RMJ 83 May 8
THURSDAY, MAY 8 ● Houston, vs Mets
When I got to the park today, I penciled Bill Spiers in at short, hitting second. A few minutes later, Dave told me that Billy had come in with a bad case of stomach flu and couldn’t play. My new lineup featured Derek hitting second, in front of Bagwell.
Tim McCarver
Tim McCarver came in before the game. He was all smiles. I guess this booth-to-dugout story is particularly interesting to former players like Tim, who are now in the booth.
“I got an idea, Timmy,” I said. “Why don’t you manage this game, and I’ll take your place in the booth?”
“No, thanks,” he said. “I know my place, and I’m happy right where I am.”
I’m sure he meant it, but I had to wonder what he would do if the Mets offered him the job. I bet he would take it.
As we talked, I said something that surprised him.
“A lot of decisions are loaded with pluses and minuses on both sides,” I said. “Sometimes I am convinced that I know what to do; other times, it seems like a coin toss. It’s just a blind guess. In the booth, I was almost always decisive in my thinking. But now that I’m down here, it’s not so easy.”
“That’s refreshing,” he said. “I’ve always thought that it must be that way at times, but I’ve never heard a manager say that he felt indecisive.”
“They may not say it,” I said. “And I know I’m no expert on managing. But I have to believe that all of these guys are unsure of themselves at times.”
The nice thing about baseball is that you must make the decision — whether you want to or not. Sure, you can stall by sending the pitching coach to the mound or calling the hitter over for a conference. But there is a limit to how long you can vacillate.
One thing is sure: baseball moves a lot faster for the manager than for the fans. I completely lose track of time during the game.
Today, Biggio bounced out off Rick Reed on a 3-2 pitch to open the game. Derek hit the next pitch into the centerfield seats for his first home run of the year.
Talk about instant results.
Derek had a smile as big as Broadway when he got back to the dugout. He gave me the high-five, but he didn’t say anything.
Later, he drove in a run with a double. That time, he said, “See, I told you I’d get some pitches to hit with Baggy behind me.”
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | BF | Pit | Str |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Hampton, W (2-3) | 7 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5.44 | 27 | 76 | 56 |
| Russ Springer, H (3) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1.72 | 4 | 22 | 16 |
| Billy Wagner, S (7) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.48 | 3 | 15 | 11 |
| Team Totals | 9 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 2.00 | 34 | 113 | 83 |
I am excited about getting his bat going again, just as I am excited about getting my lefthanded starter, Mike Hampton, back in the groove. Mike pitched seven innings of two-run baseball, and Russ Springer and Billy Wagner finished up a 4-2 win with some high-velocity relief work.
It was a great feeling to finish the homestand 5-4, with all of the road games coming up.
I do have one concern, however: I know that Derek won’t want to hit second if he gets hot. Hitting behind Bagwell gives him a lot more runners to drive in. I have a hunch his hitting-third-in-front-of-Bagwell plan has not been abandoned.
Honestly, I don’t want him to hit second all year, even if he hits well. But I don’t want him to hit third, either. Bagwell walks more than 100 times each year; Bell averages about 30 walks. Even when he hits over .300, which he has done twice, his on-base percentage is still about average in this league. That’s not the profile of a three hitter, in my book.
Who knows what the future will bring?
Jay Bell
We are heading for Miami to play Jimmy Leyland and the Marlins. Jimmy used to bat Jay Bell second with the Pirates. It never made any sense to me, because Jay, like Derek, hits with power but strikes out a lot and does not walk much.
There is one critical difference: Derek can’t bunt, and Jay can.
I always thought Jay was miscast as a two hitter. But I couldn’t make a very good case, because the Pirates were winning their division each year.
I hope we get the same result with Derek.
One thing was proven beyond doubt this afternoon is the importance of confidence. Derek was a completely different hitter, thinking he was going to get a good pitch to hit each time up. I doubt this will be an ongoing trend.
Actually, the best thing that could happen for us would be for Gonzo to get hot, so that Derek would feel the same way about hitting in front of him as he does hitting in front of Bagwell.
The flight to Miami was smooth, except for one small thing: I lost my meal money. Barry Waters hands out the money at the start of each trip. Normally, I put it right in my wallet. This time, I was sort of drowsy, and I don’t know what I did with it. It’s not in my wallet or in my briefcase, I know that. And this is the longest trip of the year.
This little gaffe will cost me more than $700. If things weren’t going so good, I would probably be mad, or sad. As it is, I am more embarrassed than anything.