Posted: Tuesday October 15, 2002 1:17 PM
Updated: Thursday October 17, 2002 3:07 AM
Early speculation had the Mariners looking to get Roberto Alomar, a favorite of Seattle GM Pat Gillick's, as compensation for letting manager Lou Piniella go to the Mets. That price seems way too high. Chuck Tanner was once traded for Manny Sanguillen. Alomar is a future Hall of Famer. The price will end up being a lot less, though the Mets will have to part with a legitimate prospect.
Chone Figgins
, the pinch-running specialist for Anaheim, is a train wreck of a baserunner. In Game 2 of the ALDS, he broke back to second base on Bengie Molina's 52-hopper up the middle -- far to Figgins' left -- and couldn't score. In Game 3 of the ALCS Figgins didn't break for home from third base on a wild pitch that practically landed in Yorba Linda. (He was subsequently thrown out on an infield grounder.) And in Game 5 of the ALCS he missed second base on Adam Kennedy's third and game-breaking home run and had to double back to touch the bag, nearly causing Kennedy to pass him and wipe out his historic dinger.
The Twins tried a little too hard to show everybody how loose they were by blasting music after postseason losses. The volume wasn't nearly as offensive as the lyrics in what was a very populated postgame clubhouse. Reliever LaTroy Hawkins couldn't wait to spin the most profane and insulting tunes available after he was torched for three runs without getting an out in Game 5. At least mix in an out or two before you play DJ. It's disappointing that a classy organization such as the Twins allows such nonsense.
The Athletics are a stathead's favorite ballclub because of their love of the longball and the walk -- defense, bunts and stolen bases be damned. But wouldn't it be nice if Oakland actually won a postseason series before we awarded it the patent on How to Play Baseball? Infielder Randy Velarde, for one, after having watched the success of the Angels, thinks it's time for the Athletics to rethink their philosophy. "The thing I love is how Scioscia plays the game," Velarde said. "He has your defense on its toes because whether they're up or down he's hitting and running, moving runners, bunting. As a defensive player I know the chaos that causes. I hope that shines a light for this organization. To just play 90-foot baseball and then wait for a home run -- that's a lot of pressure to put on a young team and young pitchers. Putting pressure on a defense doesn't take ability, it just takes management to make it go forward."
Jason Schmidt's
showcasing of his 96-mph four-seam fastball, a nearly unhittable pitch when he keeps it in the upper quadrant of the strike zone, only makes scouts shake their heads all over again about why he hasn't yet won 20 games. The Giants right-hander has No. 1 starter's stuff. His lack of ability to maintain focus over 35 starts has held him back.
History tells us that pitching coaches make rotten managers (Joe Kerrigan, Phil Regan, Marcel Lachemann, Ray Miller, etc.) But if one of them can buck that trend it's Bud Black of the Angles, who has the inside track on returning to Cleveland as its manager. Black has the never-panic demeanor of Joe Torre and an understanding of the game beyond throwing schedules.
The hiring of Buck Showalter in Texas appears to be a sign that the Rangers aren't scaling back payroll as significantly as owner Tom Hicks had indicated. Roger Clemens, who told friends after the Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs that he had no feel whatsoever about whether he'd be back with New York, would strictly be a vanity buy for Hicks. Showalter knows the Rangers need a fly ball-chasing center fielder (Steve Finley?) and a defensive-minded catcher (Dan Wilson?) to get the most out of a middling pitching staff should Ivan Rodriguez becomes a victim of the cost-cutting.
This idea that the small-market teams in the middle of the country can't compete with the Yankees is ridiculous. The fact is, they don't compete. The three-division format and unbalanced schedule puts a premium on competing against like teams. The Twins, for instance, play on a largely level field. All AL Central payrolls this year fell within a narrow range of between $41 million and $74 million. The NL Central payrolls fell between $46 million and $76 million. Now, if you're talking about the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Florida Marlins, too horridly run Eastern Division teams with lousy ballparks, you're talking long-term problems.
Expect the Phillies to take the money they offered Scott Rolen and try to use it to lure Jim Thome. Think Thome would threaten the Philadelphia franchise record for home runs by a first baseman? It's only 34, by Deron Johnson in 1971.
Can the Twins afford to carry arbitration-influenced raises for Jacque Jones, David Ortiz, Torii Hunter and Doug Mientkiewicz? Probably not, and Jones could very well be the odd man out. Minnesota will be careful about what to pay a platoon player (Jones hit .213 against lefties) who had only 37 walks as compared to 129 strikeouts and who looked anxious in the ALCS. Jones worked only two three-ball counts the entire series and failed to draw a walk in 21 plate appearances. The left fielder could be traded or be one of the many players around baseball non-tendered for cost reasons.
Sports Illustrated senior writer Tom Verducci covers baseball for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com. Check out his Insider column Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the postseason.
