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Bench press Reserves give Red Sox, Diamondbacks big advantagePosted: Friday May 17, 2002 10:09 AMUpdated: Friday May 17, 2002 5:36 PM
By Jacob Luft, CNNSI.com Substitutes just don't get any love in baseball. The NBA has the Sixth Man Award, given to the best non-starter in the league. In the NFL, the most popular guy in town is often the backup quarterback. But in baseball, the reserves are an afterthought, something you think about when a regular gets hurt or you need a pinch hit late in a game. It's too bad, really, because the unsung contributions made off the bench are often the difference between a win and a loss on any given night. No teams illustrate the importance of bench power more than two of the best in baseball -- Arizona (26-15) and Boston (27-10). The Diamondbacks and Red Sox have benches full of players who easily could contend for starting jobs on many other teams. The D'backs benefited greatly from reserves Erubiel Durazo, David Delluci, Greg Colbrunn, Craig Counsell and Danny Bautista in winning the World Series last year, and their bench is better this season with the additions of Quinton McCracken and Jose Guillen. Durazo returned from a broken hand Thursday and will take over as the full-time regular first baseman. That moves Mark Grace to the bench, where he could be joined by injured veterans Jay Bell and Matt Williams before the season is out. That would give manager Bob Brenly 45-plus years of major league experience to choose from on the bench. The Red Sox just lost superstar slugger Manny Ramirez for at least a month with a broken finger, but they can get by with the ageless Rickey Henderson, who has seven RBIs in his past six games. Boston manager Grady Little also has the option of using the likes of Jose Offerman, Brian Daubach and Carlos Baerga on any given night. A bench full of skilled veterans is quite a luxury to have, especially in the American League, where everyday players rarely sit out or get lifted for a pinch-hitter. And in a five- or seven-game postseason series, the ability to mix and match different lineups with the opposition is key. Of course, by the time the trade deadline rolls around, the Yankees will have replaced mediocre pine-riders Ron Coomer, Enrique Wilson and Gerald Williams with the best that money can buy. That's because they know it takes a full roster of contributors to win it all.
Holy Halos, Batman!The way the Angels are playing lately, it's like they show up at the ballpark and say, "We came here to chew bubble gum and kick butt, and we're all out of bubble gum." Seriously, this team can flat out rake. Since starting the season 6-14, the Angels have gone on a 16-2 tear, including a current seven-game winning streak. Anaheim's offensive statistics during the hot streak are mind-numbing. They are hitting .327 as a team with 24 home runs for an average of 7.9 runs per game. They have scored in double figures five times, including a 21-2 drubbing of Cleveland on April 30 and a 19-0 whitewashing of Chicago on May 10. Oh yeah, the pitching hasn't been bad, either, with an ERA of 2.39. Before this run, they were best known for the Rally Monkey. Now the Halos are in second place, five games behind the Mariners and within sight of the wild card. Is this club for real? Who knows, but they sure are fun to watch.Thank you, come againThe unbalanced schedule needs to go away, hopefully as soon as next season. Not only are fans growing disinterested in seeing the same division opponents over and over again, but some teams are gaining an unfair advantage by constantly playing the same bottom-feeders. The Reds have played the awful Brewers seven times already, and recorded seven victories. The last-place Rockies have contributed six wins to the Diamondbacks and five to the Dodgers. The Mariners have won six of seven against the cellar-dwelling Rangers. And nobody benefits more than the Yankees and Red Sox, who are a combined 14-1 against the Devil Rays. All of these teams will face each other at least 10 more times this season. Plenty of good seats are still available.
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Upon announcing his retirement, Jose Canseco wasted no time shifting into salesman mode.
The washed-up slugger is promising a tell-all book about his life in the big leagues. He threatens to "name names" on subjects ranging from steroid use to philandering.
What is he going to do when he's done with that project, dress up like the Riddler and push a book about free government programs? Baseball training lessons on video? (Chapter I: How to turn an easy fly ball into a home run.)
Jose, if you write a book that burns every bridge you have ever had in the game, you will never work in the game again. And it's a little late to become a brain surgeon at his point.
Besides, the scandalous baseball book thing has already been done, and by a much better writer than Canseco ever will be. Ball Four by Jim Bouton. Check it out sometime.
As for steroids in baseball, we knew it had become widespread when middle infielders started hitting opposite-field home runs into the upper deck.
