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| Friday, February 9 | ||||||
| Guys on the spot: A-Rod, Jeter top the list Special to ESPN.com | ||||||
| Spring training is a week away. Time to make those lists, and check them twice.
Even in the spring, when never is heard a discouraging word, there are players and personalities of whom much is expected.
A look at 10 guys on the spot.
1. Alex Rodriguez Everywhere he goes this season, Rodriguez will be the "$252 Million Man." The record-setting contract will, like it or not, be surgically attached to the brilliant shortstop. How he deals with that pressure will be fascinating to watch. A-Rod will be expected to transform the Texas Rangers into instant contenders, put the team on equal footing with the Dallas Cowboys, sell tickets and overcome his team's shortcomings on the mound. An interesting subplot will be Rodriguez's relationship with his teammates. Will they be jealous of the attention, the money and the marketing staff? Can Rodriguez separate his celebrity from playing shortstop?
Jeter's new deal with the Yankees isn't even complete yet, but when it is, he will become the game's second-highest paid player, behind only his fellow shortstop in Arlington. With that comes enormous responsibility and pressure. The new deal makes official what many have acknowledged for some time -- that the Yankees are now Jeter's team. This is as it should be; the Yanks' rise to the apex of the baseball world perfectly corresponds with Jeter's arrival. He's the best player on the best team in the biggest city. Should the Yankees stumble -- and the age of some of their starters and position players makes that a possibility -- it will fall to Jeter to get them back on track. And should Jeter himself get off to a slow start, as teammate Bernie Williams did in 1999 after signing his big contract, the target on his back will become bigger and more inviting. Some may now expect Jeter to increase his power production, too. As great a player -- and winner -- as he's been, $20 million players are going to be expected to top 20 homers and 100 RBI. Jeter's done that only once in his first five seasons. 3. Steve Phillips After a brilliant last two seasons in which he built the Mets into an NL powerhouse by obtaining Mike Piazza, Todd Zeile, Armando Benitez, Mike Hampton and Mike Bordick, the Mets general manager had a poor offseason. The Mets lost Hampton to Colorado, dropped out of the A-Rod sweepstakes almost before they began, and failed to sign or trade for Mike Mussina, David Wells or Johnny Damon. Standing still doesn't get it done in 2001, particularly in New York where expectations are always high and the Yankees have set the bar high enough to give Bob Beamon difficulty. The suspicion is that the Mets have neither the starting pitching depth nor the outfield sock to repeat as NL champs. If they start poorly, the heat will be on Phillips to package some prospects (Alex Escobar) and make an impact deal. 4. Manny Ramirez Ramirez is the highest-paid player in Red Sox history, earning more than double the total value of teammate Pedro Martinez over the life of the contract, and is being counted on by some fans to single-handedly deliver the Sox to the winner's circle. No doubt, Ramirez will help lift a team that was one of just four AL clubs to score fewer than 800 runs last season. As dominant a run producer as he is, however, he can't do anything about the rest of the starting rotation, which remains questionable. By all accounts, Ramirez is easygoing and able to block out distractions. These qualities will come in particularly handy if the Sox underachieve and the pennant-starved fans begin to take out their frustration on the slugger. 5. Tom Hicks and Jerry McMorris Regardless of how well or poorly their respective teams -- the Texas Rangers and Colorado Rockies -- fare, expect to hear these owners mentioned prominently over the course of the season. As the labor talks percolate, union officials will frequently cite calls for fiscal restraint made by these two gentlemen before they broke their budgets to sign Rodriguez and Hampton. Expect, too, that they'll come under increasing scrutiny from small-market owners, who will cite them for hypocrisy. They may become the poster children for the rift between owners. After all, more so than past squabbles, that issue will be at the heart of this dispute. 6. Larry Rothschild The Devil Rays manager got an 11th-hour reprieve from GM Chuck LaMar, who told associates that he was set to fire Rothschild the day after the season ended, only to find himself unable to follow through when Rothschild entered the office. Having survived this close call, Rothschild starts the season as Most Likely to be Fired First. If nothing else, LaMar and owner Vince Naimoli may feel the need to hire a "big-name" manager to spur interest in their team. By every measure, the Rays have some of the most promising prospects in the game, so help is on the way. It's unlikely, however, that Rothschild will survive long enough to greet them when they make it to the big leagues. 7. David Wells Wells wanted out of Toronto -- again -- and got his wish. The destination point, however, was a bit off. Wells wanted to go to New York -- again -- but was instead sent to Chicago. The White Sox felt they needed an established frontline starter to advance past the first round of the postseason and Wells has a reputation for being a big-game pitcher. But first, Wells has to stay motivated for a six-month grind, something that's given him difficulty in the past. The White Sox surrendered the younger (and cheaper) Mike Sirotka, among others, to land him. Wells had better make the deal worthwhile. 8. Sammy Sosa On the other side of town, the love affair between Cubs fans and their slugging outfielder seems to be cooling. Sosa heard some boos at a recent fan convention in the city after first saying that he wouldn't attend the annual event. The nasty contract stalemate nearly torpedoed Sosa and the team for a couple of months last summer before he rebounded nicely over the second half of the season. But the ill will may resurface again soon if the two sides can't hammer out an extension and Sosa sulks over the Cubs' unwillingness to give him a new deal. 9. Shawn Green Green was supposed to lead the Dodgers back to prominence after the blockbuster deal that brought him from Toronto to Los Angeles last season, but it didn't happen. Green had, for him, a rather mediocre season, hitting just .269 and watching his homer output dip from 42 to 24. Chalk it up to the adjustment of switching leagues and moving back home. This year, Green won't get much of a grace period. GM Kevin Malone is on a short leash and the Fox suits are anxious to get something for their $100 million or so payroll. 10. Ed Wade The Philadelphia Phillies GM made some questionable free-agent calls, overpaying for the likes of Jose Mesa and Rheal Cormier. Neither should be a closer, and the same might be for said about Ricky Bottalico, whom Wade brought back to handle late-inning duties. The Phils have dropped off the sports map in Philadelphia, way behind the Eagles, Sixers and Flyers. That's poor timing for a franchise attempting to marshall support for a new ballpark and embroiled in disputes with neighborhood groups. Factor in contract extension talks for third baseman Scott Rolen this spring, and Wade has his hands full. Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal writes a major-league notebook each week during the baseball season for ESPN.com.  Send this story to a friend | ALSO SEE Neyer: Jeter's no A-Rod or Nomar Klapisch: It's now Jeter's team | |||||