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Hot Todd Coors doesn't water down Helton's heroics
What Todd Helton is doing is absolutely unbelievable. He may not be able to hit .400 for the whole season, but don't let anyone tell you that playing at Coors Field will cheapen it if he does. Helton is hitting .360 away from Coors, so it's not like he's embarrassing himself on the road. Also, he isn't facing the same pitcher four times a game the way Ted Williams did in 1941. I can agree with the critics on one thing ... hitting .400 does NOT make him NL MVP. MVPs make teams contenders, and the Rockies won't be going to the playoffs.
Arms buildupPitching help is on the way for the Indians. Manager Charlie Manuel told me he expects Ricardo Rincon and Charles Nagy to come back in September. Rincon would be a huge boost for the bullpen and Nagy will definitely be needed in back-to-back double headers in Boston late next month.
Positive reinforcementIn their first 232 at-bats, Yankee veteran pick-ups David Justice, Glenallen Hill and Jose Canseco have hit .358, with 25 home runs and 59 RBIs.
Change of paceJeff D'Amico's secret may be that he can't throw as hard as he used to. He told me that after shoulder reconstruction and two years of rehab, his curveball isn't nearly as fast as it used to be. But increasing the difference in speeds between his fastball and curve has led to a 7-0 record and a 1.14 ERA in his last nine starts.The same thing is working for the Mets' John Franco. He told me he's taken about five miles per hour off his changeup and started throwing it for strikes. It's working. He hasn't given up an earned run in two months.
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