baseball game I ever saw was a Boy’s Benefit game between the White Sox and the Cubs at old County Stadium in Milwaukee in 1968. I don’t really remember any details about that game and would love to see a scoresheet from my first MLB contest.

Aramis Ramirez took newcomer Javier Vazquez over the wall to put the Cubbies up 1-0, but then the Sox got their turn against Glendon Rusch and it was 4-1 Good Guys after the 1st inning. Joe Crede was the hitting star going 4-4 with a homer, double, & 4 RBIs. Brandon McCarthy looked sharp in relief allowing nothing over one & two-thirds innings of work, striking out two, and inducing a doubleplay grounder. Final score 9-3 World Champs.

Headed to Tucson to see the White Sox host the Rangers. It would be the first time seeing my boys in person since beating the Angels last fall in Anaheim. Mark Buehrle was rocked as the Rangers scored seven times (four earned) off the Sox ace in five innings, ripping nine base hits. Josh Fields put Chicago up 8-7 with an RBI double in the 8th, but the White Sox surrendered the lead when the Rangers Laynce Nix ripped a two run shot off Agustin Montero (who punched his minor league ticket), Texas added another to make it 10-8. The Sox put one on the board in the 9th to make the final 10-9 Rangers. After the ballgame we went over to a sports bar named Famous Sam’s to watch a little NCAA Tournament Basketball. Famous Sam’s had about 15 TVs all tuned to the same game. When we asked if they could get more games on, we were told, “they’re all on the same channel”, to which we questioned, “don’t you have the package?”, to which they responded, “the package?” Good thing there was beer to drink!

Headed over to Peoria after the game in Tempe. Peoria has the best food selection among spring training fare. Had a delicious veggie bean burrito washed down with a Mountain Dew. Watched this game from right behind home plate, which was very cool. Got a chance to see E-4 Eric Young play for the Pads versus E-4 Eric Young, Jr. for the Rockies. Late in the game Junior got a chance to showoff his speed as he was cutdown on a bang-bang play at first, this kid can flat out fly. It also looks like he inherited his inability to field groundball gene from his father, however he did range into the outfield to make a nice catch on a popup. Mike Piazza blasted a ball over the right centerfield fence for San Diego. Although he has no place to go with Todd Helton holding down first base for the Rocks, Joseph Koshansky put on quite a show clearing the bases with a double and clearing the wall with a home run. The Rockies beat the Padres 5-3. My seat was quite sore after this long day of baseball.

Arrived in Arizona late night on the 15th and was ready for a little baseball on the 16th. Nothing like jumping right into the action as I was scheduled to see a day/night doubleheader. First on the docket was the Chicago Cubs against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim South of San Francisco & North of San Diego. You probably know I’m not a Cub fan, but the Cubs were playing the dreaded Angels who tried to stop my White Sox from advancing to the World Series. Despite the fact that Cub fans travel the globe like nomads in search of the ever illusive Championship (see the Southside of Chicago), there was a sea of red at Tempe Diablo Stadium as Angel fans packed the house. My Greg Maddux t-shirt looked totally out of place both in the ballpark and on my back. I felt right at home as this was exactly how it was when last I watched a Major League game that counted. Only this time Chicago was sending their B Team to kick a little California Plastic Butt. Then the Cubs brought back deja vu all over again as they jumped out to a 4-0 first inning lead en route to a 7-6 victory over the Halos. Jeff Weaver was roughed up for five runs & nine hits over four innings of work.

Before heading back to Chicago after spending one week in Florida I caught a Grapefruit League preseason baseball game between the Tampa Bay Devil Rays vs the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin, FL. I was staying without a car about 1/2 an hour north of the ballpark at the Tahitian Resort in Holiday, FL. So I made arrangements with Danny’s Limo to have him drive me to Casa Del Tina’s for a nice Mexican meal, then to the ballpark, and on to Tampa International for my flight home. I couldn’t believe the awesome seat I had down the RF line, but in the front row. All the photographers were stationed right by where I was sitting. They were all very friendly, especially a guy named Dave from Baseball America who’d tried to take some pictures of the Yankees in Tampa, but found it too crowded and came over to Dunedin.

Roy Halladay allowed four unearned runs in the first inning as the Jays were sloppy to say the least. Toronto made four errors on the day. You might say, “get it out of your system”, but I’d say, “money doesn’t solve your problems”. The Blue Jays went heavily into the free agent market in the off season bringing in A.J. Burnett, B.J. Ryan, Benjie Molina, & Troy Glaus. On this day it was the lowly D*Rays who dominated play winning the game 9-5.

Word has it that minor league umpires are planning to strike next month.  The Association of Minor League Umpires has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB.

Aside from the effect on the increasingly popular minor league baseball leagues, it will have have other effects.

The union said it would not supply replacement umps to the major leagues during a strike. Minor league umps routinely fill in for major league umpires who are injured or on vacation.

The minor league umpires average $15,000 at Triple-A and as low as $10,000 in A-ball.

A lot of talented players out there are having trouble finding the incentive to show up and play today.  Alfonso Soriano comes to mind but he finally accepted his fate by moving to left field.  Quoth the reluctant outfielder:

“I have 10 days to get ready for the season, and I want to play the best I can,” Soriano said. “I want to practice every day in left field and try to get comfortable.”

He would have had a lot more time to “get comfortable” (and if Soriano’s play at second is any indication, he’ll need it) if he’d heeded his manager’s direction in the first place.

On the other hand, there’s one MLB player who might want to consider that his playing days are behind him.  From all reports I’ve seen, Jeff Bagwell’s shoulder is not in any condition for him to contribute to the team.  Even die-hard Astros fans think so.  Lisa Gray from The Dugout, says:

Jeff Bagwell had to remove himself from the game because of pain in his shoulder. Again. I’ve watched him “throw” – and to be honest, I throw a LOT better than he does right now. Heck, my KIDS throw a lot better than he does right now. He’s not hitting well or hitting for power and it looks to me like he’s barely following through with his right arm when he does swing. He hit a ball to the warning track the other day and it looked to me like the shock and pain went clear down to his feet.

The man gave it his best shot, but sometimes trying your best just don’t do the job. I gotta take my hat off to Drayton McLane for being man enough to give Baggy his last shot, in spite of the fact that it might could cost him with the insurance company. And now I wanna take my hat off to Baggy for being a man and thanking Drayton for giving him a chance and then going out on top.

I have nothing but respect for Bags.  But maybe this is the time to move on.

Update: Bagwell is going to have surgery as a “last resort” before calling it quits.

Jeff Bagwell will announce Saturday that he’s going on the disabled list and will have surgery to remove bone spurs from his shoulder as “a last resort” to see if he can play again, his agent, Barry Axelrod, told ESPN.com Saturday morning.

Bagwell won’t use the word, “retire,” at his press conference Saturday afternoon. But if it turns out he can’t play anymore, he”s “OK with that,” Axelrod said.

Alfonso Soriano had better be careful. 

Despite the fact that he is a four-time all-star second baseman (certainly not because of his defense), he is still employed by the Washington Nationals and MLB and (more importantly, in my opinion) he is not the manager of the team.  He doesn’t call the shots.  If he is told by his manager to play outfield, by god man, do it.  I don’t care if in the infinite wisdom of Frank Robinson and general manager Jim Bowden, they see fit to make him the backup catcher.  You just say “Yes, sir.  Anything to help the team.” 

But I guess that kind of thinking is old fashioned.  At this point, Soriano has been scheduled to play outfield for the Nats and Soriano is balking.  And he is in serious jeopardy of being disqualified by the team.

Not the way you want to start the last year before free agency.  Teams frown on that kind of attitude.

On a side note, the Nats had Soriano scheduled to lead off.  That had me puzzled.  Soriano has a lifetime .320 OBP and isn’t getting better.  Last year, it was .309.