MLB INFORMATION

Family roots keep Hairstons grounded

2010-03-03T17:50:00.000-08:00

post by Chicago White Sox jerseys

The story is nearly eight years old now, yet no matter how many times Scott Hairston tells it, a warm smile washes over his face. It's like, if you can imagine this, he is telling the story for the very first time.

The story goes like this: Hairston, long before he pulled on a Padres jersey, was a Minor League player. It was 2002, he remembers that. He was in his second season of pro ball and he was still a second baseman in the D-backs organization.

"It was after BP [batting practice] when this older guy, a scout calls me over. He had to have been in his 70s," Hairston said. "He said I reminded him of a player he had played against once ... that player's name, he said, was Sam Hairston."

Cue the smile, every time.

Sam Hairston was Hairston's grandfather and the patriarch of a one of baseball's most prominent families, a family with roots that run in the game, dating all the way to Sam Hairston's days in the Negro Leagues.

"I told him he was my grandfather," Hairston said, his voice sounding full of pride. "He said, 'That doesn't surprise me. I didn't even have to look at the roster. I saw the way you swing the bat ... that's what reminded me of him.'

"I got a kick of out that. Just by him watching me take BP he said that I looked like my grandfather. That's amazing to me."

For obvious reasons, this story holds special meaning for Hairston, even more so these days as another branch of the baseball family tree has sprouted here in Peoria with the addition of free-agent utility man Jerry Hairston Jr., Scott's older brother.

The Hairston brothers are the sons of Jerry Hairston, a former outfielder who played 14 seasons in the Major Leagues. Jerry Hairston Jr., who won a World Series ring with the Yankees last fall, and his brother will be teammates for the first time this season.

The Hairstons consider themselves fortunate for this unique twist to their careers, lucky even. No longer will they be the equivalent of passing ships in the night with the chance to visit briefly -- if at all -- when their teams are playing each other in the regular season.

Instead, the Hairston brothers will be teammates, united by general manager Jed Hoyer who traded for one Hairston (Scott) and signed the other (Jerry Jr.) during a dizzying three-day stretch in January.

This union will also give the Hairston brothers a chance to continue what Jerry Hairston proudly describes as the "family business," one that began with Sam Hairston's desire to play baseball in the 1940s, even if it meant fibbing about his age.

"I think for us to follow in his footsteps ... we're very proud of that," Scott Hairston said. "... It's very interesting to me. I consider myself fortunate to having grown up in a family like ours. It has inspired me to work harder and pass it along to my sons.

"We don't take much for granted, that's for sure."

Sam Hairston certainly didn't.

Sam spent his formative years in Hooper City, Ala., which is located a long fly ball outside Birmingham. When he was 16, he lied about his age, saying he 18, to get a job and the opportunity to play baseball in the local industrial league.

The Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues eventually noticed him and signed him as a catcher in 1944.

Sam Hairston went on to win the Negro American League's Triple Crown in 1950, when he hit .424 with 17 home runs and 71 RBIs during a 70-game season. That got Hairston a chance at the Major Leagues. In 1951, he became the first African-American to play for the Chicago White Sox.

"He started a legacy," Jerry Hairston said. "I don't know if any family has as many years in the game. There have been a lot more families with a lot more success, the Boones and others, but coming from where we came from it's pretty unique."

Scott Hairston, who is starting his second tour with the Padres, is 29 and beginning his seventh Major League season. Jerry Hairston Jr. is 33 and the newest Padre. He signed a one-year deal to essentially be a super utility man. He's beginning his 13th Major League season.

The brothers Hairston grew up around the game, having watched their father play nearly his entire 14-year career with the Chicago White Sox. Aside from Sam Hairston, Jerry's brother, John, played three games for the Chicago Cubs in 1969.

Is it really any wonder Scott and Jerry Jr. found their way into baseball?

"It wasn't by accident," Scott said. "Being around the clubhouse growing up, being around guys like Carlton Fisk, Harold Baines, Ozzie Guillen, Ron Kittle ... all those guys that I grew up watching, made me want to be like them. And watching my dad play ... baseball was a no-brainer.

"This is something [playing baseball] that I always loved to do and I never shied away from it. I think what I'm doing now, is what I planned on doing as a kid."

It's probably no coincidence that the Hairston brothers have some characteristics of their father and grandfather, making the story that the old scout once told Scott much more plausible.

"That scout he hit it right on the head," Jerry Hairston said. "Scott has a lot of similarities as his grandfather. We have some films. I remember my dad loving that high fastball. The last year I saw him play, I was 7 years old and I can remember him at the plate and taking a hack at that high fastball.

"That's what Scott has. He can get on top of that high fastball and drive it. He's able to take that pitch that is sometimes not even a strike and hit it, sometimes even out of the ballpark."

Jerry Hairston, who is the hitting coach for the White Sox Class A team in Bristol, said Jerry Jr. has an entirely different kind of skill set.

"Jerry Jr. is a little more like me, has the same body," Jerry Hairston said. "He's a much better player than I ever was. I'm proud of the fact that they're better than me. Jerry Jr. is a different player than Scott. He's a more tenacious guy. He's always in position to make a play. He's a true over-the-top student of the game."

Now they'll be playing together with the Padres. In the interest of fairness, this won't be the first time these brothers have been teammates. They played for Mexico a year ago in the World Baseball Classic. Their mother, Esperanza, was born in Mexico.

Jerry and Esperanza live in Tucson, Ariz. Scott (Gilbert, Ariz.) and Jerry Jr. (Scottsdale, Ariz.) both live in the Phoenix area. The family will get together during the offseason, but such reunions in the season have always been difficult. Now, as Jerry Hairston points out, Esperanza will have an easier time planning trips to watch her sons play.

"When we were working in the past, we never really saw a lot of each other," Jerry Jr. said. "We would play against each other for three days or whatever. But now it's going to be fun to watch him as a teammate, watch him going about his business.

"It's going to be cool to see first-hand him getting those clutch hits and the team relying upon him."

Added Scott: "It's going to be nice being around him on an everyday basis ... doing what we both love to do."

There's no telling how long this brotherly union will last in San Diego. Jerry Jr. was signed to a one-year deal. Scott, who was dealt to Oakland last July only to be traded for this winter, figures to be in the Padres plans for a while.

Either way, the tradition rolls on. The family business has been, and continues to be, in very good hands.

"We're very proud of that," Jerry Jr. said. "We know how hard my grandfather worked and the things that he had to fight through, the same kind of things that Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby had to fight through ... He had a tougher road than Scott and I did. We appreciate that."

Many bidders for Yanks' No. 5 battle

2010-03-03T17:49:00.000-08:00

post by Cincinnati Reds jerseys

Phil and Joba, Joba and Phil.

And Chad and Sergio and Alfredo, apparently.

Though something unexpected would have to happen for Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes not to win the Yankees' vacant fifth starter's job, manager Joe Girardi continues to insist that Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre and Alfredo Aceves are all legitimate candidates for the gig.

Call it motivation. Call it healthy competition. Either way, the three combined for six shutout innings in the Yankees' 6-3 victory over the Pirates on Wednesday.

"There seems to be so much talk about Hughes and Chamberlain, and the other guys are kind of under the radar a little bit, which is not a bad place to be," Girardi said. "We're going to do what we think is best for our club."

That almost certainly sets up a starting gig for either Hughes or Chamberlain, a bullpen role for Aceves and a sizable dose of uncertainty for Mitre and Gaudin. But as long as the Yankees are playing Grapefruit League games, every one of those pitchers has a chance.

They are aiming to make Girardi's decision difficult. In two innings Wednesday, Gaudin allowed nothing more than an infield single. Sinkerballer Mitre relieved him and fired two perfect innings with four groundouts, then Aceves -- with some help from his outfield defense -- pitched two perfect innings of his own.

Considering that the regulars for both teams played only half the game, and that pitchers are always more advanced than hitters this time of year, the early-March statistics don't mean much. But as the spring progresses, Girardi will need to make decisions on all three of those pitchers.

"The competition is there, but I'm not focusing on beating other guys out right now," Gaudin said. "I'm focusing on getting outs quick, keeping the team in the game and working on what I need to work on for the season."

In the main competition, Chamberlain and Hughes are scheduled to pitch on Friday. Between now and then, Girardi will have some time to absorb the results of Wednesday's undercard.

The Yankees could potentially make room for two of the three pitchers in the bullpen, assuming none of them wins the fifth starter's job. Aceves and Gaudin would appear to have the early edge based on their production last season, but Girardi has given Mitre, a former player of his with the Marlins, every chance to succeed in the past. There's no reason to think he won't do so again.

Right now, regardless, one round of the competition is complete without anyone gaining or losing a discernible edge.

But the spring is long. And the competition is open.

"I think we talk about it enough that they know," Girardi said. "We told them coming in that it was an open competition. Their nature is competitive, and they're going to go out and do the best that they can because they want to be on this team. They want to be the fifth starter. I don't think I need to remind them."

Harang gets Opening Day nod for Reds

2010-03-03T17:48:00.000-08:00

post by Chicago Cubs jerseys

Unlike the past few years, there was more discussion and more than a hint of doubt over who would be the Reds' Opening Day starter and ace of the rotation.

But in the end, it will be the same pitcher who had done it the previous four times -- Aaron Harang. The right-hander will face the Cardinals on April 5 at Great American Ball Park.

Although the choice to go with Harang is tried and true, it's not the conventional decision this time around. He is coming off of back-to-back six-win seasons, while Bronson Arroyo has won 15 games each of the past two years.

"I know it probably won't be a popular decision," manager Dusty Baker said on Wednesday. "But talking to both of them, Harang seems to pitch better against top pitchers. After Day 1, it doesn't matter anyway."

Harang's fifth straight Opening Day assignment would tie the club record for most consecutive first-game starts held by Pete Donohue (1923-27) and Mario Soto, who did it from 1982-86. Soto holds the overall club record of six Opening Day starts.

Opening Day is considered sacred to Reds fans because of the club's lengthy tradition. Cincinnati is the oldest professional franchise in baseball, and that status has given it the privilege of getting to open at home with a day game each season.

"I'm excited about it," Harang said. "You definitely have to have a different approach on Opening Day because of all the hoopla and stuff that's going around the game."

Baker and pitching coach Bryan Price informed Harang of their decision on Tuesday after meeting with both Harang and Arroyo. The group talked about it together, and Harang and Arroyo also talked privately about it.

"I said, 'If it's out there, I want the ball. I want to be your guy,'" Harang said he told Baker. "[Bronson and I] both talked about it before we even went in there. I wasn't over there trying to make him feel different.

"Do I think Bronson deserves to start Opening Day? Yeah, definitely for what he's shown the past couple of years."

A couple of weeks ago, when camp first opened, Baker did not know who he'd give the ball to for the opener. The decision ultimately came down to the fact that, as much as Harang wanted the assignment, Arroyo also wasn't all that interested in being the Reds' No. 1 starter.

"If I had my choice, I'd rather pitch two or three," Arroyo said. "Cincinnati is one of the few places that Opening Day is really like a holiday. For that reason, it's probably a little tough to concentrate on that day. There's so much stuff going on. I'd rather enjoy that day, soak in all the festivities and pitch the next day or day after that."

"Nobody is more honest than Bronson," Baker said. "You might not like his answers. His answers will be honest. I love that. I ask a question, I want an honest answer. That's the reason you communicate and talk to your players."

Baker also set the top four spots of Cincinnati's rotation. After Harang will be Johnny Cueto, followed by Arroyo, Homer Bailey and the still-unnamed fifth starter.

There was reason behind the decision to split up Harang and Arroyo in the order.

"So you don't tax your bullpen," Baker said. "Harang, you know will give you innings. Cueto is not as consistent. Arroyo is consistent. Homer, you don't know. The fifth starter, you don't know. You want to break up those guys, because what if you had Arroyo and Harang back-to-back and the next three guys aren't pitching well? You're going to kill your bullpen. When you get back to Harang, you'll have to stick with him longer because your bullpen is already spent."

Harang won 16 games in both 2006 and '07 and was among National League leaders in wins, innings, starts and strikeouts. But struggles and injuries set him way back the past two seasons. In 2008-09, he was a combined 12-31 with a 4.52 ERA.

Last season was particularly trying, as Harang finished 6-14 with a 4.21 ERA in 162 1/3 innings with 142 K's. His year ended in August because he had his appendix removed. In 13 starts from May 30-Aug. 3, Harang endured a nine-game losing streak.

Over three of his past four seasons with the Reds, Arroyo has won at least 14 games. He posted a 15-13 record with a 3.84 ERA in 33 starts in 2009.

Arroyo also isn't a fan of pitching day games and has a better record when working at night. However, his first start on April 8 vs. St. Louis will be a day game.

"I told Dusty I'd pitch anywhere he wants me to pitch," Arroyo said. "It doesn't matter -- one through five -- it's fine by me. You can put a label on whatever you want -- I will take the ball 34 times. It doesn't matter."

League switch could be boon to Melky

2010-03-03T17:47:00.000-08:00

post by Colorado Rockies jerseys

When the Braves traded Javier Vazquez to the Yankees in December, they quickly learned that many of their fans were not too excited about the fact that Melky Cabrera was the only Major Leaguer included in the return package.

Initial displeasure surrounding the deal was slightly diminished when some of those same fans came to understand the potential of 19-year-old right-hander Arodys Vizcaino, who could prove to be the most influential portion of the return provided by the Yankees.

But while Cabrera certainly isn't the power-hitting slugger that fans were hoping to receive in exchange for Vazquez, Atlanta is excited about the value he could bring while serving as a versatile outfielder whose offensive potential may yet to have been realized.

"His power is going to come," said Braves utility man Eric Hinske, who played with Cabrera last year with the Yankees. "I think he hit 13 homers last year, but he's got 20-plus capabilities."

While playing with the World Series champion Yankees last year, Cabrera hit .274 with the 13 homers, racking up 10 stolen bases and sporting a .752 OPS. With a quick evaluation of the numbers, Braves manager Bobby Cox believes it's easy to understand why the versatile 25-year-old outfielder found himself overshadowed by the likes of of Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira.

"When you hit .270 with 13 [homers] there, nobody talks about you," Cox said. "I like Melky. He's a solid outfielder, has a good arm, knows how to play the game and he's a great kid. He's a good leader, from what I've seen."

At first glance, it would be easy to look at the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Cabrera and mistake him for a catcher. But those who saw him patrol the Yankees' outfield the past four years certainly realize that he doesn't look anything like any of the Molina brothers once he starts racing toward fly balls.

"He was by far the best defensive outfielder we had," said Braves reliever Scott Proctor, who shared the Yankees clubhouse with Cabrera during the 2006 and '07 seasons. "When you're toeing the rubber, he's definitely a guy that you want to have behind you."

With Jason Heyward seemingly improving the odds that he'll begin the season as Atlanta's starting right fielder, it appears the switch-hitting Cabrera will likely begin the season sharing the left-field duties with Matt Diaz.

But with his versatility, the Braves envision Cabrera spending time at each of the outfield positions.

During the first two games of the Grapefruit League season, Cabrera has not had the opportunity to show whether he has the kind of power arm that Jeff Francoeur showed over the past couple of seasons in Atlanta.

But while batting leadoff and playing center field in Wednesday afternoon's 9-5 win over the Mets, Cabrera did display his speed while nearly beating out a first-inning grounder that was directed to the third-base side of the mound. Five innings later, he drew a walk to spark a four-run uprising.

"He's a guy that's going to put some good at-bats together," Proctor said. "He's going to hit to the situation and [be] a gap guy. He's just a good all-around hitter. It's going to be interesting to see how he fits in the National League. I think his talents are going to be better exposed in the National League than they were in the American League."

As a switch-hitter with strong defensive skills, Cabrera could certainly prove more valuable while being part of late-inning substitutions which are much more frequent in the NL. But at the same time, the Braves recognize that his background with the Yankees has given him a chance to be recognized as much more than simply a role player in Atlanta.

"He's just a gamer," Proctor said. "He just knows how to play the game the right way. He comes from a winning background, too, with the Yankees. So he knows how to play the game down the stretch. The pressure isn't going to get to him."

Timetable for Cards' Ryan up in the air

2010-03-03T17:46:00.000-08:00

post by Boston Red Sox jerseys

A simple reading of the timetable for Brendan Ryan's rehabilitation timetable from right wrist surgery goes something like this: Ryan wants to hurry back as quickly as possible, while the Cardinals want him to be cautious. The simple reading is probably a bit too simple, but not much.

Ryan knows his own tendency to rush and to be, at times, overly enthusiastic. So he's trying to make sure he doesn't get ahead of himself.

"[I have to] make sure that I have a good understanding of what the big picture is, and remind myself of that not only daily, but hourly," he said.

Thus far, though, Ryan's rehab has gone very well. He didn't do any significant work on Wednesday, giving his wrist a chance to rest after two days of progress. But he expects to get right back to action Thursday. And within two weeks, he expects to be taking batting practice.

"Batting practice should be ... the Monday after next [March 15]," Ryan said, "and then playing, like, the 21st or 22nd -- assuming all goes well."

However well it goes, manager Tony La Russa wants to make sure Ryan doesn't risk his season in order to make an arbitrary deadline. As such, he's declined to answer whether he expects Ryan to play in any Grapefruit League games before the Cardinals break camp.

"I just think it's a bad question to answer," La Russa said. "If I say 'No,' he might push it to prove them wrong. If I say 'Yes,' and he's not ready, he's going to push it. The thing you want to do is just go day by day with him. If he has a setback, slow him down. If he's feeling good, speed it up a little bit."

So far, Ryan has had no setbacks. He even played second base and first base in the Cardinals' intrasquad game on Wednesday, though he didn't throw with his right hand. When he caught a ball, he flipped it with his glove hand.

He's still targeting Opening Day, even as he tries to make sure he doesn't get too far ahead of himself.

"It doesn't seem realistic to me," Ryan said of the possibility of missing the April 5 opener. "That one never seemed realistic to me. I never saw myself not ready for Opening Day, even to this last minute. I don't know. That's what I'm shooting for. That's my plan. But if there's any chance or risk, I'm not going to be stupid. Three games is not worth losing a season."

Wagner holds no hard feelings

2010-03-03T17:44:00.000-08:00

post by Baltimore Orioles jerseys

When Reggie Jackson explained why he had brought his star to the Yankees in 1977, he acknowledged money had been a critical factor but also noted that George Steinbrenner had "hustled me like a broad at the bar." Steinbrenner, the former football coach, loved pursuit.

Bobby Cox seldom has become involved in the Braves' pursuit of free agents over the years. Atlanta figured it would need a closer for 2010 though, and after Billy Wagner retired the first three Braves batters he faced -- Chipper Jones and Brian McCann included -- in his first game back with the Mets in September, the Braves knew they wanted him.

"They came after me like they were hunting," Wagner enjoyed saying. He preferred that analogy -- more appropriate for him. And he liked being the prey.

Steinbrenner wined and dined Reggie. The Waldorf, the Plaza. The Braves were wined and dined by Wagner. Who was pursuing whom? Down-home hospitality. Cox, general manager Frank Wren and pitching coach Roger McDowell flew from Atlanta to Virginia to be entertained by the reliever they hoped would entertain thoughts of pitching the ninth innings in Braves victories.

"I went to pick 'em up at the airport, right off the farm in my pickup, poop and mud all over it," Wagner said. "'This is who I am.'"

"And that's exactly what and who we wanted," Cox said Wednesday. "After we saw Billy throw against us in New York that night, we sent some scouts to follow him [after Wagner had been traded to the Red Sox]. We were serious about him right away. I don't know that I've ever gone to see a player before. Maybe I did. I don't recall. But if it meant we were gonna get Billy, then yeah, I'll go for a visit. Ya know, I'm a farm guy, too, like him."

The Mets had neither room nor role for Wagner. But the Braves, who often lacked a certified closer during their runs of division championships, had both as well as a need. So they brought in a 38-year-old left-handed pitcher who missed most of last season and the final two months of the 2008 season. They didn't consider signing him a risk. This was all about reward.

"He'll change the game for us," Cox said.

Wagner was at the park Wednesday when the Mets and Braves played each other for the second straight day. His locker had a No. 13 over it, western boots and hat in it. And tattered jeans as well. It's who he is. And he still has a gunslinger way about him, shooting from the hip.

He identified his brief tour with the Red Sox -- 15 games, 13 2/3 innings -- as "the best experience of my life." It followed a long -- though shorter than expected -- rehab from the elbow surgery he underwent in late summer 2008. And it refueled him. Four hundred saves -- he has 385 -- seemed closer. And John Franco's 424 saves, the most by a left-handed pitcher, didn't seem quite so distant. Thirty-nine saves in a season that ends when he's 39?

But Wagner figures the time he missed with the Mets will allow him to pitch later in life. He has no plan to retire if and when he passes Franco. But those saves will help the Mets, and some of them may work against them.

"I loved my time in New York," Wagner said. "It was everything it was supposed to be. They treated me well. Respectful. They told me if I came back and pitched well, they'd try to trade [rather than exercise the club option on his contract and not save $7 million]. They were helping themselves, but they were helping me, too. I have no problems with the New York Mets. That doesn't mean I wouldn't like saving 'bout 15 games against them."

Not that his time with the Braves won't have its challenges. Cox demands that his players wear slacks, no jeans, even for Spring Training games. It's who he's not.

Shields, Garza excited to get '10 started

2010-03-03T17:43:00.000-08:00

post 2009 All Star jerseys

The Rays rolled out a pair of aces Wednesday afternoon, using James Shields and Matt Garza against the Orioles.

Tampa Bay's Nos. 1 and 2 starters got in their work, then retreated to the clubhouse, both eagerly anticipating the beginning of the 2010 campaign.

Shields started and pitched one inning, walking one and striking out another. Garza allowed one run on one hit and one walk while striking out one in two innings.

Not only is Shields the probable No. 1 starter, but he's also an innings eater and a perennial 200-plus-inning guy. Seeing him for just one frame is an anomaly, to say the least. But stints like Wednesday's must be performed in order to build up the endurance to tackle six-plus innings once the season begins.

Aside from the work that must be done this spring, Shields smiled when talking about being back on the bump, pumping fastballs.

"Yeah, it's exciting," Shields said. "It's exciting, and I think the first time out, I held my own for my one inning. It's great to be out here, have that baseball atmosphere experience -- just walking to the bullpen and hearing the crowd yelling my name."

Shields said he got anxious before the outing, but he doesn't get the same kind of adrenaline during a Grapefruit League game as he does during the regular season.

"I got a little bit of adrenaline today," Shields said. "Once the season starts, those are the games that count, and the volume turns up a little bit."

Most would say Garza has the best stuff on the staff and that the sky is the limit for the right-hander. Garza seemed to experience a similar vibe to what Shields felt being back on the field again.

"[I] had that nervousness kick in, and that's when you know you're alive," Garza said.

Garza confessed to feeling some nerves before his outing, noting, "It's good."

"Once those things are gone, you may as well pack up and go home," Garza said. "I was real nervous today; [it] felt good."

Garza threw all fastballs and a changeup while resisting the urge to throw a slider in a situation that called for him to throw the pitch.

"There was a situation where I could have thrown a slider, but we face the Orioles 18 times this year," Garza said. "No reason to show them anything right now. These numbers don't count, as long as I get my work in and I feel good about it."

Neither Shields nor Garza wants to look in the rearview mirror. Shields said he was pleased with the effort of last year's team, noting that the 11-game losing streak at the beginning of September was the "one thing we were disappointed in." Meanwhile, Garza pointed out that 2009 is over and the Rays are now in '10.

Both are now mature Major League pitchers who know what it's like to prepare for and take part in a 162-game season.

"I'm just going to keep on doing what I've been doing," Shields said. "{And I'm gong to] try to be an inning eater. My main goal every year is to stay healthy."

Garza feels that being another year older and having another year of experience under his belt will benefit him greatly.

"Last year, I thought I had a pretty good season, but it's not what I hoped for," Garza said. "And this year, [I want to] just try and improve on what I did bad -- maybe cut down on my walks and make these guys beat me and not beat myself. And that's going to let me go deeper into the games, which means more innings, which takes a lot of pressure off the bullpen. If we can get into that seventh, eighth and ninth every time out, they're going to be happy about it."

Maholm's quick work a strong start

2010-03-03T17:41:00.000-08:00

post by Atlanta Braves jerseys

Starter Paul Maholm seemed plenty pleased with his one-inning appearance against the Yankees in Wednesday's 6-3 loss, an outing that officially began his final month of preparation before the 2010 season.

Maholm retired the side -- a formidable trio of Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira -- in an 11-pitch first inning that marked the left-hander's first outing in Grapefruit League play. He induced three ground-ball outs and threw all but two of his pitches for strikes.

"It was a good day," Maholm said afterward. "When the first guy I face is Jeter and he's fouling balls off, you kind of get in the mode of being competitive and going after him and setting up pitches. My sinker was down, and the few sliders I threw were good."

Because it is still so early in spring, the Pirates planned to limit Maholm to one inning of work regardless of the result. He's scheduled to double that workload in his next outing and then continue progressing deeper into games from there.

Though manager John Russell has not tabbed an Opening Day starter, Maholm's selection as the team's first Grapefruit League starter could be a harbinger for Russell's eventual decision. Maholm has looked sharp since camp opened, and he once again arrived at Spring Training in peak physical condition.

"He has the ability to do what he needs to do to get ready," Russell said. "For the most part, he knows how to prepare and that's where he is in his career. We tell all of our pitchers not to worry so much about the ERA and results, as opposed to pitching down in the zone and pitching ahead."

Maholm specified efficiency when asked what he plans to target through March. His goal remains to get through each inning with 10 or fewer pitches.

The left-hander also insists that he is back at 100 percent after dealing with some soreness in his surgically repaired left knee last year. Pitching coach Joe Kerrigan noted earlier this spring that the Pirates made a mistake in letting Maholm pitch through injuries and even an illness last summer. However, Maholm is not getting into this debate.

Stubborn as Kerrigan had predicted, Maholm still doesn't cite injuries as a reason for the dip in his performance last year. And he maintains that he handled the physical demands of the game last year the same way he will moving forward.

"Last year is done," Maholm said. "It's been made a way bigger issue than it should have been. I'm going to pitch every fifth day. There are not a lot of guys that go out there at 100 percent for 30 something starts. It's part of it. I'll do it again. Everything is good to go."

Bell determined to add changeup to mix

2010-03-03T17:26:00.000-08:00

post by Anaheim Angels jerseys

According to Fangraphs, Padres closer Heath Bell used his changeup all of 1 percent of the time in 2009.

Bell, who almost exclusively relies on his fastball and curveball, said on Wednesday the 1 percent figure might actually be a bit generous.

"I threw it four times," Bell said. "It was where I wanted it to go, but it was four times."

Bell certainly didn't suffer much from not having a true third pitch to use. He led the National League in saves (42) on his way to making his first All-Star Game appearance.

Bell said he will throw at least one changeup during Thursday's charity game against the Seattle Mariners at the Peoria Sports Complex. Bell is scheduled to work one inning. He'll do so again on Sunday.

He said the changeup was a pitch he wanted to work on last spring, but his involvement with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic prevented that. Instead, Bell used his fastball-curveball combination during the season.

This spring, Bell said he's been more determined to work on the pitch and actually use it more in games.

"I want to be able to throw it more than four times. I think I need a third pitch, especially when I'm facing a team for the second or third day in a row, or when I face them a lot," Bell said.

The biggest question for Bell this season isn't how often he'll use the changeup but when. Pitching is all about setting up hitters for the next pitch. Attempting to figure out when to mix in the changeup isn't as easy as just throwing it.

"I think the changeup will be there for me," Bell said. "I feel like I can throw it in and out. I've talked to [manager Bud Black] Buddy and [pitching coach Darren Balsley] about it. Now we've just got to figure out when to use it."

Cubs reach deal with Cuban prospect

2010-03-03T17:13:00.000-08:00

Post by Anaheim Angels jerseys

The Cubs have reached an agreement with Cuban right-handed pitching prospect Juan Yasser Serrano. However, the deal is not expected to be finalized for another month.

The team has not confirmed the report.

Serrano, who defected from Cuba in April 2009, still needs to undergo a physical before he can join the Cubs. There also is additional paperwork that must be completed before the deal is finalized, a baseball source said Wednesday.

There was a report that Serrano threw a two-inning simulated game for the Cubs, striking out four and giving up one run on an infield hit, but a baseball source denied that took place.

Rangers look to fill infield void

2010-03-02T01:28:00.003-08:00

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Cardinals infielder Julio Lugo may be the most interesting name that arises as the Rangers assess their utility infield situation.

He is somebody they have talked about internally.

Lugo was the Cardinals utility infielder in the final two-plus months of last season after being acquired from the Red Sox. But he is expected to lose significant playing time after the Cardinals signed free agent infielder Felipe Lopez last week.

The Rangers are concerned about their utility infield situation after Khalil Greene did not report to camp because of social anxiety disorder. The Rangers voided his contract last week and are proceeding with the idea that Greene will not be in camp at all.

That has created two spots of concern on the bench: utility infielder and a right-handed-hitting corner infielder. The Rangers hoped that Greene could be an option in both areas. Now they are re-assessing the situation and early confidence that the roles could be filled from within may be eroding. The Rangers are looking around the league to see what's available among infielders and the Cardinals may likely make Lugo available at some point this spring.

"Our goal is to see if we can find the right combination of guys to give [manager Ron Washington] the most options and flexibility," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said Monday. "We've still got a half-dozen guys internally we're looking at and our scouts are in town. That will be a focus as we see if there is an upgrade out there. It might be the guys in camp who are deserving of the job."

The Cardinals actually acquired Lugo last year to fill a need when Greene first experienced social anxiety order last summer while playing for them. He is being paid $9 million this season but the Red Sox are already picking up most of that as a condition to last year's trade.

Lugo is a 10-year veteran who was the Red Sox starting shortstop on their 2007 World Series championship team. Most of his career has been as a shortstop. He is 34 and there is some concern about diminished range but the Rangers are just looking for someone who can hold down the position and give Elvis Andrus a day off.

"We just need somebody who can make some defensive plays," Washington said.

The Rangers' leading candidates from within are Joaquin Arias, Ray Olmedo and Esteban German. Arias has the defensive skills for shortstop but there are questions about his throwing ability after going through three years of shoulder problems. Washington has been monitoring his throwing closely.

"I really thought the way he was throwing the ball the other day was sufficient," Washington said. "He's just got to maintain his arm strength and continue to improve. He's healthy. I don't think his arm is a problem. It is what it is. I've seen him throw from all the angles. We'll play it out and see where it goes,"

Other names could emerge from the outside. The Rangers talked to the Diamondbacks about Augie Ojeda last winter and those discussions could be renewed. The Dodgers have extra infielders and the Pirates may be willing to talk about Ramon Vazquez, who played for the Rangers in 2007-08.

But the Rangers also need a right-handed corner infielder who can spell Chris Davis at first base against left-handed pitchers. Matt Brown, who is in camp on a Minor League contract, has some impressive numbers against left-handed pitchers in the Minors and had a home run off Kasey Kiker in Monday's intrasquad game.

He hit .303 with a .495 slugging percentage against left-handers at Triple-A Salt Lake City last year and .325 with a .608 slugging percentage against them in 2008. He can play both first and third base. He was at third base in the intrasquad game and started a 5-4-3 double play on a Vladimir Guerrero grounder in the first.

"Ideally I'd love to see myself as a guy off the bench," Brown said. "I will do everything they want for me to make the team."

The Rangers are also looking at Max Ramirez for that spot. He is a catcher who is working out at first base. He was a sensation for the Rangers in 2008 when he hit .347 with 19 home runs and 57 RBIs in 337 Minor League at-bats.

But he hit just .230 with five home runs and 45 RBIs in 81 games and 337 at-bats last year while dealing with a pair of wrist injuries. He was much better in Winter Ball in Venezuela, hitting .252 with 13 home runs and 36 RBI in 59 games and 210 at-bat.

There is still a matter of learning how to play first base.

What the Rangers need is a right-handed-hitting infielder who can play first and third base. That's why they pushed hard to trade Ramirez to the Red Sox for infielder Mike Lowell. That trade fell apart when Lowell needed thumb surgery. It could be revived later this spring if he proves healthy.

Lugo and Lowell were the left side of the Red Sox infield when they won the World Series in 2007. Three years later, they might fit nicely together on the Rangers bench.

Veteran arms offer A's sensible options

2010-03-02T01:28:00.001-08:00

PHOENIX -- It is reasonable to assume red lights and uh-oh flares went up among A's fans late Sunday when the club announced the signings of a pair of veteran right-handers.

That might have been a natural reaction among followers of a team that entered Spring Training with a trio of pitchers seeking to resume careers following a season lost to injury.

Are Ben Sheets or Justin Duchscherer or Joey Devine giving off warning signs? Is that why Oakland general manager Billy Beane had to reach out to Jason Jennings and to Brett Tomko?

(a) Insurance, or merely (b) ingenuity?

Relax, and go with (b).

Sheets is coming along ideally, remaining on the accelerated path back from elbow surgery, penciled in to start Oakland's Cactus League home opener, Friday against the Brewers.

And it is no secret that Duchscherer and Devine are both on slower tracks, very long shots to be able to assume their roles in the rotation and bullpen, respectively, at the start of the season. Under those uncertain circumstances, adding two experienced arms only made sense.

Even with everyone in perfect health and on an unobstructed path to the season, pitching isn't like ice cream. You can't have too much of it.

Complicating Duchscherer's fight back from an elbow surgery and depression, he was sidelined by acute lower-back pains that necessitated a nerve ablation procedure, performed last Tuesday.

The doctor's immediate recommendation was that the pitcher not step back on a mound for two weeks. Even if able to resume throwing then, Duchscherer would be three weeks behind everyone else.

Devine, also making his way back from elbow surgery, is "throwing at 85 percent," according to A's manager Bob Geren, who said, "It's 50-50 he'll be ready to go at the start of the season, or shortly after."

Thus it seemed only prudent to secure a couple of guys who have been high-end pitchers, when they have been healthy.

"We didn't necessarily sign Jennings due to the situations with Duke and Devine," Geren said Monday, as the rain clouds withdrew from the Valley and only sunshine flooded the fields. "I thought he pitched very well last season, and he's a good pitcher who was available.

"And Tomko is our Bedard," Geren added, referring to the Mariners' re-signing of lefty Erik Bedard, who isn't expected to return to the mound until June off shoulder surgery last August.

Tomko's impressive late-season stint in Oakland was derailed by an irritated nerve after six starts, of which the 36-year-old had won four with a 2.95 ERA.

"He pitched well for us last year, and I talked to him on-and-off during the winter. He was on our radar all along," Geren said.

While Tomko reported to Oakland's Minor League complex and will continue to work his way back there -- a late-May return is considered the earliest -- Jennings quickly checked into the big league camp and had his first bullpen session Monday.

Jennings, 31 and eight years removed from being the National League's Rookie of the Year, chose the A's offer over several other teams which made him offers -- but not because of any overt concerns about Duchscherer or Devine, whose absences obviously would create his opening.

"They do know I can step in for a couple of starts if someone goes down," Jennings said. "And after pitching out of the bullpen for the first time last year, I can do that, too. I'm pretty much open to both."

Before going 2-14 as a starter in 2007-08 with the Astros and the Rangers -- who converted him into a crack long reliever last season -- Jennings had an admirable six-season run in the pitching Death Valley of Colorado. Rockies pitchers aren't famous for hauling in awards, but Jennings ran away with 2002 rookie honors and still ranks as that franchise's second all-time top winner with 58.

"They didn't quite say whether they're looking at me to start or stay in relief," Jennings said of the A's, "but I have an opportunity to do both. I feel healthy, like I'll be able to pitch the way I know how.

"I think I offer the type of experience any team can use."

His most important offer, however, is that of security. Ordinarily, the bullpen isn't playing musical chairs; all the seats are taken by Andrew Bailey, Brad Ziegler, Michael Wuertz, Craig Breslow, Brad Kilby, Jerry Blevins -- and Devine.

Having Jennings in camp, and Tomko in the wings, at the very least affords Geren and pitching coach Curt Young to bring Devine and Duchscherer along slowly, smartly, not rashly.

The first of two intrasquad games is Tuesday. Cactus League play begins Thursday. Although as a fresh camp arrival who has not yet been formally scheduled for an outings, Jennings will make several appearances before either Devine or Duchscherer surface. So it will be an interesting progression to monitor.

Role change for Hermida not an issue

2010-03-02T01:25:00.000-08:00

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- You can call this a spring of change for Jeremy Hermida, and it has nothing to do with a new scruffy beard or an elaborate tattoo that now rests on his left shoulder.

For the first time in his Major League career, Hermida will be playing somewhere other then South Florida. After being considered a hotshot prospect and eventually becoming an everyday player for four consecutive seasons, he'll now be a reserve for the first time.

So, will these changes help Hermida become the premier outfielder he was once projected to be?

"I don't think it will hurt," Hermida said before Monday's workout. "It's definitely refreshing to come here, I can tell you that. Whether I need a fresh start or not, it's tough to say. But I'm just happy to be here. The excitement of this camp and just the way people go about things is something that I'm really excited to be a part of, and I'm excited to play a full season."

The Red Sox acquired Hermida -- a former first-round Draft pick who hasn't yet fully lived up to the hype -- in exchange for a couple of pitching prospects in November. At the time, general manager Theo Epstein called it a low-risk, high-reward deal.

Low risk, because Hermida will make $3.345 million this season and, after the eventual acquisition of Mike Cameron, looks to be the fourth outfielder to start the season.

High reward, because the 26-year-old lefty-hitting corner outfielder has all the tools to be a perennial All-Star in this league -- he just hasn't been able to cash that in yet.

"We're hoping that he'll be a huge asset to our team," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "On one hand, if he's playing a lot, something else went wrong somewhere. But we'd like him to play enough, because we like what he can do -- swings at strikes, works the count, got some power. Sometimes that clicks in at a different age. We'd like to be that team."

The Marlins weren't.

They made Hermida the No. 11 pick in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, and three years later, he was already in the big leagues. Hermida then showed some promise in '07, when a strong second half allowed him to finish the season with a .296 batting average, 18 homers and 63 RBIs in 123 games.

But over the past couple of years, Hermida's hit just .253 with a .335 on-base percentage, a .400 slugging percentage and 15 home runs per season.

"I think just a change of scenery is sometimes a good thing, and I think that's going to help him," said journeyman right-hander Joe Nelson, who played with Hermida in Miami in 2008 and was signed to a Minor League contract this offseason. "There's no preconceived notions. There's not the No. 1 prospect like he was coming up. Now, he's just an established outfielder in the big leagues.

"I think Herm is going to do just fine."

Hermida wants to show the world he can be a very productive player in the big leagues. But a sufficient number of at-bats are required to send that kind of message.

Still, though, Hermida continually talks about how happy he is to be a member of the Red Sox. And he's not concerned about being labeled as a reserve player for the rest of his career.

"I think being a reserve player in Boston is a little bit different than being a reserve player on any other team," Hermida said. "You look at the 25 guys that are going in that dugout, and you have some names in there.

"I don't think anybody strives to not be an everyday player. I think that's everyone's goal. ... As far as I'm concerned, you're definitely working to prepare yourself like that. If that's not the case, then you're ready when you're called upon."

Hermida, who has an above-average arm and has the type of gap-to-gap power that may be tailor-made for Fenway Park, finished last season with a .259 batting average and 13 home runs in 129 games. After some adjustments, he finally started to get going in August -- a month when he batted .312 -- but a rib injury limited him to just three games the rest of the way.

In the offseason, Hermida said he got "a lot of work done" on those ribs -- though it wasn't surgery, just "maintenance stuff to make sure it didn't happen again" -- and added that he's "felt fine ever since."

"It's funny how that happens. You can't get the injury when you're in a slump?" Hermida said. "I was definitely feeling good. You never know what happens, but everything happens for a reason, and I'm here now and happy to be here."

Hermida asserted that he won't be "shell-shocked" when he starts playing games at Fenway, but it's hard to discount the fact he'll be going from a team that consistently ranks among the lowest in the Major Leagues in average attendance to a club that's had 550 consecutive home sellouts.

Even though it's only Spring Training, Hermida is already digging the energy.

"I think it's awesome," Hermida said. "I love it. To walk out there and see the people that care about the organization and this team and the passion that they have, it's phenomenal. It really is, to be able to go out there and have that in Spring Training. It really makes it fun to come to the park every day. It's exciting, and it's just a pleasure to be a part of."

As for how big a part of that he'll actually be? Who knows what will play out during the course of a long season.

But Francona said Hermida is at least handling everything the right way so far.

"He's done a great job early on of accepting and being open to what we're talking about and things like that -- a real good attitude," Francona said. "Because he knows going in that it's going to be a challenge right away. But he's been really good about handling that."

Jackson at top for Tigers in spring games

2010-03-02T01:23:00.000-08:00

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Austin Jackson's game has been picked apart, critiqued piece-by-piece and second-guessed for nearly three months since he became a Tiger. Starting Tuesday, the Tigers and their fans can actually judge him by the way he plays.

Of all the Tigers looking forward to Spring Training games -- and honestly, after more than a week of working out on the back fields, all of them are looking forward to it -- Jackson might have the best reason. He has a chance to reinforce some believers, make some new ones and change some minds among those who have prejudged him.

More important to him, he has a chance to put into practice some of what he has already learned in camp.

"You want to get in and start the games," Jackson said, "let them know early that I'm here to help the team however I can. You can practice so much, but until you get out there in game speed, it's totally different. I'm really eager, I think everybody is at this point, to get out there and start the season."

Jackson will be the first Tigers batter to step to the plate this spring when he leads off against Florida Southern College in the bottom of the first inning of their exhibition game Tuesday at 1:05 p.m. ET. He gets the first crack at the leadoff spot that opened up when Detroit traded Curtis Granderson to the Yankees in December.

Jackson came to Detroit in that trade. The Yankees' former center fielder of the future has a good opportunity to become the Tigers' center fielder of the present. Team officials believe he can play center in spacious Comerica Park, and they believe he has a chance to hit.

Starting Tuesday, Jackson can turn potential into reality. In the process, he can hammer home the point that he isn't just the guy staked with the challenge of replacing Granderson. He's his own player, with a chance to be a pretty good one at that.

Manager Jim Leyland isn't promising the leadoff spot to him, or even the starting center-field job, but he makes no secret that he wants Jackson to win it. If he isn't a prototypical leadoff hitter at this stage in his career, he's pretty close, close enough that longtime Major League leadoff man Johnny Damon will be hitting behind Jackson in the second spot in the order.

"I think it would be advantageous for us," Leyland said, "if he can handle that spot."

Jackson has no Major League at-bats to indicate whether he can. He spent a full season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year, but batted second or third for most of the year. So Spring Training is going to play a big part in his evaluation, and the Tigers' decisions off that.

Jackson has spent much of the last two weeks working out on his own with a program designed to help him with his quickness. The program is designed to get him a better first step in the outfield when he breaks on fly balls. He also has been working with hitting coach Lloyd McClendon on his mechanics at the plate.

The main focus, Jackson said, has been on how he sets up at the plate, getting him in a better position to hit.

"I have a tendency to kind of lean over sometimes," Jackson said. "Once I go to swing, my bat angle is kind of at an angle. When I stand tall, my bat is more flat [swinging] through the zone. It's just things like that, [McClendon] kind of reminding me of the basics sometimes. I tend to get away from that sometimes, and start worrying about something else. And really, it's something at the start that's kind of messed up. I'll be worried about my hand path, but if I'm already set up wrong, my path is going to be off every time."

Jackson has had several days of live batting practice to try out the tweaks, and his latest sessions have been encouraging. Still, live BP doesn't test it nearly the same as actual pitching.

Seeing Florida Southern College pitchers is the start. Though it's an exhibition, the Mocs have been known to give the Tigers a competitive game on several occasions. They're ranked atop the NCAA Division II polls with a 13-1 record entering Monday.

Tuesday's lineup follows Jackson with Johnny Damon, Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Cabrera in the cleanup spot, then Carlos Guillen, according to Leyland. Either Don Kelly or Kory Casto will start at third base and bat sixth, followed by Scott Sizemore, Gerald Laird and Adam Everett. Many of Detroit's veteran hitters are expected to bat only once or twice before the reserves enter.

Left-hander Phil Coke is scheduled to start for the Tigers and pitch two innings, followed by two innings each from Eddie Bonine and Enrique Gonzalez. Joel Zumaya, Fu-Te Ni and Cody Satterwhite are all scheduled to pitch an inning.

Once Jackson steps to the plate Wednesday against Blue Jays left-hander Ricky Romero in Dunedin, Fla., at 1:05 p.m. ET, the Major League portion of the Tigers' Spring Training schedule will be under way. And Jackson's learning process will take another step.

It won't just be about making adjustments at the plate. It'll be about adjusting to the leadoff role and understanding what it entails.

In Jackson's case, it entails a balancing act unlike any he has encountered.

"You have to be patient," Jackson said, "but at the same time you have to be aggressive too. You're not up there to necessarily just draw a walk, but you have to patient up there. In the past, I've jumped on a lot of first pitches because I didn't want to let a cookie get away. But at the same time, hitting No. 1, you have to be able to relay messages back to your teammates, let them know the movement, the velocity, things like that."

Philly has become the place to play

2010-03-02T01:22:00.000-08:00

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Jayson Werth remembers the questions he heard when he arrived in Philadelphia in December 2006:

Why would you sign with the Phillies?

Aren't you scared of the fans?

Why, man? Why?

"It was Philly this and Philly that," Werth said. "It was more about the city than the team. But here we are four years later, and Philly is the No. 1 place to play. Everybody wants to come here because of the atmosphere, the crowds, the fans, the sellouts. That's not the way it was a short time ago."

A short time ago, players happily pressed the ejection button to leave Philadelphia. But it seems every few weeks, there is a comment from a former Phillies player who seems genuinely saddened or upset to be in a different uniform.

The latest is right-hander Chan Ho Park, who signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the Yankees. The Phils offered Park a one-year contract worth slightly more than $3 million, plus a club option for 2011. Park initially balked, but by the time he came around, Philadelphia had signed Danys Baez and Jose Contreras to take his place.

Park said at a news conference Sunday that Philadelphia was his No. 1 choice.

Park followed Cliff Lee, who by all accounts was stunned to be traded to Seattle. Brett Myers wanted to remain in Philadelphia, but Phils general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. wanted to move on. Pat Burrell has missed the Phillies since he signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Rays. Aaron Rowand signed a five-year, $60 million contract with the Giants, but he has not been in the postseason since he left the Phils in 2007.

On the flip side, Roy Halladay left millions on the table to join the Phillies. The right-hander signed a three-year, $60 million extension to leave Toronto, but he would have received much more had he reached the open market.

"I was on the other side of it," Jimmy Rollins said. "I was always playing on this team and guys were like, 'What would it be like to play for the Braves or the Mets?' You'd sit there and watch them and they were smiling and bouncing around, because they knew they were going to the playoffs.

"And you're here, like, 'Do people even care about the Phillies? Are we the laughingstock?' And that's kind of how you felt, because you had basically no foundation to stand on. No foundation of winning. No precedence of this is a good organization to go to, because they're going to do what it takes to win. It just wasn't there."

That has changed.

The Phillies won the National League East in 2007, the World Series in '08 and the NL championship in '09.

They are NL favorites again in 2010.

Of course, what player wouldn't want to be on a winning team? But Rollins and Werth said it is runs deeper than just wins and losses.

"It started with a good group of guys before the winning," Rollins said. "It started with a belief. It doesn't happen overnight. It's been building. But the word is out, and that's a good thing. I always said, 'What would it be like to have a player say I want to go here? Why can't we have that in Philadelphia?' Well, good guys, a belief in winning and then showing it on the field, it's happened."

"Atmosphere in the workplace," Werth said. "You could pick a company, it wouldn't be as much fun or as rewarding as coming to play for the Phillies."

Players then have a fine line to walk. Do they stay for potentially less money to remain in an organization they like? Or do they take the better (and maybe fairer) offer to play elsewhere?

The Phillies made Lee an offer believed to be slightly less than the three-year, $60 million they offered Halladay. Amaro has said that he received strong indications from Lee's representative that Lee would be difficult to sign to an extension, which prompted him to move forward on Halladay and trade Lee to Seattle.

Lee has said they made a counteroffer the day he was traded, but at that point, the Phils had a deal with Halladay in place (or close to it).

"You don't want to leave this situation," Chad Durbin said. "It's kind of an incubator to get better. I think a lot of guys feed off that, especially guys that have been around a little while. They know that if they go to a team that's rebuilding they might get paid, but they're not going to win. This situation is unique. It's a core group that gets along really well and they all want to continue to win. What you hear is not lip service. Definitely not. You hear lip service a lot, but you don't want to leave this place."

Players like Durbin and Werth will be free agents after the season, and they might have tough decisions to make. The Phillies already have at least $130.35 million committed in 2011 to Halladay ($20 million), Ryan Howard ($20 million), Chase Utley ($15 million), Brad Lidge ($11.5 million), Raul Ibanez ($11.5 million), Cole Hamels ($9.5 million), Rollins ($8.5 million), Joe Blanton ($8.5 million), Shane Victorino ($7.5 million), Placido Polanco ($5.25 million), Ryan Madson ($4.5 million), Carlos Ruiz ($2.75 million), Baez ($2.75 million), Ross Gload ($1.6 million) and Brian Schneider ($1.5 million).

It seems a certainty that if Werth has another good season, at least one team would be in better position to offer him more money than the Phils.

"That's a long way away," Werth said. "I haven't really thought about that. But I will tell you that playing for other teams, being in other places, seeing how other places do it, right here is the best place."

CC throws BP to Yanks batters

2010-02-28T23:23:00.003-08:00

TAMPA, Fla. -- The crowd at George M. Steinbrenner Field cheered after CC Sabathia's second pitch shattered the bat of non-roster catcher Mike Rivera, producing a weak flare into center field and the echo of dead wood.

You wouldn't compare the intensity level to the last time Sabathia saw a hitter standing at home plate, in Game 4 of the World Series, but the 28 pitches Sabathia threw Sunday have the Yankees ace ready for the Grapefruit League to begin.

"I feel good," Sabathia said. "The bullpens have been going well. I'll be fine. I'm looking forward to it, and today definitely helped to get back going."

The Yankees modified the early spring schedule slightly for Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte after last November's Fall Classic, having them throw three bullpen sessions and one batting practice before making the standard six starts in exhibition games.

Sabathia's mound session on Sunday was pushed back a day by inclement weather, and his work against Rivera, Nick Johnson, Marcus Thames and Randy Winn was largely uncontested. Rivera actually hit the hardest ball off the big lefty, driving one to the wall in center.

"They didn't take many swings," Sabathia said. "But it's good to have that hitter judge your pitches. It doesn't matter whether they swing or not."

Sabathia will make his first Grapefruit League start at 1:05 p.m. ET on Thursday against the Phillies in Clearwater, Fla., matching up against Roy Halladay on MLB.TV. Sabathia said that he didn't expect any added sizzle to the game, joking that he'd be in the dugout "eating seeds and goofing off" while Halladay works.

"He's a great pitcher, but it's Spring Training," Sabathia said. "If I face off [against] him in the season, I'll probably be more concerned, because I'll have to hit."

Also on the mound Sunday, Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes threw their second live batting practice sessions of the spring as they prepare to battle for the Yankees' fifth rotation spot.

Hughes got Alex Rodriguez to swing and miss through one fastball and foul another back, but A-Rod caught up to the -- in his words -- "easy cheese" later in the session, belting two long drives toward the wall. Hughes joked that Rodriguez was "setting me up."

"I don't like the cage thing, especially when A-Rod's taking you deep," Hughes said. "It's not fun. I tried not to look. It sounded good off the bat -- like thunder."

Chamberlain worked against A-Rod, Mark Teixeira, Greg Golson and Austin Romine, and noted that his delivery and fastball command are feeling better.

"It's nice having guys in there and doing some things," Chamberlain said. "When I missed, I came back in and made a good pitch. It's always good to go in and have those hitters. It gives you a better read of what you're doing."

Rodriguez said that the spring competition between Chamberlain and Hughes should benefit the Yankees in 2010.

"They're both great young pitchers," Rodriguez said. "It's a great luxury for us to have. You can throw the balls up in the air and whoever comes down, I think the Yankees are the winners. It's a good problem to have."

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that his players are looking forward to their first Grapefruit League action on Wednesday against the Pirates.

"I think everyone's kind of anxious to get going, because they're looking forward to competing," Girardi said. "Let's see some other guys."

Bombers bits: Mariano Rivera and Damaso Marte will throw their first bullpens of the spring on Monday, as will Chan Ho Park. ... Good news for Rays fans, A-Rod and Derek Jeter are both scheduled to make the trip to Port Charlotte, Fla., on March 19. ... Yankees GM Brian Cashman said he is not currently monitoring any other Major League free agents.

Now clad in blue, Vlad eyes rebound

2010-02-28T23:23:00.001-08:00

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Reminders of Vladimir Guerrero's previous employer were in full view Sunday morning.

At 7:55 a.m., Guerrero pulled into the Rangers' parking lot at the Surprise Recreation Campus, driving a pristine red Range Rover with California license plates. He appeared a few minutes later sporting a short-sleeved red T-shirt tucked into jeans so faded that they looked like grey baseball pants. His shoes were crimson.

From a distance, it appeared as if a member of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim was headed toward the Rangers clubhouse and in one way, that's exactly what was taking place.

Part of Guerrero's career will always be associated with the Angels, but for now, the designated hitter is a Ranger. His focus is on his future in Texas and helping his new club return to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. At the age of 35, he's also trying to fit in for the first time in a long time. He played in Montreal for eight seasons before joining the Angels in 2004.

"I spent a lot of time in Anaheim, but here I am in Texas," he said. "I've been here about five or six days and I'm getting to know the guys. Everybody has been really nice to me. I know I'm going to like it here."

Once in the clubhouse, Guerrero changed into his new blue shorts, blue workout shirt and looked more like one of the guys. He chatted up Julio Borbon and Neftali Feliz. Endy Chavez joined the conversation and soon a group of Latin players gravitated to the soft-spoken veteran's corner of the room.

It was only 8:09 a.m. and Guerrero was already making time with his new teammates. He was one of the most popular players in the clubhouse during his six years with the Angels because of the way he treated his teammates. He also made teammates chuckle because he always wore the same blue Superman T-shirt and red shorts before games.

"Vlad is a special person and probably the most unassuming superstar that's ever played the game of baseball," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He loves to play baseball. He's very low maintenance and just wants to come in and play. I'll be very surprised if he was anything but comfortable in any situation that he is in. The Rangers will understand his sense of humor and they will understand the passion he has for this game. I'm sure he will fit in well there."

Several Rangers players were asked to describe Guerrero in one word and the common response was "quiet." Few players had the words to describe Guerrero's impact on the field.

"Wow. He's one of us now," Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz said. "We're taking him in and taking advantage of his experience. He's a big figure in this game so we are happy he is in this clubhouse and not the Angels."

Earlier this year, Guerrero agreed to a one-year contract worth $5.5 million with a mutual option for 2011. He is coming off a disappointing season that saw him hit a career-low .295 with 15 home runs and 50 RBIs in 383 at-bats. His .334 on-base percentage and .460 slugging percentage were also his lowest in 13 full seasons in the Majors.

His goal for 2010 is a simple one.

"My main goal is to stay healthy," he said. "Last year was a down year for me and I know that. I had problems with my knee and my shoulder but thank God I'm healthy again. We'll see what happens this year in Texas."

Guerrero will be the team's DH, but he said he also wants to the play the outfield when he can. Last year, he made just two starts in the field and was used primarily as a designated hitter after undergoing offseason knee surgery. He went on the disabled list for a torn chest muscle from April 18-May 25 and again for a strained left knee from July 10-Aug. 4.

Some wonder if Guerrero's best days are behind him. Others think his career is on the decline because it appears that his bat speed has slowed down.

"With the injuries that he had in the knees and in the shoulders, your bat would slow down, too," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "He's healthy right now and I don't see anything wrong with his bat speed. I think because of the age bracket he was in and that happens when people begin to assume. I think when you get to that point, it's all about the individual and how you feel about yourself. He says he feels good and that's good enough for me."

Guerrero has been good against Texas. He has a .396 career average against the Rangers, the highest of any opponent with at least 150 at-bats against them, and his .394 batting average and .705 slugging percentage at the Ballpark in Arlington are the highest by any player with at least 50 games played there.

"He's very professional and he goes about his business," Washington said. "He's very influential. You always know that he is on the field. He may not have his mouth open talking but you know he is on the field. All you have to do is listen when he's swinging that bat."

Guerrero is also a hit off the field. Guerrero's mother, Altagracia Alvino, is famous across the league for her cooking and it was not uncommon for her to feed as many as 20 players after games. Guerrero delivered Tupperware bowls full of food for players that could not make it to his house.

"I've been doing it since I was in Montreal and that's something it makes me happy to do," he said. "We eat and we laugh. Any time I see my old teammates, I'll have food for them. I'm going to do the same thing for my teammates in Texas."

Guerrero should also be happy he won't have to stop wearing his favorite color in 2010. Last year, the Rangers brought back their red uniforms.

"I always liked the color red even before I was in Anaheim. It's a good color," he said. "Maybe I have to get a blue car now, too."

MLB instituting new medical records system

2010-02-28T23:22:00.003-08:00

From the moment a player joins any organization in Major League Baseball, his baseball vital signs are well documented. With radar-gun readings, scouting reports and countless game statistics seemingly charting his every move, there's literally a book on every professional player.

For a trainer, the medical book needed on a player hasn't always been as accessible or as thorough, his vital signs sometimes harder to read.

But that is changing in 2010, with Major League Baseball instituting through all 30 organizations a new integrated, Web-based system designed to allow trainers to have more and better medical information at their fingertips.

"In 2020 or even 2015, I think there'll be people looking back saying, 'What's remarkable is you used to do it any other way,'" said Stan Conte, the Dodgers' director of medical services and head trainer.

Conte was among the Major League trainers instrumental in pushing for such a system in order to streamline access to injury and treatment information, both internally and when players move from one organization to another, and ultimately to perform Job One when it comes to athletic trainers' mission: providing the best possible care for players.

"What makes it new and exciting to those of us in the field is the continuity of care," Conte said. "I've always said the medical department is not the baseball department. When a player comes to your team, you're responsible for them and their medical care."

For years, Conte and other members of the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) lobbied for a system that would make that job more efficient. After all, waiting 2-3 days for medical records following a trade or having too many hurdles trying to keep tabs on the hundreds of players in their own organizations was so ... Y2K.

In the span of a little more than a year, their wish was granted. Starting this Spring Training, baseball's trainers and doctors have a new tool at their disposal that eventually will provide an encyclopedia of knowledge on every professional player. It's much like one being used in the National Hockey League the last three seasons, and like the NHL one designed by SuttonMed Systems, but customized to fit baseball's specific injury dynamic.

With discussions beginning in 2007 and the project starting in earnest following what Conte described as a turning point at the 2008 Winter Meetings, Major League Baseball's labor relations department made the system a high priority.

"It obviously doesn't appear out of nowhere. It's something that's been discussed for a number of years, and any project of this magnitude takes time," said Dan Halem, senior vice president for labor relations for Major League Baseball. "But we got there."

Even Conte was pleasantly surprised when the system went online for all 30 clubs as of Jan. 4. "When they first said it'd be ready for 2010, I said there's just no way," he said.

The system, which Halem said does not change any rights of players in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, is still in the early stages of getting up and running, with previous records being digitized and training staffs documenting Spring Training treatment in the system in real time. Conte and Halem say there is a lot of growing into it to be done, and no doubt a lot of adjustments to be made.

"Right now, we're focused on getting the system rolled out to 30 clubs," Halem said. "It's a very large undertaking. This year is almost a test year, and it's going to need to be upgraded based on feedback. But every player on every club at every level down to Rookie ball will have their records in this new system."

It's a step forward, all would agree. Going from a number of different approaches with different sets of records and a lot of manual file-keeping to a fully digitized and standardized, eminently secure and state-of-the-art system that's being put into effect industry-wide in the span of about a year? That's significant progress.

As Halem suggests, it didn't happen in a vacuum -- or without a lot of work. MLB director of labor relations Chris Marinak made the project his mission, spearheading the efforts of customizing it to meet the specific needs of baseball, and ensuring it will be the benefit sought for 30 teams.

"The goal was to implement the best medical electronic system being used in professional sports, and we should be able to get there," Marinak said.

In some respects, the process of getting the system running was a logical exercise -- baseball players' injuries are often related to the elbow or shoulder, as opposed to the many knee injuries or concussions one might see in the NHL or the National Football League, which also has a database system. So the system is set up with categories that make sense for baseball.

But there of course have been and will be variables involved.

"It's very complicated," said Marinak, who said it took about six months of "architecting it out" to get the system to the point where training staffs could move into their record-keeping houses this year. "There's no one generally acceptable way for providing treatment for certain injuries, so there was a lot of discussion about how to approach that sort of issue and make the system operate in such a way that medical staffs can best track and record injuries and treatments."

The system, which also will be used for Major League umpires, is secure with tracking of access, which is limited to specific personnel within an organization. With it, Conte can remain totally apprised of a Double-A second baseman's injury progress, and a general manager can track reports from a pitcher's Minor League rehab assignment in real time. Where there used to be stacks and cabinets of files, there will be digital access to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, X-rays, reports and any other records. And, unlike in the past, there will be standardization, which will aid in team medical staffs knowing the history of a player arriving via trade or Minor League or Major League free agency.

"One of the things that's going to happen with this system is that everybody's going to be speaking the same language," Conte said.

Security is of obvious importance, and obvious priority. While, for instance, Dr. Lewis Yocum or Dr. James Andrews, noted surgeons who perform procedures on players from many teams, might have limited access to records to help them treat players, access is extremely limited in general. No, the Red Sox can't check out the Yankees' medical records, or vice versa. And, no, fantasy baseball owners can't get a leg up on their players' latest medical reports.

Like any one being treated medically would expect, this information is protected by federal HIPAA privacy guidelines and expected to be in even better hands now.

"The information here is more secure than it's ever been," Conte said.

Halem said the future could include some element of predictability, based on years of injuries and treatments being documented. While injury predictability using sabermetric algorithms and other research has been one of Conte's own projects in recent years, that's not what piques his interest here.

As a trainer, Conte is excited about the system for one reason.

"This is going to make things a lot easier in terms of taking care of the medical needs of players," he said.

Peavy pitches for reunion with Gonzalez

2010-02-28T23:22:00.001-08:00

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- When Jake Peavy hangs up the baseball glove and officially puts worries over fastball command in the rearview window, the right-hander might want to venture into the world of college coaching.

Peavy already seems to have the recruiting part of that job down pat.

In a CBS Sportsline report, Peavy stated that he wanted White Sox general manager Ken Williams to go after San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez. On Sunday afternoon, Peavy not only confirmed that piece of information but expounded on his role to try to somehow get the All-Star first baseman to move to the Midwest.

"Kenny asked me at one point in time, 'What kind of guy is this guy?' I went into full recruiting mode," said a smiling Peavy, who clearly is as honest as he is talented. "I said, 'Listen, if you put this guy in the mix on this team, a left-handed bat in the middle of the lineup, a guy that could spell Paulie [Konerko] at first and is a Gold Glover ...

"There's not much bad about the guy. I said, 'Kenny, absolutely. You put this guy on your club, and he's a great person as well.'"

Early on in this past offseason, unfounded rumors of a three-way trade involving the Padres, White Sox and the Angels sent the groundswell of "Gonzalez to the South Side" into a fever pitch. And before that same fever breaks out again, remember a few things about this particular situation.

Gonzalez, who had a banner year in Geneva, Ill., for the Kane County Cougars in 2001, is not a free agent. The San Diego native has one year left on a four-year deal, set to earn $4.75 million, making Gonzalez one of the game's top bargains. The Padres hold a $5.5 million club option on Gonzalez for 2011.

If or when the Padres decide to move their current franchise cornerstone, all the recruitment in the world from Peavy might not be enough to send him to Chicago. It's a safe bet, though, that if word starts to creep out about Gonzalez's availability, Williams will be ready to make his move.

A true power bat from the left side seems to be the glaring vacancy in this White Sox team assembled for 2010, so Gonzalez would be an absolutely perfect fit. It goes without saying that Williams will make a call or 10 for any big-name talent who can move his team closer to another World Series title.

The words from Peavy simply are support for a friend, who is in a less-than-ideal situation in San Diego, to which Peavy can relate.

"Adrian wants to win, I can tell you that," Peavy said. "If it means leaving San Diego, he won't think twice about doing that. I can promise you that. I love San Diego and I don't have a bad thing to say.

"But it gets frustrating. The guy hits .280, and he's frustrated for weeks at a time. He says, 'Peav, I got to swing the bat.' You look at some of the stretches where he had walks in multiple games and set some kind of record for most consecutive walks in a game or most two walks.

"You look at that stretch and our team record wasn't good because he wasn't getting to swing the bat. He sees that. I do feel for a player who gets in a situation where it's not best for him. But Adrian loves San Diego.

"He was born and raised there," Peavy said. "But he's understanding how, as time goes on, he's going to have to come to the point where he has to play for someone else."

At that point, Peavy paused briefly, followed by a broad smile.

"He'd look awfully good in black," said Peavy.

Any trade involving a player who has at least 30 home runs and 99 RBIs in each of his last three seasons probably will require a fairly significant haul of young talent in return. The Sportsline article quoted a White Sox source in stating that Williams would give anything to get Gonzalez, "maybe even Gordon Beckham."

That move seems highly unlikely, especially if Gonzalez was nothing more than a one- or two-year presence in Chicago. Beckham's ultimate upside has been projected along the lines of Texas' Michael Young, and five years of 200 hits, 40 doubles, 90-100 RBIs and an average near or over .300 would be about equal to Gonzalez's contributions.

Just about any other top prospect would seem to be in the trade mix. For now, though, Gonzalez remains with the Padres, and Peavy's recruitment serves as nothing more than a passing comment or two to Williams this past winter.

Make that a most persuasive passing thought.

"It wasn't anything significant," said Peavy of his Gonzalez talk with the boss. "He just asked me about the player. Obviously, I said we need to get this guy, simply because this guy can blink his eyes and hit 40 home runs in our park.

"This guy is as good a player as there is in the big leagues. I know a lot of people don't get to see that because he plays in San Diego. You put [Albert] Pujols and maybe a few guys above him, but he hits 40 home runs where he doesn't get much protection in a huge ballpark in a division where pitching is prominent.

"Who knows what will happen?" Peavy said. "It's a tough situation because if they came to Adrian with what was fair, the guy is living in his hometown, playing for his childhood team. It's hard to understand why an organization, with a brand new park in downtown, can't figure out a way how to hold down a superstar that's one of their own.

"They let guys like Trevor Hoffman walk and guys like me who want to stay there and establish themselves as a Padre. I don't know. I hope he gets what he wants out of the deal."

Hardy's transition eased with help of Mauer

2010-02-28T23:21:00.003-08:00

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- J.J. Hardy's initial reaction when he was traded to the Twins in early November was to think of which players he knew on Minnesota's roster.

The first one that came to mind was pretty easy for Hardy, considering that he and Twins catcher Joe Mauer have been good friends since they were around 17 years old.

The two players first met in Hermosillo, Mexico, in 2000 while playing as teammates on the under-18 Pan-American Games squad. Both of them were finishing up their junior years of high school and found themselves hitting it off right away.

Mauer went on to be drafted No. 1 overall by the Twins in the 2001 First-Year Player Draft while Hardy was a second-round pick of the Brewers that same year. But before that happened, the two would play on many of the same teams in international competition over the next year. They were even roommates back in 2000 when the U.S. Junior National team took the silver medal in the IBAF Junior World Championship in Edmonton, Canada.

"We have the same type of personality so I guess we hung out a little bit more than some of the other guys," Hardy said. "We became pretty good friends. And then playing against each other for the last five years, we've always made a point to see each other before the game or during [batting practice]. We've stayed in touch that way."

The two have reconnected even more since Hardy joined the Twins. Mauer traveled to Arizona in November, shortly after the trade was made, to play in Harmon Killebrew's annual charity golf outing. He used the trip as a chance to catch up with Hardy, who makes his home in the Phoenix area. The two played a couple rounds of golf along with another teammate, Nick Punto, who also winters in Arizona.

Mauer also tried to help introduce Hardy to many of his new teammates after the shortstop arrived in Fort Myers to begin working out earlier this month. The catcher then invited Hardy come to Minnesota for a week before Spring Training officially started, using it as an opportunity to show the shortstop around the Twin Cities, while also taking him ice fishing at his cabin.

"He showed me some areas up there, mostly St. Paul where he grew up," Hardy said. "He's really helped me a lot adjusting here."

Thanks to Hardy's friendship with Mauer, his transition to the Twins has been smooth. But what remains to be seen is whether he can use this new start to rebound from what was a tough 2009 season.

Hardy was an All-Star with the Brewers in 2007 and he combined for 50 home runs and 154 RBIs between the '07 and '08 seasons. His career seemed to be taking off, when Hardy suffered a setback last season. The shortstop batted just .229 with 11 homers and 47 RBIs while also earning a 20-day demotion to the Minors in August.

"I feel like I had some time this offseason to sit back and think about what happened and I was able to make some adjustments," Hardy said. "I took a few things from last year, but for the most part I wanted to forget about it and act like it never happened. I just wanted to go back to the way I was in the years past."

Notorious for his slow starts to the season, Hardy said that there were two things he believes played a factor in his struggles in 2009. One was his mental approach to the season. As he did in '08, Hardy got off to a poor start, batting .156 in April, but this time he didn't allow himself to shake it off. He batted .228 in June and July, and then .190 in August before he was demoted.

"I think I was really tough on myself," Hardy said. "I didn't allow myself to have fun. I got off to a really, really bad start, and I pressed a lot more. It didn't work."

Hardy said he started putting pressure on himself to put together perfect days at the plate, where even a two-hit day was not enough. He said some of that changed during his Minor League stint in August, which left him a couple service days shy of being a free agent after this season. By going down to Triple-A Nashville, Hardy was able to shake some of the pressure he was placing upon himself.

"I was pressing so much, I wasn't having fun. The game was going 100 miles an hour for me," Hardy said. "When I got sent down, those 20 days I actually had fun with some of those guys in Triple-A. It was a good time. Obviously it wasn't where I wanted to be, but being able to relax and play the game again was fun."

After watching lots of video this offseason, Hardy also determined that he needed to make a slight mechanical alteration to his swing.

"I was pushing off my backside a lot and kind of jumping toward the pitcher," Hardy said. "I worked on that this offseason and I feel a lot better."

The winter has helped Hardy to put behind him what he calls a "fluke" year. He's been able to figure out some of the things that might have plagued him last year. He also has the ease of knowing he'll no longer be plagued by the trade rumors that have followed him in Milwaukee over the past two years.

"I'm just excited about this situation I'm in now," Hardy said. "Coming to a great team, having the new start, it's just going to be great."

Having Mauer as one of his best friends on the team certainly doesn't hurt Hardy either. But Mauer doesn't feel like Hardy needs his help in the slightest, and he's the first to express confidence that Hardy won't suffer a repeat of last season.

"I don't want to put a lot of expectations on him or anything like that, but he's a good ballplayer," Mauer said. "He's proven that back when we were 17, and he proved it back in the big leagues a couple of years ago. I think it's just having him get his offense back. I think a change of scenery is good for guys and I think he'll thrive here."

Fantasy draft tiers: Catchers

2010-02-28T23:21:00.001-08:00

Most drafts follow a similar ebb and flow. After the true blue-chippers are off the board, there's always one owner who breaks the ice and takes a catcher.

What usually ensues is a run on backstops that can sometimes go overboard, as some owner ends up forcing the issue by overpaying for a B-rated guy.

Because there is no position with fewer top-notch performers than catcher, owners will want to know and pay particular attention to where the talent drops off.

Tier 1: Joe Mauer

Mauer is the undisputed No. 1 catcher and accordingly will be the first off the board in every draft. The real question is where he should be taken overall. After making a serious run at .400 last year, he may be going into 2010 slightly overvalued. As talented as he is, it's tough to commit anything higher than a mid-first-round pick to a backstop who's never had more than 536 at-bats in a season.

Tier 2: Victor Martinez, Brian McCann, Matt Wieters

Mauer will be gone quickly in every draft, which will leave this trio as the remaining cream of the crop. Of the three, Wieters offers the most upside, while V-Mart is the safest play. No matter what, owners can expect to see all three go in near succession, as there is a significant talent dropoff after them at the position.

Tier 3: Miguel Montero, Kurt Suzuki

Owners who miss out on the run of Tier 1 and 2 catchers should not force the issue. Suzuki and Montero are solid options, but it isn't worth breaking the bank for them simply because the premier guys have been scooped up.

Tier 4: Geovany Soto, Mike Napoli, Jorge Posada, Russell Martin, Ryan Doumit, Bengie Molina, Yadier Molina

Martin's stock has dropped significantly after a forgetful '09 campaign and questions remain as to whether he can bounce back to stardom. Soto burned a lot of owners who spent big bucks on him last season, as did Doumit, albeit to a lesser degree. Those who are optimistic enough to believe Soto merely fell victim to the sophomore slump could be rewarded, but none of these guys are worth more than a mid-round selection.

Tier 5: Chris Iannetta, Jeff Clement, A.J. Pierzynski, Carlos Ruiz

Owners in standard mixed leagues who abstain from drafting a catcher for the bulk of their drafts will likely have their choice from this group of guys, all of whom have some pop. Of the five, Pierzynski has been the steadiest performer over the last few years, though he's getting up there in age. Ruiz could be in store for a breakout campaign after a superb '09 postseason in which he batted .341 with six extra-base hits and nine RBIs.

Tier 6: Jesus Flores, Buster Posey, Kelly Shoppach, Dioner Navarro, J.R. Towles, John Baker, Ramon Hernandez, Miguel Olivo

Outside of deeper mixed leagues, these catchers figure to begin the season on the waiver wire.

Kershaw, Koufax chat -- courtesy of Torre

2010-02-28T23:20:00.000-08:00

PHOENIX -- Joe Torre hasn't named Clayton Kershaw his Opening Day starter yet, but the manager gave another indication that the 21-year-old left-hander can be the next Sandy Koufax when he arranged an hour session for Kershaw with the original Sandy Koufax.

The tutorial occurred on a private jet bringing Torre's party back to Phoenix on Saturday night after more than $700,000 was raised for Torre's Safe at Home charity event during a rare conversation between Torre and Koufax at the Nokia Theater, emceed by Los Angeles Times columnist T.J. Simers.

Torre also took coaches Rick Honeycutt and Don Mattingly to the event, but it was the hour that Kershaw spent talking to Koufax on the plane that could benefit the Dodgers in the standings.

"The guys talked the whole way back about pitching and competing," said Torre. "It was good to sit and watch and listen to it."

Torre said Koufax is in Arizona to visit family, but he's expected to soon appear at Camelback Ranch-Glendale, as he did last year, and no doubt will watch Kershaw at work, as he did two years ago at Dodgertown.

"It was pretty awesome," said Kershaw. "We talked for an hour and it was unbelievable. I learned more on one plane trip than I have in a long time. Honeycutt is great with the mechanics, but at the same time, this is one of the best ever. It's pretty cool.

"He just talked baseball, talked pitching. He gave me a lot of good insight. He watched my bullpen [session] a couple years ago, but this was the first time I really talked to him. Pretty awesome."

Koufax, 74, has that effect, yet it isn't unusual for young players to also praise Koufax's ability to connect with them, which is not always the case with great players. Koufax spent a decade as a Minor League instructor in the Dodgers organization.

"The best way to describe it, you feel really comfortable with him," said Kershaw. "Some Hall of Famers, I won't say you can't approach them, but you are in awe. That's how I was at first. Still, he's really easy to talk to, like another coach. It was awesome last night."

Torre said the night was a big success for his charity and drew a star-studded crowd that included comic Billy Crystal, who did a 15-minute warmup act for VIP donors at the backstage dinner. Torre said Hollywood was represented by Ron Howard and Penny Marshall along with Crystal; former Dodgers Lou Johnson, Tommy Davis, Chuck Essegian and Al Ferrara were there, and former Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley bought a table.

Webb's velocity better in latest session

2010-02-28T23:19:00.000-08:00

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Brandon Webb feels like he is being repetitive with his statements.

And in this case, that's a good thing.

Webb threw 43 pitches in his fourth bullpen session of the spring on Sunday, once again mixing in some changeups and improving his mechanics.

"I think the velocity was better this time than it was last," Webb said. "I keep repeating myself, but I think it gets better every time."

That's music to the ears of the D-backs, who are counting on a healthy Webb to compete in the National League West. Last season, Webb made just one start due to shoulder issues that required surgery in August.

Conditions on Sunday were less than ideal. Rain and cold temperatures forced the D-backs to take batting practice inside and for Webb to throw his session in the team's covered batting cages at its Minor League complex.

There was not enough space in the cages for Webb to play long toss, which most pitchers do to warm up for a side session.

"Today was brutal," Webb said. "It was probably the worst day you could possibly throw. It was 42 or 44 degrees, it was wet, I didn't get to long toss. Under those circumstances, it was pretty good, productive."

Barring any setbacks, the plan is for Webb to throw one more bullpen session on Wednesday and then face hitters in a batting-practice setting once or twice. The team would like to get him into a Cactus League game around mid-March.

D-backs manager A.J. Hinch announced prior to the beginning of camp that Webb's first start of the regular season would be the third game of the opening series against the Padres at Chase Field.

"Starting in the middle of March would get me on time to do the third game of the season," Webb said. "As long as I can get five innings in my last start of Spring Training, I should be able to take that at least six innings in my first start, which is normally what we do. Not many pitchers go [complete game] out of the gate."

Mechanics are still an issue for Webb, who has struggled to get his arm up in the throwing slot quick enough from the windup. When he throws from the stretch, he is able to get the arm where he needs it to be.

On Sunday, Webb threw half of his pitches from the stretch and may have had a breakthrough with the mechanics.

"I feel like I sit down on my back leg for my load in the stretch and I don't do that in the windup," Webb said. "So in the last eight [throws], I went back from the stretch to the windup again and tried to feel like I was sitting down on my back leg, it was just a little bit, but I think there's something to that."

Facing hitters for the first time might also help the problem.

"Everybody keeps saying when you get hitters in there, you're going to lock yourself in, it will come," Webb said. "I'm anxious to do that."

Lidge, Romero continue to progress

2010-02-28T23:18:00.004-08:00

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Phillies closer Brad Lidge and reliever J.C. Romero each took another step forward Sunday at the Carpenter Complex.

Both threw off the mound, and both said afterward that they felt fine.

Lidge is recovering from offseason elbow and knee surgeries. Romero is recovering from elbow surgery. Both said their goal remains to be ready by Opening Day, although they stressed they will not rush their return.

"Still going slow, but it's going in the right direction," Lidge said.

Lidge, who has thrown off the mound three times, threw 35 pitches, and six or seven of them were sliders. He said he will start throwing off the mound every other day until he is ready to face hitters.

Romero, who threw off the mound for the first time, threw only fastballs. He will throw every third day.

"It went well," Romero said. "I feel good and I'm very positive about it."

Halos cover their bases with talented infield

2010-02-28T23:18:00.003-08:00

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Mike Scioscia was a young, impressionable catcher during the final leg of an eight-year run, the longest in Major League history, by a Los Angeles Dodgers infield featuring Ron Cey, Bill Russell, Davey Lopes and Steve Garvey, from third to first.

Now helping formulate master plans for the Angels as a two-time American League Manager of the Year, Scioscia is optimistic he can assemble something similar to that dynamic foursome for years to come in Anaheim.

The names are Brandon Wood, Erick Aybar, Howard Kendrick and Kendry Morales, with Maicer Izturis in the picture as a one-man support system.

"I don't know if you plan to lock up an infield, an outfield, a pitching staff," Scioscia said on a rainy Sunday, his athletes confined to hitting and throwing bullpen sessions inside cages and under cover at Tempe Diablo Stadium. "But we do have a young infield that's very talented.

"The fact you have guys intact -- much like the Dodgers during those years, playing together six, seven years -- there are some inherent advantages to guys understanding every nuance of playing together and positioning, playing hitters.

"That also applies to our catchers, knowing the pitching staff and how to call a game."

Chone Figgins over the winter became the latest veteran Angels infielder to depart entering what likely will be the second half of his career.

When the dynamic leadoff man and Gold Glove-caliber third baseman signed a four-year, $36 million deal with the Mariners, he followed such equally popular infielders as Troy Glaus, David Eckstein, Adam Kennedy, Orlando Cabrera and Casey Kotchman out the door.

It's not that the Angels didn't embrace and appreciate these highly productive athletes. Concluding that they had an abundance of young infield talent on the way, they bit the bullet on each occasion.

CHANGING FACES
Year	1B	2B	SS	3B
2000	Vaughn	Kennedy	Gil	Glaus
2002	Spiezio	Kennedy	Eckstein	Glaus
2004	Erstad	Kennedy	Eckstein	Figgins
2006	Kendrick/Quinlan	Kennedy	Cabrera	Izturis
2008	Kotchman	Kendrick	Aybar/Izturis	Figgins
2010	Morales	Kendrick	Aybar	Wood/Izturis

Aybar and Kendrick have shown uncommon skills offensively and defensively in the heart of the infield along with Izturis, who arrived along with Juan Rivera in a trade after the 2004 season that sent Jose Guillen to Montreal. That was another example of the Angels surrendering proven talent for youthful upside.

A vital infield piece arrived dramatically last season. Morales, still absent from camp as he finalizes immigration paperwork, emerged as one of the game's rising young power hitters and a quality defender at first to take the sting out of losing Mark Teixeira to the Yankees in free agency.

In each case, the Angels have flourished with youthful, less expensive alternatives for fixtures the fans -- and staff -- hated to see leave.

"Why a veteran leaves, there are a lot of reasons for it," Scioscia said. "There's an opportunity [financially] for them an organization might not be able to match. It might be [more] playing time. Resources come into play. There's been some talent in this room that played here a long time and hasn't come back.

"I don't know if it's running guys out to make opportunities for younger guys. There's only so much revenue a team has to put a championship-caliber team on the field."

Asked about Figgins, Scioscia said his former catalyst "had mixed emotions but got an unbelievable deal. He loved it here, and we are going to miss him."

Now it is Wood's turn to show he is up to the challenge with his sure hands, accurate arm and thunder in his bat. Former Minor League teammates such as Kendrick and Aybar are convinced he won't stumble.

Buying out two years of free agency with Izturis, handing him a three-year, $10 million contract, the Angels have all five of their core infielders under contract at least through 2012.

For a total outlay of $8.05 million -- almost $1 million less than the salary Figgins will command in Seattle this season -- the Angels have all five under contract this season. That includes the $500,000 signing bonus that brings Izturis to $3.1 million, the highest figure of the five.

Aybar, Izturis and Kendrick are under club control through 2012, Morales through 2013, Wood through 2014. These are highly manageable contracts for a collection of infielders who could match any in the Majors in offensive production and defensive skills.

The Angels are equally protected for the future behind the plate. Mike Napoli, 28, and Jeff Mathis, 26, form a tandem few clubs can match for power (Napoli) and defense (Mathis). In support are capable Bobby Wilson and Ryan Budde, and the organization's premium position prospect, Hank Conger, is only a year or two away at 20.

The departures of the Molina brothers, Bengie and Jose, created openings for Napoli and Mathis.

Scioscia recalls that the makeup of the club was entirely different when he assumed the reins in 2000.

"It depends on where the talent is with your young players," Scioscia said. "When [Tim] Salmon, [Darin] Erstad and [Garret] Anderson came up, we had a very young outfield and veteran guys in the infield.

"I don't think there's an organization out there that doesn't have its finger on the pulse of the club. This is where our scoring and development staffs come into play. Age isn't a negative. If you don't have that youth in the organization that is developing and coming up through the ranks, it's going to be tough.

"These are guys we've been talking about for five years now -- Aybar, Kendrick, Wood, Napoli, Mathis, [Dallas] McPherson. A lot of these guys have come up and are feeling comfortable in the big leagues."

Among those players, only McPherson, a non-roster invitee of the Athletics, is not with the Angels. Largely because of injuries, he never really connected at third base as the successor to Glaus.

Those critics comparing Wood to McPherson would get a stiff argument from infield coach Alfredo Griffin, who, along with Minor League instructor Rob Picciolo, has worked to develop the rangy Wood since he signed as a first-round pick in 2003 out of Scottsdale (Ariz.) Horizon High School.

"He's going to be fine," Griffin said. "If you can play shortstop, you can play anywhere. Brandon is very good defensively, and he can hit.

"We have a lot of versatility in our infield. They're young, but they can play [multiple] positions. Wood can play third, short and first. Izturis can play third, short and second. Aybar can play second as well as short.

"These guys are young and good. It's been a long time since I've seen that kind of young talent in an infield."

The best part is, they could work and play together for years to come, developing the harmony and timing of the Beatles -- or Cey, Russell, Lopes and Garvey.

Zito prefers to be Giants' leading man

2010-02-28T23:18:00.001-08:00

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Barry Zito used to be the main man on the Giants' starting staff. Despite four years remaining on his seven-year, $126 million contract, he now may be in the No. 3 slot. And he doesn't like the view.

"I wouldn't say I'm fine with it, I'm not," Zito told MLB.com this past week in a candid and wide-ranging interview. "I'm competitive by nature, and of course, I want to be the guy. It's important. But the way I pitched in 2008, it didn't deem me worthy of being the No. 1 starter going into last season. But no, I'm not happy being a No. 3 starter."

Manager Bruce Bochy said on Sunday that Zito probably will be slotted in the second game when Spring Training begins for the Giants against the Mariners in Peoria, Ariz., on Wednesday. That means Zito would start against the Brewers at Scottsdale Stadium on Thursday.

In his halcyon days with the A's, it was a tossup between Zito, Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson. Now, it's Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Zito, who is 31 and eight years removed from his 23-5, 2002 American League Cy Young Award-winning season. He's 31-43 in the three years since he signed with the Giants.

The way the deal is structured with his salary accelerating at the back end, he's the highest-paid player on the team this season at $18.5 million. He'll make that same figure again in 2011 and '12 before topping off at $20.5 million in '13, the last guaranteed year of the contract.

The Giants have an $18 million option on the '14 season or they can buy out Zito for $7 million.

Lincecum, who has won the Cy Young Award in the National League the past two seasons, avoided arbitration by signing a two-year deal worth $10 million this season and $13 million in 2011.

That's just the way the Major League salary structure works with service time having more value than performance until a player reaches free agency after six seasons. Lincecum is beginning his fourth season, Zito his 11th, and therein lies the difference. Zito signed as a free agent. Lincecum signed with the Giants still controlling him for three more seasons.

The big contract has been a double-edged sword for Zito. On one hand, it's provided lifetime financial security. On the other, it established unrealistic expectations for the left-hander, who stressed that he's not angry or bitter about the way the situation has evolved for him in San Francisco. He figures he has plenty of time remaining to make it right.

"I want to earn my stature back. I don't expect anybody to give it to me," Zito said. "I want to be a top-of-the-rotation guy again. I want to be out there on Opening Day, getting the win. It's important to me."

Zito thinks he bottomed out in 2008 with a 10-17 record, a 5.15 ERA and a 102/120 walk-to-strikeout ratio. Last year, in the No. 2 slot, he bounced back with a 10-13 record, a 4.03 ERA and an 81/154 walk-to-strikeout ratio that was by far his best with the Giants. From July 7 on, his ERA dropped almost a run from a high of 5.01 to his final 4.03. Yet he was only 5-5 during those 16 starts.

Bochy said that Zito simply had more command of the strike zone, and he expects that trend to continue.

"We all hope he throws the ball like he did last year, he threw the ball well," Bochy said. "His numbers weren't indicative of how well he threw. He went through a 10-game stretch when he was pitching as well as anybody. He was locked in. We just need to get him some runs. He needs that consistency from Game 1 until the end."

It's no secret that when Zito has less control of his pitches, they flatten out. If he's high in the zone with his 88-89-mph fastball, hitters just sit on the pitch and whack it. He said pressure early on as a member of the Giants caused him to make numerous mistakes. He's older and more mature now, he said, with his focus where it should be: on baseball.

"I had games last year with the same fastball I threw in my Cy Young year, about the same speed," Zito said. "My stuff is generally pretty much the same. I dropped my arm slot a little in '08 and that got me a little bit of velocity back."

There's no question about his tact now: "It's about being loose and having fun," Zito said. "When I got here, I wanted to make good on my contract. Now, it's just about going out there and having integrity in my work ethic every day. I'm just trying to stay in the moment."

That approach could very well lead him back to the No. 1 slot.

Glaus says he has no shoulder limitations

2010-02-28T23:17:00.003-08:00

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- While the right side of the infield might still feel like foreign territory, first baseman Troy Glaus has spent his first week in Braves camp providing himself even more reason to believe that he's regained the strength that he possessed before having his right shoulder surgically repaired last year.

"I'm back to normal," Glaus said before Sunday afternoon's workout. "I worked out this winter without any limitations. I came into Spring Training with no limitations and I fully expect to continue with no limitations."

Once the Grapefruit League season starts with Tuesday afternoon's game against the Mets in Port St. Lucie -- airing on MLB.TV -- Glaus will have a chance to better acquaint himself with the responsibilities he will have at first base.

But as the exhibition season progresses, the Braves will be more interested in gaining the confidence that he does once again have the power that he possessed before undergoing surgery on his right shoulder last year. The procedure sidelined him until September and limited him to just 29 at-bats with the Cardinals last year.

"There's no doubt that it feels better than it did in September," Glaus said. "I was able to have a full winter of working out and getting in shape. During the last offseason and throughout the last season, all I could do is concentrate on rehabbing the shoulder . I couldn't work out. I couldn't lift weights. So my strength was down."

While facing bench coach Chino Cadahia during batting practice on Sunday afternon, Glaus provided some indication of his regained strength with a few long drives that landed on top of the berm behind the left-field wall.

His session caught the attention of Braves general manager Frank Wren, who constructed his roster with the confidence that Glaus will be healthy enough to serve as a right-handed power threat who will sit in the cleanup spot, between the switch-hitting Chipper Jones and left-handed slugger Brian McCann.

"One thing you can tell about strength and bat speed is the way the ball jumps," Wren said. "Whether it's in BP or live, it doesn't matter. He's got life in the bat."

The Braves provided Glaus a one-year $2 million contract to provide the kind of power that has been present throughout his career. The four-time All-Star has totaled at least 27 homers and 97 RBIs during each of his past seven seasons that he has played at least 120 games.

But they are also interested to see how quickly he makes the transition to the right side of the infield. The 33-year-old veteran has spent the early-morning hours of this past week taking countless grounders. When the games begin, he'll gain a better feel for his footwork, cutoff responsibilities and other intricacies of the first base position.

"You need to get in games," Glaus said. "That's when you really establish a comfort level. It doesn't matter if you can catch grounders at nine o'clock in the morning. You've got to be able to catch them at 2 o'clock in the afternoon."

Baker not worried about contract situation

2010-02-28T23:17:00.001-08:00

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- If the Reds don't finally break through the door for a plus-.500 season this year, it's possible that manager Dusty Baker could be shown another door -- out of Cincinnati

Job insecurity comes with the territory for any manager, but it's especially true this season for skippers like Baker, who is entering the final year of his three-year contract.

"It ain't no thing," Baker told MLB.com on Sunday. "You do your job the best that you can do it. I know we're going to win and everything will take care of itself. There's no sense worrying about what might be. It distracts from what is now."

Since Baker was hired on Oct. 14, 2007, the Reds have gone 152-172 for a .469 winning percentage. At the time of Baker's hiring, Wayne Krivsky was the general manager. Krivsky has since been replaced by Walt Jocketty.

Cincinnati has shown incremental improvement since Baker took over. After a 72-win season in 2007 under Jerry Narron and Pete Mackanin, the club went 74-88 in 2008 for Baker and finished 78-84 in 2009.

One encouraging sign for the Reds was their strong performance down the stretch last season. Over their final 40 games, they finished 27-13.

"A lot of people go to the last year of their contract," Jocketty said. "It shouldn't be perceived one way or the other. The length of the contract is negotiated. There's a reason it's two or three or four years. I think the media gets focused on it and creates the distraction. We all feel confident that everything will be positive this year."

Baker has been a "lame duck" manager several times over his career with the Giants and Cubs. In 10 seasons with San Francisco, -- including three where he was National League Manager of the Year -- he came to the end of his contract multiple times. In 2002, his final season with San Francisco, he led the club to a World Series before moving on to Chicago. That four-year tenure did not end anywhere near as positive.

The Cubs finished last in the NL Central with a 66-96 record in 2006 while Baker endured constant speculation about his future over the final weeks of the season.

"I'm building this thing. I came here to win this thing," Baker said of the Reds. "I will tell you that at the time I was hired, I was offered a four-year contract here. I said I'd take a three-year to see where we're going, if I like it and if you like me."

Many have named Cincinnati as an intriguing sleeper pick to make waves in the NL Central this season. Jocketty has made several moves to address holes, including the signing of free-agent shortstop Orlando Cabrera, the re-signing of outfielder Jonny Gomes for right-handed power and the bold $30.25 million investment in Cuban lefty Aroldis Chapman. Also, third baseman Scott Rolen was acquired in a July 31 trade last year with an eye towards this season.

The Reds remain a mostly young team, however, with core players like Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips in the lineup and Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey and possibly Chapman in the rotation.

This season's schedule doesn't start easy, with the defending division-champion Cardinals in the opening series, and the Cubs, Marlins and Dodgers among other opponents during the first month.

Regardless, Baker doesn't feel any pressure to get off to a fast start this season.

"No. You do the best job that you can do and you do what's best for the players that are trying to mature," Baker said. "You can't rush maturity because it's the last year of your contract. You do what's best for the guys on the field. The way I look at it, I'm last in the scenario."

"To me, it's more how we perform throughout the year," Jocketty said. "I believe in continuity. It's important to keep solid continuity with your staff so the players know what to expect. We finished strong last year. It's a good indication that things are moving forward."

The pressure to win has only increased since Cincinnati has gone nine consecutive seasons without a winning record. The last playoff appearance came in 1995. There have been six different managers in the dugout over the last 10 years. Of the six, Baker has the best winning percentage.

Coincidentally, Baker is one of several high-profile managers in the game entering the final seasons of their contracts. The list includes the Cardinals' Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox of the Braves, Joe Torre of the Dodgers and Lou Piniella with the Cubs. With Baker, they make up five of the six most victorious active managers. Of the five, only Cox has announced his plans to retire. Yankees skipper Joe Girardi is also in the final year of his contract.

Baker has not asked for a contract extension and it has not been broached to this point from the front office.

"I think it's something that Dusty, myself and [president/CEO] Mr. [Bob] Castellini will address at some point," Jocketty said. "[Baker] does have a contract for the year. In the past, I've always waited until the end of the season to deal with the manager. When I was in St. Louis, that's what we did."

Regardless of how the season turns out for the Reds, Baker has no desire to move on. He's gotten comfortable in Cincinnati and has enjoyed the city.

"I didn't come here to leave," Baker said. "I really don't like moving."

Farm system takes hit, but talent remains

2010-02-28T23:15:00.000-08:00

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Superior talent comes at a steep price.

The Phillies have acquired Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Joe Blanton in the past 19 months, which helped them win the 2008 World Series, '09 National League championship and become favorites to return to the World Series in '10.

"We were fortunate to be in a position to do it," Phillies assistant general manager Chuck LaMar said Sunday at the Carpenter Complex. "Secondly, we were able to do it because we weren't completely wiping out the system."

The Phillies traded Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor and Travis d'Arnaud to Toronto in December for Halladay; Jason Knapp, Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson and Jason Donald to Cleveland in July for Lee; and Josh Outman, Adrian Cardenas and Matt Spencer to Oakland for Blanton in July 2008. They tried to restock their system when they shipped Lee to Seattle in December for Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies and J.C. Ramirez, but the upper levels of the Phils' system clearly have taken a hit.

Baseball America, which named the Phillies its organization of the year in 2009, said the club had the fifth-best Minor League talent in baseball before they traded Drabek, Taylor and d'Arnaud for Halladay. The Phils could rank anywhere from 15th to 22nd when its rankings are updated in March.

"It was hard to find an organization that had the same mix of a lot of young, high-upside guys at the lower levels and a decent amount of guys who were going to be impact guys proven at Double-A or above," Baseball America editor John Manuel said. "To me, that's what sets apart a farm system. But after the Halladay trade, there just isn't much left at the upper levels."

Phillies outfielder Domonic Brown ranked 15th in the magazine's top 100 prospects list. Aumont is 93rd.

The rest of the top 100 is scattered with former Phillies. Drabek is 25th, Taylor is 29th, Knapp is 64th and d'Arnaud is 81st.

Marson could be Cleveland's Opening Day catcher, although he could be keeping the position warm until top prospect Carlos Santana is ready. Donald is likely to start the season in Triple-A after missing time last season with injuries. He is competing for a utility job, which might be his future in the Majors. Carrasco struggled with the Indians in September, and appears likely to start the season in Triple-A.

Taylor, whom Toronto traded to Oakland for Brett Wallace, could be with the A's at some point this season, although they aren't in a rush. Outman went 4-1 with a 3.42 ERA 14 games (12 starts) last season before he injured his left elbow and required elbow ligament replacement surgery. Outman hopes to return to the mound midseason. Cardenas might be a September callup.

"They've traded just about everybody who had accomplished anything at the Double-A level," Manuel said. "But they still have a ton of young upside guys."

Aumont, Gillies, Ramirez, outfielder Anthony Gose, right-hander Trevor May, catcher Sebastian Valle and right-hander Jarred Cosart are just a few names that stand out behind Brown.

That talent will take time to mature.

But what about the immediate future?

If the Phillies have a need before the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline, can they make a move?

"It becomes a little bit more difficult to continue to pull from your Minor Leagues," Philadelphia general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "You keep doing that, and you kind of defeat the purpose of what we're trying to do, which is try to extend our ability to contend for more years than just 2010, 2011 and 2012. We want to extend it beyond that. But time and circumstance will dictate what we want to do and what we'll be able to do. We have some depth in certain areas. We have less depth in others, just like every other organization. But we've moved a lot of talent from our system and you want to try to preserve the talent as much as you can."

The Phillies have outfield and right-handed pitching depth, but lack power bats, left-handed pitching depth and catching.

"You're not going to be deep and have prospects in every position," LaMar said. "It just doesn't work that way. The great situation we're in is that it's not a full recovery. We were fortunate enough to be deep enough because of the job the organization has done in scouting and player development to even consider making those trades. Most of the organizations in baseball, no matter how bad they would have wanted to make those trades they just couldn't have. Even some of the contending clubs who have money to spend on free agents in the offseason, they just weren't deep enough to make those trades."

The Phillies were, but now they have to hope that lower level talent develops into big league talent because their current core at the big league level won't stay young forever. And even when they continue to produce, they can be tough to sign when they hit free agency.

"It's hard to tell how long that stuff takes," Amaro said. "Clearly I have a lot of confidence in what [director of scouting Marti Wolever] and his guys do. And they've really done a very special job of drafting high-ceiling athletes. We've got some kids coming that people don't know about that we really like.

"Even though we've moved some prospects, part of the ability to do that is confidence in Marti and what he's done -- and [international supervisor] Sal Agostinelli. I have great confidence in both of those guys and their people. As long as we do what we expect to do in bringing talent into our system I think we're going to be fine."

Lowe set to take ball on Opening Day

2010-02-28T23:14:00.003-08:00

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- As Braves manager Bobby Cox and pitching coach Roger McDowell mapped out their pitching plans for the regular season, they provided further indication that they truly believe Jair Jurrjens is healthy and also gave Derek Lowe a vote of confidence.

Coming off a disappointing conclusion to the 2010 season and just a little more than two months removed from thoughts that he might be traded, Lowe has been informed that he will serve as the Braves Opening Day starter for a second consecutive season.

Lowe will be on the mound on April 5, when the Braves host the Cubs in an Opening Day matinee at Turner Field. Jurrjens and Tommy Hanson will start the other two games against the Cubs that week and Tim Hudson will make his regular-season debut in San Francisco on April 9.

"There's a lot of first-game jitters and excitement," Cox said. "You've got to have the right makeup to handle all of that. [Lowe] can pitch big games."

This will be the fifth time in the past six seasons that Lowe makes an Opening Day start. During the three Opening Day assignments he had with the Dodgers, he went 0-3 with an 8.44 ERA. But the 36-year-old sinkerballer's lone experience with the Braves proved much more memorable.

When Lowe tossed eight scoreless innings and limited the defending world champion Phillies to just two hits during the Braves' Opening Day victory last year, he propelled himself toward a 15-win season that was tainted when he posted a 6.65 ERA in his final nine starts.

This late-season swoon led the Braves to contemplate trading Lowe less than a year after he had signed a four-year, $60 million contract. But when they were unable to find any desirable suitors, they instead opted to create financial flexibility by trading Javier Vazquez.

"It's something that has come and gone," Lowe said when he arrived in camp and was asked if he was still bothered by the fact that the club had attempted to trade him.

With Hanson, Jurrjens and Hudson also arguably in possession of the credentials that could have gained them this Opening Day start, Cox once again took advantage of the opportunity to show Lowe that he still supports and believes in his capabilities.

"He was our winningest pitcher," Cox said, alluding to the fact that Lowe's 15 victories matched Vazquez for the team lead last year.

The decision to start Hudson during the fourth game of the season was based on the makeup of the schedule. With the current arrangement of this rotation, the 34-year-old right-hander would have the opportunity to pitch with at least one day of extra rest before each of his first three regular-season starts.

Hudson made seven starts after returning from Tommy John surgery last year and has provided every indication that he is healthy. But provided the opportunity, the Braves are planning to take advantage of the chance to give him extra rest during the early portion of the regular season.

"We're trying to keep him strong and ready for the stretch run, so that we can run him out there as often as we can and give Hanson and Jurrjens a chance to be the guys that get the extra days in the second half," Cox said.

Since arriving in camp with some discomfort created by inflammation around his right shoulder, Jurrjens has realized steady progress and is slated to begin throwing off a mound again on Monday. This puts him in position to compile the exhibition season innings necessary to be ready for his April 7 start against the Cubs.

But the Braves also seem to be mindful of the fact that the 24-year-old Jurrjens has combined for 403 1/3 innings the past two seasons. Before completing 188 1/3 innings in 2008, he had never worked more than 143 1/3 innings in a professional season.

Hanson, the club's prized 23-year-old right-hander, combined for 194 innings with Triple-A Gwinnett and Atlanta last year. He had never completed more than 138 innings during the traditional portion of any of his previous professional seasons.

Cox acknowledged that there is certainly a chance that Mother Nature or health-related issues could alter the plan to provide Hanson and Jurrjens the opportunity to gain extra days of rest later in the season.

"Nobody is too smart," Cox said. "We just thought if we could go that way, it would be advantageous. Sometimes, your best plans don't work."

Providing Lowe the opportunity to pitch on regular rest as often as possible, the Braves will take advantage of an off-day during the regular season's first week and bring him back to start the April 10 game against the Giants. Serving as the club's fifth starter, Kenshin Kawakami will make his first regular season start during the regular season's sixth game -- the April 11 series finale in San Francisco.

Dodgers make Phoenix fundraiser a hit

2010-02-28T23:14:00.001-08:00

PHOENIX -- When the Ahwatukee Little League holds a fundraising autograph signing, it brings in the big guns.

Fourteen members of the Dodgers' 40-man Major League roster, plus the top prospect in the Minor League system, showed up at a neighborhood recreation center Sunday night for a two-hour session that drew about 500 people.

How could one Little League entice a lineup of ballplayers that included starting position players Russell Martin, Matt Kemp and James Loney and starting pitchers Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw?

Because the club officials that drafted and helped develop them asked them to.

Assistant general managers Logan White and De Jon Watson made the request to benefit their sons' Little League program and the players gave up a couple hours of their night to make it a success.

"We have a special team in Los Angeles," said White, instrumental in drafting and signing the players. "This means a lot to the parents and the kids here."

"It's pretty cool that our guys would do this for the kids," said Watson, who runs the Dodgers' farm system.

Joining Martin, Kemp, Loney, Billingsley and Kershaw at the signing tables were Brent Leach, Blake DeWitt, Trayvon Robinson, Kenley Jansen, Josh Lindblom, Russell Mitchell, James McDonald, Lucas May and Xavier Paul. Also signing was Dee Gordon, the club's top-rated prospect according to Baseball America.

Martin was so swamped by autograph seekers he was given a separate table.

Kershaw remembered one of the first Major League autographs he landed as a kid.

"Will Clark," he said. "That's why I wear 22."

Midway through the signing, former Major Leaguer Junior Spivey arrived. Kemp has long considered Spivey a mentor.

Time to shine for Barton

2010-02-28T23:13:00.000-08:00

PHOENIX -- More than two years have passed since a fresh faced 22-year-old kid jolted the A's community as a late-September callup.

With a bat that produced a .347 average and 1.067 OPS in 18 games, the rookie presented a struggling Oakland team with an offering of hope in the form of a power-hitting first baseman.

That hope has since begun to fade. And those numbers have diminished greatly.

But the kid is still a kid -- in baseball years at least.

And Daric Barton, now 24, is out to prove he's done some major growing up.

He doesn't care that the jury is still out on whether he can produce consistent numbers. He wants to be his own judge.

"I have nothing to tell anyone who doubts me," Barton says. "Really, it's about me and what I can do, but I don't care what other people think. Some people are going to think negative, and some are going to think positive."

The doubters are likely to look to 2008 and point fingers at the .226 average he posted during 140 games in his first full big league season. They'll then recall the time the A's pushed Barton aside and brought back Jason Giambi to fulfill first-base duties in 2009. Surely the organization has lost all faith in him, they would conclude.

Not at all, insists Barton. In fact, "they have never done anything to make me feel like they don't want me here."

"They've given me every opportunity in the world," he says. "I think I took advantage of that opportunity in '07. In '08, I don't think I did. I might have taken it for granted a little bit, and that's something that's behind me. This game isn't easy, and I know that once you get here it's harder to stay here than you think."

Barton realizes he had to learn that the hard way. After a disappointing 2008 season, he was shipped to Triple-A Sacramento at the beginning of the year and didn't make his 2009 debut until June. Again, he struggled. Barton hit .118 in 17 games for the month before batting .188 in another 17 games in July.

Things got worse before they got better, as Barton battled a hamstring injury. But in September, he created flashbacks of that strong 2007 finish and went out batting .310 with 16 RBIs for the month to end the year with a respectable .269 average.

"I think starting off last year at Triple-A was the best thing that ever happened to me," he says. "I learned to be myself again and realized what it took to get to the big leagues in the first place. That was big for me last year. When I came up and got the time in at the end of the season, I think it showed that I was back to my normal self."

Whether he has maintained such presence has yet to be seen in a game situation, and Barton understands the A's won't wait forever for him to develop. After all, they have the power-heavy prospect Chris Carter right behind him in queue.

Barton won't let any of that shake him, though. A year ago it may have, but a mental makeover has done wonders for this Southern California kid.

"This year I'm going out there like I'm trying to make the team," he says. "It's different than before because I kind of took things as they were and saw things as whatever happens, happens. This year I'm trying to make it hard for them to make a decision.

"I don't feel any pressure at all. I'm not worried about anybody else but myself. I never thought making the team was going to be easy, but I just don't think I took it as serious as I should have, and it showed."

The only thing Barton wants to show off now are the extensive efforts he's made to become a constant in Oakland's lineup for years to come. That process began when he cut his offseason short -- not before a five-day trip to Costa Rica -- and made the move to Arizona in the second week of January "to get ready and get in baseball shape."

He says his central focus this spring is offense. After all, it's what the A's liked most about him when he arrived in 2004 as part of the Mark Mulder deal with St. Louis.

"I'm absolutely working harder on offense than defense this spring," he says. "I'm not trying to dissect it too much. I'm just trying to go back to the simplest form of hitting that I used to do. That means not thinking and looking for a pitch up in the zone to attack right away, and hopefully the results will come."

Barton firmly believes he can bring to the plate what he displayed in those three short weeks as a rookie. He's also acutely aware of his defensive abilities, which have transformed from what he deems "terrible" to "tremendously better" over the last couple years.

"When I first came over here, it was pretty bad," Barton admits. "I think it affected my offense. That's another thing I've had to learn -- balancing out what you're working on and honing all your skills. Now I've learned to work on both the same amount."

Through it all, the A's organization has kept his youth and track record -- including a .293 career Minor League batting average -- in mind. They've been patient and forgiving, along with trusting of Barton's ability.

He'll be the youngest of Oakland's expected starting position players on the field come Opening Day, but he could arguably be the most experienced in growing pains and lessons learned.

"I think my mind's going to be a lot more clear," he says. "I'm not worried about what anyone else thinks. I'm just focusing on what I can do, and I know I can do it well."

Braves set their Grapefruit League rotation

2010-02-28T23:12:00.002-08:00

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Jair Jurrjens will begin throwing off a mound again on Monday and if he continues to make steady progress, the Braves will fit him into their Grapefruit League season rotation to prepare for his April 7 regular-season debut against the Cubs.

Along with announcing that Derek Lowe will serve as his Opening Day starter for the second straight season, Braves manager Bobby Cox also took time on Sunday afternoon to announce his Grapefruit League pitching plans.

Tommy Hanson will start the Grapefruit League season opener against the Mets on Tuesday at Port St. Lucie and Tim Hudson will get the start on Wednesday, when the Braves host the Mets to open the home portion of their exhibition season schedule. Both games will air on MLB.TV.

Kenshin Kawakami will make his first start on Thursday, when the Braves host the Pirates at Wide World of Sports complex, also on MLB.TV.

As he moves toward what will be his second consecutive Opening Day assignment for the Braves, Lowe will make his Grapefruit League season debut on Friday on MLB.TV against the Nationals. Closer Billy Wagner and setup man Takashi Saito are also scheduled to pitch in this home contest.

Peter Moylan and left-hander Eric O'Flaherty, the club's top two middle relievers, are scheduled to pitch during Wednesday's game against the Mets.

Jurrjens, who has been making steady progress and feeling less discomfort in his right shoulder that was inflamed earlier this month, will need to complete at least three side sessions before being placed in the Grapefruit League rotation. Because Jurrjens is currently unavailable, the Braves will have Kris Medlen start Saturday's game on MLB.TV against the Astros in Kissimmee.

Gardenhire sets spring pitching rotation

2010-02-28T23:12:00.001-08:00

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Nick Blackburn will get the start in the Twins' Grapefruit League opener against the Red Sox this Thursday, manager Ron Gardenhire revealed on Sunday when he announced the starters for the club's first four exhibition games.

Gardenhire has already announced that Scott Baker will be the club's Opening Day starter with Carl Pavano likely to pitch the second game of the regular season followed by Blackburn and Slowey. So the early spring schedule is just to help line up pitchers for those slots and also to make sure everyone gets innings.

Here is how the starting pitching will stack up for the club's first three games, which are all against the Red Sox. Blackburn will get the start on Thursday night at City of Palms Park with Slowey backing him up. On Friday, Pavano will start in the Twins home opener at Hammond Stadium. Francisco Liriano will then get the start in Saturday's contest across town in Fort Myers.

Baker and Brian Duensing are each slated to start a contest on Sunday, March 7 as the Twins will take part in a split squad that day. They'll host the Yankees at Hammond Stadium for one contest while another group travels to Bradenton for a game against the Pirates.

Glen Perkins, who will compete with Liriano and Duensing for the fifth spot in the rotation, is expected to back up one of the starters during the first couple games, although the exact date has not yet been determined.

Players return to camp following illness

2010-02-28T23:10:00.003-08:00

JUPITER, Fla. -- Four Cardinals players and a coach who had been struck by an internal illness returned to camp on Sunday. The ailment has swept through the Cards' clubhouse, with one player estimating that 18 players have come down with it since camp began. Kyle Lohse, Skip Schumaker, Blake Hawksworth, Robert Stock and first-base coach Dave McKay all missed Saturday's workout but returned to action on Sunday.

The good news is that in nearly every case, it has been a one-day matter. The bad news is that that one day can be extremely unpleasant.

"I feel a lot better right now than I did yesterday at this time," Lohse said on Sunday afternoon.

Hawksworth had been scheduled to throw live batting practice on Saturday but missed that session. Instead, he threw a bullpen session on Sunday, which will allow him to get back on schedule with a live-BP throw on Tuesday.

Lohse, meanwhile, remains slated to face hitters on Monday.

"I'm feeling pretty tired right now, but other than that, tomorrow I should be fine," Lohse said. "As long as I get some food in me. I've got a throw tomorrow and I should be all right for that. I've got to pace it a little bit I guess, probably."

Rehabbing Roberts takes live BP

2010-02-28T23:10:00.001-08:00

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Brian Roberts took swings during Orioles live batting practice on Sunday for the first time since being diagnosed with a small herniated disc in his lower back.

Baltimore's leadoff hitter, Roberts progressively swung with more authority as he rotated through the team's five stations, taking some good hacks in particular off infield coach Juan Samuel.

"I always do BP fairly easy," Roberts said. "I've tried to increase the intensity a little bit as I went, kind of every round. But most importantly, [you] just try to get your body moving in that direction at a little higher rate than off the tee or flips or whatever."

In addition to bunting, Roberts took cuts from both sides of the plate, and he was encouraged with the results from Sunday's workout.

"Any time you are coming off of any type of injury, that psychological part is as much as the physical part," he said.

"It got better. The physical confidence as well as the psychological part ... the more you [take swings], the more confidence you get and the more effort you are able to put in."

The 32-year-old Roberts began experiencing nagging back spasms during his offseason workouts at the Athletes' Performance Institute in Arizona, and was originally misdiagnosed with kidney stones before doctors found the herniated disc a week later.

Roberts said on Tuesday that he had hoped to be able to swing a bat against live pitching within the next week. Prior to Sunday's workout, the Orioles second baseman had been a regular fixture at fielding practice and in the cages, and was only limited in swinging the bat during BP.

"That's the last phase, start hitting live," manager Dave Trembley said of Roberts' program. "So, it was good to get that started."

With the Orioles set to play an intrasquad game on Monday and open Grapefruit League play against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, the timetable for Roberts' spring debut is still undecided.

"I don't know [when Roberts will get in games]," Trembley said. "I will wait until I see what [head athletic trainer Richard Bancells] tells me, what [Roberts] tells me. I can't put a timeframe on it."

For now, Roberts said the plan is to slowly increase his workload and intensity, and try to limit the stopping and starting action that often results from waiting around in between turns at the plate.

"I don't think I'm going to start hacking off pitchers throwing 95 [mph] yet," Roberts said. "But we will increase with the batting practice and the intensity and maybe a few more swings, as well."

One of Baltimore's most consistent players, Roberts hit .283 with 16 homers and 56 doubles last year, breaking Lance Berkman's record for the most doubles by a switch-hitter in a season.

Tribe catchers find Alomar a vast asset

2010-02-28T23:09:00.001-08:00

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The name in the catching slot on the Double-A Binghamton Mets' lineup card before a game in 2007 was a familiar one to Tribe catching prospect Wyatt Toregas.

Toregas, a member of the Akron Aeros at the time, had grown up hearing the name from his mother, Laura. She worked for an insurance company based in St. Paul, Minn., and on business trips she'd go to Twins games at the Metrodome.

The Indians always seemed to be the visiting club, and Laura always came home gushing about one player in particular.

"Every game she went to, he hit a home run or had three hits," Toregas said. "I was a young catcher in middle school, and she would tell me, 'I saw Sandy Alomar Jr.'"

So when Toregas saw that name on the Binghamton roster, he was shocked. He didn't realize the Mets were shuffling the veteran Alomar around their system near the end of his career.

"I looked at the lineup card, and I see 'Alomar Jr.,'" Toregas said. "I thought, 'The same guy?' I get out on the field, and it's him. I got pumped up to play that game."

Now, Toregas and the other young catchers on the Indians' roster -- Lou Marson and Carlos Santana -- are pumped to be on the same field as Alomar, under much different circumstances. He's not an opponent; he's on their side, brought aboard to be the Tribe's first-base coach and catching coordinator. And he has the knowledge that comes with 17 years of Major League experience, including 11 memorable years with the Tribe, to pass along to them.

"He's seen everything 100 times," Toregas said. "I can't wait for these days coming up. I feel like I'm going to learn a whole lot. You get to a point where you've learned a lot and things start to come slower to you, whereas early in your career you're taking in a lot of things fast. But I feel like I'm starting over again. I can tell he sees things I don't see, and he knows how it's going to work out before it happens."

That's why the Indians felt it so important to bring Alomar in as a member of new manager Manny Acta's staff. They knew of his playing credentials, of course, but they also heard laudatory things about Alomar from the last two years he spent as a catching instructor with the Mets.

While with the Mets, Alomar developed a program for catchers that he's begun to pass along to the Tribe's backstops.

"You want the players to be aware of every situation in the game," Alomar said. "And that's how I started my program. It's not just the same thing over and over, because that becomes boring. You have to throw different situations in the game at them so that they're mentally aware."

The program here in camp begins with a series of morning drills in which Alomar has his catchers work on their footwork, their backhand and forehand scoops, and their blocking of wayward pitches. The number of repetitions is high, and the speed is advanced.

"It loosens your hips up," said Marson, who is expected to be the Tribe's regular behind the plate at the outset of the season. "That's something he wants us to do before the game, too, so that we're loose before the first inning. Sometimes you go into a game and your hips are still kind of tight and you have to block that first ball. He's stressing that you can lose a game in the first inning, so you want to be ready in the first inning."

The conditioning element of the drills should also help the catchers be more physically prepared to handle the grind of the season and the sheer length of games.

"The first couple days [of Alomar's program] tire you out," Toregas said. "But once we catch up with it, we're going to be a lot quicker and a lot more explosive. Sandy's a smart man. He knows how to train. And he's the coolest guy I ever met."

Alomar is one of the most popular players from the Tribe's glory days of the 1990s. In 985 games with the Indians, he batted .277 with 92 homers, 453 RBIs and 416 runs. He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1990 and a six-time All-Star.

But for all his successes, Alomar, like many of us, wishes he would have known then what he knows now.

"If I would have known what development and evaluation is about," he said, "I would have evaluated myself much better and known what to do. The goal -- and it should be everybody's goal as a coach -- is to teach the player that eventually the player can manage himself or coach himself on the field."

Alomar said Joel Skinner, Junior Ortiz and Tony Pena were all tremendous teachers for him early in his career. Now, he hopes to have a similar positive influence on Marson, Toregas and Santana, the Tribe's top prospect who figures to be the club's catcher of the not-too-distant future.

But even grizzled veteran Mike Redmond, who will be the Tribe's backup backstop this season, sees the benefits of having Alomar around.

"Some teams don't have anybody who can help the catchers," said Redmond, who played the previous five seasons in Minnesota. "We didn't have a catching coordinator with the Twins. It's nice to have a guy who has been in the battles and understands the grind of catching and handling a staff."

Alomar also understands elements of the catcher's job that he believes go too often overlooked.

"The simplest, No. 1 thing in catching that a lot of people don't even cover is covering signs," he said. "The majority of stolen bases are when people steal your sign from first base. Breaking ball? They're gone. People don't work on that, but we will."

The work began last week and will continue throughout camp and into the season. Catchers usually don't have a set pregame conditioning routine before regular season games, but Alomar's catchers will.

And Alomar already has their ears.

"I asked him the other day how many years he played," Marson said. "He said '17,' and I thought, 'Wow.' I have a lot of respect for guys who can play that long and be consistent for that long. You can listen to and learn from a guy like that. He's been through it all."

Pitchers' fielding practice is a rite of spring

2010-02-28T23:08:00.003-08:00

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The drill begins with a bell, a horn or the voice of a pitching coach.

And it's usually met with a few sighs, shoulder shrugs and occasionally, a clap.

It doesn't matter if you want to do it. And it doesn't matter if you are New York's Andy Pettitte, Boston's John Lackey, reigning Cy Young Award winners Tim Lincecum and Zack Greinke or an unknown Minor League pitcher -- you will practice fielding your position during Spring Training. You will move station to station to improve your defense, and it will be the first thing you do every single day for the next six weeks.

Every. Single. Day.

It's called pitchers' fielding practice, also known as PFP, and it could be the most dreaded part of Spring Training. But it's also among the most important. PFP gets pitchers in tip-top shape and can mean the difference between a run or a game in the regular season.

"During the course of the year, most of the pitchers that succeed and win games will have a PFP play a couple of times a game," Padres pitching coach Darren Balsey said. "The guys that get the job done and execute may end up winning the club the game. There are a lot of times that a pitcher throws the ball away or doesn't field a bunt correctly and a run scores. That can't happen. That's why we work so hard on it during Spring Training."

Each club has its own version of PFP and time spent on the exercise varies from 15 minutes to an hour each day. PFP usually starts immediately after the morning stretch and includes these practices: covering first base and third base, pitchouts, pickoffs and rundowns, bunt plays, backing up relay throws, slow-rollers, comebackers, double plays, and balls hit in-between fielders.

"As a pitcher, if you have the opportunity to get that out, you have to help yourself," Padres pitcher Jon Garland said. "If that ball is right there in front of you, that's a lot better than being in the outfield so you better make that play. It does get boring and these first few weeks of Spring Training, it's all you are doing, but you have to take it seriously."

In the National League, pitchers hit, bunt, slide and review the signs during Spring Training PFP. Most teams revisit pitcher's fielding practice two or three times during the regular season.

"There is a proper way to cover first base and there are proper angles to fielding, fielding a bunt or hitting the bag," Padres manager Bud Black said. "I don't want our guys just going through the motions. We work on this stuff in Spring Training and during the course of a season, if a pitcher does not make the right play, we get really ticked off."

Some believe Greg Maddux is the best fielding pitcher of all-time. He has 18 Gold Glove Awards to back the claim. Retired pitchers Kenny Rogers and Mike Mussina, along with White Sox ace Mark Buehrle and St. Louis star Adam Wainwright, who each won a Gold Glove in 2009, are often the first mentioned as strong defensive pitchers.

But is a good fielding pitcher born or is he made? Athleticism plays a role in defensive success, but just how big of a role?

"To me, it's all about how good of an athlete you are," Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson said. "I was an outfielder and I think a lot of guys that used to play a position just do it naturally. Personally, I'd rather spend the time going over strategies and pitching techniques than do PFP. It's just boring."

Instinct plays a role on defense for pitchers. Can instinct be taught?

"I think a lot of what happens comes naturally," Buehrle said. "You don't have a lot of time to think and that ball is coming at you pretty fast sometimes. You make the play without thinking."

Buehrle has an advantage on the mound. He spent his childhood playing roller hockey with his buddies and was usually the team's goaltender. The sport taught him how to move laterally and he sometimes uses the hockey techniques to stop baseballs.

He's not above a kick-save or throwing his hip into a ball if it means a chance at saving a run or getting an out.

"I've taken some pretty good hits off my body, but so far, I've been fine," he said. "I know there is going to come a time when I get nailed and I'm going to ask myself, 'Why the heck did I just do that?' but you just do what you have to do. It's all instinct."

During the World Series last year, Mariners pitcher Cliff Lee, then with Philadelphia, made a few defensive plays, including a behind-the-back catch -- on instinct. The plays cemented his status as a solid fielding pitcher.

"Some of those plays, I was just trying to get a glove on it and it's not anything you work on," he said. "It's just something that happens. I think my athletic ability had something to do with that, but it's also about being ready. Once you let that ball go, you are a fielder."

Pitching coaches acknowledge that instinct and athleticism play roles in PFP, but also say repetition can improve a pitcher's skill and remind him of proper technique. It makes sense. It's not like pitchers are taking ground balls or covering first base in drills during the offseason.

Pitchers, like most players, run or lift weights during the winter months. It's not uncommon for a big league pitcher to start throwing in January, but offseason PFP is unheard of.

"You hear all the time that you want the pitchers to be involved in as few plays as possible and the pitching coaches want the exact opposite," Reds pitching coach Bryan Price said. "We want our guys to be able to handle the ball and make plays. The only way to feel confident in these guys is to give them the repetition and make sure they are confident on the infield."

One of the only ways to keep the pitchers from losing interest during the monotonous drill is using games to keep PFP fun. The Rangers pitchers play Wiffle ball. The Padres have a contest to see which pitcher can make the most PFP plays without making an error.

In one of the most notable moves by a manager in the history of PFP, Detroit's Jim Leyland agreed to take on Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander in a pitcher's fielding practice showdown this spring. After Leyland hit ground balls by Verlander in the first two days of workouts, Verlander declared that he would not let his manager get another ground ball past him for the rest of camp.

The result has been an entertaining -- and beneficial -- competition for all of the pitchers in camp.

It was Detroit that brought PFP back into the spotlight after the 2006 World Series against St. Louis when Tigers pitchers made five errors, four of them on throws to first or third base. Verlander had two miscues as the Tigers lost the Series to the Cardinals in five games that year.

"Everybody saw what happened in the World Series a few years back with Detroit, but that just happened to be on the big stage," Garland said. "That can happen every day or ever year in a game. You make an error and it can make the difference in a game."

D-backs announce spring rotation schedule

2010-02-28T23:08:00.001-08:00

TUCSON, Ariz. -- D-backs manager A.J. Hinch announced his rotation for the first few games of the Cactus League schedule, which begins on Thursday against the Rockies.

Billy Buckner, who is the frontrunner to nab the No. 5 spot in the rotation, will start Thursday's home game against Colorado.

On Friday, the D-backs travel to Mesa, Ariz., to take on the Cubs and will send ace Dan Haren to the mound. Haren was named by Hinch as the team's Opening Day starter just prior to the start of camp.

Edwin Jackson will start on Saturday against the Giants at Scottsdale Stadium. The right-hander is slated to start the second game of the regular season.

On Sunday, the D-backs play split-squad games against the Rockies, and Kevin Mulvey and Ian Kennedy will get the starting nods.

Mulvey is in competition for the fifth spot in the rotation, while Kennedy, who came over from the Yankees in a three-team deal last December, is the heavy favorite to win the No. 4 starter role.

The D-backs hope to work Brandon Webb into the rotation sometime around mid-March, which would allow him enough time to start the third game of the regular season.

Hinch said he will not try and have his pitchers not face National League West opponents during the spring, though, he might take another look at that during the last week of spring when the D-backs face the Rockies and Padres.

Chacin tries to beat odds, make roster

2010-02-28T23:07:00.001-08:00

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Folks wanted to get to know Rockies right-handed pitcher Jhoulys Chacin last year during Spring Training.

They wanted to see the pitches that led to startling Minor League numbers the previous year. They wanted to see how he'd do against Major League hitters. They wanted to learn to pronounce his name. Of course, as is the case with prospects, all this information was to store away for later, since he stood no chance to make the Opening Day roster.

In 2010, there are other new guys in camp. And although "yo-LEES cha-SEEN" rolls out almost musically, he isn't hearing his name called much by curious outsiders early in camp.

But Chacin, 22, who made it to the Majors for nine games last season, hopes those who count will call his name when it really matters.

"It's not like last year -- I just showed what I could do," Chacin said. "This year, I'm going to fight for one spot in the rotation, or as a reliever, whatever. I want to be on the roster the first day of the season.

"I have to start in Triple-A, I'm going to try to do the same. I'll try to pitch well and wait for my moment one day. I want to be on the roster the first day."

Making the team this spring is a lofty goal. It's also unlikely, given that the Rockies have five solid starters, a couple of reinforcements with Major League experience and a seasoned bullpen. The staff is structured so Chacin and other starting pitching prospects -- such as Samuel Deduno, Esmil Rogers and Christian Friedrich -- can complete their development.

"If there was a need for one of those, it would probably be in the bullpen. But in our perfect script, it would be for them to remain a starter, to get their continued progress as a starter, continue to develop," Rockies pitching coach Bob Apodaca said. "Those guys will all get a number of opportunities here in Spring Training to pitch, especially early, and to see the progress from last year to this year."

Last year, Chacin was 8-6 with a 3.14 ERA at Double-A Tulsa when the Rockies called him up on July 24 and threw him into important innings for a team fighting for a playoff berth. He began his career with three scoreless relief appearances. Then he yielded a solo shot to the Cubs' Kosuke Fukudome, but nothing else in two innings of the Rockies' 6-5 loss on Aug. 8.

"I saw some very good Major League hitters take some awful feeble hacks at his secondary pitches," Rockies manager Jim Tracy said.

The strong work led Tracy to choose Chacin, over veteran Josh Fogg, to make a spot start start against the Pirates on Aug. 11. But Chacin was gone after giving up four runs -- with six walks and just one hit -- in 2 2/3 innings of a 7-3 loss.

"I took for granted after everything I had heard after an 18-3 season [at two Class A levels] the year before about the fastball command, but he was not commanding his fastball last year," Tracy said.

Chacin would be sent back to Triple-A Colorado Springs until September. He would finish 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA in nine appearances, but the rough start motivated him to pitch in winter ball in his native Venezuela (1-2, 4.45 ERA in eight starts for Caracas).

"I'm looking for another opportunity, so I can start and pitch good," he said. "That's why I pitched in Venezuela. I tried to do a lot with my control.

"Last year, I didn't know too many things. I think this year is going to be better than last year."

Pressure is on, but Gomez doesn't feel it

2010-02-28T23:06:00.004-08:00

PHOENIX -- Some Brewers fans are still sore about the trade that sent popular shortstop J.J. Hardy to the Twins for a center fielder long on potential but short on production. This is nothing new for Carlos Gomez.

Two years ago, Gomez was part of the Twins-Mets blockbuster that sent Minnesota ace Johan Santana to New York. From the Twins' perspective, Gomez, then just 22, might have been the centerpiece of the deal, a five-tool talent expected to replace the departed Torii Hunter.

Two middling seasons later, Gomez was on the move again.

"The last three years have been kind of difficult because I've been trying to prove that I can play in the big leagues," said Gomez, including his 2007 debut with the Mets. "Now, this is going to be my first year here and they're giving me the opportunity. I'm supposed to be the starting center fielder."

While rookie Alcides Escobar takes over at shortstop for Hardy, Gomez is once again replacing a free-agent departure in center field. Mike Cameron took a two-year deal from the Red Sox, and in the end the Brewers saved more than $10 million between shortstop and center field to put toward pitching. Gomez, who was arbitration-eligible as a Super-2 player, and Escobar will combine to earn about $1.5 million this season; Cameron and Hardy will combine for about $13 million.

Now comes the pressure for the Brewers' youngsters to produce.

"I never feel any pressure," Gomez said. "It's not like, 'Oh, I was traded for Johan and I have to do something to make up for it.' I just enjoy playing baseball, and when you do that, you don't worry about things off the field."

On the field, Gomez's raw talent prompts jaws to drop one moment and heads to shake the next. During last year's American League Championship Series, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said of Gomez, "He irritates people. Sometimes me."

But the Brewers are poised to give him a shot. If Gomez falters, the team has veteran Jim Edmonds in camp as a non-roster invitee vying for a job and is relatively rich in center-field prospects. Among the youngsters are Lorenzo Cain and Logan Schafer, both of whom were to be in camp before Schafer injured his groin last week.

"I think you have to give [Gomez] a chance with the direction we're going," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said. "He should get most of the playing time. ...

"He's got tools that we all wish we had. I'm a big believer in speed, and that the offensive side of speed players develops a bit later. An example of that is [Mariners outfielder] Franklin Gutierrez. Everybody is raving about Franklin Gutierrez, and he's a guy we tried to get in the [Richie] Sexson deal [in December 2003]. He's a guy who didn't come into his own until he was 26 years old."

The Brewers' statistical gurus have one metric that ranks Gomez as baseball's second-best defensive center fielder behind Gutierrez. But like the speedy Mariner, Gomez's bat has been slow to develop. After being rushed to the Majors in 2007, Gomez started 143 games in center field for the Twins in 2008 and hit .258 with 59 RBIs, 79 runs scored and 33 steals, enough to enter 2009 as the Twins' incumbent. But he lost the starting job after hitting .195 through the 2009 season's first month and spent the year in a timeshare with Denard Span.

"The key is play every day," Gomez said. "I did that in 2008, and I think I did my job, but then last season I didn't get to play as much and I didn't do my job. Now I have experience, and I'm coming back to the National League. They play my kind of game."

Brewers manager Ken Macha is thinking of hitting Gomez either in the seven-hole or in the nine-hole as a sort of second leadoff hitter. The key to making the latter arrangement work is getting on base, and Macha has some ideas on that front.

On a rainy Sunday morning at Maryvale Baseball Park, Macha pulled out a sheet of statistics that showed hitters' swing rates last season in a variety of counts. Gomez took fewer swings on 2-0 -- 34 percent -- than on any other count. He swung most often -- 73 percent of the time -- on 2-1. Macha found that exceedingly interesting.

"That's nothing negative on him," Macha said. "He's ingrained to play the team game -- take a pitch, get on base and steal."

But 2-0 is a terrific hitter's count, and Macha would like to see Gomez be intelligently aggressive on those pitches in the coming season.

"I'm going to tell him what I tell everybody: I've never told a hitter to go up there to take a pitch," Macha said. "Have an idea of what's coming, and then punish the ball when it's in the strike zone."

Defensively, the Brewers know Gomez will be top-notch. He has crossed career paths with some of the game's best as teammates of Cameron and Carlos Beltran with the Mets and a long-distance admirer of Hunter after Hunter went to the Angels. Gomez asked for Hunter's telephone number and called the veteran seeking advice after the trade.

The advice from all of them, Gomez said, was similar: "Slow down."

"I want to learn something different every day," he said.

He has not been playing center field particularly long. Gomez grew up a shortstop in the Dominican Republic and was signed by the Mets in 2002 as a shortstop and corner outfielder. He didn't start playing center field until 2007 at Triple-A New Orleans. He didn't play the position in the big leagues until 2008 with the Twins.

If he had his pick of the outfield spots, it would be center "because you have the responsibility to move the other guys and you are the man." But he's still a shortstop at heart.

"When the season starts, you'll see me in Milwaukee every day talking ground balls at shortstop," he said. "That is my passion. Some day, I am going to play one game in the big leagues at shortstop."

Tuning up: Wells to start spring opener

2010-02-28T23:06:00.003-08:00

MESA, Ariz. -- Randy Wells' baseball career is just taking off, and someday the 27-year-old Cubs pitcher may write a song about the experience.

Wells, who will start the Cubs' Cactus League opener Thursday against Oakland, spends his free time writing songs and playing acoustic guitar. Well, he's trying to write.

"It's really hard to put music to words," the young pitcher said.

He's self-taught as far as the guitar goes, playing seriously for about a year. He's had a guitar for three, four years.

"But I never really made myself sit down and try to learn how," he said.

You probably won't hear his favorite artists on country music radio stations. Wells' play list includes Stoney LaRue, Cross Canadian Ragweed, the Randy Rogers Band, Wade Bowen and the Robert Earl Keen band. Their style of music is hard to describe -- it's a combination of country, rock and blues with honest lyrics and a swagger. Somehow, Wells connected.

"Those guys, it's just different," he said of the genre. "Everybody tries to put a label on them -- is it Texas country? Is it Red Dirt country? To me, it's good music, good people, good friends. I have fun with those guys and they like coming up [to see games]."

Check out the YouTube video of LaRue singing "I've Got That Old Feeling," and you'll get a sample. It can be a combination of country, rock and the blues, but the one unifying element is that the lyrics are honest.

I've got that old feeling
you're leaving.
I'm so tired of goodbyes
I can't wait on your love forever.
Will you change your mind?

Wells scribbles down lyrics when they hit him.

"You try to think of something that would make a good song," he said. "I took a vacation in January up to Steamboat for a country music festival. I tried writing a song about the whole experience and the mountains and good times and good friends and stuff like that.

"Then you try to think of a hook and try to think of a good chorus and something that'll grab people. Sometimes the chorus is the easiest thing to get, and then you have to think of words to fill in and write a song.

"It's tough. When you don't have any music to go along with it, it's really tough. Usually I just put words down or just write an idea. I've never written a full song. I'll write a bunch of choruses and send them to those guys and let them pick and choose. They haven't chosen one yet."

He's watched LaRue and his band brainstorm, saying the sessions are not "PG." Some adult beverages are usually consumed at the sessions.

"They sit on the back of the bus and jam out and play guitar and different chords and riffs and make stuff up and laugh, and then something pops and it's like, wow, that's good," Wells said.

He said inspiration can come from different sources other than liquid refreshments.

"[LaRue and Cody Canada] were just messing around and drinking wine and playing old Merle Haggard songs and started freestyling," Wells said. "All of a sudden, one of the words that jumped out hit Cody and they started writing it down just like that. All of a sudden, they wrote a song. It's pretty cool.

"Those guys are creative. We can play baseball, but that's their thing. It's really hard for somebody like me to venture into it. I don't do it as a serious thing at all. A lot of time, you're sitting in a hotel room and you're bored."

There is a lot of downtime for ballplayers on the road. Wells brings his guitar and works on his chords.

"It keeps you out of trouble and from spending money and doing dumb stuff," he said.

Pitcher Rich Harden, who was with the Cubs the last 1 1/2 seasons and is now with Texas, showed Wells his creative side with the guitar.

"He was really good at taking chords and scales and making up his own stuff," Wells said. "I enjoy that more than playing other people's songs.

"The hardest thing is remembering a chord. [The musicians] are so good. They can sit here and talk and say, 'Oh, that's a good song. It's G, C, D, E, E-minor and F-scale,' and they'll play it."

Wells may be able to grip a baseball but he's having a tough time making the transition from one chord to another.

"I'm just starting out," he said. "I enjoy writing down thoughts and memories. We get to do so much cool stuff. It's nice to write down and remember it. It's like taking pictures."

Last year, Wells convinced LaRue to sing the national anthem before a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. He often wears T-shirts from the band's concerts to help promote them.

"They're not really mainstream yet, and I don't know if they're going to be," Wells said. "They enjoy what they do in Texas and Oklahoma and they have a big following. They're superstars down there. Everybody wants to write the song that defines them, but those guys have fun and I can respect that more than doing it as a business."

This spring, Wells' focus is on baseball. Last season, he was called up from Triple-A Iowa in May and never looked back, finishing 12-10 with a 3.05 ERA in 27 starts. They were the most wins by a Cubs rookie since Kerry Wood won 13 in 1998.

"This last year of my life has been pretty special and pretty [amazing]," said Wells, somewhat awestruck that he can call the musicians his friends. "It's just cool to relate to those guys."

In November, Wells hosted a fundraiser in his hometown of Belleville, Ill., to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and he's hoping to do something this year in Chicago as well. He's trying to line up one of the bands to perform.

Maybe by then, he'll have a song done.

"I love music, I'm always listening to music," he said. "I love going on the road with my friends and watching them play and getting in touch with their lives and how they go about their business.

"It's kind of like being in baseball. You're away from home a lot. You've got a lot of time alone. Their creative juices flow. For us, we're most comfortable here on the field."

He's getting ready for the big stage.

Smoltz has no interest in running for office

2010-02-28T23:06:00.001-08:00

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Count John Smoltz among those who were surprised about the details of a report that indicated the Republican Party may approach him to campaign to become a U.S. congressman.

Atlanta-Journal Constitution political insider Jim Galloway reported on Saturday that Republicans are thinking about approaching Smoltz to run for the congressional seat that will be vacated when U.S. Rep. John Linder retires at the end of his current term.

"This is not in my plans," Smoltz replied via a text message on Sunday morning.

When asked about this report that was based on information Galloway received from a source in Washington, D.C., Smoltz immediately indicated he felt there was a mixup, and then playfully said that he was sure a number of his friends were having some fun with this information.

While spending 21 of his 22 Major League seasons with the Braves, Smoltz established himself as a highly respected figure who, according to the AJC, has assisted with campaigns staged by U.S. Rep. Tom Price and U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss.

Smoltz, who pitched for the Red Sox and Cardinals last season, is still keeping the door open to pitch again. The 42-year-old right-hander is currently working out in Atlanta, with the intent to be ready to pitch if a Major League club were to present a desired opportunity within the next month or possibly during the final months of the season.

"I'm actually excited about this opportunity," Smoltz said two weeks ago. "I'm going to take it at my own pace. I've been part of several things that look good in the beginning and don't turn out the way you envisioned."

Setup job remains for the taking

2010-02-28T23:05:00.001-08:00

PORT ST. LUCIE -- Prevention and recovery, the newest logo message for the Mets, hasn't been a smashing success just yet. Prevention has worked well. With more caution applied, no new maladies have developed in a camp of 66 players. But recovery has been a tad behind only because two players critical to the team's success arrived with preexisting issues.

The inactivity of Carlos Beltran was anticipated. His right knee surgery, for all the fuss it caused, came so late -- Jan. 13 -- that little chance existed that the center fielder would return to playing before May. And even if "mid-May" now seems to be the estimated time of return, the Mets have been able to implement contingencies.

The likely absence of Kelvim Escobar because of right shoulder weakness is a different set of dominoes. Angel Pagan distinguished himself to some degree last summer when he served as Beltran's understudy. The Mets had planned for Escobar to be the primary or regular eighth-inning guy, the bridge to Francisco Rodriguez, and now that he is likely to begin the season on the DL, the club has no obvious choice to fill that role, no second domino.

One day after manager Jerry Manuel spoke of Escobar's time-line recovery, he was reluctant or unable to identify the likely replacement for the veteran pitcher, who before he arrived in camp, was a long shot to be in the Opening Day mix. Manuel spoke of three pitchers as possibilities. No surprises here: Bobby Parnell, Ryoto Igarashi and Sean Green. No probable, either.

Meanwhile, changing relievers twice in the eighth inning has zero appeal to the manager who wore out his soles in the second half of 2008 and parts of last season, as well. The need for a crossover reliever has existed for that long. The Mets had a diminished need for one last year because they had fewer leads to protect. And on two occasions, they used Billy Wagner in an audition for a trade to fill the need.

And now what? Parnell prompted mixed, though mostly positive, reviews in his 66 relief appearances. The reviews of his eight starts were neither mixed nor all that positive. Green had good and bad days, more of the latter, early in the season, and fell into disuse until his arm angle and the Mets' season dropped down. And Igarishi, his split-finger fastball and new slider have yet to oppose a big league hitter.

Two days after Manuel said Fernando Nieve was suited to pitch in long or short relief, he backed away from that thought but said "[Nieve] is flexible enough to be a late-inning guy." So go figure.

"That's why the Mets are out and around looking for a reliever," a scout from a different club said Saturday. "From what I've heard, they want a lefty so Jerry can mix and match with what he has, or they want someone who can handle the eighth no matter who he has to face. It's a little late now to get the quality they want."

The Mets have been chasing left-handed free agent Joe Beimel for two months. He would serve as a second left-handed reliever after -- or actually before -- Pedro Feliciano. The later, more challenging left-handed-hitter situations would go to Feliciano. The Mets have made Beimel an offer. But he signed quite late last year -- March 18 with the Nationals -- and was able to command a $2 million salary, a figure he isn't likely to command now or come March 18. The Mets hardly are poised to offer a No. 2 left-handed specialist more than they are obligated to pay their regular catcher.

Ron Mahay, late of the Royals and Twins, follows Beimel on the Mets' wish list.

That's where the Mets are now, trying to cover themselves until Escobar, an if-and-when proposition himself, has recovered and restrengthened his right shoulder. Mets general manager Omar Minaya is in the mode Manuel too often has found himself -- trying to make do in the eighth.

"It's our biggest challenge," Manuel said Sunday. "I'd like to see one of them separate himself from the others."

When the club signed Igarashi in December, indications were that he would compete for the eighth-inning assignment -- with whom was unclear. Escobar hadn't yet signed. And now Escobar in under contract, all the candidates are in camp, and no clarity exists yet.

Johnson relishing job on Red Sox staff

2010-02-28T23:04:00.001-08:00

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Asked to perform the seemingly mundane task of putting on his home white Red Sox uniform for the annual Spring Training photo day on Sunday morning, first-base coach Ron Johnson had enough enthusiasm to fill the entire facility.

Really, how much fun was that for the man who will wear No. 50 for the Red Sox in 2010?

"Jacked," said Johnson. "Just jacked. I couldn't wait to get it on. It's the simple little things."

Yes, the simple little things for Johnson that officially and symbolically emphasize the fact that his past 18 years -- in which he managed in the Minor Leagues -- have been replaced by a full-time job in the Major Leagues for one of the premier teams in baseball.

Johnson is a big man with a booming voice and infectious enthusiasm, and his new job gets a little sweeter for him each day.

"It's been fantastic," said Johnson, who aside from coaching first, will also be in charge of outfield defense. "I think I get a little prouder every day I come out here to be part of this. It is kind of a realization sinking in. I know I'm on the staff. I know I have a job this year with the Major League staff. Still, when I think about it, I have to take a second to digest it after being in the Minor Leagues for so long.

"I couldn't be more excited, and at the same time, I'm very proud of what I'm doing right now. It's good to be here."

In a way, it feels like the 53-year-old Johnson has been "here" all along. Johnson has been in the Red Sox's organization since 2000, managing Triple-A Pawtucket for the past five years. One of the perks of that job was helping out as a coach in Major League camp and getting a September callup once the Triple-A season was over.

Because of Johnson's personality, it never took him long to fit in with manager Terry Francona and his staff.

"I remember when he got hired, he made mention of the fact that he felt like he was the sixth coach, or the extra coach, however you say it," said Francona. "You give him a responsibility and he goes and does it. But now when we get on the flight [to start the season], he'll break camp with us. I know today when we were taking pictures, he put on his uniform top, and he was very proud, which is good. But he's always been a part of what we're doing, especially down here. So it's not really that different."

The way Johnson looks at it, the only thing that is different is, well, everything.

"It is completely different. It is totally different," Johnson said. "This time that I've spent here is totally different than the last five years I've spent in the camp and also in Septembers. It's nothing different the staff does, because these guys have always made me feel comfortable. In fact, that was one of the things we talked about in the interview. I've always felt like I was part of this staff anyway.

"Tito has always made me feel like I was the sixth man or whatever. But it's different this year, because I come in and I know that I am part of this coaching staff. I'm very excited and very proud and having a ball every day. I can't wait until the games start."

They will start soon enough, and Johnson is familiar with the cast. In the Minors, he managed Dustin Pedroia, Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury, Clay Buchholz, Kevin Youkilis, Manny Delcarmen and Daniel Bard, which represents more than one-third of Boston's projected Opening Day roster.

"He's awesome," Pedroia said of Johnson. "He's helped a lot of us out to get to the big leagues. We're all pumped for him to be here. He's a fun guy to be around."

The vacancy that Johnson filled came about when bench coach Brad Mills left Boston to manage the Astros. Yes, the same Astros team that Johnson's son, Chris, is a rising prospect for.

You don't need to hand Ron Johnson a Spring Training pocket schedule to let him know when he will coach against his son this spring.

"We play him on the 16th and the 21st," Johnson said with excitement.

It didn't immediately dawn on Johnson that he would be promoted to the Majors once Mills left for Houston.

"I got a call from [assistant general manager] Ben Cherington first," Johnson said. "I must have sounded kind of matter of fact, because I talked to Ben and was like, 'Yeah, OK', because I've had calls in the past for certain situations. It was about 15, 20 minutes later I got a call from Tito and he said, 'Hey, listen, I want to let you know, you have a legitimate chance for this job, so make sure you prepare.'"

Johnson did just that, arriving to the interview with a comprehensive list of every player in the organization he had managed or coached.

Though he was excited to get the job, Johnson was by no means in a desperate situation.

"I look back at it too, I was very fortunate to do that," Johnson said of his 18-year managerial tenure in the Minors. "There's a lot of people in this country that are hurting for jobs, looking for stuff. Even last year, we talked about it. I'd be talking about it at home with my wife.

"When the interview process came about and we interviewed for this job, of course it's human nature, and we want these things, but I was thinking, 'I'm really fortunate. I have a really good job, I make decent money, we've got a roof over our heads. We eat. We've got some things.' And when this thing came about, it was like, even more."

As things tend to go in baseball, Francona and Johnson go way back. In 1984, when Francona was batting a National League-leading .346 for the Expos and blew out his knee, the player that was called up from the Minors to replace him was Johnson, who had two previous cups of coffee with the Kansas City Royals.

Johnson lasted just five games on the Montreal roster, but he will go all 162 on the same team as Francona this year.

"I've done enough bus rides," Johnson said. "They're not that bad, but I'm not afraid to get on a charter plane."

Sports calendar flips to baseball

2010-02-08T02:43:00.003-08:00

Now that the American sports clock has clicked past another of its major annual appointments with the Super Bowl in the books, only one sport can take the ball and start running with it, just as it has the previous 43 years and for decades beyond that: baseball.

So for baseball fans, the clock tends to run backward this time of year. As in, 10 days (or, about 240 hours) till pitchers and catchers hit the fields in Florida and Arizona, and 56 days (oh, about 1,300 hours) till Opening Day.

And like that last 15 minutes of your toughest class in school, the clock just can't move quickly enough these days.

This much we already know: Baseball will thrill us around the clock again in 2010 -- morning, noon and night. And the only thing it'll have in common with every baseball season before it is that it'll be different.

So, what will make 2010 unique? Here are a few glimpses at what will rock us around the clock until a World Series champion crowned:

Morning

Spring awakening: Once those first magical pops of the glove and cracks of the bat are offered up in Florida and Arizona, 2010 will be officially on the clock. And things will have changed before the first pop and crack.

The Cincinnati Reds have made the trip across the country on Interstate 10 and will be training in Arizona for the first time, making it a 15-15 even split between the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues for the first time. Having made some noise with the Aroldis Chapman signing and a few other moves that make them look like possible National League Central contenders, the Reds join their Ohio neighbors, the Indians, in Goodyear.

There also will be many new faces in new places, with John Lackey moving to Boston, Jason Bay joining the Mets, Roy Halladay with the Phillies and Cliff Lee with the Mariners -- among many, many others. Also, general managers Alex Anthopoulos in Toronto and Jed Hoyer in San Diego will be overseeing their teams for the first season, and new managers Brad Mills of the Astros and Manny Acta of the Indians will be running their respective camps for the first time.

Aces high: Arizona figures to be a good place to check up on the aces on the mend this spring. Jake Peavy is preparing to pitch his first full season with the White Sox after missing much of 2009, and D-backs right-hander Brandon Webb and A's signee Ben Sheets are returning after 2009 was a bust.

The Royals' Zack Greinke, the American League Cy Young Award winner, will be out in Surprise and the Giants' two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum will be toiling -- for how much pay, we'll find out in the coming days -- over in Scottsdale, and Felix Hernandez will working alongside Lee for the Mariners in Peoria. Good starting pitching won't be hard to find in the desert this spring.

Of course, there will be plenty in Florida as well, with Lackey taking his first Grapefruit League action, Halladay turning in his Blue Jays blue for Phillies red, and Stephen Strasburg, the No. 1 pick a year ago with a bullet, drawing all eyes in Nationals camp every time he twirls the pea.

Opening Daze: It won't be the first -- that'll belong to Yankees-Red Sox on April 4 -- but the biggest Opening Day celebration might belong to the Twins, who are going topless for the first time since 1981 with the opening of Target Field on April 12. Best of all, Minnesota will have both its power twins -- reigning AL MVP Joe Mauer and 2006 MVP Justin Morneau -- jogging to the lines during introductions.

There will be ring ceremonies at Yankee Stadium and Citizens Bank Park as the season cranks up, and each of the 30 teams from Miami and Atlanta to Detroit and Pittsburgh to San Francisco and Seattle will put up the bunting, strike up the band and celebrate a new season.

Noon

An NL edge, finally? Now this really would make 2010 unique: an NL victory in the All-Star Game, to be played July 13 in Anaheim. After all, it would be the first NL victory since 1996. But, whether all their sluggers enter it or not, the NL might have a surer edge when it comes to the Home Run Derby.

Cardinals superslugger Albert Pujols now has teammate Matt Holliday at his side for a full season; Bay has switched leagues from a year ago as well; and Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard have already established themselves as members of the homer elite. With Arizona's Mark Reynolds and San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez joining the 40-homer club, the NL held the top five spots in homers at the end of last year. Milwaukee's Ryan Braun and Adam Dunn are other 40-homer threats.

For the league without the designated hitter, the NL is becoming the bopper league.

Hello again: Interleague reunions abound in the late spring and early summer, but there can be no better juxtaposition than these: Halladay returning to Toronto with the Phillies, and Manny Ramirez returning to Boston with the Dodgers. Consider that the longest ovation and longest, well, we'll see exactly what happens when Mannywood meets Boston Being Boston.

Hawk, Rat and God: With five-tool man Andre Dawson, manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey being bronzed and feted, this year's Hall of Fame class certainly will have its own personality. Although the Hawk will become the second player whose plaque bears the Expos logo, there's no question there will be a Chicago theme to his speech at the July 25 ceremony, when he joins the two white-haired icons of their respective roles.

Night

Stretch runners: By the time August rolls around, we'll know a lot more about how some of the darlings of the 2009-10 Hot Stove season have performed when the heat is on. And with the July 31 Trade Deadline, possibly stoked by an interesting crop of pending free agents, we will see even more change.

Will the Mariners' winter work pay off in the AL West standings? With 2009 postseason hero Lee in Seattle, will the Phillies' acquisition of Halladay push them to new heights in 2010? Will Sheets still be in Oakland, probably meaning the A's are in the hunt, or will he have been shipped elsewhere a la Holliday? Will the Twins have made the right moves to build around their twin powers?

By the time the Trade Deadline passes and the stretch begins, we'll know a lot more.

On any given day: Parity figures to be a theme in every division in baseball in 2010. Without naming names, it's safe to say more than 20 teams could be very much in the mix come Sept. 1.

Both the AL West, with the Angels' three-year run threatened by the Mariners, Rangers and A's, and NL West figure to be multihorse races. The AL Central and NL Central have the same potential, especially if the Cubs get back in the conversation. And with the AL East and NL East without runaway favorites either, there's a good chance the standings will be a must-see in more cities through September than even the last few years of unprecedented competitive balance.

Perhaps more than ever before, it's all up for grabs.

Repeat offenders? Still, when it comes down to it, the Yankees have a very reasonable chance to be the first back-to-back winners of the World Series since their 1998-2000 threepeat, and the Phillies have a chance to make even more NL history. Another title and they would become the first NL team to win three consecutive pennants since the Cardinals in 1942-44. And if both were to happen, it would be the first back-to-back World Series matchup since 1977-78 with the Yankees-Dodgers.

Then again, that doesn't take into account the Cinderella story (see: 2007 Rockies) that is always a possibility before the clock strikes midnight.

But, hey, it's only dawn now. It's not midnight for a good long time, thankfully.

Dawn is breaking. It's warming up now. Check your clocks.

It's time for ball.

MLB teams eye super goals, say let '10 begin

2010-02-08T02:43:00.001-08:00

It's time for baseball now.

Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training starting Feb. 18. The MLB.com Fantasy Preview and Fantasy games are out on Monday. The countdown is officially under way, now that the football clock has ticked to :00 and the jazz is flowing in the French Quarter.

"We pulled it off," Ron Washington said Sunday night amid much background noise, pure civic love in his voice. "I tell you what, New Orleans is a world champion now."

The Rangers' manager was born in New Orleans. He grew up there. He had seven feet of water in his home after Hurricane Katrina, and he stayed while most of his family members relocated to Houston. As he spoke to MLB.com throughout the game from the home of his sister, Lorraine, Bourbon Street was increasingly jam-packed. The Saints had just beaten the favored Colts, ending the winter reign of football and transitioning to baseball once more.

"I think everything that this city's been through, since Katrina came up here and changed everyone's life, the Saints is all they had to hold on to," Washington said. "The city of New Orleans has been supporting the Saints for a lot of years, and now to finally get the championship under their belt is a blessing. This year has been special for this team and for a city that has been trying to get itself together after Katrina. No one can understand the devastation until you've had to pull yourself together from something like that.

"We all were touched by it. One of my sisters didn't come back. Her home got destroyed, she had an opportunity to rebuild like I did, and she decided when she went to Houston to just stay. Our whole family is there. It's just myself, a brother and a sister that's back in New Orleans. The people here, they are certainly gonna have a good time. Through all the bad times -- and there were many -- the people here supported their football team. They love their football team."

Washington is taking stock of this one, soaking it in, the good kind of soaking it in this time. He leaves Friday for Dallas, and then from there leaves on Sunday for Spring Training camp in Surprise, Ariz. He has a message, a new message to bring to a Rangers team that is one of only three active clubs never to reach a World Series.

"The things that my young players went through this year, we stayed in the hunt all the way to the end, I think it's going to make us better for it because we have talent," Washington said. "We realized what it takes. If we stay healthy, I do believe we can surprise some people. The message that we've been sending since the winter started, it's our time. We brought the Angels to almost the last few games of the season, and all we've been talking about all winter is: It's our turn. It's time for the Texas Rangers. Now we just go out and play better baseball than everyone else on this day."

Marlins catcher John Baker was kind enough to e-mail MLB.com from pregame through the finish during the Super Bowl Watch Party, and now he assumes territorial claim on the Sun Life Stadium field following Spring Training. Baker, who reports to Marlins camp with other pitchers and catchers on Feb. 20, said he hopes that venue ends another sports season in 2010.

"While the game didn't turn out as I had hoped (congrats to the Saints) it seems the best team won," Baker said. "It is very refreshing to see two small market teams battle it out for football's greatest prize on our field in Miami. I can only hope that baseball's championship will be decided in the same location: Sun Life Stadium. Watching any team win a championship is inspiring, and great motivation for us to hit the ground running in Spring Training 2010. I can't wait to get out there and help another small market team work its way to a championship."

That is the talk of baseball, the talk of 30 teams that all have aspirations of winning a World Series or at least advancing to the postseason.

Orioles outfielder Adam Jones was at his mother's house watching the game, cheering for the Colts all night, and while the Lombardi Trophy was presented to the Saints, he was being harassed by a houseful of friends and family.

"Everybody was getting on that bandwagon," Jones said. "I've got a houseful of Chargers fans and they're getting on the Saints bandwagon. But I understand it. I'm talking about the 300 million people of this country. It's for the city of New Orleans, I completely understand it."

Then, as he held the phone to his ear, he said this to everyone razzing him on the spot: "I'm gonna talk about this one more day, and you guys will still be talking about it two weeks later. I'm already over it. It's baseball season."

It's baseball season.

Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Florida and Arizona starting on Feb. 18. Although he is a position player, Jones, coming off an All-Star season, said he is going to show up early with the batterymates. He had a final thought about the big game first.

"I think actually there were two biggest plays," he said. "It was the fourth-and-one to go for it, then the real conservative way the Colts came out in the second half. Just overall, the Saints were better. They weren't afraid of it. That was a good call before halftime. They deserved to win. Their game plan was better."

Matt Stairs is still coaching high school hockey up in Bangor, Maine, while he waits to hit his new Padres Spring Training camp next weekend. But he knows the time for baseball is now here.

"Always the same. Football is done. Now baseball is coming," Stairs said. He was thinking about what is now unfolding on Bourbon Street, what kind of celebration they will have for the city of New Orleans' first major sports championship -- and was reminded about how it felt to ride that long-awaited Phillies victory parade after the 2008 World Series.

"I don't think New Orleans will have as many people as we did, close to 3 million people, but it's something every pro athlete should go through one time," Stairs said. "To ride through your Main Street and to see the joy on the face of fans. It's exciting. Now I know what they mean by parade elbow. You're waving to all those people for a long time."

MLB.com celebrated the annual handoff from football to baseball with a Super Bowl Watch Party from pregame through the trophy presentation ...

9:48 p.m. ET -- Saints win Super Bowl, 31-17.

More to come ...

9:36 p.m. ET -- Saints 31, Colts 17, late fourth quarter

Back in Visalia, Calif., the background noise was all Saints as Astros manager Brad Mills answered the phone. "You hear that?" he asked.

The Saints had just been the beneficiaries of instant replay, as their attempt at a two-point conversion was ruled successful after closer inspection. "I'll still take our umpires' calls," Mills said with a laugh. The Saints at that point were up a full 7, with time dwindling.

"They set the standard for this game when, even though they didn't score, they went for that touchdown on fourth down in the first half," Mills said. "Since then, it's been a very good game. They have to be going crazy in New Orleans."

Just to be sure, we called Rangers manager Ron Washington back -- the other Texas state manager.

"Who Dat?" was the voice answering on the other end.

"Who Dat gonna beat them Saints?"

Washington was laughing. Everyone at his sister Lorraine's house was going slightly wild -- especially the host, who "lives and dies with it." The Saints had just added another quick TD with the 74-yard interception return by Tracy Porter.

"I know they're going crazy at my sister's house right now," Washington said, when told what Mills had just said. "They had to play some defense and they pulled one out there. That was a bad pass by Manning. Now [the Colts] have got to score two touchdowns.

"If this holds up, I'm just going to be happy that the Saints won. I can't put up with that crowd, but I know the city will be lit up. You can believe that. There will be a lot of horns. It's already Mardi Gras time, you know? But I tell you what, the city needs it. It needs it, it needs it. It's something to be happy about."

9:20 p.m. ET -- Saints 24, Colts 17, fourth quarter

Marlins catcher John Baker, heir to the Sun Life Stadium playing surface after the Super Bowl is finished, said at the start of the fourth: "One-point game with one quarter left. Who could ask for more?"

8:57 p.m. ET -- Colts 17, Saints 16, end of third quarter

Joseph Addai took the handoff from Peyton Manning and tapdanced his way into the end zone to put Indy back on top. But back in Omaha, at the home of Twins pitcher Brian Duensing's in-laws, they finally converted the last holdout, his father-in-law, to jump on the Saints bandwagon.

"He was the last one here rooting for the Colts," said Duensing, who grew up a Chiefs fan in Kansas City. "It's just ridiculous. This is a great game. The pace of the game has picked up in the second half, back and forth, I like that. The middle of the first half seemed kind of boring, not much going on."

And just like that, Garrett Hartley nailed a 47-yard field goal, cutting the Colts' lead to one.

Duensing was told what Rangers manager Ron Washington had just relayed to MLB.com from home in New Orleans, where there was so much background noise. Could you imagine the scene on Bourbon Street if the Saints can rally again and win this Super Bowl?

"I think the word to describe it would be disaster. It would be mayhem. Probably pretty fun," Duensing said.

Favorite commercial so far?

"We loved the Snickers one with Betty White right out of the gate," said the Twins' Game 1 starter in the 2009 American League Division Series against the Yankees. "And the most recent Volkswagen one where the kid hits his grandpa."

Rangers reliever C.J. Wilson was taking a pass on the game, focusing on his training. "Gym time!" he tweeted. "Betting attendance at Gold's in Huntington [Calif.] is single digits." Nationals pitcher Colin Ballester, completely enthralled along with most of the U.S. population, tweeted: "Colts are my new favorite team to watch."

8:33 p.m. ET -- Saints 13, Colts 10, third quarter

Rangers manager Ron Washington is in New Orleans right now, at his sister's home. Church was an amazing sight there this morning, he said.

"Everybody dressed in their black and gold, it was exciting in church," he said. "It's wild right now. Saints fever all over the place. I just hope they can play a good enough game to pull it out. It's nice for the city."

When you talk to the Rangers' manager right now, during this game, there is a lot of "we" on the other end of the phone line. "We need to tackle a little better," he said. "[The Colts] took care of the first quarter, we took care of the second quarter. They put up 10, we put up 6. We have to make Manning beat us. If the guy running the football is chalking up yards like that we gonna be in big trouble."

As he was talking, the Saints recovered an onside kick to start the second half. Then they took it in, taking their first lead in Super Bowl history. It was 13-10, Saints. There was serious whooping and hollering where Ron Washington is watching this game.

"I like where we are," he said.

Washington is driving to Dallas on Friday, and then comes Spring Training camp, a flight next Monday to Surprise, Ariz. "Everything shifts back to baseball," he said. "I just came from a trip over to our Dominican baseball school. Got a good rush over there working out with those young kids. I'm ready, my blood is flowing."

Adam Jones' blood is flowing, too. He has been working out like a machine all winter, "trying to get myself right," but he said before this game that his total mental focus really comes after this Super Bowl is over. He is just being a real sports fan, as he watches this one at his mother's house, wolfing down tacos.

"Since my team is still in it, a lot of other people [on the Orioles], their football minds are already altered," Jones said. "After today, mine's completely altered. Then I can go hard with baseball and let it keep going.

"The Colts look good, the offense looks really good. They just have to keep it up. The defense is fast, but when you keep [the Saints' defense] on the field, you can do some things against them. You just gotta get them three-and-outs."

Jones is pumped for the American League East race this season. Coming off an All-Star campaign, he said he thinks he has even more talent around him: "I feel good. Our GM made some great moves, I think. We added leadership. I'm excited for the first day. I'm going to get there early and report with pitchers and catchers and get a feel for everybody."

8:09 p.m. ET -- Halftime show

Adam Russell is watching the game at a sports bar in Scottsdale, Ariz., along with former White Sox teammate Chris Getz, now a new Royals infielder. Reached by phone, the Padres pitcher had a few moments to talk before catching the halftime concert by "The Who."

"That's some serious rock and roll right there," Russell said.

Russell, who lives in the Cleveland suburbs, said he is in Scottsdale "getting a little training in before Spring Training starts." For players like him, this is My Generation.

"I'm really excited for this year," he said. "We've got some good additions. Jon Garland is going to help round out our rotation. The way we wound up the last two months, it's going to be indicative of what's in store. We were the second-winningest club the last two months. That was a fun time. We held leads and every game was close, we were able to finish teams off.

"Me personally, I feel great. Usually at this time I'm a little stiff and don't have good arm action, but my bullpens have been going very well, and my bullpen coaches have been out here helping me. It's a little tough in Cleveland to get good training with the snow, so I came out here early."

This is what it's all about. Baseball players and managers watching the Super Bowl, just waiting, waiting, waiting -- knowing their moment is about to come.

Russell said he agreed with Brad Mills on the fourth-down call.

"I have to agree with that. Super Bowl, you gotta let it all hang out," Russell said. "I think that was the right move. That was good defense [by the Colts], can't do anything about that.

"Great game so far, nice clean game, kind of free from penalties. I am a little surprised how well the Colts ran the ball, but it's a great game so far. I thought there would be more scoring, though, with those two pass offenses, so it's kind of surprising. I think Drew [Brees] had a couple miscommunications early with receivers, but they got past that, and they should have gotten more than six out of it."

Halftime, 8 p.m. ET -- Colts 10, Saints 6

It was hard to focus after seeing Punxsutawney Polamalu, but after that commercial, the Saints were stuffed at the 1-yard line on a bold fourth-down call. As John Baker, the Marlins' catcher, e-mailed to MLB.com: "Defense wins championships. Wow, what a goal-line stand."

We immediately called new Astros manager Brad Mills, wondering what a dugout play-caller thought about an NFL coach going for it in the biggest game with fourth and goal at the 1, needing points.

Mills never even waited for the question as he answered the phone.

"I support it wholeheartedly. Wholeheartedly," Mills said before the greeting. "We got a houseful here. Everybody was kind of rooting for the Saints because they're the underdog.

"How about that? Even though they didn't take that in, I'm glad to see them come back [and add a field goal before the half]."

Mills is having a party for "a houseful" of family and in-laws. They are back in Visalia, Calif., and he said he and his wife leave next Friday for Kissimmee, Fla., and his first Astros Spring Training since coming over from the Red Sox organization.

"We're excited about getting started, there's no doubt," Mills said. "Anytime you have the type of talent we have on this club, and getting ready to start Spring Training, it's exciting for our coaching staff and players, as well. It's a good time. It really is almost like handing over to baseball."

After Mills hung up the phone, the Colts went into the locker room clinging to a precarious four-point lead in a truly low-scoring Super Bowl.

7:25 p.m. -- Colts 10, Saints 3, second quarter

Marlins catcher John Baker, who will be going to work on the same field on which this Super Bowl is being played, just emailed this to MLB.com after the Saints broke through with a field goal:

"Points on the board ... Indy looks good. Time to see how their defense looks, this first drive should be interesting. Can the Colts stop the Saints?

"Peyton has a rocket arm. The Saints better score on this drive or they are going to be in real trouble."

7:15 p.m. ET -- End of first quarter

Pierre Garcon just hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning, and the Colts finished the quarter with a 10-0 lead. It completed a 96-yard drive -- tying the longest drive in Super Bowl history.

That was good news to Pirates starting pitcher Paul Maholm, who asked during the first quarter: "Is it bad I am outnumbered at least 10 to 1 at my own party?" He then proceeded to post on Twitter: "Go Colts!"

Kansas City first baseman Billy Butler is pulling for the Saints as he hosts a party at his home in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He has been busy making "all the typical kinds of snacks and dip, pigs in a blanket, artichoke dip. I've got a bunch of people here and had to get all that ready." MLB.com talked to him after the first quarter, and he said he liked the Bud Light house-building commercial best and worries about his Saints.

"It's their first Super Bowl, it would be good to see them win it, good for the sport," Butler said. "I was not shocked to see the Colts come out quick."

Butler said he is psyched to take the handoff. The Royals are about to crank it up at Spring Training in Arizona, with their first full-squad workout scheduled for Feb. 23. He comes off a huge season in which he batted .301, and also was just the fifth Major Leaguer to post at least 50 doubles and 20 homers in a season before the age of 24, joining Hank Greenberg, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols and Magglio Ordonez.

"Baseball's all about being consistent," Butler said as he returned to the TV screen. "Last year was good for me but that year's over with, I've got to go out and prove myself again. They know what I'm capable of with the bat -- if I can go out and do better, it just shows it wasn't a one-year thing. You gotta keep doing it year in and year out."

Matt Stairs is in Bangor, Maine, hosting 10 or 15 friends and family. He is a Cowboys fan and said, "I don't care who wins, I just want an entertaining game, high-scoring, which would be good for fans, maybe pull for the Saints as underdogs and what it would do for New Orleans." He said the big play in the first quarter was the dropped ball by Saints receiver Marques Colston -- "He was wide open, and it changed the momentum."

Stairs played in the last two World Series, securing a spot in the hearts of many Phillies fans for years to come. Having been on baseball's big stage the past two autumns, he said he felt sort of a connection to the Super Bowl participants.

"It's not nervous, but you're anxious," Stairs said. "When that girl came on before the game started, they were showing highlights, and the same girl sang during the World Series, I had goosebumps. Knowing that when they're waiting for God Bless America and the national anthem. You knew the players wanted to get it going. I felt anxious for them."

Now Stairs is about to have a fresh start once baseball takes over. He will be trying to earn a spot with the Padres at their Spring Training camp.

"I'm excited, knowing that next Sunday at this time I'll be in Arizona, starting with a new team, different side of the country," Stairs said. "I'm excited. It's something I had my mind set on with early retirement during the season, then I was given the opportunity to make the team. I hope it works out well."

6:25 p.m. ET -- Kickoff

Brian Duensing has had his taste of postseason excitement and is eager for more. He was the starting pitcher in the Twins' postseason opener last fall, but took the loss as CC Sabathia and the Yankees came out firing that first night. Right now, he is showing up at his in-laws' home in Omaha, Neb., ready for some enchiladas and salsa, ready for the big game, ready to take the baton and go fight for a spot on the Twins' pitching staff down in Florida.

"It's going to be a high-scoring game," the lefty said on the way into the party. "As much as I can't not root against Peyton Manning -- because he's such an intelligent quarterback and so good -- I just feel that the Saints are going to pull it out. I don't know how, but I think they're going to win it. That's just the gut talking. I watched a little bit throughout the season. I'm not some diehard NFL fan so to speak, but I do like to watch a lot.

"The way Peyton runs the offense, I feel the Saints have a lot of work to do, especially on offense to keep up. But I think the Saints will make the big plays when they need to. If Reggie Bush makes a couple of good plays, he can be the momentum shifter for the Saints."

The first date for Twins pitchers and catchers to work out in Fort Myers is Feb. 22. Duensing said, "I've got a lot of work to do because there's a spot that needs to be earned. I'm just itching, getting ready to go, get out of this cold weather, get down where it's warm, see what's gonna happen this year. So far it's a given we have [Carl] Pavano, [Scott] Baker, [Nick] Blackburn and [Kevin] Slowey coming off the DL. All the talk has been about myself and [Francisco] Liriano and Glen Perkins fighting for that fifth spot. I wish I could say that what I did last year would solidify it, but I know I have to do all I can."

Carrie Underwood just sang the national anthem. She also performed it during the 2007 World Series at Colorado.

Pregame

Kickoff is at 6:25 p.m. ET on Sunday at Sun Life Stadium in Miami. That venue will be taken over by the Marlins after Spring Training, so let's start with Colts-Saints predictions from some guys who will spend this summer in that same stadium. The first thing you notice is that they, like the masses at large, differ wildly on the subject.

"I'm taking the underdog ... Who Dat Nation! Sorry Peyton," Chris Coghlan just said. He had more hits than any Major Leaguer in the second half of last season, enough to win him the National League Rookie of the Year Award -- and enough to make you wonder fancifully just how good this guy can be in his first full Major League season.

"This matchup makes for a very interesting game," said Coghlan's teammate, Marlins catcher John Baker. "Both teams have dynamic offenses, so the key will be defense. I think that the Saints, while they have more offensive weapons, don't have the defense to stop Peyton and the Colts. I think the Colts win a close game with a lower than expected point total."

Adam Jones is eager to follow up on an All-Star breakout season in Baltimore, and we'll be hearing from him between quarters, during those tantalizing commercials. He is a hardcore Colts fan who loves football. Jones has been at Athletes Performance all offseason training tirelessly, yet the average baseball fan surely can relate when he says he "can't think 100 percent about baseball until the Super Bowl is over."

Brewers newcomer LaTroy Hawkins grew up in Gary, Ind., as a Bears fan, but he said he is adopting the Colts right now. We'll be talking to him during the course of the game, and this is what he had to say to MLB.com beat writer Adam McCalvy before kickoff:

"My mom, my mother-in-law and my father-in-law are all big Colts fans. So is my daughter. She's got a Colts flag painted on her wall in her room, and a Shrek doll wearing a Colts jersey. Her grandma got her into that. But I'm rooting for them anyway because I like Peyton. I'm a big fan. I know it's going to be a shootout, but I think defense is going to have to win this game. It's going to come down to which defense can stop the other offense. If they don't play defense, this might be the highest-scoring Super Bowl in history."

Hawkins is watching the game at home with his family. He is a big Brett Favre fan, and was at the Superdome in New Orleans for the Jan. 24 NFC Championship game. The Saints beat Favre and the Vikings in overtime to advance to the Super Bowl, giving Hawkins even more reason to pull for the Colts on Sunday.

"I don't have any Saints fans around me right now, so I can say this," Hawkins said, launching into song. "'Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints? Colts do! Dat's who.'"

The Saints are in the Super Bowl for the first time. In case you're wondering what active Major League teams never have been in the World Series, there are now only three: Mariners, Rangers and Nationals (formerly the Expos). Could one of those three break through in 2010? We'll be watching this game along with Rangers manager Ron Washington, and we'll ask him.

The handoff becomes complete after the Vince Lombardi Trophy is conferred upon tonight's winners. On Monday, amid the final analysis of the best Super Bowl commercials and some Monday Morning quarterbacking, baseball talk will heat up. Fantasy owners start to converge and map out their drafts, and you may be happy to know that MLB.com will launch its 2010 Fantasy Preview package complete with the ever-popular player rankings -- and also the Fantasy games that will become a way of life for so many fans in the coming months.

Many Major League players and prospects also are tweeting about the Super Bowl. You can follow @MLB/players on Twitter and see their real-time commentary -- at least from those who are immersed in it. Pirates pitcher Daniel McCutchen, one of them, predicted a 34-24 Colts victory and added: "Note to self ... don't ever go to the grocery store again on Super Bowl Sunday."

Justin Upton of the D-backs: "Saints 31- Colts 24- MVP is Drew Breeeeeeeeees."

Twins outfielder Denard Span could blossom into a star in 2010, having played such a key role for the team in its big comeback to get into the last postseason. For now, though, his attention is fixed on this game. Span is from Tampa and has been across the state this week to take in the Super Bowl festivities himself.

"I want the Saints to win for the city, but they got lucky against the Vikes so I think they will lose by a modest margin of two TDs," Span said.

It's Super Bowl time. The parties are under way. Baseball players, managers, coaches and fans are football fans. And everyone knows what is coming next. Baseball time as a center of sports attention is four quarters away. Finally.

Greinke to make first Opening Day start

2010-02-08T02:42:00.000-08:00

KANSAS CITY -- Royals manager Trey Hillman wasn't going to let the Super Bowl make all the news on Sunday. He had a bulletin of his own: Zack Greinke will start on Opening Day against the Detroit Tigers.

Now that's not exactly startling news. After all, Greinke did win the American League Cy Young Award for his superb 2009 season. But it's certainly a very early announcement, especially for Hillman who has been extremely cautious before naming Gil Meche to start the openers the past two years.

Opening Day, April 5 at Kauffman Stadium, is almost two months away.

"Zack is starting on Opening Day and Gil will pitch Game 2, barring anything unforeseen, and both those guys know that already," Hillman said Sunday from his Texas home.

Hillman was in the midst of doing a phone interview about upcoming Spring Training when he dropped his little news flash.

"I wanted to give you a little bit more," Hillman said with a chuckle. "I know that's earth-shattering."

Greinke was the overwhelming choice as the American League Cy Young Award winner after a 16-8, 2.16-ERA season.

"I'd really be a stupid idiot if I didn't start him Opening Day, wouldn't I?" Hillman said.

That sets up a probable pitching matchup of Greinke against Justin Verlander, the Tigers' ace who tied for the Major League lead with 19 victories.

"Yeah, I would think so," Hillman said. "That would be a great Opening Day matchup right there."

Hillman gave Greinke the news after he'd accepted his Cy Young Award recently at the baseball writers' dinner in New York.

"He was very appreciative," Hillman said. "And even a little bit nostalgic, which was good to hear. I asked him, 'I didn't get to see the award, what did it look like?' He said, 'Oh, it's a plaque, and the cool thing is they've probably kept it the same after all these years, and I like stuff like that.'"

Greinke told Hillman he gave the plaque to his parents for safekeeping.

This will be Greinke's first Opening Day start. Meche had started the past three openers for the Royals. He beat Boston, 7-1, at Kansas City in 2007; had a no-decision in an 11-inning, 5-4 win at Detroit in 2008, and a no-decision in a 4-2 loss at Chicago last year. In the three games, Meche allowed just five earned runs in 20 1/3 innings for a 2.22 ERA.

Meche certainly had no qualms about Greinke having the honor this year.

"He said, 'I would hope so -- the guy won the Cy Young Award'" Hillman related. "And I said, 'Well, I didn't want to insult your intelligence, I figured you knew but I just wanted to go ahead and make it official before I was asked the question.'"

Meche sounded relieved.

"He goes, 'Good, I'm glad we're doing this early because it drives me nuts when they all ask me about it,'" Hillman said.

In 2008, Hillman didn't announce Meche as the Opening Day starter until March 15. Last year, with Meche battling back problems, Hillman waited until March 24 to make it official. Now, on Feb. 7, the word is out: Greinke.

So there you have it. Hillman has kicked off the Royals' season with some news.

Caribbean Series won by Dominican Republic

2010-02-08T02:41:00.004-08:00

MARGARITA ISLAND, Venezuela -- The pulsing sounds of merengue overpowered the concourse, and fireworks lit up the sky above center field on a clear night at Estado Nueva Esparta.

On the ground, the Reds' Juan Francisco and Mets outfielder Fernando Martinez celebrated, illuminating the field just as they had all week with their play during this year's Caribbean Series.

On Sunday the dynamic duo capped a fine six-day tournament by leading the Escogido squad to a 7-4 victory over Venezuela's Leones del Caracas in the finale to seal the 2010 title for the Dominican Republic.

On Monday they'll start thinking about Spring Training, but for now they'll celebrate -- first in the middle of the infield with their teammates, and later with their families.

"This is very emotional," Martinez, 21, said. "To be able to contribute to the Dominican Republic team is something you dream about as a child. This is a wonderful feeling. I don't have the words."

The Dominican Republic finished the tournament with a 5-1 record, and Puerto Rico's Mayaguez team placed second, with a 4-2 mark. Mexico's Hermosillo squad finished 2-4, and Venezuela went 1-5.

Martinez was named the series MVP after hitting .348 with two home runs and four RBIs. He will now head to Port St. Lucie, Fla., to compete for a spot in a Mets outfield already loaded with Jason Bay in left field, Gary Matthews and Angel Pagan in center, and Jeff Francoeur in right.

He has his work cut out for him. In 29 games for the Mets last season, he hit .176 with one home run and eight RBIs. He's likely headed to Triple-A Buffalo for another year of seasoning.

But he wasn't thinking about the Mets on Sunday night.

"We won as a team," he said. "That's the most important part of this experience. We did it together."

Francisco, 22, will be a prospect to watch this spring in Goodyear, Ariz. Last season he hit .429 in 14 games for the Reds and .295 with 27 home runs and 93 RBIs in 131 games combined at Double-A Carolina and Triple-A Louisville. The infielder played left field during the Winter League and is blocked on the big league club by Scott Rolen.

He hit .261 with six RBIs during the series.

"Everybody knows that the more you play the game, the more you are prepared," Francisco said. "I've learned a lot in this experience. I know it's going to help me."

The victory marked the 18th Caribbean Series championship for Dominican Republic and the third for Escogido. A team from the island nation last won the title in 2008, when two of the four teams were from the Dominican. Puerto Rico did not participate in the tournament two years ago in Santiago, D.R., because of problems with the league.

Escogido last won a Caribbean Series title in 1990, when it was managed by Felipe Alou, the father of current first-year general manager Moises Alou.

"I kind of feel like I should retire now," Moises Alou joked. "It's my first year, and we win the Caribbean Series. You can't beat that. Anything after that will be a letdown."

Alou wasn't the only man feeling giddy. Add "manager of a Caribbean Series champion" to Ken Oberkfell's resume.

Oberkfell, the manager of the Mets affiliate in Buffalo, took the job because he thought it would help him become a Major League manager one day, but he said the experience turned out to be much more rewarding.

"This was a lot of fun," Oberkfell said. "It's been a great experience, because I really didn't realize how passionate the fans are about the game of baseball. It was an honor to do this, and I'm happy to be able to bring a championship to the Dominican."

Detroit shortstop Ramon Santiago finished with a .316 batting average, and Philadelphia outfielder Freddy Guzman went 0-for-4 with one run scored on Sunday. Guzman was named to the All-Tournament team along with teammates Pablo Ozuna, Kevin Barker and Nelson Figueroa.

"You have to give credit to the players," Alou said. "They did all the work. The coaches worked very hard. They deserve all the praise."

Hall of Famers endorse Tejada at third

2010-02-08T02:41:00.003-08:00

After 13 years as one of the Major Leagues' best offensive shortstops, Miguel Tejada -- a little older, a little slower -- will attempt to make the potentially difficult transition to third base upon his return to Baltimore for the 2010 season.

Agreeing that adjusting to the hot corner will take some time, two of the Orioles' best third basemen also think Tejada will do just fine.

In fact, when asked by The Baltimore Sun whether he thought Tejada could succeed as a third baseman, Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. said, "There's no doubt about it."

"I think there is a physical side, and then there is a mental side," Ripken added. "But Miggy's got great hands. He knows how to catch a ball, and he's got a great, strong, accurate arm."

Brooks Robinson, widely considered the greatest defensive third baseman of all time, agreed.

"Miguel knows most of the players in the American League," Robinson told The Sun through a representative. "He knows who bunts, who doesn't bunt and how fast they run. I think he is going to do great."

After 16 years and two Gold Glove Awards as a shortstop, Ripken made the move to his right and was the Orioles' third baseman for the last five years of his career, where he also excelled.

In a report by The Sun that ran on Sunday, Ripken said the key to a smooth transition is patience, repetition and a strong commitment.

"I think the hardest part is reworking the thinking about the position," he said.

"As a shortstop, you have learned it. You have learned all the movements. When the ball goes up, you know where you are supposed to be, where you are supposed to cut off the relay, where you are supposed to line up. It's second nature. At third, or at a different position, you have to think all over again, 'OK, that's my job now.'"

Robinson, who spent his entire 23-year career as a third baseman and notched 16 consecutive Gold Glove Awards, said that kind of transition will take time, despite Tejada's strong arm and good hands.

"I think it is much more difficult to go from short to third than it is to go from third to short," said the 72-year-old Robinson, who, according to The Sun, is recovering from abdominal surgery in December. "At third base, you really have to take the ball as it comes. Third base is a reactionary position, and it might take him a while to get used to it."

Tejada, a career .289 hitter with 285 home runs in 13 years in the big leagues, has played 1,846 games as a shortstop. His other 23 games were spent as a designated hitter. The former American League Most Valuable Player did, however, play third base during the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

A couple years back, Tejada didn't want to make the move from short to third, but now he sees it as a way to extend his career, one that includes six trips to the All-Star Game.

At some point, Tejada will reach out to Ripken and Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez -- who moved from shortstop upon arriving in New York in 2004 -- for advice on how to handle the transition, according to The Sun.

And when he does, Ripken, who once played in a Major League-record 2,632 consecutive games, will preach dedication.

"I think the first [thing] is to fully commit to it, and it sounds like he is," said Ripken, who also told The Sun that he was hesitant to move from shortstop because he wouldn't be as involved in the game, but that he grew more comfortable with his new position in late August of his first year as a full-time third baseman, in 1997.

"He has the physical skills to be a really good third baseman, so he shouldn't doubt that. But don't think that you are going to be over there for a little while and then go back to your old position. Fully commit to it, and work hard at the things that you need to work hard at. And don't get discouraged."

Caribbean Series facing a youth movement

2010-02-08T02:41:00.001-08:00

MARGARITA ISLAND, Venezuela -- Mets outfielder prospect Fernando Martinez is among the new faces of the Caribbean Series.

In two or three years, though, his image will be replaced.

Welcome to the present-day Caribbean Series. The tournament that was once the stomping ground of such Hall of Famers as Reggie Jackson, Juan Marichal and Willie Mays, and veteran stars David Ortiz and Miguel Tejada, is facing a youth movement.

How the tournament will survive with a focus on such prospects as Martinez, Danny Valencia (Twins), Juan Francisco (Reds), Jose Ortega (Braves) and Alex Valdez (Athletics) remains to be seen. What's certain is that the tournament leaders are not waiting on veterans like Francisco Rodriguez, Adrian Gonzalez, Bobby Abreu or Ivan Rodriguez to rescue them.

"Forget about big names. They are not coming for many reasons," Caribbean Confederation commissioner Juan Francisco Puello said. "Don't characterize our success or failure by the names we have here, because our stars are the young players here. This is the future of baseball, the future of the Caribbean."

Puello could be on to something. Led by Martinez, the tournament's Most Valuable Player, the Dominican Republic's Escogido squad won the 2010 title with a 5-1 record. Martinez hit .364 in the tournament.

"I'm just really happy I was able to participate here," Martinez said. "To bring the trophy back to my country is unbelievable."

It seems necessary for Puello and the confederation -- made up of the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela -- to focus on youth. The Major League stars are often prohibited by their teams from participating in the Caribbean Series and a full Winter League season, because the big league clubs want to protect their investment. In addition, the new Winter League agreement between Major League Baseball and the Caribbean Confederation adds restrictions to players to protect them from being overworked, and it could reduce the pool of players in the future.

Here's something else to consider: Sometimes star players do not want to play. The winter is vacation time for some established players, and some players want to work out on their own.

That's their right, and nobody blames them for wanting a little R&R.

This is what has changed: In the past it was normal for stars to suit up for the Winter Leagues and Caribbean Series because they needed the money to supplement their baseball salary. That hasn't been the case in a long time.

From the Caribbean Confederation's point of view, a Winter League team can't always afford to pay the $20,000 or $30,000 a month it takes to score a star, thus it makes sense and saves cents to go without a ringer.

Yes, patriotism remains a big reason to play in the Caribbean Series, but top players are now asked to make the difficult choice between the love of country and the love of money.

What would the average person choose in that situation?

Money matters, amigos. There will come a time when Martinez won't suit up for the Dominican Republic because his value to the Mets will prevent him from playing. It's the Caribbean Series' cycle of life, and Puello knows it well.

"We all understand the economics of the game and how each side is impacted," Puello said. "We can spend all day talking about who is not here, and the obvious reasons why not, or we can focus on who is. Let's double the promotion for these young men and their stats."

"Let's be honest. The star figures that do show up for the Caribbean Series are not always ready," he added. "It's near the start of Spring Training, and the men are not close to being what they will be at midseason. It's not about star power, it's about baseball."

That said, he has not completely given up on participation by Major League Baseball's stars. One of his ideas is to move the Caribbean Series from the first week of February to the last week of January to give Major Leaguers more downtime between the end of the Caribbean Series and the start of Spring Training if they decide to participate.

The biggest argument against such a proposal would come from the leagues and teams in the Caribbean Confederation, because they would be forced to cut their regular-season and playoff schedules.

Puello said that the addition of leagues into the confederation would add talent to the annual tournament, but progress on that front has been slow. The stadiums in Cartagena and Barranquilla, Colombia, need to be improved before he will consider adding that country, and he said that the leagues in Nicaragua and Panama are not up to confederation standards yet.

Cuba, an original member of the Caribbean Confederation along with Panama, Puerto Rico and Venezuela when it was formed in 1949, has an open invitation to rejoin but has declined.

"Cuba is welcome, and we've done all we can to get Cuba in the confederation again," Puello said. "At this point it is their call. They have other priorities, like their tournaments, their league and their national team, so we'll wait, but we're here if they want in."

In some ways the Caribbean Series needs Cuba. The country hasn't participated in the tournament since Fidel Castro took over the country in 1959, and its presence would add intrigue -- not to mention Major League scouts -- to the games.

Puello also said that he will not consider changing the original double round-robin format to an elimination tournament until at least one more team is added.

The commissioner also wants to make sure he doesn't lose a team, either. He and the rest of the Caribbean Confederation will meet twice in Puerto Rico during the upcoming months to address the problems that have plagued the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League during the past few seasons.

"The idea is that Puerto Rico's league returns to the prominence it had in the area," he said. "That is priority No. 1 for the confederation."

To alleviate issues with the international media, Puello hired a Dominican Republic journalist as a confederation adviser.

"I think you can see how important it is to them by what they are trying to do," said Lou Melendez, MLB's vice president of international baseball operations. "This is their World Series, and it brings a lot of fans together from each country. It's their baseball. You can see that it's growing simply from the fact that it is televised now by MLB Network."

The 2011 Caribbean Series will be held in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and it is tentatively scheduled for the first or second day of February next year. Puello expects the usual crop of journeyman veterans and prospects to participate, and he's fine that mix.

The Caribbean Series must go on, with or without the marquee names.

"We have 28 teams in the Caribbean playing for the Serie del Caribe title," said Sadi Antonmattei, president of Puerto Rico Professional Baseball League. "That's why it's important. That's why, when you hear people translate it into English, they call it the Caribbean World Series. It's a big deal."

Mariners bring back lefty Bedard

2010-02-08T02:40:00.002-08:00

Left-hander Erik Bedard has passed his physical and signed a one-year contract with the Mariners.

Bedard, who will turn 31 on March 5, had season-ending surgery (performed by Dr. Lewis Yocum) on his left shoulder on Aug. 14, 2009. He is expected to be ready to pitch sometime this season.

The contract, which has a $1.5 million base salary and up to $6 million in incentives, also includes a mutual option for 2011.

"We think Erik is an important piece for us to add," general manager Jack Zduriencik said in a news release. "We're confident he'll be ready to pitch Major League games this season. We've carefully monitored his recovery from surgery and his rehabilitation process and are confident he'll be a contributor to our 2010 campaign. We are looking forward to him returning and being a part of this organization as we move forward."

Bedard allowed two earned runs or less in 13 of his 15 starts with Seattle last season, and allowed three earned runs in the other two starts. He was 5-3 with a 2.82 ERA in 15 starts with Seattle overall. He struck out 90 batters while walking just 34 in 83 innings. He had two stints on the disabled list, spending June 17-July 7 on the 15-day DL with inflammation in his left shoulder, and returning to the DL on July 26 (and missing the remainder of the season) after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder which revealed an inflamed bursa and a torn labrum.

"My first choice was to return to Seattle, so I'm very happy to get this done," Bedard said in the release. "I like the moves the team made this winter, and I'm looking forward to when I can get back on the mound and help them this year."

Bedard has a career record of 51-41 with a 3.81 ERA and 801 strikeouts in 822 innings pitched. He spent the first five years (2002, '04-07) of his Major League career with Baltimore prior to being traded to Seattle before the 2008 season. With the Mariners, he is 11-7 with a 3.24 ERA in 30 career starts.

At the end of this season, the Mariners have the option of offering Bedard a contract for 2011. He can either accept or decline the offer. If he declines, he becomes a free agent. If the club declines, Bedard would receive a buyout and become a free agent.

To make room on the 40-man roster, the Mariners designated right-handed pitcher Yusmeiro Petit for assignment. The Mariners now have 10 days to trade, release or outright Petit to the Minors.

Major Leaguers take sides on Super Bowl

2010-02-08T02:40:00.001-08:00

Baseball and football both have terrific athletes who orbit in the same athletic universe and become soulmates when the other sport's signature game rolls around.

In a couple of days, the vicarious thrills will be had by baseball players, many of whom will be emotionally wedded to the action in Miami.

As America prepares for Super Sunday -- and to awaken the next day to the sunrise on another Spring Training -- MLB Nation salutes, and takes sides on, Super Bowl XLIV.

Counting down XLIV baseball links to kickoff:

XLIV: LaTroy Hawkins, the Brewers reliever who grew up in Gary, Ind., and has relented to family pressure by adopting the Colts, has a singing telegram for New Orleans:

"Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints? Colts do! Dats who."

XLIII: Baseball, walk-off. Football, Hail Mary.

XLII: This will be the first Super Bowl between cities that have never fielded a Major League team.

Three previous Super Bowls were between cities that did not have an MLB franchise at the time -- VII and XVII (both Washington-Miami) and XXII (Washington-Denver).

XLI: Jamey Carroll, the Dodgers infielder who was born in Evansville, Ind., and attended the University of Evansville, is a Colts season-ticket holder. Big surprise, then, that ...

"It's an exciting time around the Carroll household," Carroll said. "In baseball, I wouldn't say I'm superstitious. But when it comes to the Colts, I can be a little over the top. I've got the whole wardrobe that I wear watching their games, and superstition comes into play."

XL: Baseball, hit-and-run. Football, play-action.

XXXIX: If baseball's showcase event adapted football's convention, the next one would be World Series CVI (106).

XXXVIII: Jarrod Parker, the Fort Wayne, Ind.-born right-hander who was the Arizona Diamondbacks' No. 1 pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, will be joined by brother Justin (also an Arizona Minor Leaguer) in front of the TV.

"It's going to be sweet to have him here [in Tucson]," said Parker. "And he'll probably go crazy just screaming at the TV all game. He's probably twice the Colts fan that I am. Man, he goes nuts. My mom doesn't even sit downstairs when the game is on, because she can't handle him yelling and going crazy. She goes up to her room and watches the game. I'm an intense fan, but I don't scream and yell and go nuts, but I do get into it."

XXXVII: Baseball, pennant race. Football, playoff drive.

XXXVI: Right-hander Tommy Hunter graduated from national football champion Alabama, loves his hometown Colts and pitches for the Rangers. Holy Trinity, anyone?

"Wouldn't that be one of the coolest things ever?" Hunter asked.

"I've been going to [Colts] games since I was four years old, and Jim Harbaugh was Captain Comeback. I like Peyton Manning. I like him a lot. He just seems to be a great person. Peyton Manning Children's Hospital of Indianapolis ... Having a children's hospital named after you shows the kind of guy he is. Maybe one day I'll look like him. He's a good guy to emulate."

XXXV: Hall of Famers born in Indiana: Mordecai Brown, Max Carey, Billy Herman, Chuck Klein, Sam Rice, Edd Roush, Amos Rusie, Sam Thompson

XXXIV: There hasn't been such a wedge driven into the Cubs' front office since they couldn't agree on whether to allow that goat through the gates.

General manager Jim Hendry, who grew up in Florida idolizing Johnny Unitas of the Baltimore-era Colts, is an Indianapolis fan.

Assistant GM Randy Bush, who met his wife, Cathy, while attending the University of New Orleans, is a Saints die-hard.

XXXIII: Hendry (in the Daily Herald): "I told [Bush] I'm still the boss. If he's obnoxious and takes it to a level I'm not comfortable with, he can reside himself in the Dominican Summer League."

XXXII: Hall of Famers born in Louisiana: Willard Brown, Bill Dickey, Ted Lyons, Mel Ott

XXXI: Winning a Super Bowl and a World Series the same year:

1969 -- New York Jets and Mets
1979 -- Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates
2004 -- New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox

XXX: Bush (again, in the Daily Herald): "If you live [in New Orleans], you can't help but pull for a team that in their first 21 of years of existence never had a winning record. I've been pulling for the Saints for 30 years. It's unbelievable."

XXIX: Baseball, seventh-inning stretch. Football, halftime.

XXVIII: Active All-Star born in Indiana: Scott Rolen

XXVII: Tommy Manzella, the Louisiana-born Astros shortstop who is so thoroughly Saints-ly, his cell phone message ends with: "Who Dat!"

"You can't go three steps without seeing someone decked out in Saints stuff," Manzella says. "Everyone. Old men are wearing old Saints hats. Everybody is talking about it. The Who Dat Nation is growing stronger. Everybody's got a lot of pride. America always likes to get behind the underdog, and that's why we're getting a lot of national support right now. I don't think you'll find too many people routing for the Colts outside of Indianapolis."

XXVI: Active All-Stars born in Louisiana: Vernon Wells, Andy Pettitte, Jonathan Papelbon, Gil Meche, Ben Sheets

XXV: Joe Crawford, who coordinates video for the Brewers -- when he isn't fantasizing about his fantasy football team: "For me it's one of those weird Super Bowls where I like both teams. I'm a Peyton Manning fan, and I like everything about the guy. [The Saints] were the "Ain'ts" and everything. So it would be awesome for New Orleans to have the Saints win. Either way it's a stress-free Super Bowl for me."

XXIV: Super Bowls in "baseball" parks:

Los Angeles Coliseum (remember the 1958-61 Dodgers?) -- 1967, 1973
Jack Murphy (and Qualcomm) Stadium (San Diego) -- 1988, 1998, 2003
Joe Robbie (et al) Stadium (Miami) -- 1989, 1995, 1999, 2007
Metrodome (Minneapolis), 1992

XXIII: Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips has no remaining allegiance other than a geographic one.

"I wanted the Vikings since I'm a big Brett Favre fan," says Phillips. "I didn't want the Saints to win. Now that they're in the Super Bowl, I really want the Indianapolis Colts to win. They're the closest to us." (Cincinnati to Indianapolis: 103 miles.)

XXII: The ultimate parlay, suiting up for a World Series and a Super Bowl.

Deion Sanders is the one and only -- the 1992 World Series with the Braves, and in the 1995-96 Super Bowls with the 49ers and Cowboys, respectively.

XXI: Baseball, horsehide. Football, pigskin.

XX: Civic project, civic pride.

"The people of New Orleans are so into this," says Randy Bush. "It's been such a unifying thing, especially between what [quarterback] Drew Brees and [head coach] Sean Payton did. They came in right after Hurricane Katrina. They joined the club and really got legitimately involved in the rebuilding of the community. For them to take this step now and take the team to the Super Bowl, it's just been a wonderful, wonderful thing for that community."

XIX: Number of the 32 NFL teams never in a Super Bowl, now that the Saints will be taken off the list: four (Detroit, Cleveland, Houston, Jacksonville).

XVIII: Number of the 30 MLB teams never in a World Series: three (Texas, Seattle, Washington/Montreal).

XVII: On gameday, Hunter will be TV-side in Phoenix, accompanied by fellow Texas pitcher Derek Holland and wearing one of his five Colts jerseys.

"They are different colors, so I can coordinate with whatever color they're wearing," he says. "But I will be somewhere watching the game."

XVI: Most home runs by players born in the Super Bowl states:

Indiana -- Gil Hodges, 370
Louisiana -- Ott, 511

XV: On gameday, Hendry will be in Sun Life Stadium.

"Honestly, I'm so glad it is [the Saints]," he says. "If it wasn't the Colts, I'd be rooting like heck for them. They've waited 40 years. It's something great for the city. Even if they lose, it's a great thing."

XIV: Most wins by pitchers born in the Super Bowl states:

Indiana -- Tommy John, 288
Louisiana -- Ted Lyons, 260

XIII Gameday for Manzella: "I tried to go to the game but squashed that after talking to a bunch of friends, because we want to be in the city for the game. We're going to want to be here for that kind of energy."

XII Gameday for Carroll: "It will be a Dallas Clark jersey [on Sunday]. That's what I've worn in the playoffs. I even had Reebok make me Colts shoes that I would wear on Sundays when we took batting practice inside."

XI: Gameday for Crawford: "Usually, I'm rooting hard against the Steelers or something like that. This time I get to sit back, enjoy the game and watch the commercials."

X: Dusty Baker has been in blue-and-white heaven and would like to see Cincinnati similarly painted red:

"My heart is with New Orleans and the city, but I'm for Indianapolis," Baker says. "I went to a game while we were at the Winter Meetings. That was the most amazing thing I had ever seen -- the amount of blue-and-white jerseys. Ninety percent of the stands had a jersey on. I'd like to get that here."

IX: "Hide the women, children and defensive coordinators," says Hawkins. "I know it's going to be a shootout. ... If they don't play defense, this might be the highest-scoring Super Bowl in history."

VIII: Parker, ditto: "I think it will be either really high scoring, or the weather will take over and no one will be scoring like expected. I feel like the Colts are going to win, 30-27."

VII: Baseball, painting the corner. Football, threading the needle.

VI: What's "New?" This will the 10th Super Bowl featuring a "New" team. Only once has a "New" team won the World Series in a corresponding year, in 1969, when the Mets followed the Jets.

V: Baseball, small ball. Football, ground game.

IV: The Super Bowl has been in New Orleans nine times, but this is the first time New Orleans is in the Super Bowl.

III: Super Bowls in Florida: 15

II: World Series in New York: 52

I: After the final whistle:

Eleven days to pitchers and catchers.

Dodgers sign Giles to Minor League deal

2010-02-08T02:39:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers signed 39-year-old outfielder Brian Giles to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Major League camp, the club confirmed.

Giles, an All-Star in 2000 and 2001 while with Pittsburgh, went on the disabled list for the Padres with an arthritic right knee in mid-June last year and never returned. Giles had microfracture surgery on the right knee in 2007.

Limited to 61 games in 2009, Giles hit .191 with two homers and 23 RBIs. From 1999 to 2003, he averaged 37 homers and 109 RBIs, but his power numbers declined after he joined the Padres in a 2003 trade for, among others, Jason Bay. He has a .400 lifetime on-base percentage and .502 slugging percentage.

Giles nearly was general manager Ned Colletti's first acquisition after he took over the Dodgers in the winter of 2005, but the San Diego native re-signed with the Padres and Colletti turned to shortstop Rafael Furcal.

With Reed Johnson signed on as fourth outfielder, Giles could compete with Jason Repko and Xavier Paul to be a fifth outfielder, should the Dodgers carry that many, or compete with Doug Mientkiewicz for the left-handed pinch-hitter role.

According to Sports Nippon, the Dodgers have offered a Minor League contract to Japanese left-hander Hisanori Takahashi, but do not have the Major League roster spot the 35-year-old is seeking.

Jays acquire lefty Eveland from A's

2010-02-08T02:38:00.000-08:00

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays continued to add pitching depth on Saturday, acquiring left-hander Dana Eveland from the A's in exchange for cash considerations.

Last season with Oakland, the 26-year-old Eveland appeared in 13 games, including nine starts. He spent the majority of the season with Triple-A Sacramento, where he went 8-6 with a 4.94 ERA over 21 starts.

With the A's, Eveland went 2-4 with a 7.16 ERA over 44 innings. In 2008, Eveland went 9-9 with a 4.34 ERA over 29 starts for Oakland, finishing with 118 strikeouts and 77 walks over 168 innings. Eveland has also had stints in the Majors with the Brewers (2005-06) and the D-backs (2007).

Overall, Eveland has gone 13-17 with a 5.54 ERA over 83 games, including 44 starts, in his time in the big leagues.

Eveland provides the Blue Jays with another experienced arm to throw into the mix during Spring Training. After trading ace Roy Halladay in December, Toronto was left with a relatively young and inexperienced rotation, making pitching depth an offseason priority for the ballclub.

Puerto Rico sheds 'ugly duckling' status

2010-02-08T02:37:00.000-08:00

MARGARITA ISLAND, Venezuela -- Puerto Rico is no longer the ugly duckling of the Caribbean Series.

On Sunday afternoon, the club from Mayaguez topped Mexico, 8-2, in its double round-robin finale at Estadio Nueva Esparta to finish with a 4-2 record. If Venezuela (1-4) defeats the Dominican Republic's Escogido squad (4-1) in the series finale on Sunday night, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic will play a tie-breaker for the title on Monday at 10 a.m. ET.

A Dominican Republic victory would clinch the title for the nation.

Puerto Rico manager Max Oliveras already considers his club a winner.

"I think we were able to clean up the image of Puerto Rico at this tournament," Oliveras said. "We haven't won this tournament since 2000, and the last time we had four wins was a few years ago. We've always been the ugly ducks here."

Puerto Rico, which went 2-4 in the Caribbean Series last year, did not participate in 2008 because of problems with the league. Puerto Rico had a 4-2 record in 2007 but struggled in the three previous years, going 3-15 from 2004 to 2006.

"When we lost our first two games here, I reminded the team that we had to be on a mission," Oliveras said. "Puerto Rico has had a hard time, and it's more than wins and losses for us."

His message hit home. Toronto Minor Leaguer Angel Sanchez scored twice, and Edwards Guzman -- who spent the past three seasons in Mexico -- and Baltimore farmhand Miguel Abreu each scored a run.

Former Major Leaguer Armando Rios and Luis Figueroa, who last played in the big leagues with Toronto in 2006, chipped in with a run scored each.

"We lost two games, and everybody thought we would give up, but I knew we could do it," Blue Jays first baseman/designated hitter Randy Ruiz said. "It's been a roller-coaster experience for me personally, but it's been a good one. I had a couple of at-bats when I failed, but I'm not going to give up, and I'm going to Spring Training looking for a job."

Ruiz hit .364 with one home run and four RBIs in the tournament.

As for Mexico, outfielder Chris Roberson might have to get used to wearing a Mexican League jersey. The former Arizona Minor Leaguer went 2-for-5 in the loss and is still looking for a job.

Roberson said that his playing time was interrupted last season when the D-backs sent Eric Byrnes and Chris Young to Triple-A Reno and it affected his rhythm at the plate. He hoped for a late-season call to the big leagues, but Arizona went with Trent Oeltjen instead.

Roberson hit .261 with seven home runs and 59 RBIs at Reno last year but believes that he can play better. The switch-hitter stole 30 bases and was caught just eight times.

"As a whole, I liked the Diamondbacks," Roberson said. "They treated me pretty good. I know [manager] A.J. Hinch, and he was busy last year. I'm still waiting on a call, and if I don't get one, I'll try to get a job in Mexico. I still have to make some money this summer."

Wood's turn at third has finally arrived

2010-02-08T02:36:00.002-08:00

Patience is an essential virtue, in life and at home plate. Brandon Wood could do a lecture tour on the subject.

Having paid his dues in full for seven years, growing and evolving through the process, the Angels' third baseman feels he's ready to join the club as a full-time, full-service member in good standing.

"It's something I've waited a long time for, having a chance to come in and win a job," Wood said, the path to steady work having finally cleared with Chone Figgins taking his multiple talents to Seattle as a free agent.

Manager Mike Scioscia has pulled Wood aside the past few years to let him know he was in the club's master plans.

"Sosh said, `You're going to play in the big leagues a long time -- it's just not your time yet,'" Wood, who turns 25 on March 2, said by phone from his Scottsdale, Ariz., home.

"My goal in years past was to make the team. Running out of [Minor League] options takes some of the pressure off, knowing I'll have an opportunity to play in the big leagues.

"I want to play every day. I haven't had a chance to do that. That's my goal and will continue to be my goal. To get consistent at-bats is what I've been looking for, and I want to take advantage of this opportunity."

Wood was the Angels' first-round choice, No. 23 overall, in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft out of Horizon High School in Scottsdale.

Since his mammoth breakout season in 2005 at high Class A Rancho Cucamonga, where the 20-year-old shortstop led the California League in homers (43), doubles (51), RBIs (115), runs (109) and slugging (.672), Wood has been a familiar name on the annual lists of blue-chip prospects.

He continued to put up impressive numbers at Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Salt Lake along the way, but his star dimmed somewhat as the road to Anaheim was blocked by more experienced athletes.

The left side of the Angels' infield the past few years has been occupied by Figgins, Erick Aybar and Maicer Izturis, leaving few opportunities for Wood to show what he can do.

His only stretch of consistent playing time came during the final month of the 2008 season with Aybar and Izturis both sidelined. Wood handled shortstop capably while batting .256 with four homers and 11 RBIs in 86 second-half at-bats.

Izturis is in the wings at all three infield positions, a proven safety net. But it's clear Wood will be given his shot, at last.

"He has to have the mindset to come in there and win a position, and realistically that's what has to happen," Scioscia said. "He has to come out and win a spot, and we do have some depth that we'll use if it's going to make us a better team.

"But we definitely want to give Brandon every opportunity to show his talent. He's a very, very talented young player."

With improved plate discipline and pitch recognition, Wood has shaved his strikeout ratio the past two seasons while continuing to bang away at Pacific Coast League pitching. He hit .293 with .557 slugging and .353 on-base percentages in 2009.

Reduced to occasional cameos, Wood batted only .195 with the Angels in 41 at-bats. But the Angels were 9-1 in his starts at third, shortstop and first base.

"I had a short time there where I had some success," Wood said, referring to the final month of '08. "It gave me a feel for what it's like, walking into the clubhouse knowing I was going to be in the lineup. I was going to play shortstop, and I didn't have to worry about not playing for 10 or 12 days.

"I didn't have that opportunity last year. If you look at our lineup, at the way Chone and Aybar played, there was no room for me. I'm not the kind of hitter who can play once every week or two weeks and be successful."

Figgins delivered a career year playing 158 games, while Aybar dazzled with the glove and led the club with his .312 batting average in 137 games.

"What Aybar did in his first full season was amazing -- and I think he's only going to get better," Wood said. "As for Chone, I had a chance to see how great he is. It's kind of bittersweet, getting this opportunity but not having him around as a teammate."

Figgins was several lockers down from Wood in the home clubhouse the past two springs at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Seated to Brandon's immediate left is Torii Hunter, the Angels' driving force.

"I've learned a lot in big league camp, being around these guys," Wood said. "Physically, I'm in good shape, ready to go. I've done my usual workouts at Athletes' Performance [in Tempe], where I've been for 10 years, and I've been taking ground balls and throwing at our Minor League facility with [Angels infielder] Freddy Sandoval.

"Some guys can get out of bed and hit in November. For me, it's a process, getting my swing right in the offseason, taking it into the spring and then into the season."

An adjustment Wood made in his stance early in the 2008 season, on the advice of Scioscia and hitting coach Mickey Hatcher, has paid dividends.

By dropping his hands and eliminating a hitch he'd used as a timing mechanism, Wood gradually found he had a clearer path to the ball -- without losing any of his prodigious power to the alleys.

"It made it easier for me to get to the outside pitch, and I could still turn on the inside pitch," Wood said.

At Salt Lake in the second half of the '08 season, Wood put it all together, hitting .361 with 17 homers in 147 at-bats. His slugging (.755) and on-base (.448) percentages were off the charts.

Angels second baseman Howard Kendrick began his professional career alongside Wood in 2003 and is convinced his buddy will rise to the challenge.

"I've been around Brandon long enough to know he has the drive and work ethic to succeed," Kendrick said. "He's a laid-back guy, but he loves to compete and is willing to do whatever it takes.

"He's waited a long time. I mean, he spent three years at Triple-A. It was different for Aybar and myself. We got our opportunities quicker. I think Brandon's ready to prove he belongs in there this year.

"He's always hit for power, and that's what a lot of teams look for at third base. Figgy is a great third baseman and was a great leadoff man for us. Wood's the type of guy who can provide that power -- and he's definitely got the glove and arm you need."

Wood made the most of one of his four starts at third at Yankee Stadium on May 2. Facing CC Sabathia, Wood struck out to leave the bases loaded in his first at-bat, but made adjustments and singled in his next two trips. His opposite-field bullet started a decisive four-run rally leading off the seventh.

"I was fresh coming off Triple-A and really excited to be playing in Yankee Stadium, facing CC Sabathia," Wood said. "It would have been memorable if I'd gone 0-for-3 with two K's, but getting a couple of hits and helping us win ... that was huge."

This was a rare moment of reflection for Wood, who has been kept busy by his workouts and another kind of preparation.

On Dec. 4 in Scottsdale, Lindsey Stratton will join him at the altar. They've known each other since February 2006.

"We're doing all the planning now," said Wood, who attended teammate Jason Bulger's wedding this winter. "I just got back from my workout, and now I'm working on our flower arrangements."

The future Mrs. Wood hails from the San Francisco area and knows all about pressure-cookers. She has trained as a firefighter for CAL FIRE in Grass Valley, Calif.

In the months preceding their big day, Lindsey will be pulling for Brandon to start and stoke his share of fires with his bat.

Sabean likes Schierholtz in right field

2010-02-08T02:36:00.001-08:00

SAN FRANCISCO -- Nate Schierholtz's status as the Giants' Opening Day right fielder shifted from "projected" to "likely" on Saturday.

Though nothing's certain until Spring Training ends, general manager Brian Sabean endorsed Schierholtz based on the latter's defensive prowess.

Right field scarcely concerned the Giants through most of the previous 4 1/2 seasons while Randy Winn, a skilled and underrated defender, patrolled the position. Winn's migration to the New York Yankees through free agency has left the Giants searching for an able replacement. Sabean, addressing reporters at the KNBR 680/Giants FanFest, is convinced that Schierholtz can handle the position regularly.

"You always need your best fielder in right field, and the only guy who really has a chance to do that against the standard of Randy Winn is Schierholtz," Sabean said.

Though Sabean left open the possibility that Andres Torres and Eugenio Velez could platoon in right field, he added that relying upon Schierholtz at that spot will facilitate the Giants' chances of settling on a consistent lineup.

"Schierholtz can really play right field. There's no doubt about that," Sabean said.

Schierholtz, who turns 26 on February 15, started 61 games in right field last year. The respectable .284 batting average he has compiled in 174 games with the Giants since 2007 is offset by his .316 on-base percentage and six home runs in 472 at-bats. The Giants admired Schierholtz's performance for Carolina in the Puerto Rican Winter League, where he batted .324 in 19 games. His on-base and slugging percentages were .366 and .524, respectively, though he hit one home run in 74 at-bats.

The emphasis on Schierholtz as a right fielder means that John Bowker, thought to be a candidate for that position, must concentrate on left field and first base if he's to earn playing time.

Sabean acknowledged that each day's starting lineup might not be the finishing lineup, since several regulars could be subject to being removed for a pinch-runner (example: catcher Bengie Molina) or a defensive replacement (example: first baseman Aubrey Huff) in the late innings. Thus, the Giants' perceived depth is a necessity.

"Realistically, you're going to have to do some things with this ballclub," Sabean said. "... But in a lot of ways, that gets everybody more involved from day one. You get everybody into the action and they're staying ready, and if somebody falters or gets injured, they're more likely to step up."

Other subjects Sabean addressed included:

• The continuing pursuit of pitching. Sabean legitimized reports that the Giants are pursuing Todd Wellemeyer and Hisanori Takahashi, saying "we're engaged with two" free agents. "I don't know if we'll get one or both," Sabean added. Wellemeyer, 13-9 with a 3.71 ERA for St. Louis in 2008, slumped to 7-10, 5.89 last year.

• Lingering concerns over Sergio Romo's health, which might prevent the right-hander from claiming a full-time setup role. A sprained throwing elbow limited Romo to 45 appearances last year. "One of the fears with somebody like him stature-wise [Romo's listed at 5-foot-11] is that you definitely don't want to be in position to overwork him," Sabean said. "Sometimes you have to work the setup man in stretches as hard as the closer. I don't know that he's physically cut out to do that. Is he game? Yes. Is he a strike-thrower. Yes. But you have to be careful and pick your spots as to how concentrated those stretches are."

• Two Minor League prospects that particularly intrigue Sabean are outfielder Thomas Neal (.337, 22 home runs, 90 RBIs at high-Class A San Jose last year) and shortstop Ehire Adrianza (.258 in 117 games at low-Class A Augusta). The 6-1, 205-pound Neal excites the Giants with his athleticism and power potential. Adrianza possesses considerable defensive prowess but lacks strength, as his physical dimensions (6-1, 155 pounds) suggest.

The 17th annual KNBR 680/Giants FanFest drew an estimated 20,000 people who braved weather forecasts of showers. They were rewarded with mostly sunny skies during the five-hour baseball carnival at AT&T Park.

Alou enjoying role as Escogido GM

2010-02-08T02:35:00.004-08:00

MARGARITA ISLAND, Venezuela -- Former Major League All-Star Moises Alou says one of the most difficult parts of being general manager for the Dominican Republic's Leones del Escogido is sitting still during the games.

After almost 24 years in the game, he has the baseball side covered.

"It's crazy because I didn't know that being in the stands would be such a big adjustment," Alou, 43, said. "Sometimes you are sitting there watching a game and there's a lefty on the mound throwing weak stuff, and you want to get a bat in your hands. Sometimes, you see a guy just throwing fastballs down the middle against your team, and you just want to yell, 'Swing the bat!'"

The first-year general manager says he's come to grips with the fact that he can't control what happens on the field. He does believe he can control how his players approach the game.

"I wanted them to play the game the way I played the game, hard and responsible," he said. "In Winter League, guys show up one day and the other day, they don't. I don't put up with that stuff. I put up rules and they've followed them. You add a little discipline and it makes a difference."

The Alou approach has worked. During the regular season, the Leones finished the 2010 campaign with a record of 30-19 and topped the Gigantes del Cibao in the league finals in nine games. After a 7-2 win over Mexico on Saturday afternoon, Escogido leads the pack after five Caribbean Series games with a 4-1 record and is in the driver's seat heading into the final day of play Sunday.

A Caribbean Series title for Escogido would be the team's first since 1990, when Alou played in the outfield and his father, Felipe Alou, managed the team.

"I always felt this team was too good not to make it to the playoffs," Moises Alou said. "I wanted to help this team win and I'm fortunate I got the opportunity. Ownership has been great and everything I have asked for, they have given to me."

Overall, Escogido has won 13 national titles and two Caribbean Series championships. Felipe Alou, the first Major League manager from the Dominican Republic, managed the Leones to league championships in 1981, '82, '90 and '92. Phil Regan led Escogido to its first Caribbean title in '88.

"Moises is the right person now because he's the type of guy that takes the job very seriously, like he did when he was a player," said D-backs director of Latin American operations Junior Noboa, who also serves as Escogido's vice president of baseball operations. "It's been a great experience personally. We've been friends since we were kids, and to see how he's grown into a figure in the Dominican Republic is something we are all proud of."

As a player, Alou hit .303 with 332 home runs and 1,287 RBIs in 17 seasons with Pittsburgh, Montreal, Florida, Houston, the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco and the New York Mets starting in 1990, but he was slowed by injuries during the final years of his career. The six-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner was picked second overall by the Pirates in the 1986 First-Year Player Draft.

He won a World Series with the Marlins in 1997 and hit .276 in 34 postseason games during his career.

Alou went 0-for-2 for the Dominican Republic team in last year's World Baseball Classic, but said he originally signed on to serve as the team's assistant general manager. Felipe Alou was the country's manager during the tournament so the younger Alou viewed the Classic as an opportunity to spend some time with his dad.

"I had offers to play after, but they weren't right for me so I hung it up," he said. "Later on, Escogido asks me to be part of new ownership and I didn't want to do that. They still wanted me involved, so I told them I wanted to be the GM. They said, 'Yes,' and here we are."

In addition to his GM duties, Alou said he's also part-time hitting coach, part-time fielding coach and part-time personal advisor to his players. Aside from the nerves that come with watching the game from the stands and the occasional run-in with agents, Alou said the transition from the field has been a smooth one.

He'd like to work in the front office in the Major Leagues in the future.

"I'm not trying to be cocky, but sometimes the agents for my players forget who they are talking to," Alou said. "They ask a lot for guys that aren't very good and ask me if I'm going to take care of their players. I played this game. I know how it works in baseball. I know how to treat people. You play this game with respect and show up, you won't have any problems with me."

Francisco puts Escogido near title

2010-02-08T02:35:00.003-08:00

MARGARITA ISLAND, Venezuela -- The standings show that the Dominican Republic's Escogido club is closing in on the 2010 Caribbean Series title. Escogido manager Ken Oberkfell says third baseman Juan Francisco is on the verge of becoming a star.

The two events are related.

"Juan is a good young player and he's put up good numbers," Oberkfell said. "He started off slow, but he's been playing well lately and hopefully, he continues to do that. He's going to have a pretty good future in the Major Leagues."

Francisco went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and three RBIs in Escogido's 7-2 victory against Mexico on Saturday afternoon at Estadio Nueva Esparta to put the Dominican Republic team in the driver's seat heading into the final day of regulation.

Escogido leads all clubs with a 4-1 record, followed by Puerto Rico (2-2), Mexico (2-3) and Venezuela (1-3). If Puerto Rico wins its next two games and the Dominican Republic loses Sunday, the two teams will square off in a championship tiebreaker Monday. A Venezuela victory against Puerto Rico on Saturday night will give Escogido its first Caribbean Series title since 1990.

"I like the way we are playing and the way we played," Oberkfell said. "Either way, we have to play a game Sunday."

As for Francisco, he has four hits in his last eight at-bats and is hitting .267 in the Series after hovering below the .200 mark for most of the week. Last season, he hit .429 in 14 games for the Reds and .295 with 27 home runs and 93 RBIs in 131 games combined at Double-A Carolina and Triple-A Louisville.

"I have not been in contact with the Reds, but I'm looking forward to going to Arizona," Francisco said. "I'm going there to work hard and earn a job where they want me to be."

The Series has been bittersweet for Dominican Republic first baseman Kevin Barker. On Saturday, he went 1-for-3 with a two-run home. Last season, Barker, 34, hit .281 in 29 games with the Reds, but does not have a contract in any league this year. For his career, Barker has a .249 batting average in 126 Major League games in parts of five seasons with the Brewers, Padres, Blue Jays and Reds starting in 1999.

He was selected by the Brewers in the third round of the 1996 First-Year Player Draft.

"You have to know somebody and as of right now, I don't know the right people," Barker said. "That's the way the game is. Unless you're a big-name player or a first-rounder, you are always fighting. I've put up numbers my entire career, but it's always a challenge."

Barker is hitting .250 in the Series.

"I play hard every day and I come ready to play and that's all you can do as a person and all you can do as a player," he said. "I've had a great career, made great friends and if I leave here and I never play again, I can say I did a good job and played good baseball."

Puerto Rico remains alive in Series

2010-02-08T02:35:00.001-08:00

MARGARITA ISLAND, Venezuela -- The celebration at Estadio Nueva Esparta will have to wait at least one more day.

The 2010 Caribbean Series champion will be crowned Sunday, or Monday at the latest.

On Saturday night, a host of Minor League players helped Puerto Rico stay in the hunt for the title as the Mayaguez club cruised past Venezuela, 7-1, in Caribbean Series play.

With the victory, Puerto Rico improves to 3-2 with one regulation game remaining. If Puerto Rico defeats Mexico (2-3) in Sunday's matinee and the tournament-leading Dominican Republic (4-1) falls to Venezuela (1-4) in the final regulation game of the tournament, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic will face each other in a tiebreaker for the title Monday.

If Mexico defeats Puerto Rico, the tournament is over and the Dominican Republic's Escogido squad will win its first title since 1990. A Dominican team has won the Caribbean Series title 17 times since 1970, while a Puerto Rican team has not won the championship since Santurce in 2000.

"We can only control what we can control," Puerto Rico manager Max Oliveras said. "I think no matter what happens, baseball in Puerto Rico can lift its head up high. We are going to do the best we can and we'll see what happens."

Twins third base prospect Danny Valencia and Mets Minor League outfielder Jesus Feliciano each hit home runs, while Blue Jays Minor League infielders Angel Sanchez and Randy Ruiz did their part, combining to scored three runs.

"We're really happy with the work that we have done so far," Feliciano said. "The road has been difficult, but we are still here."

Puerto Rico left fielder Miguel Abreu, who hit .290 with 45 RBIs in 130 games for Baltimore's Double-A club at Bowie, and Raul Casanova, who spent last season in Mexico, but the 2008 campaign in Triple-A with the Mets, also drove in a run.

Casanova, 36, played in 387 Major League games with the Tigers, Brewers, Twins, White Sox, Rays and Mets from 1996-2008.

"The truth is that I didn't prepare myself for such a long season," Nieves, 19, said. "And as result, I didn't up the numbers that I should have. This year is totally different. I've been working hard every day, running on the beach and working out all winter time. I'm going to be ready this time."

Jackson Melian, who hit .217 in Triple-A for Houston and Detroit during his most recent stint in the Minor Leagues in 2008, scored Venezuela's only run on a sacrifice fly by Dodgers Minor Leaguer Luis Maza.

"The Series continues until the Series ends," Feliciano said. "That's what we said and that's what we've done. Our manager told us that it was not over and we all believed the same thing."

Desmond may play utility role for Nats

2010-02-08T02:34:00.005-08:00

With Cristian Guzman remaining at shortstop, it is assumed the Nationals will send shortstop Ian Desmond to Triple-A Syracuse to start the 2010 season.

Not so fast, according to Nationals manager Jim Riggleman.

Washington is thinking about making Desmond an all-purpose utility man -- playing all three outfield positions, shortstop and second base. Riggleman, however, wants to make sure that Guzman is healthy before putting Desmond in a utility role. Guzman is coming off right shoulder surgery and foot problems.

"It will be determined in Spring Training," Riggleman said Saturday. "We have to check out the health of Guzman. ... We anticipate that he will be our shortstop.

"Ian is such a good athlete. It would be fairer to him to try to get him some games in Spring Training -- mix in some games in the outfield, so it's fresher to him. If he were able to make the club and play both infield and outfield, Ian would be a nice weapon to have as a double switch. We also would give [second baseman Adam] Kennedy some days off and Guzman some days off. We would be able to use Ian as a pinch-runner."

When reached by phone, Desmond said he would do anything to help the team win. Last September, for example, he played right field against the Mets. The last time he played the outfield on a regular basis was in high school in Sarasota, Fla.

"I'm ready to go. I worked hard this offseason," Desmond said. "I put in a lot of work. Anything I can do to help the team win -- if that situation comes about -- I will be more than willing to do it."

Entering the offseason, Desmond had hoped to become the starting shortstop, while Guzman was switched to second base, but those plans were changed once the Nationals agreed to terms with Kennedy on Thursday.

Asked for his reaction after he heard about Kennedy, Desmond said, "The team is trying to win. They want to secure the defense. That's the way of doing it. We are a team. Adam is a good addition to the team.

"Hopefully, I can be there also and we can turn things around. If not, I'm going to go down [to the Minor Leagues] and work on everything I have to work out. At some point, they are going to need me. Adam is a good player and we need good players."

Truck Day portends dawn of new season

2010-02-08T02:34:00.003-08:00

Baseball season is just down the road.

Truck Day makes it official.

This October, we'll all be chattering intensely about the 106th World Series matchup, then a final out will be recorded or a walk-off hit will decide it, then FOX will show the wild celebration dogpile on the field, and then a parade will carry elated champs through a city's thoroughfare with a gleaming trophy. But this is how it all starts.

Major League Baseball clubs are packing up their equipment at the big league ballparks and loading up the nondescript 18-wheelers that literally get the ball rolling. Cases and trunks and barrels and bags of gear and goodies make it to Florida and Arizona destinations for Spring Training, in time for the first pitchers and catchers to report starting on Feb. 18.

Some clubs handle Truck Day with ceremonial flair, some stay under the radar. This is the good stuff, all right. It's Ichiro's bats that produce 200 hits a season, it's the pitching machine that helps throw Michael Young his 200 pitches a day in the cage, it's the bubble gum that Red Sox manager Terry Francona chews and it's the uniforms and the laundry detergent and the baseballs and the helmets and facts of life that make a National Pastime go 'round.

The Rangers, Reds and Mariners were three clubs that hit the highway on Friday, getting the gradual process started. All of those trucks packed up and headed for Arizona, and in the Reds' case, it was the first time since World War II that an equipment truck headed somewhere other than Florida and the good old Grapefruit League.

The Indians announced that their equipment truck will load and leave for Goodyear, Ariz., on Monday morning at Progressive Field in Cleveland. Media there were invited to come out and show off the process to fans, a sign of the times around baseball. Indians home clubhouse and equipment manager Tony Amato and his assistant, Marty Bokovitz, will be available at 9:30 a.m. ET that day for interviews about the equipment being shipped out.

Rangers dugout coach Jackie Moore has been going to Spring Training camps for a half-century, and he said on Friday, as the Texas truck was being loaded up for its trek over to Surprise, Ariz.: "If it wasn't for that truck, we couldn't do a whole lot."

Truck Days pack up for the long haul, literally and figuratively. Camp is roughly a month and a half long, breaking for Opening Day games that start with Yankees at Red Sox the night of April 4. So as you might imagine, a truck becomes chock-full, and in some cases one truck isn't enough.

Sitting next to the Rangers' truck ready for loading were eight 100-pound barrels of laundry detergent, along with 400 neatly folded towels. There were eight cases of energy drink, to fight the Arizona heat. Batting gloves. Pine tar. Frank Francisco's chess set. Someone's guitar. Jarrod Saltalamacchia's catching gear. "That's got to get there," he said. Baked chips. Peanuts, gum, a popup machine to hit pop flies and seeds to pop out of your mouth in the dugout.

"It's like going to the space shuttle," Rangers equipment manager Richard "Hoggy" Price said. "You're moving all your stuff from Arlington to Surprise. It's time to get ready for the year."

The Reds trained in Sarasota, Fla., from 1998-2009, a 976-mile ride from Cincinnati down I-75. Now their truck is on the way to Goodyear, Ariz., which is 1,863 miles. "The truck driver will need another day of driving, I know that," Reds equipment manager Rick Stowe said on Thursday. "Instead of two days, it's three days for him to get out there."

Inside the back of the Reds' truck, the contents included black trunks full of equipment, medical staff supplies and boxes upon boxes of what could be labeled simply as stuff. That includes personal items for staff members and their families -- from suitcases to cribs and bikes. There will also be hundreds of helmets, shirts, socks, hats, jerseys and about 21,000 baseballs. There were skids of coolers and cups and cases of sunflower seeds and gum. There is a lot of work to be done at Reds camp, and manager Dusty Baker told Stowe to be sure his office has a bookshelf and a cork board for managerial kinds of things.

"We're bringing a lot of stuff that we're going to leave out there," Stowe said. "The truck is filling up a lot faster than it has in years past because there's a lot of stuff we brought home from Sarasota to bring out to Arizona."

Trucks aren't just carrying the things you see most often on TV, the tools of the trade. Often they are items that team personnel need to have at camp. Fans can relate when the Rangers' Moore says: "Whatever I can put on the truck, that will save money from not checking baggage on an airline."

Shoes, caps, underwear, socks, shorts, T-shirts, sweat shirts and pants, warmup jackets and all kinds of uniforms. Racks on which to hang the uniforms when they are clean, and laundry baskets for when they are dirty. It's everything that is essential to playing baseball, and that is a lot of stuff.

In Seattle on Friday, the Mariners clubhouse staff members were busy loading 25,000 pounds of gear into a 53-foot truck and getting ready to usher it off to the club's Spring Training home of Peoria, Ariz. The driver was ready for 1,450 miles in three 10-hour shifts down Interstate-5, over two mountain passes, east on I-210 and catching I-10 near Palm Springs, Calif., continuing through the Mojave all the way to the Valley of the Sun.

It remains to be seen whether all that prominent movement in the Mariners' offseason will help them to a World Series. But this is the movement that first makes it possible.

"Beyond all the work that has to be done to get the truck going, you can definitely sense the excitement that it represents," Mariners clubhouse manager Ted Walsh said. "And on the heels of FanFest, which was a huge success, everybody seems to be very excited about the upcoming season."

Boras' ties to Tigers run deep

2010-02-08T02:34:00.001-08:00

DETROIT -- Scott Boras will gladly point out the winners he has matched up with the Tigers.

Ivan Rodriguez bolstered his prolific career in Detroit and helped mold a young pitching staff.

Magglio Ordonez hit the home run that landed the Tigers in the World Series in 2006 and won a batting title the next year.

Kenny Rogers became a fan favorite in Detroit en route to one of the most memorable postseason pitching stretches in recent memory and one of the more sudden image makeovers.

Bobby Seay, a Minor League free agent going into 2006, developed from an unfulfilled high-round draft pick to a veteran reliever.

Rick Porcello, a Boras client going into the 2007 Draft who later changed agents, has blossomed into one of baseball's brightest young pitchers.

Boras says he believes Johnny Damon can have a similar impact. He calls Damon a proven winner who can provide leadership, pointing to his two World Series rings. He considers it a very good fit, and it appears Tigers decision-makers are opening up to the idea.

"If there was an area we were going to address, it would be an offensive perspective," team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said Thursday without mentioning Damon by name.

"I don't know if anything will happen or not. I really just don't know that. I think this is a time of year when you keep a feel of what's taking place. You can see guys are signing every day. Players are going to sign somewhere, generally. We'll just see what happens."

Whether the two sides can find the financial terms to make a deal, it's the latest chapter in the story of baseball's most famous agent and the Midwestern team that has invested frequently in his clients. It's sometimes pleasant, sometimes contentious, but it's rarely ever dull.

"The thing I like to say," Boras said Friday of Tigers owner Mike Ilitch, "is that Mike knows his investments. His businesses are successful."

Boras said much the same during the 2005 press conference in which the Tigers introduced Ordonez, who had just signed a guaranteed five-year, $75 million contract to jump from the White Sox. Ordonez was the last prominent free agent left on the market thanks to concerns about his surgically repaired right knee, and the Tigers were the last team looking for an offensive jolt.

A year earlier, Rodriguez was coming off a World Series title in Florida and concerns about how much longer he could continue catching before age would catch up. The Tigers were coming off a 119-loss season and were looking for any sort of credibility. Adding a star player, any star player, was the way to do it, and the Tigers had been spurned by one slugger after another.

For both player and team, it was the one logical fit left. Both of those negotiations seemingly took forever, and both ended with deals just before Spring Training.

Sound familiar?

What brought together those two deals was the Tigers' struggle to build a contending team in a city with a perception to overcome among players. The Tigers had to recruit as much as negotiate, and Ilitch was key in that effort, talking face-to-face with both players and telling them he was committed to win. Boras connected with that and connected directly with Ilitch.

"I think the goal of the club was to get to the World Series, and they did," Boras said. "And Mike Ilitch, at the time, probably paid for players. He did things that a lot of owners wouldn't do."

Now, with Damon probably the most famous free agent still looking for a job, the roles have shifted. The Tigers have three winning seasons in the last four years, and came within a game of the postseason in 2009. It's now Boras playing a recruiting role, positioning Damon as the potential piece that would put the Tigers back in command of the American League Central.

In that sense, his situation resembles that of Rogers, who was Boras' answer when the Tigers sought a veteran pitcher for its young rotation after the 2005 season. Detroit wasn't looking for a long-term commitment for an arm, not after watching Carl Pavano jilt the Tigers and suffer injuries that previous season. Rogers was coming off an incident with a television cameraman in Texas that helped end his time there and put into question whether anyone would take the public relations risk of signing him.

Rogers signed a two-year contract and responded with a 17-win season and an All-Star start in 2006. He didn't allow a run in 23 postseason innings that October. And the man who was booed at Comerica Park during the 2005 All-Star Game left the same field to standing ovations the next fall.

"I don't recommend players," Boras said, "unless I feel they can go there and do well."

He claims he feels that way with Damon. He points to Damon's World Series championships with the Red Sox in 2004 and the Yankees last fall as evidence he can help make the Tigers a winner. He also points to Damon's production, experience as a leadoff hitter, and his potential to allow the Tigers to use Austin Jackson in a less pressure-packed spot in the lineup. But Boras also points to the track record of his previous dealings with the Tigers.

Whether or not Damon becomes a Tiger, plenty of other Boras clients already are. Among them are Ordonez, Seay, Gerald Laird, Zach Miner, Max Scherzer and Jeff Larish, with draft selections Jacob Turner and Andrew Oliver in the farm system.

The endings aren't always easy. Besides last summer's suspense over Ordonez's option, Rodriguez's playing time became an issue before the Tigers traded him at the 2008 Trade Deadline. Injuries hampered Rogers after 2006, and he ultimately parted ways with Boras before signing a one-year with Detroit for 2008.

The Tigers won't need nearly the long-term commitment for Damon that they gave to Rodriguez or Ordonez, but they have to decide whether they would want a two-year commitment to Damon. If not, Damon and Boras might have to decide whether a one-year contract is enough.

If the two sides ultimately agree, they can only hope to have the same immediate dividends that previous dealings have brought.

"A lot of this is the fact is, that you get a lot of production for your investment," Boras said. "And when you get that, you're more likely to go back again."

Lincecum unfazed by arbitration process

2010-02-08T02:33:00.004-08:00

SAN FRANCISCO -- Of all the things that come naturally to Tim Lincecum, bitterness doesn't seem to be one of them.

Lincecum said Friday that he's aware of the rancor that a player might harbor toward club management following a salary arbitration hearing. But the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner, who appears bound for such a hearing with the Giants, sounded devoid of any potential ill will as he discussed the process and seemed almost curious about it.

"I've already heard [about] things that could go on in that room," said Lincecum, one of dozens of Giants in town to participate in Saturday's KNBR 680/Giants FanFest at AT&T Park. "I'll try to take it as constructive criticism, I suppose."

It's difficult to comprehend how the Giants might attempt to demean Lincecum, 25. The right-hander became not only the fourth National Leaguer to win the Cy Young Award in consecutive seasons but also the franchise's premier performer, capably filling the void left by all-time home run leader Barry Bonds.

But minimizing Lincecum's achievements would indeed be the Giants' task if they hope to have arbiters settle on the $8 million they offered for a one-year salary. Lincecum filed for $13 million, which would be the highest sum awarded to a first-year arbitration-eligible player. Teams and players typically compromise, but once they enter the hearing, all negotiating ends and the arbiters must select one figure or the other. In Lincecum's case, the vast $5 million gulf between the sides increases the challenge of forging a pre-hearing compromise.

A close associate of Lincecum's said earlier this week that the Giants ace was approaching this process with his typically easygoing attitude -- "Business 101," the person said. Lincecum indeed exuded calm when he was asked if the apparently impending clash with the Giants angered him.

"I think the business side of it is what we're scraping at right now," said Lincecum, who earned $650,000 last year. "Going through arbitration, everybody knows what can happen and the feelings that can get hurt. I'm just trying to keep an open mind. If anybody knows my flaws, I do. If they're going to point them out and that has to happen, then whatever. I know I have to get better. It's not like my feelings are hurt."

That's easy to say now, before the hearing that must be held by Feb. 20. What about afterward?

"I try not to have ill feelings about anything," insisted Lincecum, who plans on attending the hearing. "... The whole purpose is to help the team win. It's not about a grudge match."

Don't mistake Lincecum's placid outlook as outright indifference. He doesn't speak to his agent, Rick Thurman, each day. But he's monitoring the situation. Lincecum said that he's "not being too oblivious to everything, but not getting too involved either. I'll let my agent do his job and I'll just do mine."

One ominous item of evidence the Giants could use against Lincecum is the charge brought against him for misdemeanor marijuana possession. Not even that prospect was enough to boil Lincecum's blood.

"If they do [raise the subject], I just know that's one thing I said I'm going to not let happen again," he said. "I feel like I've made a step forward from it and I've become a better person from it. I have to stop making stupid decisions. ... It's like, it's time to grow up now."

Giants manager Bruce Bochy wasn't the least bit worried about Lincecum's attitude.

"Knowing Timmy, he'll be fine," Bochy said.

Lincecum addressed other subjects, including:

• His hair, which was slightly shorter. He said that he trimmed it three inches for the recent Baseball Writers' Association of America dinner in New York, where he received his 2009 Cy Young trophy. "It looked unhealthy," Lincecum said of his pre-dinner 'do.

• Catcher Bengie Molina's return. "He's half the reason I got those [Cy Young] awards," Lincecum said. "Sometimes you lose your focus out there, and sometimes the catcher has to come out there and tell you, 'Hey, wake up.' He's always there for me. He reads me really well."

• His Cy Young hardware, which happened to be sitting in the back of his car as he spoke. He intends to give his 2008 trophy to his father, Chris, who has served as his pitching mentor. "Maybe Bengie and I will split the other one," Lincecum said.

Baseball celebrates Babe's 115th birthday

2010-02-08T02:33:00.003-08:00

The face of Major League Baseball for three quarters of a century is looking a little faint these days.

Babe Ruth's place in history is indelible, but not so his place in the record book. The Bambino wrote that book during his influential 1914-35 career, but a generation of neo-sluggers have been doing their own edits.

Then, one day the sobering fact suddenly hits that the Sultan of Swat is no longer the Sultan of Stat. Most of his significant records have been erased. A few years ago, the Boston Red Sox even threw off his identifying curse by winning a World Series.

The Babe just can't seem to catch a break these days.

And now his birthday party gets snowed out.

The Babe Birthday Bash planned by the Babe Ruth Museum in Baltimore for today -- George Herman's 115th birthday -- had to be postponed with an approaching storm expected to dump as much as 20 inches of snow. The event was re-scheduled for next Saturday.

Nonetheless, happy birthday, Babe. Here's hoping your remaining records survive longer than the wax in those 115 candles.

When Ruth retired in the middle of the 1935 season after taking the last swings of his half-season cameo with the Boston Braves, he owned 17 major single-season and career records -- many he had already held for a long time, having shattered the existing standards early in his career.

He is down to four:

• Highest career slugging percentage: .690
• Highest career OPS (on-base plus slugging): 1.164
• Most extra-base hits, season: 119 (in 1921)
• Most times reaching base, season: 379 (1923).

That's it.

All the magic numbers are gone. But the magic will never fade. For decades, Americans reacted with instant recognition to 60-714, Ruth's homer records for a season and for a career.

Quick test: What is the new career number? (762, but the hunch is you had to look it up.)

The good news is, Babe's diminished role in the record books is safe. No one will touch his career slugging mark in an era in which normal people do not even reach .690 for a season. Similarly, an OPS of .900 any season is considered exceptional. And to put his remaining season marks into modern perspective: The most extra-base hits Albert Pujols has had in any season is 99, and the most times Ichiro Suzuki has reached base is 315.

The Bambino's role in baseball's evolution, of course, can never be diminished, or measured. Although some have tried: In 1919, the season prior to Ruth's game-changing trade to New York, the 16 MLB teams drew an average of 408,277 fans; by '27, Ruth's captivating 60-homer season, that average was up to 620,179.

Last season, the 30 MLB teams had an average season draw of 2,447,736.

Just part of the Bambino's legacy.

As are the records he did own, which at least presented a noble target for which his heirs to aim.

Gammons: A's faced with obstacles

2010-02-08T02:33:00.001-08:00

It's not like Oakland was ever a baseball town like St. Louis. Even when the Athletics were in the midst of winning three consecutive World Series titles from 1972-74, owner Charles O. Finley had members of the front office distributing box lunches in the press box, and the Coliseum was hardly ever filled.

Then, after they won their fifth consecutive divisional title in 1975, Finley saw with free agency coming that he couldn't survive by trying to hold onto his very talented veteran players. He cited how Connie Mack twice won and then dismantled the team in Philadelphia and tried to follow his lead, attempting to sell Vida Blue, Rollie Fingers and Joe Rudi to the Yankees and Red Sox on June 15, 1976 -- a month before a historic labor agreement took effect giving teams six years of Major League control over players before they could go to free agency -- only to be blocked by then-Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. By the late '70s, the Coliseum had been nicknamed "The Mausoleum" and about all that was memorable was M.C. Hammer giving Finley the play-by-play via a press box phone.

The Haas family bought out Finley in 1980 and through the creative genius of team president Roy Eisenhardt and his subsequent hiring of a brilliant attorney named Sandy Alderson, the franchise was revived in the early '80s. Rickey Henderson, Dave Stewart and the now-Bash-terisked "Bash Brothers" team won one World Series, three pennants and four division titles from 1988 to 1992.

They once again stripped the roster down and Alderson and general manager Billy Beane rebuilt the club. With Beane at the helm, the Athletics began a run in 1999 of eight consecutive winning seasons, including five playoff appearances.

Hey, the A's have a 110-year history of being down at the crossroads of relocation in Philadelphia, Kansas City and Oakland (Finley once tried to move the club to Louisville, as well), and after three seasons averaging 75 wins, they are back at that crossroads, a day away from where they want to be.

The Coliseum has been trashed by the NFL's answer to Hell's Angels. The A's drew slightly over 1.4 million fans last season, the fewest in the Majors. Matt Holliday hated the place. Beane offered more years and more money to free agents Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutaro than did the Red Sox, and both ended up in Boston. Unless a compromise can be struck with the Giants on territorial rights in San Jose, to save the franchise owned by his college roommate Lew Wolfe, the future may once again raise the specter of contraction.

Beane is trying to restore the Athletics to take the Bay Area's eyes off Tim Lincecum and The Kung Fu Panda, Pablo Sandoval. It's not as if they were dreadful; they won 75 games, more than eight other teams, and their run differential (-2) was better than 13 teams. Andrew Bailey won the American League Rookie of the Year Award.

But because their payroll must remain in the mid-$50 million range, their resources are far from that of the Angels ($120 million), Mariners ($100 million) or even the Rangers ($80 million). Beane signed Ben Sheets for $10 million, Coco Crisp for $5.25 million, and then ate $1.3 million in the Aaron Miles-Willy Taveras deal to grab left side utilityman Adam Rosales. He then re-signed Michael Wuertz and Justin Duchscherer to deals that were two years, $5.25 million and one year at $2 million, respectively.

Yet, whether it's Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA or the numerology used by different teams, the A's are considered serious contenders in the AL West. These prognostications for the upcoming season show the A's win totals ranging anywhere from 80-82 and six games out of the AL West, to one team's formula, which has them winning 89 games, more than any AL team not based in New York, Boston or St. Petersburg.

What Beane tried to do in 2009 was get Holliday, Jason Giambi, Orlando Cabrera and some veteran players to join what turned out to be the youngest pitching rotation in the league. That didn't work; after winning two of their first three games (against the Angels), the A's never got over .500 for the rest of the season. But some development occurred, as Brett Anderson became one of the best young left-handed pitchers in the league and Bailey (1.84 ERA, 49 hits in 83 1/3 innings and a 91-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio) closed for a bullpen that was one of the two best in the league, with Wuertz (52 hits, 102 strikeouts in 78 2/3 innings), Brad Ziegler and Craig Breslow. And this bullpen should be better with Joey Devine coming off injury.

Now with Sheets, Anderson, Duchscherer, Dallas Braden, Trevor Cahill and Vin Mazzaro, the staff should be good from start to finish.

OK, the offense didn't work, finishing ninth in the AL in runs, last in homers and 12th in OPS. But between the ninth, first and second holes, manager Bob Geren can play around with Crisp, Ryan Sweeney and last year's revelation, Rajai Davis. Kurt Suzuki can hit second or third, Kevin Kouzmanoff, DH Eric Chavez, Jack Cust and Daric Barton can all bat somewhere in the middle. The pitching, theoretically, will cushion the pressure as they bring their young position players up from Sacramento during the season. Some of the prospects who could see time in Oakland this season are outfielder Michael Taylor (acquired from Philadelphia through Toronto in the Roy Halladay trade this offseason), first baseman Chris Carter (92 home runs over his last three Minor League seasons), infielder Adrian Cardenas, first baseman-outfielder Sean Doolittle and second baseman Jemile Weeks, a former first-round Draft pick.

"By the late part of the season, we should have a pretty good young team," Beane said. "We just have to have some patience."

If the Athletics do win the division, perhaps it will attract enough attention to give the franchise the hope of a real ballpark. But it will not be easy. The Angels are always good. Seattle and Texas turned their teams around last season with serious defensive upgrades, and the Mariners now have Cliff Lee to go with Felix Hernandez. The AL West had the best record outside its division of any of the six in baseball.

The Athletics are 160 games above .500 over the last dozen seasons, and if the stadium had been maintained and honed as a baseball-only facility, maybe it would have worked. Even with the possibility that the A's could be the best team in their division in 2010, right now there doesn't seem to be much hope that the franchise can ever be much more than fattening frogs for snakes.

Too bad. Intelligence and competence should matter, but in this case it doesn't, which is how the Raiders rule and the A's are pleading to find a way to get them into San Jose, or out, period.

Athletics deal Eveland to Blue Jays

2010-02-08T02:32:00.001-08:00

OAKLAND -- The A's traded left-handed pitcher Dana Eveland to Toronto for a player to be named later or cash considerations on Saturday.

The transaction comes just five days after the 26-year-old Eveland was designated for assignment.

He began and finished the 2009 season in the starting rotation but mostly saw action at Triple-A Sacramento, where he went 8-6 with a 4.94 ERA in 21 starts. Meanwhile, he struggled during three stints in Oakland, going 2-4 with a 7.16 ERA in 13 games -- nine of which he started.

Originally acquired from Arizona in the Dan Haren trade following the 2007 season, Eveland leaves Oakland with a combined 11-13 record and 4.92 ERA in 42 games (38 starts) through two years. Just two out of the six players received in that trade -- Brett Anderson and Chris Carter -- are still with the A's.

Oakland had 10 days from the time Eveland was designated to trade, release or send him to the Minors if he cleared waivers. The club now has only five days to do so with the other two players designated on the same day -- infielder Gregorio Petit and outfielder Willy Taveras, who was acquired in a trade with the Reds.

Reynolds looking for multiyear deal

2010-02-08T02:31:00.002-08:00

PHOENIX -- Mark Reynolds said he has begun to have discussions with the D-backs concerning a multiyear contract.

"It's kind of a sticky situation," Reynolds said Friday during an open team workout at Chase Field. "I don't really want to say much about it, but there are talks. There's years being thrown back and forth right now. No money yet, but it could be anywhere from a two- to three-year deal with a couple of options is what I hear. I think the week of the 15th, there's going to be some formal offers made, at least that's what my agent told me yesterday."

Earlier this week, Arizona managing general partner Ken Kendrick told MLB.com: "Under the right circumstances, and it takes both sides, there are four or five guys and Mark is one of them that are core guys that we would like to not have to go through year-by-year arbitration with if we can agree on a multiyear deal."

Reynolds finished just days shy of qualifying for salary arbitration this year, so the club will set his salary for 2010 unless the two sides hammer out an agreement on either a one-year or a multiyear deal.

As is his policy, D-backs general manager Josh Byrnes declined to comment specifically on whether there were talks with Reynolds.

"We have an ongoing dialogue at all times with many of our players," Byrnes said. "With respect to what people want to call active negotiations, I won't comment on that. I'll just say we keep the lines of communication open."

Last season, Reynolds hit .260 with 44 homers and 102 RBIs while collecting an .892 OPS (on-base plus slugging).

"If it gets done, it gets done," Reynolds said of a deal. "If it doesn't, it doesn't. If they come at me with a reasonable offer that's fair, it's something that I'll be willing to take a look at. I'm not hell bent on signing a contract, but it's always nice to make that first fortune and have some guaranteed security. At the same time, I have to play this year and prove that last year was not a fluke."

In order to make sure he does that, Reynolds said he would prefer the negotiations not drag into the regular season, something that Kendrick also said was his preference.

"That's a distraction that I don't really want during the season, and they know that I've expressed that to them," Reynolds said. "If we can work it out and get it done, it would be a weight off my mind -- and I'm sure theirs, too. We'll see where it goes, and in the next couple of weeks, we should know a lot more."

Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training on Feb. 19, while position players do so on Feb. 23.

Castilla helps Mexico walk off with win

2010-02-08T02:31:00.001-08:00

MARGARITA ISLAND, Venezuela -- Vinny Castilla's list of retirement activities includes golf, family vacations and game-winning hits in the Caribbean Series.

On Friday, the former Major League star and current member of the Colorado Rockies front office drove home Heber Gomez with a single to left field in the bottom of the 10th inning to propel Mexico to a 3-2 victory against Venezuela in the Caribbean Series at Estadio Nueva Esparta.

With the victory, Mexico improves to 2-2 in the tournament and Venezuela falls to 1-3. The Dominican Republic leads the pack with a 3-1 record. Puerto Rico is also 2-2.

"That is why he is Vinicio Castilla," Mexico manager Homar Rojas said. "He's been a good hitter for a long time. Nobody is surprised when he does something like that."

Castilla is full of surprises. He ceremoniously retired from Winter League play at the Caribbean Series in Puerto Rico in 2007 before returning this year.

"I retired, but I came back," Castilla, 42, said. "I still feel good and I can play a little bit."

Castilla could always "play a little bit." During his run with Atlanta, Colorado, Tampa Bay, Houston, Washington and San Diego, Castilla proved to be the most productive offensive Major League player in his country's history, posting a .276 batting average, with 1,105 RBIs and 320 home runs. He retired from Major League Baseball as a player in 2006 and a few months later, from Winter League ball after 20 years of play.

Castilla is playing in his sixth Caribbean Series.

"He has tons of experience and knows how to hit," said Venezuela manager Dave Hudgens, who works in the front office for Cleveland. "It was 11:30 p.m. and the end of the game, I was hoping he was tired. I was hoping it was past his bed time but it wasn't."

Venezuela had its chances.

Padres farmhand Oscar Salazar drove home Erold Andrus, the brother of Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus, in the third inning to give Venezuela a 2-0 lead. Michael Ryan, who spent four seasons with the Twins from 2002-05, hit a solo home run in the second inning to give Venezuela a 1-0 lead.

Ryan, 31, who has a non-roster invitation with the Angels for Spring Training, hit .300 with 14 home runs and 66 RBIs for Florida's Triple-A club in New Orleans. In 14 seasons in the Minors, Ryan has a .271 batting average in 1,389 games.

Castilla had help. Mexico right fielder Karim Garcia, who spent parts of 10 seasons with the Dodgers, D-backs, Tigers, Orioles, Indians and Yankees starting in 1995, went 2-for-4 with a game-tying home run in the sixth. He last played in the Major Leagues with the Orioles in 2004. Garcia has spent the past few seasons playing in Monterrey, Mexico and in Korea.

Garcia's teammate, Chris Roberson, who spent last year with Arizona's Triple-A Reno club, went 1-for-4 with a run scored.

As for Salazar, he saw action at four different positions in the infield in addition to left field and designated hitter in the big leagues in 2009. Should he make the team out of Spring Training, it will be as a right-handed bat off the bench.

"It doesn't matter how old you are, every time you win a game for your country it's special," Castilla said. "I'm glad I can help my country."

Galarraga ready to be Cabrera's mentor

2010-02-08T02:30:00.004-08:00

MARGARITA ISLAND, Venezuela -- The Big Cat could be joining the Tigers soon.

Andres Galarraga will likely join Detroit during Spring Training to serve as a mentor to Miguel Cabrera, the former Major Leaguer told the Venezuelan Web site Panorama.com.

Cabrera made headlines last October when he was taken into police custody but not charged following an incident with his wife in suburban Detroit that left him with scratches and bruises on his face. The Tigers infielder has undergone counseling to deal with his alcohol issues, and said he has not had a drink since the end of last season.

"Detroit wants me to be with Miguel during Spring Training and that's where we are," said Galarraga, who was at the Caribbean Series working as a broadcaster for Venezuelan television. "If it's for Spring Training, I think I will accept, but if it's for the season, I don't want to be away from my home for eight months. I hope they accept that it's only for Spring Training because to be there for six weeks is perfect."

As a coach for Venezuela during the World Baseball Classic, Galarraga worked with Cabrera on the transition from third base to first base. He also served as a mentor during the tournament.

"Maybe it's one of those things that Miguel is interested in me continuing to help him," Galarraga said. "It seems [general manager] Dave Dombrowski and manager Jim Leyland think it's a good idea."

Galarraga believes he can be a good influence on Cabrera.

"Miguelito is preparing himself. After the rehabilitation, he's coming in the best condition," he said. "Miguelito has been a superstar since he started and now he's prepared mentally and physically. I believe he's going to have an explosive year."

Mora brings versatility to Rockies

2010-02-08T02:30:00.003-08:00

DENVER -- After utility man Melvin Mora reached a one-year, $1.275 million contract agreement with the Rockies a few days ago -- one that was officially announced on Friday afternoon -- manager Jim Tracy and club officials dialed up Mora for a conference call.

Club owners Dick and Charlie Monfort, team president Keli McGregor and general manager Dan O'Dowd wanted to get to know their new player. They asked if there was a position Mora wasn't ready to play.

"He said catcher, that he'd need a few days to work at it," Tracy said. "It got a laugh, but I think Melvin was making a statement: Just let me get to Spring Training in Tucson and start running around out there, and let me show that I'm capable of doing anything it takes to help the team win."

Mora, who turned 38 on Tuesday, has played every position but catcher and pitcher in a career that has seen him appear in 1,401 games with the Mets (1999-2000) and Orioles (2000-09), plus 12 postseason contests and two All-Star Games.

Mora appeared in 125 games for the Orioles last year, with all of his defensive innings coming at third base, and hit .260 with eight home runs and 48 RBIs.

Mora has been an infielder since 2004, but he has worked on his versatility this offseason and Tracy said he could be used in the outfield. The manager added that he could use Mora at second base and move Clint Barmes to shortstop when Troy Tulowitzki has a day off. Tracy said third base is not in the original plan, because the Rockies want to give left-handed slugger Ian Stewart the opportunity to hit right- and left-handed pitching.

When Mora starts, Tracy said, he envisions him hitting behind left-handed power hitter Brad Hawpe, who likely will bat fifth.

Mora's presence also gives the Rockies a ready-made starter in case one of the regulars is injured.

"From the day I started managing in 2001 with the Dodgers, I said I want a solid bench, and those guys will get regular playing time," Tracy said. "If we have someone get hurt, we're not in a position where we're saying, 'What do we do?'"

Kennedy out to prove he's not done yet

2010-02-08T02:30:00.001-08:00

Adam Kennedy said he agreed to terms with the Nationals on Thursday night because he will become the team's everyday second baseman, likes the way the team's 40-man roster is being constructed and is familiar with manager Jim Riggleman and hitting coach Rick Eckstein. All three were together with the Cardinals organization in 2007.

Kennedy, 34, brings playoff experience to Washington. In 2002, he was the American League Championship Series MVP after hitting three home runs against the Twins in Game 5. He also helped the Angels win a World Series title that year.

Kennedy pointed out that there are several players with playoff experience who could help Washington turn things around.

"Regardless if I won or not, I'm just a little piece," Kennedy said. "I'm just trying to fit in. There are some guys who have won, like Pudge [Rodriguez]. I'm not the only one that knows how to win. It should be fun -- everybody kind of blending in and ready for a good season."

Kennedy was the Nationals' No. 2 target to play second base behind Orlando Hudson, who signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Twins on Thursday. Once the Nats found out they were out of the Hudson sweepstakes, they signed Kennedy within an hour.

The left-handed-hitting Kennedy actually had a better 2009 season than Hudson. Kennedy hit .289 with 11 home runs, 63 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 129 games for the Athletics. The previous two years, he played in just a combined 202 games because of injuries and a lack of production.

Kennedy said he was on a mission this past season because he felt a lot of teams believed he was on the downside of his career.

"I had a little bit of a hardship in St. Louis in 2007. I made sure that was never going to happen again," Kennedy said. "I was given an opportunity in Oakland to play every day. I was really ready to take advantage of it. I understood what was at stake for me and my career at that point.

"I'm not done yet. I'm only 34 years old. The way my body feels right now, hopefully I could combine that with a little bit of knowledge and go from there."

Hank: Yankees can repeat in 2010

2010-02-08T02:29:00.001-08:00

NEW YORK -- Hank Steinbrenner believes the Yankees are in position to repeat as World Series champions after adding pitcher Javier Vazquez and outfielder Curtis Granderson during the offseason.

The Yankees' co-chairman chatted with The Associated Press on Thursday in Tampa, Fla., speaking highly of general manager Brian Cashman's offseason moves to bolster New York's rotation and change the appearance of the club's outfield.

"The two trades that Brian did, I was really pleased with and very proud of," Steinbrenner told The AP. "I think that is going to make a big difference for us."

Acquired from the Braves, Vazquez will slide into a rotation that already includes CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte, with the fifth starter yet to be decided.

The hope is that Vazquez solves an issue the Yankees had last October, when they had to lean on a three-man rotation to get through the postseason and World Series.

"We needed another top-notch starter and got one," Steinbrenner said.

Granderson, a 2009 American League All-Star, was obtained from the Tigers and will play either left field or center field in 2010. New York also added designated hitter Nick Johnson and outfielder Randy Winn during the offseason, while bidding farewell to Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, among others.

Tampa resident Derek Jeter has started working out at the club's Himes Avenue Minor League complex and spent time with Hank Steinbrenner and his brother, managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, according to The AP.

"I asked him his opinion, and he said, 'It's all about pitching,'" Hank Steinbrenner said of Jeter.

Jeter is entering the final season of a 10-year, $189 million contract. The Yankees have a policy of not negotiating new deals until after a player's previous contract, and Cashman has said that his plan is to maintain that stance with Jeter.

"We'll get into all of that eventually," Steinbrenner said. "Jeter's place in Yankee history is obvious, so I think you can pretty much assume from there."

McDonald eyes slot in Dodgers' rotation

2010-02-08T02:27:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES -- James McDonald gets a do-over.

A year ago -- with six regular-season scoreless innings and 5 1/3 more in the playoffs under his belt -- he came into Spring Training as the lukewarm favorite for the fifth starter job, got the nod when the season opened, but lasted only four starts.

A year later, he's in the mix again for the same job. Management isn't so sure, which is why it opened the competition to at least a half-dozen other candidates, while suggesting McDonald could just as easily wind up a reliever.

No, thanks, said McDonald. He wants that fifth slot in the rotation and he said he's ready to win it.

"I want to be a starter," McDonald said. "Last year, I didn't even know. This year I'm coming in with a different mindset, and starting is all I'm thinking about."

McDonald won the job by default last spring with a 2-3 record and 5.09 ERA, which was good enough to best Jason Schmidt, Eric Milton, Eric Stults, Shawn Estes and Claudio Vargas. Stults is back this year, joined by Scott Elbert, Josh Lindblom, Charlie Haeger, Rule 5 Draft pick Carlos Monasterios, Russ Ortiz and Ramon Ortiz.

It would seem to be a deeper and healthier group of competitors this time around, but based on his 2009 season, McDonald seems the most deserving to make the Major League staff this year. And he said he has something this spring that was missing last spring.

"Confidence," he said. "It's a big difference maker in anything you do."

McDonald said he grew up as a pitcher with a stint this winter in the Dominican Republic.

"It was a great learning process," he said. "You're facing a lot of older Latin guys down there and they know how to hit so you have to learn how to pitch. I came out of it a way better pitcher."

After "winning" the fifth starter job last spring, he went 1-1 with an 8.78 ERA before being sent to the bullpen, a brief waystation before a demotion to Triple-A. After six effective starts for Albuquerque, McDonald was recalled and settled into a comfortable role as a middle reliever.

In 41 relief appearances, he was 4-4 with a 2.72 ERA. He was especially effective against left-handed hitters (.213 average), at home (2.78 ERA) and with runners in scoring position and two out (.182).

The slender 25-year-old right-hander from Long Beach blames his struggles last April on the mental part of the game.

"I was shaky, I was questioning myself," he said. "I was thinking about stuff that was going to happen, that might go wrong, if I don't do this or if I don't do that. I've learned to wipe all that out, just pitch one pitch at a time."

Verlander, Tigers finalize five-year deal

2010-02-04T17:03:00.002-08:00

DETROIT -- Justin Verlander might be one of the most competitive athletes in baseball. He just won some long-term security.

The Tigers, in turn, won the services of their ace for five more years, signing Verlander to an $80 million extension that will keep one of baseball's brightest young starters in Detroit through 2014.

Verlander will receive a $500,000 signing bonus. He'll earn $6.75 million this year, $12.75 million in 2011 and $20 million in each of the following three seasons.

It became official in a rare February news conference for the Tigers, who haven't had a media event this close to Spring Training since they signed Magglio Ordonez in 2005. But it shows just how significant of a signing this is for Detroit, both short and long term.

To punctuate the point, the Tigers had Verlander sign the contract on the podium in a formal ceremony as cameras snapped and team officials smiled.

"It's a very happy moment for the organization," team president/general manager Dave Dombrowski said. "To me, he's one of the best pitchers in the game of baseball, and somebody that can anchor our staff here over the next five years with some other quality young pitchers. He puts us in position to trot out one of the best starting staffs in the game."

Though the Tigers have been watching their finances lately, Verlander is the unquestioned face of the franchise, even at the tender age of 26. The reaction he received from fans on the team's Winter Caravan and at TigerFest last month backed up the perception. One fan who got an autograph from Verlander at TigerFest asked him to please not leave Detroit.

"You know, when it comes down to it, I feel like I've grown up in this city," Verlander said. "I've made a name for myself here, and I love the old English 'D'. The fans have always supported me since Day 1. I think that means a lot. I feel at home here."

The deal pretty much keeps him home. The five-year contract will cover Verlander's two remaining arbitration years and three years of potential free agency. He should still be in his prime years then -- just about to turn 32 -- so Verlander could easily get another long-term deal if he continues to stay healthy and productive.

Verlander could've chosen to take a chance and hit the open market in two years as likely the most coveted pitcher on the market. In the end, he insists, that didn't interest him.

"It wasn't very tempting, to be honest," Verlander said. "I mean, it's fun to think about. But you know what? For all the reasons I touched on earlier about being a Tiger at heart, that's where I want to be. Why risk anything else if you know that this is where you want to play baseball? There's really no point.

"I certainly don't plan on my career being over in five years, so I hope to be around here a lot longer."

Verlander's turnaround in 2009 was at the heart of Detroit's run to within a game of the AL Central crown. A year after sharing the Major League lead in losses with 17, the 26-year-old right-hander tied for the big league lead in wins with a 19-9 record. His 269 strikeouts, 240 innings and 35 starts all led the Majors in what was the most dominant season from a Tigers starter since Jack Morris two decades earlier.

Morris didn't spend his entire career with Detroit, but with 14 seasons, he had a pretty long Tigers tenure. With a five-year contract, Verlander is in line to make it at least a decade.

Both team officials and Verlander had been quiet about the talks before Thursday's news conference. One catalyst to help get talks going was the five-year, $78 million contract the Mariners negotiated with Felix Hernandez. Like Hernandez, Verlander would've been eligible for free agency after the 2011 season without a deal. Both of them finished in the top three in 2009 American League Cy Young Award voting, behind winner Zack Greinke.

Verlander's agents, Mike Milchin and Mark Pieper, downplayed the contractual similarities.

"Certainly Felix is somebody we look at as an incredibly good second-time arbitration-eligible starter," Milchin said. "But I think that we all, on our side, we think Justin's a little different. We think he's a special guy. He's got some makeup and some other things that I think are special qualities. Justin has certainly portrayed what the club means to him, and I think that Justin's a valuable part of the Tigers.

"Dave and [team legal counsel] John [Westhoff], as always, were incredibly professional for us to work with. It was actually pretty easy and not too much of a struggle, I think, to accomplish what we did today."

There's certainly some risk on that end from the Tigers, who have seen Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson, and Dontrelle Willis all miss significant time with injuries and inconsistency since signing long-term deals.

Verlander's 244 innings led the Majors last year, and his 3,937 total pitches were 305 more than the next-highest total from Hernandez. But Verlander hasn't had a major injury since turning pro, and he is meticulous about an offseason workout program that he credits for allowing him to throw so hard for so many pitches one outing after another. So far, there are no physical indications that Verlander can't keep up his workload.

Verlander's work ethic reinforced the Tigers' confidence.

"There's a gamble on anybody that you sign long-term," Dombrowski said. "But to gamble on somebody that has premium talent, premium work ethic, has been a Tiger since Day 1 -- and you really know the person and know those things about him -- if you're going to be aggressive and make things happen, those are the people you need to keep in your organization."

The contract, Dombrowski said, won't change that. Verlander backed that up.

"They know I'm not going to change," Verlander said. "Day in and day out, I want to win baseball games. It doesn't matter whether I'm making one cent or a billion dollars. It's not going to change my personality, especially when I step on the mound."

Twins in pursuit of infielder Hudson

2010-02-04T17:03:00.001-08:00

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins appear to be getting close to making a deal with second baseman Orlando Hudson, a Major League source told MLB.com on Thursday.

ESPN's Buster Olney reported later on Thursday that the deal would be worth $5 million.

Hudson would fill the club's hole at second base and provide it with a natural fit in the No. 2 spot in the lineup.

Last season, Hudson batted .283 with 35 doubles, nine home runs and 62 RBIs for the Dodgers. He scored 74 runs and had an on-base percentage of .357.

Twins general manager Bill Smith declined comment when asked about Hudson on Thursday, keeping with his policy of not discussing specific players.

Hudson, 32, made a base salary of $3.38 million in 2009 with the Dodgers, but with incentives, he received close to $7 million. Hudson was thought to be looking for a guarantee closer to his actual '09 earnings, though the industry speculation has been that he'll have to take a pay cut.

The Nationals had appeared to be one of the leading candidates for Hudson, but the two sides were too far apart on money, the source said. Another team that reportedly expressed interest in Hudson was the Indians.

Sizemore moves on from picture issue

2010-02-04T17:02:00.001-08:00

CLEVELAND -- Grady Sizemore says he's back to being the picture of health.

But it's a different set of pictures that defined his offseason.

In November, while Sizemore was recuperating from September surgeries that addressed his left elbow and lower abdominal wall, semi-nude photographs of him surfaced on the Internet. The photos were all taken by Sizemore and intended only for the eyes of his girlfriend. But he said they leaked after somebody hacked into her e-mail account.

"Right now, I'm doing everything I can to put it behind me," Sizemore said Thursday. "We all know what happened. I never intended for any of this to be public. This is a private matter, and I apologize that we're even here talking about it right now."

Of course, in this day and age, little involving those in the limelight remains private. Sizemore, who was in town to present an award at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards, considers the experience a lesson learned.

"It's embarrassing," he said. "You don't want intimate photos of yourself out there. ... It's scary something like this can happen. But at the same time, it's not like we were out there trying to advertise ourselves or anything like that."

For that reason, Sizemore is apologetic only to a certain degree.

"I don't feel I did anything wrong," he said. "This was something that was shared between me and my girlfriend. I'm sorry that I have to involve the Indians' organization and the fans in all of this."

When the photos leaked online, Sizemore contacted MLB officials to try to prevent the pictures from spreading. But once they're out there, they're out there for all to see.

As far as catching the hacker is concerned, Sizemore said he alerted authorities to what had transpired, but he was vague about the results.

"When everything happened, the proper authorities were involved and handled it appropriately," he said. "The proper authorities handled it as best they could. I let them handle it and went about my business."

Sizemore's business involved the rehab program that he says has him at 100 percent and ready for Spring Training. He has initiated baseball activities and isn't anticipating much, if any, lag behind his teammates in camp.

The 2009 season was Sizemore's worst at the Major League level. His batting average (.248), on-base percentage (.343) and slugging percentage (.445) were all career lows for a full season. The nagging groin issue, which forced him out of the World Baseball Classic, contributed to him stealing just 13 bases after swiping 38 in 2008. The elbow issue noticeably affected him on throws from the outfield.

With the Indians out of contention by the All-Star break, the struggles of Sizemore, a three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner who won the Silver Slugger Award in '08, were a bit less magnified than they might have been. He spent three weeks on the disabled list in June but wasn't shut down for surgery until Sept. 4. He said he has no regrets about trying to play through the pain.

"It was my goal to stay in there as long as I could," he said.

The 27-year-old Sizemore has quickly become one of the elder statesmen in the Tribe clubhouse, as many of his fellow core players have been traded away. A leadership role doesn't necessarily suit his quiet tendencies, but he said it's a role he's ready to take on. He is not, however, anticipating any extra pressure after his down year.

"I always feel like I want to prove myself to my teammates on the field," he said. "I don't feel I have to prove anything more than I have in previous years. I'm just trying to get healthy, get back on the field and help my team."

Marlins expect to contend for playoffs

2010-02-04T17:00:00.002-08:00

MIAMI -- So much was made this offseason about moves the Marlins were likely going to make. For months, most of the discussion focused on whether the club would subtract from its roster, rather than add to it.

Among the most pressing issues were whether two-time All-Star Dan Uggla and ace right-hander Josh Johnson would be traded.

The Uggla and Johnson storylines dominated Marlins news for a majority of the offseason. The answers to both questions came in January, when their respective statuses were put to rest. Johnson signed a four-year, $39 million contract, and Uggla came to terms on a $7.8 million deal for this season.

By retaining the core of players from 2009, optimism is running high as Spring Training swiftly approaches.

Coming off an 87-win campaign last year, Florida believes it has enough pieces to reach the postseason in 2010.

The decision to keep most of what they already had was a function of payroll coupled with player assessments made by president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest, general manager Mike Hill and their staff.

"We took what we knew going into this '10 season, what our payroll was going to be," Marlins president David Samson said. "Then it was up to Larry and Mike. What are the best players to have at those particular dollars, to build a team?

"The decision was made that we wanted this team back because we were so close; to get them together for one more year -- it will be their fifth season together. Keep this nucleus. Sprinkle in some people. Get some good starting pitching. Put together the bullpen, and all of a sudden, you are one of eight."

"One of eight" is a phrase the Marlins often use, meaning they want to be among the eight playoff clubs. Their goal isn't necessarily to win the National League East. It's to get into the postseason. As the franchise has witnessed in the past, once it is in, anything can happen.

The Marlins have never won a division title, yet, via the Wild Card, they have captured two World Series crowns.

Are the makings for a realistic playoff run in place?

Bringing back Johnson and Uggla, along with Jorge Cantu, Cody Ross and Ricky Nolasco, has the Marlins thinking they can play deep into October.

"That's exactly where we plan to be," Samson said. "We thought we were going to be there last year. We fell short. But this year, we would not expect to fall short."

If the Marlins are to improve on 2009 and be in the playoffs, they will be doing so with primarily the same team as last year.

The club hasn't made any major free-agent signings. The two trades the Marlins completed were sending outfielder Jeremy Hermida to Boston for prospects, including lefty reliever Hunter Jones. And reliever Matt Lindstrom was dealt to the Astros for prospects and Rule 5 third baseman Jorge Jimenez.

Florida's payroll will rise into the $40 million range. The franchise also is looking to keep building momentum, and have a championship-caliber club when it moves into its new stadium in 2012.

"From our standpoint, we wanted to do everything we could to build on last year, as we head towards the new ballpark," Samson said. "We want to get momentum, because our mandate has always been the same. We want to win in 2012. But we'd like to have that come off two championship seasons in '10 and '11. We've never rebuilt, other than '05-06. We want to win every year."

MLB.TV continues to raise the bar

2010-02-04T17:00:00.001-08:00

Kelle Martin is a 29-year-old Red Sox fan living in Austin, Texas, and in the middle of the last Major League Baseball season someone gave her a gift subscription to MLB.TV Premium.

The 2010 MLB.TV subscription package is now available, and Martin was among the first baseball fans to sign up at just $119.95 for the full year -- "because I love it so much."

"MLB.TV Premium is a perfect fit for me because I don't want to miss a single game," Martin, an assistant to the president for a construction management company, said in an e-mail to MLB.com on Wednesday night. "Not living in the Boston area, I don't have access to local broadcasts airing the Red Sox. I'm renewing my subscription this season because with MLB.TV I can watch nearly every game in its entirety in HD quality.

"I also like that I have access to my account anywhere, so missing a game is nearly impossible. ... You can't do that with regular TV.

"The best part is that it's reasonably priced. It's a no-brainer for me. I'll continue to be a loyal subscriber to MLB.TV because the experience of watching baseball just isn't the same without it. I couldn't think of a better way to watch."

She would get no argument from Mariners fan Nathan Bishop, who tweeted the following to his fellow fans on Twitter: "MLB.TV 2010 purchased."

Those fans are typical of the millions who have subscribed to MLB.TV since its inception in 2002, and it is back better than ever for its eighth season as a bar-raising technology in pro sports. Yearly subscriptions are now available at $99.95 for MLB.TV and $119.95 for MLB.TV Premium. That will give you immediate access to relive every moment from every Major League game played in the 2009 season, including the Yankees' World Series clincher.

As part of the subscription, you will be able to watch or listen to more than 150 live games from Florida and Arizona as teams prepare for the 2010 regular season. The Spring Training schedule starts with Braves vs. Mets on March 2 in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

Portability is front and center among the 2010 features, as fans will enjoy convenient MLB.TV options optimized for numerous screens, from home and office computers to laptops and large monitors. Additional distribution through apps on various Apple products, including the company's latest innovation, the iPad, essentially means that MLB.TV has something for everybody, everywhere there's an Internet or mobile connection.

The full schedule of 2,430 regular-season games is included, and most of those are delivered in HD quality (where available). MLB.com's proprietary speed detection allows high-speed users to receive crisp, best-in-class streaming video on any size monitor.

Fans also will get real-time highlights and stats; on-demand access to full-game archives for viewing of any inning from the whole season; MLB.com Condensed Games featuring a quick, detailed journey from first pitch through the final out; access to MLB.com Gameday Audio and a new, interactive, proprietary pitch-by-pitch display; Clickable Linescores that take visitors straight to any half-inning of a game; and a Fantasy Player Tracker consisting of ballplayers customized by subscribers and integrated with participating league rosters.

MLB.TV Premium subscribers get all that, and they also can enjoy the following features: Choice of home or away broadcast feeds, so favorite announcers are always a simple click away; DVR for pausing, rewinding and jumping back to live action; and a multi-game view (Quad Mode, Picture in Picture and Split Screen).

MLB.com made its 2010 MLB.TV subscriptions available on Jan. 27, featuring state-of-the-art delivery of live, out-of-market MLB games as part of an unprecedented full season of access to the product over a variety of devices. That includes customers enabled to buy through applications on the iPhone, iPod Touch and the brand-new iPad.

Many fans are asking when the 2010 MLB.com At Bat app will be available and on what platforms, and the answer is to subscribe to MLB.TV and then stay tuned as it will be available between now and Opening Day. The anticipation over that 2010 app is understandable given the impact it had on so many fans last season.

The MLB.com At Bat app was synched up with MLB.TV during the 2009 season so that fans could watch all live out-of-market games over their iPhone and iPod Touch devices. That changed everything. It was the overall No. 2-selling app in iTunes for '09. Rave reviews included Best Multimedia App by Macworld and "2009 Most Valuable App" by Sports Illustrated, and CNET called it "another step in proving MLB.com's technical superiority."

The success of At Bat made it obvious to people that an MLB.TV subscription would be a natural fit as well for Apple's newest product. It will look different, but no matter what, it always starts with having an MLB.TV subscription, which you can get right now.

"We were incredibly excited to build something for the iPad, and we realized we couldn't just take our existing iPhone app and make it bigger," Chad Evans, director of mobile product development for MLB Advanced Media, explained to a worldwide audience that followed the iPad event. "We really needed to create a whole new experience to take advantage of the big, gorgeous interactive screen on the device."

Evans and Tracy Pesin, director of mobile engineering at MLBAM, went through several screen displays showing how the content will look, including users' ability to touch players for details, bells and whistles, and to access data pertinent to game situations.

"With all this great screen space, we can now let you watch video highlights while all this is going on, so you can replay the game's best moments," Evans said. "The first thing you notice is baseball is amazing on this screen, and now we've enhanced it."

The 2010 MLB.TV media player will deliver a fleet of enhancements in a convenient, cutting-edge Adobe Flash format, offering an unparalleled live viewing experience for every out-of-market regular season game. Meanwhile, the MLB.com iPad application will support MLB.TV natively without Flash. It might not have the full feature set of the Flash version at the launch, but features will be added over time.

Baseball is about to return, starting on the fields of Arizona and Florida for Spring Training. Pitchers and catchers report starting on Feb. 18, then the first exhibitions are March 2, and then it's Yankees at Red Sox for that Sunday night opener on April 4. It will all be here fast, and now is the time to sign up for MLB.TV Premium like Martin did -- because you love it.

Roundup: Can Lincecum, Giants settle?

2010-02-04T16:59:00.004-08:00

With Spring Training on the horizon, here are some of the Hot Stove happenings from Thursday.

Lincecum, Giants to settle before a hearing?
Tim Lincecum's agent told The San Jose Mercury News on Tuesday that it was pretty much a sure thing that the two-time Cy Young Award winner was headed to an arbitration hearing. But on Wednesday night, MLB.com's Chris Haft wrote: "Knowledgeable observers doubt that a salary showdown with the Giants will unfold." Lincecum filed a $13 million request when potential arbitration figures were exchanged, and the Giants countered with $8 million. Though a daunting $5 million difference stands in the way, Brian Sabean has made a habit of avoiding hearings in his 13 years as the club's general manager, and various agents speaking on condition of anonymity told Haft they believe the Giants and Lincecum will somehow come to an agreement. Talks of a two-year deal between the Giants and Lincecum have reportedly gone nowhere. But one agent told Haft the Giants don't want to face the possibility of paying their ace $5 million more than they offered, and another agent predicted the 25-year-old right-hander would settle for $11 million, which would be the highest salary for a third-year Major Leaguer.

Twins land O-Dog?
The Twins "appear to be getting close to making a deal" with free-agent second baseman Orlando Hudson, a Major League source told MLB.com. Hudson would fill the club's hole at second base and hit in the No. 2 spot. The Nationals have been linked to Hudson for a big portion of the offseason, but on Tuesday, MLB.com's Bill Ladson wrote that money is holding up a Hudson deal for the Nats. And that seems to have been what prevented the two sides from coming together in the end. At that time, Ladson said the 32-year-old switch-hitter was asking for $9 million for 2010, and an unnamed source told FOXSports.com Hudson is asking for "at least $6 million on a one-year deal." The Indians had also popped up in rumors for Hudson, but MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince wrote recently that Hudson "probably doesn't" fit in with the Tribe.

Tigers lock up Verlander
The Tigers reached agreement on a long-term extension with the ace and face of their franchise, when they announced the signing of Justin Verlander to a five-year, $80 million contract. The Associated Press first reported the deal, which keeps Verlander locked up through the '14 season -- taking care of his final two arbitration years and his first three years of free agency -- and is worth slightly more than the five-year, $78 million contract Felix Hernandez recently signed with the Mariners. Verlander, who will turn 27 on Feb. 20, is a former American League Rookie of the Year and two-time All-Star with a 65-43 record and a 3.92 ERA in his five-year career. In '09, the right-hander led the AL in starts (35) and innings pitched (240), was tied for first in wins (19) and sported a 3.45 ERA while finishing third in AL Cy Young Award voting.

Bedard headed back to Seattle?
According to MLB.com's Jim Street, free-agent left-hander Erik Bedard has re-signed with the Mariners on a one-year, $1.5 million contract that's loaded with incentives. Bedard, who made $7.75 million in '09, is expected to miss the first three or four months of the regular season. But the 30-year-old is reportedly progressing very well from labrum surgery on his left (throwing) shoulder in August and could conceivably return to a big league mound as early as May. Bedard has been limited to 30 combined starts the past two years, but he went 5-3 with a slim 2.82 ERA in 15 outings with Seattle in '09. Over the past four years, he's a combined 39-23 with a 3.40 ERA.

Twins, Thome official
The Twins made it official with veteran lefty slugger Jim Thome, who passed his physical and is now set to earn $1.5 million in '09 -- plus a possible $750,000 in incentives. The 39-year-old, who has a .277 batting average and 564 home runs in his 19-year career, will come in strictly as a bench player. The Twins already have a lefty-hitting designated hitter in Jason Kubel and are committed to Delmon Young as their everyday left fielder, rather than moving Kubel to the outfield. But Thome, who made $13 million while batting .249 with 23 homers and 77 RBIs in 124 games for the White Sox and Dodgers last season, could get some spot starts at DH and also spell Justin Morneau at first base.

Cubs, Marmol avoid arbitration
The Cubs signed Carlos Marmol to a one-year, $2.125 million contract that avoided arbitration with the 27-year-old closer. Marmol, who made $575,000 last year, was asking for $2.5 million and the Cubs countered with $1.75 million when potential arbitration figures were released recently. The Cubs, who haven't gone to arbitration since 1993 -- with Mark Grace -- have just Ryan Theriot as a remaining unsigned arbitration-eligible player. Marmol battled for the closer's spot in back-to-back springs in '08 and '09 and took over for Kevin Gregg in mid-August, finishing the season 11-for-11 in save opportunities.

Chicago also announced the signing of Kevin Millar to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training.

Four clubs in on Takahashi
Japanese left-hander Hisanori Takahashi has Minor League offers from the Red Sox, Giants, Padres and Dodgers, according to a report by Sports Hochi, which was passed along via Twitter by NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman. Takahashi, whose best pitch is a screwball, went 10-6 with a 2.94 ERA for the Yomiuri Giants this past season, and his best year came in '07, when he went 14-4 with a 2.75 ERA in 186 2/3 innings. He sports a career 3.70 ERA in 10 seasons with the Giants. ESPN.com previously reported that the 34-year-old is looking for a Major League deal and is willing to pitch out of the bullpen. The Orioles and Mets were also reported to have interest by ESPN.com recently.

Phils give Villarreal a shot
The Phillies continued to round up emergency arms when they agreed on a one-year contract with veteran right-hander Oscar Villarreal. The 28-year-old, who missed the entire '09 season after undergoing Tommy John elbow-ligament replacement surgery in April, doesn't have an invitation to Spring Training because the club wants to ease him back into a normal workload to see if he can perhaps contribute at some point during the season. Villarreal reportedly hit 89-90 mph on the radar gun during a throwing session on Friday. The Mexico native last pitched in the Majors for the Astros in '08, going 1-3 with a 5.02 ERA in 35 relief appearances, striking out 21 and walking 17 in 37 2/3 innings. His best season came with the Braves in '06, when he finished 9-1 with a 3.61 ERA in 58 games (four starts).

Cubs, Marmol agree to one-year deal

2010-02-04T16:59:00.003-08:00

CHICAGO -- The Cubs signed Carlos Marmol to a one-year, $2.125 million contract Thursday, avoiding arbitration with their closer.

Marmol, 27, who made $575,000 last year, was asking for $2.5 million while the Cubs offered $1.75 million.

Only shortstop Ryan Theriot remains unsigned of the team's arbitration-eligible players. Theriot, 30, who made $500,000 last season, his third as the starting shortstop, is seeking $3.4 million, while the Cubs offered $2.6 million.

The two sides can come to an agreement at any point before an actual hearing. Arbitrators listen to arguments from both sides about the player's value and then pick either the player's figure or the team's figure.

The Cubs have not gone to arbitration since 1993, when Mark Grace filed for $4.1 million and the Cubs offered $3.1 million. The Cubs won that case and have a 3-2 record in such cases.

Marmol had battled for the closer's spot in back-to-back springs in 2008 and '09, and took over the job in mid-August, replacing Kevin Gregg. The right-hander finished the season 11-for-11 in save opportunities. Marmol led the team with 27 holds last year and now has 73 in his career, tied for first all-time on the Cubs with Kyle Farnsworth.

If there is a concern about Marmol, it's the high number of walks the right-hander issued last season. He walked 65 over 74 innings in 79 games while striking out 93. In 2008, Marmol walked 41 and struck out 114 in 87 1/3 innings over 82 games.