I didn’t know who Richard Ben Cramer was the first time I met him in 2008. We were in the press box at Yankee Stadium and I believe Richard had just started the reporting phase of his biography on Alex Rodriguez. Maybe the book was just an idea back then. I’m not sure.

As for me, I was just a couple of years off the Texas Rangers beat at the time and I was still trying to find my way as a national/international reporter for MLB.com. Honestly, I was just trying to find my way.

I remember my colleague Jeff Passan was saddled up to Richard and he “was giddy as a school girl.” It was just like Jeff to know exactly who Richard was and just like Richard to try to blend in like one of the guys. Jeff is the kind of person who not only knows how the best writers in the business write but he also knows what they look like. Maybe that’s part of the reason he’s one of the best in the business, wearing skinny ties and all.

So Passan tells me that Richard is one of the all-time greats. He wrote DiMaggio’s book and another awesome piece on Ted Williams. Richard is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Passan reminds me.

I’m not sure how it all began but Richard and I eventually started talking about Alex Rodriguez. I covered A-Rod during his time in Texas and I got to know him as well as Rodriguez allowed a reporter to get to know him in those days.  I remember giving Richard my take on A-Rod:  It seemed like everyone wanted to identify with Rodriguez in some way and that was part of the problem. Rodriguez is American, he’s Latino, he’s a New Yorker, he speaks English and he speaks Spanish. He comes from a humble background and has “daddy issues” like a lot of people do. People want to believe he’s one of us, I said, but he’s not. He doesn’t seem to fit into a box and he’s not what you think he is or what you want him to be. A-Rod is A-Rod. That’s it. He would be eccentric if he worked at Subway or was a plumber or a railroad man.

Again, it was just my impression of Rodriguez after covering him for three years, but I trusted my gut on this one. After all, A-Rod’s first years with the Rangers were my first years on the beat and I knew more about understanding personalities and reading people than I did about the sport in those days. Richard and I compared Rodriguez to a child actor and tried to recall a child star who didn’t end up with some serious issue. Rodriguez seemed like a guy who did not have any limits and we imagined what that kind of life that would be like.

We laughed. The game ended. It was just another day at the park and we said our goodbyes. Again, I had no idea how accomplished Richard was and I didn’t Google him until later…much later. I probably wouldn’t have been so open with my opinions if I had known who he was.  But Richard reminded me of my grandfather and he was easy to talk to. He was warm and pleasant. I’ll never forget his laugh.

A few months later, Richard emailed to tell me he was coming to Dallas to work on his A-Rod project. He wanted to know if I wanted to accompany him to Highland Park, Rodriguez’s former Dallas neighborhood.

I still don’t think I really understood who Richard was and what he meant to journalism back then. He was just Richard. Hell, I typed “Richard Kramer” when I programmed him into my cell phone. I agreed to go along for the ride and it’s one of the best decisions of my life.

The drive around one of the richest neighborhoods in Dallas was one I’ll never forget. I remember telling Richard the Bushes live in the Highland Park area, right next to (former) Rangers owner Tom Hicks and Rodriguez. We pulled into a posh shopping center full of boutiques, bistros and high-dollar sedans and laughed at the gaudiness of it all. We eventually settled in at Starbucks for a chat.  I want to write important stories, I told him. I want to do long-form or a book one day.  He says I’m doing great already because I’m writing about the great game and sharing stories about Latinos with the world. And besides, he says, I get to travel to Latin America and see the world in the name of baseball. I was one lucky dude and he told me not to forget how fortunate I was. He also said writing books was a pain in the butt if you are not ready for it. The right time and the right opportunity will come, he said. Richard nonchalantly tells me he wrote a 1,000 page book about a political campaign and immediately knew it was way too long. He said he wondered what kind of people would be crazy enough read that many pages and if it was all a complete waste of time.

He also said Alex Rodriguez reminded him of many of the politicians in his book. It was always about the power and women with those political guys, he said.

So we finish our tour of Dallas and we returned to my Uptown apartment to drop off my jacket because I didn’t want to carry it across the street to the bar at the W Hotel. I was sharing an apartment with a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader at the time and I’ll never forget the look on Richard’s face when he saw all of her photos hanging in the living room. One of the girls in the photos would go on to star in The Bachelor and later Dancing with the Stars. Another married a ball player from Texas who used to play for the Rangers.  They all starred in a reality television series. I was living the dream – or so it seemed.  But Richard knew better. We spent the better part of the night at the W bar talking about the woman in Arizona who I was madly in love with and how I wanted to be with her. He told me about his marriage, his loves and his family.  We talked about writing, being true and embracing happiness. He reminded me to follow my heart and enjoy my life. He told me what I already knew but needed to hear again: Things will always be OK.

I heard Richard’s publisher sued him for the advance on the A-Rod book because the project didn’t meet their deadline. The publisher wants the advance back, I read.  I just want the receipts from that night at the bar at The W as a keepsake.

We kept in touch in the years that followed. I called him when I decided to move to Phoenix to be with Yvonne, the love of my life and the best reporter I know. I called him with the news of our son’s birth and our marriage. We talked about Selena Roberts’ portrayal of A-Rod in her book. It’s not that he didn’t like Roberts’ book. He just didn’t think it was deep enough.  In one of our last conversations, Richard mentioned how hard it had become to reach A-Rod. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen with the book project but he knew it was going to be much harder without Rodriguez’s cooperation. He wasn’t mad at Rodriguez. Frustrated? Yes.  But he understood who Alex was and he accepted him. He liked Rodriguez because he understood him. He loved A-Rod’s ex-wife Cynthia.

It had been a while since I had spoken to Richard, and I partly blame him. I had listened to my heart but had forgotten about the time that passes in between the beats. I was in our backyard storage unit on Saturday, pulling out the cradle, the stroller, some baby clothes for our baby who’s coming in a few weeks when I thought of Richard. I  came across the autographed copy of his book on DiMaggio that I had put away for safe keeping and it made me smile. Richard had also signed a copy of What it Takes: The Way to the White House for my good friend Richard de Uriarte, a longtime editorial writer, reporter and politico-type in Phoenix, a man who knew exactly who Richard Ben Cramer was.

I meant to call Richard Cramer that Saturday. I wanted to tell him how he was right all along about almost everything. I meant to tell him how we decided to name our second son Diego Dean Sanchez because I knew he’d get a kick out of knowing that “Diego” was the Spanish version of “James,” and our boy was going to be “James Dean Sanchez.”  I didn’t get around to calling him that day and I regret it.

I read the news of Richard’s death on Twitter on Monday night and I couldn’t believe it. I wanted to call him. Maybe it was all a mistake and maybe Richard would answer the phone.  The horrible news was confirmed by numerous outlets.

This morning, I looked up Richard’s number in my cell so could offer my condolences to whomever answered the phone and chuckled when “Richard Kramer” appeared in my contact list right after Richard de Uriarte. The call went directly to voicemail and the sound was Richard’s voice asking to please leave him a message.

I hung up after the beep.

Richard was never big on listening to messages, anyway. What he did best was deliver them and I’ll never forget everything he shared with me. One day, I’ll share those messages with my sons when the time is right and the right opportunity comes along. I’m guessing it will probably come outside of a Starbucks in some fancy shopping center in Dallas, Texas, but I’m keeping an open mind.

Rest in Peace, my friend.

The MLB Prospect League tryout tour made its first stop in Masaya, Nicaragua on Friday. Next stop: Cartagena, Colombia on Saturday. The tour continues in Panama City, Panama on Sunday and concludes in Curacao on Monday. The MLB Prospect League International Showcase, which will feature prospects from those four countries along with prospects from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, is scheduled for next month in the Dominican Republic.

The Cardinals have signed Dominican right-handed pitching prospect Alex Reyes for $950,000, according to an industry source.

The 6-ft-3, 190-pound Reyes played high school baseball in Elizabeth, New Jersey but moved to the Dominican Republic in 2011. Projected as a starter, Reyes is expected the start the 2013 season in the Gulf Coast League. He throws a fastball in the low-to-mid 90s mph, a curve and a change.

The start of this year’s international signing period is only a few weeks old but it’s never too early to look ahead to July 2, 2013.

Folks in the baseball industry will have a chance take a look at some of the top international teens on the market next year in a four-day showcase that will feature USA Baseball’s 15-and-under team, teams made up of the top prospects in Major League Baseball’s Prospect League and possibly one team from Puerto Rico next month in the Dominican Republic.

But before we look too far into the future, let’s take another look back at MLB.com’s Top 20 International Prospect List for 2012 (as published on April 23) and where they signed.

1.    Gustavo Cabrera, OF, $1.3 million (Giants)
2.    Franklin Barreto, SS, $1.45 million (Blue Jays)
3.    Jairo Beras, OF $4.5 million (Rangers)
4.    Amaurys Minier, SS, $1.4 million (Twins)
5.    Wendell Rijo, SS, $575,000 (Red Sox)
6.    Luis Torrens, C, $1.3 million (Yankees)
7.    Alexander Palma, OF, $800,000 (Yankees)
8.     Jose Mujica, RHP, $1 million (Rays)
9.    Richard Urena, SS, $725,000 (Blue Jays)
10.    Frandy De La Rosa, SS, $700,000 (Cubs)
11.    Nathanael Javier, 3B, $500,000 (Giants)
12.    Luis Castro,  SS, $800,000 (Blue Jays)
13.    Luis Barrera, OF, $450,000 (A’s)
14.    Ronny Carvajal – Did not sign
15.    Julio De La Cruz, 3B, $700,000 (Pirates)
16.    Jose Pujols, OF, $450,000 (Phillies)
17.    Deivi Grullon, C, $575,000 (Phillies)
18.    Tzu-Wei Lin, SS, $2.05 million (Red Sox)
19.    Jose Castillo, lhp, $1.55 million (Rays)
20.    Juan Carlos Arias – Suspended

Shortstop Amed Rosario, signed by the Mets for $1.75 million, received the highest bonus this year. Other signings worth noting included outfielder Hector Caro, who received $1.1 million from the Indians, and third baseman Carlos Belen, who signed with San Diego for $1 million.

In all, there were eight players that signed for at least one million dollars. The average for the first 80 players to sign when the international signing period began July 2nd was approximately $361,000.

Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the international system operated with money pools and penalties for teams that exceeded their pool of $2.9 million this year.  Starting in 2013-14, the pools will be based on the prior season’s winning percentages, with a range of approximately $1.7 million to $4.8 million.

D-backs pitching prospect Trevor Bauer was dynamic on Friday against the Padres in Tucson, striking out 11 in seven shutout innings. This is the Bauer that has D-backs fans clamoring for a promotion from Triple-A. He is 3-0 with a 1.97 ERA at Triple-A Reno and 10-1 with a 1.80 ERA for the season.

The D-backs appear to be equipping him for long-term success.

But by all accounts, Bauer remains a work in progress. Some in the organization believe he could pitch in the big leagues tomorrow but there is also the belief that he could improve on his game management.

Following Friday’s outing, Bauer was asked about game management and if the organization has addressed the topic with him.

Here is his answer:

“Game is management is a term that everyone throws out there that is completely meaningless and it is just words that people put together like ‘Oh, he got hit today. Well, the ball was up.’ It’s catch-phrases and catch-all that means that ‘This is what he has to work on’ or whatever.  Yeah, I need to manage a game better but what is game management? Is it you get a guy 0-2 and instead of trying to throw a couple of breaking balls and try to punch him out, you throw him a fastball and let him get a hit? Is that better game management? ‘Yeah, he didn’t walk as many people but he gave up another hit.’ I don’t know.

The way I look at it is, I’m not able to execute my plan as well as I know I will be able to. I’m 21 years old, I’m still working on stuff and yeah, that’s part of my development is being able to execute my pitches better, have better command of my pitches. If I execute my pitches better, I have better game management. The next time I won’t be able to execute my pitches and it will be ‘He needs to work on game management.’

So, it’s all execution. My plan is solid. I have a really good plan. I’m prepared when I go out there and I try to execute. Some nights I can and some nights I can’t. It’s not like I don’t know how to manage a game. I think I manage games pretty darn well. I don’t give up a lot of runs. I don’t give up a lot of hits. I get a lot of wins for the team. Game management? Sure, I need to manage a game better but it’s such a broad phrase and it’s not even worth focusing on that. Let’s focus on the individual pieces that fall under the umbrella of game management.

Bauer was asked if there is a philosophical difference between what the team is saying and what he believes.

“I’m saying the same thing. They say ‘game management’ but they don’t say how do I get better at ‘game management.’

‘Cut down on walks.’ But how do you cut down on walks? There are sub-categories of this big umbrella of this big catch-all phrase of ‘game management’ but it has a bunch of little phrases and little pieces to it. I focus on the little pieces. The majority of game management, I’m really good at, but there are a couple of pieces that I’m not and it gets thrown under the umbrella of ‘game management.’ I don’t like the term. I think people can be way more specific and should be way more specific.

‘Hey what do you need to work on? Let’s be specific, you need to walk less people on five pitches or less’ instead of ‘You need to walk less people.’ Well, some walks are good and some walks are bad. ‘You need to pitch to contact more.’ Well, maybe there’s times you pitch to contact and there are times not.

Maybe I just need to be more efficient when I strike people out, instead of getting it done on six pitches, I need to do it on three or four.  I’m saying the same thing. It’s true. I need to work on game management but to just focus on game management and pulling stuff out of nowhere. ‘Oh, I got to work on this. That didn’t work. Let me try this or let me try that.’ I focus on the little pieces, the cause and illness, not the symptoms. The symptom is poor game management. I focus on what is causing that.”

PHOENIX – D-backs outfielder Justin Upton had his jammed left thumb re-evaluated by hand specialist Dr. Don Sheridan on Tuesday afternoon, making a trip to the disabled list a real possibility.

“It could be, I don’t know,” D-backs manager Kirk Gibson said. “At some point you have to think long-term. If he’s keeps beating on it, it’s not going to get better. Then that’s something we would probably consider.”

Upton jammed his thumb while sliding into second base to break up a double play in the seventh inning against the Giants on April 8 and has not  been the same since.  The D-backs are waiting on the results of Tuesday’s MRI on the thumb and a recommendation from Sheridan before they decide what to do with the All-Star outfielder.

“He’s not swinging the bat well and I think it hurts him,” Gibson said. “He tried to fight his way through it. He slid the other night and he pounded it again. He gets jammed when it hits the bat a certain way. Just imagine if you had a bruise on  your  arm and somebody came by a couple of times and hit it. It’s not going  to go away. That’s what we are up against.”

Upton went 2-for-6 with a double, two walks, and two runs scored before jamming his thumb and he’s gone  5-for-24 since the injury. Upton has not hit a home run or driven in a run all season.

Should the D-backs place Upton on the disabled list the club could slot Gerardo Parra into Upton’s spot in right field with Chris Young in center and Jason Kubel in left field.

“I’d rather have J-Up in the linup,” Gibson said. “I’d rather not use depth. We know what he is capable of  doing and we have to get him to that point. We’ll discuss it. The doctor just came out of surgery, examine him, probably give him an MRI and see what he recommends.”

Free agent pitcher Gerardo Concepcion worked out for the Rangers in front of a contingent that included owner Nolan Ryan at the team’s complex in the Dominican Republic on Monday and the club is among the favorites to sign the Cuban left-hander.

The Rangers, Yankees, Cubs and White Sox have expressed the most interest in signing the left-hander, according Concepcion’s agent Jaime Torres. The Marlins, Phillies, Giants, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Royals have also shown interest.

Concepcion has one offer on the table and is expected to sign a Major League contract during the next two weeks, the agent said.

“Everything is great. I really don’t know how to describe it,” Concepcion, 18, said by phone from the Dominican Republic. “All the training and exercise I have done is paying off. I’ve worked so hard to get here. I’m so happy. It’s like a dream come true.”

Concepcion, who was named Rookie of the Year in the Cuban Serie Nacional in 2010-11 after posting a 10-3 record and a 3.36 ERA in 21 games with Industriales de la Habana, defected from Cuba last June during the World Port Tournament in the Netherlands. He later established residency in Mexico and was declared a free agent last week.

He has been working out in the Dominican Republic and starred in a showcase for Major League scouts on the island last Thursday.

– Jesse Sanchez

Veteran reliever Octavio Dotel is close to signing and has narrowed his list of choices down to two teams.

The Reds, Cardinals, Brewers, Tigers and Mets have all inquired about the reliever, according to an industry source. The Tigers and Brewers were among the first to meet with Dotel’s representatives at the Winter Meetings in Dallas and could be the front runners.

Dotel, 37, went 3-3 with 3.28 ERA during the regular season in 29 games for the Cardinals and 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA in 12 games during the postseason. He was acquired by the Cardinals from the Blue Jays in late July but the club declined his option at the end of the season.

The market for veteran reliever Octavio Dotel continues to take shape.

The Reds, Cardinals, Brewers, Tigers and Mets have all inquired about the reliever, according to an industry source. Dotel’s representatives have already met with the Tigers and Brewers.

Dotel, 37, went 3-3 with 3.28 ERA during the regular season in 29 games for the Cardinals and 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA in 12 games during the postseason. He was acquired by the Cardinals from the Blue Jays in late July but the club declined his option at the end of the season.

– Jesse Sanchez

Free agent outfielder Grady Sizemore expects to be completely healthy by the start of Spring Training and is keeping his options open for 2012.
On Monday, the Indians announced they were declining Sizemore’s $9 million option for 2012 and instead choosing to pay the $500,000 buyout. On Thursday, Sizemore’s agent Joe Urbon said the interest in his client’s services is best described as “steady” and he has heard from a number of clubs.

Urbon declined to name the clubs that have inquired or the parameters of a deal his client is seeking. He added that there is not a timetable for a decision.
Sizemore has been mentioned in reports as a possible target for Washington, San Francisco, and Milwaukee, among other teams.

“The minute they chose not to exercise the option we informed Grady that we will find the best opportunity to allow him to show his health and that he is the elite player that everyone was used to seeing from 2005 to 2008,” said Urbon, co-head of CAA Baseball. “It’s rare for a two-time Gold Glove winner to have the power and ability to produce like a corner outfielder. It’s rare and rarely exists.”

One option for Sizemore could be shifting from center field to left or right field for 2012 if it’s the right fit. The outfielder could also seek a one-year incentive-based deal for 2012 that would make him a free agent at the end of the season. Sizemore might believe his value will increase for the 2013 season with improved health and full season under his belt.
One thing is certain: Sizemore will be ready and looking to rebound. He hit .224 with 10 homers, 21 doubles and 32 RBIs in 71 games for Cleveland this past season and has not played a full season since 2008.

He has had two knee surgeries — one on each knee — in the last year and a half, including microfracture surgery on his left knee last year. He also suffered a sports hernia and a right knee injury. He is recovering from an Oct. 3 arthroscopic procedure on the right knee, which had a bone bruise and was part of the reason he was off the field for most of the second half of the season.

“The microfracture is not an issue,” Urbon said. “He’s as structurally sound as you can be and nothing he has suffered is chronic. He missed parts of three years. I’m not going to dismiss health nor should it be, but it will all be cleared up by due diligence.”

As of Monday, the Indians had not ruled out Sizemore’s return to Cleveland.
“We will still stay in touch with his representatives and Grady throughout the offseason and remain hopeful he will remain part of this organization,” Indians GM Chris Antonetti said. “I think both parties remain open-minded to continuing the relationship. It’s just not at the option value.”