March 1
Part of the problem with the John Rocker and Darryl Strawberry controversies is that their stories are New York Stories, and the media in this country is spun by New York.
If Rocker's vile diatribe had been about St. Louis or Cleveland, he'd be a footnote to history. But it was about New York, and the story became a New York story, seen through the eyes of New Yorkers, juxtaposed with the Diallo trial.
Strawberry arguably joins Bill Parcells and Patrick Ewing as one of the three biggest New York sports figures of the last 20 years. Did Otis Nixon get this kind of coverage when he was a three-time loser? Of course not; one can only hope that Strawberry takes control of his life, as Nixon did.
But while Rocker and Strawberry have received lead-story attention, the fact that they are baseball's version of criminals speaks volumes about baseball. No 10-man brawls with two dead. No drive-by shootings.
In terms of the relative publicity afforded Rocker and Strawberry vs. Rae Carruth and Ray Lewis, it is silly. But maybe it says more than we realize, that baseball is held to a higher standard than the NFL or NBA.
News and notes
Boston is shopping around for a pitcher, and the young player the Red Sox are marketing is shortstop Donnie Sadler. Last fall, they had Sadler at the top of their prospect list, but something has changed; a minor shoulder operation may have had something to do with that. The Red Sox are also interested in Dmitri Young, but Boston doesn't have an innings-eating pitcher to satisfy Cincinnati.
The Indians know it could take a full year before their payoff on hard-throwing Cuban refugee Danys Baez; unlike El Duque and other Cuban pitchers, he's only recently converted to pitching, and they know the cultural assimilation is a slow process. But they know Baez is special; his uncle Raul Hernandez and his wife Carida fled Cuba for Fort Lauderdale 12 years ago and regularly sent money to Baez's mother Miriam, Carida's sister. So when Baez got his bonus, he bought the Hernandezes a house and two cars for all they'd done for his family.
The Red Sox believe that Ramon Martinez will give them a second top-of-the-rotation starter after watching his increased velocity, looseness, improved command and even a new slider he concocted over the winter.
If the John Rocker thing doesn't work, is there anyone to step in down the line? Braves officials think 21-year-old Luis Rivera will jump into their bullpen after striking out 120 in 81 innings this winter in Mexico, and eventually can be a star. They claim that between his fastball and his deception, he is a clone of another Rivera -- Mariano.
An interesting historic clarification from Deion Sanders. "Remember back in the '91 World Series, when I took so much heat because I played a football and baseball game in the same day?" asks Deion. "What people didn't know was that my Braves contract ran out on June 1. I was only on a football contract and was playing for the Braves because I cared for them." So, why didn't he say anything back then? "Because the Braves asked me not to."
One of the most impressive comebacks at this point is Lance Johnson with the Indians, vying to be Kenny Lofton's early-season replacement. Johnson spent the winter working with Bobby Kersee, after a season in which he had a torn stomach muscle, a torn hamstring and a bad groin pull -- and kept playing. But he faces stiff competition from 27-year-old Dave Roberts, who is a special person.
The Mariners may now be more interested in Garret Anderson than Jim Edmonds.
If you're wondering, one reason Junior Griffey nixed a deal to the Mets is because when the Mets first called, they asked for Alex Rodriguez. "Then they lost John Olerud and everything changed," says Griffey.
You won't even recognize Jaret Wright when you see him. "He's cleared out his head," says Indians pitching coach Dick Pole. And you won't believe Sandy Alomar, who lost 25 pounds, gave up weightlifting and says the strain on his knees is greatly eased.
The Padres don't expect pitcher Carlton Loewer back for a while, as his ankle injury, which occurred in a hunting accident, is as serious as the one suffered by Jason Kendall. In the meantime, the Pads are dazzled by right-hander Adam Eaton, acquired with Loewer for Andy Ashby.
Want a sleeper? Try Tampa right-handed reliever Jeff Sparks, who at 28 may steal a job in one of the league's deepest bullpens.
Scott Erickson's injury could be a huge problem for the Orioles' starting pitching depth. And Peter Angelos is demoting Syd Thrift because he signed Aaron Sele? Maybe Syd was smarter than the owner. Rumors circulate that Baltimorean Joe Klein, formerly GM in Cleveland, Texas and Detroit, is moving ahead of Thrift in the Orioles' power circle.
Apolitical blues update
Send lawyers, guns and money ...
Reds fan Jerry Springer, who made his annual pilgrimage to Sarasota, Fla., says next month he is going to a fantasy camp run by ... Butch Hobson. You couldn't make that up.
I thought I was a child
Oakland pitcher Ron Mahay's offseason job was as an extra in "All My Children."
All kidding aside, this is a person who overcame a speech problem, dealt squarely with the replacement player issue and has restored his career with the A's as a potential starter.
Lost in the ozone, again
Indians minor-league pitching coach Mike Brown is spending his 20th year at the Holiday Inn in Winter Haven, Fla., between his career as a player with the Red Sox and coach with the Indians. They give watches for those kinds of things. "I really don't know what that says about me," says Brown.
Rock lobster
The Padres think young left-hander Mike Bynum -- drafted last June in the sandwich round out of North Carolina -- has one of those Carltonesque sliders that could make him a star. Bynum calls it "my lobster pitch," because when he grips it, it looks as if his hand is a lobster claw.
Monster mash
Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Warren Sapp was a Yankee clubhouse visitor this week. "I wish Drew Henson were here," said pitcher Mike Buddie."He'd see what he could face if he doesn't stick to baseball full-time."
Danger, heartbreak dead ahead
From a Yankee scouting report: "Try to make them believe we're going to run, even if we don't. If Pudge Rodriguez thinks we're going to run, we'll get all fastballs."
Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
John Rocker makes his first public statement following his suspension.