Adamant: Hardest metal

Jennings not worried about contract

rockymountainnews.com By Tracy Ringolsby, Rocky Mountain News February 25, 2003

TUCSON - Right-handed pitcher Jason Jennings is among the unsigned players in the Colorado Rockies' spring camp.

Not that Jennings is concerned.

"I have only one year of experience," he said. "I know my position."

Jennings was chosen the National League Rookie of the Year in 2002, the first Rockies pitcher to claim a significant award.

But he has compiled only one year, 39 days of big-league service, which means he has two more years to pitch before he will have the leverage of arbitration in contract negotiations.

"I had a decent year (in 2002), but I'm not going to get ahead of myself and get big-headed," Jennings said. "I want to prove that I was not a one-time wonder. If you produce in this game, salary takes care of itself."

Jennings earned $206,000 as a rookie in 2002, $6,000 above the minimum. This season, all second-year players figure to get sizeable raises just because the minimum salary was increased to $300,000 as a result of the Basic Agreement that was finalized last summer.

Arizona second baseman Junior Spivey signed a two-year, $2.7 million deal this past weekend, but he was an All-Star last year and had played two-plus seasons, meaning he will be eligible for arbitration after this season.

Spivey's contract calls for a salary of $400,000 this season and $2.3 million in what would be his first year of arbitration eligibility.

MOVING: Brad Hawpe expects to get more playing time in the outfield this season.

He played in 22 games - six in left field - for Caracas this winter before returning to the United States because of a pulled rib-cage muscle and the growing unrest in Venezuela.

He figures to increase his outfield time in the minor leagues this season.

Hawpe is a left-handed-hitting first baseman. But with Todd Helton in the big leagues, Hawpe realizes it is wise to explore other options. He played a few games in the outfield at both Class A Asheville in 2001 and short-season Class A Portland in 2000.

"I am starting to get confident out there," said Hawpe, 23, an 11th-round pick from Louisiana State University in 2000. "I am looking forward to it. (Big-league coach) Davey Collins has helped me so much in just the week I've been (in spring training)."

Hawpe has shown signs he could make an impact with his offense. The most valuable player of the Class A Carolina League in 2002, he led the league with a .347 batting average, finishing second in the league with 97 RBI and third with 22 home runs at Salem. He also hit 22 home runs at Asheville in 2001.

ACED: The Rockies had some inside knowledge on the new pitching machine (ACE machine) they are using.

It was developed by Alan Cockrell, who has been in the organization as a player, coach or manager since 1994, and his father-in-law.

Rockies manager Clint Hurdle began endorsing the ACE last season. Hurdle said he likes the fact the machine can throw a 90-mph fastball, 75-mph curveball and 80-mph changeup, plus the pitches can be randomly mixed to better replicate at-bats.

"I've looked at so many pitching machines, and this one stands out," Hurdle said of the product developed by Cockrell, who will serve as hitting coach at Class AAA Colorado Springs this season. "It is able to create what pitchers try to do against hitters. It can mix up pitches, making hitters work on their timing."

TAKING THE FIFTH: Hurdle said the candidates for the fifth spot in the rotation - Shawn Chacon and Scott Elarton and dark horse Darren Oliver - will take regular turns this spring.

"We're not going to set a deadline for making a decision," Hurdle said. "I will make a decision based on what I see and what our pitching people see . . . It's always good to have good stats (in the spring), but at the same time, you can be misled this time of year. You have to look at who he's pitching against, what you see coming out of (the pitcher's hand), the kind of swings hitters are taking."

Angels' reliever stays safe

www.sun-sentinel.com By Chuck Culpepper Sports correspondent Posted February 25 2003

Tempe, Ariz. · The 21st birthday of a rich, handsome and famous athlete brings images of nightclubs, techno music, popping flashbulbs, a limo finding home in the wee hours, and perhaps even an embellished recap in a tabloid. No, wait: Try a shut-in night in a fifth-floor apartment talking with mother and uncle and siblings and occasional police sirens as music and the possibility of light stinging in the eyes from any tear gas that might waft in, as it sometimes does.Venezuelan relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez was an Anaheim surprise last baseball October, tearing above the Yankees and Twins and Giants with 28 strikeouts and five wins in 182/3 innings. The youngest pitcher to win a World Series game turned 21 on Jan. 7 and did, in his own words, "nothing." Then, "Nothing special." Then, "Like I said, nothing special." He craves no big birthday productions, but that isn't really the issue here. Even had he yearned to go out to show greater Caracas his stellar self, Caracas wasn't much in the mood. Caracas, in fact, instead mandated a 6 p.m. curfew for the wise. An anguishing offseason recap: Gunmen robbed Rodriguez's grandmother and uncle in a shop one day while Francisco waited outside, unaware. Protests raged not far from his family's place. Gasoline grew scarce; lines formed. The Venezuelan Winter League canceled because of safety concerns. Jogging in a public park felt dangerous, so Rodriguez bought an exercise bike and stayed in. Rather than beaming to followers on the street, Rodriguez had to stay wary. The president called for a meeting, and Rodriguez thought it prudent to decline so as to limit the visibility of himself and his well-known wallet. Freeways closed. The United States Embassy closed. The tear gas sometimes affected even those on the fifth floor. An oil workers' strike, a deeply controversial president and a decline in a living standard that started out rugged anyway can stoke such unrest. "Yeah, we had concern," said Bill Stoneman, the Angels' general manager, adding that reports on CNN and the like often ring scarier than seeing an entire city for yourself. "We saw the U.S. State Department put out a travel advisory about Venezuela and we were aware early on." The Angels struggled just getting through on the telephone to their cooped-up new star, finally resorting to communicating through Rodriguez's Southern California-based fiancee, who proved excellent at the task. They calibrated schedules with the U.S. Embassy in Venezuela, finding the scant days when the embassy reopened so Rodriguez could secure his visa. Even that didn't pave the path, a halting trip to Phoenix that included one futile ride to the Caracas airport with Venezuelan police, who arrived too late because of freeway closings. Having arrived at spring training, Rodriguez talks to his family daily, hopes to bring them to the United States and says they're doing well. "Everything now is calmed down," he said. "About 80 percent calmed down." Rich in compelling biographies both quirky and moving, the Angels swept to a World Series title on expert hitting, Rally Monkeys, ThunderStix, and one stupefying 20-year-old relief pitcher with but 52/3 major league innings in his blood when the postseason began. After 16 straight training camps as a playoff non-qualifier, they're in camp as world champions, but friendly as ever, including Rodriguez, who has held onto his considerable humility. "Frankie knows he's a good pitcher," pitching coach Bud Black said, "but he's also aware of the pitfalls that come with overconfidence." Here, manager Mike Scioscia talks repeatedly of operating from "that bottom rung of the ladder, again," and of "climbing the mountain" again, but admits the mountain doesn't look so imposing. "I think you know the mountain's achievable now," he said. "You always know what your goal is, and you can believe you can, but sometimes until you do it, it can become like you're chasing a ghost." The ghost chased and caught the first time, the stable Angels who went 104-54 (counting postseason) after their 6-14 start will look markedly similar to 2002. They'll bring their relentless hitting engine, leading off with the plucky shortstop people thought too short (David Eckstein) and an outfielder whose North Dakota high school had no baseball team (Darin Erstad), and they'll hope for glory from young pitchers, including Game 7 World Series winner John Lackey and, in relief, one unusually wizened man of 21. Chuck Culpepper writes for Newsday, a Tribune Co. newspaper.

Marlins sweat in political hotspot

www.sun-sentinel.com By Juan C. Rodriguez Staff Writer Posted February 25 2003

JUPITER -- The food was getting old. Holed up for eight days in a Valencia, Venezuela, hotel, Doug Bochtler heard about a nearby delicatessen that was open.

Bochtler, his wife, Darcy, and their two sons had just begun eating when the din of protesters banging pots and pans reached a crescendo outside the front door. With Venezuela in the midst of a nationwide labor strike, the group was upset the deli hadn't shut down. "We backed into a corner where no one could see us," said Bochtler, a Marlins minor league free-agent pitcher. "The owner went out and told the people he was going to close. We just finished eating and he let us out a little side door so no one would interfere with us. When that happened I told my wife and family they were going home."

Bochtler and other Americans playing Venezuelan winter ball left once games were suspended in early December. Despite its popularity, the game was not immune from the protests against President Hugo Chavez. A month later, what remained of the season was canceled.

Native Venezuelans like shortstop Alex Gonzalez and third base prospect Miguel Cabrera ultimately left as well to join the Marlins' spring training. Only they can't completely distance themselves from the situation.

The focus is on baseball now, but they still receive almost daily updates about the country's deteriorating political and social climates. Gonzalez and Johanna Josely, the mother of his 3-year-old son, Alexander, won't join him until the season starts.

Having recovered from a shoulder injury, Gonzalez was ready to start playing winter ball when the games were suspended. Cabrera was having a standout season with Aragua, batting .329 with four home runs and 24 RBI in 38 games.

Residents of Turmero and Maracay, respectively, Gonzalez and Cabrera weren't exposed to the same degree of unrest as those in the capital city of Caracas.

Minor league free-agent outfielder Robert Stratton played for La Guaira, a Caracas-based team. He went home less than a week before the season was suspended to be with his father, who underwent hip replacement surgery.

Though Stratton hoped to return, he did venture out in Venezuela. He took his meals in the food court of a mall attached to the team hotel.

"I didn't go and see what people had to offer just because of safety reasons," he said. "It's not like we went out to try and find a good steakhouse. ... I saw a lot of things on TV, shooting the gas at [protesters]. It's a crazy thing to see it on TV and knowing it's going on right outside."

Such natives as Philadelphia's Bob Abreu and the Angels' Francisco Rodriguez didn't get much closer. They said they feared leaving their homes during the offseason.

"They live in Caracas, where the biggest problems were happening," Gonzalez said. "I would go out, but I would be very careful. If I was in Caracas like them, I would have been worried. ... There were a lot of crazy people in the streets."

Cabrera also found himself altering his lifestyle. Driving anywhere was problematic. Fuel shortages made filling up a chore. Cabrera said he had to wait in line at the pumps like everyone else.

"Normally you get accustomed to going out a lot," he said. "You didn't have anywhere to go, plus with the instability, you didn't know what could happen if you were out. You preferred to stay at home, do things in the morning and return home."

Marlins third base coach Ozzie Guillen, who maintains a home in Caracas, didn't return as much as he usually does. He spent more time this offseason in the United States due in part to the unrest.

"I didn't see it the same," Guillen said of the past two trips to the homeland. "People don't know what's going to happen. Everybody suffered. The professional league was canceled and now many players don't have jobs because there weren't enough scouts in Venezuela to bring them back.

Friday Guillen will take a one-day trip to Venezuela to attend to a prior engagement. He'll do so with the utmost caution.

Astros outfielder Richard Hidalgo was shot in the left arm during an attempted carjacking last November. In a similar incident a month later, former major-leaguer Chico Carrasquel was beaten.

"As far as danger, obviously when there isn't work or money, you're going to feel less secure," Guillen said. "The people without work have to find a way to survive. ... I read the newspapers and see the news every day. Sometimes you get sad because you hear the same things. We can't make any progress."

Juan C. Rodriguez can be reached at jcrodriguez@sun-sentinel.com.

Rivera's big-league dreams are stalled

www.bayarea.com Posted on Mon, Feb. 24, 2003 BY ANTHONY MCCARRON New York Daily News

TAMPA, Fla. - (KRT) - They were happy days for Juan Rivera. From his home across the street, he would peer into the Stadia Nicolas Leon where the ballplayers were practicing. Eagerly, he'd run inside and try to join them, even if it meant a few hours of shagging baseballs or throwing batting practice before he got a chance to hit.

Several Venezuelan stars were always there - Ozzie Guillen, Richard Hidalgo, Henry Blanco. They were older than the 15-year-old Rivera. Some, like Guillen, were established major leaguers. Others, like Hidalgo, were playing in the minors.

"Sometimes," Rivera said through an interpreter, "they didn't let me hit.

"But that was all right," he added, smiling.

Growing up in Guarenas, Venezuela, everyone played baseball, so Rivera fell in love with the game when he was 5 years old. As a skinny 15-year-old, he knew he wanted to join Venezuelans like Luis Sojo in the majors.

Last year, Rivera, 24, made a significant contribution to the Yankees and started all four of their playoff games in left field. Joe Torre was impressed with Rivera's self-assured manner and grit in returning after a bizarre June injury that left him with a broken kneecap just when he was starting to get comfortable in the Bronx.

But now Rivera's big-league hopes are stalled because of the Yankees' clogged outfield. They signed Japanese star Hideki Matsui to a three-year, $21 million contract over the winter, blocking left field, and have so far been unable to move trade bait Raul Mondesi, who will start in right, or Rondell White.

So unless there is an injury or a trade, Rivera will begin the season at Triple-A Columbus. "That's probably what would be best for him," Torre said. "But we'll let the spring play out. We certainly don't want him to be a bench player. He needs at-bats more than he needs to be here.

"If he were here right now, the way things are configured, he'd sit."

Rivera chuckled softly when asked what he thought his role could be this season. He said the way last year ended - he made four starts and had three RBI in the playoffs - gave him "a lot of energy and excitement.

"But then they signed Matsui. I don't know what will happen. The game's a business, but I hope to always be with the Yankees."

Rivera agreed with Torre that it would be better for him to play regularly in the minors than languish on the bench in New York. "Of course I want to be in the major leagues, but I want to be there playing," he said.

Even Rivera's strong showing yesterday in the Yanks' first intrasquad game won't go far in swaying Yankee brass to keep him instead of Chris Latham as a spare outfielder. Rivera hit an opposite-field drive that hit the right-field foul pole. It wound up a two-run triple, though, because umps ruled the ball was in play.

Latham, whom the Yankees signed to a one-year, $400,000 contract over the winter, is the kind of speedy outfielder that Torre likes to have on his bench as a pinch-runner.

But Rivera remains an integral part of Yankee plans, a solid, young outfielder who could keep the soaring payroll down at one position and develop into a homegrown star.

Rivera batted .265 with one homer and six RBI in 28 games last season for the Yanks after hitting .325 at Columbus. He missed more than two months after the freak accident during batting practice when he was doing an outfield drill and ran into a maintenance cart, fracturing his right kneecap.

He proved his toughness again over the winter when he had emergency surgery to have his appendix taken out Jan. 1 and was ready to work out three days later. He reported early to camp as a rehab player, eager to prove he was healthy and improved.

"He showed me last year he plays with a certain calmness about him," Torre said. "And in the postseason, I saw a calmness that I didn't expect from a young player.

"He's a big leaguer, it's just a matter of when it happens."

Carl Herrera waiting for air ticket to Saudi basketball

www.vheadline.com Posted: Monday, February 24, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Venezuela’s star basketball player, Carl Herrera has signed a contract to play for Saudi Arabian team Nadi Al Hilal … “I’m waiting for them to send the plane ticket.”

Herrera (36) says he’s guaranteed 2 months salary and so he would be willing to return to play for the Saudi team for $150,000.

The veteran basketball star will also consider two other options when the Saudi league ends: join the Puerto Rico league or play for Isla de Margarita’s Guaiqueries team.

Herrera, who won two rings in his 8-season stint with the Houston Rockets, says he will take a decision in two months time but he wants to continue playing to be in top form for the upcoming Pan American Olympics, South American championship and Americas tournament in which he will play for Venezuela.

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