Author: Larry Dierker

THURSDAY, APRIL 10 ● Atlanta, vs Braves

When I woke up this morning, I was a little concerned about tonight’s game with the Braves.

We have a rookie, Chris Holt, making his first start on the road; and the Braves are sending last year’s Cy Young Award winner, John Smoltz, to the mound. It is not critical that we win, but it is important that we establish ourselves on the road during this trip.

If we don’t win tonight, we will have to do it in St. Louis. The Cardinals are pretty banged-up right now, so it is a good time to play them; but the weather is terrible throughout the Midwest, which could be an equalizer.

I think our opening homestand went a long way toward the feeling of home superiority that you need to win a championship. You also need to play .500 ball on the road.

           

I didn’t have too much time to worry about these things; I was scheduled to appear at Planet Hollywood in downtown Atlanta for the taping of a sports show. I was accompanied by Rob Matwick; two of our announcers, Bill Brown and Vince Cotroneo; and several of Bill’s friends.

As we approached the building, we saw a banner that read

 

Welcome Houston Astros Manager Larry Dierker

 

The celebrity status afforded major-league managers continues to amaze me.

Planet Hollywood was jammed, but they had a table up front reserved for them and a stool for me. I was right in the middle of the room, where diners could stare at me from all angles. This would probably be somewhat intimidating to most big-league skippers, but it was old hat to me.

My experience in broadcasting does help in this job from time to time. I still feel better with a microphone than with a lineup card, but the dugout business is getting more comfortable every day.

The show only took about half an hour to tape. I said my goodbyes to the entourage and headed back to the hotel to pack, and to finish writing yesterday’s notes.

One thing I don’t have to worry about is eating. The clubhouses of the league are like short-order restaurants these days. This can be a real timesaver.

           

The first thing I did when I arrived at the clubhouse was to put an asterisk by the “infield” portion of our daily schedule. Then I changed into my uniform and had a chew.

I have found it more difficult than I expected to stop chewing before the game, and it’s sort of perplexing. I didn’t chew when I played, and I seldom chew during the offseason. But there is something about the pregame workouts that gets to me. It may be that I don’t have anything to do but watch. I am hoping to put an end to this soon.

Today I brought a couple of cigars to the park, and I smoked half of one after batting practice.

Infield came off without a problem. Biggio, Bagwell, and Bell skipped it; the rest of the guys took it. What it amounts to is two sets of rules: one for the stars and one for everyone else.

A lot of managers pay lip service to fair-and-equal treatment, but seldom pull it off. I’m not sure it’s worth much to even pretend. I think the players realize it’s going to be that way from the beginning.

In a way, it may offer a small incentive to the journeyman-type player. He has to know that he, too, will be patronized if he has a great year.

           

After infield, I talked with Vern and Gerry. Seems Sid is feeling shooting pains in his arm, and he may not be able to make the call on Saturday. If that happens, we will have to bring Mike Hampton and Darryl Kile back on three days’ rest.

I don’t think this will be a problem, because neither of them labored in their last start. Still, it is mildly disturbing that we have to keep a “Sid vigil” at all times. It would be easier to just call up Donne Wall and be done with it. But Sid can be extremely effective when he is healthy, so we will ride along with him a little longer.

           

Chris Holt was a little shaky in the first inning, but he managed to retire the side in order, partly because Brad Ausmus threw Kenny Lofton out stealing for the third time in the six games we have played with Atlanta. Most of the time, teams will be hesitant to run on him.

In the second inning, Bill Spiers connected with a 3-2 pitch and hit a two-run homer. Our comfort zone was invaded immediately when Fred McGriff hit a solo shot in the second.

The Braves turned up the heat in the third, with four base hits. Fortunately, one was an infield hit, and Bobby Abreu threw out Chipper Jones at the plate. The Braves only managed one run out of all that hitting.

In the fifth, Craig Biggio grounded to second to go 0-for-3 with a strikeout. He went ballistic in the dugout, and I was mildly amused. I call Bidge “Happy” because he always has to have something to complain about. Tonight, he graduated from Happy to Ecstatic.

Later in the inning, Jeff Bagwell hit a towering home run to center field. It was his first of the year, and it could not have come at a better time.

When Holt came into the dugout after the sixth inning, he went down to the end of the bench and put his jacket on. I walked down there and asked him, “Are you finished?”

He looked at me with a puzzled expression, and I said, “You’re the hitter if you can still pitch.” It was a serious statement on my part, because Holt had survived numerous rallies and still had a 3-2 lead. He immediately took off his jacket and headed for the bat rack. I followed him, and while he was selecting his weapon I said, “Look, you’ve thrown a lot of pitches and done a good job. If you’ve had it, that’s fine. We’ll get someone ready to take it from here.”

“No, I feel strong,” he said. “I don’t have any problem going back out there.”

“Okay,” I said. “We’ll send your jacket out when you get on base.” This was meant for comic relief, as Chris has a rather feeble batting stroke. He didn’t catch the humor, however, as he was lost in the game. He just nodded and went up to strike out.

Biggio grounded out again, but then Ausmus walked, stole second, and moved up to third on the overthrow.  Bagwell followed with a triple and scored on a wild pitch by Alan Embree. Now we had them 5-2, and they had three more chances to make their comeback.

Holt was, indeed, strong in the seventh. He got two quick outs, then Michael Tucker got an infield hit. With two strikes on Chipper Jones, Holt threw a curveball that looked like strike three but was called ball two. Given a reprieve, Jones swung late on a fastball but sliced it deftly down the left field line for an RBI double. Holt retired McGriff to complete a gutty performance. His line was

7IP 13H 3R 0BB 3K

Not bad for a rookie on the road against the best team in the league.

We failed to score in the seventh, but Bagwell hit a double in that frame. Now he only needed a single to hit for the cycle. I doubt anyone in the dugout was aware of that, but coming from the broadcast side, it hit me immediately.

Ramón Garcia pitched a scoreless eighth, and in the top of the ninth, Bagwell was on deck when Ausmus hit into an inning-ending double play.

I wanted Jeff to get that cycle. In fact, when Bill asked me if I wanted to steal with Montgomery, I said “no.” I was afraid he would get thrown out, and Bagwell wouldn’t get to hit. So much for strategic planning.

The Hudek card played well, however. John survived a nervous ninth inning to record his first save of the year.

 

It was a great win for the team — a win that had many implications:

• The Braves had won their first five games at Turner Field
• It was our first road win. I certainly didn’t want to get stigmatized as a weak road team
• It was a confidence-builder for Holt, Garcia, and Hudek
• It was the first evidence of the old Jeff Bagwell.

For me, the game had added significance with regard to Biggio. It seemed like he got mad when he struck out to open the game, and he stayed that way throughout.

In the Braves’ half of the third, Craig positioned himself up the middle for Michael Tucker with a man on first and Bagwell holding. This left a gaping hole on the right side of the infield. I have talked to him about not cheating for the double play in this situation, but old habits die hard.

Tucker singled to right. If Bidge had been playing straight up, he would have turned the grounder into a force play, at the very least.

Later in the same inning, in the same situation, he played in the same place for Ryan Klesko. Klesko pulled the ball through the hole, and now I was mad. But I also realized that Biggio was not in the most receptive mood at that moment.

A couple of innings later, the same situation came up. Cubby motioned for him to move over, and he moved about 10 feet to the right. The ball was hit right to him for a double play.

I will talk to him about this again tomorrow. And I’ll let him look at the situation from a hitter’s eyes, which will be easy for him; and also through a pitcher’s eyes, which may take some imagination on his part.

The pitcher’s perspective is this: With a man on first, you want the double play. It is much easier to get a ground ball on the “pull” side of the infield, because a hitter’s bat turns over, and slightly upward, at the end of the swing. Most ground balls go to the pull side; ground balls to the opposite field are uncommon. As a pitcher, I tried to get the hitter to do what he often does anyway: pull the ball on the ground.

But it’s a lefthanded hitter and the first-baseman is holding the runner while the second baseman is cheating up the middle, a pitcher doesn’t know what to do. If Biggio were the hitter and saw a hole like that, I know what he would try to do. That’s how I am going to pose the problem to him.

The other way to look at it is the case where the second-baseman is playing straight up, and the ball is hit on the ground to third or short. In this case it will often take the second-baseman so long to get to the bag that he cannot complete the twin-killing.

The downside, then, is a force at second. The downside of the other scenario is a single to right, with the runner at first advancing to third. There is nothing debatable about it: the second-baseman has to play it straight in that situation.

When it’s a righthanded hitter with a runner at first, it is not the same, because the third-baseman can play off the line to help close the hole for the shortstop,

 

Anyway, Biggio was double-mad now. Not only was he having a miserable day at the plate, he was also being told where to play. But there is one thing about Bidge that is constant: his desire to win.

When we got back to the clubhouse after the game, I relit my stogie. Then I took the other one over to his locker, like a peace pipe. “Here you go, Bidge,” I said. “Light this up and sit back and relax. Tomorrow’s another day.”

A broad smile lit his boyish face. 

“I’m all right now, skip,” he said. “We won the game. Who cares if I can’t swing the bat?”

Bidge lit the cigar, and I returned to my office to meet the press. I can already tell that I will be a lot more quotable when we win.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9 ● Atlanta, vs Braves

I didn’t get up until 11 a.m. Although it seemed a luxury to sleep that late, it really only amounted to eight hours of shuteye.

My old broadcast partner, Dewayne Staats, was in town to cover our game tonight for ESPN, and I invited him over for a video scouting session. The Perfessor came by as well, and we watched last night’s game tape and had some wine, some cheese, and crackers. Dewayne was announcing Astros games when Vern was pitching for the club, so it was a warm reunion.

Vern left in the eighth inning, but Dewayne stayed for the final out, around 2:30. I did a little reading (The Last Picture Show) and turned out the lights about 3:00.

 

Upon awakening, I went for coffee, a croissant, and a newspaper — a favorite combination.

I was chagrined to see that USA Today used one of my zinger quotes out of context. Having been in the media, I know how tiresome clichés can be, and how much a reporter likes a good quote. I don’t want to be boring, but I will eventually take that tack if these guys continue to slant my meaning by leaving things out.

This time, the question was Are you having fun?

My answer was: “I wouldn’t say fun is the right word. It is challenging, stimulating, and satisfying when you feel like you have done a good job. But fun? No. The money has taken the fun out of the game. There is so much riding on the outcome, so much pressure. It’s hard to really have fun until it’s over and you have won.”

So what do you think they printed? You got it: “Astros manager Larry Dierker said that the money has taken the fun out of baseball.” Actually, I’m trying to put some fun back in it: trying to keep things loose and friendly, encouraging practical jokes and laughter. Tossing out a few one-liners myself, even during a close game.

Still, I don’t think you will find many players who will say that the games are “fun” except for the occasional blowout, when you win big.         

 

The game with the Braves tonight was no “laugher.” It was tough and tight all the way. Darryl Kile and Denny Neagle pitched, and we were all tied at three after nine innings. The Braves won it 4-3 in 11 innings.

I think I did a reasonably good job of managing this game. On several occasions we had runners in scoring position and the batter lined out; that’s just bad luck. There were also a couple of calls that didn’t go our way. I’m sure the Braves would say the same thing if they lost.

It was a good ballgame, but there is one decision that still sticks in my craw:

With two outs and runners on first and second in the bottom of the 11th, I sent Vern out to tell José Lima not to give Chipper Jones anything good to hit. This may not have been good advice, because Lima doesn’t have pinpoint control.

A guy like Maddux or Glavine, or even our Shane Reynolds, would have thrown tantalizing pitches that Jones might swing at; Lima was so far out of the zone he almost threw the ball past our catcher, Tony Eusebio.

That loaded the bases for Fred McGriff. We had a lefty, rookie Tom Martin, ready in the bullpen.

What to do?

I hate to bring a guy in with the bases loaded, because he has no time to find the range with his control. But Lima was off the mark too. Because I asked him to pitch around Jones, I really should have let him pitch to McGriff. But I didn’t have a good feeling about that outcome; McGriff can be a patient hitter. The most important thing was to throw strike one, so Fred would have to swing.

To be honest, I didn’t feel too good about Martin, either, because McGriff hit lefties better than righties last year.

I looked at Vern. “Martin?” I said.

“That’s what we got him for,” Vern said.

Martin came in and walked McGriff on four pitches to force home the winning run.          

But it wasn’t that simple.

Every manager or player will tell you that a player’s reputation has an influence on the umpire. In this case, it was McGriff — a guy with a good eye, who seldom argues with umpires — against Martin, an unproven rookie.

Two of the four pitches were marginal. They could have gone either way. Naturally, they went McGriff’s way. That’s just the way it goes. If the pitches hadn’t been marginal, Larry Vanover would have called them strikes. Because there was some doubt, McGriff got the benefit.

 

There was another interesting rules play in this game.

Kenny Lofton tried to steal third, and he was thrown out on what was called ball four on Javy Lopez. Who would lead off the next inning? I thought the walk to Lopez ended his at-bat, and the Braves would have to lead off with Mark Lemke. Vanover wasn’t sure, so he asked the other umpires, and Lemke did lead off the next inning. 

I am reminded that I still need a clarification of the interference rule.

Maybe something good will come of this journal after all.

TUESDAY, APRIL 8 ● Atlanta, vs Braves

I checked the Atlanta paper this morning, and I learned that the Braves are 3-0 in their new ballpark, Turner Field. New parks tend to bring the best out in a team, for some reason. I recall the Cardinals winning in their first year at Busch; the Reds in their first year at Riverfront; the Orioles at Camden Yards; the Rockies at Coors; the Indians at Jacobs Field; and the Rangers at The Ballpark in Arlington.

Even in the old days, this was true. The Red Sox won the pennant their first year at Fenway, and the Yankees did the same thing at Yankee Stadium.

Luckily for us, no team in our division has a new stadium. If we get our funding proposal through the legislature in Austin, we will have a new park in the year 2000.

I don’t think I can last that long if we don’t win our division. If we win it this year, I will probably last long enough to represent the Astros in uniform at the new ballpark, just as I did in the Astrodome as an 18-year-old pitcher.

I got my TV set up in my room, and I looked at a tape of the Braves from our opening homestand. I was not able to glean anything that would give us a strategic advantage. Dennis Liborio will tape the game tonight, and I will come back to the hotel and review it.

 

I wasn’t able to call a meeting to discuss infield practice, because all the players were not close at hand before batting practice, and there wasn’t enough time after infield. Tomorrow I will have the meeting after BP.

My policy will be to post the times for BP and infield well before the game. I will ask all of the regular players to take infield at least once each series if they are not injured.

 

We hit a lot of balls out of the park in batting practice today. Unfortunately, Tom Glavine wasn’t throwing BP in the game; he was nipping corners, as usual. We managed to scrape out a few hits, but we scored no runs in seven innings off the crafty lefthander.

At this point, the Braves had only two runs off Mike Hampton. When Mike came into the dugout after the sixth, he was scheduled to be the third hitter. I told him he would bat if there were two outs and nobody on base. He was really pitching well, and I didn’t want him out of the game. Still, we had to find a way to get two runs.

We ended up with Brad Ausmus at first when the nine-spot in the order came up, and I pinch-hit with Ray Montgomery. Ray struck out, and we failed to score.

I brought Russ Springer in to pitch the bottom of the seventh. This strategy did not work out too well, as the Braves hit three hanging curveballs and took a 4-0 lead. This outburst supported my general theory that if a pitcher is throwing well, you should leave him in the game whenever it is possible. This time, it was impossible. If we had been tied, I would have let Hampton hit. But we were running out of baseball time, which is measured in outs.           

Mike Bielecki took over from Glavine in the top of the eighth. He is a good pitcher, but I was glad to see him instead of Glavine. So were the hitters.

We got two runs on a double by Gonzo. With one out, James Mouton came to the plate. The Braves had a lefty, Alan Embree, working in the bullpen. I had to decide whether I wanted Bielecki against Mouton and Johnson, or Embree against our lefthanded bats: Abreu, Howard, and Spiers. Embree can be wild, but our lefty hitters are not patient enough to draw many walks.

I didn’t think Bielecki was throwing his best, so I stayed with the righties, and they both made outs.

Springer pitched well in the eighth, and then came Mark Wohlers, throwing 98-99 MPH. He didn’t really need another pitch, but he had one: a forkball that was better than his heater. It came in at 89 MPH and took a nosedive just as it reached the hitting zone.

We lost the game 4-2 and the Braves remain undefeated in their new home.

 

After the game, Ryan Klesko and Kenny Lofton were in the outfield with a group of men in business attire. I suppose they were lighting engineers, because outfielders have been blinded by the lights in the early going.

I understand these lights are qualitatively different than those used in other stadia; they are designed for digital TV. This foreshadows something that I have feared as I have witnessed the proliferation in technological gimmicks in sports coverage. If they are unable to adjust the lights, we will finally have come to the point where television viewers are deemed more important than spectators.

 

There was an unusual rules play in this game. It came when Javy Lopez interfered with Brad Ausmus on a steal attempt with two outs in the inning.

Lopez was ruled out, and the inning was over. I went to talk with umpire Tom Hallion to see who was out: the batter or the runner. Another umpire, Larry Vanover, told me that the batter was out, and the next batter would lead off the next inning.

“What if there had not been two outs?” I asked.

“Then the batter and the runner would be out,” he told me.

This did not seem right to me, so I will need to get a clarification; I think the batter should be out and the runner should return to his original base.

I guess I’ll find out tomorrow.

courtesy statscrew.com

MONDAY, APRIL 7 ● Jackson, Mississippi exhibition game

The team bus for the airport was to leave at 2 p.m., so I had time for a leisurely morning.         

Ryan was still sick with a stomach virus, so I spent some time talking to him. He hasn’t missed much school in his life; this three-day stint is the longest ever for him.

I know he is tired of daytime TV, but he can’t stay on his feet long without getting nauseous. What makes it worse, he still has a sore shoulder. It has been bothering him for a month, and I finally had him checked by Dave Labossiere. Dave gave Ryan some exercises to do, but Ryan can’t stay up long enough to do them.

I got two commercial calls today. One is for the clothier that is supplying my wardrobe, and the other the car dealership that is loaning me a car to drive. Both want to shoot the commercials during the next homestand, which consists of two games and half-a-day off. There won’t be much family time — more like another stop on a long road trip.

Cubby came over and we rode to the Dome together. We talked a little more about infield practice, and I told him about Berry and Johnson. Cubby liked Johnson a lot at spring training. I think if it were up to him, he would play Bogar at short and Johnson at third.

           

The trip to Jackson went smoothly. Team owner Con Maloney rolled out the red carpet for former Generals players. He sent a limousine to the airport for them, and he had the PA announcer mention “former Jackson General” every time one of them came up.

Con gave everyone in our party a nice travel cooler. I know he enjoys a cold beer now and then; I’ve seen him in action at The Big Bamboo.  Now he has inadvertently abetted the players’ beer-smuggling operation. I feel sure those coolers will be put to use this very night.

The game with the Generals went well. The pitchers threw strikes, and the hitters came up swinging. 

In his first at-bat, Johnson popped up with men on base. When he got back to the dugout, I said loudly, so everyone could hear: “I changed my mind, Russ. We’re sending you back to New Orleans.” Everyone laughed, and we scored the runs anyway.

I started taking the regulars out midway through the seven-inning game. In the sixth, Gonzo came out with a towel around his waist and his fake dong hanging down almost to his knees. Again the dugout erupted with laughter as everyone crowded around to see.

We won the game 7-2 in less than two hours. All that was left was to ice down the beer, secret it aboard, and fly to Atlanta.

My preference is red wine, Cabernet, Merlot, or Syrah. I found a bottle of Cabernet on the coffee table in my suite, along with a basket of fruits, cheeses, and crackers. I was too tired to enjoy this bountiful spread.

 

Tomorrow is another day. Perhaps it will be a day for celebration.