Time to crown a new Series champ
01/12/2001
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The New York Yankees may once again be everybody's World Series favorites heading into the 2001 season, but the rest of the American League isn't quite ready to hand over the trophy just yet. Sure, with the signing of Mike Mussina this offseason, the Pinstripers have four Cy Young-caliber pitchers heading their starting rotation, but Oakland, Cleveland, Boston and Texas aren't going to concede anything in January. That being said, everyone in baseball knew they had some work to do this winter if they wanted to wrestle the ring away from King Steinbrenner.
While a handful of teams made some noise during the Winter Meetings last month, the Oakland A's stayed relatively quiet as everyone focused their attention on free agent Alex Rodriguez. It seemed the next big decision Oakland would have to make was whether or not to re-sign MVP Jason Giambi, a homegrown talent and fan favorite who will likely command more money than the small-market Athletics can afford when he becomes a free agent after the 2001 season. But GM Billy Beane wasn't ready to sit on his hands. For a club that finished with 40 steals last year, improving his team speed, as well as team defense, was a priority for Beane this offseason, and when the rest of the baseball world had their backs turned, the clever general manager killed two birds with one... er, trade. Beane landed Johnny Damon, the speedy centerfielder from Kansas City who stole 46 bases last season, by sending Ben "6-4-3" Grieve to Tampa Bay and also convincing the D-Rays to ship closer Roberto Hernandez to KC.
There's a lot of speculation as to which team got the better deal - all three players are solid Major Leaguers. But for Oakland, there's no question their lineup received a monumental boost by replacing Grieve, a talented left fielder who nonetheless led the majors with 32 double plays while striking out 130 times last year, with Damon, a guy who can hit 20 homers, steal 50 bases and play spectacular defense in center. Put him on base in front of guys like Giambi (43 homers, 137 RBI), Miguel Tejada (30 homers, 115 RBI) and Eric Chavez (26 homers, 86 RBI) and you've got a team that'll score 900+ runs in 2001. And with a talented young pitching staff, led by 25-year-old Tim Hudson (20-6, 4.14 ERA) and 22-year-old Barry Zito (7-4, 2.72 ERA), possibly the Yankees and certainly the rest of the AL West will have their hands full next year with this young Oakland team.
On the same day Oakland added Damon to their roster, the Cleveland Indians devoted $10 million to free-agent outfielder Juan Gonzalez, a move that should make most Tribe fans forget about a miserable offseason that saw Sandy Alomar and Manny Ramirez sign free agent contracts in Chicago and Boston. By getting Gonzalez to put his Juan Hancock on the dotted line, GM John Hart seemingly replaced one powerful cleanup bat (Ramirez) with another as Gonzalez enters the season with 362 career jacks. Certainly, there are questions surrounding the two-time MVP, the most important of which involves the status of his cranky back. But the Indians were willing to take a one-year shot on the slugger, especially at $10 million ($2 million of which will be deferred until next season), a bargain in today's market when you consider the Baltimore Orioles signed David Segui, a 34-year-old first baseman with 121 career homers, to a four-year, $28 million deal.
Before the signing, Cleveland, which last year failed to win the AL Central Division for the first time since 1995, looked to be in trouble as the only significant addition Hart made to the roster was signing Ellis Burks, a 36-year-old outfielder with 86-year-old knees, a move that hardly made up for the Ramirez loss. But Juan's arrival now has the Tribe's everyday lineup once again at or near the top of the American League. With Kenny Lofton, Omar Vizquel and Roberto Alomar hitting 1-3, the table setters are already in place. Gonzalez slides into the cleanup spot and will be protected by Burks (24 homers, 96 RBI) in the five hole, Travis Fryman (22 homers, 106 RBI) batting sixth and Jim Thome (37 homers, 106 RBI) seventh. Of course, health will be a major concern all season in Northeast Ohio, but manager Charlie Manuel can now platoon Burks, Gonzalez and Wil Cordero between right field, left field and DH, a situation that should keep Burks' knees and Juan's back happy. And in Bartolo Colon, Dave Burba and Chuck Finley, the Indians have three capable starters who could win anywhere from 15-20 games next season, not to mention promising youngsters C.C. Sabathia and Danys Baez in the minors. They may not be the favorites, but the Indians surely look poised to at least make another run at the AL crown.
It was all about quality, not quantity this winter in Boston, so when the Red Sox enticed Ramirez to leave Cleveland with a $160 million deal, you knew GM Dan Duquette didn't have any other moves up his sleeve. After all, for a team that ranked near the bottom of the American League in nearly every offensive category in 2000, getting Manny "Bueno!" Ramirez in Boston had to be a top priority for the Bean Towners. The talented right fielder brings his electrifying bat, quirky glove and empty head to Boston and the fans (especially King Bostonian, ESPN's Peter Gammons) couldn't be happier or more optimistic. With Manny, Carl Everett and Nomar Garciaparra clogging up the middle of the order, the Sox feel they can score runs with anyone in the AL, and of course having Pedro Martinez fronting your rotation never hurts, either. But the Sox still appear to be a step or two behind their AL East rivals as, aside from Pedro, there are no other Boston starters who can match up with the Yankees' rotation. As if having newcomer Hideo Nomo slated as your #2 man won't be bad enough, while the Yankees are throwing Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Orlando Hernandez on the mound, the Sox will counter with... Frank Castillo, Tim Wakefield, Pete Schourek and Kent Merker. Yikes. Still, the BoSox have perhaps the deepest bullpen in baseball and closer Derrick Lowe, who last year notched 42 saves in 47 opportunities, can go head-to-head with the best closers in the league.
Of course, no acquisition was bigger, in money and in popularity, than the A-Rod signing. The Texas Rangers made Alex Rodriguez the highest-paid athlete in the history of sports and will insert him in the middle of a lineup that just may be the best in baseball. Rodriguez, perhaps the most talented player in the sport, will be surrounded by Ivan Rodriguez (27 homers, 83 RBI in 91 games) and Rafeal Palmeiro (39 homers, 120 RBI), as well as fellow free-agent signees Andres Galarraga (28 homers, 100 RBI) and Ken Caminiti (15 homers, 45 RBI in 59 games). That makes for one ferocious hitting team, but where's the pitching in the Lone Star State this year going to come from? Rick Helling and Kenny Rogers will once again head the rotation, but neither is dependable enough to be a #2 man, let alone a staff ace. Unfortunately, the Rangers don't have many options available as they'll also have to rely on the health of lefties Darren Oliver and Justin Thompson to round out the rotation. Let's see: Helling, Rogers, Oliver and Thompson. Doesn't really sound as good as Mussina, Clemens, Pettitte and Hernandez, does it? What if I threw in David Cone as a bonus? That's right, the Rangers are so desperate for any pitching help that they're currently talking to former Yankee David Cone, he of the 4-14 record and 6.91 ERA from last season. But owner Tom Hicks didn't worry about that when he signed A-Rod. He just figured his team would knock the snot out of the ball all season and they'd worry about pitching when it became necessary. Well, for all the headlines you made, Mr. Hicks, you've still got some work to do on the mound... and David Cone ain't gonna cut it.
Certainly, the Yankees bettered themselves this winter, but they weren't the only ones. Oakland, Cleveland, Boston and Texas all made the moves they felt were necessary to compete with New York this year. Of course, there's one thing Joe Torre's bunch has that nobody else in baseball does: supreme confidence. Clemens, Pettitte, David Justice, Bernie Williams and Paul O'Neill all know how to win but, more important, they know they're going to win, and don't think for one instant that that's not the most important thing in baseball. You can have all the Manny Ramirezes, Juan Gonzalezes and Johnny Damons you want, but if you don't think like champions, if you don't act like champions and if you don't tell yourself you will be champions, you're not going anywhere. The Yankees know that - Joe Torre makes certain they know it. They didn't have the best team in baseball last season, but they walked away with another ring on the last day of the season. Every team they played in the playoffs arguably had more talent than the Yanks, but guys like O'Neill, Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius found a way to win. As an Indians fan, I'd love to see the Tribe playing for it all in October, but that's a tough mountain to climb and as long as the Pinstripers are in postseason play, they'll be the favorites. But that doesn't mean someone else can't win, someone like the A's or the Indians or the Sox or even the Mariners. The AL will be up for grabs this year, and I just hope someone, anyone, other than the Yankees finally takes the reigns because, damn, this is getting real old.
In the Bullz-Eye
Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Mora. After yet another disappointing showing in the AFC playoffs this year, Colts fans have to wonder what the heck's going on. With Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison, Indy has arguably the best quarterback, running back and wide receiver trio in the game yet they can't find a way to win when it counts. For his career, Mora is 0-6 in postseason play after he watched his talented team blow a 14-0 lead to an overmatched Dolphins team. Mora better find some playoff success soon, as in next year, or he'll have to find his way out of Indy.