July 2008
King of Comedy
The makeup of a club. The chemistry. Whatever you want to call it is important. It affects how guys get along on the field and the overall harmony in a clubhouse. It does not show up in the box score, but winning teams usually have a great clubhouse. The bad ones don’t. I like what I see in Arlngton.
Here’s my take on the Rangers clubhouse.
Michael Young is the Rangers captain. He’s the leader. The guy is playing with a fractured finger and he does not complain about it. As the story
goes, somebody asked him about the finger and he says that he is going to have the same pain today as he is going to have in two weeks so why not play anway? He’s a gamer. He leads by example.
Josh Hamilton could be the soul of the club. For obvious reasons. He might be the most talented athlete I have ever seen and his story …well, you know his story.
The heart? That belongs to Eddie Guardado. In addition to being the biggest prankster in the clubhouse, every Eddie is everybody’s big brother. He’s the first person pitchers go to when they need advice and he is always there with a helping hand. Here’s his take on reliever Frank Francisco:
“Francisco has a big heart. That’s what I look at. I don’t look at the ball player. I look at what a guy has in his heart and he has a big heart and I like that a lot. …What is going to get you there is your family and what’s in your heart and I always tell him that.”
Eddie can also take a joke. On Thursday, Rangers manager Ron Washington called Guardardo out of the steam room and told him he had to speak with GM Jon Daniels because the pitcher had just been traded.
Guardado’s shock or fury didn’t last long. Daniels couldn’t keep a straight face and burst into laughter. From what I hear, Guardado had it coming …
Manny being himself …
It’s not a secret anymore. Mark Teixeira is an Angel. Manny Ramirez is a not.
Well not yet, anyway.
Their situations could not be more alike. The players could not be any more different.
You see, neither the Red Sox nor the Angels can win a World Series without their respective big bats. Both players know that and so do their agents. Both players expect a big payday at the end of the season and they’ll probably have good statistics to back up that claim when the day comes.
Both are stars. Both can carry a team. Both love the game.
But how each player is approaching that payday is what is separating them at the moment. For Boston, the organization is having a devil of time with Manny being Manny. The Red Sox hold $20 million club options for Ramirez for 2009 and ’10 and the outfielder is making sure to remind everybody of that fact.
“I know they’ve got me, but hey, enough is enough,” Ramirez said. “I’m tired of them, they’re tired of me. After 2008, just send me a letter or whatever, you don’t even have to call my agent or whatever, ‘Thank you for everything, you’re going to become a free agent, we’re not going to pick up your option in ’09.’”
Ramirez doesn’t expect to be traded this week.
“Boston is not stupid,” Ramirez said. “They’re not going to do it. They can say whatever they want. But when it comes to make a deal, they’re not going to pull the trigger because they know what they’ve got here.”
Teixeira? He just plays. He is the anti-Manny. Teixeira is accused of being boring at times and too business-like because doesn’t say much and when he does speak, he doesn’t say much. He becomes a free agent at the end of the season is heading for the biggest payday of his career just like Ramirez.
But Teixeira has been silent throughout the process and the silence works for him. He wasn’t a big talker while playing in Texas and he was just as quiet in Atlanta. When the Braves traded him to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim yesterday, his reaction was the epitome of Teixeira being Teixeira.
All Teixeira has ever done is play the game and say the right things. When did that become such a bad thing?
“They have the best team in baseball right now,” Teixeira said of the Angels, “and I’m not going to go over there and make them any different than they’ve been. I’m just hoping to add a few more runs.”
“They have all the pitching they need, they have a great defense and, hopefully, I can just go over there and be one more piece to the puzzle. I know the Angels play great baseball. They find ways to win, they run the bases well and they play great defense. They’re a very fundamentally sound team.”
On the other hand, Ramirez caused a stir last week when he surprised Boston manager Terry Francona by telling him he could not play because of sore knees. The injury hadn’t been on any of the team’s medical reports. Two days later, Ramirez was in the lineup but took himself out, telling bench coach Brad Mills that he was unavailable. The behavior led to a meeting. The meeting led to MRI on Ramirez’s knees. The MRI came back negative.
The results, however, are hard to ignore. Manny being Manny is not that funny anymore. Ramirez hiding in left field wall during pitching changes, the rolling around in the outfield and the high-fives to fans while the game is in play does not seem as cute or silly. He has lost the benefit of the doubt.
Ramirez will always be a character but how he is being characterized lately — as selfish, not a team player and possibly exaggerating an injury — is hard for anybody to overcome, even a clown prince like Manny.
Somebody in Boston suggested the erratic behavior by Ramirez is a ploy to get traded or to force the Red Sox not to pick up his option. The suggestion is Ramirez is being such a pain that he leaves the club no other option but to part ways with him at the end of the season.
I hope that’s not true. Like him, love him or hate Ramirez, such a move would be a black mark on time well spent in Boston. Say it’s not so Manny because you are better than that.
But the reality is that Ramirez will always have a job because he can hit. It could be in Boston. It could be in New York or Los Angeles. People will put up with his behavior because when he wants to, Ramirez can be the best hitter in the game. But for as much as he has made a career out of Manny being Manny, it wouldn’t hurt to be a little more like Teixeira every now and then.
Everyday Edinson Volquez
NEW YORK – Last year, Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez wanted out of baseball. He had been demoted by the Rangers all the way down to Class A and the outlook for a possible return to the big leagues was bleak. Add a set of rules Volquez believed were created to control his personality and it was enough to get the Dominican right-hander thinking about returning home for good.
Unfortunately for National League hitters, he didn’t. Instead, Volquez developed into one of the top pitchers in the game and is a strong candidate for this year’s NL Cy Young Award.
He was an All-Star for the first time in his career last week. He’s come a long way from Bakersfield.
“When you are a kid this is what you dream about,” Volquez said. “You dream about playing in an All-Star Game, a Cy Young or being a big league player. This is fun. This has been a process. In Texas, they wanted me to be perfect. It’s different here in Cincinnati.”
Volquez signed with the Rangers as a teenager and made his big league debut with Texas in 2005. He spent two seasons shuffling between Triple-A and the big leagues until the demotion to Class A Bakersfield after Spring Training in 2007 to work on his changeup and get his act together. He was traded to the Reds for Josh Hamilton before the start of the season.
“I what was hard for me because I thought I was going to be in the big leagues and I go all the way back to (Bakersfield) High A,” Volquez said. “Then I got back to the big leagues and I was traded and I didn’t know what was going to happen.
“I think if in Texas if they would have given me the opportunity to start the season in the rotation at the beginning of the season it would have been different. I think when you have to play in the Minor leagues for five months and come up in September it’s harder.”
Volquez credits his agent Len Strelitz for saving his career. When Volquez called complaining about the Rangers and talking about quitting, it was Strelitz that set him straight. Call it tough love.
“We were having phone conversations where he’d say, ‘I’m not happy, they don’t like me, I’m going home,’” Strelitz said. “His first game [in Bakersfield], he pitched five innings, and in the fifth inning, he gave up a couple of hits, and a guy hit one up into the wind. He gave up four runs. Just like that your ERA’s about nine, you’re in A-ball, you were in the big leagues last year. It had to be tough. But he persevered and saw the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Strelitz believes the Rangers took the wrong approach with his client and never really understood Volquez but is happy things have worked out for both clubs. Hamilton is the American League favorite for the Most Valuable Player Award.
“They gave him a list of rules to abide by,” Strelitz remembered. “Everything from the length of his hair to how he wore his uniform to how fast he got off the mound. It was a controlling atmosphere. Texas misunderstood his personality. They took some of his mannerisms as a lack of focus and concentration, and it’s not. Everybody has different ways of showing their emotions out there.”
Things are different in Cincinnati. Volquez is free to be free Volquez. He also admits he is more mature and has grown as person because of the process.
“[The Reds] gave me the confidence,” Volquez said. “They said, ‘Do your job, have fun on the mound and do everything how you do it.’ That’s what I’m doing. I just go out there and have fun. …I was mad when I got sent down. It was hard man. I made an adjustment in High-A. In September, I made it back to the big leagues. Now I am here. It was a long road.”
Game Time
The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry never rests — not even at the All-Star Game. Fans here at the park have booed every Red Sox player (repeatedly) and pretty much anyone wearing a Boston hat.
Josh Hamilton received a Yankee-style ovation when he was introduced during the pre-game ceremony. It was loud. The cheers for Derek Jeter were the loudest.
What a great version of the Star-Spangled Banner before the start of the game. Who knew Sheryl Crow was so friendly? Very down-to-earth. Very talented.
Looks like David Ortiz and Alfonso Soriano are both heading for rehab assignments in the Minor Leagues. Two of the biggest stars in the game did not play Tuesday but showed up anway. I like that.
Your pick. Ervin Santana or Johan Santana?
A-Rod's Way
NEW YORK – He has evolved into an intriguing figure this summer, equal parts sports page cover boy and tabloid mainstay, but Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez has few regrets.
And if he does, he’s not going to admit them publicly. From signing the richest contract in sports history in 2001 to opting out of his Yankees deal last winter to agreeing to an even more lucrative deal this year (not to mention a few off-the-field controversies) Rodriguez remains resilient. Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter may be the King of New York and arguably the most beloved player in franchise history, but Rodriguez is Frank Sinatra in pinstripes.
Like it or not, Rodriguez did it his way. He always does.
“There is nothing I would change,” Rodriguez said. “When you think about all of the blessings in my life Never once, no matter what people are thinking I have never said “Oh, why me?” It’s part of the gift and the curse. I keep moving forward. I’ve learned to put the issues in a small box and focus on my game and be really thankful.”
Rodriguez is playing in his 12th All-Star and hitting .319 with 19 home runs and 53 RBIs this season. That should come as no surprise. He calls the baseball field his refuge and said he knows that for at least four hours a night he can focus on the sport he loves the most without any distractions.
Yes, he is aware of the distractions. The New York tabloids have linked him with Madonna and the reports of his wife filing for divorce are hard for anybody to ignore.
Rodriguez was asked about the off-the-field distractions by both the English and Spanish media Monday afternoon. His answer was a simple one.
In any language.
“Everybody has distractions and things happen to them,” he said. “Mine just show up in the New York Post. …I’m never going to look in the mirror and feel sorry for myself. I know that a lot of people whatever they read they can relate with one, two or three things that has occurred to me. I believe in the good Lord and I know He’s going to get me through these challenging times.”
On the field, it has been a trying time in the Bronx. The Yankees are 50-45 and in third place in the American League East behind Tampa Bay and Boston. Injuries Johnny Damon, Chien-Ming Wang, Ian Kennedy, Andy Pettitte and Hideki Matsui have taken a toll on the club. Rodriguez also spent time on the disabled list with a leg injury.
The Yankees inconsistent offense has been well documented.
“We have pitched very well. Our bullpen has done a fantastic job especially when you think of the situation of Joba (Chamberlain) going to the bullpen,” Rodriguez said. “As we look forward, I don’t any of us, including myself needs to do more than we are capable of doing. I’m not putting more emphasis on what I have to. I’m putting more emphasis on everybody doing their part.”
With those thoughts in mind, Rodriguez declined to participate in this year’s Home Run Derby. He also had another reason for sitting out Monday’s contest.
“I am so bad at it, I would embarrass myself and the whole city of New York, and I don’t want to do that to this great city,” Rodriguez said. “More than anything, I really do think it messes with your stroke a little bit, and my biggest responsibility is to hit cleanup for the Yankees.”
Instead, Rodriguez watched Monday’s home runs with his teammates from the grass near the first base dugout. It was his way.
As usual.
All-Star Friday
The Angels bullpen blew a big lead Thursday in Texas. The staff ace John Lackey gave up 15 hits and six runs in less than six innings and overall, the Angels pitching staff gave up 20 hits against the Rangers.
The Angels still won. Francisco Rodriguez earned his 36th save of the season, once again proving that in the end it’s still all about the pitching and the Angels are all about the pitching when it matters.
Rodriguez along with starting pitchers Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana will represent the club at the All-Star Game on Tuesday in New York. What they really represent is the lifeline that has been keeping the Angels on top of the American League West standings and poised for a playoff run in the second half of the season.
“Pitching has kept us afloat,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “The way we were struggling to get runs, we could have been looking up at a lot of teams in our division but we’ve been able to pitch our way and keep our heads above water.”
Angels’ starters are sixth in the American League in ERA at 3.82 while the bullpen ranks 10th in the league with a 4.11 mark. The offense struggled early, posting a .232 batting average in May and a .252 mark in June. The Angels hit .279 in April to start the season but have a .289 so far in July. The offense is hitting near .300 (.297) during the last seven days.
The pitching has been solid all season. Saunders is 12-5 with a 3.07 ERA, Santana is 10-3 with a 3.53 ERA while Jon Garland and Jered Weaver each have eight wins. Lackey, slowed by injury this season, is 6-2.
“The pitching is what has been carrying us,” Angels outfielder Torii Hunter said. “The pitching has been keeping us in the game until we can get that big hit in the eighth or ninth inning. With Frankie closing it out, he has been lights out. It’s been good from start to finish.”
The offense hasn’t. Why?
“There’s a lot of things going bad: the continuity of the grouping, the chemistry and the getting on base early in innings and trying to get into our game,” Scioscia said. “A lot of things have not jelled the way we know they can and there are different reasons for each.”
Some things don’t change. Vladimir Guerrero leads the Angels offense with a .288 batting average, 15 home runs and 49 RBIs. First baseman Casey Kotchman has been doing his part, but he and Guerrero are the only regulars (not including shortstop Erick Aybar) hitting above .280 this season.
The outfield/designated hitter trio of Hunter, Gary Matthews Jr. and Garret Anderson has not lived up to expectations. Matthews has been benched and Anderson is hitting .266. Hunter is hitting .271 but has 12 home runs and 43 RBIs. The center fielder is optimistic about the second half but admits there has been an adjustment period.
“Gary Matthews Jr. was with another team, I was with another team and Vladi was with another team and we are all coming together,” he said. “It’s a chemistry thing. It’s something that as baseball players and coaches we know about and I don’t think a lot of people understand outside that chemistry is everything. Now we are starting to get in tuned with our role. We are starting to play and it can take a while. You just have to find your new role and find yourself.”
Rodriguez finds himself on a record-setting saves pace. He has blown only three save opportunities this season and is taking advantage of the fact that 53 of the Angels games have been decided by two runs or less. The club has 56 wins this season. The closer said there is really no secret to his success this season and the reason for the team’s triumphs should not come as a surprise, either.
“We have always had great starting pitching, last year and the year before,” he said. “Obviously, right now the offense is not doing too good but they are doing a lot better and starting to pick it up. When we get our pitching and hitting together, we are going to be fine.”
“You can say our pitching has kept us together so far, but that is baseball,” Santana said. “Sometimes you pitch better than you hit and sometimes you hit better than you pitch. We are not worried.”
Wednesday ramblings …
** You can look at it two ways Angels fans: Juan Rivera is getting a chance to play oooooor Gary Matthews has been benched. Both points of view are right.
** A kid in the stands wearing a Rangers jersey was cheering for the Angels on Monday simply because they are angels. He says “You are supposed to cheer for angels because they take care of us and protect us, right?”
** Frank Francisco and chess go together like …
The guy is always playing chess in the clubhouse and taunts his opponents with each move. It’s hilarious. I hear Rangers catcher Gerald Laird is working on his chess game, studying books and researching strategies on the internet. C.J. Wilson is also pretty good.
** Welcome back to Arlington Wes Littleton. See you after the All-Star break Vicente Padilla. Padilla was placed on the 15-day disabled list with neck stiffness minutes before the start of Wednesday’s game. He said his neck was fine in an interview with media before the game but that’s what they all say.
The cover of the Rangers program this weekend reads: A Different Padilla: While he is still a competitor Vicente is healthy and happy in ’08. Nice timing. It was written by yours truly.
** Nice National Anthem by Melissa McLaughlin. Great voice, great speed, great job.
** It seems like once a week a ball girl from around the league is on television after making a nice play. Here’s one of the funnier clips.
Prime Time Neighbors
Angels center fielder Torii Hunter and former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Deion Sanders live in the same neighborhood in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and are pretty good friends. Hunter says Sanders lives right around the corner as does new Cowboy cornerback (and Sanders’ project) Adam Jones. Not that Adam Jones.
Don’t be surprised to see Sanders or Jones out at the
ballpark this week. Sanders has taken Jones under his wing and is likely looking to expose the young football player to fun/positive role models — like Hunter. For the record, Hunter says Jones seems like a good kid.
Did anybody watch Prime Time Love?
Jesse Sanchez
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