RMJ 12 February 26

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26 ● Kissimmee

My son Ryan turned 12 today. I was becoming so consumed with the events in Kissimmee that I forgot his birthday. Luckily, I called later on and was able to act like I remembered.

I wasn’t so lucky with Judy’s birthday the week before. The kids forgot her too, so she turned 51 in relative anonymity. I’m planning to make it up later in a big way, but it won’t be quite the same. I must say she took the snub well.

She is the best, period.

 

This morning at our staff meeting, I got some negative feedback.

“The players don’t like hitting off the machine,” Alan Ashby said.

“That’s because it was throwing lefthanded breaking balls and they weren’t hitting it that well,” said Tom McCraw. “They may not like it, but it’s good for them.”

I was more concerned with the total package. Because the players were only getting three game-type at-bats, I wanted them to feel they were getting enough regular batting practice to satisfy them.

“Do we have enough dead arms to accommodate them?” I asked. (Dead arms are coaches who don’t throw very hard.)

We started taking inventory. The previous day, most of the coaches watched the stimulated game. A few didn’t really have to be there. It turned out we could throw to the extra players, and I decided that we should. I think most of the staff was in agreement.

And so our drill was further refined.

           

Gerry came up during the game and mentioned that we had not come up with a decision on family trips for the year. Normally a team will allow players’ families to accompany the team on one or two trips. This requires a larger airplane and an extra bus.

Because I come from the old school, I do not generally favor family trips. It is my opinion that we are on business when we travel, and we do not need distractions. But I tend to be flexible on such matters; realistic may be a better word. I told Gerry I would feel out the players and let him know something by the end of the day.

The consensus was that we should allow the kids to come along at least once. I picked a trip to Chicago where we have three day games and one night game, and come back home. That way the players wouldn’t wear themselves out taking the kids to the zoo and the movies and shopping, etc. before the game. It seemed a good compromise.

I also picked a trip to Denver and San Francisco for wives only. Two good cities, but a tough trip travelwise. Sometimes it is good for the wives to get a firsthand view of life on the road. They generally come back worn out, and they realize that when their husbands go on the road, it is not a paid vacation.

           

The stimulated game went well, with the hitters laying waste to the pitchers once again. On the other field, the batting practice was more to their liking as well. It resembled a home-run derby.

           

Got some bad news today. Our fine backup infielder, Ricky Gutierrez, will be lost to us for two months. He dove for a ball yesterday and ripped a ligament off the side of his thumb. He had surgery in Houston today.

This may seem like a minor problem, because he will miss only one month of the season. But he is an important player in the scheme of things, because he can play shortstop well enough to start for a month or two if Pat Listach gets hurt.

We do have Luis Rivera, and a good prospect by the name of Russ Johnson. Rivera is adequate, but not in Gutierrez’ class; Johnson is being moved to third base this year, because his range is not great. That was the problem with Orlando Miller, so we don’t want to get into that bind again.

If Listach plays well, we could slide by until Ricky gets ready. But even that is troublesome. Sometimes a setback at the start of the year can affect a player all season long. He tries to come back when he is physically sound, but he is not up with the league from a baseball-sharpness standpoint.

It’s not as if we had lost Bagwell or Biggio, but it is the first real obstacle we have to overcome.

Outfielders Thomas Howard and Ray Montgomery were hurt today too. Neither injury is considered serious, but with Ken Ramos, another outfielder, down with a sore hamstring, we are getting a little shorthanded in the outer garden.

It has been warm every day — almost hot. I sense the players beginning to drag just a little. One more day of practice, and we start playing some other teams. Maybe that will lift the spirits some.

 

Speaking of spirits, I was on our offseason radio talk show tonight. It originated at the ESPN club at Disney World. Jim Deshaies, who will be taking my place in the broadcast booth, was alongside Milo Hamilton.

After the show, Jamie Hildreth, Deshaies, and I went to Fantasy Island, Disney’s version of Nightclub Row. This has become an annual pilgrimage, so I couldn’t really bow out. I did have to curb my thirst a bit, though, with the early workouts.

It wasn’t quite as freewheeling an affair as in years past, but I did finish with a fine cigar and a shot of Hennessy at the jazz club.