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Roundup Strawberry speaks: 'I wouldn't want to appeal'
Posted: Saturday May 27, 2000 09:41 PM
NEW YORK (AP) -- Darryl Strawberry won't appeal his one-year ban from baseball, saying he wants to concentrate on rehabilitation. A third strike for cocaine landed Strawberry the suspension Feb. 28, and commissioner Bud Selig did not make any provision for the slugger to return early for good behavior. "No, I wouldn't want to appeal," Strawberry told the New York Post in a story published Saturday. "At this time, I just want to take care of myself." Strawberry, who failed a drug test in January, is in treatment for the third time in 10 years instead of trying to help the New York Yankees win a third straight World Series. The Yankees had hoped Strawberry, 38, would be their main designated hitter. He is a career .259 hitter with 335 home runs and 1,000 RBIs. "I feel like I let everybody down," Strawberry told the Post. "There was no question about it, I was depressed about things, but what I have to do is get this thing right so I don't have to do it all over again. "What was most disappointing to me was that I let people down. I miss everybody, I miss Joe [Torre] and the coaches, the players, everybody and everything. But the most important thing is I need to get myself better this time." In 1990, Strawberry entered the Smithers Center in New York for alcohol rehabilitation. Four years later, he spent 28 days at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., for treatment of a substance abuse problem. Now, he is in a facility in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Canseco placed on DL with foot strainST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- A strained left foot kept Jose Canseco out of Tampa Bay's lineup Saturday, and the Devil Rays placed the slugger on the 15-day disabled list after a 6-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners.The move is retroactive to Thursday, when the slumping 35-year-old designated hitter was benched so he could spend extra time in the batting cage. Canseco is batting .225 with three homers in May, and is hitting .261 with seven homers and 20 RBIs overall. Canseco was held out of Friday night's game. He was put in the lineup Saturday, but had difficulty running in warmups and was scratched. "It felt a little better when I started running before BP actually started. Then before the game I went out there and tried to do a little bit more aggressive sprints, and it just got worse," Canseco said."I'm not going to try to continue. It is not getting any better." Canseco led the AL in homers before back surgery sidelined him for six weeks last season. He's been slowed by an assortment of injuries all year, but he felt like the condition of his left foot was beginning to improve until Saturday. Recently, he was mentioned in trade talks involving the New York Yankees. "They are not serious injuries," manager Larry Rothschild said. "They are just nagging ... Hopefully this will take care of it."
Indians activate Wright, place Rigdon on DLCHICAGO (AP) -- The Cleveland Indians on Saturday placed right-hander Paul Rigdon on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 22, the team's fourth starting pitcher to be sidelined this year. Rigdon won his major league debut last Sunday, pitching seven shutout innings against the New York Yankees. He strained his a muscle in his left side during a workout Friday. Indians manager Charlie Manuel said pitching coach Dick Pole shut down Rigdon immediately when the pitcher complained about the pain. Jaret Wright was activated from the disabled list to start Saturday's game against the Chicago White Sox. Wright had been sidelined with a strained muscle in his right shoulder. Rigdon's next start was to be Monday against Anaheim. Manuel said he did not know who would take Rigdon's place. Rigdon joins starter Charles Nagy on the DL. Nagy underwent right elbow surgery May 19 because of bone chips. Bartolo Colon also was on the disabled list April 16-May 12 with a pulled side muscle. Greer activated from 15-day disabled listMINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- The Texas Rangers activated outfielder Rusty Greer from the 15-day disabled list on Saturday before their game against the Minnesota Twins. Greer had been on the disabled list since April 13 with a pulled left hamstring, but he was battling other injuries as well. He underwent surgery for bone spurs on his right ankle on April 16 and had shoulder soreness during his rehab assignment last week in Tulsa. Greer remained in Texas when the Rangers left for their current road trip to be with his wife Lauri, who delivered twins, a boy and a girl, on Tuesday night. He is batting .240 (6-for-25) with a homer and five RBIs in seven games for the Rangers this season. The Rangers optioned right-hander Danny Kolb to Triple-A Oklahoma to make room for Greer. Kolb allowed five runs in two-thirds of an inning Friday night against Minnesota in his only outing. Johnson sent to Tampa for ValdesHOUSTON (AP) -- The Houston Astros traded infielder Russ Johnson to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays Saturday in exchange for righthanded pitcher Marc Valdes. Valdes will be assigned to Triple A New Orleans. The Astros recalled infielder Julio Lugo from New Orleans to replace Johnson on the Astros' 25-man roster. Johnson was hitting .178 with three RBIs in 25 games with the Astros this season. Valdes was 5-2 with a 4.15 ERA in nine starts for Triple A Durham this season. Cardinals activate Radinsky from disabled listST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals activated left-handed pitcher Scott Radinsky Saturday, and placed reliever Mike James on the 15-day disabled list. Radinsky ended the 1999 season on the disabled list and has missed 47 games. Manager Tony La Russa said Radinsky could pitch as early as the Cardinals' game Saturday against the Mets. Radinsky was placed on the disabled list last July with a strained left elbow. He had complied a 2-1 record with three saves and a 4.88 ERA up to that point. The Cardinals moved James onto the list -- retroactive to May 26 -- with a right shoulder strain. Against Florida on Friday, James lasted just 1-3 of an inning, surrendering back-to-back homers in relief of starter Rick Ankiel. The right-hander is 0-1 with a 4.80 ERA and has allowed six homers in 15 innings. Cardinals honor Dizzy Dean with statueST. LOUIS (AP) -- The newest member of the collection of statues outside Busch Stadium honoring the St. Louis Cardinals' all-time greats fits with the current club."They're still having fun playing the game," said sculptor Harry Weber. "They're playing the game the way Dizzy and (his brother) Paul played." The Cardinals unveiled the statue of Dizzy Dean Saturday before their game against the New York Mets. It's the sixth statue of a former Cardinal the team has placed outside Busch, joining Enos Slaughter, Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Stan Musial, and Red Schoendienst. The team will add a statue of Rogers Hornsby in August. Dizzy Dean played with the Cardinals in 1930, and from 1932 to 1937. His brother, Paul Dean, played in St. Louis from 1934 to 1939. The Dean brothers combined for 49 wins in 1934. That season, Dizzy Dean went 30-7. He's the last pitcher in the National League to win 30 games. Between 1932 and 1936, Dean won 120 games and recorded 970 strikeouts. Dizzy Dean never had any children. All four of brother Paul's children -- and about 40 family members -- were at the unveiling Saturday. "The St. Louis Cardinals have a great history, and Diz and my father were part of that history," Sandy Dean said. "Diz would be very proud of this day."
Angelos denies Orioles won't hire Cuban defectorsBALTIMORE (AP) -- Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos again denied his team refuses to sign Cuban defectors and said suggestions to that effect by Sen. Jesse Helms were unfair and inaccurate Helms asked the U.S. Attorney General's office on Thursday to investigate the Orioles' hiring practices "to determine whether or not they are, in fact, implementing a policy of not hiring Cuban defectors." "He has some wild notion, a wild allegation, and I don't know where he's coming from," Angelos told The Washington Times in a story published Saturday. "Those comments are grossly unfair and inaccurate. This presents the best argument yet for (congressional) term limits. We're not endorsing the Cuban regime here." The newspaper reported last week that Angelos -- who took his team to Havana last year to play the Cuban national team and arranged a reciprocal visit to Baltimore -- is refusing to sign Cuban defectors in order to maintain good relations with the government of Communist dictator Fidel Castro. Angelos has denied such a policy exists. On Friday, a conservative group, Judicial Watch, said it had filed a complaint against the Orioles with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission seeking an investigation into the team's hiring practices. Cuban baseball players are among a small group from countries that are not included in the amateur draft, and are often bid on by teams. Angelos said he didn't like the practice of holding "an auction" for them.
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