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What will Bud do if Twins win? MAILBAG: April 25
Q: I know it's early, but what will Bud Selig do if either the Minnesota Twins or Montreal Expos make it to the playoffs or even the World Series? -- Steven Holley, Redlands, Calif.
PWG -- The biggest thing is that their four All-Star starting pitchers have to be healthy and pitching well. They need Luis Rivas in the lineup, and if David Ortiz is going to be out for a while, they need a veteran presence in the middle of the lineup. Corey Koskie, Torii Hunter, et al are blossoming stars, but they need a veteran who's been through it and can bop 30 homers. They don't have a Frank Thomas or Magglio Ordonez or Ellis Burks or Jim Thome.
Q: Barry Bonds is getting all the attention about breaking Hank Aaron's
record, but Sammy Sosa has a few more years left as well. Does Sosa have a
better chance than Bonds to break the record? -- Dan Ford, Richmond, Ind.
Q: So far the Pirates are very good. What are the odds this will last? I'm
having postseason hallucinations in Pittsburgh. -- Tait, Pittsburgh
Q: The Chicago Cubs are the NL team which has gone the longest without
winning a World Series, and the Boston Red Sox are the AL team. Which fans do you
think have it worse? Red Sox fans, who have had more success, come closer
and failed? Or Cubs fans, who have had to wait the longest? -- Scott Tuxbury, Colorado
Q: In your opinion, what are the top five bullpens in baseball right now?
I'm a Cincinnati Reds fan, and I believe they fit in somewhere right behind
the Seattle Mariners. If Jose Silva can come back healthy and Danny Graves can be a bit
more consistent at closer, do you think the Reds could be the best in
baseball? -- Mike Rose, West Lafayette, Ind.
Q: Quick center-field question: Jim Edmonds or Andruw Jones? -- Andre McHugh, Lawrence, Kan.
Q: I thought of a possible trade for the Chicago Cubs and the Texas Rangers:
The Rangers could send Ivan Rodriguez to the Cubs for Jason Bere, Jesus Sanchez and Todd Hundley. This gives the Cubs more pop in the lineup, a
stronger catcher and gets rid of Hundley's contract. The Rangers get a
relatively good starter, a replacement catcher to platoon with Bill Haselman and
a young arm that can help them in the bullpen or the rotation. What do you
think? -- Mike Cook, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
PWG -- I doubt he'll go anywhere, unless the Red Sox pitching requires a creative move. Yawkey Way is still a phlegmatic place.
Q: Although the New York Yankees are pretty solid all the way around, it seems that
every year they make a regular-season trade to fill some gap. Do you see
them trying to pick up someone to fill a hole this year as the season goes
on? -- Dave Galkiewicz, Watervliet, N.Y.
Q: When Edgar Martinez returns from injury, how will Seattle manager Lou
Piniella get Ruben Sierra the at-bats he deserves? -- Michael Amon,
Manhattan, Kan.
Q: I'm a 19-year-old loyal Milwaukee Brewers fan. Since I've understood the
game of baseball, the Brewers have only given me one season (1992) to get
excited about from opening day through September. Why have they struggled
for the last decade and never been able to put together a winning or at
least a .500 team? Is there any hope in the near future? -- Lance
Scholze, Beloit, Wisc.
Q: Cleveland Indians center fielder Milton Bradley and Gold Glove winner. Will these ever be used in the same
sentence? -- Rick Lopez, Youngstown, Ohio
Q: Why doesn't anyone give Jose Canseco a chance? He brings in crowds and
will play for peanuts. Even if he plays poorly or gets injured, what do you
lose? I believe Jose can still play and play well. Give him a season and he
can hit 30-40 HRs with 100 RBI and hit .250. Not Barry Bonds, but those are
some good numbers. -- Steven Holley, Redlands, Calif.
Q: I loved your recommendation of the Dead's "Postcards of the Hanging" live CD of Dylan songs. Now, I remember in college your band playing the song from which the title of the CD comes, "Desolation Row." Were you singing and playing that because you knew Bud Selig was coming? You always loved the line,"Here comes the blind commissioner/they've got him in a trance/one hand is tied to the tightrope walker/the other is in his pants" -- Debby, San Francisco
PWG -- I'm not sure what you refer to, and perhaps when you profile, a Mexican/Egyptian/American like Nomar Garciaparra doesn't fit your profile. I did a piece this week for ESPN on leaders in terms of work habit, energy, respect and responsibility, and my list included Garciaparra, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Jeff Bagwell, Trevor Hoffman, Ellis Burks, Scott Rolen, Johnny Damon, Mo Vaughn, Jason Giambi, Rey Sanchez, Jason Varitek, Trot Nixon, Ichiro Suzuki, Todd Helton, Jose Valentin ... I never thought about racially profiling the piece. Baseball, like society, shouldn't see race. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |
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