RMJ 159 July 24

THURSDAY, JULY 24 ● Houston, vs Montreal

I didn’t get back home until 2:30 a.m. A cigar and a backyard petting session with the dogs extended the day to 3:30. As long as we keep winning, I won’t need much sleep; I woke up at 9:30, ready to go.

I got through the mail and played catch with Ryan. His arm is coming around, and he’s throwing hard again. Maybe that will get him some playing time and give him a chance to improve his hitting. It is hard to hit well when you don’t hit often. Batting practice is fine, to a point — but the only way to stay game-ready is to hit in the game. This is just as true in Little League as it is in the major leagues.

 

I got to the park early today to go over all of the rosters, and to consult with Gerry about the possibility of improving the team before the trading deadline of August 31.

 

We discussed relief pitchers and outfielders, for the most part. Toronto is still interested in Derek Bell. I am interested in them having him, myself. Especially after the stunt he pulled later, during batting practice.      

 

I found out about it from Gifford Nielsen, the former Oilers quarterback who does sports for channel 11 here in Houston. Giff interviewed me for the six o’clock news. Afterward, he asked me why Thomas Howard wasn’t playing.

“He has a little trouble with the riding fastball and offspeed stuff in the dirt,” I said. “That’s what Martinez throws, and as a result Tank is 2-for-17 against him. So tonight we go back to the defensive lineup with Chucky.”

“I guess he must think he can hit Martinez better now,” Giff said. “When I asked him for an interview, he said, ‘no comment’ and ran into the outfield.”

“He gets pissed when he’s not playing,” I said. “I don’t blame him. It shows that he has confidence. But I can’t play everybody who wants to play, or thinks he should play. There aren’t enough spots in the lineup.”

“It’s amazing how everyone thinks they know what you should do, isn’t it?” he said.

“They all have their opinions,” I said.

“I know Derek has his,” Giff said. “He stiffed me, too.”

“He did? What about?”

“The lineup.” Giff said. “He said, ‘we’re not trying to win.’ Said if we really wanted to win, we would play Howard. He also said that he should be hitting second, in front of Bagwell.”

This really pissed me off, but I tried not to show it. In my opinion, the only guys on the team that are not giving the team their best effort are Derek and Tank.

Tank is coming around. He’s been doing extra work in the weight room, and he has been running sprints in the outfield. Derek has been working extra on his hitting, but he’s still not in shape.

The thing that gets me is that he’s going to get his $4 million this year, no matter how he plays or where the team finishes in the standings. If we don’t win, I’ll get fired. Now, who do you think is motivated to win?  

The other thing that fries my ass is that Bell still thinks he is a big star on this team. His contribution so far is about what you would expect from a fourth outfielder. If I can be accused of not trying to win, about the only thing I might not be able to defend myself against would be the assertion that I have played Derek Bell too much.

I’m trying to be objective, and I admit that Derek is running a little better now, and he has been having better at-bats. I know that he could get hot, and carry us. But I also know that he is a big drag on the chemistry of the team. The guys know he doesn’t play hard, or smart. What signal does it send if we keep playing him and putting up with his crap? What signal would it send if we traded him?

 

As it turned out, I had a lucky night — but it wasn’t dumb luck. There was plenty of pressure to it.  

Shane drew Pedro Martinez — a tough assignment any time, and especially this year. This may be Martinez’ year, but it was not his night.

Gonzo hit a solo homer in the second. Chuckie Carr led off the fourth with a double. A walk to Bagwell, a double steal, an infield hit, and a solid single by Ausmus upped the ante to 4-0.

The Expos got to Shane in the fifth. If Derek had been playing right field, it may not have happened. But he was just standing out there — and standing rather close to the infield — when Darren Fletcher hit a fly ball over his head. It was hit well, and rather low, but it bounced in front of the warning track. If Derek was playing heads-up baseball, he would have played deeper for Fletcher, who has power but very little speed.

Bill and I should take part of the blame, for not noticing and moving him. It’s hard to move him, though, because he seldom looks to the dugout for instructions.

That would have been the second out, and Shane would have stayed in the windup. He hadn’t allowed a baserunner until Fletcher, so going into the stretch was something new. The Expos pounced on him for two runs, and they cut our lead in half.

In the bottom of the fifth, Chuckie hit a homer to make it 5-2. In the meantime, Martinez was strafing our hitters with inside fastballs. When he hit Bagwell last week, our guys got pretty hot.

This led to a situation that just about became our undoing.

 

Shane got the first two hitters in the seventh, then Rondell White got a hit. Doug Strange came up, and José Vidro came out to pinch-hit for Martinez. Shane hit Strange in the back with a fastball.

I knew it was a purpose pitch; I suspected Shane was told to buzz Martinez, and when he saw the pinch-hitter on deck, he simply hit Strange instead.

I wasn’t too upset with the action, but I was angry that I had not been consulted. You have to pick your spots in these feuds. Winning the game is the main thing.

At any rate, the Expos rallied and knocked Shane out of the game. Russ came in and hit another batter and gave up a hit.  The game was tied. Tom Martin came in to get the last out.

I was fit to be tied. We got five runs off Martinez, and we couldn’t make them stand.

This psychological setback may have done us in last month, but this time we just kept coming. We scored three in our half of the seventh, with Chuckie getting the big hit.

Martin retired the side in the eighth. We scored two more runs, which allowed me to get José Cabrera into the game. José got them out in the ninth, and I was able to save Wagner for tomorrow.

 

The win gave us six in a row, and it put us five up on the Cardinals. Still, I was a bit uneasy as I wound down with the dogs.

Judy came out, and I told her about the Bell incident and the throwing contest. She didn’t seem to think it was a big deal. Nonetheless, I advised her to get to the game early tomorrow, as I have a hunch that Jeff Juden will throw at Biggio to initiate the contest, and there might be a fight on the field before it is over.

D.K. is pitching for us. He will not back down.  He hasn’t ever pitched this well, but he has been a courageous warrior throughout his career.