Wednesday, April 25 Early standings a breath of fresh air By Jim Caple ESPN.com |
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Mark McGwire is back on the disabled list with his aching knee. Ken Griffey Jr. should be on the DL due to a sore hamstring that limits him to a pinch-hitting role. Cal Ripken is batting .154 and finds himself occasionally benched for Mike Kinkade. But fans still can enjoy a sight each morning even prettier than the view from Pittsburgh's new ballpark and as refreshing as a summer breeze in the bleachers at Wrigley Field.
Look at the standings and you'll find the Twins, Cubs and Phillies currently in first place. Yes, that's right. The three teams with the worst records in their leagues last year are sitting atop their respective divisions. Yes, it's early, but to see all three in first place at any point this season is as unlikely as finding a salad in front of Rosie O'Donnell. The Cubs reached the playoffs as recently as 1998, but the Twins and Phillies generally find themselves eliminated from the pennant races shortly before the winter meetings begin. The Twins haven't been in first place this late in the season since 1992, when the first George Bush was in the White House and the last Randy Bush was in right field. The Twins lost 93 games last year and their only addition during the winter was signing Tom Prince. Tom Prince. Yet, thanks to excellent pitching and much improved hitting from their returning players, here they are, off to the best start in team history and churning through opponents as if they were Peter Stormare putting Steve Buscemi through the woodchipper in "Fargo." The Phillies, meanwhile, haven't been competitive since the moment just before Mitch Williams' pitch reached Joe Carter's bat. Last year was typical. They traded Curt Schilling and tied the Cubs for the worst record in the National League, Philadelphia's third last-place finish since 1996. And yet, here they are in first place with solid pitching and the best record in the National League under emotional new manager Larry Bowa. It is an extraordinary turn of events, but not Bowa's greatest achievement. His most impressive move was when he somehow parlayed an 81-137 record as a manager with the Padres into a book deal. "Bleep: Larry Bowa Manages" had a sales rank of 961,752 on Amazon.com at last glance, which isn't that bad, considering it's out of print. Then there are the Cubs, the team that opens each season with those traditional words, "Wait 'til next year." The Cubs lost 97 games last year and couldn't see first place even with Harry Caray's old eyeglasses. And yet, here they are in first place, thanks to superb pitching (at least until Tuesday night's visit to Coors Field) and improved defense from Bill Mueller, the latest in a line of third baseman as unending as the traffic jam on Michigan Avenue. Like the return of '70s fashion, no one can really explain this or say how long it will last. A short losing streak could knock the Twins, Cubs and Phillies out of first place by the end of the month. The key is to enjoy it while it lasts. For too many seasons, baseball's postseason participants have been as predictable as the phases of the moon. Too many teams spent the season playing behind the velvet rope, knowing they had as much chance of lasting into October as a WB sitcom. Baseball can talk all it wants to about new stadiums and higher strike zones and revenue-sharing, but this start by the Twins, Phillies and Cubs provides the game with what it needs most. Hope.
Box score line of the week Bobby Bo struggled a bit, allowing two runs and committing a balk. His line: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 balk. With his performance and his 284 career home runs, Bonilla joins a small and illustrious group -- players who hit at least 250 home runs and also pitched. The leaders are Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Jimmie Foxx, Stan Musial, Rocky Colavito, Jose Canseco and Gary Gaetti.
Lies, damn lies and statistics
From left field Nine games is an imposing gap to overcome but not an impossible one, especially with so much of the season left to play. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, here are the 10 largest deficits a team has ever overcome at any point in the season (includes the latest date of the largest deficit):
Win Blake Stein's money Q. Which active player was a teammate with someone who was a teammate of Robin Roberts?
Power rankings
A. Seattle's Stan Javier made his big-league debut with the Yankees in 1984, the final season of then-teammate Lou Piniella's career, which began in 1964 with Baltimore, where he was a teammate of Robin Roberts. Roberts was a teammate with Schoolboy Rowe on the 1948 Phillies. Rowe was a teammate with Firpo Marberry on the 1933 Tigers. Marberry was a teammate with Bullet Joe Bush on the 1926 Senators. Bush was a teammate with Eddie Bacon on the 1917 Athletics, a team that hit 17 home runs and finished 44.5 games out of first place. Bacon pitched one game in his career, walking seven batters in six innings.
Voice of summer -- Pedro Martinez on whether he's intimidating.
Jim Caple is a Senior Writer for ESPN.com. |
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