RMJ 138 July 3
THURSDAY, JULY 3 ● Houston, vs Cincinnati
I finally got to the bottom of the pile of mail that has been squatting on my desk for almost a month. Wouldn’t you know it? The bills were right down there beneath the sympathy cards and the autograph requests and the once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunities, the sweepstakes entry forms, and the catalogues and magazines.
Wonder how those bills got way down there?
It wasn’t too bad, actually: $100 to one phone company, $25 to another. American Express was only $150. When I pay Dennis Liborio $700 for two months of clubhouse dues, I’ll be clean.
This is the time we usually save money; I’m so busy with baseball that I don’t even think of major purchases. The meal money helps pay expenses. Bills for taxes and insurance come in the fall. Then comes Christmas. Then a ski vacation. By the time spring training starts, last summer’s savings are history.
This year we may do a little better. Managers — even rookie managers — make more money than most broadcasters.
I spoke with Gerry on the phone this morning. He had conversations with the Braves and Royals about John Hudek. Gerry was after young pitching prospects, but he couldn’t make a deal.
The Braves are dealing from strength; they don’t have to do anything.
The Royals are the opposite. Just a few games back of the Indians, they are dreaming of winning their division, and they need another reliever to shore up the pitching staff.
Trouble is, they are only dreaming.
| Tm | W | L | W-L% | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLE | 41 | 36 | .532 | — |
| CHW | 40 | 41 | .494 | 3.0 |
| MIL | 37 | 42 | .468 | 5.0 |
| KCR | 36 | 43 | .456 | 6.0 |
| MIN | 35 | 46 | .432 | 8.0 |
From what I’ve seen, they have no chance to finish ahead of the Indians. Royals GM Herk Robinson probably looked in the mirror and said, Who am I kidding? Can we really catch the Indians? Do I really want to give up a good prospect for John Hudek?
That’s what makes trading so difficult. You have to catch your trading partner at the right time, and you have to give value to get value in return.
“I don’t care how much the deal helps the other team, if it helps us. I don’t feel like I have to get the best of the other guy.” — Gerry Hunsicker
“Most of these guys have a different attitude from mine,” Gerry said. “They want to be sure they’re getting the best of the deal before they make it. I don’t care how much the deal helps the other team, if it helps us. I don’t feel like I have to get the best of the other guy.”
Bob Gebhard
This said, he mentioned a deal where Bob Gebhard of the Rockies wanted to trade us Eric Young, Walt Weiss, and a minor-league pitcher named Brian Rekar for Craig Biggio, Mike Hampton, and Sean Berry.
“I just laughed,” Gerry said. “Geb said he was just trying to help me with my payroll. I told him if he wanted to help me with my payroll, I’d take Neifi Pérez, their young shortstop, Vinny Castilla, and Larry Walker.
“That’s why deals are hard to make,” Gerry continued. “Everyone wants to get the best of the other guy.”
He mentioned that he had also thrown the Derek Bell card on the table. He thought the Blue Jays might have some interest, but they did not.
“I just don’t see why these teams that need a relief pitcher won’t give up something to get Hudek,” he said.
Yesterday he said, “I haven’t seen Hudek pitch well, like you have. I just don’t have the confidence in him. He’s a one-pitch pitcher, and they are hitting that pitch.”
Seems to me, Gerry knows why the interest in Hudek is lukewarm. At his writing, he has an ERA of 6.66 and has walked 20 batters in 24 innings.
Bill Veeck
Gerry thinks it’s only the other guy who wants to gain advantage in a deal. He may not be as greedy as some of the other GMs, but he wants to “win” his trades, like everyone else.
In 1948, the legendary dealmaker Bill Veeck of the Indians said, “Some of the best trades are the ones you don’t make.” I will try to keep this in mind as we attempt to get Hudek and Bell going in the second half.
Tonight’s game was another study in frustration. Ramón Garcia pitched for us. John Smiley (5-10) pitched for Cincinnati. Smiley is having a terrible year, but he has won eight consecutive games against the Astros.
Ed Montague
Garcia was just a little wild in the first inning. He kept throwing pitches that I thought looked like strikes, but home plate umpire Ed Montague kept calling them balls.
A hit batter and two walks loaded the bases. Two strikeouts gave Garcia a chance to escape. Unfortunately, Ramon crossed up Brad Ausmus, and the ball got by, allowing a run to score. Then a jam-shot single by Joe Oliver made it 3-0.
As Cubby trotted out to his coaching position after the inning, Montague stopped him and asked, “Who the hell is that guy?” referring to Garcia. When I heard this, I was livid. I thought Montague was giving Ramon the rookie treatment: calling all close pitches balls, while calling strikes for Smiley on similar offerings.
I bit my tongue; we still had a chance to win the game. I didn’t want to do something foolish to make things worse.
Oliver hit a solo homer in the fourth to extend the lead. And Smiley just kept rolling along, retiring us with ease.
In the seventh inning, we struck quickly on singles by Gonzo and Bell and a home run by Sean Berry. Stan Belinda came in and slammed the door. Jeff Shaw finished up 1-2-3 in the ninth. Our offense came and went, like an apparition.
On the bright side, Hudek pitched out of a jam in the eighth and then pitched a scoreless ninth. Derek Bell was 2-4 and hit another ball to the wall in right. Maybe these guys will come around for us, and the Braves, Rockies, and Royals will curse their own quibbling fate.
After I finished my postgame press conference, I popped the game tape into the television. I wanted to see if I was right about Montague squeezing Garcia in the first inning. Sadly, I was not. All of the pitches I thought looked like strikes were, indeed, balls.
I was looking to use the umpire as an excuse for our failure. Guess I’ll have to look in the mirror instead.
I keep thinking we will eventually get going. If we could just come from behind and win a game in the end, it would be uplifting. We have played 85 games, and we have only come from behind to win once from the seventh inning on. We haven’t come from behind a single time in the eighth or ninth.
If we don’t improve our endgame record, we will be toast.