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RED ASS REDUX

Former teammates Omar Vizquel and Jose Mesa have a nasty little feud going. It started with comments Vizquel made about Mesa in his book, “Omar! My Life On and Off the Field,” and apparently didn’t end when the two faced each other last year.

“I thought he already took care of business,” Vizquel said Tuesday. “He already hit me once. He hit me twice actually, because he hit me once in Seattle. I don’t know why he hit me then. I hadn’t done anything to him then.”

The Indians faced the Phillies in a spring training game yesterday, but the two did not face each other.

Still, Mesa is still heated:

“I will not forgive him. Even my little boy (Jose Jr.) told me to get him. If I face him 10 more times, I’ll hit him 10 times. I want to kill him.”

Which bring to mind a scene from “The Honeymooners:”

Alice Kramden: They call me Killer, cause you slay me.

Ralph Kramden: And I’m calling Bellvue cause yer nuts!

TAKE IT FROM FRANK

Inspired by Vladi Guererro’s short fuse, I peeked into my baseball library and checked out Frank Robinson’s autobiography, “Extra Innings” (written with Berry Stainback).

Here is what the Hall of Famer had to say about beanballs:

I was as aggressive at the plate as I was on the base paths and in the outfield. I stood as close to the plate as I could and stuck my head out over it so that I could get the best possible view of the ball when it left the pitcher’s hand and so that I could protect the outside corner. If pitchers jammed me, my wrists were quick enough to get around on the pitch. And I dove into the ball as I strode to start my swing, but my reflexes were so sharp and my wrists were so strong that I could stop my stroke before I turned over my wrists for a called strike.

…But pitchers were not happy to see me come up to the plate with my head hanging over it in what was known as “concussion alley.” Many liked to throw fastballs inside and drive me off the plate. George Powles [a legendary American Legion coach from Oakland who also taught Joe Morgan, Curt Flood and Vada Pinson as kids] had schooled me well in how to get out of the way of inside pitches. Tuck your head into your shoulder and spin left. Quickly. If the pitch was too far inside, you spun and fell hard away from it. So a pitcher would knock me down, and I’d get right back up and hang over the plate again. At times, of course, I couldn’t get out of the way of 90-mph fastballs that were well inside. In my rookie year, I was hit by pitches 20 times, which easily led the league. I led the league in being hit by pitches in each of my ten National League seasons.

In Robinson’s second season (1957) he was beaned in the head by Ruben Gomez, and the following spring he was hit in the head again, this time by Camilo Pascual in an exhibition game against the Washington Senators. The second incident seriously effected Robbie, as his 1958 show. But the dip didn’t last long, and Robinson rebounded to win the NL MVP award by 1961.

The baseball played in those days was a lot tougher than it is today for one simple reason—the brushback pitch. Every team had a pitcher or two who moved guys off the plate and occasionally hit batters in the ribs, in the buttocks, in the elbow, or in the head. No team had more pitchers who threw dusters than the Dodgers…

We didn’t have many pitchers who regularly dusted opponents, and that bothered me when my teammates and I were being knocked down. If opposing pitchers were going to try and intimidate me to keep from doing my job, I though it was up to the pitchers on my club to help me and help themselves by retailiating with dusters. Most pitchers that you knocked down a couple of times got the message.

…We always knew when were being thrown at. When a pitcher with good control started throwing behind hitters, that was a clue. And when one of my teammates was hit such a pitcher, I’d tell ours, “Hey, let’s stop this thing before it gets out of hand. He hit one our our guys; let’s hit one of theirs and end it.”

The umpires usually controlled the beanball battles pretty well. Typical was a game against Don Drysdale. The first pitch he threw to second baseman Don Blasingame was behind his head. After getting Blazer out, Drysdale threw three pitches in a row at Pinson’s ankles, making him skip. Then Drysdale jammed Vada, but he dinked the pitch off his thumbs over third and ran it into a double. Drysdale was so furious that his face was flushed when I stepped in. His first pitch was at my head, the second at my ribs. While I spat out some dust, home plate umpire Dusty Boggess stepped toward Drysdale and said, “That’s enough of that. You do it one more time; you’re out of there.”

The next pitch smacked me in the forearm. Drysdale was ejected from the game, fined $50, and suspended for three days. Of course, suspending a starting pitcher for three days was meaningless, because he only started every four days anyway.

What? Robbie didn’t charge the mound? My how times have changed.

HURRICANE VLAD

In the first hilarious spaz encounter of the year, my main man Vlad Guerrero charged Brad Penny in the first inning of the Expos-Marlins exhibition game yesterday. Guerrero, who is surely over-sensitive about being pitched inside, instigated the fight with the Marlins pitcher.

Awww, nutzo.

“He threw the first punch. He started saying stuff. I just felt I wasn’t in the wrong at all,” Penny said.

“If I was going to hit him, I’d have thrown a four-seamer, not a sinker. It barely touched his shirt. It didn’t even hit him hard.”

Guerrero said it wasn’t the end result, but the principle involved.

“I expect people to pitch me inside. I understand that. But it was just the fact that it was up around the head area. And what he said after he threw at me, he kind of cursed at me. That kind of ticked me off.”

“Nobody’s that good to where you can’t throw inside. He’s a Hall-of- Famer, but you still have to pitch him in,” Penny said. “He’s going to get into a lot of fights if that’s how he acts when people throw him inside.”

Expos manager Frank Robinson, who was hit by his fair share of pitches during his playing days, naturally defended his star:

“He’s been very patient and very tolerant about these things, so I’m a little surprised. But when I really look at it, no. I think the pitcher accelerated it … coming down off the mound and popping off,” Robinson said.

“After watching all last year and this spring, the opposing pitchers take liberties. The pitchers say: ‘I’m gonna make a real good pitch, or I hit him. If I do, so be it. If he’s out of the lineup, so much the better.’ “

Perhaps Robinson can give Vlad some lessons in how to properly turn away from a brushback pitch. Of course, yesterday’s incident only reinforces just how much pitching inside has changed since Robinson’s playing days.

At the very least, this should add some spice to the inter-division rivalry between the ‘Spos and the Fish.

20 days until Opening day. Fire away.

DUMB AND DUMBER

The Yankees fined David Wells $100,000 yesterday for the sins of tarnishing the Yankee image. Oh, brother. Coming from George Steinbrenner, that sure is rich. Quite frankly, I don’t see how the punishment will do anything but boost the sales of Wells book.

Vic Ziegel hit the nail on the head in the Daily News this morning:

Has there been a more tiresome spring training story than David Wells, his perfect game, and his imperfect book?

Mike Lupica was in fine form today too:

George Steinbrenner, hiding behind his team president and his general manager, now fines David Wells $100,000 for the crime of being David Wells. Wells lets him do it, after writing a book that is supposed to show that he’s not just loud and obnoxious, but a real tough character as well. They both come up looking like phonies. It is why they are made for each other.

…The real beauty of what happened yesterday is an owner who never knows when to shut up fining one of his pitchers for not knowing when to shut up.

An owner who wrote the book on embarrassing the Yankees fines David Wells for writing a book that he thinks embarrasses the Yankees. It frankly doesn’t get much better than that.

…You know the only thing that would make the whole thing go away? Wells going away. Only he’s staying. It means Wells’ season will be more entertaining than his book, too.

It was easier in the old days, when Billy Martin was the one drinking too much, and embarrassing the Yankees more than the owner. Steinbrenner would just fire him. Only now he’s stuck with Wells and the irony is pretty wonderful, if you ask me:

George Steinbrenner can’t fire Boomer Wells, who brags about drinking too much, because of a deal the two of them cut in a bar.

U-G-L-Y, YOU AIN’T GOT NO ALIBI

I stopped by my friend Joey La P’s place in the East Village yesterday afternoon, and was thrilled and delighted to catch a couple of innings of the Yankee game. Joey has somehow managed to scam 6,000 channels of digital cable for himself, so we caught the Tampa Bay Fox feed of the game.

The most exciting thing I saw was Godzilla Matsui bat for the first time.

Boy, is he f-ugly. But like the real Godzilla, Matsui is ugly in a friendly way. Like a three-year old, Matsui has a very large head. He has high cheek bones, and a wide face, and crooked teeth. Matsui doesn’t look unlike a Cro-Magnon version of Christopher Walken.

But he’s not comically ugly, or offensively ugly. His face has character.

Matsui has huge, Robert Newhouse-fullback thighs, and a big, fat ass. He stands very erect in the box, and was selective and patient in the at-bat I saw. He pulled a 2-2 pitch on the ground to the right side. The ball kicked off Travis Lee’s glove, and into the outfield; Rondell White scored from second on the play. I believe Lee was given an error.

Still, Matsui looks to be an appealing hitter to watch. God bless Joey La Pep, and his scamming ass.

WHERE’S YOUR MESSIAH NOW?

One player who has had his fair share of critics over the past year and a half is Andy Pettitte. Some feel as if Pettitte is just not healthy enough to be a big time pitcher any longer. Andy’s performance on Saturday didn’t help dismiss the skeptics.

FANTASY FYI

I recieved an e-mail from a reader, plugging his keeper fantasy league. I’m not going to have the time to participate, but I thought I’d pass it along in case any of you out there were interesting. Here are the details he forwarded to me. Check it out:

Details: This will be a ten-team yahoo keeper league with a live mixed draft on 3-17-03 @ 6:50 pm est. To join the yahoo league click http://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/b1, join private league, then enter league id #53151, password-daggers.

After the season you will be able to reserve 4 players from your team, and use them again next season. There is a $100 entry fee for this league, payable in full or installments via money orders, check, yahoo pay direct, or paypal. PAYMENT DOES NOT NEED TO BE MADE PRIOR TO THE DRAFT!! Please contact me for payment details and address.

Entire amount must be paid by all-star game, or your team will be dropped, and any money paid will not be refunded. Prizes-$850 to overall winner including playoffs, $150 to playoff runner-up.

Scoring will be head to head based on these categories : R H HR RBI SB AVG OPS W L CG SHO SV K HLD ERA WHIP. Your roster will consist of the following: Starting Positions: C, 1B, 1B, 2B, 2B, 3B, 3B, SS, SS, OF, OF, OF, OF, Util, Util, SP, SP, SP, SP, SP, SP, RP, RP, RP, RP, DL, DL PLUS 5 BENCH SPOTS.

Please email me with any questions.
THANKS
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CHUMP CHANGE

According to a report in the New York Times this morning, the Yankees will fine Boomer Wells $100,000 for embarrassing the organization with comments made in the pitcher’s new book. Sparky Lyle and Craig Nettles got their asses shipped out of town after they published their books (“The Bronx Zoo,” and “Balls”).

Boomer should consider his fat ass lucky. Fuggin degenerate.

NO CONTEST

Although it’s seemed clear for a while now that Jeff Weaver will earn a spot in the starting rotation over Jose Contreras, Contreras’ third poor outing helped solidify the feeling that the big Cuban will start the season in Triple A or the bullpen.

Joe Torre, who all but promised Weaver a starting role at the end of last year, doesn’t need convincing.

“He didn’t have to make a case for me, everbody knows that,” Torre said. “I like what I see, obviously.”

Contreras relieved starter Jeff Weaver yesterday and gave up 7 runs on 7 hits in 3 innings of work against the Devil Rays. But another poor performance is the least of the Jose’s problems:

There is so much going on inside Jose Contreras’ head. His 80-year-old father, Florentino, who was recovering from surgery on an intestinal blockage, had a stroke Saturday and is in intensive care in a Havana hospital.

His wife and two daughters are in Cuba, too, and Contreras, who has rarely been apart from his wife since they married as teenagers 15 years ago, doesn’t know if he’ll ever see them again.

…”I think I pitched 10 years of Triple-A in Cuba,” Contreras said through a translator. “The level of Cuba is equivalent to Triple-A. Just because I struggled and have had a few bad outings, doesn’t mean I’m not ready for this.

“The last few outings, you haven’t seen the pitcher I am,” Contreras added. “Once I get out of this rut in the near future, you’ll see.”

Meanwhile, Weaver allowed 1 run on 5 hits in 4 innings of work. Not only does Weaver have the support of his manager, Joe Torre, but GM Brian Cashman is a big fan too. And rightfully so. The deal that brought Weaver to New York was all Cashman.

According to Tyler Kepner in an article that appeared in the Sunday Times:

Weaver is here because of Cashman. It may be no coincidence, then, that the right-handed Weaver sometimes seems to be a spare part on the Yankees’ staff. His stuff is electric but his profile is low. He is not here because the owner demanded it.

… “We didn’t have a need for him, but I was like, `This is my opportunity; I have to take advantage of it,’ ” Cashman said. “A guy at this age, with this contract, everything that we believe he is, we have to somehow try to make this work.”

Weaver learned of the trade at his hotel in Boston, when Dombrowski summoned him back to Fenway Park at midnight. When he got the news, Weaver cried. But talking to Cashman that night took away some of the sting.

“He was straightforward and straight up,” Weaver said. “He told me: `I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen. We have a few extras in there, but the rotation is getting up in age, and who knows how long they’ll be able to go? We want you to be here for the future, to make the transition a continuous one.’ “

…”I can’t profess to know him well,” Cashman said. “I can’t tell you we’re friends. But I like him. I like everything about him. I get excited when he’s on that mound.”

BIBLE STUDIES

In the latest installment of the Pinstriped Bible, Steven Goldman compares Yankee DH Nick Johnson, to former Bronx Bomber Ron Blomberg, who was the first designated hitter to appear in the big leagues. Hopefully for Yankee fans, Johnson will have a more successful career than Blomberg. Still, it’s an interesting comparison:

Johnson’s body is what it is; if his wrists betray him it’s no fault of his. Still, it takes a ballplayer an instant to be labeled as fragile, a lifetime to live it down. This spring is a crucible moment for his career — he’s either going to establish himself now or face an uphill climb. This is only partially because he’s in an organization that can’t afford to wait, and mainly because when a youngster goes from “first base prospect” to “first base option,” he is thrown into a large pool of players from which it is very difficult to distinguish oneself. Call it “The Ivan Cruz Zone.” It’s easy to get in, nigh impossible to get out.

EXPLOSIONS

I love the idea of the Expos as the “Slap Shot” team of the Major Leagues. Owned by Major League Baseball, run by Omar Minaya, managed by Frank Robinson, and led by the inimitable Vlad Guerreo, the Expos are interesting if nothing else.

Phil Rogers has a long article on Montreal today, over at ESPN, which also reprints its hot stove report on Frank Robinson’s bunch too. And just for the hell of it, here are two more articles on from North of the Border.

WHAT KEEPS US ALL UP AT NIGHT

Rob Neyer profiles Angels GM Bill Stoneman, and Giants GM Brian Sabean over at ESPN. When asked what keeps him up at night, Stoneman spoke for baseball fans everywhere, not only his fellow GM’s:

The same thing that keeps a lot of GMs up at night: health questions. The unexpected. Something serious that might cost us a good player. That stuff you don’t control. We’ve got pretty good depth on the bench. Some of the same guys we had last year, plus Eric Owens. But you still don’t like to lose your No. 1 guys, and that’s something you just can’t control.

On that note, Mets pitcher Pedro Astacio and Yankee second baseman Alfonso Soriano are hurting.

Speaking of pain, the Boomer Wells story has become a sore for sight eyes. While the Yankees continue to deliberate on how to punish Wells, Rocket Clemens fired away at Boomer on Michael Kay’s radio show yesterday.

Link at your own risk.

HEY, GOOD LOOKIN’

Everything is a-okay in Red Sox Nation this morning. Pedro Martinez was his usual impressive self in his spring training debut against the Twinkies yesterday. Last year, Thomas Boswell used the phrase “imperial disdain” to describe Barry Bonds at the plate. I think it applies to Prince P on the mound as well.

Kevin Kernan has a nice little piece on Jason Giambi’s relationship with Ted Williams in the Post, while Joel Sherman offers a puff piece on Cliff Floyd.

NOT A BELIEVER

While the Orioles are making waves about aquiring Junior Griffey, Lee Sinns isn’t sure it would be a wise move:

I think that Griffey’s days as a top of the line player are over. He was never the best player in baseball. He was never as good as Bonds, even when Bonds wasn’t the Bonds of 2001-02. He was never the best player in the league. Even in his “mvp” season, Frank Thomas was much more productive than him and Griffey was only barely the most productive player on his own team, with Edgar Martinez giving him a great run for his money.

Griffey’s also not had a sharp all of a sudden decline. He’s been in a consistent state of decline for years–

YEAR SLG OBA OPS RCAA OWP RC/G
1997 .646 .382 1.028 65 .731 9.04
1998 .611 .365 .977 51 .692 8.00
1999 .576 .384 .960 45 .669 8.28
2000 .556 .387 .942 27 .614 7.87
2001 .533 .365 .898 18 .628 7.02
2002 .426 .358 .784 -2 .476 5.16

NO PEPPER GAMES ALLOWED

According to Lee Sinn’s ATM report today:

1) Orioles owner Peter Angelos has given the team permission to trade for Ken Griffey Jr. According to the Baltimore Sun, “the Orioles remain determined to add a major run producer to their lineup, and Griffey has quietly hovered near the top of their target list, along with Kansas City Royals center fielder Carlos Beltran.” The paper reports the Orioles are willing to include Sidney Ponson and one or two prospects in a deal, with Brian Roberts being a possibility.

2) Yankees P Steve Karsay complained of shoulder soreness and is being shut
down for a few days. He’s coming off back surgery and, while the Yankees
have been insisting that he’ll be ready for Opening Day, Baseball
Prospectus’s injury expert Will Carroll hasn’t been so optimistic.

After 3.76 ERA/11 RSAA and 2.35 ERA/21 RSAA seasons, Karsay had a 3.26
ERA/11 RSAA in 78 games in his first year with the Yankees. He has a 3.88
career ERA, compared to his league average of 4.62, and 47 RSAA in 321 games.

Karsay became the 4th pitcher to have 3 consecutive years with 70+ games,
10+ RSAA and an ERA at least 1.00 better than the league average–

T1 Duane Ward 1991-93 3
T1 Jeff Shaw 1996-98 3
T1 Scott Sullivan 1999-01 3
T1 Steve Karsay 2000-02 3

Sinn’s daily ATM report is essential for any hardcore fan. What’s better, is it’s free, baby. Don’t sleep.

Christian Ruzich, The Cub Reporter, has a great report from the Cubbies training camp in Arizona.

David Pinto has two posts that are worth checking out: one is about how to speed up the game, and the other one is about Derek Jeter.

Finally, Ed Cossette has a fun column today over at Bambino’s Curse. He links articles about Prince Pedro Martinez, and Jurassic Carl Everett. The Everett piece is hilarious. Lord what a putz. As talented as Everett is, the Rangers can have him.

SPRING CHICKEN

Jeff Pearlman has an article on the Ancient Mariner, Jesse Orosco in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated. Will Orosco, now 45, pitch until he’s 50? Uncle Jesse tells Pearlman:

The reason I’m still around is because I feel the ame way I did when I was in Little League, greasing up the mitt before the season. I’m excited for spring training. I love batting practice. The games are thrilling, even if I’m sitting in the bullpen. I’m the little boy who loves baseball. I don’t care what my job is.

THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW

Will Carroll, over at Baseball Prospectus, has posted his team health report for the New York Mets. Carroll has concerns about the usual suspects—Mo Vaughn, Cliff Floyd and Mike Piazza, and is skeptical about the Mets chances of winning the NL East:

The question going into this season is does removing a Bobby V-shaped tumor from the Mets and plugging in Howe’s soothing salve fix things? Does adding two big signings–both with some questions–push the big-money Mets back into contention? A team with the cash the Mets have should never have an organizational depth problem if they do the necessary due diligence. At the very least, they should fill Norfolk with Quadruple-A players while they’re developing young prospects. Yet somehow, the Mets have found ways to spend money without making themselves appreciably better.

…In the new-look NL East, the Mets once again feel they are contenders. Fueled by an involved owner and a GM trying to hang onto his job, they should be nothing if not interesting. But despite a roster that looks to be healthy, it’s unlikely that the Mets can hang with the Phillies and Braves. One or two unexpected injuries could drop them behind the Expos and Marlins.

SO FAR, SO GOOD

David Cone appeared in his first game this spring, threw 15 pitches and induced two pop outs and a ground out, in a three-up, three-down inning of work. If David Wells’ name is mud right now, Cone is a man who can do no wrong.

HURTS SO GOOD

It’s been a tough week and a half for David Wells. The usually impervious Boomer can’t catch a break, and it seems to be getting to him. (Is there anyone out there who feels even the slightest bit of sympathy for him?) Wells gave up 9 hits and 5 runs in 3 innings against the Braves yesterday. To add insult to injury, Wells was knocked on his ass on a comebacker through the box, he threw a ball into center field on another play, and brought back memories of Hideki Irabu as he failed to cover first base on yet another play.

When it rains it pours. Boss George, who called Irabu a “fat pus-sy toad” for neglecting to cover first base in a 1999 spring training game, has yet to address the Wells issue. The Yankee faithful in Tampa let Wells have it though, showering him with a chorus of boos.

According to John Harper in the Daily News:

To be fair, this was no routine play yesterday, as a hard ground ball caromed off a diving Todd Zeile’s glove, right to second baseman Alfonso Soriano. Still, Wells admitted he shouldn’t have given up on the play.

“It was my fault,” he said. “The way it was going out there, nothing I could do was right. When the ball went right to Soriano, I said, ‘Oh, bleep.'”

Yankee GM Brian Cashman is considering disciplinary action against Wells, but has yet to make a move.

“I’m talking to our personnel internally,” Cashman said. “Other than that, I can’t comment.”

Several club officials said that the Yankees were not considering trading or releasing Wells and that they had not asked him to waive his no-trade clause, which Wells has said he will not do. But there is a growing sense that Cashman will try to discipline Wells in some way.

…Steinbrenner has stayed silent on all things Wells.

“I’m handling it solely,” Cashman said. “It’s in my lap to handle, as it should be.”

ETC.

The Yanks have hired Jimmy Key as a minor league instructor. Key will report to spring training and work with both the minor league and major league pitchers. Key is considered to be a possible replacement for Yankee pitching coach, Mel Stottlemyre.

“I don’t know if it’s something he’d like to do,” General Manager Brian Cashman said. “But with his ability, rZsumZ and demeanor, I’m sure that’s something he would be capable of doing.”

Alfonso Soriano signed a one-year $800,000 deal, insuring that he’ll remain one of the better bargains in the game, at least for one more season (knock on wood).

JOSE, CAN YOU PITCH?

Jose Contreras gave up three runs in three innings against the Red Sox yesterday in the Yankees 7-4 victory. The big Cuban wasn’t sharp, but he was better than he had been in his first outing. Contreras, whose father has been ill, didn’t have a live fastball, and relied on a lot of breaking pitches. How good/bad was he? That all depends on what paper you read.

The Daily News , The New York Post and The Boston Herald, were characteristically shrill, while the Times and The Boston Globe were measured and subdued in their coverage.

Boston GM, Theo Epstein told the Times:

“I was interested to watch a pitcher I had never seen before, and he was impressive,” Epstein said after the Yankees’ 7-4 victory. “He’s got five or six different pitches and he throws them for strikes. It looks like they’ve got a good one.

“We got to him a little bit today, but anyone sitting behind home plate could see he’s going to be a very good pitcher.”

Johnny Damon was fair in his assessment as well:

”He’s going to be a very effective pitcher,” Damon said. ”He’s big, strong, and he’s a workhorse. He’s going to be good. Whether or not he’s going to be a force, that’s yet to be seen.”

The most inflammatory remark belonged to Shea Hillenbrand:

“I wasn’t impressed. Everybody hypes him up to be this big thing. He threw average. He kept throwing his breaking ball in the zone.

“I don’t care how good he is, unless you’re Barry Zito or Mike Mussina, you’re going to be in trouble if you do that.”

Tough-talk like this in spring training is enough to make any fan nuts. Just ask BoSox blogger, Ed Cossette.

Shea, why don’t you just concentrate on getting your ass in the lineup everyday, tough tits, and leave the quotations to the pros, like Boomer Wells (who is getting spanked this afternoon by the Braves)?

AROUND THE LEAGUE: TRIBE VIBES

You mean to tell me that baseball exists outside of New York?

How is the rebuilding process coming along in Cleveland? Indians general manager, Mark Shapiro spoke with Jonah Keri of Baseball Prospectus at length last week.

Terry Pluto re-evaluates the Robbie Alomar trade to the Mets, and he also profiles rookie first baseman Travis Hefner, who is expected to make an impact this year for the Indians.

John Sickels reports that although Tribe fans lost one of their most cherished players in Jim Thome, they have a bonafide prospect in Hefner:

[Hafner has] worked hard to refine his swing, hone his strike zone judgment, and hit the ball to all fields, not just over the fence.

He can still be fooled on occasion, but is good at making adjustments from at-bat to at-bat. Hafner destroys mediocre fastballs, and isn’t an automatic out against breaking pitches. Some people say he has trouble with plus fastballs, but this hasn’t been a problem in the games I’ve seen him play for Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma. His strike zone judgment is very good.

…Hafner has exceeded 20 homers four years in a row, while increasing his batting averages. His strikeout rate has actually dropped as he’s advanced, an excellent sign for his future and statistical evidence of his drive to improve. His MLEs mark him as a .280-.300 hitter with 25-30 homer power at the major league level.

He turns 26 in June, so he has not been young for his leagues. On the other hand, it also means he is physically and emotionally mature and ready for the majors now.

The Indians picked up Hafner when they moved catcher Einar Diaz to Texas. The Rangers already have super-prospects at the corners in Hank Blalock and Mark Teixeira, so John Hart was willing to part with Hafner. But Hart was also willing to part with Richie Sexson, Sean Casey and Brian Giles when he was with Cleveland. It’ll be interesting to see whether or not this deal comes back to bite him in the ass. Having Teixeira and Blalock around probably makes it a worth while gamble.

Only time will tell…

BOOMER’S BOOK FLAP

David Wells will waive his no-trade clause according to a report in today’s Post. Yankee GM Brian Cashman is in the middle of reading Boomer’s book, and will act accordingly when he is finished. What that means remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Boss George continues to keep his lip zipped. The only thing reporters could pry out of the Yankee owner yesterday was:

“I am like a big elephant trying to get out of the tent,” Steinbrenner said, jokingly as he tried to break away from a stampede of media. “Let the young elephants in.”

Okay…I’m a leave this one alone. Insert Fat Guy jokes here.

Kevin Kernan continues his assault on the hefty lefy in the Post, saying it’s time the Yanks parted ways with the trouble-making pitcher, and Filip Bondy talks to Jim Bouton about the perils of locker room literature in the Daily News. Bouton, who was black-balled by the baseball establishment for years after the release of his seminal “Ball Four” had some words of wisdom for Boomer:

I’m officially forgiven,” said Bouton, who has been invited again to the next Old-Timers’ Day. “Wells can look forward to 15, 20 years from now, when everything will be fine.”

Regardless of the constant distractions in Yankee camp this spring, the usual reserved, even dour, Mike Mussina is having a grand ol’ time:

“Everybody wants to feel comfortable where they are,” Mussina was saying yesterday. “Having been in one organization for 10 years, it takes a little while to get that comfort level back again.”

That is as close as Mussina will come to admitting he has let his guard down a bit this spring and allowed the media to get to know him a bit. But it’s true; out of nowhere he has become a favorite among the Yankee beat writers, chatting casually with them about everything from the recent Hall of Fame voting to his collection of classic cars.

…”I’ve noticed that he seems looser,” Stottlemyre said yesterday. “He’s more easy-going, and that’s good. It’s important for him to feel good about himself. He’s a perfectionist.

“And it’s not that he didn’t communicate in the past, he just seems to be doing it a little more freely now. Joking around and stuff. We’ve already talked more this spring than we did all of last spring training.”

…”This team is experienced enough not to let these things affect us,” Mussina said. “If we play well, the other stuff goes away. My last couple of years in Baltimore, we weren’t playing well and we had no fans at all. That’s a tough atmosphere to play in. You’re looking at the calendar in July and crossing off the days already.

“Here, you get accustomed to things going on around the team. With Boomer, I know there are certain issues that people are really upset about, and they certainly have a right to be, but in general I’m just having fun with it.

“When you take this many people and jam them together for as long as we’re together, there needs to be a lighter side. You can’t make it mentally without it.”

Over in Port St. Lucie, Al Leiter summed up the Mets take on the Yankees’ wild camp: “Better them than us.”

HOW AM I DOIN?

Godzilla Matsui hit his second homer of the spring yesterday. Today, Jose Contreras will get the start against the Red Sox. Think George will be watching?

The Boston Globe has a good piece on the allure of Yankee pinstripes, and how it made Jose Contreras a lock to land in the Bronx, not Beantown:

”It’s unbelievable how many Yankee fans there are in the world, but especially in Cuba,” Contreras said. ”I don’t know how they follow them, because they are not able to watch on TV, but I think Cuban people who live in the States ship videos and newspaper articles. Sometimes I think Cuban Yankee fans know more about the Yankees than the Yankee fans in the States.

”There is a central park in Cuba where all the sports fans come together. Some people think I am a traitor, but the baseball fans are not like that. They argue about how many games I will win. That gives me energy.”

SPRING TRAINING NOTES

Peter Gammons previews the defending National League champions, and finds Barry Bonds in good form. David Pinto linked this article a few days ago and focused on Bonds’ approach to hitting. Bonds apparently picked up some tips from watching David Eckstein swing, which just goes to show that the greatest hitter on earth is still learning, still fine-tuning his craft.

Last spring, ESPN ran a feature on Bonds, who demonstrated his technique of catching the ball with his bat. He stood at the plate with a mitt instead of a bat. As each pitch came in, Bonds, turning his hips, leveled his head, and went into his swing. Instead of hitting the pitch, he caught the ball. He then placed it on the plate, and then got ready for the next pitch. It was a remarkably simple concept, one that makes so much sense that we can only hope that Bonds follows in Teddy Ballgame’s footsteps and writes a book about hitting someday.

David Pinto also has a link to a nice little Yankee story that is worth reading.

The Boston Globe has an article on the Red Sox low-risk, “secret weapon,” relief pitcher, Chad Fox, and Bill Madden makes a case for Mets third base wanna-be, Ty Wigginton in the Daily News.

Finally, Pete Rose is back in the news today. Personally, I find his story so enervating, I can’t bring myself to write about it. At least not until something concrete happens. However, look no further than John Perricone’s Only Baseball Matters for complete Pete Rose coverage. He doesn’t have a new post regarding Rose as I’m writing this, but that won’t last long. He lives on the West Coast and is still sleepin.

Check out the Grandmaster asap.

TOUCH AND GO WITH MO

Last Friday I posted a link to Will Carroll’s team health report for the New York Yankees, and noted that he has concerns about the health of Bernie Williams, Nick Johnson, David Wells and Andy Pettitte. However, I neglected to comment that Carroll reserved his biggest concern for Mariano Rivera. My bad. Just lousy reporting on my part.

Here is what Carroll has to say about Mo:

The problems Mariano Rivera had last year are well chronicled, but there’s little in the way of facts regarding his injuries. Much of this can be laid at the feet of the always tight-lipped Yankees. After a New York Post writer misrepresented something I’d said in a UTK, Brian Cashman nearly shut off the flow of information entirely. Most concerning was the pattern of the injury, though–Rivera was rushed back in early August only to be back on the DL and into Jim Andrews office less than two weeks later. There didn’t appear to be any real reason why he should be rushed. Rivera came back from his third List stint and pitched effectively, if not approaching his previous dominance. Sources insist that his injury was purely muscular and the reports at the time always said “shoulder strain.” The rehab, however, seemed to be approached more like a rotator cuff impingement.

Long term, Rivera is facing a similar situation to Pedro Martinez. He’ll have to remake his body and build stamina to keep his arm healthy. While Rivera is a reliever and pitches less innings than Martinez, he’s also not getting as regular a rest pattern and seldom is able to give less than maximum effort during an outing. I’m very concerned at Rivera’s ability to go an entire season without injury. Much will rely on the remade bullpen behind him. With Steve Karsay out for the early portion of the year, the Yankees have no clear “go to guy” which could put more pressure on Rivera. The red light indicates that I think Rivera will have a year much like 2002–effective when healthy, but likely to miss something on the order of a month.

Carroll also thinks the days of the Yankee dynasty are numbered:

Say what you will about an Evil Empire, but the Yankees money has really only bought two things–depth and the ability to buy their way out of personnel mistakes. Operation Shutdown killed the Pirates payroll last year, but bringing in Raul Mondesi is barely a blip for the Yankees. As other teams find their depth in the freely available talent in the Rule 5 or non-tender arenas, the Yankees will find that their advantage not only is eroded, but may work against them. Despite a roster that is as dominant on paper as any in my lifetime, it’s my belief that we’re seeing the last year of the current Yankee dynasty.

IS IT SOMETHING I SAID? YANKEE BOOK CLUB MEETS: WELLS PAYS PIPER

David Wells, the clown-prince of the Yankees, wasn’t laughing too tough over the weekend, as the fallout from published excerpts of his forthcoming book, hit him, and hit him hard. Boomer fumbled all over himself, clearly rocked, rattled, and rolled. It was not his finest moment, but a revealing one all the same.

Predictably, the Wells story dominated the sports pages in New York.

Here is the run-down:

Saturday: Daily News, Post, Times

Sunday: News, Post, Times.

Monday: News, Post, Times.

There were plenty of people with plenty to say. Curiously, Boomer’s sugar daddy, Boss George was mum. (Wonder how that must make Jeter feel?) Expect another royal eruption coming soon to a backpage headline near you.

For the moment, here is some of the reaction to Boomer and his book:

Joe Torre: “I am sure he was distracted with everything swirling around and the meeting. I am sure he was uncomfortable. We talked to him about a lot of things. I sensed he was bothered. It’s something that’s not going away for a while, because the book is coming out.”

Cashman: “I take it seriously because we don’t want to be embarrassed. We don’t run pitchers out there drunk. The Yankees are hallowed ground and everybody better tread lightly. You are damn right I will read the book and have an opinion.”

Roger Clemens: “Boomer’s fun, isn’t he? I tease him that they say his nickname is Boomer. I call him Eli because if a story goes over 30 seconds he’s lying.

I don’t worry about small [shit] in life and that’s all this is,” Clemens said. “I have more important things to worry about. He needs to live his life and leave the rest of us out of it.”

Giambi: “The way I grew up in the game is there are unwritten rules. Caminiti and Canseco were talking about things that happened or what they did. The hard part is being categorized. It’s one thing if he wants to talk about what he’s done on or off the field. But that’s always the tough part, when you start being grouped into that area where they’re talking about. Unless you’re going to take a survey, why even comment on it? Unless you know what’s going on or what everybody’s doing, there’s no reason to make an estimate, because you don’t know.

He was a little worried that people were going to be upset. But he is Boomer and we still love him.”

Mike Mussina: “He had fun writing it, and we’re going to have fun responding to it…It’s simply Boomer on paper instead of Boomer live, which we get all the time…He said something to me because he didn’t want me to think he wasn’t pulling for me, that I wasn’t a teammate and to see if I have any animosity and I don’t…I’m going to have more fun with what’s written than worry about it.”

Bobby Valentine: “I can say that he’s an embarrassment to anyone who’s ever worn a uniform. I always thought he looked real embarrassing just because of his appearance, but he was blessed with an absolutely fabulous left arm. That’s his redeeming quality, obviously.

In our community, he’s going to get a free pass, because that’s just Boomer and he’s a Yankee. I don’t think he should get a free pass. He should be held responsible by his peers.”

“I think it’s disgraceful that he would paint them all with the same brush by saying 40 percent were doing steroids. If he had any guts at all, he’d name names of people who have been doing amphetamines and steroids. Then let the innocent be innocent and let the others wear the scarlet letter. But responsibility is obviously something he knows nothing about.

“Those are two pretty key words, respect and responsibility. Another is reality. If this guy thinks that his reality is showing up drunk when he’s pitching for the greatest franchise in the history of baseball, he should wake up or sober up.”

Kevin Kernan led the Boomer-bashing with columns on Saturday, Sunday and Monday:

It won’t be long before Wells is right where he belongs – no longer on the mound, but co-hosting the Best Damned Sports Show Period. He’s basically Tom Arnold with a fastball.

…When Joe Torre, who called Wells a cartoon character Thursday, was asked yesterday if he was worried about that image, he said, “Sure you do. I’m proud of what’s gone on here. You certainly don’t want to compromise that or have people thinking there’s something going on here.”

Mike Lupica shared Kernan’s sentiment, and Ira Berkow called Wells “a wimp” in the Times today.

Wells was brash enough to live up to his wild-man image in print, but his true colors are showing as the shit has hit the fan. And right now, those colors are about fifty shades of yellow.

Torre said that this story won’t be over for a minute. But will it hurt the team? I doubt it. I’d venture to guess that a majority of Boomer’s teammates are enjoying watching him squirm. Like Mike Mussina said, “I’m going to have more fun with what’s written than worry about it.”

GAYS ON BROADWAY? SAY HEY

Richard Greenberg’s play, “Take Me Out,” opened on Broadway last night, after having had a succesful run at Joe Papp’s Public Theater last fall. Here is an excerpt from Ben Brantely’s review today in the Times.

[“Take Me Out” is] the story of Darren Lemming (Daniel Sunjata), a god among baseball players and the star of a team called the Empires, who sets off a complicated chain of ultimately tragic events when he publicly announces that he is gay. This allows Mr. Greenberg to consider – in language that gives joltingly bombastic dimensions to locker room humor – big, big subjects like sexual and racial prejudice, moral responsibility, public versus personal identities and the inability of people to ever truly know one another.

Whew! That’s a roster that would have overloaded even Sophocles. And in trying to give theatrical life to each theme, Mr. Greenberg winds up sacrificing fully developed characters and credible plotting to Ideas with a capital I. Despite a vivid ensemble of actors who embody a lively spectrum of bat wielders, “Take Me Out” ultimately fails by the dizzyingly high standards it sets for itself as a metaphysical mystery play.

But the director, Joe Mantello, has sensibly chosen to emphasize the play’s less ponderous aspects. These include zippy (if improbably polysyllabic) dialogue; a hypnotic narrative that does much to disguise the potholes in the plot and is appealingly delivered by Neal Huff as a shortstop with the worldview of a novelist; and a host of good-looking guys standing around naked for the show’s already notorious shower scenes.

…But ultimately, it’s [Denis] O’Hare who owns the evening. A lonely, emotionally constipated gay man whose life takes on meaning when he takes on Darren as a client, Mr. O’Hare’s Mason becomes baseball’s dream cheerleader. To see him bend and blossom before the mysteries of the game is a bit like watching Cary Grant, in his priggish mode, being thawed out by a madcap Katharine Hepburn in “Bringing Up Baby.”

And what an enchanting and enchanted take on baseball Mr. Greenberg has created for Mason, both passionately personal and lyrically analytical. It’s a sensibility that is so smart, raw and sincere all at once that you may find tears in your eyes in the first act as Mason describes the raptures of “the home-run trot.”

There is also a moment in the second act that turns baseball into something like grand opera. The white light of night games floods the stage as the ensemble members act out an evocative baseball ballet, and Mr. O’Hare waxes into hallelujah-like paeans to the game. “Maybe I’ve had a ridiculous life,” he says, “but this is one of its best nights.”

The scene is one of the most stirring on Broadway right now. It’s an unconditional, all-American epiphany that, in these days of fretful ambivalence, is something to cherish.

You have to wonder when gay ballplayers will feel comfortable enough to come out. Homosexuality is one of the last great taboos to grip the game (and sporting culture in general), and it would take a man with considerable personality to publicly address the issue. Hopefully, it will be a star player. I wouldn’t hold my breath on it happening any time soon, though. Whoever makes the move will have to be a brave individual. It won’t be someone as touchy as Robbie Alomar, that’s for sure.

THAT’S A WRAP

Mike C over at Baseball Rants, has a couple of excellent articles on the Hall of Fame voting process. The first concerns Whitey Herzog’s reaction to not being elected earlier this week by the Veteran’s Committee, while the second tackles Jayson Stark’s latest column.

Hal Bodley weighs in on the Committee’s choice not to select anyone for the Hall as well.

Meanwhile, Jay Jaffe, has a funny take on Reggie Jackson’s insatiable need for attention. He also comments on Jackson as a Hall of Fame voter. (If you are Whitey Herzog, this doesn’t bode well for you.)

Ed Cossette has a good posting today about superstition and the Red Sox.

FIT AS A FIDDLE

Yankee fans, don’t miss out on Will Carroll’s team health report at Baseball Prospectus. Carroll is as informative and definitive as usual. According to the report, the biggest cause for concern is the respective health of Nick Johnson, Bernie Williams, David Wells and Andy Pettitte.