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Can La Russa develop pitchers? MAILBAG: April 23
Q: With Rick Ankiel still up in the air, I want to get your opinion on the effectiveness of Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan at developing young pitching. I heard that since they've been together in Oakland they have failed to develop a legitimate starter from the minors (maybe Matt Morris will be a first). -- Mark, St. Louis
Q: Why don't you give out end-of-season awards like John Madden and call them the "Gammies"? -- Paul Hunt, Sacramento, Calif.
Q: Every year there are teams that get off to a great start and fade by
Memorial Day. What date would you say is the time to really evaluate a team?
Conversely, with injuries and slow starts historically for some teams, how
long do you give a team before writing them off? -- Andy Lipkin, Youngstown, Ohio
Q: What factors can you attribute to Derek Lowe's poor start? How
often have you seen players do this, and did they come back or continue to falter? -- Andrew Kolodziej, Erving, Mass.
Q: What does Julio Zuleta have to do to get a spot on the roster? What more could this guy have to prove? Who doesn't like him? -- Dave Kingman, San Francisco
Q: Assuming that Jason Schmidt, Francisco Cordova and Kris Benson come back
to the Pirates' starting rotation along with Todd Ritchie by the middle of
May, who among Omar Olivares, Ramon Martinez, Jimmy Anderson or Bronson Arroyo would have
any trade value? Also, how long before the Pirates have to give up on Derek
Bell and play either John Vanderwal or Emil Brown in left field? -- Brian Sullivan, Pittsburgh
Q: If the Red Sox trade Dante Bichette to the A's, do you think they
will be able to get back someone who can have an immediate impact on the
ballclub? -- Sam Trachtenberg, San Francisco
Q: What will the Dodgers do with their leadoff/center field situation?
They are getting no production from that area. Any chance of a trade? Please
don't tell me they are seriously considering Marquis Grissom as the answer. -- David Mayer, San Diego
Q: With the Mets in dire need of a bat with some pop, which outfielders do you
think will be available via trade? What's the likelihood that Steve
Phillips will pull the trigger and who do you think he would give up to get
him? Also, with the success the Yankees have had with Alfonso Soriano and the
rivalry these N.Y. teams have to grab the N.Y. sports headlines, do you think an
Escobar call-up would fill the bill? -- Joey Laiacona, Las Vegas
Q: How come the Yankees don't give Brian Boehringer a shot at the fifth
starter? He was a solid starter in SD and I was a big fan of him during his
first stint as a Yank. Are they afraid to overwork him because he is coming
off of surgery in the past year or do they want him as a solid bullpen arm? -- James P. Lucarelli, Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Q: If Mike Sirotka returns to the Blue Jays' lineup and pitches like
he did last year, do you think the Blue Jays have a shot of getting into the
playoffs and going far? -- Tyler Markham, Norwich, Ontario
Q: Whatever happened to the Yankees' top prospect, Brian Taylor? He
was supposed to be a great pitcher and then just disappeared. -- B.J. Dubois, East Wakefield, N.H.
Q: Whatever happened to Kirk Dressendorfer? I remember he was drafted
by the A's and a year or two ago he was looking great in the spring for the
Dodgers. Where is he now? -- The Craigster, Simi Valley, Calif.
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