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BOB GEORGE
competition last year before his call up, showed everyone the true meaning of the chasm between the minors and the majors. Some more seasoning at Pawtucket may be in order for Ohka.
The bullpen is going to be scrutinized very carefully, especially the travails of one Derek Lowe. Lowe, who is to the Sox what Troy Brown is (for the moment) to the Patriots, will start this year as the closer. Lowe, who does his best work as a setup man but has said often that he prefers to start, will instead be thrust into the ninth-inning oven. Rod Beck will stick around as a setup man, but he showed last year that he is not what he was ten years ago. John Wasdin, Rheal Cormier and Rich Garces look to be solid fixtures as setup men, with Wasdin also doing his usual long/spot start stuff.
Then there is Sang-Hoon Lee. He's a Korean blend of Rod Beck and Al Hrabosky. All bets are off on this guy, but he'll at least be interesting to watch and see how he fits in. Just hope that he will have a bigger impact than Robinson Checo.
Williams' opening day lineup will perhaps be something like Offerman, Valentin, Daubach, Garciaparra, Everett, Stanley, O'Leary, Varitek, and Nixon. This essentially displaces the anemic D-Lew from the lineup, and the prospects of Varitek as an eighth-place hitter is quite attractive. Against lefties, Cordova can DH and Stanley can play first, with Cordova merely taking Daubach's place in the three-hole. The lineup features three switch-hitters (Offerman, Everett, Varitek).
Is all this enough to take the Yankees further into October?
In the postseason, all you need are two quality starters and a hot closer. The Martinezes and Lowe qualify there. But the Yankees can throw Hernandez, Cone and Rivera at you and neutralize anyone not named Pedro Martinez.
Offerman beats Chuck Knoblauch unless the latter returns to his old Twins form. Naturally, Red Sox Nation prefers Nomar to Jeter, especially those of us online. Valentin should be better than Scott Brosius by a mile, but the latter remains the most annoying player in the major leagues today. If Everett can battle Bernie Williams to a draw, O'Leary beats an unsettled Yankee left field and Nixon may overtake an old and beat up O'Neill. Jorge Posada is by no means a huge cut above Varitek.
Hmmm. Interesting.
It will perhaps come down to pitching. Even though the Sox led the league in team ERA last year, Yankee starters proved tougher than anyone other than Mr. Pedro, and Rivera can out-close most anyone in the league. Right now, Rivera might be the one biggest difference between the Sox and the Yankees. Lowe can close, but Rivera is just plain invincible when he's on.
Rivera is currently having problems obtaining a long-term deal with the Yankees, and it could affect his on field performance. Either he could go on a Clemens-esque salary drive, or the whole thing could greatly distract him. Whatever the case, the Red Sox should pay close attention to the fortunes of the Yankee closer in 2000, as he may hold the key to the World Series for the Sox.
But that's all in October. Load up the truck, fill up the tank, check the brakes, make sure the lading slips and all other paperwork is in order. Then get that truck a movin'. Point it south; I-95 to I-4 to I-75.
Bring on the new millenium. Bring on the two-time wild cards. Bring on those Damn Yankees.
Open up Fenway, and let's go. Enough waiting.
Continued from Page 5
| BEN BADLER |
So Darryl Strawberry tested positive for cocaine last January. What else is new? Strawberry has already served two other drug-related sentences, both for the usage of cocaine.
What action should Major League Baseball take against Strawberry? The answer should be obvious, and the actions should come quickly – ban Darryl Strawberry from Baseball for life.
Strawberry puts new meaning into the old saying, “Getting up for the crack of dawn.” He is a disgrace to Major League Baseball, so why should they associate themselves with this man? Pete Rose has been banned from baseball (and rightfully so), but if Bud Selig does not ban Strawberry for life, it puts a giant question mark on the priorities of Major League Baseball.
Strawberry may find himself doing endorsements for Coke or ‘Crack’erjacks, but it appears that he won’t be playing in Baseball for much longer. Bud Selig has acknowledged that Strawberry will have a court hearing that may get him banned for life. Yankee’s manager Joe Torre also had his words about what may happen to Strawberry.
"I have a sense something will happen here that will stir the pot," Torre said.
Stir the pot? An interesting choice of words, but nonetheless evident that Torre wants no part of Strawberry either.
New York Yankees outfielder Darryl Strawberry, right, takes an oath before he pled no contest to drug and prostitution charges at the Hillsborough County Courthouse in Tampa, Fla. back on May 27, 1999. Strawberry was found guilty on both accounts |
Doesn’t Strawberry get it? Did he think he wouldn’t get caught? He had already been caught twice for using cocaine in just a little over four years. Does he not know that he is being tested for drugs two or three times per week? Sorry Darryl, but you can’t cheat on a drug test. This is a man who should be thankful to be alive today. Not just because of his cocaine troubles, but for other matters as well. He had surgery on Oct. 3, 1998, to remove a 16-inch portion of his large intestine to rid him of a cancerous colon tumor almost 2½ inches long. Luckily, for Strawberry, doctors said the cancer did not spread.
He was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1983, and has been an All-Star eight times. He is making millions of dollars, is being given an exponential amount of second chances, but he just doesn’t get it.
Don’t be surprised if Strawberry demands a trade to the Red Sox so he can be closer to that Coke bottle atop the Green Monster.
Strawberry has been suspended for a total of 5 months for his past two drug charges. It is time for Selig to take more affirmitive action and eliminate this pathetic excuse for a human being from Baseball.
Will Strawberry be allowed back in Major League Baseball? Only in New York…