Out of their league

Sluggers often start slow after switching circuits

Career National Leaguer Cliff Floyd may have a hard time getting used to the AL.AP

Tino Martinez: The Cardinals were worried about his horrific April numbers (.200, 0 HR, 9 RBIs). May (.236) wasn't much better, but the former Yankee found his stroke in June (.297) and July (.284).

Consecutive starts in which Atlanta's Greg Maddux has walked two or fewer batters.

"If they do walk out, make sure it's Sept. 11. Be symbolic. Let Donald Fehr drive the plane right into the building, if that's what they want to do." -- Reds GM Jim Bowden on a possible strike date

Better commissioners than Bud Selig 1 British soccer hooligans 2 Frozen Ted Williams 3 Fat Bastard from Austin Powers ... "Get in my belly!" 4 Allen Iverson's entourage 5 Bratwurst from the Sausage Race 6 Rally Monkey

Changing from the NL to the AL can be difficult, too. Last year, Andres Galarraga foundered, hitting .235 (.734 OPS) for the Rangers. Once back with the Giants, the Big Cat hit .288 with a respectable .864 OPS for the rest of the season.

Raul Mondesi averaged 31 home runs and 92 RBIs from 1997-99 with the Dodgers. He has yet to reach either of those figures in the junior circuit, and this year he's batting a career-low .224.

The player the Dodgers received for Mondesi, Shawn Green, took an entire season to adjust to the NL. After mashing 42 home runs and hitting .309 for Toronto in 1999, Green slipped to 24 homers and .269 in 2000. He rebounded with a career-high 49 bombs last year and is having another prolific season in 2002.

Not everybody struggles right away in a new league. Juan Encarnacion is having his best season with the Reds and Marlins after five years with the Tigers. Jim Edmonds' career took off after being traded from the Angels to the Cardinals before the 2000 season. Mark McGwire made a seamless transition with the Cardinals in 1997.

Which way will Floyd go? As the biggest name on the trade market, the pressure will be intense for him to lift the Red Sox into the playoffs. That won't help. But at least he has experience against AL East teams, having faced them in interleague play as a member of the Marlins the past few years. Plus, the dizzying amount of player movement in today's games means he has seen many of the AL's pitchers in the past.

In the past, the two leagues had different umpires and, therefore, different strike zones that hitters and pitchers had to learn.

In theory, these factors should help Floyd. The mystery is why they haven't helped other top sluggers recently.

Somebody needs to remind umpires they are not The Show, but merely bit players in The Show. People come to see the players play, and meddlesome umps are making it exceedingly hard for some of them to do their jobs. On Thursday, somebody named Dan Iassogna decided a major league game. He was the home plate umpire who, in his infinite wisdom, ejected Dodgers closer Eric Gagne in the ninth inning at Cincinnati, eventually costing Los Angeles the victory in 13 innings. Aaron Boone had just hit a two-run home run to cut the Dodgers' lead to 4-2. The next batter up, Adam Dunn, got plunked by a high fastball on the first pitch. Without issuing a warning first, which is customary in such cases, Iassogna ejected Gagne for intentionally throwing at Dunn. This makes no sense for at least two reasons: 1) A warning should have been issued first. This was a crucial game for both clubs in terms of the wild-card race. Gagne, who has been dominant all season, has earned the right to remain in the game; and 2) Beaning Dunn brought the tying run to the plate. Pitchers know there is a time and a place for retribution after giving up a longball, but the ninth inning with a two-run lead is not one of them. Umpires are at their best when we don't know their names. That can't be said anymore for this Iassogna guy.

Up to snuff Greg Maddux has set such a high standard for himself that his numbers are taken for granted sometimes. He has forged into the NL ERA lead at 2.45 despite a series of maladies this season, including a sore back and recurring calf strains. Maddux cruised past the Brewers on Thursday for his 268th career victory, tying him with Hall of Famer Jim Palmer for 30th on the all-time list.

Eruption The Rangers' bats exploded on consecutive nights this week as they pounded the Yankees 17-6 on Wednesday and the Red Sox 19-7 on Thursday. Texas hit nine home runs in the two games, including one by Ruben Rivera against his former team (Yankees) and two by Carl Everett against his ex-teammates (Red Sox).

Welcome to the majors Devil Rays prospect Carl Crawford has made an impressive debut in the big leagues. He has hit safely in 12 of his first 13 games, including five multi-hit games. The 20-year-old has legged out three triples, showing the blinding speed that had Nebraska recruiting him as a quarterback out of high school.

Vlad the Impaler Expos star Vladimir Guerrero victimized the D'backs twice this week with walk-off home runs. On Tuesday, he beat the D'backs with a 10th-inning blast off closer Byung-Hyun Kim. On Thursday, Schilling was on the mound as Vlad took him deep in the ninth for a 2-1 victory.

Washburn   It might be time to start hyping up Anaheim's Jarrod Washburn for the Cy Young award. He beat the Yankees on Thursday for his 13th win in 14 decisions and has a 3.13 ERA. ... In John Thomson, the Rockies had a guy who could pitch at Coors Field without getting his head kicked in. So they trade him for the completely average Jay Payton? No wonder this team hasn't won squat since 1995. ... With his next save, Jose Mesa will become the third Phillie with back-to-back 30-save seasons, joining Mitch Williams and Ricky Bottalico. That's not exactly lofty company. ... The Marlins were involved in two triple plays in the span of five days this week. On Sunday, they converted one against the Expos when Guerrero hit a line drive to Mike Lowell. Then the Cardinals turned one on the Marlins on Thursday when Eric Owens lined out to right field with the runners going. ... The Dodgers are the only opposing NL club with an all-time winning record at Cinergy Field, which will be demolished after the season. Los Angeles is 123-118 at the stadium. ... Friday is the 23rd anniversary of the plane crash that killed Yankees captain Thurman Munson.

 

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