As usual, there was no shortage of intriguing sports stories during the three-day All-Star break, including...
Move the Westminster Dog Show to Mid-July and I think everyone would be thrououghly entertained - perhaps...
But just because it was All-Star week (yawn) mean that there was necessarily a lack of developments. In fact the game itself may have given a hint of things to come�
ROCKET IMPLODES ON LAUNCH PAD � Wasn't astronaut Gus Grissom's last recorded words something like 'If you can't trust someone in one inning of an All-Star game, then how the hell can you trust him for the second half of the season!!??? (conspiracy theorists who thought the moon landings were a production jump on that like a 3-0 fastball). Fact was, the NL may had been better off sending 85-year old Bob Feller to the hill, at least he was throwing heat at Muhammad Ali (whether you agreed with Rapid Robert or not). Roger Clemens did have a couple of bad starts in June, bud did rebound to post a 1.94 ERA in his final four starts, going seven innings in each. Clemens did finish the first half with a 2.62 ERA, if he can keep it up it would be his best ERA since posting a 2.65 for Toronto in 1998. Since then Clemens have posted ERA�s of 4.60, 3.70, 3.51, 4.35, and 3.91. I would expect Clemens to post about a 3.50 for the second half. Owners that were savvy enough probably sold high on Clemens around June 1. But with hindsight being 20-20 no one would have recommended say, a Clemens for Johan Santana trade. The best spin I can provide on Clemens All-Star debacle is at least it doesn�t count towards the stats. Hopefully he bounces back at home against the Padres on Sunday. But remember he turns 42 in a few weeks.
JIMY SHOWN THE DOOR!!! � And better yet replaced with Phil Garner. For the moment that�s the best possible news for Carlos Beltran owners. Perennially a 35-40 steal man, Beltran had only steal in 16 games thus far with the Astros, multiply that by 10 and you have a ten steal year. The worst fears were quickly being realized, for Jimy never lets his players run. Garner meanwhile is the polar opposite, remember the Brewers running wild in 1992??? That was when the rookie manager single-handedly turned Pat Listach (a one-hit wonder if there ever was one) into a fantasy force. Even first-base Clydesdale John Jahn stole in double-figures that year, which means that it�s not out of the picture to see Jeff Bagwell or even Craig Biggio now steal an occasional base.
But if the Astros (5th place, 44-44) don�t turn it around quickly, Beltran could find himself right back on the trade market, as what I have speculated in the past month has now officially hit the rumor mill. The White Sox have been mentioned as one destination, where he would join a potent lineup and get to terrorize his old Royal teammates a few times before the end of the year. Then of course there is the Yankees and Red Sox. Boston may end up being an even better destination than the south side of Chicago, but Beltran�s steals may go right back down. You�d know Beltran would get some SB�s under Joe Torre, considering Alex Rodriguez steals � but would the parasites that fester the Yankee clubhouse then get Carlos, and send Carlos� batting average plummeting also???
UNIT VENTS � In one very explosive night the Big Unit vented on the umpires, Luis Gonzalez, and the media speculating on potential destinations. The Diamondbacks are painted into a corner since Gonzalez (who will shut down early this year), Richie Sexson, and reliever Matt Mantei are unavailable for trades. That leaves Steve Finley, Robbie Alomar (team wants to give Scott Hairston experience), and Johnson. I think the guesswork has been taken out of this, the Unit will be going somewhere in the next two weeks, so let�s speculate on potential destinations (just don�t tell Unit about it). Obviously the Red Sox and Yankees are the first two teams mentioned, and George Steinbrenner raised eyebrows by saying in a radio interview that he would indeed be interested, which could be construed as a possible tampering violation. But although money is no object to the Yankees, lack of quality prospects are � which may make trading such a deal hard.
And then there is the Curt Schilling factor. Would Johnson want to go to Boston and be a teammate of Schill, or go the Bronx and butt heads against him??? Not to mention I couldn�t see Randy giving up his cherished #51, plus having to ditch the mustache so he can look like a clean-shaven mafia member like the rest of the Yanks. Unit is a 5-10 man, so Unit can make the call on that one, so I�m going to guess Boston. What about Alomar and Johnson, for Nomar Garciaparra (again being frequently mentioned in trade rumors) and prospects???
But I don�t even think Fenway will be the final destination. Anaheim has been mentioned, has the prospects, and Unit does have a preference for at least staying on the West Coast. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Cardinals are smelling a legitimate chance at a championship, and are one solid starter away. By going to the Cards, Unit can be in a somewhat low-key atmosphere plus not worry about making a league change. The Cardinals are going to be my final guess.OTHER NOTES � It appears the Brewers will finally bring up Ben Hendrickson for good, 8-2 with a 2.27 ERA and the International League starter in the AAA All-Star Game. Rockies prospect Jeff Francis (a Canadian), started for the World Team in the futures game, he just got promoted after recording 147 strikeouts in 114 innings in AA. It�s unfortunate that I can�t think of one instance where pitching in Colorado hasn�t wrecked a young (or even experienced) hurler. When Ken Griffey Jr. went down last weekend hopefully you jumped on Wily Mo Pena who hit three home runs on the weekend and has 10 HR/28 RBI in 159 AB�s. I don�t see Griffey returning anytime soon so WMP should be a good option. Frank Thomas is another big gun who landed on the DL, it has been suggested that his bad foot could hamper him for the balance of the season. Joe Borchard (who�s been on the prospect radar for a couple years) has 16 HR/48 RBI in AAA and should see playing time as long as the team doesn�t trade for Beltran. I wasn't high on Barry Bonds this year to begin with simply because of all the walks, but it has gone to another level. Bonds has already shattered the single-season intentinol walk record!!!! Do you even see this in college and high school games, where .300+ team batting averages and aluminum bats are the rule.
ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES: Mark Prior made the cover of Sports Weekly while Jack McDowell (among others) broke out his 'look out for the Cubs in the second half' column. Yes, Kerry Wood came back and was impressive last Sunday night. But the vaunted-five man rotation everyone had been waiting for couldn't even make it out of the second inning after the break as Mark Prior's elbow acted up. We all knew the risks, and that there may had been something up with the scuttlebutt earlier in the year that Prior may eventually go under the knife. Marcus Giles (broken collarbone) did return on schedule and immediately belted out a pair of doubles.
WHY ISN'T JAYSON STARK ON THIS ONE??? � In 1945 (the last of the war years), the Washington Senators hit all of one home run ALL SEASON in 77 home games, and that was an inside-the-park job. It was 405 feet down the LEFT FIELD LINE at Griffith Stadium, although it was a somewhat manageable 391 feet to the left field power alley. Dead center was 421 feet, jutting out quickly to 457 just left of the right-center field bullpen (I think Mickey Mantle was about the only one to hit one there). Left-handed batters did have somewhat of a prayer as it was 320 down the right field line and 373 to the alley. Not surprisingly, the leftfield side was used for football, with temporary bleachers installed in right field. About 75 percent of all ballplayers were away at the beginning of the �45 season, although some of first stars to leave (Hank Greenberg, Bob Feller) returned later in the season. Also, recycled low-quality baseballs were used during the war years.