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Back to school Umpires attend strike-zone training in Arizona
Updated: Wednesday January 24, 2001 8:20 AM
The Lords of Baseball have pledged in the past to crack down on balks ... and backed down. Two years ago they tried to raise the strike zone a few inches above the belt, and by the middle of May it was back to the old way, with a different strike zone for every umpire. But there are indications that things will be different in 2001, something beyond the heated discussion between managers and crew chiefs that lasted three hours at the Dallas winter meetings last month. At least one owner came away from the recent meetings in Arizona convinced that this time, baseball is serious about enforcing a rule-book strike zone. "I know what's happened before," the owner said, "but just listening to Sandy [Alderson] talk makes you believe this is going to happen." Alderson, baseball's vice president for operations, and trusted aide Ralph Nelson are in Arizona this week, along with all 68 umpires who will work big league games this season. They will spend five days reprogramming the umpires to call strikes on pitches at the letters, or halfway between the shoulders and the belt, something the game hasn't seen with any regularity since the 1960s.
Spring exhibitions start March 1, and it should be interesting to watch the reaction of everyone in uniform -- umpires, managers, pitchers and hitters -- as Project Strike Zone unfolds. How will Carl Everett or Albert Belle react the first time they get rung up on a pitch at chest level? Don't expect pitchers to universally endorse the change, either. Having been taught their whole careers to aim for the knees and the corners, finesse guys like Tom Glavine and Brad Radke won't be pleased if the low-end strike zone begins to creep higher. Even a hard thrower like Kevin Brown, who lives by his nasty two-seam sinker, won't gain much benefit from the change. Squawking could reach record proportions. Reds closer Danny Graves has already complained publicly that a chest-high strike does little for him and other members of his sinker-slider fraternity. Only the select few, the real blowtorchers like Randy Johnson, Bartolo Colon and Pedro Martinez, can get away with pitching above the belt. The guys with big overhand curveballs -- think Darryl Kile, Mike Mussina and Jason Isringhausen -- will benefit as well, since they can put even more arc on their signature pitch. The Diamondbacks could be one team that might benefit the most. Not only do they have the Big Unit and Curt Schilling at the top of their rotation, but closer Matt Mantei regularly tops out in the 98-99 mph range. All three of those guys know how to pitch upstairs and have the stuff to get away with it. Plus, nobody needs to tell new D'Backs pitching coach Bob Welch how to make hitters climb the ladder. Welch could throw smoke in his prime and should be able to teach his young arms how to get outs upstairs.
Players seek long-term securityIf it seems as though more players than ever are signing multi-year deals, it's not your imagination. With the possibility of an industry shutdown looming after the current Basic Agreement expires on Oct. 31, players and agents are scrambling to cover themselves for 2002. "Everybody wants to be signed for the strike year," one agent said. "Think about it. Say you're an unsigned player and a work stoppage gets resolved right at the end of March. Now you've got 10 days to report and work out a contract. The team has got you by the you-know-what. You wouldn't want to be unsigned player in a case like that." Already this winter we've seen potential 2001 free agents like Jeff Bagwell, Schilling and Mantei take themselves off the market with multi-year deals, and Derek Jeter and Jason Giambi could be next. Others signing long-term deals include Richard Hidalgo, Jose Vidro and Mike Sweeney. Why? Well, the money's good. There's no doubt about that. But there's also the sense that if owners finally implement a meaningful luxury tax -- forget a salary cap -- it could provide a drag on top-end salaries. In fact, at the annual agents meetings this winter, the Players Association repeatedly stressed the importance of getting players signed through 2002. "Who wants to take a player onto an open market that includes price controls?" another veteran agent said. "That's not an open market at all." Assuming Jeter and Giambi sign multiyear deals, a number of interesting names remain on track to become free agents next winter: Barry Bonds, Mariano Rivera, John Smoltz, Johnny Damon, Jason Isringhausen, David Wells, Javy Lopez, Moises Alou, Jeromy Burnitz, Tim Salmon and Bobby Higginson. Don't be surprised if a few members of that list take themselves off the market as well in the coming months.
Royals spell relief R-O-B-E-R-T-OBy trading for Roberto Hernandez, Kansas City believes it has addressed its long-standing problem: closing out games. Over the last two seasons, Royals relievers recorded 58 saves and blew 56 other chances, which meant the late innings were a tossup even when they were ahead. So where are the ninth-inning explosions most likely to happen this year? Try Tampa Bay and Texas, for starters. The Devil Rays, even with Hernandez, blew 28 saves last year, second only to the Cubs in the major leagues. Now the Rays say they'll go with Esteban Yan as their closer. Yan throws hard but has blown nine of 10 career save chances. The Rangers? Unable to re-sign John Wetteland until May at the earliest, they are prepared to use Tim Crabtree as their closer. In 25 career save tries, Crabtree has converted just five times. No wonder they're bringing in 37-year-old Jeff Brantley for a spring look and might have interest in Rick Aguilera as well. Mike Berardino covers baseball for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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