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OPENING DAY EXCLUSIVE

BRONX BANTER INTERVIEW: BUCK O'NEIL

"When you stop learning, you're through"

I was lucky enough to meet Buck O'Neil, the legendary Negro League ballplayer, nine years ago when I was working as a production assistant on theKen Burnsdocumentary,"Baseball."I escorted him around town before a screening of one of the episodes, and it was easily one of the most memorable days of my life. You hear about people who have a presence, who light up the room when they enter it? That is Buck O'Neil.

I caught up with Buck a few weeks ago, and I thought our interview would be the ideal way to kick off the 2003 season.

Enjoy.

(The following conversation took place on Saturday, March 22, 2003.)

BUCK O'NEIL INTERVIEW

Q: How is it in Kansas City this morning?

Q: Well, it's over 60 already here in the New York City, getting ready for Opening Day. It's going to be especially great this year because it's been such a long, trying winter.

Q: What exactly are you up to these days, Buck?

Q: Buck, how did your participation in the Ken Burns "Baseball" series effect your life?

Q: Buck, I'm working on a biography on Curt Flood, which is aimed at a teenage audience. Could you explain what it was like to come up through the minor leagues in the mid 1950s for black players?

Buck:Well actually in the middle 50s, if you were a black major leaguer you were on top of the world. You were on top of the world during that time. With guys like Curt Flood: Now, Jackie, what happened to Jackie wasn't nothing like what happened to guys like Curt Flood. Because Jackie was here with the [Kansas City] Monarchs and Jackie's first job with organized baseball was with Montreal. Where with Curt Flood, it might have been Macon, Georgia. The difference was night and day. Those guys who played in the lower minor leagues, played in the south and they had a hell of a time. It was really tough for them. But with Jackie, playing in Montreal, that's just a different culture altogether.

Q: Robinson was accepted more openly.

Buck:Of course.

Q: What were your impressions of the Cardinals in the late 50s and early 60s?

Buck:One thing, see was that the Cardinals had some outstanding black ballplayers. That's what happened with the Cardinals: they had outstanding ballplayers all around too. The black population really took to the Cardinals. With Curt Flood, Curt Flood was first class all the way. Baseball was actually cruel to Curt Flood. When Curt wouldn't go to Philadelphia Curt actuallychanged baseball. When he wouldn't accept that contract to go to Philadelphia. During that era, the owners in baseball had all the control over baseball players. They paid you what they wanted to pay you; they would send you where they wanted to send you. And I've seen people during that era in organized baseball; I've seen so many guys that actually played minor league baseball all of their careers when they were qualified to play Major League Baseball. This was not only black players but white kids too. Teams like the Yankees owned all the players in their chain. And you had to stay on the Yankees team, unlessthey traded you. You didn't have any out. And that was true forall of baseball. They paid you what they wanted to pay you. But when Curt Flood reneged his trade, this is where you came up with the union. Mm-hmm.

Q: Were you surprised when Flood sued Baseball?

Q: Had you met Flood when he was a younger player?

Buck:Not until he went into organized baseball. I met him when he was with Cincinnati, before he went to St. Louis. Outstanding young man. You know you kind of figure baseball players were guys who just made money and were not that educated. During that era, I'd guess that maybe 5% of Major League Baseball players were educated. Because the Major Leagues wanted the kids right out of high school. Uh-huh. Get them when they 18 years old, 19 years old. These guys would maybe get to the Major Leagues when they 23, 24. Where, as the college man, you don't sign till he's 20-something years old. Flood didn't go to college, but he was smart like the college men.

Q: Bob Gibson and Bill White were both college guys. What about George Crowe? I've read that he was a veteran role player who had great influence on the younger black guys like White and Flood.

Buck:What a guy. George Crowe was the type of man who was a student. He was kind of different from the average baseball player. This was a George Crowe. Just like a Jackie, and a majority of guys: you see 40% of the Negro leaguers were college men. The reason why the Negro Leaguers were college men more so than the Major Leaguers, [was because] we trained in a college town. We would go to spring, always go to spring training in a black college town and we played [against] the black colleges. The black colleges were like a minor league for the Negro Leaguer. Mm-hmm. Crowe played some years in the Negro Leagues. He spent some time in the minors now, but the guys I'm talking about that spent a lot of time in the minor leagues were more or less, white ball players. That wasbeforeJackie.

Q: Crowe's influence was supposed to have been formative for Bill White, and Flood, and Gibson.

Buck:Oh, Bill White. Bill White is first class, now. Still. Mm-hmm. Bill White was the type of guy that any ball player would look up to. Because of hischaracter. And another thing too: he couldplay. He could play. When blacks would come to the Major Leagues they noticed that when they went to St. Louie, New York, Harlem, he wouldn't be going to the dives in those places, he would go into the first class places. And ball players would follow his lead.

Q: You became a scout for the Cubs in 1956. Was that your first job in Major League Baseball?

Buck:Yes. And I'm still doing some things for the [Kansas City] Royals now.

Q: How did you come across Ernie Banks?

Buck:Oh Ernie Banks? Well, the Monarchs had a traveling team we called "The Baby Monarchs." We had so many black ball players, we couldn't play them all. When we went to spring training, we'd maybe have 40 people there. Uh-huh. When we got ready to cut, we pretty much knew who the regular guys were going to be, but the other kids we'd put them on the little Monarchs team. Cool Papa Bell was running this ball club. They went to the northwest, and they would travel from Omaha all the way up north to Canada to play. That's the team I started with in 1937. They were like a farm team for the Monarchs. Cool Papa Bell was running the Little Monarchs for us and he saw a team, saw a ball player from one of those semi-pro teams in Texas. When their season was over, they came into Kansas City, and Cool said, "Buck, I saw a kid on a team from Dallas, Texas, and he could play short stop for you." I said, "Yeah, that sounds good." This had to be Nineteen-and-forty-nine. 1949. Early in the spring of 1950, I went down to Dallas and signed this kid Ernie Banks. I hadn't seen him play; Cool had seen him play. I signed him and he went to spring training with us in 1950. Played the season with us: good-looking kid. Went to the service in '51 and '52, came back in '53, played with us, and that's when the major league teams started scouting him. Now the Cubs¡¦We used to play our East/West Game in Chicago. Always played it at Comisky Park. And we played Ernie in the ballgame and after the ballgame that night, Tom Baird, who owned the Kansas City Monarchs called me and said, "Bring Ernie Banks out to the ballpark,"¡ªthe Cubs ballpark---"they want to sign him to a contract." So Wendell Smith, who wrote for "The Pittsburgh Courier" and "The Chicago Defender," he came, picked us up, took us out to Wrigley Field and that's when they signed Ernie Banks.

Q: This is before you worked in the Major Leagues, correct?

Buck:This is 1953, but um, when the general manager of the ball club was getting ready to sign Ernie Banks. He said, "Buck, you know this Negro League Baseball is about to close, because Tom Baird is going to get rid of this ball club [the Kansas City Monarchs]. When he does, I want you to come work here as a scout for the Cubs. And so your first job is right now, I want you to sign Ernie Banks. You signed Ernie Banks to a Negro League contract, now I want you to sign him to a Cub contract." So I signed Ernie Banks twice.

Q: When did Lou Brock come around?

Buck:This was several years later that I saw Lou Brock at Southern University in Baton Rogue.

Q: Was he an outfielder at that point?

Buck:Yeah. He was playing right field. Fast kid, he could really run and make contact. Steal bases.

Q: Tough loss for the Cubs when you guys traded Brock to the Cardinals in the middle of the 1964 season.

Buck:Yeah, well the one thing about it is when I go to St. Louis now they give me a standing ovation for Lou Brock.

[Laughter]

Because see, they called me in when they wanted to trade Lou Brock. They called me in, and said, "What do you think? Would you like for us to trade Lou to St. Louis?" I said, "Oh, well, that'n be alright because Billy Williams in the outfield, we got Sweet Lou Johnson in the outfield, we got George Altman in the outfield. We didn't need outfielders, what we needed waspitching. And Broglio had won 20 games the year before, so this was a good trade, we thought, for us. We didn't know Broglio had the bad arm. Hmm-hmm.

Q: How personal was your relationship with Ernie Banks and Lou Brock?

Buck:Oh, they're like my sons. Mm-hmm.

Q: Where in the hell did you find Oscar Gamble?

Buck:In Montgomery, Alabama. Montgomery, Alabama. What I'm doing, is scouting the colleges, and I go to a Sunday ballgame, and this is the city club. They playing ball, and I'm scoutin them. And I saw this kid in center field, and I asked him, "Well do you play with any other teams besides this one?" He was a high school boy. And he said, "Yeah, we gunna play, next Saturday, I'm playing on a team that's not an old man team, but a team of kids in some spot not far from Montgomery. And actually they played on a field out there: it was one-way in, and one-way out. But it was actually, once you got in there, they had a beautiful little diamond. And they were having a picnic, and I went, and he was on this ball club, and I saw him again playing and said, "Oh, man, this is what I'm looking for." And so that's when I signed him. This had to have been in the late '60s.

Q: Gamble has a reputation as a real cut-up. Was he like that as a kid?

Buck:Actually during that time he was kind of a quiet guy, when I first met him.

Q: I know he didn't play for you, but what did you think about Minnie Minoso?

Buck:Oh well, Minnie Minoso. Well Minnie Minoso, I first saw as kid in Cuba. In 1946 he played in Cuba. I was playing in Havana and he was playing for another team. Third base. Good-looking ballplayer. Good-looking kid.

Q: Think he should be in the Hall of Fame?

Buck:He did have quite a Major League career, and Minnie was a good ballplayer, very good ballplayer, but when you speak about Hall of Fame, you speaking aboutgreat. Cause think that everybody that played in the Major Leagues at the time was a good ballplayer. You had to be a good ballplayer to play in the Major Leagues. But actually, you are not talking about good ballplayers when you talk about Hall of Famer, you talking about great ballplayer. Uh-huh. And I imagine in Minnie had gone into the Major Leagues at say 21, he would have more on the board than he does now. Minnie's such a personable fella. And everybody likes Minnie. Uh-huh. He was a good ballplayer.

Q: What was the role of statistics in the Negro Leagues? Did you walk around thinking, "Oh, I'm a .300 hitter," "He's a 30 home run guy?"

Buck:Yeah, we felt that, we felt that. As far as statistics were concerned¡¦Now when we played in Kansas City, [we had] the "Kansas City Call," a black weekly. "The St. Louis Organ," a black weekly, "Chicago Defender," black weekly, "Pittsburgh Courier," black weekly, "Amsterdam News"---that's New York city: black weekly. All them now. Now when we played in those cities,somebody was there. All the stats: we got ¡®em. But when we left those places¡¦if we played in KC, we knew the "Call" would cover it. Because the white paper, which was "The Kansas City Star," they didn't cover our ball. Neither did the New York papers. Only the black media covered [black] baseball. When we were in those cities, they would cover us. When we moved out of those cities, which we did quite often¡¦like, we'd play in Washington, but after that we'd go to Richmond. Uh-huh. And other cities too. Unless we were in the cities with the big papers, that was the only times we'd get the coverage. So we didn't get the complete stats we should have had. Let's say¡¦we would keep up with it here in KC, and when we were on the road we our traveling secretary would keep track of our numbers. He was really on stats. He would keep up with ours. And so would somebody say with the New York Black Yankees. But it didn't get into the Major Leagues and the big print.

Q: Did you pick up "The Amsterdam News" when you were in New York during those days?

Buck:Oh yeah. But actually, what we would pick up with that they would tell me what happened with the Black Yankees played in New York City or Philadelphia or Washington. But they don't have the stats when they played in Albany, New York. Or Buffalo.

Q: Did you read the stats for the Major League players?

Buck:Every day. Oh yeah, sure.

Q: In the "Baseball" movie you talk about being part of the jazz culture in Kansas City during the 30's. Count Basie, Lester Young, Ellington, Armstrong. In fact, I put on an Inkspots cd this morning before I called you, just to get in the mood. Which group did you prefer, the Inkspots or the Mills brothers?

Buck:I liked them both. I liked them both. I liked them both. Oh, great entertainers. They were great entertainers. They were contemporaries, Mm-hmm. Then I guess the Inkspots---we started hearing them here and there, before the Mills brothers.

Q: What about the 1950s? Did you listen to other jazz after swing? Did you listen to more modern guys like Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan, or Horace Silver?

Buck:Yeah. See, actually, I'll tell you a story. You know, you hear the different sounds, but it's all music. I remember once sitting in a club with Count Basie. We sitting there, it was actually a jamsession. They were jamming. All of them had finished their work on the regular job, in Kansas City. And we're in this club, and they're jamming. We had played baseball, and that night I go to the club, we call it the 'Subway,' and I'm sitting there with Count. The other guys were jamming; he had played. A kid comes in with a horn. And they said, 'Let him blow.' He started blowing, didn't none of us know what he was blowin', but we had to listen to it, cause he's makin' some sounds we'd never heard before. Uh-huh. He was turning' those notes, you know, different ways. And, that was Charlie Parker. He was still a kid. Uh-huh. He was still in high school. So actually, the music, the music, changes, but it's still music.

Q: You keeping up with the latest Rap records?

Buck:Yeah. Yeah, I listen to it. Anytime you play music, I want to hear it. Mm-hmm. I want to hear it.

Q: You still follow the pro game these days?

Buck:I just got back from Arizona. I still do some things with the Royals. So I went out to their spring training. But every year, I've been going to spring training, been going to some parts of spring training, for the last 70 years. We got some good-looking young ball players. You going to hear something about them. Got a center fielder [Carlos Beltran], that's a good ball player, and our first baseman [Mike Sweeney] is first class. Great hitter.

Q: What seems to be the biggest difference from when you played?

Buck:The only difference made in Baseball since Baseball started was the DH hitter. Baseball is still the same. The players playing now are in better shape than we ever were. They're stronger. But the difference is, in my era the best athletes in the world played baseball, cause that's where the money was. Football, basketball was more or less college sports. Made a living professionally, you played baseball. So the best athletes in the worldplayedbaseball. But right now, the best athlete in the world could be teeing up the golf ball, you know, or hitting a tennis ball a hundred-and-something miles per hour. There is so many ways to make a great living now. So the best athlete in the world might not be playing baseball.

Q: Willie Mays and Jackie Robinson would be football stars.

Buck:That's right. Cause Jackie might have played football if would have come along today. So many of the guys that I know, would have played basketball.

Q: Was the competition more intense in the '30s and '40s than today?

Buck:Sure. The supply was greater than the demand, really. Say, in the '40s. Cause everybody played baseball. They were so many baseball players. This is why a guy could stay in the minor leagues for 10 years. Because he couldn't go no place else, unless his team would move him. But right now, the demand is greater than the supply.

Q: How do you feel about watchingBarry Bonds rewrite the record books the past couple of seasons?

Buck:Outstanding, outstanding. See Barry Bonds has always been an outstanding athlete. He got bad press. But hell, he been the top guy, up there with people like a Willie Mays, an Ernie Banks--people who may have received more favorable media coverage than he did, buthoney: He can do it all. Right now, you talk about a great athlete out there, you got to say, A-Rod. Mm-hmm. Great ballplayer, down there in Texas. I was with him last year. We gave him an award. The Negro League Museum gave him the Josh Gibson award last year. Went down there to Texas, talked with him. Fine young man, fine young man. Going down to sign autographs with him next month.

Q: There were a couple of flare-ups in spring training this year between teams, with guys getting plunked. Talk about the lost art of the brush-back pitch.

Buck:Well, it's changed, it's changed. It's made a lot of home run hitters. Because you can't---if you pitch inside, and throw the ball, say two inches inside of the plate, you get the umpire coming out with his finger in your face. Mm-hmm. This is baseball now. We didn't have that problem. We didn't have helmets either. I know I hit behind Willie Brown, who was a home run hitter, I'd hit behind him. He'd hit the home run, and I knew I was going down, but I didn't know on what pitch. (Laughs) A lot guys lean over the plate now, but they don't get it. One thing about it is, actually, you could get hurt, really. And getting hit with the ball did hurt a lot of people. Now, the main thing, the worst thing is the strike zone: they made it sosmall. Uh-huh. With that high strike. That high inside pitch we used to get for a strike, you don't get it anymore. And that low, outside pitch we used to get for a strike, you don't get that anymore. Mm-hmm. They trying to rectify the small strike zone. They need to put it, making the strike zone where it should be, from you arm pit, down to your knees. Some umpires call that now, but not all of them.

Q: It's all about promoting offense.

Buck:They lowered the mound. When we had Bob Gibson, and all the 20-game winning pitchers, the mound was higher. They lowered the mound because they wanted more offense. They thought the people would like that. The home run would bring the people to the ballpark. During my era a good ballgame was a 1-0 ball game, a 2-3 ballgame. A good ballgame now is a 7-8 ballgame.

Q: Do you get bored watching 3, 4 hour games?

Buck:I'm never bored. I'm never board at a baseball game because I've can always see something. Mm-hmm. I can always see something. I like to watch ballplayers. Because I see a kid and it feels like it did when I saw Lou Brock and said, "Hmmm. Cool Papa Bell." Mm-hmm. Like now, I see Ken Griffey, I say, "Oh, Ken Griffey? Look like Turkey Stearnes." When I see ballplayers now I equate them with great ballplayers I'd seen long time ago. I see a kid swing the bad good, "Hmm. Ted Williams. Aaahh." So that's why baseball is so interesting to me.

Q: So you are not all caught up in thinking, "Oh it was so much better in my day, it's lousy now."

Buck: That's always the way it's been. When I came in with the Monarchs, they said, "Buck, you a good first baseman but you're not as good as the fella that came before you." I came up with a kid when I was a manager, a Cuban kid [who] played first base for me, and could play first base. They'd say, "You a good first baseman, but you're not as good as Buck O'Neil." You know what I mean? This is what the older folks will do. Just like the guy said, "Inkspots good, but they not as good as the Mills brothers."

Q: What does Opening Day mean for you? Does it still get you excited?

Buck:Of course, of course. It's a brand new season, a brand new year. The first thing: it'sspring. You understand what I mean? Baseball opening the season, that means this is spring. Mm-hmm. Spring. And I always get up with spring every year. I'm going to see some kids that hadn't seen before. Right here, at Opening Day in Kansas City, the 31st, I'm going to be at the ballpark, right behind home plate.

Q: Are you still learning things about baseball?

Buck:Let me tell you something: when you stop learning, you're through. Mm-hmm. I'm 91, but I'm still learning. Not only about baseball, about others things [too]. Yeah, yeah. You should always keep learning, as long as you live. You're going to write. You'll learn something. And not only that, you're going toteach things. Cause what you're going to write about now a lot of people, could be baseball fans, don't know about. Mm-hmm. Of course, you learning, you teaching, that's life. That's life. And right now we going through a tough time. Over there now, you hope that we've learned from the last time we were over there. [This time] it's going to be different. Mm-hmm.

Q: You have an amazing sense of optimism about the world.

Buck:That's what you should have. Cause always figure that tomorrow is going to be better. Don't care how good today is, tomorrow is going to be better¡¦but it is exciting though to get up. It's like the first time you see a Willie Mays, huh? "Mm, look at this." (Laughs)

Q: Us Yankee fans a feeling that a little bit these days with the kid Soriano.

Buck:Hey, you got to. How you think I felt when I saw him? Huh? That kid. How can he generate that kind of power? Oh, man. (Laughs) It's amazing, isn't it?

Q: It's like his bat has batteries or something like that. It's supercharged.

Buck:I'm telling you. He's got great wrists. And, oh man. You look at him and say, "This is going to be another superstar."

Q: You think he's going to last?

Buck:Of course, of course. Yes. Man. A kid like---Boy. It's still there. I'll tell you one thing---you know what worries me about baseball? (Pause) The black kid in the inner city stopped playing baseball. Going to basketball. You know the white kid, 170 pounds, 175 pounds: Pee Wee Reese, Phil Rizzuto, that white kid. He stopped playing baseball now [Dave Eckstein notwithstanding]. Mm-hmm.

Q: Why is that?

Buck:It's just the difference in the times. Now, all those kids used to play baseball, but what they do now? They play soccer, they doing other things. A lot them actually, don't play baseball. They on the computer. They doing a lot of things that we never did. I remember in my time, you hear the mama [say], "Alright now, its time for you to come in." Now you got to tell the kids, "Why don't you go out and get some sunshine? Go outside and get some sunshine." But there's so many things he can do inside the house, you couldn't do in my era. I remember the southern white boy: he was hungry. He wanted to get out of that cotton field just like the black kid wanted get out of the inner city. Baseball was the out. That's it. Baseball is the out for the Latin kids; baseball is the out for the Japanese kids. Uh-huh. You understand? This is his way out. And this is why they playing.

OPENING DAY GEMS

The Times ran their Baseball Preview over the weekend and there were several notable articles...

Jack Curry has a good profile on the ace of the Atlanta Braves,Greg Maddux,who is always interesting, no matter how boring he might seem:

Allen Barra, one of the best baseball writers around, has a column onBarry Bonds. I don't know if this is just a guest shot for Barra---who regularly writes for the Wall Street Journal and Saloon.com, but the Times sports department would improve significantly with someone like Barra on board.

Lastly, Michael Lewis wrote an amazing article on Oakland GMBilly Beanein the Times Magazine yesterday, detailing the art of the deal.

The story centers around Beane's last-minute moves before the trading deadline last summer.

Beane, who looks like a younger, more attractive Kevin Spacey, comes off like a character in a David Mamet play, minus the contrived Mamet-like cadences. This article is long, but well worth it. It's the best profile I've read on Beane to date.

Don't sleep.

NO JOY IN CABLEVISONVILLE: GETTING OVER IT

Determined not to let the latest set back between the Yankee-owed YES network and Cablevision---who just happens to be my local cable provider---get me down too tough, I got up early Saturday morning and went to stand on line with cousin Gabe, the Mets fan, to see the Leonardo Da Vinci show at the MET. This was the final weekend of the exhibition, and the mobs had been turning out all month for a look at what has hyped as a once-in-a-lifetime showing.

The Saturdaypapers did a good job of covering the YES story, which essentially boils down to George Steinbrenner being an ogre again. The monster has been loose all winter. Jeter got it, Torre got it, Boomer's getting it, and so, once again are all the innocent Yankee fans who have the sad-ass misfortune to be Cablevision subscribers. In the words of Mike Lupica, we're all getting'Georged.'

Speaking of the lip,Lupica, a veteran of this kind of Yankee stunt, penned the kind of dead-to-rights piece on the whole affair that reminds you of how good a tabliod columnist he can still be:

Bob Raissman, the media columnist for the Daily News, lays a good share of the blame on Cablevision.

(TheTimes reports on Sunday that the Yankees have made a self-serving counter-proposal to Cablevision in a last-ditch attempt to get the team on the air by Opening Day.)

I read the papers on the train, and felt better. Lupica's column had hit the spot. I was able to forget about the whole mess, and concentrate on the DaVinci show, just ahead.

Of course, my unlce Fred the painter, had seen the show about 4 or 5 times. I got on the 1 train at 231st street at approximately 8 am. It should take a half an hour to get to 79th street, where I then transfer to the crosstown bus, that lets me off on 5th avenue and 79th street. The Met opens at 9:30, so we figured on meeting at 8:45---which was pretty lax I must admit.

The train ride was running smoothly and by 8:20 we were on 110th street. Right on time. At 103rd street, the doors stayed open extra long, and then somebody exited the car ahead of mine, and yelled, "Somebody's having a seizure!" A weird stillness that fell over my car, which was crowded for a Saturday morning. We didn't hear any commotion.

Had we heard that right? Nobody continued yelling for help. There was a kid in scrubs in our car who was eventually summoned. Everything was happening painfully slowly. And the feeling of collective helplessness was papable. Later, it reminded me of watching Geoff Jenkins busting his ankle last season. There wasn't anything that happened in 2002 that enraged me more than how long it took to get medical attention to that kid last summer. The Brewers medical staff moved in slow-motion. It was like like Double A at its finest. I felt so helpless watching it at home. No wonder nobody wants to go play in Milwaukee.

At 8:26, we were still in the station when my old friend Ricardo walked onto the train. We ran in the same group for a while a couple of years ago, and hadn't seen each other in a minute. I saw him first, standing across the car from me. He scanned the car when he first walked in, and we made eye contact, but dude didn't recognize me. Homeslice rocks some thick ass glasses, and I know he didn't pick me up.

Another minute passes before he does recognize me. He comes over and I fill him in on the seizure story. We chat for a mintue and then we split. The EMS had still not arrived. I felt guilty leaving the scene. We decide to walk down to 96th street---he was on his way to work (Ricardo is a copy editor for the AP). I caught him up on my life-in-a-nutshell, on the walk down Broadway. We exchanged cards and I ran off to catch the crosstown bus at 96th street---which had just rolled up the block.

I jogged up to Amerstam avenue, but and watched the light change against me and the bus get smaller and smaller. So I did something I rarely do---I hailed a cab. It was 8:35. Fug it. Had a nice conversation with the cab driver too, a Kurd with a great name: Sham Shawali.

I made it to the Met by 8:40. There were already lines along both sides of the front steps. I checked for my cousin, didn't see him, and got in the shortest line.

Stood next to this older dude who eventually started up some small talk. In no time we got around to chatting about baseball. This guy had one of those strawberry-sized-W.C. Fields, Father Rosacea shnozola's that are mesmerizing. It's the only part of the guy you can look at. He was a funny old character, bitter and hung-over and hostile. He must have been in his late 50s-early 60s. He was one of the these guys who don't want to have a conversation, they want to rant at you.

Well, I can't have that, so I didn't let him talk at me too long. We ended up having a decent chat.

Gabe showed up by 9:00, when the lines were getting hairy. A third line had developed down the center of the steps. By the time they opened the doors, it was a bonafide bum's rush. People rushed in from all directions. Middle aged ladies had their kids, walked up, cutting all lines, and buffaloed their way in.

It was pretty funny. There was a kind of general panic that made everything seem like a little bit too much like a Mel Brooks sketch. But since when is that bad? As I made my way through the bag search I over heard a screatchy Upper East Side Joan Rivers-like voice say, "Which way is Leo? Which way is Leo? I gotta see Leo."

People were basically sprinting to the Da Vinci exhibit.

At it was crowded. First, they roped us into lines like cattle. Then we made it into the show and the first two galleries were very congested. But after a couple of minutes of adjusting, I found some rush-hour commuter patience, and managed to get a good long look at every picture.

And it was so worth it. The show was absolutely amazing. Despite the viewing conditions. All of the drawings are unbelievably small, and intolerably fine. Walking through the show felt like walking through a genius' hard drive. The guy was like a freakin' computer. He was into everyting---science, art, medicine. And the show has something for everyone.

There was an amazingly animated quality to the studies and drawings of horses. As cerebral and mathematical was Da Vinci was---he is a draftsman in a true architectural sense, his drawings have an expressiveness of an artist, not a mere clincical illustrator.

Gabe and I brought our mitts to have a catch, but we were so hungry after the show, we skipped the catch and headed straight for delicious brunch.

Mmmm, delicious brunch.

Oh, man. It was enough to make me forget the YES-Cablevision screw-job for a minute, that's for sure.

NOT SO FAST...

Earlier this afternoon I was talking to a friend of mine about being able to watch the Yankees on Cablevision this coming season. I said, "Even though everything looks good, I can't get excited yet. I won't believe it until I see it."

Sure enough, things aren't looking so good for about 3 million Cablevision subscribers, as talks havebroken offbetween YES, and Cablevision.

Excuse me if I wearily shrug my shoulders and say, "I told you so."

Both sides are blaming one another for a change.

More mud-slinging, and broken hearts to come.

SPRING TRAINING FINALE

My good friend Mindy, aka Minnie Minosa, aka the Big, Fat Milejio, recently went down to spring training with two of her baseball buddies---Anne and Allison. These ladies are all in their early 30s, and are wild Yankee fans. I don't know Allison too tough, but my girlfriend Emily and I went to a Yankee game last summer with Mindy and Anne, and well, they were a sight to see. What a pair of loud asses. Damn, it was like sitting next to Frick and fuggin Frack.

Mindy is one of the smartest people I know, and while she's always been a baseball fan, she has really delved into the culture and history during the past year. Her curiosity and passion are infectious, and we had many spirited conversations and debates throughout the long winter. She may have a bod like Boom-Boom Belinda, but the beauty part is that she's a Tom boy, and a brainiac to boot. (People often think she's Latina cause of pa-dapp over here, and ba-bam over there, but Minosa is 100% Pizzan all the way.)

Anyhow, the Gleesome Threesome had been planning a trip to Tampa all winter long. Mindy even made Allison and Anne a little picture book of names and faces of famous Yankees, past and present, so they could identify some of the old bastards they may run into in spring training. Sure enough, they had a blast, and when they returned Mindy was kind enough to write up the following report.

Enjoy.

YOGI, GATOR, PUFF 'N' STUFF

By Mindy DePalma

My friends, Allison, Anne, and I arrived in Tampa for Yankee Spring Training on Thursday afternoon, March 13th. This was our first time at spring training and we only really had hopes of seeing some great baseball and getting some sun. We weren't interested in autographs and we certainly didn't have any expectations of meeting any baseball players, past, present or future.
We arrived at our hotel and while we were waiting in the lobby to check in, a cab driver walks through the door and yells, "Whitey is here." This nearly sent me through the roof since Whitey Ford just happens to be my all-time favorite Yankee. Unfortunately, it ended up being a different Whitey (or a sick joke) because he had left the hotel a few days before we arrived. However, it must have been a sign of things to come because as soon as we checked our bags, we grabbed our bathing suits and headed out to the pool. As we were rounding the corner toward the pool, we see Yogi Berra standing in our path. My jaw dropped to the ground as I raced by toward the door. However, my friends were not going to let this moment pass. After much pushing, shoving and nagging, Anne finally persuaded me to go over and ask him for an autograph. I did. He was nice, and shy; luckily the two men he was with broke the ice and started chatting with me for a few minutes. The two men ended up being his son, Larry and his nephew, Angelo.
That night we went to the exhibition game against the Red Sox. Andy Pettitte started, and faired pretty well. He looked healthy and lasted about 3 or 4 innings. Shea Hillenbrand and Trot Nixon got a couple of knocks off him, but no serious damage was done. I came to realize that starters only last 3 or 4 innings during spring training games. Brandon Claussen followed Andy, and then Mo closed it out. Much to my relief, Mo was spectacular. He blew away the Socks with a couple of strike outs and a pop out.
The next day we attended the Yankee/Devil Rays game, and arrived early to watch batting practice. We caught the last 15-20 minutes of Jeter, Giambi, Soriano, and Zeile. The fence surrounding home plate was packed, but we got a great view of the guys waiting in line to swing. Off to our side, was a desperate 8-year-old screaming his little heart out ("Mr. Jeter, Mr. Jeter!") for Derek Jeter to come over and sign his baseball. Jeter eventually yelled back and said, "I can't do it now because I'm working, but I'll come over in a little bit." Which he did. Finally, this poor child's vocal cords were restored.
This game was our first look at Jose Contreras (his stuff was good, but he got a little beat up in the first couple of innings). We sat behind 3rd base and had some time to kill before the game started. I spotted the bullpen from across the field and quickly left my friends to check out Contreras warming up. I also hoped to catch a glimpse at my main man, the Gator, Ron Guidry, who was in camp as a pitching instructor. When I ran over, there were a bunch of people leaning over the walkway overlooking the bullpen. A few guys were milling around, but there was Gator sitting in a chair in the corner of the bullpen. He would occasionally glance up at the crowd uncomfortably as if he felt like he was trapped in a fishbowl. Finally, I yelled down and said, "Hey Gator!" and waved. He looked up, smiled, and waved back. Oh the joy!
Finally, Contreras came out and started warming up with a softball. He tossed a few light rounds and then slowly threw harder and harder for about 10 minutes. Finally, he switched to a baseball. Contreras threw for a while with what seemed like a nice degree of heat; his form looked great. Finally, he seemed thoroughly loosened up. After he walked out onto the field to throw a few to Jorge Posada, Mo Rivera came walking out to the pen. Most of the people on the walkway had left at that point, so I gambled, and again couldn't restrain myself and yelled, "Hi Mo!" Like Gator, he looked up, gave a dazzling smile, and said hello. My bullpen session was complete. The game was starting, so finally after about a half hour or so I rejoined my friends.
After the game, we returned to the hotel and headed down to the pool. We ran into Larry Berra and his cousin Angelo, and their friend Robert. We chatted, told them about our day and went off to our room. Later, that evening as we finished dinner at a nearby restaurant, our new friend Robert came over and invited us to a Yankee cocktail party. I looked at Robert in disbelief.

All he said was, "Ron Guidry is there." I flew out the door.
When we got to the cocktail party, we said our hellos to Larry and Angelo. Everyone was outside on a patio by the water. As soon as I walked in I went to grab the closest chair at the furthest table from the crowd and who was sitting there but Ron Guidry. I just stood there and looked down in disbelief as he looked up at me. Earlier in the day I was just giddy over seeing him in the bullpen and now here he was a few inches from me. Larry said, "Go ahead, you can sit there." As soon as I sat down next to him, Guidry looked over, extended his hand and said, "Hi, I'm Ron Guidry." Fuck, yeah you are! I said, "Yeah, I know. I'm a really big fan of yours. You were my favorite player growing up."
Guidry's form has barely changed since his pitching days. He was still tall and lean. He lacked the middle-aged man gut that haunts many guys his age. His hair was slicked back and had almost no gray in it. He could not have been more handsome. His slow Louisiana drawl eventually worked at calming my nerves enough to engage in a conversation. So I peppered him with questions. He was more than happy to chat, and here is some of what he said¡¦
I asked Gator how he felt about his role as a special instructor and if the players really listened to his advice during spring training, and he told them that some do,

"But you will always get young, cocky guys who don't want to hear what you have to say and that's fine. The veterans don't really need much advice, but they tend to be very respectful."
He particularly noted Mo Rivera as a great guy. "Then, there are some of the young kids who want to ask a question but they are too intimidated," he said. "For example, the other day there was this kid in the bullpen who kept looking over at me and I knew the kid wanted to ask me something. So finally I went up to the kid and said, ¡®I know you want to ask me a question so why don't you just come out and ask. That's what I'm here for. If you don't ask me, I can't help you.'"
I told Gator that Whitey Ford is one of my all-time favorite Yankees and that I was disappointed to hear that he had left because, someone told me, that the young guys don't really listen to people like Whitey anymore. I asked if he sensed the same thing:
"Well the game has changed a lot and so have the attitudes." Gator said when he first came up and Whitey Ford was a pitching coach and then a special instructor he was just awed by Whitey. He was thrilled to just be in his presence. "You don't always find that anymore."
I asked him what he thought of some of the arm problems Andy Pettitte has been experiencing over the past couple of years. I suggested that perhaps his workouts with Roger [Clemens] has been affecting his pitching since Roger is a power pitcher and Andy is a classic finesse pitcher.
Gator said, "The conditioning that Andy has experienced has been good for his body, however he'll never have a body like Clemens and he knows that. Second, if you will remember when Andy first came up he had a stronger fastball and when he stared experimenting with change-ups, he not only lost speed on his fastball but he started experiencing arm problems."
Guidry said that whenever a pitcher starts to change his style he always runs into problems with his arm. Which is why, he noted, he only threw 2 pitches (fastball and a slider). "So, really Andy is going back to his original form."
Gator asked me if I was really old enough to remember him, and I assured him that I was, I delved into some Bronx Zoo talk. I asked him what he thought of Billy Martin as a manager.
"I liked Billy. I never really had a problem with him. However, he didn't really understand pitchers." He said when they first hired Goose Gossage as a closer his freshman year with the Yankees was pretty rough. He got knocked around a lot. In fact, Ron said, "I told Billy I don't want that guy closing my game. Now, Goose is one of my closest friends and he was a great pitcher, but back then [that first year] I didn't want him closing for me." I said, "You wanted Sparky Lyle instead?" He said, "Well yes." But eventually Goose got his game together and went on to become one of the great closers in baseball.
Gator spoke very highly of Gossage, so I told him he was one of my favorites as well and that I was a bit surprised that he didn't get the votes for the Hall of Fame this year. Ron said, "Aw, he's got plenty of time to make it. Hopefully, he'll do it."
At one point during our conversation, Guidry got up to refill his drink. I took that as a sign to scram and apologized for monopolizing his time. He turned and said, "No, I'm not leaving I'm just going over to the table to get a drink. I'll be right back. Can I get you something?"
He returned in about 30 seconds (just enough time for my friend Anne to run over and say, "Are you totally dying right now?" I quickly said yes and scooted her away as I saw him approach the table.) When he returned I said, "I'm sorry for chewing off your ear. You must get sick of being bombarded by fans all the time"
"Well it depends upon the approach. When you came over and told me that I was one of your favorite players and sat down to chat, I have no problem with that. There is nothing wrong with wanting to have a conversation. But some people don't approach you that way." He didn't elaborate on the wrong approach, but I think he meant if you are trying to eat a meal or if a fan gets in your face aggressively, that's when it is a problem. I was grateful for his reassurance since I was nervous enough just talking to him and did not want this moment to end any time soon.
As I was sitting there talking to Ron, I looked to my left and there was Yogi Berra and Don Zimmer at a table nearby. When I turned toward the other direction, I spotted Mel Stottlemeyer, his wife, and Bobby Mercer at a table. It all seemed very surreal. I looked at Guid and said, "Wow, there's Mel Stottlemyre and Bobby Mercer!" Ron turned to me and said, "Why don't you go over and say hello. They are two of the nicest guys you will ever meet." I looked at him and said, "No, that's okay. I would rather talk to you." There was no way I was going to pry myself from Guidry, however I did notice my friends Anne and Allison chatting with Mel and Bobby. Anne couldn't resist because next to Derek Jeter, Mel is her favorite Yankee man. Anne and Allison were with Larry Berra, who introduced them as fans who "like old Yankees!" Everyone got a good laugh out of that!
I asked Ron if he was looking forward to Ron Guidry Day later this summer. He didn't seem too enthused over the attention, but was appreciative for the day. I asked him which former teammates would be joining him. Goose Gossage was the first person that he mentioned. He also listed Graig Nettles and Sparky Lyle. I can't remember the rest because we got sidelined by my friends, who had come over to brag to him that I had already purchased tickets for his Day.
Ron Guidry was incredibly nice, polite, and patient with my enthusiasm over meeting him. He sat and talked baseball with me for well over an hour, joked around with my friends and me, and could not have been more of a gentleman. After we ended our conversation and parted ways, he even came over to say goodbye to me before he left. Though I was incredibly nervous talking to one of my favorite Yankees it was without a doubt the highlight of my visit to Spring Training.
Toward the end of our conversation, Guidry and I were standing around and suddenly, out of no where, up walked Graig Nettles. I had asked Gid earlier if Nettles had left because I thought I had seen him. Gator responded, by saying, "You never know. That's why he's called Puff. He's there one minute, the next he's gone."
Luckily for me, Puff reappeared. So when he walked up to us, Gator turned to him and said, "Puff, this Mindy." Nettles turned to me, extended his hand, and said, "Hi. I'm Graig Nettles." I said, "Yeah, I know," with a smile plastered across my face. I couldn't believe it.
After being introduced to Graig, veteran Daily News beat writer, Bill Madden, walked up and started discussing the latest Jeter/Boss George incident. Nettles defended Jeter by saying he was a great kid and a terrific ball player and that there was no reason he shouldn't be made captain. Nettles said, "After all, if he made someone like me captain, why the hell wouldn't he make Jeter captain. It doesn't make sense."
Puff was funny, and honest. I found him to be more humble and friendly than I could have imagined. He hung out with us for the remainder of the night. He was incredibly nice to fans at the local bar where our entourage settled. A few fans approached him to sign some autographs and talk some baseball. He happily did both. One of them even bought us a round of drinks, much to his immediate embarrassment. When the fan insisted on buying them, Nettles turned to me and said, "I'm sorry about that. I hate when that happens." I said, "Why? He's a fan and he is just happy to talk to you. You shouldn't feel embarrassed by that. You just made his day!" Graig said, "Yeah, I guess you are right," and proceeded to chat with him for a while much to the fan's delight.
Neither Nettles nor Guidry seemed entirely comfortable with a fuss being made over them. They both seemed to be adamant about just being looked at as regular guys, which made them all the more appealing and cemented their standing on my all-time favs list.
We stayed in Tampa for the remainder of the weekend and caught a couple of more games. On Sunday's game our seats were right next to the bullpen so we got to see Clemens warm up (he was the starting pitcher.) At one point, Reggie Jackson came out to stand in as a hitter. I was sitting directly above him in my seat. It was my first and only close look at Jackson and it was definitely a treat to seem him standing at the plate again (even without the swing.)

On Monday, we were invited out to a ballgame in Clearwater by a friend of ours whose father in-law is Bill Giles. The Phillies were playing the Yankees, so we got to sit in the coveted seats behind the dugout. Since we were with the Giles' we sat behind the Phillies dugout, which gave us a perfect view across the 3rd base side to the Yankee dugout. We missed the end of the game because we had to leave early to catch our flight back to NY, however we did get a wave from Derek Jeter who stood stranded at 1st base talking with Lee Mazzilli. Jeter seemed a little puzzled by people on the Phillies side waving to him, but he was a good sport and waved back. Anne nearly collapsed into her Philly cheese steak.
We owe a big thanks to Larry Berra and his friends for making our vacation so memorable. Who knew the turn of events that would take place when I stopped to chat with him about his dad on our first day at the hotel?

SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME

It's very tempting to sit down and make predictions for the coming season, but this year, I'm going to pass. For the past two years, I've said that the Texas Rangers will improve and Ken Griffey will have a comeback season. I could repeat myself again, but why bother? It's not a matter of being right or not, I just don't think I'm even-handed enough to make an interesting crop of predictions, especially when it comes to the AL East.

I'm a pessimistic and superstitious fan by nature. I always think of the worst case scenerio, and then expect that it will come to fruition. That's why each year I pick the Red Sox to finally beat the Yanks. It has to happen at some point, right? Forget what the realities are, what the numbers say, I hunker down, and prepare for inevitable failure and disappointment.

Hell of an attitude coming from a Yankee fan, huh? I sound like a fuggin Sox fan, fer cryin out loud. Well, I don't like coming off like a know-it-all, boasting about how monstrous the Yankees are. It's just not my nature. There are enough arrogant Yankee fans to go around, anyhow. I'll stay cautiously optimistic, nervous and appreciative.

My friends accept my superstitions and therefore don't listen to a thing I say. My credibility with them is shot. Oh, well.

A few days ago, I sent my cousin Gabe an e-mail that said, "Neither the Mets nor the Yanks will make the playoffs this year." I was trying to get a rise out of him, and of course, I did.

Here is his response:

CONE-GRATS, OLD MAN

It looks as ifDavid Conewill not start the season in Florida after all. According to the Times, Cone will likely pitch a week from tonight against the Expos:

I don't know whether having the 40-year old Cone as your 4th starter is an encouraging sign if you are a Mets fans, but at least it's an entertaining story for the rest of us. Just keep Roger Angell away from him and he just may do alright.

ON THE DEFENSIVE

Joe Sheehan, one of the excellent writers at Baseball Prospectus, which I think is the best baseball think-tank going, previews theAL East.

Steve Goldman writes an stimulating column calledThe Pinstriped Biblefor the YES Network. His latest piece covers the 19 Commandments of Baseball, and I think it's the best Bible entry to date for YES. Goldman addresses the Yankees deficiencies in the field:

The Daily News also has an article on theBombers defense:

BAYLOR HAS CANCER

Mets bench coach,Don Baylorhas been diagnosed with cancer in his bone marrow and with begin taking chemotherapy next week.

This is the same kind of cancer that Mel Stottlemyre battled three years ago.

STRAIGHT FROM THE GURU'S MOUTH

Bill James, noted sabermetrican, and current advisor to the Boston Red Sox chatted on-line with fans yesterday. These kind of forums are usually glib and unsatisfying, but this one is still worth checking out. James is gruff and dismissive as usual, but that's part of what makes him fun.

Here are some bits that caught my attention:

JOE COULDN'T CATCH A COLD

According toLee Sinns' ATM reportyesterday:

I wrote to Lee and asked him why he thought Torre chose Flaherty. He replied:

What about Snagglepuss Tony Eusebio? The Expos just sent him down to the minors.

HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN

The Yankees will be cautious withMariano Rivera, who will start the season on the disabled list with a strained groin. The Times reports:

Buster Olney, the erstwhile Yankee beat reporter for the Times, has a good article on David Wells today. I was a big fan of Olney's Yankee coverage and was sad to see him leave the beat (he covers the NY football Giants these days). He usually was able to pull a telling detail from a story. His piece on Wells illustrates how most of Boomer's teammates view the fat man as a benign clown.
Wells has dominated the papers in New York for the past month.Derek Jeter, who has enjoyed a quiet spring after the broo-ha-ha with the Boss earlier in the year, must be thankful.

GO SOUTH OLD MAN

According to the New York Times,David Conewill start the season in the minors:

SOX SET

Pedro Martinezhad his final tune-up of the spring, and appearsready to roll. The major looming issue for Martinez is his desire to sign a contract extension:

Dream on, Yankee fans.

Meanwhile, the Sox cut junk-ballerFrank Castillo, proving that management is as bright as advertised. Dag. Speaking of which,Gordon Edesexcerpts a portion of a Q & A with GM Theo Epstein that will appear on Boston television later tonight.

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

Mike Lupicahas a no-nonsense piece on Joe Torre in the Daily News today. Lupica reports that Torre continues to be the straw that stirs the Yankees drink:

Speaking of the m-a-n,Craig Elsten from Baseball Prospectus, has a good Q & A session with San Francisco skipperFelipe Alou. Check it out.

NO MO

As expected,Mariano Rivera, will start the season on the disabled list; he joins fellow-reliever Steve Karsay.Juan Acevedothen, will serve as the closer to start the year.

Yankee GM Brian Cashman is looking for another arm for the bullpen.

The Yankees should be able to make due without Rivera for the short term. There is no reason to rush him. But in the long run, it's hard to imagine the Yankees playing far into the playoffs without the charmed Rivera. The Yankee manager tells Mike Lupica:

CONE CONTINUES COMEBACK

David Conehad another solid performance last night against the Dodgers. Whether or not hestarts the seasonwith the Mets, it looks as if he'll be with the ball club before long.

According to the New York Times:

BOOMER O.K.

David Wellshad his best outing of the spring, and just in the nick of time. You know what? I kind of like the corner Wells has painted himself into. I've always liked Wells' game; I enjoy watching him pitch. I could care less about the fact that he's a horse's arse. But now that he's shown how big a horse's arse he is, there is nothing left but his game. I think it'll be fun watching him handle the pressure. What's the worst that can happen? If he blows, they'll trade him, or cut his ass. (Imagine if they demoted him to Columbus? That's be ripe.) If he's good, the only drawback is having to hear him crow again. But let me tell you something: if Wells can manage to win 10-15 games, he can make all the noise he wants. He'll be gone by the end of the year anyhow. Might as well go out with a bang.

IMPOSSIBLE TO DREAM?

Aaron Gleemanhas his picks for the AL East today, and wouldn't you know it, the Yanks and Sox are picked one and two. But, there is a catch: Gleeman thinks the Sox will finish in first, while the Yanks will snatch the wildcard.

David Pintofound a terrific article onBill Jamesover at CBS sportsline. It is the most thorough piece on James since he went to work for the Sox that I've encountered. A must read.

Finally, Mark Armour has a great article on the1967 Impossible Dream Red Soxteam over at Baseball Prospectus. Armour properly credits GM Dick O'Connell for building the 67 team, whose success may not be so shocking after all.

WHATTA YA WANT ME TO DO, CRY ABOUT IT?

Over at Baseball Rants,Mike Chas posted "Welcome to the Hall's of Relief" Part VIII, the last installment in his comprehensive study on the history of relief pitching. The work Mike has done is nothing short of breath-taking. If series like this don't lend credibility to the blogging world, I don't know what will.

Baseball Rants also features a guest-columnist today,Chris DeRosa, who pens a lengthy and often hilarious article on the Yankees and competitive balance. I agree with much of DeRosa's sentiment, and look forward to reading more of him as the season unfolds.

OH MO

Mariano Rivera pulled his groin in yesterday's game against the Tigers and will likely miss 5-7 days. He isdoubtfulfor Opening Day.

AHH SHADDUP-A YOU FACE

Joe Torre and Brian Cashman read David Wells the riot act yesterday, while George Steinbrenner continues to give his erstwhile pet thehigh hat.

According to theTimes:

Joel Shermansounds the alarm in the Post:

Never one to miss a soap opera,Reggie Jacksonhas once again has popped up as a voice of reason.

Stop laughing, dammit.

NO ISSUES HERE

Regardless of David Wells' self-inflicted problems,Jose Contrerasis content to start the season in the bullpen.

OH BROTHER

Somewhere, John Perricone is smiling. If not dancing. Perricone, who runsOnly Baseball Matters, has long kvetched about Chubb Rock,Livan Hernandez. But he won't have to any longer, as the Giants traded Herandez and catcher Edward Guzman and cash in exchange for pitcher Jim Brower and a player to be named later. Livan joins his older half-brother, Orlando with the Expos. With Livan on board, my "Slap Shot" call on the Expos gains more credibility.

CASHING IN

The Big Unit,Randy Johnsonwas given a two-year contract extention by the D-Backs yesterday worth $33 million.

David Pintocompares Johnson and Nolan Ryan from ages 34-38 over at the new and improvedBaseball Musingstoday.

BLOGNOSTICATIONS

BothDavid Pinto(who has redesigned his "Baseball Musings," to celebrate its one-year anniversary), and Aaron Gleeman preview the NL East. Neither is terrbily impressed with the Mets.

According to Pinto:

Gleeman cuts to the chase:

Ouch.

JINXED

Red Sox fans rejoice. Your team won't be stuck with the burden of the SI-cover Jinx this year...The Yankees will! Not only that, but the photo shoot stirred up more shit in the Bronx Zoo over the weekend as theBoomtown Rat,David Wellswas at it again.

The cover of the forthcoming Sports Illustrated baseball issue features the Yankees starting pitching staff flanked by Boss George himself. Guess who was a no-show? Yup, Boomer Wells, who has a running beef with SI over a story the magazine ran on him last season.

At the photo shoot, somebody asked George: "Where's your boy?"

Now thatWells has lost his last supporter in Yankee land, his left arm is going to have speak volumes this season.

Meanwhile, will the the Sox be this years Anaheim Angels? Theo Eptstein has collected pesky, professional hitters to augment his superstars Manny Ramirez and Nomar Garciaparra. While the Sox line up may not have as many house hold names as the Yankees do, they may be every bit as tough.Bill Maddenprofiled Theo Epstein's methods in the Daily News yesterday.

While Madden doesn't gush over the young GM, he doesn't bash him either.

Epstein was not able to land a star free agent over the winter, and raised eyebrows when he passed on the chance to land Bartolo Colon, choosing instead to keepCasey Fossum. Fossum, a thin left-hander who has drawn comparisons to Ron Guidry has struggled this spring.

But the book on the season isn't out yet. Hell, it's only just begun; Epstein can always trade for a boffo pitcher by the trading deadline if the need arises.

Peter Gammonswrote about the Sox in his column over the weekend:

Back in Yankee land,Mike Mussina'sstart was rained out yesterday, but that didn't stop him from getting his work in.

According to theTimes:

Mr. Gammons had a couple of notes on the Bombers as well:

Finally,Raul Mondesiwas fined by Joe Torre for showing up late for Saturday's game after being excused to deal with personal business in the D.R. for a few days.

BRONX BANTER INTERVIEW:

MARVIN MILLER TALKS ABOUT CURT FLOOD

Aside from my duties as host of Bronx Banter, I have been working on a proposal to write a biography on Curt Flood for a Young Adult (i.e.: high school) audience. Needless to say, I'm pretty jacked up about it. The idea of writing a book for kids who will probably be reading it because it's the easiest, most accessible, least painful choice for a book report, is good enough for me. But oddly enough, there isn't much material available on Flood yet. This may come as a surprise, but there isn't one major biography written about Flood. They are just getting around to Larry Doby. There is a lot of material dedicated to Jackie Robinson, and Hank Aaron has been acknowledged too. Clemente is covered. Even Dock Ellis and Minnie Minoso have books.

Yet Flood's story screams out Baseball Behind the Music with the best of them. What gives?

Flood's autobiography, "The Way it is," is an illuminating but incomplete book; expressive, and insightful, but loose in terms of chronology. There is a mix of keen observation, and literary pretension that defines the book. But even the sermons are lively---and typical of the day. Flood comes across as the ideal 60s anti-hero. Not only is it is one of the better-written books by a jock, it's good social history to boot.

The only downfall is that "The Way it is" was published in 1971, a year before Flood's case was even heard by the Supreme Court. Flood is reported to have worked on a second book during the 1970s, but I have no idea what ever came of the project. I don't know of any writing that substantially covers Flood's life since 1972.

If there is anyone out there who does, do a brother a favor and let me know, cause I would find it invaluable.

So, I gotta a bunch of research to do, but I'm cool with that. I like investigating. Finding the story through people's memories, digging.

Who better to talk about Curt Flood than Marvin Miller, now 86, the former Executive Director of the Player's Association? There is an excellent chapter in Miller's autobiography, "A Whole Different Ballgame," on Flood, so I didn't think he'd mind talking about him.

Miller was easy enough to get in touch with.

"He's in the book, under Marvin J. Miller," said the receptionist at the Player's Association. 10 minutes later, I had scheduled an interview.

I didn't really know what to expect from him, but with a little editorial help, I categorized my questions into 3 levels of importance for him, so as not to come off like a half-cocked jackass. I called him on the phone, in the mid morning, and braced myself for a sharp, bitter old man; I hoped to get a half an hour out of him even if he was a jerk. But Miller seemed subdued to me. He was nothing if not accommodating, and we ended up talking for a full hour.

It's funny, but I've see the sarcastic edge, the anger, in Miller when I've read the transcribed text of this interview, but it didn't come across when he was talking. He still had some bite, but at 86, even Marvin Miller's hard-on-at-the-world just isn't ain't what she used to be, you know what I mean?

I wasn't throwing anything but bp fatballs anyhow. I wasn't trying to get his ire up. Nice and easy.

Here was my angle: I wanted to know how to tell Flood's story to a kid in high school.

The following is an excerpt from the conversation I had with Miller, but it doesn't include much of the stuff that is geared towards the kids. I've leave that stuff for the book. But I'm not trying to jerk you around; he talked long enough to cover a lot of ground.

Hope you enjoy.

MILLER ON FLOOD

(This interview took place on March 15, 2003, over the telephone, between my crib in the west Bronx and Miller's apartment on the east side of Manhattan.)

Q: When did you first learn of Curt Flood's plan to sue baseball?

Q: Were you excited about a player of Flood's stature taking on the owners? And did you think he had any chance of winning?

Q: Why is that?

Q: Considering the long odds of the case, what did you hope to gain from the suit?

Q: Were you surprised that Flood v. Kuhn made it all the way to the Supreme Court?

Q: Even though the Flood case ended in failure, how much of an influence did it have on the advent of free agency at few years later?

Q: It's ironic that none of Flood's peers managed to show up at his trial. Was that a bitter disappointment for either you or Flood?

Q: When did that change?

Q: So the provision in the 1970 basic agreement that arranged for an impartial arbitrator was far more important to how free agency came about than Flood's case.

Q: How did the owners over-look the provision?

Q: Did you have any idea how important this ruling would eventually be for the players in the future?

Q: Flood's legacy is often misconstrued. A lot the time I hear him referred to the first free agent, or the guy who started free agency, which isn't the case at all.

Q: Why would Curt Flood's story be meaningful for a high school kid growing up today?

Q: It puts Flood in Jackie Robinson's company in terms of having a ton of guts.

Q: Did you keep in touch with Flood when he left baseball? Did you ever run into him again?

Q: There is a general impression that Flood that ended up a sour, resentful man. The martyr. Was he able to move on with his life outside of baseball, and get come to peace with his suit against MLB?

THE LAST WORD...

Here isAaron Gleeman's take on the Rondell White-Bubba Trammell trade. Like most observers, Gleeman thinks that the addition of Mark Phillips makes the deal a sound one for the Bombers:

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES

Gulp hard, Yankee fans. Looks like we are in for another year of dominance from Boston Red Sox ace, Pedro Martinez.Gordon Edesreports in the Boston Globe that Pedro is good to go for opening day. Some Yankee fans may express skepticism about worrying too tough about Martinez as the Bombers have pretty much broken even against him since he's been in the league. All the same, it scares me, because I revere Pedro's greatness, and after all, he does pitch for the dreaded Sox.

JUST WRITING MY NAME AND GRAFFITI ON THE WALL

Sterling Hitchcock,who is being showcased by Yankees this spring, pitched against the Phillies yesterday for what he said was more scouts and writers than fans.

It isn't a matter of if Hitchcock will be traded, but when.

Meanwhile, after another strong outing last night, the writing on the wall says thatDavid Coneis the front runner for the number 5 spot in the Mets starting rotation.

Speaking of writing on the (bathroom) wall, former MetRey Ordonezhad a little sumthin, sumthin to say about Robbie Alomar as the Mets met the Devil Rays yesterday. It's nothing much to speak of, just Rey Rey sounding off, Robbie acting like the diplomat, and the two squarshin any bad blood. Just a day in the life, right?

SAY NO RO

Geoff Young, who writes "Ducksnorts", a blog dedicated to the Padres has a good post today regarding the Bubba-Ro trade.

CUBBIES UNDER THE KNIFE

Christian Ruzich, the Cub Reporter, has an excellent post featuring one of Baseball Prospectus' head writers, Will Carroll. Both Carroll and Ruzich are top notch, and this post is well worth perusing.

CONTRERAS IMPROVING

Jose Contrerashad another impressive outing yesterday after starting the spring with a thud, pitching 5 2/3 innings and striking out 8, in the Yankees 4-1 win over the Indians.

Jayson Starkcovers the difficulties Cuban pitchers have had coming to the States in his latest column over at ESPN:

NO MO RO

Tyler Kepnerreports in The New York Times today that pitching prospect Mark Phillips made the deal that sent Rondell White to the Padres and brought Bubba Trammell to New York viable.

As for Bubba, well, couldn't every team use a Bubba? Trammell is set to make $2.5 million this year, and $4.75 million in 2004 (White is due to recieve $5 million this season). There is a $250,000 buyout of Bubba's contract next year, which was covered by the Padres.

David Pintothinks that the inclusion of Mark Phillips could make this trade a steal for the Bombers in the long run.

AROUND THE LEAGUE...

Charlie Nobles had a puff piece onTony Clarkin The Times yesterday.

The good people over at Baseball Primer have their2003 Mets Preview. It was written by Chris Dial and can be best characterized as cautiously optimistic.

There is a report in the Boston Globe today that says that 3BShea Hillenbrandwill be staying put, after all.

The Red Sox youth movement continued, when 26-year oldPeter Woodforkwas named the new director of baseball operations/assistant director of player develpment earlier this week.

Woodfork is a native New Englander, who met Theo Epstein when the Sox GM was working for the San Diego organization.

If nothing else, the Sox have cornered the market on the Sabermetric Sammy Glick's of the world.

Mugs Scherer, who operates the "Mugs' Thoughts on Baseball," blog, has a variety of interests, but his main focus is the Toronto Blue Jays. Here is histake on the signings of stud-outfielder Vernon Wells, and 2002's AL Rookie of the Year, 3B Erick Hinske a few days ago.

Finally, Jay Jaffe, the futility infielder, has a follow-up column on theDodgers. Jaffe is currently making the rounds in spring training, and I eagerly look forward to his report next week.

SAY IT AIN'T SO, RO

It just wasn't meant to be for Rondell White and the Yanks. White, a good-natured guy who had a tough year with the Bombers last season, and who wanted dearly to excell with the Yanks, was traded this afternoon to the Padres for Bubba Trammell and minor-league pitcher Mark Phillips, San Diego's first-round pick in the 2000 draft (Phillips was 9th overall), according toLee Sinns.

I asked my cousin Gabe, the Mets fan what he makes of the deal. Here is what he said:

More in the a.m...

SAY NO GO

TheA's-Marinersseason opener, which was to have taken place in Japan, has been cancelled. ESPN'sJim Caplethinks MLB made the right move.

MORE ON MIGGY

Two of ESPN's big guns,Peter GammonsandRob Neyergive their take on the Miguel Tejada situation.

According to Gammons:

Neyer adds:

I would be remiss if I didn't direct the reader to theElephants in Oaklandwebpage for more expert 411 on Tejada and the A's.

TRADE BAIT

All winter long, the Red Sox have been shopping Shea Hillenbrand, while the Yankees are looking to move Rondell White and Sterling Hitchcock. As spring training draws to a close, the rumor mill has heated up again.

According toLee Sinns:

3) According to the Boston Herald, the Redsox have intensified trade talks
for 3B Shea Hillenbrand, with the Cubs being the frontrunner, and the
Redsox having their eyes on P Juan Cruz. On the other hand, several reports
from Chicago indicate Hillenbrand to the Cubs isn't on the front burner.

4) The trade talks between the Yankees and Padres, involving Yankees OF
Rondell White, and maybe also Sterling Hitchcock, and Padres OF Bubba
Trammell have reportedly intensified. According to the Newark Star Ledger,
the Yankees would like the Padres to add P Brian Lawrence into a deal.

HURTIN'

Yankee relieverSteve Karsaywill not start the season with the ballclub, and it's not looking too good forEl Duqueeither.

Meanwhile, Red Sox pitcherDerek Lowe, who had a terrific season last year, continues to struggle this spring.

LIL SORI MAKES BIG IMPRESSION

There is a good article in the Times today about our boySoriano. Both Juan Samuel and Sparky Anderson had nothing but rave reviews for the Yankees' diminutive slugger.

The biggest knock on Soriano is his lack of patience offensively. Mickey Rivers didn't walk either, but Mick the Quick never had pop in his bat like Sori does.

I'm not exactly sure what to expect from Soriano this year, but I agree that he's exciting to watch and well worth the price of admission.

THEY DON'T HIT EM LIKE THEY USED TO

Just when you thought that the Piazza-Mota bean brawl incident was over,Prince Pedro Martinezchimes in with his expert analysis. Martinez told Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci:

Sure, you are taking Mota's side Pedro. Let's call it like it is. With all due respect to Martinez's intelligence and charm, there are times when he comes off sounding like a pompous putz.

But while I am sympathetic to Piazza in this instance, I think that most hitters are over-sensitive these days, and most pitchers simply do not know how to pitch inside anymore. Who is to blame? I'm not entirely sure. It doesn't help when MLB and the umpires don't allow the players to police themselves.

Yankee manager Joe Torre, told Verducci:

Back to the old days, here is Stan Williams (Dodgers pitcher from 1958-62) talking about Vlad Guerror's manager, Frank Robinson in "We Played the Game: 65 Players Remember Baseball's Greatest Era: 1947-1964," edited by Danny Peary.

Perhaps my favortie bean ball story involves the volatile Dock Ellis, when he was pitching for the Pirates in the 1970s. The following excerpt is from "In the Country of Baseball," written by Ellis with Donald Hall.

In spring training 1974, Dock Ellis, felt that the Pirates had begun to loss some aggressiveness.

Sure enough, on May 1st, the Reds came to Pittsburgh and Dock Ellis was pitching.

He told catcher Manny Sanguillen in the pre-game meeting, "Don't even give me no signal. Just try and catch the ball. If you can't catch it, forget it."

How would Bob Watson rule on that one? Suspend Dock for 137 games and cut off his coke supply?

Hmmm.

WHILE I WAS OUT...

Here are some things that went down over the past 5 days, which may be of some interest...

BothMike Piazzaand Guillermo Mota were suspended for 5 games as a result of their run-in last week. Vlad gets 3 games for throwing bolo's, and Piazza gets 5 for intent. Something is fishy here, Bob Watson.

Theo Epstein, the Red Sox new general manager continues to be accessible and articulate. We'll see how he handles things come September, but it's my feeling that the Red Sox will have a lot to cheer about this year.

Yankee pitcher,Jose Contrerasgot off the shnide late last week with an impressive outing against the less-than-impressive Devil Rays.

Meanwhile, it looks as if Yankee relieverSteve Karsay, may start the season on the DL. No suprise there.

Aaron Gleemanhas an excellent analysis of the Jack Cust-Chris Richards trade between the Rockies and the O's, as well as the Kenny Rogers signing by the Twins.

Steve Goldman, author of the Pinstriped Bible, likes to move as far as the Orioles are concerned:

Jay Jaffe,the futility infielder has a terrific piece on the L.A. Dodgers and the all-mighty dollar that is worth checking out too.

Lastly, the much malignedJayson Starkfiled this article on Vlad Guerrero last week, in which he examines the possibilites of where Vlad may end up next season. Guerrero will obviously be wooed by big money teams like the Yankees and Mets, but I wouldn't be suprised if he takes less money to stay with the Expos, no matter where they wind up next year.

They don't call Vlad "the Mute" for nothing.

Which isn't to say that Vlad is dumb. He's just a good ol' country boy. He looks little bit like a goat after all, albeit a very strong goat. (He acts like a goat sometimes too, which may explain why he was caught stealing 20 times last season.)

What makes Guerrero an oddity is that he doesn't crave the money or fame that a player of his caliber usually commands.

As tantalizing an option as Guerrero would be for the Yankees, or the Red Sox, I fear that tampering with his little cocoon could effect his game. Maybe I'm not giving him enough credit. Anyone who can put up the numbers he does should be able to do it anywhere, right? I'd like to think so, but it would be a pity if Vlad signed a mega-deal and then faltered. Heck, Vlad is the Bizarro A-Rod, after all.

It would only be in keeping with his personality for him to do something completely different. (Maybe he'll sign with the Padres.)

TUG O MY HEART

The irrespressible Tug McGraw was diagnosed with brain cancer over the weekend and is scheduled to have surgery today.Bill Maddenhad an article on the 58-year old McGraw over the weekend in the Daily News, which included a recent conversation:

A'S WILL NOT SIGN TEJADA TO LONG-TERM DEAL

Here isLee Sinns'take on Oakland's decision not to sign their shortstop, reigning AL MVP, Miggy Tejada to a long-term contract:

Jason Giambi, however, did have a reaction to Schott's move.

Another former Oakland player,Johnny Damon--never shy in expressing his opinion--- weighed in with his two cents too:

A'S WILL NOT SIGN TEJADA TO LONG-TERM DEAL

Here is Lee Sinns' take on Oakland's decision not to sign their shortstop, reigning AL MVP, Miggy Tejada to a long-term contract:

Another former Oakland player,Johnny Damon--never shy in expressing his opinion--- weighed in with his two cents too:

I SAID IT ONCE, I'LL SAY IT AGAIN: YES!

Emily successfully pulled through 6 1/2 hours of surgery on Thursday, and is recovering slowly but surely at Lennox Hill, on the Upper East Side. As I mentioned last week, Emily suffers from Chrones. This was her 9th operation since 1996. This latest round dealt with problems caused by an infection that was a result of her last surgery, and the doctor's appear to have remedy the situation.

Damn, but my girl is a fighter. She's a real bulldog, making it through like a trooper, though she has been doped up pretty good since the operation. I've been with her every day and I gotta admit, it tears me up to see her in so much pain. Truthfully, she hasn't felt much of it, but you can see just how enervated her body is from the procedure, and just how progressive the recovery process is going to be.

I haven't had much time to dwell on baseball during the past couple of days, but every once in a while I've tried to let the idea that the I'll be able to watch the Yankees this year really sink in.

I still can't believe it. Part of me doesn't want to believe it until I see the damn channel pop up on myTV at home. Call me superstitious, but it's hard to trust anyone from either Cablevision or the YES Network after all we've been through with these schnooks.

Still, the thought of not being dependent on Sterling and Steiner is enough to keep me warm until the flowers start blooming in a couple of weeks.
For Realah, Magilla.

THE GAMBLER

I worked for the filmmaking duo, the Coen brothers, for a year in the mid-1990s, first as their personal assistant, and then as an assistant film editor on "The Big Lebowski." I started working for them just before the Yanks won the World Serious in 1996. Joel couldn't have cared less about baseball, but Ethan was a casual fan, and kept up with the box scores and the headlines. As you can imagine, he was anything but a Yankee fan.

I thought it fitting however that Ethan's favorite Bronx Bomber at the time was none other than that lovable loser, Mr. Square Jaw himself, Kenny Rogers. He is a sap directly out of one of their movies.

Well, Rogers signed with the Coen brothers' hometown team, the Twins, yesterday. Here what Lee Sinns had to say about the deal, which will bump the highly touted Johan Santana back to the bullpen for the time being:

WHO YOU CALLIN' FUNNY LOOKIN?

Steve Keane, who recently launched a Mets blog, aptly titled,The Eddie Kranpool Societyhas a good call on Godzilla Matsui: Shemp from the Three Stooges.

PEACE

I want to take a moment to thank all the readers who have sent me e-mails wishing the best for my girl, Emily today. Thanks, I'll pass those good vibes along when she comes to.

YES!

I was at Lennox Hill hospital at the crack of dawn this morning as my girlfriend was getting prepped for her surgery. As we held hands in a pre-op waiting room, I caught theYes-Cablevisionsettlement headline on the television.

I took it as a sign of hope for Emily. If those rich bozo's can finally come to their senses, she'll make it through this ordeal with flying colors.

PUNKS JUMP UP TO GET BEAT DOWN

"This era of pitchers don't know the art of pitching inside. They just think they can take a baseball and you wind up just throwing it at somebody's head or whatever, that's pitching inside." -- Frank Robinson.

In a spectacularact of cowardice, Dodger pitching hopeful Guillermo Mota, plunked Mets catcherMike Piazzafor the second consecutive year in a spring training contest, and then ran to safety like a little bitch when Piazza charged the mound.

Unlike Vladi G, Piazza is not your proto-typical, thin-skinned modern slugger. I saw the game involving Mota last year, and thought the kid was a punk trying to act tough when he threw at Piazza on a 3-0 count in a meaningless game. Those feelings were reinforced when I saw the replay of last night's incident.

Have you ever seen someone who deliberately wanted to hit a batter, run scared the way Mota did?

Piteful. I don't blame Piazza for being heated. This ranks up there with the bestchickenshit beanings in recent memory.

While I'm on the subject, here is an article from MLB.com on theVlad Guerrero-Brad Pennyaltercation earlier this week.

MR. CLUTCH

There was a nice, little article onEdgardo Alfonzoin the Sac Bee a couple of days ago that is worth checking out. Can you equate clutch hitting with playing in New York? Fonzie thinks so:

TAGGING UP

It's no secret thatBernie Williams, a four-time gold glove center fielder, has a rag arm, that is only getting worse with age. To his credit, Williams knows it is a flaw in his game:

It is unlikely that Bernie will improve his throwing significantly at this stage in his career, but he can work at making quick, accurate throws to the cut off man (ala Mickey Rivers). Still, it's refreshing to see that Williams' work ethic is as strong as ever.

WHO YOU CALLIN A RED ASS?

Former Yankee pitcher, and personal favorite,El Duqueappears to be a happy camper for the Expos this spring.

According to a report in Newsday, Montreal GM Omar Minaya said:

El Duque has also been in constant contact with fellow Cuban refuge,Jose Contreras, offering him counsel through what is undoubtedly a difficult transitional period:

GETTING CLOSER TO GOD IN A TIGHT SITUATION

The Times has a story today aboutMariano Riveraand his wife Clara. Last fall, Clara gave birth to a son, Jaziel. She had to have a Caesarean, and as a result began hemorrhaging. It was a frightening situation but she pulled through just fine.

Rivera, a deeply spirtual man, still gets misty-eyed when he talks about it.

Just to prove that all jocks aren't self-involved jerks, dig this:

This story hit home for me, because my girlfriend is going to have major surgery tomorrow. Emily has Crones, and while the procedure is not life-threatening it will take up to 9 hours, and is a major ordeal. She will be at Lennox Hill hospital in New York for a week to ten days recovering after that. All of my thoughts and love will be with her, of course, and I can only hope that she is in good hands.

I won't be able to treat all of her doctors and nurses to a dinner at my house, but I may send them a note of thanks all the same.

HUMBLE PIE

One thing I know for sure. Each year, the more I learn about baseball, the more I realize just how much I don't know. Or how much I have yet to learn. It is why I keep coming back.

It is also one of the reasons why the art of second-guessing isn't one of my favorite activities. More often than not, I simply don't feel qualified enough to go there. Sure I engage in it from time to time, and I also appreciate how essential second-guessing is for many fans, but frankly, I'm more interested in howDusty Bakeris tuned in to his team's individual culinary tastes than how sound his baseball strategies are.

But that's just me.

With each passing season, I feel that as my appreciation for the game grows profoundly, so does the sense that there is still much to discover.

I was reminded of this when I read Rob Neyer's recent interview withPaul DePodesta, assistant GM of the A's. DePodesta serves as Billy Beane's right-hand man in Oakland, and is likely to become a hot shot general manager sooner rather than later:

RED ASS REDUX

Former teammates Omar Vizquel and Jose Mesa have a nasty littlefeudgoing. 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.

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

Still, Mesa is still heated:

Which bring to mind a scene from "The Honeymooners:"

TAKE IT FROM FRANK

Inspired byVladi Guererro'sshort 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:

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.

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 manVlad Guerrerocharged 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.

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

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 Ziegelhit the nail on the head in the Daily News this morning:

Mike Lupicawas in fine form today too:

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 hascharacter.

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 isAndy 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 hiskeeper 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:

CHUMP CHANGE

According to a report in the New York Times this morning, the Yankees will fineBoomer 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 overJose 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.

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:

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 toTyler Kepnerin an article that appeared in the Sunday Times:

BIBLE STUDIES

In the latest installment of thePinstriped 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:

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 Rogershas a long article on Montreal today, over at ESPN, which also reprints itshot stove reporton Frank Robinson's bunch too. And just for the hell of it, here aretwomorearticles on from North of the Border.

WHAT KEEPS US ALL UP AT NIGHT

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

On that note, Mets pitcherPedro Astacioand Yankee second basemanAlfonso Sorianoare hurting.

Speaking of pain, the Boomer Wells story has become a sore for sight eyes. While theYankeescontinue to deliberate on how to punish Wells,Rocket Clemensfired 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 Martinezwas 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 Kernanhas a nice little piece on Jason Giambi's relationship with Ted Williams in the Post, while Joel Sherman offers a puff piece onCliff 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:

NO PEPPER GAMES ALLOWED

According to Lee Sinn's ATM report today:

Sinn's dailyATM reportis 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 tospeed up the game, and the other one is aboutDerek Jeter.

Finally, Ed Cossette has a fun column today over atBambino's Curse. He links articles about Prince Pedro Martinez, and Jurassic Carl Everett. The Everett piece is hilarious. Lord what a putz. Astalented 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 DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW

Will Carroll, over at Baseball Prospectus, has posted histeam health reportfor 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:

SO FAR, SO GOOD

David Coneappeared 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 forDavid 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 ofHideki Irabuas 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:

Yankee GMBrian Cashmanis considering disciplinary action against Wells, but has yet to make a move.

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.

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 PostandThe Boston Herald,were characteristically shrill, while theTimesandThe Boston Globewere measured and subdued in their coverage.

Boston GM, Theo Epstein told the Times:

Johnny Damon was fair in his assessment as well:

The most inflammatory remark belonged to Shea Hillenbrand:

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 Shapirospoke with Jonah Keri of Baseball Prospectus at length last week.

Terry Pluto re-evaluates theRobbie Alomartrade to the Mets, and he also profiles rookie first basemanTravis Hefner, who is expected to make an impact this year for the Indians.

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

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 clauseaccording 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:

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

Kevin Kernancontinues 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 toJim 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:

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

Over in Port St. Lucie,Al Leitersummed up the Mets take on the Yankees' wild camp: "Better them than us."

HOW AM I DOIN?

Godzilla Matsuihit 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 madeJose Contrerasa lock to land in the Bronx, not Beantown:

SPRING TRAINING NOTES

Peter Gammonspreviews the defending National League champions, and findsBarry Bondsin good form.David Pintolinked 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 anice little Yankee storythat 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 Wiggintonin the Daily News.

Finally,Pete Roseis 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'sOnly Baseball Mattersfor 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'steam health reportfor 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:

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

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 Georgewas 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:

Kevin Kernan led the Boomer-bashing with columns onSaturday,SundayandMonday:

Mike Lupicashared Kernan's sentiment, andIra Berkowcalled 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."

Baseball Toasterwas unplugged on February 4, 2009.

Alex Belth
Cliff Corcoran