There's a storm brewing... over the Yankees postponing Thursday afternoon's game against the Devil Rays due to "expected rain", on an afternoon that turned out to be lovely.
The Yankees certainly would have been tempted to postpone the game to bump Jeff Weaver back a turn in the rotation, but it is against the Mets, for crying out loud. MLB have sanctioned the decision, so nothing further will come of this. While personally I think the Yankees had marginally more to lose than to gain by the postponement, it does highlight an issue I think is important. Postponements due to field conditions should in no uncertain terms be handed over to the umpire-in-chief. No more of this "the team decides if it's before the first pitch" guff. That will eliminate the controversies right there.
Although still haven't freed Terrmel Sledge (oh yeah... FREE TERRMEL SLEDGE!) the Expos have at least called up Joe Vitiello to add another actual bat. Vitiello is replacing Fernando Tatis, who has now had to go on the DL with a serious-sounding "inflammation of the chest wall". Presumably this is a complication of his preexisting condition, the missing heart.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Bruce Bochy's All-Star pick.
I'm tired, so it'll be a short Notes today, and no Notes on Monday unless I get bored. But I'd like to address a question that Donkit R.K. asked about yesterday's column: how *did* Scott Cooper manage to make two straight All-Star teams?
Well, he was hitting .280-something or .290-something at both All-Star breaks as I recall, before fading slightly. He played in Boston, which is always good for a media boost. Park factors played a role in making him look much better than he was; those still aren't well understood. Batting average, which he had more of than his competitors, is always overrated.
I don't know why he made it instead of the much better Robin Ventura in '93 (Cito being Cito probably had something to do with it) or any of the other, better candidates... like Dean Palmer. Travis Fryman and Wade Boggs should have been plenty, given the parlous state of AL third basemen at the time. Other AL 3B in '93 included Rene Gonzales, Ed Sprague, Tim Hulett, B.J. Surhoff before he learned how to hit, the monumentally awful Craig Paquette, and just half-seasons of good players Mike Pagliarulo and Gary Gaetti).
In '94, I would assume Cito did his Cito thing, taking Cooper because what the hell, he took him the year before. Boggs and Fryman made it again as well. Robin Ventura was dissed again. A rookie third baseman having a terrific year was also denied... he hit .268/.359/.523 and slugged 20 homers in 98 games in the strike-abbreviated season and fielded quite well for a rookie at the hot corner, about average in range and fielding percentage. Ten bonus points for those who can tell me (without peeking) where that third baseman is now. Hint: he's a well-known player, and is still playing somewhere in organized baseball, but in a different league. So was a terrific third baseman (great offense, good defense), playing for Seattle, coming back from an injury. Name of Edgar Martinez.
Also, Spike Owen, somehow, had a .418 OBP as the horrible Angels' regular third baseman in '94. How the hell this ever happened is a mystery not even science can explain. His OBP the year before was .294, the year after .288, his career number was .324.
Incidentally, in both '93 and '94 Cito took three third basemen, but only one shortstop (Ripken) each year. (Fryman was actually a half-time shortstop in 1993, though, and played short at the '93 All-Star Game; Ripken played the whole game in '94). Another in a long series of Stupid Roster Tricks. That was Cito Gaston... a great manager, but a lousy roster manager.
FREE TERRMEL SLEDGE! Enjoy your Sunday.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20030622122824999