From the First Month and 30 Games. . .

by Paul Wysard

  If you're a "Pudge" Rodriguez fan, as I am, we ought to be worried.  He was surely on a fast track toward the Hall of Fame, with a decade of superior defense enhanced by steady increases in offensive categories.  He had shown he could hit .330 or better, score and drive in 100+ runs, and steal 25 bases.  He was moving toward a second consecutive MVP award in 2000 - 83 RBI with two months remaining - when a swinging bat broke his throwing hand.  He looked good in returning from that bad luck last year, but then began to be plagued by injuries that are more "structural."  Last summer, it was a bothersome knee and this spring it is a herniated disc.  The fellows on Baseball Tonight and elsewhere often refer to 1,300 games caught as a watershed, after which catchers have difficulty staying healthy and producing as well as they did earlier.   The Ranger star has passed the point and one has to wonder if it is one of no return.  The same can be said of Mike Piazza, but he manages to struggle through the later weeks - at least so far.  They can still sting the enemy with those bats, but we may be seeing the winding down of at least one of the careers of two of the game's best backstops.

  It was "boo-boo" day on the third of May.  First, a Cardinal reliever was trying to walk the Braves' Chipper Jones, but not obviously and intentionally so as not to stoke up Gary Sheffield on deck.  Alas, a pitch wafted in too nicely and Jones hit it out for two runs.  LaRussa went understandably ballistic; his cap flew and he bailed out in the dugout tunnel.  Atlanta won 2-1.

  A few hours later, Dodger Brian Jordan hit a "Major League" pop fly that headed back down near the mound.  The Cub third baseman was tracking it when he stumbled on the hill and dropped the ball.  But Jordan, ordinarily a hard worker, didn't run it out. End of inning.

A question heard frequently lately: "Is pitching back?"  Hmmm.  Did Johnson and Schilling go someplace else?  No one ever noticed this guy Glavine?  A crickety month meant Pedro and Maddux were long-gone?  Clemens "suddenly" 4-2?  Well, no to all those questions, of course.  And in fairness to knowledgeable people who have brought up the issue, it has piqued interest because of some truly new faces who have looked quite good.  Among those are Ishii in LA, Clement with the Cubs, young Moss of the Braves (who had a no-hitter for 7 innings), some arms in San Diego, and Guardado, saving everything on the table for the Twins.  But the loudest buzz has surrounded the Red Sox' Derek Lowe.  His no-hitter catapulted him to the forefront of the question, but he really shouldn't be such a great surprise.  This contributor saw him pitch at Fenway in 1998 and 1999 and he had crackling stuff.  He simply needed a firm slot.

Consider also that the predators at the plate, those who have led the power surge over the past 5 years, are still doing considerable damage.  Sosa and Bonds are hitting a barrage of homers, but have been somewhat less noticeable because many have been solos and so the RBI totals are not huge.  Berkman has continued where he left off last year and Manny Ramirez and Todd Helton are beginning to stir.  Those old reliables have been joined by the likes of Paul Konerko and Mike Lowell, good power hitters who are up a few notches so far this year.

  Possibly some folks are doing some wishful thinking, hoping to see balance restored during this long ball era.  The best pitchers, mentioned above, will dominate in most of their turns, but It's not 1968 again... not yet.  A long, warm summer lies ahead, and we're still in a big bang era.  Just wait and see.

  Several in the media have said we've had the most early managerial dismissals in 100 years.  Doubtless the big money involved nowadays means "win or else" is at the top of the list more than ever.  Firings are to be expected, but are always somewhat sad as good baseball men often pay the price for lack of talent or resources.  Today's pink slips are also issued in an atmosphere of civility.  I must confess to ambivalence in these situations.  On the one hand, the gentlemanly approach (on both sides) is respected.  On the other, the old-fashioned spit-fights were riveting, especially those involving Billy Martin.  And old-timers remember when Leo Durocher switched from the Dodgers to the Giants.  Or when Billy Southworth faced a clubhouse rebellion among the Braves in 1949.  Or when all Indians signed a petition for the ousting of Ossie Vitt in 1940.  I suppose the modern way is better, but it's also so... corporate.