Baseballhead:
The Boys Are Back in Town

Michael Cox

Rejoice, my friends, because Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow, and players have arrived for spring training...well, at least most of them.

How and when a player arrives for camp can speak volumes as to his character (or lack thereof). The "how" part speaks for itself, but the "when" is interesting too, because although players aren't absolutely bound by contract to report until March 2, they can be (and are) strongly urged to attend this week (and pitchers and catchers a week earlier).

The most gung-ho players arrive at the crack of mid-February, as well as those working on fielding new positions or recovering from off-season surgeries. It's a rare pitcher or catcher who doesn't attend right away (see below). If a player doesn't show a week prior to mandatory reporting, it's likely that he either has visa problems or is in the midst of a big multi-year deal.

This is probably the one time of year when you can tell the players who are excited about their jobs and truly love the game from the ham-n-eggers who are just satisfying the letter of their contracts so the checks keep coming. As always, there are exceptions, as you'll see. Among the early reporters and no-shows:

- Ivan Rodriguez didn't show for the pitcher/catcher reporting date, and won't be at the Rangers' camp until Friday. It probably wouldn't have sat so badly with the team if Pudge had bothered to let them know before the day after he was expected to arrive.

But this isn't just a case of not feeling like he needed to be at camp. You see, the Ranger brass almost burst a blood vessel when Rodriguez played winter ball the previous off-season (afraid it would impinge on his overwork in Arlington), and prodded MLB to allow teams to restrict regulars from winter play. Thus enabled, they forbade Rodriguez to play for his home country this past off-season, and Pudge is now letting them know his displeasure.

Exhibit A, from Pudge's agent, Jeff Moorad: "He's as excited as anybody could be going to spring training. Although it wasn't intended, not playing winter ball has given him a strong sense that taking the winter off is the best way to prepare himself." It would be a reasonable statement if it had been made in December, or in April, but as an answer to the team's anger it almost sounds like a taunt.

- Exactly one week after Jose Canseco appeared in a Baseball Weekly cover story claiming to be a kinder, gentler, more well-balanced guy, and a few months removed from being forced to settle for about half the free agent deal he was looking for, Our Man Jose hasn't bothered to show up to camp or call his new Tampa bay bosses, leaving them irked. It's not like they shouldn't have expected it, though.

- The best player in Japan is attending the Mariners' camp. Bigger than Nomo. Bigger than Irabu. In fact, the first thing that struck Ichiro Suzuki was the fact that he can get around Tempe without being mobbed by fans as he is in Kobe. Still, the over 100 credentialed Japanese media ought to make him feel a little bit at home.

- After arriving with shoulder-length hair in 1997 and a dye job, sideburns and a gut in 1998, even new manager Jim Leyland was wondering what kind of makeover Dante Bichette had in mind this year -- shaved head? Too scary, even for "the other Pudge". Tattoos? piercings? This is Bichette we're talking about, not Jack McDowell. So, what?

"I thought normal would be out of the ordinary, so I showed up normal. I'm basically about the same size and look the same.''

I'm sorry, but we're no longer feeling entertained.

- Then there's Ron Gant, who showed up to Phillies camp with plenty of baggage, most of it containing deep-seated hatred for Cards manager Tony La Russa. Gant treated reporters to an earful, ranging from insinuated racism to a questioning of credentials to a contention that everyone thought La Russa was crazy for batting Mark McGwire third and the pitcher eighth.

"Rickey Henderson didn't like him, Royce Clayton didn't like him. He treated Ozzie Smith like dirt. Brian Jordan didn't like him. I don't know too many people who did like him...You do the math. Something's not right there."

"Anyone who treats Ozzie Smith like he's some kid coming up from the minors has no ethics or morals to him."

On those who consider La Russa a decent manager:

"Who are those people? Are they from another planet? He was successful in Oakland because he had four or five 50-homer guys. You could manage them."

Oh, yeah. That 290-homer season the A's had in...in...wait, let me find my Total Baseball.

"If he can't control you as a player, if you're not a 'yes' player, he doesn't want you. If you have your own opinions, he doesn't want you."

Maybe you should stop now, Ron.

- And finally, an early arrival to every camp was a memo from the Commissioner's office, stating in no uncertain terms that the strike zone (or rather, a strike zone, but beggars can't be choosers) would be strictly enforced this year. Well, knowing how the umps have round-filed such directives in the past, the memo itself had definite humor value, but that was nothing compared to the rebuttal by union head Richie Phillips.

"I don't see how anyone could say we're going to more strictly enforce a rule. The umpires enforce all of the rules."

Ha, ha.

"That's been their job for more than a hundred years. It is deplorable for the commissioner's office to indicate that the umpires have not strictly enforced all of the rules."

No, please, stop it. I'm drinking milk, for God's sake.

"The strike zone is the strike zone. Is there a different strike zone in the American League and National League? Definitely not. Some of them may see it different, but the strike zone is the strike zone.''

Now you've gone and made me burst my spleen. Let's just stop it right there before you say you enforce the rule where the batter must attempt to avoid being hit by a pitch, and I'll really lose it.

about the author

Michael Cox is looking forward to one day seeing Eric Gregg call a strike zone smaller than Mo Vaughn's ass. Let him know how grateful you are that it's at least now smaller than Dante Bichette's at mc@strikethree.com.

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