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Twins 1B Justin Morneau Among Missing

2012-01-18T08:54:00.011-05:00

Joe Mauer will be there. Ron Gardenhire will be there. Brian Duensing and Denard Span will, as will Tony Oliva, Rod Carew, Bert Blyleven, Tom Kelly, Dan Gladden and a host of other current and former Minnesota Twins personalities.

But where is Justin Morneau?

Morneau, the eight-year veteran whose MVP year saw him bat .321 with 34 homers in 2006, is among the missing as the team sets out on its two-week Winter Caravan promotional tour. His absence doesn't necessarily point to disaster, but it is none too reassuring either, given Morneau's health issues over the past three seasons.

If there was one person fans would want to see smiling, healthy and happy more than any other, it would be Justin Morneau. The tour runs through Jan. 30, but Morneau's not coming, now or later.

Various team testimonials depict the 6-foot-4 Canadian working out and healthy in sunny Florida, eagerly getting ready for 2012. But that's the same news that was reported last year when the ailing slugger missed half the year, then hit a mere .227 with just four homers in 264 at-bats.

Morneau, 31, because he makes up half of the team's critical M&M keystone with Joe Mauer, needs to recover his playing ability if the Twins are to avoid another disaster like the 2011 season. The problem is, in addition to other illnesses, Morneau has suffered mightily from post concussive syndrome, the result of a repeated blows to his head since he began playing hockey as a teenager.

The malady is marked by headaches, dizziness, nausea, blurry vision, inability to concentrate, sunlight aversion and other manifestations, none worse than an inability to function as normally as anyone else throughout the day, to say nothing of being able to play professional baseball.

It is not only the type of disorder that permanently sidelined former Twins corner infielder Cory Koskie, it IS the disorder. Said Morneau recently to the London Free Press: "I won't know how my body is going to react until I do baseball activities."

He told MLB News Network: "Something's not right."

Starlin Castro's Fate Likely Lies With Grand Jury

2012-01-18T04:30:00.002-05:00

The fate of Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro -- who has been questioned in connection with a possible sexual assault -- likely lies with the office of State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, who can be expected to study police findings before deciding whether to send the young defendant through a gauntlet of courthouse appearances beginning with testimony before a Cook County grand jury.

Because Castro has not been charged with crime, authorities likely as not will resort to grand jury testimony from various witnesses, including police, the plaintiff and the defendant, to determine whether evidence can substantiate accusations that otherwise cannot be resolved without a guilty plea, a finding of innocence at trial or a dismissal by a judge. Thus the jurors have a dual responsibility in that they must see to it that justice is done while at the same time protecting the defendant against unfounded claims.

If the state's attorney's office finds evidence lacking, the grand jury may not be necessary. But if Castro is indicted, the case could be drawn out through much if not all of the 2012 baseball season, but not necessarily block Castro from playing while awaiting trial, an event that could be postponed until fall or winter.

Though theoretically a defendant can also be bound over for trial without grand jury action if a judge determines probable cause as the result of a hearing, the grand jury process is often favored in so-called classic cases of "he said, she said" contentiousness.

Castro's lawyers, Jay Reisinger and Michael Gillespie, said their investigation has determined that the allegations are "baseless."

The issues came to light after Chicago radio station WBBM 780 reported that Castro was the subject of a sexual assault investigation which allegedly occurred at a downtown apartment Sept. 29. A local woman whose identity is being withheld claimed said she had gone home with Castro after a night of drinking in a River North club.

She went to the emergency room the next day, prompting hospital officials to relay a description of her condition and other details to police, as required by law. Because the regular baseball season was over and the Cubs were not in post-season play, the next day Castro went home to the Dominican Republic, where extradition procedures can be difficult. While the U.S. legal system in based on English common law, the Dominican Republic's system is based on Napoleonic Code, which in the United States is observed only in Louisiana.

Brett Lawrie Hot at Dish, Hot at Hot Corner

2011-07-27T14:41:00.004-04:00

Though he continues to knock off rust after being waylayed for six weeks with a broken hand, Blue Jays third base prospect Brett Lawrie is quickly rounding out not only with his bat but even his glove.

The 21-year-old former first-round draft pick returned to the Las Vegas 51s last week and quickly put up a 9-19 streak, raising his Triple A batting average to .352, with a .412 onbase percentage and .655 slugging with 16 homers in 261 atbats. He also has stolen 14 bags.

Questions persist about his defensive play at third base, as he has 14 errors, but many came early in the season. Now he is beginning to look pretty flashy around the bag, and at any rate he probably could not do much worse than Blue Jays potential starting third baseman Edwin Encarnacion, a 29-year-old veteran who is anything but a defensive whiz.

After showing flashes of brilliance during spring training, Lawrie, a former catcher and second baseman, continues to demonstrate major league readiness in the field, as he barehanded a hard-hit grounder last week to keep it from going for extra bases, then fielded another tricky bounce to help turn a 5-4 double play.

Meanwhile, fans are becoming inpatient, especially after the Blue Jays made it clear the team is in no hurry to call him to Toronto.

"I've just got to keep playing, and hopefully I'll get an opportunity," Lawrie told The Las Vegas Review Journal.

Slowey to Undergo 'Touch' Examination

2011-05-25T01:13:00.004-04:00

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire has scheduled a 10 a.m. press conference to disclose results of an early morning medical "touch" examination to determine whether bullpen pitcher Kevin Slowey has a hernia, a condition that likely will require surgery.

Slowey, a reliever who possibly would have been ticketed to be converted into a starter for the Triple A Rochester Redwings if he had been healthy, has been complaining of discomfort in his lower torso, which initially led his physicians to suspect he may have strained or torn his oblique or other lower rib muscles or groin.

A magnetic resonance imaging exam, however, clarified that was not the case, leaving a hernia as a probable cause of his complaints, though nothing is certain. Whatever it is, doctors so far have missed it, but will seek clarification with a simple visual inspection and "touch" examination.

Hernias, especially in the pelvis area, can be subtle to detect, but likely will be more apparent once doctors focus on the question, having narrowed down the possibilities.

Many people with hernias lead relatively normal lives, as long as they avoid serious exertions that would aggravate the condition. But baseball and other sports activities pose significant risk of worsening the problem.

The condition occurs when a weakness or hole in the outer abdominal wall -- perhaps as large as a 50-cent piece but probably much smaller -- allows fat or organic tissue to be pressured into or through the hole, causing discomfort, outright pain or even organ malfunctions.

The cure requires relatively simple surgery, so a relatively quick return to play, after a month or so of rehabilitation, would be reasonable. His sidelining would make it difficult, but not impossible, for the Twins to consummate a trade for Slowey, which evidently is being discussed behind closed doors.

Cardinals Move Albert Pujols Into Harm's Way

2011-05-24T13:46:00.001-04:00

Cardinals first basemen Albert Pujols has easily borne the mantle of Superman since the first moment of his arrival from the planet Krypton, but every Superman has his kryptonite and Pujols is no exception.

Ever since his .329 batting average and 37 home runs in his rookie year, observers have tended to forget that not long after he burst onto the scene he sustained a grade 3 tear in the ulnar collateral ligament of his right elbow.

Though Pujols has undergone a number of arthroscopic and other collateral surgical procedures and various cleanups since then, the tear to his "Tommy John ligament" remains manifest and continues to present a threat to his playing ability, especially if he expends significant energy throwing across the diamond from third base to first base.

Thus it seems peculiar that the Cardinals have acquiesced to Pujols' volunteering to play the hot corner, rather than staying strictly at his much less demanding first base position.

Exercise and other rehabilitative reconditioning has built up enough strength in the remaining, or untorn, strands of ligament to provide adequate strength for normal, everyday activity, but not necessarily enough for playing baseball.

As long as Pujols plays first base, he might be able to get by, and so he has. But in intense, pressure situations throwing hard from third base, his elbow could come apart at any time.

Let's repeat that one more time: his elbow could come apart at any time. In other words, he could be one throw away from a trip to the 60-day disabled list, even perhaps from a potential career ending injury.

Certainly one would think that the Cardinals have not only the team's but also Pujols' best interests in determining how to best position him on the field, but the unexpected move to third base, however intermittent, begs the question: Can it be possible that the team is willing to risk his health knowing that he very likely will leave the Cardinals when his contract expires at the end of this year?

Parish the thought, but fact remains that the most prudent medical decision would be to keep Albert Pujols strictly at first base, and better yet, if he does go elsewhere next season, transform him into an American League designated hitter.

Dusty Baker's Genius Rarely Fails to Surprise

2011-05-22T12:24:00.002-04:00

In a world in which Copernicus was nearly drawn and quartered, da Vinci was barely one step away from the pillory and Einstein was ridiculed as "addle-brained," is it any wonder that the genius of Reds manager Dusty Baker is so frequently misunderstood?

In an iconoclasm unparalleled since Baker chose Willy Taveras and his .275 on-base percentage as Reds leadoff batter, and scolded Adam Dunn for walking too much and "clogging up the bases," Baker has now selected swing-and-miss, right-handed power hitter Jonny Gomes to hit in the 2-hole.

Many less-gifted baseball strategists might have thought Baker should have opted in favor of the axiom that a high average, left hander would be better suited to bat second to ensure that the ball would be hit behind baserunners in order to promote their advancement.

That would be too obvious. Baker has chosen instead the element of surprise.

Stunned by the switch, frustrated infielders are left to helplessly bump into one another like blind moles on the dark side of the moon, or so it would seem.

Brandon Phillips is right handed, and might seem to be a better choice to bat second, because he is a much better hitter than Gomes, who is hitting .186 (with an OPS around .460 over the past month).

But seeing as Phillips has hit barely more than 20 homers a season with no more than a .275 average Baker cannot resist using him as a cleanup hitter while the highly regarded Jay Bruce (and his 10 homers) bats as low as seventh and gets plenty of time on the bench .

At least Gomes doesn't hit into double plays, owing to the fact that he strikes out more than a third of the time.

Critics so foolish as to question Baker's brilliance need not despair, however. His lineup cards are a little like Cincinnati's weather; if you don't like it, wait a while and it will change. Baker has used an average of three different lineups a week since the season began.

Wedge Storms, Won't Take Ackley's Name In Vain

2011-05-19T11:44:00.005-04:00

All that was missing from Mariners manager Eric Wedge's tirade was Dustin Ackley's name, but he hardly needed to say it.

"I sure as hell am not going to continue watching this!" Wedge warned reporters after his team upset western division rival Los Angeles but could only scratch out three runs against an unusually wobbly Jeff Weaver in the shutout. "We are going to get better and we are going to do everything that we possibly can to get better."

Wedge's focus was his 25-man roster, particularly the performances of outfielders Michael Saunders and others, whose efforts have left the team ranked 29th out of 30 in major league hitting. But how far away can an offensive infusion from Triple A Tacoma be if Wedge is serious about his declaration that "we need something?"

Ackley, 21, a second base prospect relegated to Tacoma after a mediocre spring, started out slowly this year as evidenced by his .280 overall average. But he has begun pounding on the door more recently, going 19-41 for a .463 average with a bag, eight RBI and two homers over his last 10 games.

The No. 2 overall 2009 pick, sometimes described as a left-handed version of all-time hits leader Pete Rose, was named the Arizona Fall League's most valuable player last year after hitting .315. He projects as a high-average competitor with gap power, but his glove is thought to lag behind his bat.

Fans and other observers are looking for his arrival sometime after the start of the super-2 arbitration clock, which this year may occur during the first or second week of June, but Wedge has refused to say much about the time for his callup.

Super 2 or no super 2, the team claims Ackley's arrival has nothing to do with salary arbitration eligibility. Little wonder; Ackley's agent is Scott Boros, whose track record suggests he will balk at Ackley signing an early contract extension under any circumstances.

Dodgers Force-Feed Top Rookie Jerry Sands

2011-05-15T12:26:00.009-04:00

With reserve right-fielder Marcus Thames unlikely to come off the disabled list when eligible May 18, rookie Jerry Sands looks to gain continued playing time as Dodgers manager Don Mattingly force feeds the youngster with starts not only in left field, but at his natural position at first base.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Sands, primarily filling Thames role as right-handed power bat off the bench, has been starting almost every day in left field, then moving to first base against left-handed pitchers while starting first baseman James Loney struggles with a .125 average against them.

Though half of Sands' 14 hits have been doubles, and he has given a number of pitches a long ride to the wall, so far he has failed to take advantage of his opportunity, with his average stuck at the.200 mark. However, he will not have reached the 100-at-bat benchmark until near the end of next week, a juncture at which he is likely to be reassessed.

The Dodgers are desperate for punch, and will turn to veteran Jay Gibbons, a left-handed batter recovering from blurred vision, to start in left field against righties, thus putting Sands in a virtual platoon.

While Sands' emergence -- if it can be called that -- is purely opportunistic until now, theoretically he could surprise observers by winning regular spot in the lineup if only he could perform even fractionally as well as he had been playing at Triple A Albuquerque when the Dodgers called him up as a stop-gap measure.

Sands, 23, the 2010 Dodgers Minor League Player of the Year, was hitting a homer in just about every 10 at-bats, a total of five to open the season, and pounding minor league pitching at a .400 clip. With Thames out possibly into June, time remains for Sands to prove himself.

Alonso Willing But Reluctant to Go To Reds Outfield

2011-05-01T10:35:00.001-04:00

Reds top hitting prospect Yonder Alonso -- stuck at Triple A Louisville because his promotion to Cincinnati is blocked at first base -- is willing to keep learning the outfield if that's what it takes to make the major leagues, though he would prefer to stay at his natural corner position.

"I think I'm a good first baseman; I like playing first base; I want to stay there, but they've already got some guy up there," Alonso told Sirrius-XM Radio host Grant Paulsen on Paulsen's Sunday morning "Majors and Minors" program.

The "guy" playing first base for the Reds, of course, is none other than reigning MVP Joey Votto, who is not likely to give up his position anytime soon.

"We text each other every day," Alonso said. "I tell him, 'I hit a home run today,' and he says back, 'I hit two!"

Alonso, 24, a former first round pick, rejects calls for him to be traded, hoping the day will come when he finally takes the field at Great American Ballpark, at first, in the outfield or on the bench.

"This is where I was drafted. This is where I want to stay," he said.

The former Cuban national -- who fled the communist controlled Caribbean island when a boy -- is hitting .280 in his first 84 at-bats for the Redbirds, but is heating up. He has four hits in his last 12, including two homers.

'Yogi Berra Plan' a Cure for Mauer's 'Cyberchondria'

2011-04-17T12:30:00.001-04:00

Whether sidelined Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer suffers from so-called 'cyberchondria' the early stages of arthritic knee or merely a virus, one thing is for certain: There is no cure better than the 'Yogi Berra Plan.'

The plan -- being advanced by Minneapolis Star-Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse -- brings to mind the creativity of the New York Yankees some 50 years ago when the team wanted to work emerging young catcher Elston Howard into the lineup.

Because Howard was blocked by Yogi Berra behind the plate, Berra was moved to left field. The Twins could do likewise with Mauer, who has undergone invasive knee surgery and currently is out of the lineup due to "bilateral leg weakness,' potentially linked to neurological and spinal complications involving structural deficiencies related to an arthritic knee.

Because Mauer's contract binds him to the club for the next six years, his absence from the lineup set off a round of blogosphere 'cyberchondria,' a newly termed phenomenon in which commentators, pundits and prognosticators peruse online medical texts to determine his pronosis.

Look, take it from Doctor X, a licensed physician: Joe Mauer suffers from the advanced manifestations of a trauma-induced arthritic knee, a condition that will grow worse and worse until is fairly safe to predict that barring a miracle, if Mauer finishes his career in a Twinkies uniform, he certainly won't be wearing it behind the plate.

Does that mean he can't finish this season as a catcher? No. What it means is that Mauer's time is running out, and the sooner he stops spending a couple hours a day squatting the better off he'll be.

It also means that because outfielder Delmon Young's contract is coming up, a potentially costly negotiation, it is time to trade Young in a deal that will bring back a young catcher, and to move Mauer to Young's spot in the outfield.

For the Twins, it's a matter of health.

Blue Jays Weigh Brett Lawrie's Readiness for Majors

2011-04-15T11:06:00.004-04:00

If former Toronto Blue Jays manager Buck Martinez had anything to say about it -- top organizational minor league prospect Brett Lawrie would be in the majors already.

"If it were up to me, I'd take him north," Martinez told his former colleagues at Sirrius-XM Radio after watching Lawrie closely at the conclusion of spring training.

Now working as a Blue Jays television announcer, Martinez, however, must leave the decision entirely to a committee of others, none less important than Marty Brown, Lawrie's manager with the Triple A Las Vegas 51s. Brown sees things differently.

Hitting at a .441 clip in the early going, Lawrie is doing all that can be expected of him in the Pacific Coast League, at least at the plate. But he has four errors, and neither Brown nor anyone else seems willing to rush him into the field before he's ready.

"He's pretty special," Brown recently told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "(His bat) is what's going to take him wherever he needs to go. But we have to make sure, when he gets his opportunity to go, he's prepared to play third base."

Some observers have speculated it may take at least two months before he can be considered capable of playing the hot corner without embarrassing himself. Others, such as Blue Jays announcer Alan Ashby, a former Toronto catcher, think he is ready today despite what might be considered anomalous errors.

A Canadian native, Lawrie, 21, was traded from Milwaukee to Toronto on Dec. 6 for pitcher Shaun Marcum. He is a former No. 16 overall pick, and has seen time at second base and the outfield during his brief career, reps which might better have been spent learning third base, seeing as the Blue Jays are determined to convert him. Coaches are working on Lawrie's footwork and throwing.

Favoring Lawrie for a quicker callup is the fact that so far this season, it appears that he can't do much worse than anyone else Toronto has at third, especially struggling third base starter Edwin Encarnacion. Need, it should be remembered, is the tie that binds.

Small Sample Enough to Bench Royals 1B Ka'aihue

2011-04-14T07:20:00.003-04:00

Royals first baseman Kila Ka'aihue was given only 13 at-bats against left-handed pitchers before being benched against them by manager Ned Yost; it was a small sample, but evidence abounds that Ka'aihue up until now has been greatly overmatched in such assignments at the major league level.

Having flailed helplessly against marginal Tigers lefty Phil Coke in three, recent successive plate appearances, it was clear Ka'aihue needed time off to gather himself and find a way to demonstrate that he has the potential to be anything more than a platoon player at best.

Yost sat Ka'aihue with the excuse of giving him "a break" against Twins lefties Brian Duensing and Francisco Liriano, but with the Royals playing with surprising competiveness, it's likely Yost wanted to avoid having a rally killer clogging the offense in the middle of the lineup.

Though he has a walk-off homer, Ka'aihue is hitting just .176 overall and .154 against lefties. Hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, a master at the plate during his career, has taken Ka'aihue under his wing. In the meantime, Royals top prospect first baseman Eric Hosmer awaits at Triple A Omaha.

Trial Continues for Punchless 1B Kila Ka'aihue

2011-04-10T14:24:00.000-04:00

The Kansas City Royals trial by immersion continues for struggling prospect Kila Ka'haihue -- whose vulnerabilities have been laid bare by left-handed pitching as evidenced by his .154 average against them over the first eight games of the season.

Ka'aihue, a late bloomer at age 27, was made to look ridiculous in a recent confrontation with Tigers lefty Phil Coke, who fed him a dozen curve balls that held the so-called "Hawaiian Punch" punchless with three swinging strikeouts, all on pitches that cut the plate. Not a fastball in the bunch, and all from a hurler who is not exactly Sandy Koufax.

Now the six-foot-four, 235-pound first baseman's challenge intensifies as he must face three lefties this week, Brian Duensing and Francisco Liriano of the Twins, and Eric Bedard of the Mariners. By the time they get through with him, he might be happy to see a righty except for one thing: It will be Bedard's teammate Felix Hernandez, the fireballing ace. Though Ka'aihue has impressive minor league numbers, he put them up in the hit-happy Pacific Coast League, where today rival Eric Hosmer is off to a hot start, hitting 3-6 in the early going. The 50th state native must turn it up now if he wants to be considered anything more than a place-keeper until Hosmer arrives around June 1.

Josh Fields Wastes No Time Making Impression

2011-04-08T12:32:00.008-04:00

Former major leaguer Josh Fields -- best remembered for hitting 23 homers in 373 at-bats as a surprise replacement for the 2007 White Sox -- wasted no time making an impression in his debut with Triple A Colorado Springs, going 1-3 with a walk, three RBI and a towering homer in an 18-14 loss to Tucson.

Heading a cast of 11 former major leaguers vieing for callups to the parent club -- Fields, 26, finds himself in a strong comeback position as he has been cast as a deep reserve for struggling Rockies third baseman Ian Stewart, 26, who has yet to play this year coming off knee and hamstring injuries. Fields is also backing up super utility man Ty Wigginton, 33, who is seeing reps at third, first and the outfield in Denver. Fields' homer came off former Padres major leaguer Wade LeBlanc, 26,, who gave up 10 hits and eight earned runs in 4.33 innings.

LeBlanc, who won eight games against 12 losses in 26 major league starts last year, is making a bid to return to San Diego. Another Colorado Springs standout was former major league speedster Willy Taveras, 27, master of the bunt single, who went 3-5 with a bag. Fields and Taveras could turn out to be useful spare parts at the major league level before the year is out.

Another interesting puzzle piece is former Mets first baseman Mike Jacobs, 30, who hit at a .300 clip with power when originally called up in New York six years ago, and cannot be ruled out as a potential backup to aging All Star first baseman Todd Helton, 36. Eric Young Jr., 25 -- son of original Colorado Rockies outfielder Eric Sr. -- has been up and down between Triple A and Denver over the past two years, and likely as not will supplant Jose Lopez, who is keeping second base open for him in Denver. Former Rockies infielder Chris Nelson is also with the Sky Sox.

Other ex-big leaguers at Colorado Springs include catcher Mike Pagnozzi formerly of the Cardinals and pitchers Billy Buckner formerly of the Diamondbacks, Clay Mortensen formerly of the Athletics and Sean White formerly of the Mariners.

Kouz Gets Day Off; Why, Wally Pipp's Birthday?

2011-04-07T12:54:00.017-04:00

Oakland Athletics manager Bob Geren has given Kevin Kouzmanoff the day off to rest after the starting third baseman committed three errors. Gee, thanks, skipper, where should I lie down, on the railroad tracks?

It's hard to imagine Kouz will be able to relax very much with a steaming locomotive gaining on him in the person of former Dodgers top infield prospect Andy La Roche, who in a brief trial is exhibiting all the characteristics of a post-hype, late bloomer.

Though La Roche hit an impressive .333 with 13 RBI and four homers in little more than 60 spring at-bats, realistically, it's much, much too soon to suggest that Kouzmanoff is actually going to be pipped, to use that arcane slang verb recalling Yankees first baseman Wally Pipp. Mister Pipp, as you remember, sat out for a day in 1926 and lost his job to some guy named Lou Gehrig.

Still, La Roche, who came to camp as a lowly, long-shot non-roster invitee, has not wasted his opportunity, hitting 3-6, a .500 clip, in two consecutive starts. Statistics in a small sample can be misleading, but there are a few noteworthy items in La Roche's pedigree that cannot be ignored:

No.1: he has a strong arm, big glove and has major league experience not only at third base but second and first.

No. 2: when he came up, scouts regarded him as an even better prospect than his brother, Adam La Roche, who owns a .271 career average and more than 160 homers in eight major league seasons.

No. 3: he is every bit as good as his brother defensively, and formerly had been regarded as better offensively after he hit .333, .322, .309, .309 in four of his 10 minor league stops before reaching the majors.

To be fair, Kouzmanoff is not chopped liver, having hit .260 with 23 homers for San Diego in 2008, though not otherwise distinguishing himself much. Still, it must be said that La Roche is blocked at third. More interesting are La Roche's possibilities at second base, where incubent journeyman Mark Ellis, who will be 34 in June, has missed significant time due to injury in nine major league seasons, never having had more than 500 at-bats but once.

For the record, Ellis missed the entire 2004 season among his five trips to the disabled list, and currently benched for his most novel malady to date, dizziness due to an inner ear problem. Also working in La Roche's favor in his bid for playing time is the fact that light-hitting starting first baseman Daric Barton, a left-hander who has hit only 26 homers in 371 major league at-bats, might give up a few plate appearances against tough left-handed pitching.

Any way you slice it, La Roche should be given ample opportunity to exhibit his talent this year, and may yet appear on the platform even if he has missed the train.

Blue Jays Urged to Open with Brett Lawrie at 3B

2011-03-11T10:20:00.010-05:00

After hitting a torrid .409 with .714 slugging in his first 21 at-bats, 20-year-old Blue Jays prospect Brett Lawrie went 2-3 with a homer and walk to see his average plunge to a mere .381 in a 7-4 victory over the Twins.

Despite the -- er -- slump, fan pressure mounts for the young third baseman to make the team out of spring training as starting third baseman, moving slugger Jose Bautista to right field and newly acquired, marginal Angels veteran Juan Rivera to the bench.

Former major leaguer Alan Ashby, broadcaster for the Blue Jays, told Radio 590 talk show host Bob McCown in a telephone interview from spring camp in Duneeden, Fla., that it "makes sense" for Lawrie to make the team immediately, even though it would accelerate his arbitration clock.

The Blue Jays are widely thought to be rebuiders rather than playoff contenders for 2011, but Ashby warned that the team has the capability of surprising, and may emerge as a candidate for the post season. Suppose the team loses Lawrie's bat for two months after sending him back to the minors, then finally brings him up only to miss the post season by a game or two?

"Do you want to sit there and say, what if?" Ashby asks.

The situation is reminiscent of the 2006 Phillies, who kept slap-hitting Placido Polanco as the starting second baseman while holding back gamebreaking rookie Chase Utley as well into May, then watched the season go down the drain by missing the playoffs by one game.

"When you've got a talented young player...you can get fooled, and we've been fooled before, but this looks like the real thing," Ashby said.

Lawrie (pronounced LOW-ry) , acquired from the Brewers in the deal for starting pitcher Shawn Marcum, has major league ready defensive skills, can play third, second or the outfield and projects as a power hitter with an excellent eye at the plate.

Ashby agreed with McCown that Lawrie taking over third base not only improves defense on the infield, but in the outfield, as well, where Bautista is regarded to be virtually as capable as any outfielder in the major leagues. Moreover, Lawrie's making the team should leave him more developed for a playoff push in 2012, McCown added.

A former catcher with the Astros, Ashby also offered a vaguely positive but uncertain outlook for rookie catcher J.P. Arencibia, a leading candidate to open the season as starting backstop but whose bat has yet to come to life in 32 at-bats last September, nor so far this spring, though he hit 32 homers last year at Triple A.

A key to his success will depend on his ability to call major league games, Ashby indicated.

"I have not heard one single (note of) trepidation from any pitcher about J.P, so hopefully he is okay on that count," Ashby said.

Never Say Never to Dodgers Prospect Jerry Sands

2011-03-09T01:28:00.009-05:00

Highly regarded Dodgers prospect Jerry Sands -- a non-roster invitee wearing No. 68 at spring camp in Camelback Arizona -- is making the most of his chances against major league pitching, having hit his second home run of the pre-season in a 7-1 victory over the Rockies.

The 23-year-old, six-foot-four, 220-pound slugger also hit a towering triple that dropped in front of the 410-foot center field marker.

Though Sands likely will not make the team this spring and perhaps not for the entire season, never say never to manager Don Mattingly. Anything is possible under the right circumstances, he indicated to the Los Angeles Times.

"I guess it depends on what's going on," Mattingly said to writer Bill Shaiken. "...If there may be a need and you're not afraid of calling him up, at that point you make a decision."

Working in Sands' favor is the team's need not only for power, but youth. A deep backup for starting first baseman James Loney, who is being held back by swelling of the knee, Sands is ticketed for Double A Chattanooga.

No News Looks Like Bad News for Justin Morneau

2011-02-20T12:00:00.011-05:00

Injuries have kept the heart of Twins offensive corps -- Joe Mauer, Delmon Young, Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau -- from playing a single spring game so far, setting a dire tone at the outset of the new season, with Morneau looking for all the world like he will be lucky to return to action at all, let alone before the first official game.

Though Mauer likely can return soon from a rehabilitating knee injection, as will Young from a bout with turf toe and Cuddyer from a common wart excision, Morneau continues to suffer from concussive syndrome resulting from a second base collision at mid-season last year.

Morneau already has missed nearly a full eight months of normal baseball play, leaving doubts as to his readiness even were he to return to the diamond tomorrow. Worse, his return to full play still looks to be days, even weeks, away, with permanent disability a distinct possibility.

Doctors continue to limit his activities while he continues to suffer from headaches, dizziness, nausea, sunshine aversion and other symptoms that only will worsen if he trains too hard before his recovery is complete.

What's especially disquieting about Morneau is that return-to-play medical criteria after a sports-related head injury generally calls for a simple, gradual progression from complete rest to light exercise to sport-specific exercise with a gradual addition of resistance training. That's followed by non-contact training drills. Finally there is limited contact, then full-contact training before a complete recovery can be declared.

Progression through each step, however, is dependent upon the presence or absence of symptoms, and Morneau still continues to have plenty of bad moments, as evidenced by his need to wear dark glasses all the time, even during limited periods of swinging at bat in the cage, reportedly no more than 40 swats at a turn.

There is no science behind these procedures as the strategy is largely based on anecdotal expert group consensus panel recommendations. Typically, however, return to play occurs in one to two weeks after the initial injury. No such luck for Morneau.

Frustratingly, it's just as likely that he would be in the same position even if there were no medical interventions or recommendations. It's surprising how little medical experts understand about the condition.

A recent study from from Pace University in Pleasantville, N.Y. , (Mayers, L., Arch Neurol 65(9):1158, September 2008) reviewed the findings cerebral response following a concussion, better known as traumatic brain injury -- a subject undergoing an ambitious (read: expensive) investigation by military scientists pertaining to injured troops exposed to explosive blasts.

This effort includes the placement of multi-million dollar magnetic resonance imaging machines into remote forward field hospitals to help facilitate both pre- and post-deployment neuropsychiatric testing in for all members of the U.S. military.

Small studies of EEG event-related potential recordings in concussed athletes reported deficits (unrelated to the results of neuropsychological testing) for up to five weeks in both symptomatic and asymptomatic athletes, and for up to 30 months in those sustaining multiple concussions.

A study that assessed motor-evoked responses on transcranial magnetic stimulation reported abnormalities for up to nine months in multiply-concussed athletes, an interesting finding considering Morneau has sustained three concussions, two while playing for the Twins and one while playing hockey as a teenager, a term of nearly a decade.

The results of small studies using highly specialized research techniques suggest that simple concussion produces brain dysfunction, even in asymptomatic subjects, that can persist for at least one month, indicating that safe return to play after concussion might require at least four to six weeks after the injury.

So far, so good, but from time-to-time clinicians see samples of patients that evidently did not read the medical textbooks, whose conditions do not follow the usual pattern of healing and rehabilitation.

It is not too soon to predict that, for all appearances, Morneau is an unfortunate member of this subset, not dissimilar from former Twin's third baseman Kory Koskie, the Giants Mike Metheny and a long list of other athletes who were forced into retirement following a substantive blow to the head.

Expect Miguel Cabrera to Miss Time with Tigers

2011-02-18T12:10:00.005-05:00

Tigers manager Jim Leyland, can you really be serious when you claim that troubled Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera will not be a distraction to the team despite his pending court appearance on charges of drunken driving???

Sure, Skipper, you're absolutely right, and the Lions will go 16-0 and win the Superbowl next year, Studebaker-Packard will resume making automobiles with points on the grill and Jimmy Hoffa will throw out the first ball when the season opens.

Skipper, you say Miguel Cabrera is going to have "the year of his life?" Doing what, sewing baskets at the Betty Ford Clinic?

Fans can fully expect that Miguel Cabrera will miss significant time this year, a minimum of a month from spring training, perhaps two, and perhaps part (or all?) of the regular season. How much downtime is pending is an open question, but if Cabrera is forced to check himself into rehab -- which is expected -- one is compelled to ask how long he will be gone and what kind of playing shape will he be in when he returns.

Rehabilitation, very likely to last a minimum of four weeks, will do Cabrera a lot of good in overcoming what has to be a serious alcohol abuse problem. But it will not help him ready himself for the baseball season. What are his handlers going to do, tell him to cut short his counseling session today so he have some time in the cage or take some grounders?

The last thing psychologists are going to allow Cabrera to be concerned with is baseball. He's got bigger problems.

From now forward, until Cabrera has his difficulties behind him and under control, the Tigers 2011 season is on hold, as far as he is concerned.

No courtroom in Florida -- or anywhere else in this country -- is going to allow Cabrera to jeopardize the public as he did last Wednesday, when he was caught swilling straight Scotch from a bottle as he staggered and weaved by the side of the road while abusing sheriff's deputies next to his smoking automobile.

Can Cabrera try to fight the charges, with the expectation of being found not guilty, being let off with probation or paying a fine? Not a chance. Prosecuting attorneys will lay out a tight script in which Cabrera will be virtually forced to undergo intense intervention and and probationary supervision. There is no way around it.

If he has any idea of getting off, he will be firmly threatened with the loss of his freedom, and his own counsel will warn him of dire consequences if he wants to play the cards any other way.

The court can be fully expected to exact its pound of flesh, with Cabrera's lawyer and both the legal counsel of the Tigers and Major League Baseball acquiescing, to assure that Cabrera resurrects his career only when he's ready to do so, and doesn't wind up driving off a cliff, smashing into a stationwagon being driven by a woman with three children and a dog, or God forbid, a school bus or worse. He is a menace. He will be stopped.

When that has been accomplished, Cabrera can count himself a very lucky man that no one was more hurt than himself, his family and his team.

Too Many on Base? Expect More from Marmol

2011-02-15T12:37:00.012-05:00

It was a sunny afternoon like that of many another daygame in the top of the ninth inning at Wrigley Field -- the Cubs holding a comfortable, two-run lead -- as closer Carlos Marmol took the mound under the satisfied gaze of manager Lou Piniella.

Piniella leaned easily against the fence in the dugout, arms hanging over the rail, when the umpire called the first pitch.

"Ball!" came the cry, Marmol flipping a sweeping breaking ball into the catcher's glove. "Ball!," came the call again. "Ball! Ball! Ball!" as Marmol successively continued to miss the plate.

By the time Piniella straightened out of his crouch, pacing back and forth now and muttering profanities, the tying run was at second base and the batter at the plate was ahead in the count. Pineilla couldn't take it anymore.

"What the (bleep) are you doing!?" the graying old man demanded to know after stomping out to the mound. Hands on hips and face to face with his 27-year-old hurler, Piniella waited for an answer, with Marmol looking down as he shuffled the dirt with his shoe.

"Throw your (bleeping) fast ball!" Piniella commanded.

Marmol nodded.

Happily for Piniella -- whose lips and body language were plainly readable to anyone sitting on the infield -- Marmol's fastball found the plate and after three quick outs and two stranded runners the Cubs headed to the locker room not only with a 'W' in the books, but with another save for Marmol, who would notch 34 before he was done.

Unhappily for Piniella, he later felt compelled to resign after it became clear that the Cubs once again had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and would fail to make the playoffs. Now pushing 70, Piniella likely will never put on a uniform again.

Ironically for Marmol, who has just signed a three-year, $20 million contract, he finished the year by cutting his walks by 20 percent, but continued to flirt with disaster by allowing well more than a baserunner per inning and pushing the limit for the perameters of a lock-down, major league closer.

Make no mistake about it. Marmol lives dangerously.

"I feel it helps him," Cubs catcher Geovanny Soto told Chicago Tribune baseball writer Paul Sullivan in today's editions. "Pitchers that have a lot of strikeouts also have a lot of walks. They're power pitchers. Marmol needs that. He doesn't really hit his spots that well, but he's consistent in the zone and he has that big breaking pitch that makes Marmol who he is."

The wildness, the walks and the baserunners all seem to be part of the plan.

"I never worry about my control," Marmol explained to Sullivan. "I worry about getting three outs before they score against me."

Try explaining that to Lou Piniella.

Andre Ethier, fully healed, Predicts Dodgers Uptick

2011-02-14T21:17:00.006-05:00

With a broken pinkie no longer holding him back, star outfielder Andre Ethier predicts greater personal output for the 2011 season, and a new kind of intensity with manager Don Mattingly having replaced the more laid back Joe Torre at the Dodgers helm.

"I think you're going to see a little bit more of a hands-on approach (from Mattingly,)" Ethier said. "...If the players mess up, he's going to be right on top of them, and if they do something right, he's going to be there too."

Speaking by telephone to Fox Sports Radio from the Dodgers Community Caravan bus as it rolled down Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, Ethier hinted that he would be able to improve his stats as compared to last year, when his home runs were held to 23 compared to 31, and his at-bats were limited to only 517 as compared to nearly 600 in 2009.

Not wanting to use it as an excuse, he none the less admitted that a broken pinkie was more than a little bothersome last year, limiting his ability to grip his bat.

"It was annoying...definitely frustrating," Ethier said. He's "100 percent healthy" now, he said.

Notice Anything Fishy About Pirates Relief Corps?

2011-02-14T19:52:00.016-05:00

Considering that only five sixths of the city of Bradenton, Fla., is on dry land, perhaps it's no surprise that something fishy is in the air at the Pirates spring camp, but it has nothing to do with the water.

Though it's speculative, there's the scent of a story that maybe, just maybe, one of the Bucs outstanding closer candidates may be on the block, either Joel Hanrahan or Evan Meek.

Hanrahan, 30, 4-1 last year with a 3.62 ERA, six saves and 100 strikeouts in fewer than 70 innings, and Meek, 28, with a 2.14 ERA, four saves and 70 strikeouts in 80 innings, have admitted they both want to save games for Pirates this year, and are willing to compete for the job.

The problem is, according to General Manager Neal Huntington, there will be "no open competition" in spring camp, indicating one of the two already has the job, but he won't say which. Let's repeat that: "no open competition."

So if Huntington won't say whom and won't say why, can it be that either Hanrahan or Meek is on the block? All anyone knows is that the Pirates have one too many closers, and that the rotation needs another starter or two, especially after the Pirates lost out to Kansas City in an attempt to sign former Colorado Rockies starter Jeff Francis. The Pirates are also looking for left-handed bullpen help.

"We continue to monitor the market and we have an open dialogue on multiple fronts," Huntington said in recent published reports. Until he clarifies, fans are left to connect the dots. But a more plausable explanation may be that Huntington simply has yet to make up his mind, but has decided that either one or the other will be the full-time closer, thus no closer committees.

Yankees to Play Musical Chairs for Albert Pujols?

2011-02-14T16:56:00.007-05:00

Having been completely upstaged by the Red Sox acquisitions of superstars Adrian Gonzalez band Carl Crawford, not to mention being spurned by ace pitcher Cliff Lee who signed with the Phillies, the Yankees now will pull out all the organ stops to sign wavering Cardinal Albert Pujols, widely regarded as the greatest player in the game.

But with superstar Mark Teixeira inked for the next five years, there's no room for Pujols in Yankee Stadium, you say? That song's been heard before, but listen to the way it's played by Kevin Baumer, writing at www.businessinsider.com.

First, Teixiera moves to third base, his original major league position, pushing Alex Rodriguez to shortstop, his original position. Derek Jeter, according to a plan that's been advanced for several years, then moves to the outfield.

When the music stops, Pujols is a Yankee.

"Of course, if the position issue is such a major obstacle, the Yankees could simply pay Pujols an extra $50 million to be their MVP designated hitter," Baumer said.

"...If the Cardinals haven't had the foresight to recognize that by not signing Pujols before the season, they're about to enter into a bidding war with the Yankees, they don't deserve to keep their slugger in the first place, " he concludes.

Pitcher Micah Owings Urged: Try Out at First Base

2011-02-14T16:11:00.004-05:00

Former Reds reliever Micah Owings -- owner of a .293 lifetime batting average with .538 slugging in four years of limited MLB plate appearances -- has been signed by the Diamondbacks as a pitcher but is being urged to compete for the wide open, starting first baseman's job.

"We'll see how hard he wants to go after it," Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson told USA Today's Mel Antonen in a recent XM satellite radio interview. "...We will give him the opportunity."

The six-foot-five, 230-pound Owings, a third round draftee originally signed by the Diamondbacks, has a prodigious amateur hitting record and has been a feared presence at the plate in 184 major league at-bats. He has hit four homers.

"His bat is huge," Gibson said. "...Micah is certainly a guy who might surprise you this year."

Owings, 28, sees himself as more of a two-way, pitcher/hitter in the mold of former Cubs first-rounder Brooks Kieschnick, now out of baseball, who was unable to sustain the duel role for long.

Moreover, to actually win the starting the first baseman's job, Owings will have to hold off a number of candidates, most significantly rookie Brandon Allen and veteran Xavier Nady. Disappointed with the team's poor showing last year, Gibson has brought 60 players into camp and has vowed to encourage spirited competition for starting positions across the board

Ex-Clemsonite Tyler Colvin to See Time at First

2011-02-14T15:27:00.008-05:00

Emerging Chicago Cubs rookie outfielder Tyler Colvin -- who burst onto the major league scene last year by hitting 20 home runs in 358 at-bats -- will return to familiar territory in Cactus League action when he will see time at first base, a position he played as a Clemson Tiger.

Cubs manager Mike Quade surprised reporters with the revelation, leaving Colvin's possibilities open to wild speculation even before the first spring pitch is thrown.

Colvin, 25, is listed as the backup to right fielder Kosuke Fukudome, 34, and first baseman Carlos Pena, 33, but because all three players are left-handed batters, Quade can find no easy way to work any of them into the lineup as part of a platoon, even a part-time platoon.

However, it is interesting to note that Colvin seems to handle left-handed pitching better than either of his two senior teammates, though Fukudome and Pena have superior defensive skills compared to Colvin's.

It is difficult to imagine the rookie usurping either of the two veterans with any regularity, especially Pena, who has just been signed to a $10 million, one-year pact. But Fukudome has been a disappointment at the plate since the Japanese import was signed three years ago, and fans' patience is wearing thin.

Expect Colvin to see plenty of time in left field and enough reps at first base to take over for Pena next year, if Colvin proves he can be effective around the bag.

Indians DH Travis Hafner May Be Cut After Season

2011-02-13T15:52:00.004-05:00

Former big-time slugger Travis Hafner -- who hit 141 homers from 2003-07 but only 34 since -- likely will force the Indians to consider releasing him after the season if he cannot demonstrate recovery from chronic right shoulder problems that have cost him much of his productivity over the past three years.

The prediction comes from Cleveland Plain Dealer baseball writer Paul Hoynes, who foresees a more likely outcome that the left-handed designated hitter will remain under contract after playing in about 115 games in 2011, hitting 15-20 bombs and driving in 50-60 runs.

Continuing his upnote in Sunday's editions, Hoynes noted that Hafner now seems to resemble the hitter who batted .329 with 15 doubles, five homers and 21 RBI in 44 games after the All-Star break last year, demonstrating continued potential usefulness to the rebuilding team.

The Indians have signed former Angels first baseman Casey Kotchman, who can back up Hafner at designated hitter and first baseman Matt LaPorta, both of whom have missed significant playing time in recent seasons. Though Kotchman has never hit for power, he is thought to have a good eye at the plate and can be effective around the bag.

Pedroia Held Back, But Loadbearing Bone Healed

2011-02-12T11:35:00.005-05:00

After months in a fiberglass cast and a grueling rehabilitation, the navicular bone in Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia's left foot has been reported as healed, but his activities will be limited during the opening days of spring camp and perhaps beyond.

Not only will Pedroia miss a cardio vascular conditioning test next week, he will be held back from full baseball activities at least for awhile, and will wear a protective shield over his shoe to help prevent him from reinjuring himself, according to team reports.

"The last three weeks I've felt great," Pedroia told The Boston Globe at Fort Myers, Fla.

Though Pedroia won't participate in distance running, he has been sprinting on the basepaths and fielding grounders and throwing. He is also taking batting practice.

Pedroia missed the last third of last season after breaking his navicular bone -- the main loadbearing support for his left leg. Doctors immobilized the fracture with a cast and steel pin, allowing the bone to heal for about three months. Theoretically, the mend leaves the bone stronger than before Pedroia broke it.

"There's not going to be any setbacks," Pedroia said before an intimate gathering of print reporters.

Weighty Issue May Keep Pablo Sandoval Benched

2011-02-03T23:07:00.008-05:00

Overweight third baseman Pablo Sandoval -- whose batting average plummeted from .330 to .268 and homers from 26 to 13 last year compared to 2009 -- has lost 15 to 20 pounds but "still has a ways to go," according to San Francisco Giants bench and infield coach Ron Wotus.

In a recent interview with KNBR Radio 680's Ray Woodson, Wotus warned that Sandoval cannot be expected to reclaim his status as a starter unless his conditioning demonstrates a "commitment to winning."

"We'll see how he is when he comes into (Cactus League camp in) Arizona, and then he has to keep the weight off," Wotus said of the portly infielder. "...How much the weight will affect him at the plate is hard to say. It definitely affects him in the field, his range and ability to move around."

Wotus agreed with Woodson that to earn time at the plate, Sandoval must be able to perform around the bag. Sandoval's weight is officially listed at 245, a lot for a man with a 5-foot-11 frame, but critics claim he may have weighed in as high as 270 last year.

The coach noted that Sandoval might also find at-bats at first base, but indicated there will be much competition around the infield, most notably from Mark DeRosa, returning from a season lost due to injury; Aubrey Huff, a veteran offensive force who has played both corners; and Brandon Belt, a 23-year-old, 6-foot-5, 200-pound, power-hitting rookie who has destroyed minor league pitching.

"Pablo is a special player and he has that special bat we need...if he can come back strong," Wotus said.

White Sox Coach Questions Brent Morel's Offense

2011-02-02T22:00:00.007-05:00

White Sox hitting coach Greg Walker continues to have doubts about 24-year-old prospect Brent Morel's readiness to win the starting third baseman's job out of spring training.

Returning to his Chicago home from a three-week workout of various players in Florida and California, Walker told ESPN Radio 1000 that Morel, who hails from Bakersfield, has ability around the bag but has "some misses" when he hits because he "comes up out of his swing."

"He's always hit," Walker said of the former Cal-Poly standout. "The thing we have to be careful about is his swing. Does he have some holes in there that pitchers can exploit?"

After the White Sox took Morel in the first round of the 2008 draft, he hit .326 at Double A Birmingham, then .300 in 60 games for Triple A Charlotte, where his defensive play reminded observers of former White Sox third baseman Joe Crede.

In a brief September call up, Morel hit a home run in his first major league at-bat, though he struggled overall.

"I think he's going to be ready to go," said Walker, but hinted that he may have to hold off journeyman Mark Teahen if Morel expects to win the starting third baseman's job on opening day.

Fernando Rodney Reportedly Wild in Prespring

2011-02-02T11:41:00.004-05:00

Various reports coming out of the Dominican winter league indicate prospective Angels closer Fernando Rodney continues to miss high and away with his mid-90s heater, casting doubt on whether he will be able to land the closer's job coming out of spring training.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia -- who stuck with Rodney a number of times last year even though Rodney was allowing too many runners on base -- already has publicly expressed his doubt about him in game situations. Rodney appeared in more than 70 games last year, but notched only 14 saves in various bullpen roles.

With pitchers and catchers scheduled to report in less than two weeks, look for Scioscia to try a number alternatives before resigning himself to a closer by committee.

Rangers Neftali Feliz May Yet Convert to Starter

2011-02-02T08:15:00.004-05:00

One would think now with former Rangers saves leader Frank Francisco traded to Toronto, teammate Neftali Feliz could stop looking over his shoulder and settle down and focus on being exactly what he is: one of the major leagues' most outstanding closers.

But no-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!

With pitchers and catchers scheduled to report to spring camp in Surprise. Ariz., in less than two weeks, the Rangers continue contemplating stretching him out to join the top of a rather spotty rotation.

"I love having a lock-down closer, I do," Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels said in a recent interview with KTKS Radio "The Fan." "But there's no doubt he would be even more valuable to us as a No. 1 or No. 2 starter."

Francisco's departure in the trade for former Angels catcher Mike Napoli only puts what Daniels describes as a "new wrinkle" in the proposition, especially since he has two or three other possibilities as closers, most notably Alexi Ogando, 27, who can throw as high as the mid-90s and strikes out a batter an inning. Ogando notched a 1.30 ERA last year in a little more than 40 innings.

Look for Rangers President Nolan Ryan to break the logjam before the end of the month, and expect Feliz to start getting extra work by the end of the month.

Steroid May Push Chipper Jones' Knee to LImit

2011-01-31T22:00:00.005-05:00

Doctors' treatment of Chipper Jones' left knee with topically applied cortisone -- a legal steroid sometimes referred to as a "miracle drug" for its ability to reduce inflammation -- is having a predictable, immediate beneficial effect on the Atlanta Braves third baseman's lingering injury, but time may be short.

The greater amount of cortisone and the longer Jones uses it exposes him to an inherent risk of cumulative brittleness of fibrous tendons, and may hasten Jones' departure toward a point of no return.

Jones' case is aggravated by the fact that this is his second, catastrophic, left knee ACL tear since he was the Braves No. 1 overall draft pick in 1992, the first tear having come during spring training in 1994 when he was trying to beat out a grounder to first base. As a result he missed the entire season.

To accelerate his rehabilitation, the 38-year-old future Hall-of-Famer plans to present himself to trainers in spring camp in just two weeks. He has been swinging the bat in the cage for more than six weeks in Atlanta, but is taking it easy before returning to work around the bag, an activity which caused this most recent ACL injury six months ago.

Jones' recovery will be eight months along by the time the season starts, making it possible but questionable whether Jones will be ready to take the field by opening day. He will be required to undergo extensive strengthening and limbering exercises, including bench work, stationary bike and pool activity.

Even if Jones is able to return to play without a setback due to the cortisone, it's only a matter of time before multiple trauma leads to the onset of arthritic discomfort, if it hasn't started already.

Don Mattingly Unsure of Russell Martin's Future

2011-01-31T01:25:00.013-05:00

Yankees starting catcher Russell Martin still has a high upside after two disappointing seasons, but as to whether he can recover his earliervpotential at the age of 28 remains an open question for new Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.

"I'm not sure how he'll do, but one thing I can say is he won't be afraid," said Mattingly, who spent his entire playing career in front of the often intimidating fans in New York. Like Martin, Mattingly in his later years was a shadow of his former self, perhaps with injuries to blame.

In a recent interview with Mike Francesca on WFAN Radio 660 in New York, Mattingly said Martin stands to benefit from a change of scenery after the former Dodgers catcher was non-tendered in Los Angeles.

Mattingly focused on Martin's competitiveness and work ethic as key in potentially helping him to rediscover his former form, though the one-time Yankees superstar made no mention of frequent criticism that former Dodgers manager Joe Torre, for whom Mattingly served as bench coach, wore out the young backstop.

Most notably, Martin saw 620 at-bats in the middle of the Dodgers batting order in 2007, the year after his Rookie of the Year campaign, and hit .293 with 19 homers, an extraordinary amount of playing time for a catcher. By 2010, Martin's average had fallen to .245 with only five homers after he developed hip and knee trouble that may explain his shortcomings. Martin steadfastly has refused to cite injuries as an excuse, however.

Mattingly also said it was "really tough" to fire third base coach Larry Bowa, the former Phillies manager and Yankees third base coach. Bowa has been replaced by Triple A Albuquerque coach and former All Star Tim Wallach.

Mattingly predicted a tough struggle not only for the Dodgers but other teams in the National League West due to fierce competion.

Stan Musial Had Meeting With Sam Giancana

2011-01-30T03:27:00.015-05:00

When Hall-of-Famer Stan Musial receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama on Feb. 15, it won't be Musial's first time meeting a president, as it brings to mind his historic meeting with John F. Kennedy and a bevy of VIPs -- including notorious Chicago crime family mobster Sam Giancana.

Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the meeting. It took place during the 1962 All Star Game in Chicago, when Musial ascended to the presidential box at Wrigley Field to receive a warm greeting from Kennedy, who threw out the first ball, while Giancana looked on.

Ironically, Kennedy had recently re-enacted the Medal of Freedom honor after it had been discontinued by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

It has never been fully explained what Giancana was doing there, though his association with Kennedy has been well documented. Also on hand were Vice President Lyndon Johnson, Speaker of the House John McCormack, Senate Majority Leader Russell Long and Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick.

Kennedy was assassinated the following year, and Giancana was gunned down five years later.

Musial, 90, the last surviving member of the group, will be presented the medal for his meritorious service to the nation in ceremonies presided over by Obama, who is also from Chicago. Musial is the fourth major leaguer to received the award, the others being the late Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente.

According to C. David Heyman, writing in in 2009 book "Bobby and Jackie, a Love Story," JFK was introduced by the late entertainer Frank Sinatra, a noted Democratic booster, to Giancana paramour Judith Campbell, ex-wife of actor William Campbell and a former Las Vegas showgirl.

Campbell later was quoted as acknowledging simultaneous affairs with Kennedy and Giancana, beginning when Kennedy was still in the senate, and she claimed to have relayed messages between the two, plus payments from government contractors to government officials.

Kennedy's father, former U.S. Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy, has been widely believed to have had business interests in the sale of liquor during and predating Prohibition, and continued to have connections with spirits manufacturers even as late as the late 1940s, when his son was in the House of Representatives.

Rangers GM Denies Michael Young on Block

2011-01-28T20:14:00.003-05:00

Texas Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels put the lid on rampant speculation that the team was trying to trade former All Star third baseman Michael Young, admitting Young had been on the block during the Hot Stove League, but no more.

"There had been some talk earlier, but it ended when Michael agreed to play DH," Daniels told KTKS 1310 Radio, The Score. "There's really nothing to it."

Daniels' statement followed another the previous day from team President Nolan Ryan, who was visiting his minor league club in Round Rock. Ryan said Young would open the season at DH, plus play sparingly at third base, second and first, and that no team would be able to field a more effective player in that role.

Manager Ron Washington has said previously that Young will see plenty of at-bats in those capacities.

Germaine Dye Marks 37th Birthday, Keeps Vigil

2011-01-28T19:56:00.004-05:00

Former White Sox outfielder/designated hitter Germaine Dye marked his 37th birthday, still holding out for the right team and the right price.

The Oakland native who now resides in Paradise Valley, Ariz., , has been out of baseball for 14 months since the White Sox bought out a mutual option on his contract in November of 2009.

Spring training came and went last year, when he reportedly spurned a $3 million offer for a bench role with the Cubs. He was thought to have rejected other bids throughout the summer, some speculated to be little more than $1 million.

Though he belted 27 homers when he last played in 2009, his defensive capabilities and stamina have been doubted. But he has refused to retire.

It appears to be highly questionable whether he can still swing the bat after spending more than entire season sitting by the phone, but he might get a chance to prove himself if only he would agree to sign a conditional minor league contract somewhere or another.

Another Big Year Awaiting Angels Vernon Wells?

2011-01-28T08:42:00.010-05:00

After adding 22 RBI and more than doubling his home run total to 31 last season compared to the previous, is another big year in store for star outfielder Vernon Wells now that he will be playing for the Angels in hit happy Southern California?

"...You forget about everything that happened last year because it doesn't really affect this year," Wells told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in this morning's editions. "It's a whole new challenge."

After hitting .565 in his last year at nearby Bowie High School in Arlington before being taken as the No. 5 overall pick in the 1993 draft, Wells has had an often disappointing, up-and-down career especially considering his signing of a $126 million contract with the Blue Jays five years ago, compensation which he admits he has never earned.

The fact that the Blue Jays traded him to the Angels for part-time, third-string catcher Mike Napoli (since traded to the Rangers) and aging outfielder Juan Rivera may say something about Toronto's lack of faith that Wells will be able to stay healthy long enough to continue performing until his contract runs out in 2014.

But the good-natured Wells, 32 -- who once laid down a bunt in the home run hitting contest at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown -- seems unaffected, concentrating on home life, community and life off the field while he can.

"In the off-season, you try to take as much time as you can to separate yourself from the game," Wells said. "The biggest sacrifice you make during the season is being away from your family. So you've got to soak it all up while you're here."

Wells and his wife Charlene operate the Vernon Wells Perfect 10 Foundation, providing aid and assistance to single mothers and disadvantaged children. Sunday he will address the Texas Brahmas hockey team for the school's Faith and Family Day.

"It's an honor to be asked to do things like this," Wells said.

Rangers Urged to Keep Veteran Michael Young

2011-01-28T06:10:00.009-05:00

Any ideas that the Rangers should trade veteran slugger Michael Young don't make sense for Dallas-Fort Worth sportscaster Norm Hitzges, who contends that the aging superstar has only marginal value on the open market, and is much better suited to stay put.

Young, who will be 35 when the season opens, has been under fire in recent years for diminishing defensive range that has forced him from shortstop to third base, and now to designated hitter. Though he hit .281 with 91 RBI and 21 homers last year, Hitzges questions how much the team could receive in return for him.

"I'm going to suggest to you, not a great deal" Hitzges told listeners during his daily program on KTKS 1310 Radio, "The Score."

The problem, he explained, is not his productivity but rather his contract, which will pay him $16 million a year through 2013. "...You're asking someone to eat $48 million. "Now how many teams can afford to do that? Very, very few."

Still, Young's 2011 projected assignment as DH has led some, most notably Fox's Ken Rosenthal, to view him as expendable, especially with this season's acquisition of Adrian Beltre to play third and Mike Napoli as a third-string catcher, super reserve and potential designated hitter. Whatever else Napoli is, he has a big right-handed bat, having hit 26 homers last year in 463 at-bats for the Angels.

But Hitzges believes that for the Rangers to receive fair value for Young, the team will have to cover perhaps $8 million to $12 million per year of the Rangers contractual obligations , and even then receive nothing back but prospects. Prospects will be of little help in this year's drive to return to the playoffs.

Better to keep Young for the long haul, primarily playing DH while being used sparingly at third base and second to provide rest for Beltre, 30, and the oft-injured Ian Kinsler, and to spell first baseman Mitch Moreland when the left-handed hitting youngster must contend with a tough lefty pitcher, according to Hitzges.

"I think the Rangers have the perfect situation here," Hitzges said.

Rays Slugger Dan Johnson Snubbed by Experts

2011-01-27T21:30:00.009-05:00

Two of the first three 2011 MLB fantasy magazines -- rushed into print some two weeks before the Superbowl -- have seemingly deemed Tampa Bay Rays slugger Dan Johnson as to be unworthy of a thumbnail biographical analysis or annual statistical projection.

Both the Sporting News Fantasy Baseball and the Yahoo Fantasy Baseball annuals turn their attentions to the Johnsons Chris and Kelly and even part-timer Nick, but Dan Johnson is left out in the cold, even though he is widely projected to open the season as the Rays starting first baseman.

Johnson -- the erstwhile top prospect from the Athletics organization who has stumbled in a a number of manifestations including one with the Twins -- found his way into a handful of games for the Rays last year, batting .198 with seven homers.

With the departure last year's starter Carlos Pena to the Cubs, Johnson seems to have -- for the time being -- blundered into yet another chance to live up to the sky-high potential envisioned for him nearly a decade ago.

To be fair, Johnson has generally been regarded as having a good eye at the plate, ability to hit for power and possessing a measure of skill around the bag. But a number of injuries and other setbacks so far have robbed him of what might have been a promising career.

Whether Johnson's omission from the Sporting News and Yahoo is the result of design or inadvertence, at 33 Johnson would do well to read the writing on the wall, or lack of it, if he expects another opportunity such as the one the Rays are giving him this year -- assuming he doesn't blow it in spring training, or isn't relegated to the bench as the result of a free agent acquisition or other personnel change.

As it looks in the early stages, all Johnson has to do is hold off Cuban exile Leslie Anderson, who brings a fine pedigree to the states from his imprisoned Caribbean outpost. Even with little other professional experience, let alone major league time, Anderson may yet prove to be too strong a challenge for Johnson, given Johnson's perennial shortcomings and just plain bad luck.

Meanwhile, print lovers who wish to read about Johnson more expansively might do well to instead try RFP's 2011 Fantasy Baseball Guide.

Cardinals Return To KMOX in St. Louis

2011-01-25T14:42:00.005-05:00

Radio broadcast of St. Louis Cardinals games, after a five year hiatus, will once again be able to be heard from Canada to Cuba and 44 states in between as the team has returned to the "Voice of St. Louis", KMOX.

The 50,000- watt blow torch, which was the radio originator of Cardinals games when they first reached the airways in 1935, reaches nearly half a million listeners weekly in metropolitan St. Louis alone. The impact has been nothing short of sensational since KMOX won the broadcasting rights back from KTRS. KTRS had been broadcasting the games since 2006, but with only 5,000 watts had difficulty reaching the fringes of the city with a clear signal.

"We're really exited," program director Steve Moore told MLBnewsonline.com. "There's been an enormous reaction, all positives."

The station will broadcast the entire 162 game schedule, plus 18 spring training games, Moore said.

Veteran play-by-play-man John Rooney and color man Mike Shannon, who played for the team in championship seasons during the 1960s, will continue to team up to the broadcast, while KMOX's own Kevin Wheeler will follow the Cardinals on locally generated sports programming, Moore said.

The Cardinals are expected to be highly competitive in the National League Central Division with slugging superstars Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday anchoring a potent lineup top to bottom.

Once home to late Hall-of-Fame broadcasters Harry Caray and Jack Buck, the storied radio station is widely credited for helping to build bastions of Cardinals followers from the Rockies to the Smokies, and especially in the deep south.

Homer Bailey Likely to Win Rotation Spot

2011-01-24T14:21:00.005-05:00

Upcoming fireballer Homer Bailey -- despite heavy competition for limited spots on a deep Reds staff -- likely will make the starting order out of spring training.

It's not so much that Bailey seems to be catching on after three years of difficulty -- note his 31 strikeouts and 3.72 ERA in his last 29 innings of work last year -- but that he is out of options, and cannot be sent back to Louisville without exposing him to other teams.

Hello Homer Bailey. Good bye Mike Leake.

Barring a complete catastrophe in the Cactus League, Bailey will open the season as the No. 4 or No. 5 starter, and needs to make the most of his opportunity given that the team has so many other options, especially with the return of Edinson Volquez from the disabled list.

Observers have never questioned Bailey's potential, given his high '90s fastball and other pitches, but fault him for his obstinance in taking direction. It might be a bit harsh to call him uncoachable so early in his career, but it would seem to be high time that he matured if he wants to stick around.

Jodi Applegate Prepares to Marry Michael Kay

2011-01-21T14:42:00.006-05:00

WPIX anchorwoman Jodi Applegate, who is preparing for her nuptials with New York Yankees' Yes Network broadcaster Michael 'See ya!' Kay, dropped a couple of C-notes or three Friday for an 'updo' specially created to accommodate an elaborate headpiece to match her wedding gown.

Dictating specific instructions to the stylist at Liz Russell's Third Avenue hair salon, Applegate watched attentively as her thick, auburn mane was carefully sculpted to frame a high forehead.

The wedding, whose date has not yet been announced, will take place at the renowned Plaza Hotel in Manhattan just in time for Michael's 50th birthday on February 2. This is the first marriage for Michael and the second for the 46-year-old Applegate.

A native of the boroughs and a Fordham grad, Kay proposed on Montauk Beach in July with the presentation of a stunning, emerald-cut four-carat diamond ring. What a rock! Applegate, a Pittsburgh native, is a graduate of New York University, who likely was at a loss for words when she saw the ring for the first time.

Pituitary Cited for Miltion Bradley's 'Mood Swings'

2011-01-19T13:08:00.015-05:00

A malfunctioning pituitary gland may be at the root of Seattle Mariners outfielder Milton Bradley's continuing difficulties with anger management, according to a former media acquaintance who has conversed with Bradley on many occasions.

"It's a problem with the pituitary gland; that would be my guess," commentator Les Grobstein told listeners on Sports Talk Radio 670 The Score in Chicago. "It causes wild mood swings."

Bradley, current awaiting a Feb. 8 arraignment in Van Nuys, CA, has been released on $50,000 bail after being arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department on a felony charge of making terroristic threats against an unidentified woman in the vicinity of Bradley's home in nearby Encino.

Police declined to provide details of the incident, in which officers responded to the woman's telephone complaint. "He's been arrested. That's all I can confirm," an LAPD spokeswoman said.

Grobstein noted that the former Cub was publicly praised by several teammates after Bradley left the team for Seattle in a trade for struggling pitcher Carlos Silva following tension between Bradley and then-manager Lou Piniella.

"They said he was a good teammate. But a lot of players said privately that they were thrilled to get him out of there," Grobstein said.

Researchers have cited findings in which the cause of antisocial behavior has commonly been misdiagnosed as a personality disorder when a malfunctioning pituitary gland is actually to blame. In up to two out of 10 cases, it's the pituitary that may be the culprit.

Evan Longoria Confident Despite Rays Roster Loss

2011-01-19T12:15:00.008-05:00

All-Star third baseman Evan Longoria remains confident that the Tampa Bay Rays will remain remain competitive in the American League East despite the loss of outfield superstar Carl Crawford to the rival Red Sox, rotation ace Matt Garza to the Cubs and other ongoing roster changes.

'I'm positive, very positive," Longoria told KLAC Radio 570 in Los Angeles. "We have a great group of guys, a corps group of guys."

Interviewed in advance of his Jan. 27 keynote speaking appearance for the opening of the baseball season at Long Beach State, his alma mater -- Longoria said he and star outfielder B.J. Upton, infielder Reid Brignac, first baseman Dan Johnson and others can be expected to pick up the slack. A number of other top prospects are also ready to burst onto the scene soon, he noted.

Highlighting a rotation headed by ace David Price, Longoria said: "We have a lot of talent left."

Reds SP Homer Bailey 'Dizziness' Likely Passes

2010-09-19T10:34:00.007-04:00

Hopefully for Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey, his recent bout with "dizziness" has passed, and can be dismissed as nothing more serious than common vertigo.

Barring a return of the condition, Bailey will make his next start when the team arrives in Milwaukee, according to the team. Details, however, have been few, in which case one is lead to believe that no news is good news.

Common vertigo-- in which an individual experiences a passing or momentary sensation of spinning -- can be brought on by something as simple as poor hydration or minor inner ear inflammation. This can be dismissed as being little more than episodic and rare, if not virtually unique. It is treatable with common medications.

Pilots at nearby Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton are automatically grounded in such situations, with physicians wary of a risk of an aircrash. In Bailey's case, however, the exposure to injury seems limited to nothing worse than falling off a mound, so there should be little hesitation about running him out there again.

Entirely different consequences can be anticipated if the cause is attributed something more serious, such as a tumor, but given the details in this instance it appears that is all but out of the question.

Indians Travis Hafner: Get Thee to a Nunnally

2010-05-01T02:01:00.006-04:00

After weeks of practicing with Indians batting coach Jon Nunnally, designated hitter Travis Hafner finally outfoxed the right field defensive shift routinely used against him as he knocked two sharply lined hits to left field, one a double and one for an RBI, in Friday's 9-3 loss to Seattle.

Hafner, 33, rumored to be in danger of losing his spot in the middle of the Indians batting order as his batting average plunged below .200, has been trying to hit to left since the opening of the season.

A natural left-hander, Hafner had some success, but not enough to discourage opponents from continuing to put on the so-called classic "Williams Shift," originally introduced in the 1940s against former Red Sox Hall of Famer Ted Williams. Generally, the shift leaves third base empty, with the third baseman moving to shortstop, the left fielder shading toward center and the shortstop moving to shallow right field behind second base for a total of six fielders on the right side of the playing field.

Up until now, Hafner had hit a handful of pitches to left, but most or all could be characterized as weak grounders or shallow flies easily caught by the lone shortstop or left fielder. If Hafner can continue to go the other way, opponents may have to remove the shift, which should be a dramatic boost for Hafner's batting average.

Lincoln Option Awaits Indians Shin-Soo Choo?

2010-03-29T10:35:00.008-04:00

Indians right fielder Shin-Soo Choo -- a South Korean citizen obligated to submit to two years service in his nation's army -- may be able to take advantage of an Abraham Lincoln option to escape the draft, if all else fails.

President Lincoln -- who in the spring of 1861 attended a baseball game between the Brooklyn Eagles and the old Washington Nationals in the nation's capital -- opted to pay a "commutation fee" enabling Lincoln's son Robert to avoid conscription through the use of a mercenary.

Thus Robert, 21, attending Harvard Law School at the time, remained out of the war until its waning days, when he was given the rank of captain and assigned to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's staff as a glorified greeter. The commutation fee was so disdained by Lincoln's public that eventually it was outlawed in favor of compulsory military service for all otherwise eligible, able-bodied men.

In 1950, however, Allied Supreme Commander Douglas MacArthur reinstated the practice for the sons of wealthy, influential Korean families, authorizing stand-ins to take their place as a KATUSAs (Korean Augmentee to United States Army).

Today the practice continues, but in South Korea is no less disdained than in Lincoln's time. It remains a possible but loathsome alternative to keep Shin-Soo playing in the major leagues, though a more palatable choice would be the granting of an exemption in exchange for his playing for the national baseball team in November's Asian games.

In any event, it's an absolutely safe bet Shin-Soo Choo won't be missing any Major League playing time in an army uniform.

Matt LaPorta Tentative for Indians

2010-03-20T09:30:00.007-04:00

Indians rookie Matt LaPorta, coming off surgeries to his toe and hip, says he feels 100-percent healthy, but cannot be sure until he plays in unrestrained, everyday game action.

LaPorta, 25, a 7th overall pick in the 2007 draft, has been limited to playing every other day at the midpoint of Cactus League action; but he has five hits in his first 12 at-bats and has been projected by the team to be fully ready to play when the new season opens.

LaPorta told Sirius/XM Radio's Grant Paulsen that he has been taking reps not only in left field, his newly designated prime position, but also at his former position, first base.

As to which of the two will be his prime position by the end of the year, LaPorta was uncertain.

"To be honest with you, I don't know how to answer that right now," LaPorta told Paulsen.

The 6-foot-3, 240-pound North Dakota native indicated his time at first base has been beneficial for his recovery because the infield is less demanding than the outfield. However, the primary reason he is spending so much time at first base is because Russell Branyan has an ailing back. He didn't mention it, but veteran Travis Hafner has had shoulder trouble in recent years, and will likely take time off as designated hitter, another position at which LaPorta can fill in.

He said he had no objection to be moved around.

"It keeps things new ... and it's a great opportunity for me and the ball club."

Mets SS Reyes Wary of Marty Feldman's Disease?

2010-03-16T20:12:00.000-04:00

This sounds like a joke, but unfortunately, it's not very funny: Mets shortstop Jose Reyes may not only miss part or all of the 2010 season due to an overactive thyroid, he's even at risk of losing his career and worse yet, might actually end up looking like the late, walleyed comedian Marty Feldman.

Yes, really. Feldman -- whose million-dollar, cockeyed glare reminds one of a pair marbles rolling around in a tin can -- was born with normal eyes, but as an adult acquired his familiar, crazed countenance due to the onset of Graves' Disease, an advanced manifestation of thyroid disorder.

If unarrested, and the nature of the "overactive thyroid" is due to Graves' disease or another form of hyperthyroidism, the condition ultimately could cause Reyes' eyeballs to bug out like a bullfrog due to an infiltrative process to the retro-orbital soft tissue structures. With any luck, however, modern medicine should easily enable Reyes to avoid this, but the possibility remains unclear as long a details continue to remain masked in what New York Times columnist Bill Rhoden has called a "great spring mystery."

Perhaps mindful that doom-and-gloom perceptions have a direct impact not only on the turnstile but on advertising, marketing and finance, the Mets give the appearance of carefully managing the news about Reyes.

While the Marty Feldman alternative ending is remote, a number of questions remain unanswered. For instance, why is the team calling for Reyes to rest? Does that mean no baseball activities or confinement to a sick-bed?

When two weeks would be more than enough time to determine whether blood tests have produced a false positive, why is the team allowing for still another month of inactivity if doctors are not anticipating the possibility of removing or destroying his thyroid gland to bring his body chemistry back into sync?

If doctors determine that Reyes's condition cannot be treated with medicine, why hasn't it been acknowledged that thyroid stabilization through radiation or surgery may require months, or even a year or more, before his metabolism returns to normal?

Perhaps most problematic of all, whether two weeks, six or a year, will the layoff cause Reyes a significant setback in his effort to rehabilitate his damaged hamstring? Add to it, he is clearly going to suffer from deconditioning.

It remains to be seen how this "great spring mystery" will conclude.

Pirates Jeff Clement, Steve Pearce Starting Slowly

2010-03-12T03:56:00.010-05:00

The competition for the Pirates starting first baseman's job has begun with Jeff Clement and Steve Pearce neck and neck statistically, and the winner is: Pedro Alvarez!

Yes, you read that right, unlikely though it may be, as preliminary, unofficial rumblings coming out of Grapefruit League camp indicate the possibility of Alvarez moving across the diamond from his natural position at third base if either Clement or Pearce don't kick it into gear by the end of May, perhaps sooner.

Of course, the very idea is still highly speculative at this point, but a potential problem lies primarily with the performance of Clement and Pearce, who once again are starting out slowly.

With fewer than two dozen at-bats between them so far, it's much to early to be drawing conclusions, but the fact remains that Clement is hitting .125 and Pearce .133. The small sample is not especially significant, but their track record is, as both have relatively stellar minor league stats but repeatedly have fallen short at the major league level.

The job is still Clements' to lose, but so far neither he nor Pearce can claim it. The possibility of moving Alverez to first base hinges not only on Clements' and Pearce's continued failure, but on third baseman Andy LaRoche, who also has started out slowly despite a six RBI day.

If LaRoche begins to play up to his potential, he could hold onto the third base job, forcing Alvarez to be considered as a replacement for either Clement or Pearce.

Tim Lincecum, Tim Byrdak Share Same Body Type

2010-03-11T14:26:00.020-05:00

Other than the fact that he is right-handed, owns two consecutive Cy Young awards, is 10 years younger and throws about 10 mph faster, the Giants ace Tim Lincecum and Astros situational lefty reliever Tim Byrdak are identical twin brothers by different mothers -- at least where body type is concerned.

Yes the two Tims are each 5 feet 11, and there's not 20 pounds difference between them, with Lincecum weighing in at about 170, Byrdak at 190. Both are exquisitely smallish men in a game where the average major league pitcher's stature now approaches 6 feet 4, and the tallest exceeds 7 feet.

But does it necessarily follow that either one or both are more prone to breakdowns simply because they compete against men generally more than a half a foot taller and 30-50 pounds heavier?

No, not necessarily, Byrdak told mlbnewsonline.com. It's merely a matter of mechanics and form, not necessarily size, explained the 36-year-old veteran, who has survived more than eight years of sometimes gruelling major league service.

"The reason they keep saying Lincecum is going to break down is because of the way he throws the ball, winds, releases and finishes," Byrdak said. "That's what that is all about."

So if Lincecum, 26, had more fluid mechanics like the soft-tossing Byrdak, would he be more likely to survive as long as Byrdak? Conversely, if Byrdak had adopted Lincecum's relatively violent, hard-throwing style; would they be picking up Byrdak's body parts all over the field by now?

Byrdak, whose lengthy periods of disabled time have been linked to repeated bouts of elbow tendinitis, removal of bone fragments and ligament replacement, declined to guess: "They already picked up my body parts all over the field," he said.

Nomar Garciaparra Buys Red Sox Clubhouse Pass

2010-03-11T12:29:00.015-05:00

Former Boston Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra -- now in his current reconfiguration as an ESPN baseball reporter -- has bought himself a new pass to his old team's clubhouse with his tearful reconciliation with Theo Epstein, John Henry, and Larry Lucchino.

Here is the formerly vaunted superstar sitting elbow-to-elbow with the aforementioned suits, all smiles and bouquets as if all his notorious past transgressions have been forgotten and absolved, as if nobody remembers that it was his banishment to the Cubs five years ago -- like the excision of a cancerous tumor -- that so revitalized the then struggling BoSox that they were enabled to come back from the dead to reach the World Series.

Say what you will about those old, unsubstantiated inferences that his body broke down due to the effects of performance enhancing substances, or that he had exaggerated his alleged inabilities to play due to injury and laid down on the job at the critical moment when he was most needed during the 2004 drive toward World Series immortality.

Those in the know fully understand that the heart of the matter was actually Nomar's mercenary position in a proposed $60 million, four-year contract extension negotiation. The team's intransigence had left him bitter and recriminatingly resentful of what he perceived as a lack of appreciation for his previous stellar accomplishments -- accomplishments, by the way, of which he was no longer capable and which failed the acid test in the harsh light of good, old-fashioned New England good sense and frugality.

Though Garciaparra's tarnished relationships with writers have left a cloud over his chance of ever reaching Cooperstown, his Hall of Fame hat logo none-the-less remains at stake, so team has once again clutched him to its bosom and allowed him walk among the players' lockers with the rest of the reporters without seeming to be the interloper that he would be otherwise.

It's a pity that everyone has such a short memory. Rather than appearing with Garciaparra in a scene vaguely reminiscent of John Voigt's love scene in the motion picture "Deliverance," Epstein, Henry and Luccino might better have asked: "Nomar, what have you done for us lately?"

Rockies Ask What's Miguel Olivo Done Lately?

2010-03-06T15:10:00.008-05:00

After struggling at the plate for a half dozen years newly signed Rockies catcher Miguel Olivo undeniably broke through last year with a 23 home run total with the Royals, a rate of approximately one every nine at-bats, or an astonishing potential of 50 total for the season if he had played full time.

And so what are the Rockies asking of their newly signed backstop? What have you done for us lately? With Cactus League games just getting under way the suspense is already over as multiple media reports indicate that Olivo, 31, will be little more than a reserve due to the emergence of the highly regarded Chris Ianetta, 26.

Ianetta, who has 30-homer potential himself, is regarded as a superior glove man as compared to Olivo who, perhaps in part because of communication shortcomings, failed to satisfy the Royals defensive expectations last year. Ianetta will have to fall flat on his face, not only during spring camp, but in the first four to eight weeks of the season if Olivo is to see much more than a couple of hundred plate appearances.

Yankees Tickets at Tip of Gov. Paterson's Iceberg

2010-03-06T12:44:00.007-05:00

If Gov. David Paterson had merely taken World Series tickets from the Yankees without paying for them, that could be dismissed as good old-fashioned, Tammany Hall style, New York Democratic Party machine politics as usual.

The problem is the five tickets, supposedly valued at a suspiciously low $2,125, represent just the tip of the iceberg of a potentially titanic load of additional allegations pressuring Patterson to vacate the governor's mansion.

The allegations being investigated include, but are not necessarily limited to, the dubious award of a state racetrack concession and the back room quashing of a court protective order in a domestic dispute that would likely have proved embarrassing to one of Patterson's cronies.

"The writing is on the wall. It's on the ceiling. It's on the floor. It's on the windows," Baruch College political science Prof. Doug Muzzio told the USA Today.

Yes, the handwriting is clear, so clear that not even a blind man could miss it.

Astros Catcher J.R. Towles To Try Doing It His Way

2010-02-26T00:37:00.004-05:00

Having established himself in the minors as a .300 hitter with power, it had been a simple progression for former 20th round draft pick J.R. Towles to win the coveted "catcher of the future" mantle three years ago for the soon to be rebuilding Astros.

But somewhere along the line, Towles became overwhelmed, hitting only .149 over the past two seasons in what has become more and more limited playing time.

"I just listened what a lot of people said and I got overloaded," Towles told http://www.mlbnewsonline.com/. "I'm just going to go back to what got me here. Go back to the basics."

At 26, Towles can consider himself lucky, for most players with his track record would find themselves demoted to the minors again, perhaps permanently. But with the Astros still rebuilding, and super thin at the catcher position, Towles has been blessed with yet one more opportunity to impress.

Competition at the team's Grapefruit League camp at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee, Fla., has pitted him against fellow backstop Humberto Quintero, with whom he will share time either as the starter or the backup.

Barring injury or a total breakdown in performance, neither player appears to be destined for the minors just yet, which buys time for Towles. He must rediscover himself soon, for Stanford product Jason Castro, 22, is waiting in the wings.

Indians Rookies Losing Time to Russell Branyan

2010-02-25T22:48:00.013-05:00

Just as quickly as 25-year-old rookie Matt LaPorta was penciled in as the starting first baseman for the 2010 Indians, he has been penciled out with the unexpected signing of free agent veteran Russell Branyan, 34.

Likewise, rising young outfielders Michael Brantley and Trevor Crowe stand to be benched or demoted to the minors as newly named manager Manny Acta likely can be expected to dole out the majority of playing time to such other veterans as Travis Hafner, Shin-Soo Choo and Grady Sizemore.

In anticipation of a game of musical chairs, LaPorta already has begun taking defensive drills in left field, the only position remaining for him, even though that is the position which had been expected to be claimed by Brantley, son of former major leaguer Mickey Brantley.

"At the end of the day, if everybody's healthy, it obviously is going to impact one of those young guys," Acta told reporters gathered at the team's Cactus League spring training camp at Goodyear, Ariz. "But I guarantee you, both of those guys are going to play every single day somewhere."

With Hafner and Sizemore both hampered last season by various injuries and ailments, the team was left without a great deal of depth should one or both be unable to play up to form, Acta said.
He hinted that some or all -- including Branyan -- will need downtime to stay healthy, thus creating opportunities for the bench.

Without Branyan, who hit 31 homers in 431 at-bats in an injury shortened effort for the Mariners last season, "we were an injury away from not feeling as comfortable," Acta said.

J.D. Drew Mindful of Red Sox Cancellation Clause?

2010-02-25T22:05:00.007-05:00

It's not often remembered, but hidden in the fine print of J.D. Drew's $70 million, five-year contract is a stipulation that the Red Sox can release the 34-year-old outfielder if it is determined that his abilities have been significantly impaired as the result of shoulder injuries sustained before he came to Boston.

Having reached a personal, Red Sox high of 24 homers while batting .279 in 137 games last year, Drew so far has had little reason to fear that he will lose his job. Perhaps mindful, however, that baseball careers can end in an instant, Drew is taking no chances.

Drew began pre-season conditioning last month after being shut down for yet another shoulder surgery in October, this one to remove bone spurs so aggravating that he was unable to play last season without being treated with two cortisone injections.

"I had...days when it was a lot worse than others," Drew recently told The Boston Globe's Amalie Benjamin. "The worst part of it was the batting cage and...repetition of swinging the bat. (It) kind of got it aggravated."

Even though the condition worsened as the season wore on, he hit .355 with 12 homers and 30 RBI in the second half of the season, not counting an 0-22 streak immediately after the All-Star game. With that kind of potential, the Red Sox won't begrudge a little downtime for him, if that's what it takes to keep him healthy.

It's a much better alternative than voiding his contract.

Astros GM Ed Wade Warns No Player Untouchable

2010-02-20T21:58:00.007-05:00

Astros General Manager Ed Wade has begun his newly extended, three-year tenure by straddling a fine line between the importance of competing for a 2010 playoff berth and the need to reduce costs by dealing players to build for the future.

With a more than $100 million annual payroll to trim and a near bankrupt farm system to replenish, Wade told MLBnewsonline.com in an exclusive interview that no player is safe from the trading block, whether a prospect or a star of the caliber of Lance Bergman, Roy Oswalt, Carlos Lee or even the future of the franchise Hunter Pence.

Not that the team is actively seeking out looking suitors, but all offers will at least be considered, especially if value is to be acquired, Wade told MLBnewsonline.com.

"It's not so much that everybody's on the trading block," Wade explained. "But you can always say 'yes,' if sombody wants to do something stupid. The beauty is, you can always say 'no.' "

Wade, formerly general manager in Philadelphia, came to Houston in 2007, and has won the confidence of owner Drayton McLane despite a losing record. McLain opened Grapefruit League camp in Kissimmee, Fla., by announcing that that Wade's contract has been extended through 2002.

Astros Will Let Hunter Pence Be Hunter Pence

2010-02-20T18:08:00.017-05:00

Any number of analysts, scouts and various other prognosticators have foreseen a potential big, big production spike coming for Astros outfielder Hunter Pence as he approaches the prime of his career, but will 2010 be the year?

Don't put it past him; any player of Pence's talent can have a career season not only any year but maybe even every year, says newly appointed Astros manager Brad Mills.

"With him you don't have to worry about peaks and valleys," said Mills during the first day of baseball activities at Astros spring camp at Osceola County Stadium in the Orlando Fla., suburb of Kissimmee.

"We just have to let him be Hunter Pence," Mills said.

And Pence, who in 12 days will observe his 27th birthday, is doing just that, establishing himself as the prototypical first player to arrive in the morning and the last to go home at the end of the day. With position players not expected to arrive until next week, Pence is on the job already, having shown up in camp even before pitchers and catchers to put in a full day of stretching, running and other drills, including some two hours of hitting in the cage.

Is he working on his swing?

"Right now I'm working on the World Series," Pence said lightheartedly yet hinting he thinks the sky's the limit.

Though Pence put up an arguably career best season last year with 25 homers and a .282 batting average, he seems to feel he can reach the next level by putting greater emphasis on his mental approach.

In addition to training all winter under the tutelage of strength and conditioning coach Gene Coleman at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Pence studied various baseball manuals, managers' memoirs, how-to books and even such philosophical essays as "The Art of War," by Sun Tzu, whose thoughts have influenced military leaders from Napoleon to Douglas MacArthur with an emphasis on conditioned responses in fluid situations.

"It's only 100 pages but a I read it twice," said Pence, a former honors student at University of Texas at Arlington.

The six-foot-four, 205-pound phenom, who added about five pounds of muscle during the offseason, wants to cultivate what some trainers have called "muscle memory," in which the body's response is not so much a consequence of the brain's premeditation as it is an automatic reaction, something achievable through repetition.

Pence hopes to counteract his propensity to tinker with his mechanics so that he may "build a foundation for my swing." Whether that means he is approaching a magical career year he won't predict.

"I do feel good about myself coming into this season." Pence told MLBnewsonline.com. "...I'm coming into this year more prepared than I've ever been."

Jose Reyes 'Comeback' Portends Trouble for Mets

2010-02-06T16:59:00.011-05:00

Injured Mets shortstop Jose Reyes' recent workout demonstration may have been good enough for team vice president David Howard and a bevy of metropolitan reporters that showed up for the coverage at Professional Athletic Performance Center in Garden City, N.Y., but the ill-starred superstar still has a long, long way to go before he can be declared fully recovered.

Though Reyes pledged he would be back "100 percent" come opening day, and urged ticket buyers to, "come and see the show," consider a modest word to the wise: Don't believe the hype.

Yes, Reyes was clocked at 3.52 seconds running the distance between home and first base, and he easily darted and dashed left and right as he fielded a series of bouncing tennis balls. In the course of 90 minutes, he bounded and bounced and biked and stretched, all marks of significant progress for a player coming off a second of two surgeries that left him on crutches as recently as the end of October.

But if his was merely a hamstring injury -- plus the complications of a calf strain and inflammation -- that would be one thing. But this is no ordinary hamstring injury, it is a displacement of the hamstring tendon, a critical tear that fundamentally could leave him with a significant impairment of mobility for the remainder of his life, and about which medical experts must remain guarded even in the best of circumstances.

We are in fact ultimately talking about a breakdown -- a disconnection if you will -- of the sophisticated pully system that impacts rudimentary athlectic command over the lower extremities of both legs, both being equal parts of a working tandem. This is the last line between the bone and the hamstring, the disruption of which marks the type of injury one would more easily find in the rodeo bullring, beneath the horses' legs on the turf of a polo match, or in the back of a crashed automobile, having plunged off the escarpment of the Jersey Pallisades.

It can be fixed but with great difficulty, and only after much time, patience, wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Thus, the view from here is that Jose Reyes likely will not finish the 2010 season, certainly not without tiresome visits to the trainer's table. Every time he gets hurt -- and he will get hurt -- he will be out four to six weeks. If he injures himself the way he did before, he could be out permanently.

This is not rocket science. Any physician trained in trauma can foresee the potential for trouble because of the very nature of the injury, and because Reyes is not just some stationary lummox who stands at first base merely to take throws from across the diamond, or waits on the bench for a chance to pinch hit. We are talking about a finely tuned, high-powered little sports car of a man who trades on speed, hustle, daring and precision carburation and rack and pinion steering.

To be effective, he must have unfettered dominion over all his talents, tools and skills., particularly as he approaches the potential zenith of his prowess at his 27th birthday in June.

With hot-and-cold hitting Jason Bay's medical condition having been disparaged by Red Sox doctors, with Carlos Beltran set to miss the opening of the season with another knee problem, and David Wright having struggled to hit even a mere dozen home runs last year, it looks as though another long, long season may be in the offing for Jose Reyes and the Mets.

One-time A's Future Closer Joey Devine on Mend

2010-01-30T06:15:00.007-05:00

Struggling young pitcher Joey Devine, the one-time closer-of-the-future for the Oakland Athletics, has told a teammate that his recovery from "Tommy John surgery" is on schedule and that he looks forward to game action early next season.

"He thinks that by the end of spring training he'll be ready to face live batters," said former A's closer and now setup man Brad Ziegler in an interview with Sirrius/XM MLB radio channel 175.

Devine, 27, had been given Oakland's closer job during last year's spring camp but underwent elbow surgery in April, after having sustained discomfort likely related to that which interrupted his season the year before. Twelve months is a typical recovery time from the surgical procedure in which the ulner collateral ligament is replaced.

Devine formerly had been cast in the role of future closer for the Braves, but was held back by control problems that ultimately may have manifested in disablement.

The Athletics have since found a closer in the person of Rookie of the Year Andrew Bailey.

Clay Buchholz to Fight for Red Sox Rotation Spot

2010-01-30T05:47:00.006-05:00

Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz -- seen by some insiders as a candidate for the bullpen due his team's signing of former Angel ace John Lackey -- has vowed to fight for a rotation spot, even if it pits him against veteran Tim Wakefield.

"I don't want to be over confident that I have a spot," the 25-year-old Buchholz told the Boston Herald. "...Knowing that 'Wake' is back to normal and is going to be here for two more years, he's been here a lot longer than I have. I'm sure he's got seniority on that spot, but I'm going to do what I can to be one of the five guys and go from there if it doesn't happen."

At the same time Wakefield, 44, has expressed frustration at the prospect of having once again to prove himself worthy of being a starter now with Lackey, Jon Lester, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka holding down the first four spots in the rotation.

Buchholz was called up from Tripe A Pawtucket when Wakefield went down with an injury last year, and went on to notch a 7-4 record with a 4.21 ERA.

General Manager Theo Epstein told the newspaper that he has remained noncommittal about who will win the No. 5 spot, warning that it is too soon to tell who will be healthy when the season begins.

Ex-D-Back Says Brandon Webb Healthy, Strong

2010-01-30T05:06:00.005-05:00

A former Arizona Diamondbacks teammate says right-handed hurler Brandon Webb -- who missed virtually the entire season last year with shoulder difficulties -- is healthy and strong, and is looking to resume his career as one of the National League's premier starters.

"He's feeling great right now," said former Diamondbacks lefty Doug Davis. "He's healthy and strong as well."

Davis, a cancer survivor who last week inked a contract with the Brewers, told Sirrius/XM radio MLB channel 175 that he maintains regular telephone contact with Webb, who is traveling east with his family in Davis' recreational vehicle, which Webb borrowed. Davis said he spoke with Webb as recently as Friday.

Webb had been coming off a 22-7 season in 2008, when he notched a 3.30 ERA and struck out 183 in 226 innings. But he came out of his first game last year with shoulder stiffness, ultimately undergoing arthroscopic surgery in August with the objective of returning to action by spring.

A microscopic camera revealed no structural damage, signaling that Webb likely can expect to return to the mound without a serious setback other than anticipated rustiness associated with his lengthy layoff.

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus Sizzles in Caracas

2010-01-27T21:08:00.014-05:00

Standout major league shortstop Elvis Andrus -- having received permission from Texas Rangers president Nolan Ryan to delay preparations for travel to spring training in Arizona -- homered for the Mariners in a 7-3 triumph over the Lions in the fifth game of Venezuelan National Baseball League Championship Tuesday in Caracas, the nation's capital.

Play resumes Thursday.

The Mariners now lead the the Lions 3-2 in the seven-game set, with Andrus hitting at a .421 clip, or 8-19. He and brother Erold Andrus, a former prospect in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays system, both homered, the first time brothers have gone deep in the same game in the history of the series. They are Venezuelan natives.

Elvis Andrus initially was to begin preparing for his upcoming departure to Arizona after the fifth game, but received the OK from Texas to stay for the conclusion of the series. Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to the Rangers Cactus League training facility in Surprise, Ariz. on Feb. 18, with a workout scheduled the following day.

Andrus was expected to appear this week at the Ballpark at Arlington for a promotional minicamp.

At 20, the former top prospect in the Atlanta Braves organization, was acquired as part of the Mark Teixiera trade, and fairly delighted the Rangers when he finished second in the Rookie-of-the-Year voting after hitting .267 with 33 steals and 72 runs scored in his 2009 campaign.

Ex-Cubs Ace Mark Prior Refuses to Give Up

2010-01-24T20:30:00.011-05:00

Former Cubs ace Mark Prior -- whose promising career has been nearly destroyed by a myriad of punishing injuries -- refuses to hang up his spikes and has been readying himself for a demonstration before major league scouts in Arizona.

"Mark Prior has not retired," a spokesperson for Prior's agent John Boggs said in terse statement with no details of the 29-year-old hurler's progress during an ongoing rehabilitation program resumed in November.

Neither was there word on any throwing sessions scheduled with observers from teams throughout the majors, though sources familiar with long-shot comeback attempts said such meetings often are held unofficially, one-on-one behind closed doors.

Prior seems to be keeping a low profile, but reportedly was seen in street clothes on New Year's Day in La Jolla, Calif., near his hometown of San Diego. He is recovering from shoulder damage that required multiple surgical repairs, and he also has sustained hamstring, achilles tendon, elbow and oblique injuries.

Prior signed a $1 million contract with the Padres in 2008 but was unable to appear in a single game. He then agreed to an additional $1 million contract with the Padres the following year, contingent upon his callup from the minor leagues.

Again Prior was unable to make even a single appearance, having last pitched in a major league game in 2006, when he went 1-6 with a 7.71 ERA for the Cubs.

Prior signed for a then-record $10.5 million bonus as the second overall pick in the 2001 draft. He notched his most successful season in 2003, when he went 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA while striking out 245 batters in 211.1 innings.

Ex-Reds GM Jim Bowden Blasts Scott Rolen Pact

2009-12-21T14:18:00.009-05:00

The restructuring and extension of Cincinnati Reds third baseman Scott Rolen's contract has come under fire from the team's former general manager, who questioned the pact on grounds of Rolen's advancing age, history of injuries and declining offense.

Jim Bowden, now co-hosting a morning baseball radio talk show on Sirrius/XM. said it was unwise to extend Rolen through 2012 at a cost of $23.63 million, after he was due $11 million in 2010. Rolen will be 37 when the contract expires.

"It's very disappointing to me committing that amount of money without knowing that Scott Rolen can bounce back," Bowden said.

Rolen will receive $6 million this season, $6.5 million per season in 2011 and 2012, plus a $5 million signing bonus.

The Reds acquired Rolen from the Blue Jays last season for third baseman Edwin Encarnacion and pitching prospects Josh Roenicke and Zach Stewart.

Lee Hamilton Fans Nix National League DH

2009-12-21T11:34:00.010-05:00

A slim majority of fans responding to a poll taken by Sirrius/XM weekend radio talk show host Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton rejected a call to introduce the designated hitter to the National League despite Major League Baseball's contemplation of doing so.

Though non-scientific, the poll rejected the rule change proposal by a 24-22 margin, results seen by Hamilton as a surprising rebuff after he had argued in favor of the DH on grounds that National League pitchers' combined batting averages last year were a paltry 0.78.

Fans would rather watch a slugger at the plate, Hamilton contended. "Isn't that an interesting question that I just posted today," Hamilton said. "The phone lines just exploded."

The American League introduced the designated hitter in 1971 to boost scoring, which had fallen to a modern low during the end of the 1960s. To undermine the dominance of pitchers at that time, both the American and National Leagues agreed to lower the pitching mound by six inches, with umpires adopting a more and more stringent strike zone over the years.

In nearly four decades, however, the National League continues to make pitchers bat, though collegiate and minor leagues largely have followed the American League lead.

"It's not just about some slugger standing at the plate and hitting a big fly into the seats," said one caller. "If that were the objective, you could just field nine defensive players and let somebody like (Cardinals first baseman) Albert Pujols take all the at-bats."

Other callers lamented the loss of strategy in the American League, emphasizing that baseball was conceived not so much as a game of action like basketball or soccer, but of decision making in which the fans must think along with the field manager.

Hamilton said he proposed the question in conjunction with Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig's announcement that he would convene a panel to consider revamping playing rules and regulations. Though an official head count was not imediately available, knowledgeable observers have estimated that Hamilton has a following of up to 20,000 listeners or more per hour during his program, which broadcasts Saturday and Sunday afternoons and is replayed during the night.

Medics Cast Shadow on Mike Lowell's Career

2009-12-20T18:29:00.002-05:00

Little wonder that the Texas Rangers backed out on the acquisition of Boston third baseman Mike Lowell, considering that a medical examination sends a fairly clear signal that not only will he need surgery but that his career is questionable.

The Red Sox can spin the story as favorably as they want, with the prediction that Lowell will be ready for Spring, but the Rangers doctors know better.

Surgical repair of the ulnar collateral ligament in Lowell's right thumb is among the most difficult surgeries for athletes, particularly baseball players. The key problem is that the ligament is isolated, it is almost the sole manipulative link to the brain, and yet is intricately tiny. Merely maintaining blood flow to the ligament during surgery is a challenge, as a drop in blood pressure can rapidly bring on necropathy.

Though Lowell can look forward to a normal and happy and more or less totally functional use of this thumb for the rest of his life as a private citizen, the question of swinging a bat is another consideration altogether. At least Lowell can take satisfaction from the fact that it's his right ligament; for the left could be even more problematic.

Kyle Drabek's Phillies Gear to Be Auctioned

2009-12-19T10:45:00.006-05:00

How to get rid of his red No. 81 Phillies spring jersey and other Philadelphia gear is the least of his problems, but Kyle Drabek says he might as well auction it to the highest bidder as long as he's going to be playing for the Toronto Blue Jays.

"I'll put it on eBay," the hard-throwing young prospect laughingly told the Doylestown, Pa., Intelligencer.

Drabek, 22. dealt to Toronto along with fellow prospects Travis D'Arnaud and Michael Taylor when the Phillies acquired Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, will report to Blue Jays camp in Dunedin, Fla., in 60 days.

Taylor has been flipped to Oakland for former St. Louis third base candidate Brett Wallace, but Drabek and his 96-mph fastball have a shot to compete for a spot at the back of the Blue Jays rotation, though more likely Drabek will start the season at Double A New Hampshire.

"I think I'm ready," said Drabek, son of 1990 Cy Young winner Doug Drabek. "...My dad just said to make sure you go out and pitch like you know how to. Where I am doesn't change anything. It's just putting on a different jersey."

Marcus Scutaro Projected as Red Sox Superstar

2009-12-16T06:29:00.011-05:00

In Oakland he was perceived as a limited, part-time utility player, but newly signed Red Sox shortstop Marcus Scutaro now has been projected by a former coach as having blossomed into a catalytic, minor superstar who can do it all.

"He'll draw a walk, he'll hit and run, he'll move runners along, he'll bunt, he'll hit some balls into the seats, he'll steal a base," says 2009 Blue Jays bench coach Brian Butterfield. "He's immersed with the offensive part of the game."

Speaking to sports columnist Larry Mahoney with the Bangor Daily News, which serves Butterfield's hometown of Orono, Me., Butterfield, 52, described Scutaro as "outstanding" defensively as well, having committed only 10 errors in 143 games despite leading the lead in chances under Butterfield's direction last season in Toronto, Scutaro's second with the Blue Jays.

He credited the 34-year-old Latino veteran with intelligence, skill and knowledge in positioning himself to take maximum advantage of batters' hitting tendencies and proclivities, thus re-enforcing accuracy in critical situations. "There's no panic in his hands," Butterfield said.

Mark Patrick Renews Old MLB Acquaintances

2009-12-15T12:08:00.008-05:00

Former network air personality Mark Patrick renewed old acquaintances at the annual major league general managers' meeting in Indianapolis last week, bringing them up to date on his current status and placing a few well-placed words in introducing his budding superstar son, Drew Storen.

Just exactly what he said is unknown, unless it was to ask the kid if he could borrow a couple of bucks. Storen was the No. 10 overall pick in the June major league baseball draft and signed with the Washington Nationals for a bonus of $1.6 million.

The brainy 22-year-old had a brief but shining college career at Stanford, then went on to notch a 2-1 record with a 1.95 ERA in 37 innings at AA Harrisburg and two other professional levels last year, with 49 strikeouts. The Washington Post has projected him as the Nationals closer of the future.

His father, who uses the air name "Patrick," formerly was host for Fox Radio's daytime daily sports program, and later launched XM Radio's "MLB This Morning" show with co-hosts Buck Martinez and Larry Bowa before being released after three years.

By almost any measure, he is among the most talented personalities in network radio, possessing not only an encylopedic knowledge of baseball and other sports, but also an efferfescent personality replete with an array of world class impersonations such celebrities as John Wayne, Richard Nixon and Johnny Carson.

Pal Says Clemens Faces Jail Before Cooperstown

2009-10-15T11:03:00.012-04:00

While steroid-tarnished Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte enjoys absolution as he tries to win the American League pennant, former teammate Roger Clemens remains under a cloud that will not go away until he faces the possibility of prison by coming clean as Pettitte did, a career-long friend says.

"If he wants to go to the Hall of Fame," says Clemens' college teammate Rusty Uresti, "he's going to have to go back and tell them to 'lock me up for perjury' or whatever. He should have got his story straight with Pettitte, say that he was just trying to help the team."

While Clemens has sworn under oath that he never used performance-enhancing drugs, he could face a finding of contempt of Congress or other retribution if it is proved he is lying.

Pettitte acknowledged using a banned substance, asking and receiving understanding and forgiveness. Clemens meanwhile is sticking with his story, and has filed various motions and countersuits to save his reputation.

The irony is that if Clemens took drugs it means only that he was just doing what other players were doing at that time, given the tacit standards and norms of his era, said Uresti. As soon as bans were enforced, it was over, he said.

"He never tested positive," said the former Atlanta Braves minor league catcher and Mexican League pitcher caught Clemens in his final year at University of Texas in 1983. Now residing in the Austin area, Uresti works as a professional caddy for PGA tour members, including Robert Gamez, Frank Lickliter and others.

Uresti and Clemens have stayed acquainted over the years though neither Uresti nor other former teammates tend to discuss Clemens' legal troubles when they see him, Uresti said. The subject is pointless, as most players from Clemens' time understand that it used to be more or less acceptable to do whatever you could to stay productive,' Uresti said.

Uresti said he likely would have tested positive if he had been examined duringhis baseball playing days as he ocassionally used a topically applied type of horse linament that was commonly found in lockerrooms in the 1980s and more recently.

He thought little of it at the time.

Look for Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui to Sit

2009-09-27T20:17:00.005-04:00

With the Yankees clinching, look for manager Joe Girardi to find situations in which to rest Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada and others for a game or three, or to let them hit the showers early in non-critical spots.

The rest may do them good in preparation for the fall schedule, but it will cost them plate appearances and potential production in the short term. Likewise, if and when the Angels and Tigers clinch, expect similar sitting spells for Vladimir Guerrero, Magglio Ordonez and others.

Of particular importance, will be missed starts by established pitchers in favor of aspiring youths. Most pitchers can stand a day off this time of year.

Indians Eye Michael Brantley for 2010 Outfield

2009-09-27T20:00:00.005-04:00

Various reports coming out of Cleveland see rookie Michael Brantley surpassing 2005 first round pick Trevor Crowe for the starting spot in the Indians 2010 center field.

The problem with Crowe is not so much that he has underperformed -- which he has -- but that Brantley has excelled, hitting nearly .340 in a limited trial, with a .576 onbase percentage against lefties, even though Brantley bats left handed.

Brantley also has shown considerable potential defensively, though his performance has been marred by a few youthful gaffs.

Brantley's door opened a crack when Victor Martinez was traded to the Red Sox, and Ryan Garko to the Giants, effectively halting the experimentation with rookie Matt LaPorta in left field. LaPorta is all but assured of claiming the starting first baseman's job.

Angel Guzman Intriguing as Potential Cubs Closer

2009-08-19T17:49:00.003-04:00

Despite Cubs manager Lou Piniella's choice of Carlos Marmol to replace Kevin Gregg as closer, bullpen stalwart Angel Guzman remains an intriguing dark horse to land the job before the end of the year.

Sure, Marmol throws hard, but the landscape is littered with hurlers whose fastballs approach 100 mph or more but can't find the plate. Look for the Marmol experiment to be short lived, then see what Guzman does when he finally gets his shot -- which he will.

Though Marmol has been effectively wild, Piniella remains concerned that he gives up nearly a walk an inning and sometimes resists coaching to stick with fastballs rather than resort to off-speed offerings when he struggles with control.

Meanwhile, a vague undercurrent favoring Guzman as closer has been detected in the Cubs clubhouse for months, to say nothing of overt public speculation that Piniella should give Guzman a try. After all, Guzman has often been regarded as the closer of the future.

Angels Robb Quinlan Stands to Gain Playing Time

2009-07-03T18:53:00.001-04:00

Maybe he goes out for pizza. Maybe he makes a good cup of coffee. Whatever it is that Robb Quinlan does to earn his keep these last seven years with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, he certainly keeps a spot warm on the bench.

Quinlan, a right-handed corner infielder, is struggling to maintain his .281 career batting average in part because of a lack of opportunity. He has well under 100 plate appearances on the year.

However things may be looking up for Quinlan now that the Angels have had the chance to observe switchhitting starting first baseman Kendry Morales for more then 250 at-bats.

Morales has been splendid facing right-handed pitchers, as he is hitting .300 with 13 home runs, but is the most schizophrenic, power-hitting, switch batting Angel since Chili Davis. His average batting right against left-handers is so poor at .184, that he probably should consider batting left full time lest Mike Scioscia be tempted to make him part of a strict platoon.

The only problem with putting Morales in a platoon with Quinlan is that Quinlan is hitting left-handers even worse at .175.

Russell Branyan Left Naked in Mariners Lineup

2009-06-29T14:25:00.005-04:00

Just when Mariners slugger Russell Branyan had remade himself from a swing-and-miss whiff machine into a .300 hitting power slugger -- and was on pace to hit more then 40 homers -- he has been left naked in the lineup due to the departure of third baseman Adrian Beltre for shoulder surgery.

Without Beltre's big bat behind him, Branyan will be lucky to see anything to hit for the rest of the year. It will be very telling if Branyan fails to swat any longballs during the Mariners upcoming visit to the New York City wind tunnel known as new Yankee stadium.

Pity that the Mariners front office this year was more interested in playing travel agent for Ken Griffey's feel good farewell tour and dog-and-pony show than putting a winning team on the field.

Cubs Go Easy on Closer Candidate Angel Guzman

2009-06-21T22:28:00.007-04:00

To whatever degree the Cubs are serious about moving reliever Angel Guzman to the closer's role, his move to the disabled list only seems to underscore it.

Though he has only one save, Guzman, 2-1 with a 2.53 ERA, is surreptitiously regarded as the closer of the future, given the failings of setup man Carlos Marmol and closer Kevin Gregg. Guzman will keep his closer-in-waiting status as long as the soreness in his right triceps doesn't develop into a bigger problem, and by sidelining him manager Lou Piniella is making sure it doesn't.

Guzman may be a key player in the playoff run.

In other Cubs reports, injured third baseman Aramez Ramirez spent significant time swinging a small bat off a tee in the training room at Wrigley Field over the weekend, and continues to hope for a return to action shortly after the All-Star break.

But no promises.

Wood Wonders

2009-06-19T09:58:00.001-04:00

Joba Chamberlain Takes Page from Sam McDowell

2009-06-17T20:01:00.010-04:00

Yankees starter Joba Chamberlain -- with his promising form of two years ago still eluding him -- has taken a page from the life of former major league strikeout artist "Sudden" Sam McDowell.

Perhaps he should put the page back.

Under the watchful eye of pitching coach Dave Eiland, the 23-year-old Chamberlain has been expending maximum effort by heaving about a dozen, 80-yard longballs from the outfield to backup catcher Francisco Cervelli as part of his pre-start warmup throws. As demonstrated by McDowell, who played for the Yankees in 1973-'74, the practice stretches the muscles and tires the arm to help reduce overthrowing during the game.

The problem is that it worked for McDowell, but not for Chamberlain, if there's any indication in Chamberlain's last outing versus the Mets, when he he hit two batters and walked five in the process of throwing 100 pitches before being yanked at the end of the fourth inning.

Watching Chamberlain warm up from the outfield, it's a wonder he has anything left for the game. Like McDowell, however, who won 20 games for the Indians in 1970, Chamberlain was in effectively wild in the outing, giving up only one hit as the Yankees went on to win the 9-8 thriller.

Speculation continues to mount that unless Chamberlain finds himself soon, he may be found back in the bullpen, which would be a severe setback in his development but potentially a practical necessity for the Yankees if the team is to remain at the top of the American League Eastern Divison.

Phil Hughes is waiting in the wings.

Power Stroke Continues to Elude Derrick Lee

2009-06-11T05:35:00.005-04:00

During his team's recent stopover at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Cubs first baseman Derrick Lee attempted to take advantage of the short fences to practice his power stroke.

Lee repeatedly reached the stands during batting practice, with some balls traveling well beyond 400 feet. However, once play started Lee again morphed into a six-foot-five, 200-pound singles hitter with gap power and little more.

Though Lee's average is now approaching a respectable .270 after a slow start, his home run count languishes in single figures, as he manages to hit one in only about every 30 atbats, well less than half the pace of the 30-40 annual outputs that preceded his 2007 wrist injury.

Lee has failed to hit more than 22 homers since 2005, when he belted 46. At 33, his days as a power hitter may be over.

Red Sox Petitioned to Promote Clay Buchholz

2009-06-01T22:07:00.002-04:00

Following a recent outing in which Red Sox pitching prospect Clay Buchholz retired the first 24 batters he faced en route to a 3-0 record on the year for Triple-A Pawtucket, MLBNewsOnline.com has launched a petition drive to urge the Boston front office to promote Buchholz to the Red Sox rotation.

Though major league teams have never demonstrated a willingness to respond to petition drives, the influence of fans cannot be entirely disregarded. And as Buchholz is demonstrably superior to Dice K and Brad Penny, and already has a major-league no-hitter to his credit, the petitioners are hopeful that they can have some bearing on the potential for Buchholz's promotion.

The petition can be signed at http://www.gopetition.com/online/28205.html.

Manny Ramirez A Sucker For Big Breasts?

2009-05-07T16:32:00.001-04:00

Manny Ramirez was suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball on Thursday, becoming the latest high-profile Major League Baseball player busted by the league's performance enhancing drug policy. Ramirez denies it (naturally) said he took an agent given by a doctor that was believed to not be banned. The Dodgers dread-locked slugger says: "Recently, I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me," he said in a statement issued by the players' union.

Ramirez went to a doctor for "...a personal health issue..."? What, he wanted to simulate pregnancy -- grow breasts -- throw-up every morning? Two sources told ESPN that Ramirez used a women's fertility drug — HCG, human chorionic gonadotropin. HCG is what is tested for in the blood or urine from a women when pregnancy is suspected. The hormone is released by a the trophoblast (early fertilized egg) and rises to maintain the pregnancy during the first trimester until adequate amounts are secreted by the placenta.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and a recombinant formulation, called choriogonadotropin alfa (r-hCG), is a gonad-stimulating polypeptide hormone normally secreted by the placenta during pregnancy. The non-recombinant products are obtained from the urine of pregnant women. Recombinant-hCG is produced via recombinant DNA techniques in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells. The pharmacological actions of hCG and of r-hCG are similar and resemble those of luteinizing hormone (LH); hCG is generally used as a substitute for LH. HCG has been used to treat cryptorchidism (undescended testicle) or hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in males, sometimes in combination with menotropins or follitropin. Interestingly, hCG was introduced for the treatment of cryptorchidism in 1931, and remained the only hormonal agent available to treat the condition until the 1970's, when gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogs also became a treatment option. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is used in controlled ovarian hyperstimulation protocols for infertility in females. Intralesional hCG has been utilized for the treatment of Kaposi's sarcoma, but further clinical trials are required to prove efficacy. Human chorionic gonadotropin is banned from use in competitive sport; some male athletes have used hCG to stimulate testosterone production or to prevent testicular atrophy resulting from the abuse of anabolic steroids and androgens. Urine-derived hCG was first approved by the FDA in 1939, and received subsequent approval for additional indications in 1973. Ovidrel®, the first recombinant hCG (r-hCG), received FDA approval for female infertility to induce final follicular maturation on September 20, 2000. Ovidrel® pre-filled syringes received FDA approval in October 2003; manufacturing of Ovidrel® vials has ceased.

The mechanism of action of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) depends upon the purpose for which it is being used, the sex of the patient, and the level of maturity of the patient to whom it is administered.

In select females with infertility , human chorionic gonadotropin has actions essentially identical to those of luteinizing hormone (LH). Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) also appears to have additional, though minimal, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) activity. By administering hCG after follitropin, menotropins, or clomiphene, the normal LH surge that precedes ovulation can be mimicked. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) promotes the development and maintenance of the corpus lutetium and the production of progesterone. Following hCG administration, final luteinization or maturation of the oocytes occurs and either ovulation can ensue for timed insemination techniques, or oocyte retrieval can take place for assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures such as in vitro fertilization (IVF). Once pregnancy takes place, endogenous hCG is normally secreted by the placenta to support the continued secretion of female hormones and the corpus luteum.

In adult and adolescent men with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, hCG acts like LH and stimulates testosterone production in the Leydig cells and spermatogenesis in the seminiferous tubules. Stimulation of androgen production by hCG causes development of secondary sex characteristics in males (e.g., deepening of voice, facial hair, etc.). Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) also stimulates the Leydig cells to produce estrogens; increased estrogen levels may produce gynecomastia in some males. Once hCG is initiated, it takes at least 70—80 days for germ cells to reach the spermatozoal stage. Response to treatment is also noted by the development of masculine features and the normalization of serum testosterone levels. Induction of testicular growth and increased sperm volumes may help to restore fertility in these men after many months to years of treatment, which is then sometimes combined with the use of either menotropins or follitropin.

Human chorionic gonadotropin has no known effects on appetite, or on mobilization or distribution of body fat. It is not an effective treatment for obesity. In sport, athletes use HCG as an 'undetectable' anabolic steroid; hCG increases the body's production of testosterone and epitestosterone without increasing the ratio of the two hormones in the urine above normal values. Urinary testing is being developed which should allow for discriminate testing of hCG doping in sport.

It is difficult to imagine what "condition" Manny Ramirez was being treated for that required this peculiar hormonal agent that is going to cost him a reported $7.5M in salary benefits from the Dodgers (likely to eventually be made up by the doctor's malpractice insurance carrier). It is also impossible to imagine that this was not a malicious attempt to circumvent MLB's banned drug policy. The only source of this agent being found in a male's urine is a hormone producing germ cell tumor (e.g., testicular cancer). Manny: you better get an alfa-fetoprotein serum level and see a real doctor for a complete genital exam and testicular ultrasound.

Bernie Williams: Retired

2009-05-01T09:08:00.002-04:00

Those of you pining for the return of former Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams - all two of you - should just give up the ghost. Bernie has. He acknowledged to ESPN Radio's "The Michael Kay Show" that, despite playing in the recent World Baseball Classic, he is retired from the major leagues.

Given that he hasn't played for the Yankees since 2006, it must feel good to get that announcement off his chest.

Here is a (partial) list of other players who will likely be following Williams' announcement of retirement with their own: Dale Murphy, Bert Campaneris, Juan Marichal, Gus Bell, Rabbit Maranville, Stan Hack, Harry Hooper, Bob "Death to Flying Things" Ferguson, Billy Sunday and George Wright. They all have decided to remain retired. As has Gen. Francisco Franco.

Mark Fidrych Death Blamed on Spinning Shaft

2009-04-14T15:25:00.004-04:00

Former major league pitcher Mark Fidrych -- who went into the trucking business nearly 25 years ago after losing his baseball career to injuries -- was likely killed instantly when his shirt became entangled in a powerful, turning mechanical shaft beheath his vehicle, his mechanic explained Tuesday.

"It was one of those 'I didn't mean to do that' mistakes that in this business will kill you," said Alan Anderson, service manager at Ballard Truck Center in Worcester, Mass., in an exclusive interview with MLBNewsOnline.com.

"It just sucked him in. It's an awful way to go," said Anderson, who sold the truck to Fidrych in 1986.

The shaft, which runs from the engine to a gearbox that hydraulically raises and lowers the dump truck box, generally should not be in operation while personnel are under the truck, Anderson said.

He described Fidrych as a close friend and remembered that he taught the former Tigers Rookie of the Year and Red Sox farmhand to drive the truck when he sold it to him new.

"I was shocked. It's a terrible loss," Anderson said.

State police, who are assisting in the investigation, withheld a statement pending results of an autopsy being awaited by the district attorney's office. The district attorney's office expected no update before Wednesday.

Stephen Strasburg: What's Not to Like? Well...

2009-04-13T09:09:00.005-04:00

With masterful control, a 100-mph fastball and an ability to strikeout an average of two batters an inning, what's not to like about anticipated No. 1 overall draft pick Stephen Strasburg.

Well, to hear The New York Times tell it, his problem is the company he keeps.

Columnists Fred Bierman and Benjamin Hoffman -- writing in the current edition of the newspaper's weekly "Spotlight" feature -- note that the 6-foot-five, 220-pound righty is represented by agent Scott Boros, who has been known to hold out for multi-million-dollar signing bonuses.

Having a 7-0 win-loss mark and 1.49 ERA for the San Diego State Aztecs, the starting figure for Strasburg's services could approach a record $20 million, if anyone is willing to pay it, let alone the lowly Washington Nationals, who have the first selection in the June draft.

Even if Strasburg slides down the pecking order to wealthier buyers, Boros likely will continue to hold teams' feet to the fire. Bierman and Hoffman point out that Boros has gone so far as to let clients such as J.D. Drew and Luke Hochever -- to name just two -- play for independent minor league teams before allowing them to sign a contract without meeting Boros' price.

Twins C Joe Mauer Closer to Return

2009-04-09T10:17:00.002-04:00

Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, rehabbing from back inflammation, remains on the disabled list but is making progress toward rejoining his teammates on the field.

Mauer took batting practice and worked behind the plate Wednesday night, both firsts in his recovery from the back problems that have his sidelined. The batting and catching sessions took place at the Twins' minor-league camp in Florida.

Mauer hit one ball out of the park in the batting practice session, which was his first since September. Mauer's biggest issue remains with running, an activity that causes much pain and which he hasn't been able to do comfortably since December.

Homer Happy Hafner

2009-03-30T20:15:00.002-04:00

Indians designated hitter Travis Hafner was warmly greeted in the dugout by manager Eric Wedge and teammates as he hit his first home run in Cactus League action, a blow that was instantly interpreted as a sign of his recovery from a more-than-yearlong slump.

Hafner, 31, whose 2008 season was virtually lost due to shoulder soreness, has said he feels 100-percent healthy, but was batting only .225 during the spring, which he attributed to lost timing.

Hafner hit the home run after a batting cage session in which he hit seven consecutive balls into the seats. He had shoulder surgery during the offseason.

Motte Set to Be Cards' Closer

2009-03-29T16:58:00.005-04:00

Despite Tony LaRussa's demurrals on the question of naming a Cardinals closer, Jason Motte will open the season as the team's bullpen ace. That's according to Al Hrabosky, a Cardinals closer himself - "the Mad Hungarian" - back in the 1970s and since then a longtime Cardinals broadcaster.

LaRussa told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch several days ago that he would not name a closer entering the 2009 season. However, during the pre-game show of the Twins-Cardinals Spring Training game today, Twins broadcaster Dan Gladden relayed his conversation with Hrabosky. Motte, Hrabosky told Gladden, will be the closer and will get most of the save opportunities, LaRussa's recalcitrance notwithstanding.

Motte has pitched very well in Spring Training, locking down saves, and posting outstanding strikeout-to-IP ratios.

Hrabosky did not disclose to Gladden his source for reporting that the closer job is Motte's.

A-Rod "Walking Normally" After Hip Surgery

2009-03-23T22:42:00.003-04:00

Injured Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, reportedly staying in a luxury chateau near the Colorado ski resort community of Vail, has been spotted on multiple occasions throughout the Glenwood Valley, "walking normally."

Having undergone a hip labrum surgical repair by Dr. Richard "Steady" Steadman, Rodriguez appears to be heading toward a rapid recovery, though the prognosis for his return to action remains no sooner than mid-May.

Observers reported to Vail Daily columnist Davy DeChant that Rodriguez, accompanied by two women and five large, athletic-looking men, attended a concert by blues performer Taj Mahal at the Larkspur Restaurant in the Gold Peak Sea Lodge complex.

"They said it looked like he was walking fine," DeChant said. "He didn't have any crutches and he appeared to be moving normally."

While Rodriguez might be walking normally, his ability to pivot at the plate and move side-to-side in the field remain questions yet to be answered.

An independent medical opinion suggest that his return to defensive play in all likelihood could take until the All-Star break or beyond, though he may be able to appear as a designated hitter.

A clinic spokesman said no information was being released due to policies of privacy.

Curt Schilling's Retirement Comes as Anticlimax

2009-03-23T12:20:00.008-04:00

Confirming an MLBnewsonline exclusive report from nearly a year ago, former Red Sox ace Curt Schilling finally was forced to admit he would be unable to pitch again, and announced his retirement via internet.

"...The things I was allowed to experience, the people I was able to call friends, teammates, mentors, coaches and opponents, the travel, all of it, are far more than anything I ever thought possible in my lifetime," Schillihg said in his blog: "43 Pitches."

Though some speculated Schilling might return, an independent health analysis of his condition revealedd that even the finest surgeons in the world would have vitually no chance of restoring the 23-year veteran's health or ability to throw.

Still, the three-time world champion said he has no regrets.

"The game always gave me far more than I ever gave it," he explained. "...I did everything I could to win every time I was handed the ball. I am and always will be more grateful than any of you could ever possibly know."

Andruw Jones' Career at an End?

2009-03-21T08:56:00.003-04:00

Is Andruw Jones out of time - and out of options? The former All-Star centerfielder, who at one point in his distinguished career with the Atlanta Braves was considered by some a future Hall of Famer, has floundered badly the past several seasons. The numbers he put on the board were among the worst in the majors.

But the Texas Rangers invited him to Spring Training on a minor-league camp. Jones' contract gave the Rangers until March 20 to either put him on the 40-man roster or release him. But Friday rolled around and the Rangers showed no interest in putting Jones on the 40-man roster, so Jones and the team agreed to wait until Monday, March 23.

Jones clearly wants to remain with the Rangers, even though the team has made it clear that his best chance at making the team - which may be slim anyway - is as a backup. Jones told the Dallas Morning News:

"We've got to the 23rd to make a decision and see what's going to happen. I don't know yet. I would love to be here. All these guys are great guys. They all pull together, and I think we've got a great team."

Jones has been playing mostly in minor-league games lately, not appearing in the Rangers' past six "A" games. Manager Ron Washington sounded the only optimistic tone about Jones, saying he has looked better in batting practice of late.

Alex Rodriguez's Hip Imperils Season, Even Career

2009-03-10T22:48:00.005-04:00

Can it really be so simple that Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez may return to action in as little as six weeks after hip surgery, as the team has claimed? In a perfect world, yes, it's possible; but realistically, no, it's probably not going to be that easy.

Mindful of a dire need to sell tickets to help finance the new Yankee Stadium, the team's front office has done its best to put the best possible face on the recent bone shaving, cystic draining and arthroscopic surgical repair of the torn labrum in Rodriguez's right hip.

But the very idea that Rodriguez will take the field as soon as mid-April and no later than June is somewhat of a long shot. A more reasonable prognosis would put Rodriguez's return closer to the All-Star break, perhaps even in August or later.

Worse, it cannot entirely be ruled out that his entire season, even his career may be at stake in the extreme case, to say nothing of the long-term outlook for his health over the remainder of his life. To project anything more optimistic while ignoring this grim disclaimer would, frankly, be misleading if not altogether dishonest.

Though Rodriguez at 33 is a finely tuned professional athlete who otherwise might be a quick healer, he faces a few distinct disadvantages in the highly problematic nature of this particular recovery process.

First, repairing the labrum -- a circular formation of fibrous cartilage surrounding the hip joint -- takes much longer to heal than other types of operations because of relatively slow blood circulation in the particularly dense tissue. Though the external incision might be well on the way to healing in as little as six weeks, the labrum in all probability will take considerably longer to heal beneath the skin, though exactly how much longer is difficult to say.

As luck would have it -- bad luck -- it's his right hip rather than the left hip that's imperiled, the hip on which the right-handed Rodriguez swivels to drive pitches to left field. If his doctor is wise, he will advise plenty of caution before Rodriguez dares turn himself loose at the plate, and that will require time.

While Rodriguez may be able to run relatively soon, he will be unable to make the violent turns and pivots needed not only to hit but to play third base. Even if he were to be used as a designated hitter, it will still take time before he can risk playing without hesitation, lest he re-tear the labrum.

As if it wasn't bad enough already, a perhaps remote yet realistic possibility of post traumatic arthritis, even hip replacement remains a possibility if not over the remaining nine years of his contract then in later years. Though this outlook is essentially pessimistic, Rodriguez should embrace it so that if it turns out to be correct he will be prepared, and if it turns out to be wrong he can be delighted.

As for the whispers of performance enhancing substances contributing to his impairment, the possibility cannot be entirely dismissed. Steroids and other such medicines have the effect of stressing joints and tendons as the result of unnatural power and exertion. One cannot help but wonder whether Rodriguez might better have sacrificed 50 extra, steroid enhanced homers to be enabled to be playing today instead of watching from the bench.

Boston's Mike Lowell Sees First Action of Spring

2009-03-10T13:59:00.004-04:00

Boston's Mike Lowell is the DH today batting fifth against the Orioles. This is his first start of this Spring for Lowell who is re-habbing after off season hip surgery.

In two at bats so far, he has struck out swinging and popped out to first. No word yet as to when he will be playing third base. Clay Buchholz threw three perfect innings with two strikeouts. He threw 31 pitches, 24 for strikes. Buchholz is in the mix for the 5th starter slot after a disastrous season last year.

Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia are both playing well in the World Baseball Classic. Youkilis has two home runs in the tournament. The USA team next plays Wednesday at 6:30 PM Eastern time.

Disregard Reports About Twins Closer Joe Nathan

2009-03-09T21:15:00.007-04:00

Unless Twins closer Joe Nathan was recently clubbed by a baseball bat, fell down a flight of stairs or was in an automobile accident, his complaints of shoulder soreness likely can be largely discounted.

Reports of his condition center around supposed tenderness or sensitivity at the acromioclavicular joint -- the relatively stout, swiveling skeletal connection between his collar bone and shoulder. Though his soreness is real, if it were serious it would almost have to be the result of blunt trauma.

Blunt trauma -- resulting from potentially crippling impact -- accounts for nearly all manifestations of severe joint failure regarding the "AC joint." Because no blunt trauma has been reported, Nathan's injury almost certainly is more likely attributable merely to a mild strain after the offseason layoff.

Nathan likely will respond favorably to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, cold pacts and a carefully measured regimen of rest and mild excercise, including throwing. Various camp reports indicate Nathan is throwing with a normal motion, an activity he must keep up to prevent stiffness.

Expect Nathan to be fully ready to throw without limitation before opening day.

Utley Ahead of Schedule for Return

2009-03-09T13:08:00.001-04:00

Injured Phillies second baseman Chase Utley has given little sign of backing off his prediction that he will be ready to take the field come Opening Day.

Though the prognosis for his recovery from hip surgery has been estimated to take until June or beyond, Utley is ahead of schedule and is eyeing a coming opportunity to get into a game at Grapefruit League camp.

"It still kind of day-to-day, but it's getting to the point where we're feeling better about going out there," Utley told Sirius XM's Seth Everett, host of the afternoon baseball talk show on Channel 175. "... We'll see how it goes."

Utley said that his workouts are approaching higher intensity, indicating that he should be ready for limited action in the field.

Joe Mather Probable to Open at 3B for Cardinals

2009-02-28T20:01:00.010-05:00

Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa once again has rummaged around in his hat full of ragtag retreads, untested prospects and walking-wounded to pull out a rabbit in the form of young power-hitting outfielder Joe "The Beaver" Mather.

Though formerly ranked well behind various other prospects -- most notably fellow outfielder Colby Rasmus -- Mather appears to have the inside track to open at third base in place of injured starter Troy Glaus, who likely will be sidelined for most of April and perhaps well into May or beyond.

It's very early to be making such judgments, but unconfirmed reports foresee Mather's conversion as a done deal unless he completely embarrasses himself at the hot corner before the end of camp.

Mather, 25, may be considered sort of a 6-foot-4, 200-pound "Troy Glaus light," in other words a younger, left-handed version of the big, swing-and-miss power hitting starter. In a limited trial cut short by a wrist injury late last year, Mather hit 8 homers in just 133 at-bats, having previously hit 17 homers in 211 at-bats for Triple-A Memphis.

Mather's unexpected emergence casts a pall over the candidacies of third base hopefuls Brian Barden and Brendan Ryan, at least for the short term.

If Mather sticks, it will not be the first time that LaRussa has refused to let lack of imagination stand in the way of fielding a playoff contending team, having been wildly successful in pulling Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel off the scrapheap.

In other news coming out of Grapefruit League Saturday, former Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter retired six Nationals over two innings, throwing 13 strikes on 19 pitches, though he hit a batter. He is coming off the second of two elbow surgeries, plus a myriad of other injuries sustained since his 2006 career year, when he won 15 games.

To make matters more complicated, David Freese and Brett Wallace are projected to make an impact at third base by next year if not sooner.

No Lingering Effects for Mariners 3B Adrian Beltre

2009-02-28T19:48:00.007-05:00

Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre -- coming off variety of aches, pains and various infirmities -- suffered no day-after effects following a full-day of play in the field and at the plate, but the team still denied him his request to appear for his native Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.

The team opposed his participation based on an assessment of his condition following surgery.

Beltre tested his arthoscopically repaired shoulder by deliberately swinging as hard as he could at the first pitch he saw in Friday's tilt with the Dodgers in Peoria, Ill. He missed the ball, but feeling no discomfort went on to perform without reserve as he banged out two hits, including a double plus three RBI in his team's 18-2 romp.

Though Beltre said his back was "a little stiff," he had no complaints about ailments to his injured thumb and shoulder, and especially the shoulder, over which he was most concerned, he told KONO-1000 Radio in Seattle. Though withheld from the WBC, his outlook remains excellent for opening day.

Despite Trials, Ian Stewart Sits Out for Rockies

2009-02-28T00:52:00.007-05:00

Though at a critical juncture at 24, former top Rockies prospect Ian Stewart is expected to need a day or so of rest after stressing his left arm swinging the bat in the cage.

Perhaps he has been trying to hard.

The soreness comes at a time when Stewart finds himself under great pressure, as he must use every opportunity to prove he is worthy of a spot on a crowded roster on which he may be left with no position depending on a number of factors beyond his control.

Stewart -- a natural corner infielder who has been tried with mixed results at second base and in the outfield -- finds himself on the outside looking in as Clint Barmes has the inside track for the second base job, and Garrett Atkins plays third. Stewart's best opportunity may lie with the trade of Atkins, or if Atkins crosses the diamond to play first in the event that Todd Helton is unable to play after sustaining a number of injuries and illnesses.

Stewart's return to action was being considered for this weekend. He is being asked to be more selective at the plate, and increase contact.

Buck Martinez Back as Sirius/XM Baseball Host

2009-02-27T23:42:00.011-05:00

Emmy-winning baseball broadcaster Buck Martinez -- former co-host of the trailblazing XM/Sirius "Baseball This Morning" program -- will return tod his familiar role alongside the empty big chair vacated by former partner Mark Patrick.

Martinez with share the microphone with Scott Graham.

Patrick continues to look for work from his home in Brownsburg, Ind. He is reported to be nearing a deal unrelated to XM.

Martinez, 59, who won an Emmy for the 1995 television broadcast of Cal Ripken's record 2,131 consecutive game, will also continue his broadcast work for TBS.

Martinez and the network had reportedly been trying to reach an agreement in recent weeks, as disclosed by network colleague Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton.

Hamilton, the familiar voice of AM radio's "Mighty 690" Southern California afternoon drivetime sports program -- recently joined the struggling network after a more than year-long, continuing network personnel upheaval which has seen the departure not only of Patrick, but Ronnie "Night Train" Lane, Mark Grey, Phil Wood, Orestes Destrade and others.

This will be Martinez's fourth year of service with XM. He formerly played 17 years as a major league catcher, making key acquaintances by sharing the same fields as such numerous baseball greats as Mickey Mantle, George Brett, Carl Yastrzemski, Jim Palmer, Nolan Ryan, Harmon Killebrew, Frank Robinson, Tom Seaver, Ted Williams and Reggie Jackson, to name just a few.

Martinez managed the original U.S. team in the World Baseball Classic three years ago, earning him the nickname "Commander." He also formerly managed the Toronto Blue Jays.

In 2007 he and Patrick inaugurated XM's morning baseball program with former Phillies manager Larry Bowa, now third base coach for the Dodgers. Listeners gave them generous praise for originality, creativeness, entertainment and informativeness.