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
- From the Salmon story above, Garret Anderson's plantar fasciitis shouldn't require surgery. Interestingly enough, a guy in the stands behind me said he had the condition and said it feels like "the worst stone bruise you've ever had" on your feet; only rehab and time can make it go away. Anderson flew to LA to have his foot looked at by specialist Phil Kwong.
- K-Rod, Kelvim Escobar, Juan Rivera, and Edgardo Alfonso will report to camp now that Venezuela has been eliminated from the WBC.
- Brandon Wood, David Austin, Michael Collins, and Bobby Wilson have been sent down to minor league camp.
- Dioner Navarro left yesterday's game in pain, suffering a hamstring injury. Grady Little says the Dodgers "wouldn't hesitate for a minute" to make unproven-above-AA Russell Martin the team's everyday catcher. Sandy Alomar, Jr. is 39 and hasn't caught more than 75 games in a season since 2000.
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."
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.
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