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CALLING SIGNALS |
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Here's our peek at spring
training down in Arizona
of TheColumnists.com
The stretch. The pitch. It's a long fly ball. It's outta here.
You bet. Baseball's back. Opening day scored over the weekend. All 30 teams swing into games this week.
Questions:
Will the champion Chicago White Sox repeat after picking up slugger Jim Thome?
Will the runner-up Houston Astros flop with shaken reliever Brad Lidge?
Will the Los Angeles Angels soar with youth at the corners: Casey Kotchman at first and Dallas McPherson at third?
Will the New York Mets return to the World Series for the first time since 2000 now that Billy Wagner mans the bullpen?
Answers: no, yes, yes, yes.
And the winners are:
American League--Angels in the West, White Sox in the Central, New York Yankees in the East, Oakland A's as the wild card.
National League: Mets in the East, Milwaukee Brewers in the Central, Los Angeles Dodgers in the West, St. Louis Cardinals as the wild card.
World Series: In a clash of the coasts, the Angels hover over the Mets in seven.
That will come in October. In the meantime, teams have been warming up in spring training, and I caught some of that Angel potential last week in Arizona.
First up: The Angels at the Padres' Peoria Stadium. L.A. coasted 15-2. The power came from McPherson and Juan Rivera, and that's comforting. Angel fans heard all offseason how the team failed to grab a big-name stick. Maybe that lumber is right on their bench.
Certainly Ken Forsch sees it that way. He's the Angels' assistant general manager. We chatted during the last inning, and I asked him whether he was involved in the decision to let Angel hero Troy Glaus go before the 2005 season to make room for McPherson at third.
He said yes. The way Forsch sees it, you
want a return on the cash you invest in minor-league stars such
as McPherson. And that investment was looking smart. That very
inning McPherson pulled a serious homer.
The problem is injuries. McPherson constantly has them, which
is why he’s opening the season in the minors. If he recovers
and lands back at third with the Angels, Glaus will be old news.
Speaking of shifting stars, Mike Piazza caught for the Padres on this night. Have to get used to the SD on his cap after top years with the Dodgers and Mets.
Natch, a fan pelted him verbiage. So? The slugger makes millions and has a former Playboy Playmate for a wife. I'm sure Piazza can handle the abuse.
Next up: The Padres at the Angels' Diablo Stadium in Tempe.
Tim Salmon wasted little time catching
on again as the Kingfish.
First inning. Bang. His homer to left sent the crowd of 5,000
into a tizzy, and rightfully so. Salmon could be called the greatest
Angel in history. His American League Rookie of the Year Award
from 1993 is still the only one in team history. His 290 career
homers are the most of anyone wearing the Halo. He came through
big in the triumphant World Series of 2002. And after missing
2005 with injuries, his stout spring earned him a spot on this
year's roster as a DH and backup outfielder.
Surprise, Surprise: As in Surprise, Ariz., home of the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers in the spring.
That Surprise Stadium is the finest of anything you'll see in spring or summer. Its 1920s fashion statement jumped out--as did Prince Fielder's jack over the 400-foot sign in center the moment my buddy Tony Batt and I entered the confines.
Fielder plays first base for the Milwaukee Brewers, who were visiting the Royals on this evening. If Fielder is familiar, it's because his dad, Cecil, hit 51 homers once for the Detroit Tigers. Prince looks like he could do the same. His body screams tank, ala Dad. I see Prince's power turning the Brewers into this year's White Sox, only without a world title.
The Brewers also featured a stud center fielder named Bill Hall. He turned into Willie Mays on one shot, catching it on the run and over the shoulder.
The best the Royals had to offer was outfielder Aaron Guiel. This guy swells with muscle and hustle. His homer made it two in two days that we witnessed, the first being a megablast against the Giants in Scottsdale.
Otherwise, the Brewers and Royals were two no-name teams in the middle of nowhere. Surprise is a retirement community loaded with new houses miles from restaurants and gas stations. You wonder how people eat and drive.
Somehow we got home.
©2006 by Bucky Fox. This column first posted April 3, 2006.
You can visit Bucky Fox's website at www.BuckyFox.com
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