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Thursday, March 16, 2006

Pickoff Moves

Salmon To Waive March 22 Deadline

Tim Salmon will waive his March 22 deadline for the team to pick him up or let him go, according to the Times. With Garret Anderson's plantar fasciitis, Salmon now has a legitimate opening to make the 25-man roster.
"There's a legitimate opportunity for me here," Salmon said Wednesday. "I'm not going to hold them to that date. I don't foresee them being in a position where they can commit, and I don't see myself in a position where I'm out of the woods to be confident soliciting other teams."
We saw Timmy double in yesterday's game -- he did look a tad stiff on the basepaths, but was quick enough diving back to first when he had to, and was taking some risks on the basepaths. He's got a chance, and a bigger one than a couple days ago.

Roster Notes

Angels Seek To Expand Korean Scouting Presence

Despite having a full-time scout in Korea -- Charlie Kim -- the Angels are rethinking their assessment of Korean scouting because of the WBC, according to the Register.
"We're trying to do a little better. We haven't signed any Asians yet," Angels scouting director Eddie Bane said. "Quite honestly, we need to do a little more work in Korea."
The WBC has provided a showcase for foreign talent against top-flight US talent:
"Hey, you don't need to say that a guy's got a pretty good breaking ball. If A-Rod can't hit it, it's good," Bane said.
The Angels gave Seung Yeop Lee a courtesy tour of the park a couple years ago, but never really made him an offer, an artifact of the short fences in his then-home park in Taegu. Park dimensions make a difference, but he did manage to take Dontrelle Willis deep in the WBC.

Ferguson Jenkins On Prior, Wood

The Cubs oughta be the terrors of the NL Central, but instead, they're wiping egg off their faces after earlier poo-poohing Will Carroll's February 20 report that Mark Prior's shoulder was giving him trouble. Ferguson Jenkins thinks they ought to be learning from a master who's right in their dugout, Greg Maddux:
Asked Wednesday to predict the pitching futures for Wood and Prior, Jenkins offered a sobering response.

"It's hard to say. Honestly, you can guess that they're not going to be successful, but you could be wrong too," Jenkins said in a phone interview from his Arizona home. "From my experience, if you don't use what you have, you're going to lose it. And you know what that means.

...

Meanwhile, Maddux, who turns 40 on April 14, manages to remain healthy after 20 big-league seasons.

"What is he doing that is good for him and the other guys haven't learned it?" Jenkins said.

"They have the best example in the world. … Don't they talk to him enough? He has been with the team three years now, so there should have been something to rub off on these other young pitchers."


Comments:
The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if the Cubs solicited Jenkins' comments and encouraged that reporter to publicize them as part of their continuing effort to cover up the devastating effects of their asinine mismanagement of Prior and Wood.

No mention of the inane 130+ pitch starts or freak injuries that have befallen Prior -- no, Prior and Wood have suffered health problems purely due to the fact that they don't care enough about their jobs to seek out the opinion of a finesse pitcher whose style bears little resemblance to their own. The stench emanating from Jenkins' "back in my day..." posturing is overwhelming.
 
It seems to me that if GA starts the season on the DL (becoming more and more likely each day), then Salmon has a spot on the team.
 
And Kelvim Escobar???
 
Yes, Shane, and Kelvim Escobar too.
 

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