If you ever wondered what would happen when worlds collided in baseball, pay attention.
It's going on right now in the Florida Marlins clubhouse.
Dontrelle Willis is the sport's poster boy for happy.
Miami is baseball's most desolate place on Earth.
Therein lies the rub.
One month into the Marlins' reclamation season, Willis, the smiling, joking 24-year-old left-hander, is still high-kicking, still surviving.
“I am not going to complain because regardless of how much you yell and shout the situation is still here,” Willis said. “So you might as well go out and try to make the best of it.”
Maybe it's a line. Every good player on a bad team spews the same cliches. But this is Willis, whose laugh seems genuine. Can he really be so accepting? “He's an awesome guy. I know he is taking it like, `I am the leader here and I am going to be happy,' ” said Orioles veteran Jeff Conine, a former Marlins teammate of Willis. “He is one of the happiest guys I have ever been around. But inside it's got to be frustrating for him.”
Willis made his major league debut with the Marlins three years ago Tuesday at age 21. He won 14 games in 2003 and was named National League Rookie of the Year. As a rookie his team won the World Series.
It was a storybook beginning. And it didn't go sour immediately. The Marlins won a respectable 83 games in each of the next two seasons. And Willis placed second in the NL Cy Young Award voting last year with a 22-10 record.
Last offseason, however, the hope disappeared. Piece by piece, the Marlins as Willis knew them were traded or not re-signed in a full rebuilding effort. When the dust settled, only Willis, third baseman Miguel Cabrera, backup catcher Matt Treanor and starter Brian Moehler were left from the group that played all 2005 in Florida.
“It was like, `Wow,' ” Willis said. “I hope they have the same fun as they had over here. And I appreciated them. Because every one of those guys helped me out in some way, shape or form.
On opening day, the Marlins started a record six rookies in the field behind Willis. The club's big-league payroll is reportedly $15 million. A dozen big leaguers, including San Diego starter Chan Ho Park, will make more money this year individually than the entire Marlins' 25-man roster.
With a low payroll comes low expectations. The Marlins were 8-18 through their first 26 games this year. They've already had two five-game losing streaks. And Willis is stuck in the middle - with two more full seasons before free agency and probably three more seasons before these young Marlins can truly be competitive again.
“It's not to say they are not good people or good talent, but they are going to lose a lot of games,” Conine said. “(Willis) is going to have to shut (opponents) out most nights or keep them under a couple runs to win.”
In his first six starts, Willis was 1-2. But he had allowed three runs or fewer four times. He gave up one hit and no runs in a five-inning start on opening day and didn't get a decision.
Yet he's still joking with teammates, still being ultra-positive.
“I have never seen one guy like he is,” Marlins catcher Miguel Olivo said. “Whether he is losing games or winning he comes in with the same energy, pushing the team every day. That's awesome. I have a lot of respect for him, because he is one of the best pitchers in baseball and he is still hanging here with us and we are losing.”
Willis wants to make one thing clear: He is taking these lumps in stride, but he is not enjoying them.
“A lot of it is my personality. But don't get me wrong, I am not smiling every time we lose. My heart bleeds for this team,” Willis said. “I am just as angry as anybody else. I don't want everybody to think, `Oh, he's so happy to be here.' I want to get things done.”
He also says he wants to stay with the Marlins through these bad times.
“I love Miami. I love the organization for the opportunity they gave me,” he said. “But you never know, especially in this game.”
Owner Jeffrey Loria has said publicly that he wants to build around Willis and Cabrera. And one general manager recently contacted the Marlins about their two young stars and was told, in no uncertain terms, that they wouldn't be traded.
The possibility is always there, though, because Willis would bring in a haul of prospects that would allow the Marlins to rebuild more quickly. For his part, Willis said he hasn't asked about his status. He doesn't want to know. He just wants to keep playing.
And so long as he keeps playing, Willis said he'd stay happy.
Happy and positive despite the negatives all around him.
-0-
Vernon Wells' solution to his April woes couldn't have been simpler.
Start offseason batting practice a little earlier.
That's all the Toronto Blue Jays outfielder did to transform from a notorious slow starter to runner-up for April's American League Player of the Month Award.
“I started hitting in November, normally I don't start hitting until January,” he said.
Wells, 27, bought a soft-toss pitching machine last winter and took it to a batting cage at a high school near his home in Texas.
“I started three times a week and then I got to the point where I was just trying to do it every day,” he said.
The first three seasons of Wells' career were pretty similar: weak starts, solid summers. But last year he batted .191 in April, got hot in the summer, and then hit just .245 in September. His 2005 average (.269) was his career worst over a full season.
“Once the season ended last year it was a disappointing feeling, and I focused on what I needed to do to get better,” he said. “I figured I had to change something because what I had been doing in the past wasn't working.”
The early work has paid off. A career .221 April hitter who had had just 13 homers and 49 RBIs in 403 at-bats in that month, Wells hit .396 with nine homers and 25 RBIs this April.
He said he didn't feel any differently at the plate than in other Aprils; the results are just a world better. So he'll be swinging a bat each November from now on.
-0-
White Sox slugger Jim Thome returned to Jacobs Field in Cleveland last week and was booed lustily by the fans that adored him from 1991-2002. Thome, who signed a six-year, $85 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies before the 2003 season and was traded to Chicago in the offseason, took the catcalls in stride.
But his outspoken Manager Ozzie Guillen didn't “To me, it was kind of embarrassing,” Guillen said. “Even Cleveland players were shaking their heads. Cleveland people don't know how much Jim Thome meant to this town. You don't boo a class act. That's OK, we'll clap for him in Chicago.”
-0-
New York Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon returned Monday to Boston's Fenway Park, where he had won a World Series with the rival Red Sox. Boston fans booed him, chanted his name tauntingly and threw fake paper money at him.
Damon, who signed a four-year, $52 million contract in the offseason with the Yankees, tipped his helmet to the corners of the stadium before his first at-bat.
“I felt like a lot of the fans wanted to see that,” he said. “I heard more cheers than jeers at that point, so I was going to do it. And when I stepped into the batter's box, they were just going to boo the uniform.”
-0-
By the time Toronto closer B.J. Ryan entered Monday's game, there weren't enough people left at Camden Yards to really acknowledge the former Oriole who signed a five-year, $47 million deal with the Blue Jays. There were more boos than cheers, but there wasn't a lot of reaction, period. As Ryan was walking out of the visiting tunnel for the first time, however, Blue Jays reliever Scott Schoeneweis yelled, “This is the house that B.J. built,” drawing a laugh from Ryan.
-0-
When baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced Wednesday that area real estate developer Theodore N. Lerner and his family would be the new owners of the Washington Nationals, the club's direction became clear.
The Nationals will soon have one of the more active scouting and player development departments in the sport.
Aligned with the Lerner group is former Atlanta Braves executive Stan Kasten, who will take over the club president reins from Tony Tavares once the sale officially goes through in mid-May.
Kasten, who was Braves president from 1987-2003 and also ran the NBA's Atlanta Hawks and the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers, has always put a major emphasis on developing from within.
“The thing that's really important is Stan's strong belief in scouting,” said current Nationals General Manager Jim Bowden, whose future under the new ownership is unclear. “That's how they did it in Atlanta. You know we have one of the smallest staffs in baseball. Atlanta's always had one of the biggest staffs in baseball.”
The money should be there, but Kasten will have some work to do. The Nationals' farm system was ranked 24th out of 30 big league teams by Baseball America. At least he has a track record for finding and signing talent.
“They have always been able to get the Andruw Joneses or Jeff Francoeurs or the Chipper Joneses,” Bowden said, “whether they are picking first or late. They have always done a very good job there.”
Kasten also has a reputation for putting skilled people in the right positions. He was the one who hired John Schuerholz to be the Braves' GM in 1990. Schuerholz and Manager Bobby Cox have combined to win 14 straight division titles.
“(Kasten) was an integral part of building what the Braves have over there right now,” said Nationals reliever Mike Stanton, who spent parts of his first seven seasons with Atlanta. “So I think he will be a great addition to come over here and help get this organization moving in the right direction.”
-0-
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols has the skills to challenge for a Triple Crown. But according to someone who has done it, Pujols will need more than ability.
“It takes a heck of a season, No. 1. And it takes luck,” said Nationals Manager Frank Robinson, who led the American League in homers, RBIs and batting average while with the Orioles in 1966. “Somebody in one of those three categories has to have an off-season, home run hitters, guys who hit for average, guys who drive in runs. Somebody somewhere has to be off.”
In 1966, it was Minnesota's Tony Oliva who finished second to Robinson in batting average (.316 to .307). The previous two years, Oliva won the batting title with averages of .321 and .323. Boston's Carl Yastrzemski was the last Triple Crown winner (1967). The last National Leaguer to do it was St. Louis' Joe “Ducky” Medwick in 1937.
-0-
The Marlins think they know why they've struggled at home. There is a black cat living behind the dugout at Dolphin Stadium and players have tried to lure it out without success.
Distributed by the Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service
AP-NY-05-06-06 1644EDT
Dontrelle Willis is the sport's poster boy for happy.
Miami is baseball's most desolate place on Earth.
Therein lies the rub.
One month into the Marlins' reclamation season, Willis, the smiling, joking 24-year-old left-hander, is still high-kicking, still surviving.
“I am not going to complain because regardless of how much you yell and shout the situation is still here,” Willis said. “So you might as well go out and try to make the best of it.”
Maybe it's a line. Every good player on a bad team spews the same cliches. But this is Willis, whose laugh seems genuine. Can he really be so accepting? “He's an awesome guy. I know he is taking it like, `I am the leader here and I am going to be happy,' ” said Orioles veteran Jeff Conine, a former Marlins teammate of Willis. “He is one of the happiest guys I have ever been around. But inside it's got to be frustrating for him.”
Willis made his major league debut with the Marlins three years ago Tuesday at age 21. He won 14 games in 2003 and was named National League Rookie of the Year. As a rookie his team won the World Series.
It was a storybook beginning. And it didn't go sour immediately. The Marlins won a respectable 83 games in each of the next two seasons. And Willis placed second in the NL Cy Young Award voting last year with a 22-10 record.
Last offseason, however, the hope disappeared. Piece by piece, the Marlins as Willis knew them were traded or not re-signed in a full rebuilding effort. When the dust settled, only Willis, third baseman Miguel Cabrera, backup catcher Matt Treanor and starter Brian Moehler were left from the group that played all 2005 in Florida.
“It was like, `Wow,' ” Willis said. “I hope they have the same fun as they had over here. And I appreciated them. Because every one of those guys helped me out in some way, shape or form.
On opening day, the Marlins started a record six rookies in the field behind Willis. The club's big-league payroll is reportedly $15 million. A dozen big leaguers, including San Diego starter Chan Ho Park, will make more money this year individually than the entire Marlins' 25-man roster.
With a low payroll comes low expectations. The Marlins were 8-18 through their first 26 games this year. They've already had two five-game losing streaks. And Willis is stuck in the middle - with two more full seasons before free agency and probably three more seasons before these young Marlins can truly be competitive again.
“It's not to say they are not good people or good talent, but they are going to lose a lot of games,” Conine said. “(Willis) is going to have to shut (opponents) out most nights or keep them under a couple runs to win.”
In his first six starts, Willis was 1-2. But he had allowed three runs or fewer four times. He gave up one hit and no runs in a five-inning start on opening day and didn't get a decision.
Yet he's still joking with teammates, still being ultra-positive.
“I have never seen one guy like he is,” Marlins catcher Miguel Olivo said. “Whether he is losing games or winning he comes in with the same energy, pushing the team every day. That's awesome. I have a lot of respect for him, because he is one of the best pitchers in baseball and he is still hanging here with us and we are losing.”
Willis wants to make one thing clear: He is taking these lumps in stride, but he is not enjoying them.
“A lot of it is my personality. But don't get me wrong, I am not smiling every time we lose. My heart bleeds for this team,” Willis said. “I am just as angry as anybody else. I don't want everybody to think, `Oh, he's so happy to be here.' I want to get things done.”
He also says he wants to stay with the Marlins through these bad times.
“I love Miami. I love the organization for the opportunity they gave me,” he said. “But you never know, especially in this game.”
Owner Jeffrey Loria has said publicly that he wants to build around Willis and Cabrera. And one general manager recently contacted the Marlins about their two young stars and was told, in no uncertain terms, that they wouldn't be traded.
The possibility is always there, though, because Willis would bring in a haul of prospects that would allow the Marlins to rebuild more quickly. For his part, Willis said he hasn't asked about his status. He doesn't want to know. He just wants to keep playing.
And so long as he keeps playing, Willis said he'd stay happy.
Happy and positive despite the negatives all around him.
-0-
Vernon Wells' solution to his April woes couldn't have been simpler.
Start offseason batting practice a little earlier.
That's all the Toronto Blue Jays outfielder did to transform from a notorious slow starter to runner-up for April's American League Player of the Month Award.
“I started hitting in November, normally I don't start hitting until January,” he said.
Wells, 27, bought a soft-toss pitching machine last winter and took it to a batting cage at a high school near his home in Texas.
“I started three times a week and then I got to the point where I was just trying to do it every day,” he said.
The first three seasons of Wells' career were pretty similar: weak starts, solid summers. But last year he batted .191 in April, got hot in the summer, and then hit just .245 in September. His 2005 average (.269) was his career worst over a full season.
“Once the season ended last year it was a disappointing feeling, and I focused on what I needed to do to get better,” he said. “I figured I had to change something because what I had been doing in the past wasn't working.”
The early work has paid off. A career .221 April hitter who had had just 13 homers and 49 RBIs in 403 at-bats in that month, Wells hit .396 with nine homers and 25 RBIs this April.
He said he didn't feel any differently at the plate than in other Aprils; the results are just a world better. So he'll be swinging a bat each November from now on.
-0-
White Sox slugger Jim Thome returned to Jacobs Field in Cleveland last week and was booed lustily by the fans that adored him from 1991-2002. Thome, who signed a six-year, $85 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies before the 2003 season and was traded to Chicago in the offseason, took the catcalls in stride.
But his outspoken Manager Ozzie Guillen didn't “To me, it was kind of embarrassing,” Guillen said. “Even Cleveland players were shaking their heads. Cleveland people don't know how much Jim Thome meant to this town. You don't boo a class act. That's OK, we'll clap for him in Chicago.”
-0-
New York Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon returned Monday to Boston's Fenway Park, where he had won a World Series with the rival Red Sox. Boston fans booed him, chanted his name tauntingly and threw fake paper money at him.
Damon, who signed a four-year, $52 million contract in the offseason with the Yankees, tipped his helmet to the corners of the stadium before his first at-bat.
“I felt like a lot of the fans wanted to see that,” he said. “I heard more cheers than jeers at that point, so I was going to do it. And when I stepped into the batter's box, they were just going to boo the uniform.”
-0-
By the time Toronto closer B.J. Ryan entered Monday's game, there weren't enough people left at Camden Yards to really acknowledge the former Oriole who signed a five-year, $47 million deal with the Blue Jays. There were more boos than cheers, but there wasn't a lot of reaction, period. As Ryan was walking out of the visiting tunnel for the first time, however, Blue Jays reliever Scott Schoeneweis yelled, “This is the house that B.J. built,” drawing a laugh from Ryan.
-0-
When baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced Wednesday that area real estate developer Theodore N. Lerner and his family would be the new owners of the Washington Nationals, the club's direction became clear.
The Nationals will soon have one of the more active scouting and player development departments in the sport.
Aligned with the Lerner group is former Atlanta Braves executive Stan Kasten, who will take over the club president reins from Tony Tavares once the sale officially goes through in mid-May.
Kasten, who was Braves president from 1987-2003 and also ran the NBA's Atlanta Hawks and the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers, has always put a major emphasis on developing from within.
“The thing that's really important is Stan's strong belief in scouting,” said current Nationals General Manager Jim Bowden, whose future under the new ownership is unclear. “That's how they did it in Atlanta. You know we have one of the smallest staffs in baseball. Atlanta's always had one of the biggest staffs in baseball.”
The money should be there, but Kasten will have some work to do. The Nationals' farm system was ranked 24th out of 30 big league teams by Baseball America. At least he has a track record for finding and signing talent.
“They have always been able to get the Andruw Joneses or Jeff Francoeurs or the Chipper Joneses,” Bowden said, “whether they are picking first or late. They have always done a very good job there.”
Kasten also has a reputation for putting skilled people in the right positions. He was the one who hired John Schuerholz to be the Braves' GM in 1990. Schuerholz and Manager Bobby Cox have combined to win 14 straight division titles.
“(Kasten) was an integral part of building what the Braves have over there right now,” said Nationals reliever Mike Stanton, who spent parts of his first seven seasons with Atlanta. “So I think he will be a great addition to come over here and help get this organization moving in the right direction.”
-0-
St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols has the skills to challenge for a Triple Crown. But according to someone who has done it, Pujols will need more than ability.
“It takes a heck of a season, No. 1. And it takes luck,” said Nationals Manager Frank Robinson, who led the American League in homers, RBIs and batting average while with the Orioles in 1966. “Somebody in one of those three categories has to have an off-season, home run hitters, guys who hit for average, guys who drive in runs. Somebody somewhere has to be off.”
In 1966, it was Minnesota's Tony Oliva who finished second to Robinson in batting average (.316 to .307). The previous two years, Oliva won the batting title with averages of .321 and .323. Boston's Carl Yastrzemski was the last Triple Crown winner (1967). The last National Leaguer to do it was St. Louis' Joe “Ducky” Medwick in 1937.
-0-
The Marlins think they know why they've struggled at home. There is a black cat living behind the dugout at Dolphin Stadium and players have tried to lure it out without success.
Distributed by the Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service
AP-NY-05-06-06 1644EDT
Citizen
Hot Jobs
New! Off the Menu
The Citizens' Say
Post your comment - click hereThere are No comments posted.