|
 |   |
EVENTS AD PARTNERS
|  |
SI at Spring Training: Braves
Posted: Friday February 25, 2000 05:55 PM In our continuing series of Spring Training updates from SI's baseball writers, CNNSI.com caught up with Jeff Pearlman on Feb. 25 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., where he's covering the Braves. CNNSI.com: The Braves won 103 games last season and again lost in the World Series. Are these guys asking themselves what more they have to do? Jeff Pearlman: Well, the same questions are asked every year. People are always saying, you guys made it to the World Series but ... They've heard that four times. But I think this year there's a certain renewed spirit. Last year with Gerald Williams and Walt Weiss at the top of the lineup, they had the lowest on-base percentage in the National League from the top two spots in the lineup. So this year they brought in Quilvio Veras and Reggie Sanders, who both get on base and combined for 66 stolen bases in 1999. John Schuerholz was saying it's first time since Otis Nixon was in his prime and when they had Deion Sanders for a while that they've had speed atop the order. I think that's caused a little renewal here.
CNNSI.com: Obviously the John Rocker media frenzy has subsided to a manageable level, but is it gone completely? Pearlman: I'm sure it will come back when they announce whether he won his arbitration hearing or not, but the questions are getting fewer and farther between. You still hear them every day. I know for a while it was insane; it's not like that anymore. People are actually talking about baseball. Which is good. I know the guys down here are sick of the Rocker questions. CNNSI.com: Does having Andres Galarraga back make up for the fact that Rocker is absent -- and the reason he's missing? Pearlman: I don't think Rocker is overwhelmingly missed. And Galarraga is such a huge presence, just huge. He is such a nice happy-go-lucky, easygoing guy. I don't think one has anything to do with the other. Everyone knows what Galarraga's coming back from cancer, they know the odds are still pretty long on him being what he was -- he hit 44 home runs two years ago -- but he's just such a warm presence in the clubhouse. I've never heard anyone on the record of off the record say a bad thing about Galarraga. He's a big guy, he's a happy guy, he's always smiling. And that can't do you bad. CNNSI.com: How healthy is he? Pearlman: Galarraga's healthy. Right now he's taking batting practice. John Smoltz is pitching to him and he's swinging. Well, he just stepped out. But Galarraga says he feels normal, he's swinging well and there have been no complaints. The question isn't whether he's healthy; he'll be in the opening lineup. The question is whether he can produce at the same level as he did two years ago. It's a matter of whether he'll be a 20- or a 40-home run hitter. CNNSI.com: What are some other question marks for this team as spring training heats up? Pearlman: There's a pretty wide open competition for the fifth starter spot, with Steve Avery, Bruce Chen and Terry Mullholland in camp. That's a pretty big question mark. But overall, everyone is very optimistic. Certainly Rocker's still a topic, but Galarraga's comeback and Avery -- who was a pretty popular guy around here -- put a few smiles on faces. They are really still a very, very good team. Everyone keeps talking about the Mets and how they got Mike Hampton and how they've improved. Well, here you're looking at a staff that had the off-season to gain back its strength and recover. Smoltz is throwing well, Tom Glavine's throwing well. They've added Galarraga, Lopez, Veras and Sanders. Those are all upgrades in one way or another. All of a sudden they have an explosive one-two punch. There was a game in the World Series where they had Keith Lockhart batting second. That's not going to win you much. On March 2, SI's Pearlman will begin answering your spring training questions weekly in a spring training mailbag. If you have a question for Jeff, click here, and check back Thursday for his responses.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
