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First thing's first Giambi, Millar, Ortiz battling for starting job in BostonPosted: Monday March 03, 2003 12:54 AM
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- As cursed as the Boston Red Sox may sometimes seem to be, they do have some things going for them. And this year, they even have a first baseman. OK. So no one quite knows who it is just yet. But there are a lot of guys hanging around first base this spring. A lot of big guys. With first baseman's gloves. That, at the very least, is something. "We have some awfully good choices. They all want to be in the game," said Boston manager Grady Little, who had to make do with a woefully underperforming Tony Clark (.207, three homers) last season. "Sometimes the choices are made for you, sometimes there are some difficult choices to be made. That's what we hope happens." There may not be a position in any camp in Florida more hotly contested than first base here in Fort Myers. And there may not be a more critical position for the Red Sox to fill.
Shortstop, with Nomar Garciaparra, is set. Second base is for newcomer Todd Walker. Third probably will be manned by Shea Hillenbrand, though Bill Mueller is a possibility there, too. But who's on first? Big David Ortiz, signed from the Minnesota Twins to be the first baseman after the Twins decided not to offer him a contract? Jeremy Giambi, later grabbed in a deal with Philadelphia with the idea that he would be the everyday guy at first? Kevin Millar, whose two-year, $5.3 million deal may make him the front-runner? Hillenbrand, who Little admits may see some time at first? Maybe even strong Julio Zuleta, who is getting some notice this spring after hitting 54 homers between the Chicago Cubs' Class AAA team and winter ball? It's a wide-open race among a bunch of players who haven't played much at first. Ortiz has played 45 games at first over the past three years. Giambi has played 32 games there in three years. Millar, who comes from the Florida Marlins, has played 47 games at first in the past three years. Hillenbrand has played first, but mostly in the minors. Clearly, with that kind of experience -- or lack of it -- the Sox are looking for hitting power before glove power. "To win ballgames, you need both," says Ortiz, who has struggled with the glove so far this spring, though he's swinging the bat well. "The game situations will tell you what you need." Both Millar and Giambi can play outfield, too, which helps. And whoever doesn't play first is liable to be a designated hitter. Millar and Hillenbrand both swing righty, while Giambi, Ortiz and Zuleta are left-handerd. It's not likely everyone will make the roster -- Zuleta seems a longshot -- but this is not something that will be determined much before the opening of the season. If it's determined that soon. "If everyone produces, then the decision is tough," Little said. "That's what we want."
Luck of the DodgersThat huge gust of wind coming from down Florida way Sunday was not your everyday tropical breeze. That was Dodgers manager Jim Tracy after oft-shelved pitchers Kevin Brown and Darren Dreifort -- get this -- pitched Sunday. And their arms didn't fall off. That was one huge sigh of relief. If Brown and Dreifort both prove to be healthy, and if Kazuhisa Ishii recovers from the comebacker he took off his skull late last season (as he evidently has after a successful stint Sunday), and if Odalis Perez is strong (which he has looked to be so far), and Hideo Nomo and Andy Ashby are their normal selves (which they're expected to be) … well, wouldn't that be something? "I'd like to know what that feels like," Tracy said late last week. Brown has started only 29 games in the past two years because of an assortment of injuries. Dreifort didn't start any last season. If those two can be counted on, the National League West just got a heck of a lot closer.
Rebuilding the TigersDetroit owner Mike Ilitch made a rare stop at spring training Friday to help with the unveiling of the $11 million renovation of Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla. Afterward, he talked about renovating the Tigers under new manager Alan Trammell. "The Detroit Tigers were always No. 1 in our city. We used to just open the gates and people would come in," Ilitch said. "So I'm not happy with where we're at right now." The Tigers are trying all sorts of new things to break a streak of nine straight losing seasons, from new management to bringing in the left field fences at the hitters' burial grounds known as Comerica Park. The real question, though, is when Ilitch plans to sink some more money into the Tigers. Or, more accurately, if he plans to spend more. The Tigers were 19th last year in payroll, spending about $56.5 million on players. "I think I've proved that I can spend in sports. I've spent in sports," said Ilitch, who chipped in at least $200 million toward the building of Comerica and also spends on the NHL's Red Wings. "I just haven't had a chance to put a team together where I can respond accordingly." He thinks this new Detroit team, with Trammel as manager and Dave Dombrowski as general manager, will work. "This is the first time I've felt that I got a lot of people on my side," he said. "You have to get a foundation to build this family. When there's a lot of division, it's hard," he said. "I'll do my part when I see things coming together."
Camping outSean Casey started at first base Sunday for the Reds and went 0-for-2. It was his first game action since surgery on his left shoulder last September … Reds third baseman Brandon Larson pulled the ultimate boneheaded play last Friday. He smacked a home run off Boston's Mike Timlin, then had it nullified when he passed a base runner. Larson was called out but he was credited with a single. The runner whom Larson passed, Ruben Mateo, was allowed to score. Evidently, both players screwed up: Larson for not looking and Mateo for not going far enough up the basepath on an obviously well-struck ball … At Hammond Stadium at the Lee County Sports Complex in Fort Myers on Sunday, someone snuck into the visiting clubhouse and "stole" Ortriz's clothes from his locker. Left in their place was an old, faded orange jumpsuit with "Lee County Jail" printed on the back and a matching pair of orange flip flops. No word on the culprits, but the Big Orange Ortiz was seen in the Twins' locker room -- he played with them last year, remember -- looking for someone to blame … The Twins and Red Sox, Fort Myers neighbors that they are, play seven times this spring … Pedro Martinez is scheduled for his first spring start Thursday against the Twins. He threw batting practice Sunday in Fort Myers … The new seats on the Green Monster at Fenway Park have sold out already. For the entire season. The club sold 275 seats and 100 standing-room spots per game atop the Monster in left field … The Sox did leave 24 standing-room Monster seats for sale for each home game. They are strictly gameday sale only. Spring Training Buzz runs every Monday and Thursday until Opening Day. |
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