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At a loss
Pirates, Devil Rays chasing ignominy
Posted: Tuesday June 12, 2001 11:48 AM
Updated: Tuesday June 19, 2001 3:32 AM
By Lonny Krasnow, CNNSI.com
Hall of Famer Sparky Anderson once said, "Every team wins 60 games and every team loses 60 games. It's what you do with the other games that count."
That's true most years, but not this year. Not for Seattle Mariners, and not for the floundering Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
While the Mariners are off to a historic start, the Devil Rays (17-44) and Pirates (19-41) are piling up the losses, inviting comparisons to baseball's most futile teams.
Sixty wins won't come easy.
Before taking two out three from the New York Mets over the weekend, the Rays had lost 12 consecutive series, plodding along at a .259 clip. The 1962 Mets, generally hailed as the worst team ever to disgrace the game, finished at 40-120 (.250).
How bad are these Rays? Well, they're dead last in the majors in runs scored (3.9 per game) and runs allowed (6.9). Those 54 unearned runs speak volumes about the defense, which ranks 29th with a .973 fielding percentage.
And the Pirates, on pace to lose 111 games, aren't much better.
Pittsburgh has a beautiful new stadium in PNC Park, but the product on the field has been putrid. The Pirates rank last in the NL in batting average (.237), ERA (5.41) and runs scored (3.9 per game).
"It's embarrassing," catcher Jason Kendall said, "and I wish someone would shoot me and put me out of my misery."
On Monday, following a 7-24 stretch, general manager Cam Bonifay got the ax after eight consecutive losing seasons.
The Devil Rays and Pirates are in for a long summer, but they probably won't threaten the 1962 Mets' record of 120 losses. A more realistic "goal," if you're looking for history, is dual 110-loss seasons. That's happened just once before -- in 1969 -- when the expansion Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres both finished at 52-110.
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Cats and dogs living together
The first weekend of interleague play drew 1.5 million fans, an average of 36,054 per game, up 26.4 percent. There are 84 interleague games on tap this week as the season moves into its second trimester.
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Bonds watch
The Giants return to Pac Bell Park this week where Barry Bonds can get halfway to Big Mac's record of 70 with three more home runs. McGwire didn't reach 35 until June 25 in 1998.
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Edgar's winter
With six road games in NL parks this week, the Mariners will not have the luxury of using Edgar Martinez at DH. Word is Lou Piniella will move John Olerud to left field and insert Martinez at first base for a few games.
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June swoons
The Phillies are 3-6 this month. The Dodgers are 4-7. The Twins are playing .500 ball. June has a way of separating the contenders from the pretenders. Who will succumb to the dreaded June swoon?
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Can we talk?
Labor negotiations and the possibility of contraction top the agenda as major league owners convene Wednesday and Thursday in Pittsburgh. No major announcements are expected.
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College World Series
Aluminum bats and double-digit run totals. Ping! Yup, it's that time of year again. Perennial powers collide in Omaha with the national champion crowed this weekend.
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Seattle Mariners at Colorado Rockies, June 12-14
The M's take their act to Coors Field, where they are 2-3 all time. Seattle would have to win nine in a row to claim the best start through 70 games.
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Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks, June 12-14
Hey, there's a great intraleague series this week, too! Division leaders do battle with Kerry Wood and Curt Schilling matching up in the opener.
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New York Yankees at New York Mets, June 15-17
Nine months later, the Subway Series rides again. Clemens won't pitch or bat this time around. He's scheduled to start Wednesday vs. Montreal.
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Minnesota Twins at Chicago Cubs, June 15-17
The surprise teams of 2001 tangle at Wrigley. When these two teams met last season, the Twinkies were 38-52 and the Cubbies were 35-51.
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Hero: Mike Hampton
This guy is unreal: 5-0 with a 3.10 ERA at Coors Field? Five home runs in 37 at-bats? Now that's a power pitcher.
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Bum: Todd Jones
The Tigers' closer lost his job after going 0-2 with three blown saves over his past seven appearances (nine earned runs in nine innings).
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Heros: Chicago White Sox
Look who's closing in on .500. The Southsiders have won five consecutive series after stumbling out of the gate at 14-29.
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Bum: Tony Womack
Arizona's leadoff hitter went 1-for-26 last week, dropping his average to .221, his on-base percentage to .267. You can't steal first.
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Hero: Rondell White
The Cubs outfielder is batting .439 with eight homers and 15 RBIs during his career-high 15-game hitting streak. |
Bum: Dan Reichert
Two starts, two ugly losses in which the Royals' No. 3 starter allowed 12 earned runs and 32 baserunners in 12 innings.
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The Phillies called up Eric Valent to get some at-bats at DH and OF during interleague play. Valent was leading the International League in RBIs and could stick with the club. ... San Diego RHP Carlton Loewer returned to the majors over the weekend and was promptly shelled. Pass. ... Grab White Sox third baseman Joe Crede, especially if you are in a keeper league. ... Ignore the .173 average, Red Sox catcher Scott Hatteberg is a career .270 hitter with decent power and he'll play almost every day with Jason Varitek gone at least until August. ... The Cardinals called up left-hander Bud Smith (17-2 in the minors last year with two no-hitters). He'll get his first start Sunday and could be the next (gulp) Rick Ankiel.
Check out Fantasy Central for more insight and analysis. |
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| Todd Ritchie is the first pitcher in Pittsburgh's 115-year history to open a season 0-8. |
| The record for managerial replacements during a season is 11, a total reached in 1977 and 1986. |
| Twins first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz is in a 9-for-70 (.136) slump, dropping his average from .403 on May 22 to .312. |
| The New York Yankees lead the majors in stolen bases (66), something they haven't done over a full season since 1938. |
| The record for home runs by a pitcher in a season is nine, held by Wes Ferrell, who also went 22-12 for the 1931 Indians. |
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With a 48-13 record entering play Tuesday, the Seattle Mariners could play .500 ball the rest of the way and still win 98 games.
| The Diamondbacks are 20-6 in games started by Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson. (They were 11-14 in such starts in 2000 after acquiring Schilling.) |
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Shea Hillenbrand became the 29th player to hit a game-winning home run in the 18th inning or later when his solo shot off Detroit's Dave Borkowski ended a Boston marathon at 12:58 a.m. |
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Our tribute to the banal banter of baseball
"First place is where we want to be. You guys ask me about chasing somebody every day. I don't want to be chasing anybody. I want them chasing me. It makes me run faster."
-- Cleveland manager Charlie Manuel after the Indians reclaimed first place from the Minnesota Twins. |
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Everybody is wild about the sausage races at Miller Park. Following are a few more delightful diversions/gimmicks found in ballparks around the majors, according to CNNSI.com users:
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My favorite diversion has to be the Take Me Out To The Ballgame sing-along during the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field. Let's get some runs!
Paul Skinner, Iowa
Nobody tops Finley's 1960s-era Kansas City A's. From Charlie O. Mule to putting Satchel Paige in a bullpen rocking chair -- pure promotional genius.
Tim Pinkelmann, Shoreline, Wash.
The great subway race at Yankee Stadium. It is a great representation of the city and the best way to get to the stadium.
Rich, New York
Last year at Three Rivers they had this cannon that the mascot used to shoot hot dogs into the stands. I actually saw one clear the upper deck and leave the stadium!
Scott Schramp, Richfield, Ohio
Counting the empty seats at Olympic Stadium. Better cure for insomnia than counting sheep.
Chris Van, Montreal
It's sad when the most exciting thing at the Trop is the groundskeeper dancing to Fins while raking the field. Sure beats watching Gerald Williams strike out four times a night.
Vincent Richards, Tampa, Fla.
I'm sorry, but there is nothing funnier than the Rally Monkey. It's a monkey. In clothes! How GENIUS! Madison Avenue, eat your heart out.
Ben Cohen, Boston
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| This week's topic: In your lifetime, which team (i.e. 1996 Detroit Tigers) was the most painful to watch on a daily basis and why?
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