A few interesting items crossing the wires... and there's a game tonight, I understand?
The New York Yankees are apparently about to hire Larry Bowa as their third-base coach. This appeals to me on many levels. Let me tell you why.
Bowa has done very well as a coach over the years, and has always impressed the people he works for. And don't you think Boss George will see a little Billy Martin in him? And the longtime heirs-apparent to Joe Torre's chair - Willie Randolph, Joe Girardi - got so tired, tired of waiting, and took jobs in the other league.
Torre just couldn't walk away from the $13 million or however many dollars he still has coming to him this off-season. But he will, maybe after 2006, maybe after 2007. And won't Larry Bowa look like the Next in Line by then?
Good times are coming...
News from South Florida, where the Marlins are apparently shopping a very talented but very expensive first-baseman. They would like to sign Josh Beckett and Dontrelle Willis to long-term deals.
Jeffrey Loria assured Delgado last month that he wasn't going anywhere. Yeah, Jeffrey Loria gave his word. So where will Delgado end up? Florida will be looking for a trading partner who doesn't want the Marlins to pick up a large chunk of salary, which limits their options somewhat. A team with money that can use a first-baseman? There's the Mets, the Dodgers, but alas! there is also the Red Sox, the Orioles...
Mike Piazza appears to be through with the Mets, and I would imagine there's a very good chance he'll find himself in the AL. Piazza has caught more than 1500 games in the major leagues - and that's enough. It's not like he's Bob Boone back there. He's in line for a whopping pay cut (he made more than $16 million in 2005) - and it's a little strange that Piazza has hit much better in Shea Stadium than he has on the road. But I do think that if Piazza stops catching, we'll discover that there's a little bit of life left in his bat.
Game time is 8:00 tonight, in Enron Memorial. Pitching will be Jon Garland for the White Sox and Roy Oswalt for the Astros. The Astros have to have this one, it's in their park, and the best starting pitcher on either team is taking the ball for them. So I like their chances...
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20051024231344885