decided to start my own thread of info i come across during spring training, hope no one minds--
some interesting things for those who like baseball news from jayson stark this week--
Tampa--?Josh Hamilton's back problems continue to be a mystery in Tampa Bay. And the Devil Rays say the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 draft probably won't show up in their big-league spring-training camp at all. Hamilton's father had some ominous quotes in the St. Petersburg Times suggesting that if
all this isn't figured out, his son may lose interest in baseball. And Devil Rays GM Chuck LaMar was quoted as saying that pretty soon, Hamilton will either have to get to the bottom of this mystery or learn to play through the pain?
Cleve--Indians utility man Jolbert Cabrera continues to have problems following his accidental shooting in the ass this winter. He now isn't expected back before Opening Day,and doctors can't even determine the extent of his injuries because the swelling still hasn't subsided.
One of the spring's feel-good stories so far is Scott Radinsky. After being healthy enough to pitch in just three games over the last two seasons, Radinsky is opening a lot of eyes in Cleveland's camp. "The ball's just jumping out of his hand," GM Mark Shapiro said. "He's a guy you can't help but pull for."
Fla--?The two big projects of the new coaching staff in Florida this spring are disappointing shortstop Alex Gonzalez and starter Matt Clement. New pitching coach Brad Arnsberg is trying to get the erratic Clement to stop throwing across his body, and the results so far have new manager Jeff Torborg very revved up: "If we get him straightened out as the fifth starter, we'll really have a great rotation," Torborg said.And new coaches Ozzie Guillen and Perry Hill have both made Gonzalez their No. 1 order of business this spring. In Montreal, Hill's scientific approach to infield mechanics turned Orlando Cabrera into a Gold Glove shortstop. "He's our secret weapon," Torborg said of Hill.
and lastly thought these two were noteworthy--
You might recall that despite their collection of Gold Glovers,catching and calling for pop-ups in Yankee Stadium last fall wasn't exactly the Diamondbacks' highlight of the postseason. So on Thursday, manager Bob Brenly scheduled a drill on the lost art of calling for pop-ups. Unfortunately, he scheduled it on a field where all the pop-ups seemed to drift right into the blazing sun, on a morning when there wasn't a cloud from Tucson to Tucumcari. Things got so bad that, at one point, Jay Bell missed four straight pop-ups."It's hard to believe that was the No. 1 defense in the National League out there," Brenly
said. "That was one of the ugliest fundamental drills I have ever seen."
"That was evil," Mark Grace told the East Valley Tribune's Ed Price. "Poor Jay. I'm sorry,
but that was hilarious. There's a lot of Gold Glovers out there ... and it wasn't pretty. But it was good for comic relief."
--Rangers outfielder Ryan Ludwick broke out in hives the other day after lying on the grass, doing his conditioning exercises. He wound up in the hospital for a shot -- afterhaving a reaction either to fertilizer, weed killer or his first spring in Port Charlotte,Fla.
some interesting things for those who like baseball news from jayson stark this week--
Tampa--?Josh Hamilton's back problems continue to be a mystery in Tampa Bay. And the Devil Rays say the No. 1 overall pick in the 1999 draft probably won't show up in their big-league spring-training camp at all. Hamilton's father had some ominous quotes in the St. Petersburg Times suggesting that if
all this isn't figured out, his son may lose interest in baseball. And Devil Rays GM Chuck LaMar was quoted as saying that pretty soon, Hamilton will either have to get to the bottom of this mystery or learn to play through the pain?
Cleve--Indians utility man Jolbert Cabrera continues to have problems following his accidental shooting in the ass this winter. He now isn't expected back before Opening Day,and doctors can't even determine the extent of his injuries because the swelling still hasn't subsided.
One of the spring's feel-good stories so far is Scott Radinsky. After being healthy enough to pitch in just three games over the last two seasons, Radinsky is opening a lot of eyes in Cleveland's camp. "The ball's just jumping out of his hand," GM Mark Shapiro said. "He's a guy you can't help but pull for."
Fla--?The two big projects of the new coaching staff in Florida this spring are disappointing shortstop Alex Gonzalez and starter Matt Clement. New pitching coach Brad Arnsberg is trying to get the erratic Clement to stop throwing across his body, and the results so far have new manager Jeff Torborg very revved up: "If we get him straightened out as the fifth starter, we'll really have a great rotation," Torborg said.And new coaches Ozzie Guillen and Perry Hill have both made Gonzalez their No. 1 order of business this spring. In Montreal, Hill's scientific approach to infield mechanics turned Orlando Cabrera into a Gold Glove shortstop. "He's our secret weapon," Torborg said of Hill.
and lastly thought these two were noteworthy--
You might recall that despite their collection of Gold Glovers,catching and calling for pop-ups in Yankee Stadium last fall wasn't exactly the Diamondbacks' highlight of the postseason. So on Thursday, manager Bob Brenly scheduled a drill on the lost art of calling for pop-ups. Unfortunately, he scheduled it on a field where all the pop-ups seemed to drift right into the blazing sun, on a morning when there wasn't a cloud from Tucson to Tucumcari. Things got so bad that, at one point, Jay Bell missed four straight pop-ups."It's hard to believe that was the No. 1 defense in the National League out there," Brenly
said. "That was one of the ugliest fundamental drills I have ever seen."
"That was evil," Mark Grace told the East Valley Tribune's Ed Price. "Poor Jay. I'm sorry,
but that was hilarious. There's a lot of Gold Glovers out there ... and it wasn't pretty. But it was good for comic relief."
--Rangers outfielder Ryan Ludwick broke out in hives the other day after lying on the grass, doing his conditioning exercises. He wound up in the hospital for a shot -- afterhaving a reaction either to fertilizer, weed killer or his first spring in Port Charlotte,Fla.
