Around the horn with Jack Lang
Hoping for better luck in draft, Phils eye Burrell
Posted: Sunday May 31, 1998 03:08 PM
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Miami's Pat Burrell (right) is greeted at home plate by his teammates after hitting a two-run home run against Long Beach State (AP) |
NEW YORK (CNN/SI) -- The Phillies, who struck out with their No. 1 pick in last
year's draft when J.D. Drew and his agent asked for an
unconscionable $11 million contract, are expected to settle for
University of Miami third baseman Pat Burrell with the first
pick in Tuesday's draft.
With Scott Rolen already entrenched at third, the Phillies would
ask Burrell to switch to first base if and when he reaches the
majors.
The Oakland Athletics have the second pick and may have already
worked out a deal to sign Drew now that he is eligible again.
If not, their choice is likely to be University of Michigan
lefthander Mark Mulder. ...
Walk this way ... again
So it's never happened before. That's what they said Thursday
night when Buck Showalter ordered Barry Bonds walked
intentionally with the bases loaded to narrow Arizona's lead
over San Francisco from 8-6 to 8-7. Sorry, but it has happened
before. Showalter was not original with this strategy.
Back on July 23, 1944, after Bill (Swish) Nicholson of the
Chicago Cubs had hit four consecutive home runs in a
doubleheader, he came up with the bases loaded against Mel Ott's
New York Giants. The Giants were leading 12-9 when Ott ordered
an intentional pass to Nicholson to force in a run and the
Giants held on for a 12-10 win. ...
Kile High Stadium
Sometimes the experts do get it right. When Darryl Kile left
Houston as a free agent last winter and signed with the Colorado
Rockies, there were a lot of eyebrows raised. Why would a good
curveball pitcher like Kile opt to pitch in a city where
breaking pitches are not effective in that high altitude. Here
we are entering the third month of the baseball season and Kile
is 5-3 on the road with a fine 3.18 ERA while in Coors Field he
is 0-3 with a 6.60 ERA. ...
Admonishing Armando
New York Yankees first baseman Tino Martinez has already missed
seven games with sore back muscles since being hit in the back
by Baltimore's Armando Benitez on May 17. For his alleged
intentional beanball, Benitez was suspended for eight games. So
once again the victim is paying the same time as the perpetrator
of the crime. American League President Gene Budig ought to
make Benitez sit as long as Martinez is out. ...
Trade talk radio
In all this radio talk about the Mets trading Todd Hundley and
Hundley wanting to be traded, will someone please realize the
Mets can't trade one of their All-Star catchers until the other
one is signed? If the Mets do trade Hundley when he's healthy
again, they better be sure to have Mike Piazza under contract or
he'll have another bargaining chip in his bid for a $100 million
contract. ...
Boston Red Sox first baseman Mo Vaughn, a free agent at the end
of this season, does not expect to re-sign with the Red Sox.
But he isn't looking to joining the Yankees.
"You already have a first baseman named Tino Martinez," Vaughn
sends a message to the Yankees, "and Tino is a friend of mine.
I would never push a friend." ...
Give a little
New York Mets co-owner Nelson Doubleday tells Marty Noble in
Newsday why he and partner Fred Wilpon abstained from approving
Rupert Murdoch when the media baron purchased the Los Angeles
Dodgers.
"I remember something [former commissioner] Bowie Kuhn once
said," Doubleday told Noble. "Bowie said you just can't take,
take, take. You have to give to the game and to the fans. I'm
not sure the new Dodger owner is going to give back."
This came after Murdoch's suits trade Mike Piazza, making
Doubleday's thinking months ago right on the mark. ...
MSNBC was the same source for the rumored Randy Johnson-Hideo
Nomo trade that recently also forecast the Mike Piazza-to-Miami
deal. The MSNBC source said the two clubs talked extensively on
Wednesday.
Seattle general manager Woody Woodward denied there was an
exchange of the names rumored by MSNBC, but did not deny the two
clubs talked. How's it going to look if the Dodgers give
Johnson the big contract he wants to pitch every fifth day after
turning down a big bucks pact with an every day player like
Piazza. ...
Easley does it
It's going to be Roberto Alomar or Chuck Knoblauch as the
American League's starting second baseman in the All-Star game
but a guy deserving recognition is Detroit's Damion Easley. The
Tigers' second sacker is hitting .333 with 14 homers and 42 RBIs
and is only one of two major leaguers among the leaders. The
other is Atlanta's Chipper Jones. ...
This 'n' that
Baseball games attract celebrities and there's nothing new about
that. Mariah Carey, who is escorted around New York by Yankee
shortstop Derek Jeter, frequently attends Yankees games. Across
the river, Jerry Seinfeld grew up a Mets fan and still attends
games at Shea Stadium. But sometimes the celebrity bit can be
overdone as it was in Comiskey Park the other night, much to the
annoyance of White Sox manager Jerry Manuel.
Hits by girlfriend Mariah Carey were played over the loud
speaker system every time Jeter came to the plate. Manuel
didn't enjoy it and ordered it halted for the next night's game.
"If they don't cut it out, I'll go up there myself and shut it
off," Manuel said. And remember, that was in his home park. The
Yankees could annoy Manuel even more by playing it for each of
Jeter's plate appearances when the White Sox come to Yankee
Stadium next week. ...
One of the big issues that will be on the table when the owners
and the players union sit down to negotiate the next bargaining
agreement will be schedule changes. It's one of the players'
major beefs right now. Because of the interleague play and
unbalanced schedule, there are too many weird road trips.
The Cincinnati Reds, for instance, are in Los Angeles this
weekend, then on to San Francisco before playing home for three
inter-league games against Cleveland. But then they fly right
back to the West Coast to play the San Diego Padres. The
schedulemakers are moving these teams around like circus
elephants. ...
Worst bullpens in the majors? The dubious distinction goes to
the Seattle Mariners and St. Louis Cardinals with 11 blown saves each.
Surprisingly, the front-running Yankees are third with nine. But
with their lineup, the Yankees are able to overcome a lot of
blown saves and come back to win. Doug Jones, who had only two
blown saves all last year while saving 36 for Milwaukee, has
already blown six opportunities this year, most in the majors.
Jack Lang is a columnist for SportsTicker
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