Sunday, May 07, 2006 |
Pickoff Moves
Today's Birthdays
Mickey Doolan BRO b. 1880, played 1918, d. 1951-11-01
Al Epperly BRO b. 1918, played 1950, d. 2003-04-14
Bob Ferris CAL b. 1955, played 1979-1980
Dick Williams BRO b. 1929, played 1951-1954, 1956
Tom Zachary BRO b. 1896, played 1934-1936, d. 1969-01-24. An 18-year veteran who pitched for the Philadelphia A's, the Yankees, the original Washington Senators, the St. Louis Browns, the Boston Braves, the Dodgers, and Phillies, Zachary served up the pitch that Babe Ruth would take over the fence for his then-record 60th home run on September 30, 1927. Sort of a proto-Jamie Moyer, by the time he was traded to the Dodgers, he still had a solid 3.59 ERA in his age 39 season, going 7-12 over 21 starts. Though that moment of infamy was a lowlight of his career — as was surrendering 14 home runs in 1926, leading the league — he also had a 3-0 record in the World Series with a 2.86 ERA. He pitched one more season with the Phillies, and retired after 1936. These days, we all get our 15 minutes; Zachary at least got to choose the time and date of his infamy.
Rejuvenation: Angels 3, Blue Jays 0
The Rev recalls how so many of us — myself included — dismissed Tim Salmon's 2006 season as the illusion of a once-great player for whom the team simply had no room, his season like the phantom pain sometimes experienced by amputees. And yet, after a year of working out and a spring training bereft of guarantees, Salmon has not only returned, but played the field in yesterday's game, thanks to a Darin Erstad bone spur on his ankle that will possibly push Erstad into the DL. Salmon, who received an honorary doctorate from alma mater Grand Canyon University, is now a smarter hitter according to his teammates, and I cannot disagree.But none of this happens unless Kelvim Escobar comes back with an in-your-face pitching performance to blank the club that couldn't figure out how to use him. He did exactly that, making all Angels fans wonder just how much he'll fetch in the offseason, and from whom.
Nomar, The Singular Hero: Dodgers 5, Brewers 4
Twice in as many days, Nomar came up with the game winner in the ninth, leading Grady Little to think he might have his neck out of a noose for a little bit. That this team was going to have a ton of injury-related problems was a given, despite an apparent inability to read the player ages in some quarters and derive from there the necessary conclusions.Brad Penny battled through another tough start, clearly unable to get all of his pitches over the plate or even make them work. It still feels better than my wife does about the Cubs, who broke a 28-inning scoreless streak but couldn't either shut out the Padres the rest of the way or get a clutch hit in the 9th. Minus Derrick Lee, the Cubs will have a tough year; the Dodgers bullpen minus Eric Gagné know just how that feels.
Roster Notes
- Of course, as mentioned above, Darin Erstad continues to stay out of the lineup with a bone spur in his ankle, and may be put on the DL.
- Tim Salmon shouldn't have to play right field much longer, as Juan Rivera is expected to return Tuesday for the White Sox series. Mike Scioscia joked that Salmon might be in the field again "as soon as he recovers from this…. It might take him a month to recover."
- Aaron Sele renegotiated his contract to $500,000, down from the original $900,000 he was originally signed for. Had the Dodgers released him, he was unconvinced he could have earned as much in the open market.
- The Dodgers want Chad Billingsley to post another eight starts before he comes up.
- Eric Gagné should start throwing from a mound some time thie month.
- Grady Little, you're not in Boston anymore:
He explained shortstop Rafael Furcal's slow start by referring to his heritage and the temperature, saying, "Players from the Dominican Republic have a history of not playing well in cold weather…. The ball hurts their hands when they make contact."
Asked to provide examples, he said, "I'm talking in general. I'm not going to name any names."
- Former Dodger Chuck Tiffany will spend 4-6 weeks in rehab.
Also, I would like to say that in our "Preseason Preview" (which was at least largely written before the season began), I wrote that I expected Salmon to get about 300 at bats and at least the 10 home runs needed to hit 300. Looking back, I should have said 200-250 plate appearances, but still...SOMEONE predicted a successful season for him, even if it was basically after he had made the team.
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