'98 Yanks rank with Big Red Machine
Posted: Tuesday August 18, 1998 01:35 PM
Ozzie Smith, a 15-time All-Star, dipped into his e-mailbag to answer
these questions from CNNSI.com users.
To ask Ozzie a questions, click
here.
Q: During the time you were playing, did you ever see any team as
good as the ‘98 Yankees? And, at their current pace, would you consider
them one of the best teams in history? Thanks. Enjoyed your years playing
in the field. See you in Cooperstown.
Arya Nasier
Forest Hills, New York
Ozzie says: I think the Yankees have to be considered one of the
best teams in baseball history. One of the best teams I ever saw assembled
was the Big Red Machine. That’s the team, in my mind, you have to compare
these Yankees to. Certainly, the Yankees don’t have the same amount of
stars that the Big Red Machine had. But, numbers-wise, they seem to match
up well.
Q: If the Cubs make the playoffs, what can they do to ensure that
they make it to the second round? What would you say their odds were?
(From a non-biased, non ex-Cardinal point of view).
Marcus Jelks
Bloomingdale, Illinois
Ozzie says: Well, here’s my unbiased, non-Cardinal point of view:
They have to win. They have to pitch, they have to play well. I can’t get
into Jim Riggleman’s head and see who he’s going to throw in the first
series, if the Cubs make it. It will probably be Kerry Wood, Kevin Tapani
and then ... who knows? Whoever it is, they have to pitch better than they
have been pitching or the Cubs won’t be long for the playoffs.
Q: Hey Ozzie, I'm getting really sick of reading about how the
Braves can't win with Kerry Ligtenberg ... about how the ONLY way to win is
with proven, experienced players. Many sportswriters, including you, seem
to forget about a young man named Mariano
Rivera who played for the N.Y. Yankees in 1996. He wasn't experienced
or proven, but he WAS the reason they won it all. Get off Kerry
Ligtenberg's back!!
Jeff Dimorier
Atlanta, Georgia
Ozzie says: I never said that Kerry Ligtenberg couldn’t do it, or
wouldn’t do it. If that’s all the Braves have -- heck, they have to go with
him. He still has to prove it in the playoffs, where it counts.
But if he can do it there -- great.
Q: I was wondering that even though the Yankees are having a magical
season, what do you think is causing Chuck
Knoblauch's troubles at the plate and, earlier in the season, in the
field? He didn't have any expectations to fill as Tino Martinez
did when he came over to New York. Is it because he's trying to prove too
much that he belongs here and that he wants to play here?
Arif Hussain
Edison, New Jersey
Ozzie says: Actually, Chuck is finally starting to find himself at
the plate. His average is down, but he has more home runs than he has ever
had (16), and he could finish with a career high in RBIs, too. [He has 57
now. His career high, with the Minnesota Twins in 1996,
was 72]. You’re right, he doesn’t have the average he had in Minnesota. But
he’s still getting on base (he’s sixth in the league in runs scored), which
is his job.
Q: What’s up with the Reds? For Cleveland five or six years ago they
had all their talent in the minors and now they’re doing great. The Reds
are bringing all their talent up to the majors now -- but they’re not
producing, possibly giving all the rookies the idea that they can't play in
the big leagues. So what’s better: Excelling in the minors or slumping in
the majors?
Ryan Hochwalt
Centerville, Ohio
Ozzie says: That’s really a judgment call on the part of management.
A minor league director, someone like that, they have to determine whether
a player is ready to make that leap. Whatever decision is made, you’ll
never know until the player is put in the situation. As far as the Reds,
they are in a rebuilding process, which is why you hear guys like Barry Larkin
saying they don’t want to go through all that again. They have some young
guys with a lot of promise. But it’s going to take some time.
Q: What do think about J.D. Drew? I think he can be the best thing
that’s happened to the Cardinals since Big Mac. Or do you think he’s just a
bunch of hype?
Brett Hebblethwaite
Licking, Missouri
Ozzie says: Again, time will tell. We need to give him some time to
see how he adjusts. He’ll be in the big leagues pretty soon. The reports
are good. Whether he’ll do that at big-league level ... we’ll have to wait
and see.
Q: If I were a manager, I would think about using my closer in a
different way. For instance, why not bring him on in the seventh inning
when you have a 4-2 lead with two men on and one out? Especially if the
meat of the order is coming up. Let the setup man go the eighth or ninth. I
know a lot of pitchers wouldn't like the idea because closers get paid for
saves. But I do think that in certain cases this approach would give me a
better chance of winning the ballgame. What do you think?
Vince Blanchard
North Bay, Ontario, Canada
Ozzie says: Well, Vince, you’re right. Money is a big part of it. If
a guy gets paid as a closer, that’s what he is going to do, what he wants
to do, because closers get paid more. The biggest problem with your idea
might be that guys who are usually used for saves would not be happy being
used to get the save for someone else. You never know what a manager is
going to do, though. I could see it, maybe once in a while, in an important
game late in the season if the manager is confident in both his closer and
his setup guy.
Q: I have been a lifelong Dodger fan. I am not very pleased with
all the turmoil that has occurred in the organization this year. I think
they gave away too much to get Jeff Shaw and they
may have jumped the gun in firing all the coaches. Do you think the moves
in the Dodger organization have been beneficial and do you think they are
headed in the right direction?
Jevon LaMonica
Phoenix, Arizona
Ozzie says: I think that they’re trying to get all the pieces
together. When you go through wholesale change with ownership and
management like the Dodgers have, it’s very tough getting everybody to work
together, especially in a short period of time. It’s very apparent now that
it’s going to take a lot longer than six or seven weeks. It certainly has
not worked to this point. But the Dodgers needed an overhaul. They have a
man in Tommy Lasorda who knows baseball, and they have the manager they
want in Glenn Hoffman. I definitely think they’re headed in the right
direction.
Ozzie Smith is the baseball analyst for CNN/SI, the 24-hour sports news
network from CNN and Sports Illustrated. He answers questions from
CNNSI.com users every other week. To ask Ozzie a question, click here.
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