1982 Atlanta Braves Retrospective

[selmaborntidefan]

CHICAGO CUBS
Overall finish last year: 6th
Major Additions: Dallas Green (GM), Larry Bowa, Ryne Sandberg, Lee Elia, Keith Moreland, Dickie Noles, Bill Campbell, Ferguson Jenkins, Dave Geisel, Harry Caray
Major Losses: Ivan DeJesus, Joe Amalfitano, Mike Krukow, Steve Dillard, Mike Lum, Paul Mirabella
Strength(s): bats of Buckner and Durham, new GM is a winner
Weakness(es): unstable pitching staff, new manager
Projected Finish: 5th

Few teams were busier than the Chicago Cubs in the offseason, and fewer teams got less for all of their activity. The plethora of 1981 Phillies, starting with new Executive Vice President and General Manager Dallas Green, has a number of observers thinking the nation's second largest city is more of a Philadelphia West when it comes to baseball. Green installed his Philly third base coach, Lee Elia, as the team's new manager and then brought over four Phillies who will likely be part of the everyday lineup with the Cubs. Given Philly has made the playoffs all but one of the last six seasons - and Green was with the Phillies as head of player development for eight years prior to his taking over as the team's manager - the foundation is likely being set for an improved Chicago in the very near future. Unfortunately for them, they're not going to win much of anything in 1982, and should they fail to clear 81 wins, it will make ten straight years Chicago has failed to even attain a winning record. That should change soon, but it isn't likely this year.

The starting pitching staff consists of 39-year-old Ferguson Jenkins, whom the Cubs have brought back hoping he can channel his glory years at Wrigley, followed by a number of question marks. Other than a stellar 1978 (18-8, 3.04), Jenkins has not been anything resembling an ace since 1974, and he's now back to playing sunshine baseball games more than half the season. But Jenkins is also tarred with the brush of his 1980 arrest in his native Canada with four grams of cocaine in his suitcase, an utterly shocking discovery for which he has made his mea culpa, but don't expect that to prevent opposing fans from shouting mockery and epithets. After Jenkins, though, the pitching staff is quite thin. Doug Bird and Randy Martz are hardly superstars, and Dickie Noles has been arrested multiple times for off-the-field altercations and fights, suggesting either a booze or drug problem, and his best-known pitch was the one he threw at the head of George Brett that turned momentum in the 1980 World Series. Does he possess the stability to get things done? And although Bill Campbell was once a stellar reliever for Minnesota, where he went 17-5 with 20 saves despite not starting a single time and lead the league in saves the following year in Boston, he has not pitched well since 1977. Now he has to do it in a homer haven in the sunlight for a team not likely to give him many leads in the first place. It is a situation that suggests failure all around.

Bill Buckner will pace the everyday lineup with his signature .300 average and getting worse by the year knees, and he will get some solid hitting support from outfielder Leon Durham. But behind those two hitters are a series of question marks offensively. Larry Bowa will be a slight upgrade from Ivan DeJesus at short, and it is hoped that rookie Ryne Sandberg, who is versatile but primarily a third baseman, can get his bat into the lineup and contribute this year.

The Cubs will not hit for power, won't hit for average, won't draw walks, won't pitch well, and their best asset is team speed, which will only matter in the abstract if they're able to do the things they can't do. The pitching staff might have a decent year but be saddled with a number of losses due to poor offense and fatigue.

The Cubs are attempting to build for the future, but the future is not yet.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

MONTREAL EXPOS
Overall finish last year: 2nd
Major Additions: Frank Taveras, Ken Phelps
Major Losses: Grant Jackson, Elias Sosa
Strength(s): team speed, pitching
Weakness(es): hitting, new manager with little experience
Projected Finish: 1st

Each of the last three seasons, the Montreal Expos have been in contention in the waning days of the season only to lose to the eventual world champions. Three years ago, the Expos led the Pirates by 1/2 game with nine to play but lost 3 of 4 in a head-to-head series the final week to come up short of the division title. Two years ago, the Expos led the Phillies by 1/2 game with three left and met Philadelphia in a winner-take-all series to close the season only to lose twice and come up short again. Last year, the Expos qualified for the post-season due to the technicality of a split season and had a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-five NLCS only to suffer a bullpen collapse in Game Four (1-1 entering the 8th) and lose a 1-0 lead with two outs in the 9th thanks to Rick Monday's home run off Montreal ace Steve Rogers. The gradual progression towards a championship suggests Montreal should be able to reach the World Series - and perhaps even win it - this year, and with the pressure off after their first post-season appearance combined with the All-Star game being held in Montreal this year, it may well be the first time the World Series is truly a "world" series.

There are at this time unconfirmed rumors that the Expos are attempting to trade for Al Oliver; if this trade occurs, Montreal's 4th from the bottom team batting average should rise to fourth from the top in 1982. The Expos have neither a high batting average nor a lot of power, but what they do have is one of the league's fastest teams. Rookie Tim Raines stole 71 bases in only 88 games last year to easily lead the majors (second place Rickey Henderson had 56), a pace that would have netted Raines 130 steals and broken Lou Brock's major league record of 118 had a full season been played. But Raines isn't the only fast player as centerfielder Andre Dawson has some wheels to go with his power that make him an MVP candidate every year. With Gary Carter entering his prime and coming off his MVP performance in last year's All-Star Game, and the solid if unspectacular defense of Tim Wallach at third and Chris Speier at short, the Expos have the tools in place for a first-place finish. But as good as the everyday lineup is, the starting pitching is what may give the Expos the ultimate edge.

No, Montreal does not have an ace the level of future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton as do the Phillies, but they have a solid lineup of arms. Steve Rogers, the rare baseball player with a college degree in Engineering, is a three-time All-Star who, if he got sufficient run support, could win the Cy Young Award. Distracted by last year's strike - Rogers was one of the four main negotiators for the MLBPA - he still went 14-8 with a 3.42 ERA and improved immensely after his nemesis, Manager Dick Williams, was fired in favor of the more laid back Jim Fanning. With the union issues settled and a more supportive manager, Rogers's concentration may lead to a banner year on the mound. The next three names in the rotation - Bill Gullickson, Scott Sanderson, and Charlie Lea - have all had moments of brilliance (Lea threw a no-hitter two years ago). The fifth starter role will be filled alternately by either Ray Burris, who has shown flashes of brilliance with two 15-win seasons on below average Cub teams, or David Palmer, who went 10-2 in a part-time role in 1979 but missed last year with injuries. The bullpen by committee should be improved this year with youngster Jeff Reardon combining with senior citizen Woodie Fryman to close out games.

The Expos have as much talent as any team in the National League. If the Oliver trade commences, look for a runaway. The Expos have a good chance to win it all this year with a solid team top to bottom.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

NEW YORK METS
Overall finish last year: 5th
Major Additions: George Foster, Jim Kern
Major Losses: Doug Flynn, Frank Taveras, Alex Trevino
Strength(s): homegrown talent, power hitting
Weakness(es): pitching, worst offense in NL
Projected Finish: 6th

The New York Mets are not going to win the pennant in 1982. They're not going to win the pennant in 1983. They might move into a contending team in 1984, and it does appear they have bottomed out and have nowhere to go but upwards. But, no, the Mets are not going to be contenders in 1982.

That is not to say that the Mets won't put a better team talent-wise on the field in 1982 as they undoubtedly will. The Mets have three talented youngsters on the roster this year in Hubie Brooks, Mookie Wilson, and Wally Backman, and they have added the big bat of George Foster to protect the "home run or strikeout" bat of Dave Kingman. Talented youth plus experience and, behind them, the expected debut of #1 overall 1980 MLB draft pick Darryl Strawberry as soon as next year. With one of the best right field arms in the game in Ellis Valentine and a solid catcher in John Stearns, the Mets will be in a number of ballgames all year long. The problem is that they won't win enough of them to matter thanks to a pitching staff consisting of former Big Red Machine starter Pat Zachry and four question marks of dubious distinction. Craig Swan is the most likely candidate to have a decent year, as he led the NL in ERA in 1978 and won 14 games on a last-place team in 1979, but behind him the pitching talent is thin and forgettable names like Pete Falcone, Charlie Puleo, Mike Scott, and Ed Lynch. The bullpen is wide but very thin with Neil Allen, Terry Leach, and Jesse Orosco battling to see who can be the most ineffective in late relief.

New manager George Bamberger is largely to credit for building the Milwaukee Brewers into a contender. But the heart attack that sidelined him and led to a mediocre record for Milwaukee in 1980 is always lurking beneath the shadows. Bamberger was called in after Joe Torre skipped out on his last year as a Mets manager when ownership wanted to retain Torre but fire his entire coaching staff. Torre and the coaching staff that finished last or next-to-last all five seasons they held the job are now in charge in Atlanta. Whether the issue was ownership, Torre's leadership, or some combination of both will be known in coming years.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Overall finish last year: 3rd
Major Additions: Ivan DeJesus, Bo Diaz, Mike Krukow, Ed Farmer
Major Losses: Larry Bowa, Bob Boone, Lonnie Smith, Keith Moreland, Dickie Noles, Bake McBride, Dallas Green
Strength(s): pitching staff, infield defense
Weakness(es): lack of hitting offense, new maager
Projected Finish: 2nd

Just two years ago, the Phillies finally won their first World Series in franchise history. Just 18 months later, nearly half (11) of the 25-man roster that conquered Kansas City is gone - along with the manager - and Pete Rose is already playing on borrowed time at age 42. Philadelphia has had tremendous success since 1976, with a first-place finish every year but one (1979), so they cannot be completely dismissed yet. But they have some problems to address if they hope to continue their divisional success to say nothing of claiming another World Series.

The Phillies were first in the NL last year in runs scored, but 27% of those runs vanished out the exit via trades, sales, or retirements. With the departure of Greg Luzinski after the World Series title, the Phils only have one real long ball threat, Mike Schmidt, who socked 31 of their 69 home runs in last year's shortened strike season. Gary Matthews, who came over from the Braves in a preseason trade last year, found homerun hitting far more difficult in Philly than playing half of his games in the Launching Pad. The departure of Lonnie Smith puts severe limits on the running game, and the Phils opted for potential downgrades at both catcher, where Bo Diaz takes over for Bob Boone, and shortstop, where Ivan DeJesus is younger than Larry Bowa but has more holes in his game, too. Boone, at 35, needed to go and make his retirement money, and the six years' junior Diaz is a decent hitter. But it is nearly impossible to replace Boone's leadership both on and off the field in a scenario where there's also a new manager.

DeJesus will not be a bad shortstop by any stretch, and the infield defense includes perhaps the greatest third baseman in history (Schmidt), a guy who may well retire with the hits record (Rose), and the record holder for consecutive errorless games at second base (Manny Trillo). This infield defense, along with the pitching staff, is what gives Philadelphia a fighting chance at another NLCS.

Or is it?

Lost in Philadelphia's post-season appearance last year is the fact they had the worst ERA in the National League, despite having an all-time great, Steve Carlton, as the mound ace. Philly's strategy last year was to score a lot of runs to win despite a so-so mound staff. But even this is inaccurate, because Philly didn't so much have a poor pitching staff (sans Carlton) as they had decent pitchers who had bad years. The addition of solid starter Mike Krukow should take some of the pressure off the rest of the staff. Larry Christenson and Dick Ruthven round out a solid starting four. The setup relief is largely - no pun intended as he's 6'6" - Ron Reed and Warren Brusstar with Tug McGraw, Sid Monge, and Sparky Lyle sharing the closing duties.

Philly no longer has the powerful offense that won the World Series two years ago, but if their pitching holds up, even just to expected standards, they will be in contention at the end. But with a 37-year-old all-time great as the ace of the staff, Philly needs to develop (or acquire) some more pitchers before the championship window closes completely.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

PITTSBURGH PIRATES
Overall finish last year: 4th
Major Additions: Brian Harper, Ross Baumgarten
Major Losses: Luis Tiant, Tim Foli, Vance Law, Joel Skinner
Strength(s): hitting, speed, John Candelaria and Kent Tekulve
Weakness(es): rest of the pitching staff, fielding has declined
Projected Finish: 4th

Willie Stargell wants to go out a winner in his year-long farewell tour. Willie better hope to get traded to a contender else his final postseason memory will remain that wonderful 1979 World Series. The Pirates have one starting pitcher of value, John Candelaria, one of the game's best closers (Kent Tekulve), a couple of rapidly aging superstars (Dave Parker, Stargell), and a guy more preoccupied with winning the batting title than winning games, Bill Madlock. The ingredients are not even close to a recipe for success.

The Pirates tasted a lot of success in the 1970s, winning their division as often as the Big Red Machine won theirs. Unfortunately for the Pirates, the Reds were usually better, prevailing three times in four head-to-head matchups in the NLCS. The 80s are likely to see the unraveling of both small market teams with the advent of free agency, so this is likely to be Pittsburgh's last (somewhat) decent chance to contend and, with a lot of luck, capture one last flag given Stargell's pending departure and Parker's free agency after next season.

The Pirates will unquestionably score runs; the question concerns whether they will surrender more runs than they create. In addition to Stargell, Parker, and Madlock, the bats of Tony Pena, Jason Thompson, and Lee Lacy with the leadoff base stealing talents of Omar Moreno (352 career steals in 786 career games) all but guarantee the Pirates will score both early and often. Indeed, Moreno is liable to be the engine that determines success or failure; his talents running have lifted the career batting averages of the batters behind who see many fastballs, but he has also led the league in being caught stealing each of the past two seasons. For Pittsburgh to thrive, Moreno will need to get on base early and often. Offense will be Pittsburgh's strength, but will it be enough to overcome their obvious weaknesses in the other two aspects of the game?

Pirate fans will look at the starting pitching staff and engage in rationalization. "Well, our pitching staff in 1979 was Candelaria, Blyleven, and a bunch of names out of the phone book we still have followed by Tekulve." Not only is this rationalization hollow, it isn't even accurate. Bruce Kison may have gotten shelled in the opening inning of the World Series, but he did win 13 games with a 3.19 ERA, both stats better than Blyleven's year. He's gone to the Angels, Blyleven is gone to the Indians, and Jim Bibby (who started Game Seven) went 19-6 in 1980 and had other good years and will miss 1982 with a shoulder injury. These guys may not be superstars, but you cannot just replace 37 wins and 11 complete games with nobody, either. Rick Rhoden has had good moments few and far between, and Don Robinson is capable of pitching well every now and then, but Rhoden had one of the greatest infields of all-time in Los Angeles and was still at best an average pitcher, and Robinson never seems to stay healthy enough for a full season. On top of the questionable pitching staff, the Pirates have lost one of baseball's best infields up the middle with the departures of Tim Foli, who led the NL in putouts by a shortstop twice, double plays twice, and assists once, and Phil Garner, who has led each league once in assists and - with Foli - led baseball in double plays turned in 1980. Foli and Garner are replaced by Dale Berra, whose claim to fame is his father (Yogi), and rookie second baseman Johnny Ray, who is a Rookie of the Year candidate, but he's still a rookie playing on artificial turf. It appears the problem with Pittsburgh is that their deficiencies are too deep for their talented offense to overcome.

It IS possible that Pittsburgh could win the pennant, however unlikely. If the Pirates are close at the trading deadline, you might see them attempt to pick up a soon-to-be free agent pitcher to bolster the rotation or a utility infielder that can spell the starters for the stretch run. But the question will be whether they can still be in contention at the end of July. Odds are, they won't be.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Overall finish last year: 1st
Major Additions: Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee, Lonnie Smith, Steve Mura, Jeff Lahti
Major Losses: Garry Templeton, Bob Sykes, Silvio Martinez, Lary Sorenson, Jim Gott, Sixto Lezcano, Donnie Moore
Strengths: speed, relief pitching, defense
Weakness(es): no power hitting, low average hitting
Projected Finish: 3rd

Nobody but their fans will ever remember it, but the St. Louis Cardinals had the second-best overall record in the National League a year ago and would have won their first-ever division title if the season had merely been resumed from the point when the strike began. This is to the game's good fortune given the Cardinals had played five fewer games (and won one less) than the overall division champion Montreal Expos, sparing us a lot of sobbing over how it was "unfair" the Cardinals got in with fewer wins in fewer games. Of course, the Cardinals were very good - sometimes - as their 14-6 overall record against Montreal and Cincinnati (5-0) shows. But they also had losing records against the Braves, Cubs, and Mets, too.

Whitey Herzog took over a last-place Cardinals team on June 8, 1980. In just 18 months, he has dumped his catcher (Ted Simmons), traded his All-Star shortstop (Garry Templeton), traded his third baseman (Ken Reitz) in a multi-player trade for the best reliever in the National League (Bruce Sutter), released the aging Bobby Bonds, traded his starting centerfielder (Tony Scott) for an All-Star pitcher (Joaquin Andujar), and sent both of his best starting pitchers (again - on a last place team) to the American League. Whitey's only problem might be if he winds up facing a bunch of the guys he's traded to the Brewers in a World Series.

The Cardinals enter 1982 on the upswing with the game's best infield defense of Keith Hernandez, Tommy Herr, Ozzie Smith, and Ken Oberkfell. He also has the best reliever in the National League, if not all of baseball, in Sutter, inventor of the split-fingered fastball, and his starting outfield of George Hendrick, David Green, and Lonnie Smith may not be the best in the league glove-wise but no team will have a faster outfield than the Cardinals. And if Willie McGee is called up from the minors, he will not be a step back speed-wise, either. The problem where the Cardinals are concerned is with the starting pitching.

Ever since the dumping of Steve Carlton in 1972 and the retirement of Bob Gibson in 1975, the Cardinals have been looking for a dominant strikeout pitcher who could lead the team and keep the pressure off the bullpen. The Carlton trade has cost St. Louis at least two pennants, possibly three. Unfortunately, the best word that can be used to describe the Cardinal pitching staff is "unknown." Joaquin Andujar will be the lead starter, but how good is he - really? Despite pitching in the best pitcher's park in baseball, he has a career losing record with average ERAs. Busch Stadium is definitely a pitcher's haven, and the Cardinals have a much better infield defense than Andujar is accustomed to, but how good he is remains to be seen. And if the staff ace has questions, so does most of the rest of the staff sans Sutter. Bob Forsch had two good seasons in a three-year span (1975, 1977), but he's been mediocre at best, although he did have a solid 1981. Steve Mura comes over from San Diego having led the NL in losses last season (14) with horrid ERAs. John Martin had a good 1981 but with a high ERA, making the loss of Templeton's nearly 200 hits a season and lack of a power hitter lethal. Herzog has a litany of names he throw into the starter's spot, the most curious one being Jim Kaat, who is now 43 years old and one of those pitchers used when the game is not in doubt either way. The relief staff, particularly Doug Bair and Sutter, are solid insurance for wins if the Cardinals can get to the late innings with a lead.

St. Louis should be in contention this year. With a few breaks, a healthy lineup, and the shrewd managing of Herzog, it would not be a total surprise for the Cardinals to win the division. But they will have to play as well against the lower section of the league as they do the powerhouses in order to succeed.

Next time: the NL West, starting with the Atlanta Braves.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

ATLANTA BRAVES
Overall finish last year: 5th
Major Additions: Donnie Moore, Joe Torre
Major Losses: Gaylord Perry, John Montefusco, Bobby Cox
Strength(s): offensive scoring, speed, late relief
Weakness(es): starting pitching after the first two guys
Projected Finish: 3rd

Last spring, retired Braves shortstop Darrel Chaney was part of a television ad campaign on WTBS with several Atlanta players hyping up the season, the key claim being, "This COULD be the year!" But the baseball strike gutted any Atlanta hopes, as they dropped 16 of 24 games going into the strike despite becoming the first team to tee off on rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela, whom they drilled for 7 runs in a rough inning on May 28. The second half of the split season saw the Braves in contention, only 2.5 games out on September 12, only to fold like a lawn chair at the backyard bar-b-q, losing 12 of their last 15 games (ten by two runs or less), costing Bobby Cox his job. New manager Joe Torre is hoping to pick up where Cox left off in the building of the Braves, and there is one unmistakable sign the Braves think they have the horses to win this year: they let Gaylord Perry leave to free agency needing only three wins to become the first pitcher since Early Wynn in 1963 to win 300 career games. Given the Braves have finished in the bottom 3 in attendance every year since 1970 - a year that followed a division title - one would think they would bring Perry along at least to make history and sell a few tickets. The fact they didn't suggests they have bigger goals in mind than a two or three game attendance bump.

The Braves are building around a core of young players, apparently finished with the free agent market that has burned them with the signings of Andy Messersmith, Gary Matthews, and Claudell Washington. The Atlanta infield consists of three 24-year-old youngsters (Glenn Hubbard, Rafael Ramirez, Bob Horner) and the veteran at first, Chris Chambliss, age 33. The starting outfield appears to be a late blooming 31-year-old in his first full season, Rufino Linares, Dale Murphy (26), and Claudell Washington (28). And hot on Linares's heels is a speedster just waiting to be marketed properly in Atlanta with the cinematic name of Brett Butler. Atlanta also shows a deep bench with eternally youthful utility player at any position, Jerry Royster, and hopes for the return to full health from his ghastly 1978 injury, Brian Asselstine. The Atlanta offense is going to hit a lot of home runs, particularly at home, use their speed to turn a lot of singles into doubles, and steal (most likely) more bases than any team in their division despite not having the superstar base stealers in Pittsburgh (Omar Moreno), Montreal (Tim Raines), or Oakland (Rickey Henderson). The main problem for Atlanta is the starting pitching.

Atlanta will have a set three-man rotation of Phil Niekro, Rick Mahler, and Bob Walk, but the pickings are slim after those 3 guys. And Niekro is 43 years old in the easiest home run park in baseball having led the majors in losses in ALL of the last four full seasons played. Mahler is a late blooming 29-year-old with only one season in the bigs as a starter, and Walk had a great record in 1980 and a lousy one last year with a 4.57 ERA both years, suggesting he will only win games if his offense can score a lot of runs. Behind these three, the fourth and fifth starters will be some sort of bizarre rotation of Rick Camp, Rick Matula, Larry McWilliams, and Tommy Boggs. Boggs had a decent 1980 (12-9, 3.42 ERA) then drove off the cliff last year with a disastrous 3-13, 4.10 season. If he can get some good run support from this good offense, Boggs is capable of a 15-win campaign. Behind the starters, however, Atlanta has one of the best relief corps in baseball with no fewer than four pitchers capable of closing out a game: Al Hrabosky, Donnie Moore, Steve Bedrosian, and the cream of the Atlanta crop, Gene Garber.

Atlanta will score a lot of runs. Their starters will likely give up a lot of runs. It is incumbent upon the Braves to be ahead by the sixth or seventh inning or at least have the game close so the starter can turn it over to the bullpen in hopes of either a hold or a late rally. It is not impossible that the Braves could win the division title, but their progress towards that goal appears to be more likely in 1983 than this year. But tip your hat to them, it is still progress.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

CINCINNATI REDS
Overall finish last year: 1st
Major Additions: Cesar Cedeno, Alex Trevino, Greg Harris, Jim Kern
Major Losses: Ken Griffey, George Foster, Dave Collins, Ray Knight
Strength(s): infield defense
Weakness(es): 1981 offense is almost entirely gone, pitching staff is so-so
Projected Finish: 5th

The Big Red Machine is dead. All that remains from the powerhouse that struck fear into the hearts of baseball fans for an entire decade is a third baseman who used to be the game's best catcher, Johnny Bench and a Hall of Fame candidate at shortstop, Dave Concepcion. Everyone else? Gone.

Perez. Rose. Morgan. Foster. Geronimo. Griffey. They're all on other teams and some, like Rose, have already won championships elsewhere. None of the championship years pitchers remain on the Reds (and for those who always forget this, Tom Seaver did not arrive until after the back-to-back World Series wins in 1975-76). Oh, and Sparky Anderson is also gone and not doing too badly in Detroit.

That is not to say the Reds won't have a talented roster capable of contending. Dan Driessen has already had a couple of .300 hitting full seasons with the Reds, and while Cesar Cedeno's career has not proven him to be the next Willie Mays, he's still been a solid player for Houston for nearly a decade. Alex Trevino is not going to be the next Johnny Bench, but he may not have to be. He'll have Bench nearby for tutelage and he's already shown some ability to play well at the big-league level. His trouble has been inconsistency. But one should not underestimate the losses the Reds suffered in the offseason - they were gutted more than any other team in the game, and it may show itself in the standings as soon as this year. The Reds lost an entire outfield of both speed and power, and a third baseman who may have had an off-year last season but was in the Top Five to the MVP voting in 1979 and an All-Star in 1980. Cincinnati lost a BUNCH of talented starters, and it remains to be seen if they have sufficient replacements behind them. We ASSUME they do because they Reds have continually swapped out and upgraded parts since 1970. A solid baseball team could be built with the parts the Reds swapped out who are still playing, including Lee May, Hal McRae, Milt Wilcox, Ross Grimsley, and Champ Summers. Are the replacements on tap capable of filling the void left by the departures of the entire outfield plus Ray Knight?

The Cincinnati pitching staff is...not the stuff of a first-place team. The problem of Tom Seaver is the problem of Bench. Although Seaver put together a phenomenal year that could well have won him the Cy Young Award (he lost primarily due to stiff competition and the hype surrounding Fernando Valenzuela), the fact is that he's a 37-year-old pitcher whose fastball has lost a little something. Would Tom Terrific have done as well in a complete season last year? Furthermore, the Reds may have had baseball's best overall record last year, but their pitching was below par even with Seaver's 14-2 mark. Cincinnati scored 464 runs (2nd best in NL), but 235 of those runs (more than half) now play for other teams. Mario Soto appears to be the heir apparent to Seaver, but as of now he is a low strikeout pitcher who surrenders a lot of hits (he gave up more homers than any NL pitcher last year). He will have to add another pitch to his arsenal to step up his game. Frank Pastore followed up a solid 1980 with a disastrous 1981. Can he return to the form of two years ago or was he another one-year wonder? Bruce Berenyi will fill the fourth starter spot, which means the Reds have a four-man rotation with NO lefthanded pitchers. Even if the Reds go with a fifth starter, unless lefty Charlie Leibrandt, usually used in middle relief, gets the nod, Greg Harris is also a righty. Look for the Reds to attempt to acquire a lefthanded starter before the season begins - assuming they can.

The bullpen will be solid with the acquisition of 1979 AL Fireman of the Year, Jim Kern. If Kern can recapture his past glory, the bullpen by committee of Tom Hume, Mike LaCoss, and Doug Bair has shown they can be quite effective. But they will only get the chance to be effective if the replacement outfield of Paul Householder, Eddie Milner, and Cedeno can score runs at the clip of last year's team, which doesn't really seem possible.

For the first time since 1969, the Reds are teetering. Their good players are old, and their middle-aged players are now gone, along with their postseason experience. General Manager Dick Wagner has been public enemy number one ever since he showed Pete Rose and then Sparky Anderson the door. It is his team that he has built or more precisely wrecked. If the Reds go down, so does Wagner. And if it doesn't happen this year, expect it to happen in 1983.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

HOUSTON ASTROS
Overall finish last year: 3rd
Major Additions: Ray Knight, Tony Scott, Randy Moffitt
Major Losses: Pete Ladd, Gary Woods, Cesar Cedeno, Joaquin Andujar
Strength(s): pitching
Weakness(es): scoring offense
Projected Finish: 4th

After 17 seasons where the Houston Astros had all but one finish of fourth or lower and never ended a season closer to the top than 10.5 games, they have enjoyed a brief run of success the last three years that has seen them contend only to end the season with a colossal choke that turns great seasons into nightmare endings. Three years ago, the Astros had a nine game lead on the Reds at just past the halfway point (85 games). They promptly lost 12 of 13 games through the All-Star break to lower their lead to only three games over Cincinnati. Still leading by 4.5 on August 14, Houston buckled and lost the race in the season's final week. Two years ago, the Astros tore out of the gate at 17-7 and stayed close to first all year long, the season's high point coming when All-Star Game starter J.R. Richard, who had pitched three straight complete game shutouts in May, mowed down the American League batters for two innings. But just three weeks later, Richard suffered a stroke that nearly killed him and from which he hasn't yet recovered, and Houston limped through the rest of the schedule just well enough to choke away a three-game lead in the last three games of the season, forcing a one-game playoff where the Astros prevailed. This choke job was followed by two collapses in the LCS only six outs from the World Series, where Houston blew two- and three-run leads in the 8th inning of both games and lost both in the tenth. And then there was last year, where the Astros battled valiantly and took a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five Division Series out to Los Angeles and got swept, scoring only two runs in 27 innings and never having the lead once. The question now is whether Houston's peak has been reached or if the Astros can take the next step.

The pitching staff, even without Richard, is the best top-to-bottom staff in the National League. Nolan Ryan, Joe Niekro, Don Sutton, Bob Knepper, and Verne Ruhle make up a staff of three potential Hall of Famers (if the cards fall right), a guy who won 17 games in 1978 for a third-place team and has been liberally compared to Sandy Koufax in his best moments, and a guy who 12-4 in 1980 (Ruhle). The question appears to be whether or not the Astros will put enough runs on the board to make those won/loss numbers stellar or mediocre. Even while winning the second-half division title last year, the Astros scored fewer runs than the fifth place Atlanta Braves, and that was before they let their best all-around player (Cesar Cedeno) leave. The problem with the Houston offense is they get a lot of runners on base, but they also leave a lot of runners on base, leading the NL in that category last year. That's not to say there's no hope. Jose Cruz would win a batting title if he could play in any home park besides the Astrodome, and Terry Puhl is a solid player as well. The infield defense is adequate, including Art Howe at third, which will force Ray Knight over to first, and Craig Reynolds at shortstop. Well, maybe. The late season acquisition of second baseman Phil Garner last year means that Reynolds may either move to the outfield or be out of a job because Dickie Thon's bat is better than Reynolds, and he's also a better fielder. Still, the solid pitching staff will be backed by an above average infield with two excellent outfielders. Catcher Alan Ashby is one of the most underrated backstops in the big leagues.

Houston could go either way, and the return of Richard would make another division title more likely. However, his return is highly unlikely and so is the notion that Houston has a division title anywhere in the near future.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Overall finish last year: 2nd
Major Additions: Mariano Duncan
Major Losses: Reggie Smith, Davey Lopes, Rick Sutcliffe, Bobby Castillo
Strength(s): pitching, hitting, defense
Weakness(es): a rookie at second base, complacency
Projected Finish: 1st

After three near misses of varying quality, the Dodgers finally - FINALLY - got it done last year, thanks largely to a player's strike that would have left them on the outside looking in in the event a full season was played. But all 26 teams agreed to the rules, so let's not have any dismissal of their accomplishment with words such as "asterisk" or "partial season." The Dodgers walked out of the clubhouse at Yankee Stadium with 100% of the trophy. The question now concerns what they will do for an encore.

They'll have to do it without Davey Lopes. The longest continuous infield in the history of Major League Baseball (1973-81) comes to an end after nine seasons. But it may not be a big deal because 21-year-old Steve Sax is ready for the majors, which made the 36-year-old expensive Lopes expendable. But even without Lopes's experience, the Dodgers may not miss a beat. They were second in the NL in home runs last year to Atlanta, and when you consider how much more difficult it is to hit them in Dodger Stadium than in Fulton County Stadium, the Dodgers have the best power game in the NL, led by Ron Cey and Dusty Baker, and if Pedro Guererro can play a full season, he's expected to be the best of the lot. (His fielding leaves a lot to be desired, however). Ken Landreaux returns in center, and he can flat out fly. With Mike Scioscia behind the plate, the Dodger chances appear to be good for many years to come, particularly as Steve Garvey adds to his consecutive games played streak, which now stands at 945, which is sixth on the all-time list. But as good as the Dodger hitting is, it is the pitching that has a number of pundits convinced the Dodgers will repeat as world champions. After all, free agency didn't touch the Dodgers as it did other teams, and the best pitcher on the staff last year was a mere rookie.

1981, of course, was the year of Fernando Valenzuela, and he swept everything. The hype, the Cy Young Award, Rookie of the Year, 5th in the MVP voting, 8 shutouts, a World Series ring, a Silver Slugger award for his .250 average as a pitcher, and a complete game win in Game Three of the World Series that shifted the momentum in the Dodgers' favor. Three weeks after accomplishing all of those things, Fernando turned 21. But Fernando, as good as he was, didn't carry the Dodgers' pitching all by himself. The starters behind him - Jerry Reuss, Burt Hooton, and Bob Welch - all had good years as well. And even the bullpen is solid with 1980 Rookie of the Year Steve Howe in a primary role as the closer, where he will be supported by Dave Stewart, Tom Niedenfuer, Alejandro Pena, and Terry Forster. The Dodgers can left-right you to death with their relievers, so much so that both Rick Sutcliffe and Bobby Castillo were shown the door after the World Series.

The Dodgers may - may - be the best all-around team in baseball. Their only real weaknesses are finding a place Pedro Guererro's fielding won't hurt them as much as his bat helps and whether Steve Sax will be a sufficient enough presence to replace Lopes at second. Otherwise, the team that won it all last year looks to have a solid chance to win it all again this year.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

SAN DIEGO PADRES
Overall finish last year: 6th
Major Additions: Manager Dick Williams, Garry Templeton, Luis DeLeon, John Montefusco,
Sixto Lezcano
Major Losses: Ozzie Smith, Steve Mura, Barry Evans
Strength(s): speed, new manager
Weakness(es): not much power, inexperienced pitching staff
Projected Finish: 6th

One thing can be said about the McDonald's owner owned team: they know marketing, and they know how to hire winners, flawed though they may be. After 13 difficult seasons without so much as a finish in the first division of the NL West, this might be the year they lurch forward, and if not this year, it should happen in 1983.

In his first season as manager at Boston (1967), Dick Williams took a team of also-rans to Game Seven of the World Series. In his first season as manager at Oakland, he won a division title and followed that with two straight World Series championships (1972-73). The talent he left was so good that his successor, Alvin Dark, won the 1974 Series and the division title the following year. In his third year at Montreal - and his fourth year, too - Williams had a lead that his team lost to the eventual world champion the last week. Okay, he wasn't so great leading the California Angels, but his team improved the entire time he was there and even after he was fired. The problem with Williams is somewhat similar to the problem with Billy Martin; both cannot say no to alcohol and wind up destroying themselves, although Williams does not tend to get into the papers for assaulting civilians. But the addition of Williams as the skipper immediately changes the outlook for San Diego.

There's no other way to say it: the Padres were terrible last year. Indeed, the Padres have been terrible pretty much every year of their existence. A number of the years they didn't finish in last place owes more to the general ineptitude running the Atlanta Braves since Hank Aaron left than it does anything the Padres have done. But Williams has always gotten results, and there's no reason to think he won't this year, too.

The Padres did exactly one thing right last year: they had a lot of team speed. The loss of Ozzie Smith for the better bat of Garry Templeton isn't likely to be much of a loss and may indeed be a gain. The only other thing at which the Padres excel, leaving few runners on base (they led the NL), isn't because they're impressive but because they don't have many runners on base in the first place. And they don't have a power hitter, either, their top total last year a whopping eight dingers by Joe Lefebvre. One of the hottest prospects, who had a decent September after his call-up last year, is rookie Alan Wiggins, who is potentially Omar Moreno with a better bat. And the infield defense of Tim Flannery and Luis Salazar combined with Templeton should be solid. San Diego's best all-around player - and this is not a good thing - is probably catcher Terry Kennedy, who is capable of a 25-homer, .300 season plus handling a pitching staff.

And it is a pitching staff of question marks. Except for newcomer John "The Count" Montefusco, the starting staff is 22-29 and has fewer than 100 career starts - and that's for the last four members of a five-man rotation! Williams will go with a right-left closer combination of Luis DeLeon and Gary Lucas, and a few young arms - notably Dave Dravecky and Andy Hawkins - appear capable of some good performances.

The Padres will play better under Dick Williams than they have up to this point in their history. It remains to be seen whether or not they will progress forward in the NL West standings, and it will probably not occur this year. But San Diego has hope for a bright future for perhaps the first time since they entered the league.

 

[BamaNation]

Prior to the 90's, baseball owners were much more like the used car salesmen many of them were. Not exactly the brightest bulbs and certainly not the most caring folks around.

Probably should have lost their monopoly exemption for being as dumb as they were.

Add that to rampant drug use across the league and you end up with a mess. But man, some of those players are still some of my favorite athletes to have watched growing up.

Thanks for putting this together. Fun to reflect on what 11-yo BN was doing that year (sucking at playing youth baseball was one thing)

PS> Obligatory: I hate the Dodgers. ... and the Padres.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Prior to the 90's, baseball owners were much more like the used car salesmen many of them were. Not exactly the brightest bulbs and certainly not the most caring folks around.

Probably should have lost their monopoly exemption for being as dumb as they were.

Add that to rampant drug use across the league and you end up with a mess. But man, some of those players are still some of my favorite athletes to have watched growing up.

Thanks for putting this together. Fun to reflect on what 11-yo BN was doing that year (sucking at playing youth baseball was one thing)

PS> Obligatory: I hate the Dodgers. ... and the Padres.

That's part of what I'm aiming for here, an attempt to give as much as possible to young folks or even folks who weren't around how it unfolded in REAL TIME.

Just think: Tony Gwynn will be making his debut in July on this board.

That - to me - is so cool to think.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Overall finish last year: 4th
Major Additions: Duane Kuiper, Doug Capilla, Rich Gale, Reggie Smith, Champ Summers,
Dan Schatzeder
Major Losses: Ed Whitson, Allen Ripley, Jerry Martin, Dennis Littlejohn, Enos Cabell, Larry Herndon, Tom Griffin
Strength(s): home run power, pitching
Weakness(es): hitting
Projected Finish: 2nd

The lineup of the San Francisco Giants really does make one consider whether a largely one-dimensional team might have just enough of one dimension to make a run for the pennant. Conventional wisdom would normally say "no," but this Giant pitching staff is deep with just enough arms to make a serious challenge to the Dodgers. The Giants don't have a team of all-time pitching greats nor do they have one superstar, but almost their entire staff consists of pitchers good enough to start for most teams, several of whom could be staff aces on the lower division teams.

It starts with Vida Blue, the only pitcher to ever win the All-Star Game in both leagues, and who had fewer than 14 wins for only the second time in his big league career last year thanks to the strike. His record was unimpressive, but his ERA (2.45) was among the best in the league, his poor record due to lack of run support. Number two starter Doyle Alexander continues his career trajectory of having one decent (though never superstar) year only to get let go at the end of the season. After winning 14 games for Atlanta in 1980, Alexander had an 11-7, 2.89 year in 1981, and if both pitchers had had just a little more run support, it is entirely possible they would have won the division at least. But it's not just these two starters; Al Holland and Gary Lavelle pitched well out of the bullpen, and Greg Minton has 40 saves in the last two seasons combined, an amazing accomplishment given Frank Robinson does not use the Herman Franks model of closer. San Francisco does not have the best pitching staff in baseball, but they have a very solid staff.

And their offense isn't too bad, either. Rookie Chili Davis is expected to play his first full season at the big league level and add home run power to a lineup that includes Jack Clark, Joe Morgan, and Darrell Evans. Morgan may be 39 before season's end, but he's still an all-around threat if not as much as during his MVP years with the Big Red Machine (1975=76). Evans might be the most underrated player not just in the game today but in the history of baseball. His batting averages are nothing to write home about, but his power game is adequate, he doesn't strike out much - and despite a low batting average, he gets on base a lot. He's also a solid fielder, but because he doesn't win Gold Gloves - thanks largely to Mike Schmidt - he's undersold there as well. And Reggie Smith may be 37 as the year begins, but he, too, is an underrated player in the winter years of a stellar career. The Dodgers didn't need him, so the arch rival Giants took him.

They're a good team, but not a great one. They are not as good a team as the Dodgers at least on paper, and Los Angeles has the more experienced manager with the "hasn't won a championship" monkey off his back. But they are only one free agent signing or severe injury to a Dodger starter away from finishing first. The Giants will be fun to watch in 1982.

This ends the previews section for the 1982 baseball season. We will begin (in progress) reports from spring training and developments and trades in the coming days. The season begins with two games on April 5, and the rest of the teams join the Opening Day parade on April 6.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

EXHIBITION STANDINGS ON 13 MARCH 1982


As a reminder, the good teams seldom are spectacular in spring training simply because their team is set while the lousy teams tend to do well because they are often facing teams of essentially second-string players hoping to make the club.

Here are the Atlanta Braves spring training results up to this point in 1982:

Game 1: Braves 6 Expos 2 (Tommy Boggs wins over Stan Bahnsen)
Game 2: Braves 1 Yankees 0 (Bob Walk, Rick Mahler, Rick Camp, and Preston Hanna combine for a nine-hitter
Game 3: Braves 5 Dodgers 0 (Jose Alvarez, Larry Bradford, Al Hrabosky, and Gene Garber hold the Dodgers to one hit)
Game 4: Braves 1 Orioles 0 (Niekro, Matula, and McWilliams extended Atlanta's pitching scoreless streak in spring training to 34 innings)
Game 5: Braves 7 Expos 5


Capsules:
- Fernando Valenzuela is holding out for a fat raise after his stellar 1981
- Pete Rose has not yet played due to back spasms
- 1980 Cy Young winner Steve Stone reinjured his elbow in his first spring training start
- Fergie Jenkins pitched well in his first return to Chicago spring training start
- Tom Seaver was clobbered by Pittsburgh
- Ken Singleton was awarded the Roberto Clemente Award for exemplary character off the field
- reliever Rawly Eastwick was hospitalized for choking on a hot dog in Mesa, AZ, after receiving a Heimlich maneuver that may have saved his life.
- Willie Stargell hit his first home run since August 8, 1980
- Johnny Bench is having trouble adjusting to playing third; he often plays it like a catcher, stopping the ball with his chest and hoping to throw out the runner in time
- Cubs GM Dallas Green said the Cubs will either have to move out of Wrigley Field eventually or join the rest of baseball by installing lights for home games

 

[selmaborntidefan]

MOUTH OF THE SOUTH PREDICTS DIVISION TITLE

Ted Turner, the eccentric and loud owner of the Atlanta Braves, is going on the record: his team with zero finishes in the first division in the NL West during his ownership (a streak going back to 1974, in fact) is going to win the NL West division. His first visit to spring training this year comes as the Braves improve their exhibition record to 5-0 with a second win over the Montreal Expos:

"The experts are picking us in the middle of the division, but I'm picking us first. I'm very, very pleased with what is happening here...Atlanta will go berserk!"

Turner followed by explaining his thought process:

"The Reds aren't going to be as good. The Giants are nothing special. The Padres don't have much. That leaves us, Los Angeles and Houston. L.A.? The longer Fernando Valenzuela stays out of camp, the better for us. Houston? If our young pitchers come through, we're better than them."

Turner then began to sing the praises of his own starting roster:

"There aren't more than two first basemen in the National League better than Chris Chambliss. Not more than one second baseman better than Glenn Hubbard. No third baseman is better than Bob Horner but Mike Schmidt. No team has two catchers better than Bruce Benedict and Matt Sinatro. Gary Carter might be a better one, but the Expos are paying him $15 million, so he ought to be! And our outfield, defensively, could be the best in baseball. We have one or two question marks left but not many. The biggest one, of course, is shortstop, but I wouldn't be surprised if Rafael Ramirez hits .290, maybe .300, and makes the plays, too. The other question mark is deciding which of our many outstanding young pitchers will make it. That'll be tough, but it's a good kind of problem."

Turner might be into marketing, but a number of his claims are absurd. Keith Hernandez and Pete Rose are easily better first basemen than Chambliss, and if Turner wants to argue the NL West, there's a fella named Steve Garvey in Los Angeles. Ron Cey is better than Horner at third, and a few other guys probably as well, including Darrell Evans and Art Howe. (Horner is severely overrated as a player; just look at his stats outside of his home ballpark compared to the home run haven of Fulton County Stadium. In four seasons as the starter, Horner's batting average at home is over .300 while barely hitting .250 on the road. And his home run totals are 72 at home and 34 on the road. And he makes a lot of errors with limited range in the field). However, he is also right in that Benedict and Hubbard are two of the best players in the game defensively at their positions but don't get a lot of attention. Hubbard, in fact, is believed to have lost last year's Gold Glove award to Manny Trillo - despite having two fewer errors with only one fewer chance - because Trillo uses a Rawlings glove (which sponsors the award) and Hubbard uses Wilson.

The Braves ARE improving. They are two players away from winning the World Series - if those two players are Babe Ruth and Sandy Koufax in their career primes.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

SPRING TRAINING UPDATES
March 13, 1982

There's a story waiting to be seen unfold: can Brett Butler make the major league team in Atlanta? Because if he does, this is a marketer's dream. Butler played 40 games when called up after the strike last year and while he hit only .254 in his first look at major league pitching, he stole 9 of 10 bases and drew 19 walks in his 145 plate appearances. Indeed, Butler had the best on-base ratio on the Atlanta team. With a name that sounds quite similar to "Gone With The Wind" protagonist Rhett Butler in a film about Atlanta getting burned to the ground no less, Butler may be able to cash in if he's minimally competent. The best Atlanta player in Richmond last year, Butler hit .335 while leading the International League in walks and runs scored.

Pete Rose has returned from the back injury he suffered while playing tennis. The outlook isn't near so rosy for Phillies' reliever Tug McGraw, who will have arm surgery. This will likely keep Sparky Lyle in a Philly uniform until McGraw returns.

The Dodgers aren't happy with Fernando Valenzuela's holdout, mostly because it will have an upsetting effect on the salaries of the rest of the pitching staff. Within the organization are murmurs that without his stellar start to open last season, Valenzuela is the third best pitcher on the Dodger staff behind Jerry Reuss and Burt Hooton, both of whom would then be eligible for sizable raises if Fernando gets the million bucks he wants. Those two starters combined clear less than $750K despite 24 combined years in the big leagues, and over 300 wins together.

Dave Winfield is no longer the highest contract in baseball. His $1.3M per year deal has been surpassed by George Foster, Gary Carter, and Mike Schmidt. Yes - Foster is currently the highest salary in MLB.

Gaylord Perry is feeling his age. Saying he still has a lot of kid in him, Perry said he came into the clubhouse and saw an 18-year-old pitching teammate and mused, "I've got a daughter old than that!"

Rollie Fingers will not be available on Opening Day for Milwaukee. He separated a shoulder when he fell on it while playing the team game "Flip," where players bat the ball to each other with their bare hands.

Buddy Bell is out for the time being with a sore shoulder, so Wayne Tolleson has replaced him at third for the Texas Rangers

Detroit hurler Milt Wilcox continues to recover from a dislocated pitching hand, suffered in a charity basketball game Wilcox joined at the request of boxer Thomas "Hit Man" Hearns. At 31, he needs a quick recovery or it's "so long baseball."

TODAY'S RESULTS
Pirates 9 Braves 8

After shelling starter Rick Mahler early for four runs and Dave Parker doubled in a couple more off Larry Bradford, the Pirates had a 7-1 lead on Atlanta, whose sole run came from a Bob Horner dinger. But in the fifth, Claudell Washington singled home two runs, Matt Sinatro hit a bases loaded triple in the sixth, and Brian Asselstine's RBI single got it close. The Braves took an 8-7 lead, but Lee Lacy singled home Brian Harper for the winning run in the 9th.

Phillies 10 Twins 2
Yankees 7 Orioles 6
Mets 4 Cardinals 1
Astros 8 Dodgers 3
Reds 3 Tigers 2
Blue Jays 4 Expos 3 (12 inn)
Royals 7 Rangers 1
White Sox 12 Red Sox 5
Cubs 6 Brewers 5
Padres 5 Angels 2

Seattle-Oakland and Cleveland-San Francisco were rained out.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

March 14, 1982

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner wants Dave Parker, who has expressed a desire to be traded, in pinstripes. Steinbrenner admits to having fruitful discussions with both Parker and the Pirates brass concerning a trade, and he also has his eyes on two Blue Jays pitchers, Dave Stieb, who wants out of Toronto, and Jim Clancy.

A Mexico City paper is reporting an agreement between Dodger holdout Fernando Valenzuela and the organization, but Dodger President Peter O'Malley denies this is correct. The two clubs are far apart as the Dodgers are offering $350K while Valenzuela wants $850K.

Rollie Fingers predicts he'll recover from his separated shoulder in half the time suggested by team doctors.

SCORES
Braves 4 Rangers 3 - Larry Whistenton's 2-run pinch-hit home run in the 8th in a 2-2 game lifts Atlanta to the win.

Giants 5 Indians 1
Orioles 8 Yankees 5
Reds 3 Phillies 2
Seattle Split Squad 5 Oakland 4
Brewers 3 Cubs 2
Cardinals 6 Mets 1
Pirates 9 Expos 1
Blue Jays 9 Twins 6
Red Sox 4 Tigers 1

 

[selmaborntidefan]

March 15, 1982

Just one year into a four-year, $750K per year contract, Don Sutton wants out of Houston. As in right now, preferably to the Angels or the Dodgers. Sutton, who will turn 37 before the season starts, framed it that he wants to live in his house that is 45 minutes from Dodger Stadium. Astros GM Al Rosen decided to declare publicly that "under no circumstances" will the Astros be trading Don Sutton to anyone. Sutton got some unexpected support from teammate Nolan Ryan, who said he had felt the same way and was fortunate he got to live in his hometown of Alvin, less than an hour south of Houston, when he signed with the Astros in 1980. Sutton also said he was not trying to cause problems, he just wasn't going to deny the way he felt, either. Rest assured - if the Astros aren't in contention come trade deadline and the price is right, Sutton will be gone in a moment.

The Expos traded infielder Dan Briggs to the Cubs for something later. The Cubs made room for Briggs by releasing infielder Mike Tyson.

Braves Manager Joe Torre announced - surprising nobody - that Phil Niekro will be the Opening Day starter on April 6 in San Diego. Niekro, who has been Atlanta's Opening Day (or in this case night) pitcher seven previous times, noted that his starts are usually somewhere cold in April, like Cincinnati or Atlanta, so he's looking forward to the warm weather in Southern California.

Brett Butler has not yet officially made the Braves, but murmurings have begun that Torre may move centerfielder Dale Murphy to left field if the speedy Butler stays with the big league club. Butler is battling three other players - Eddie Miller, Rufino Linares, and Terry Harper - as an outfield starter, and Butler has been the most impressive. Murphy is currently out of spring training with a viral infection, but Torre said such a move should not be taken as an indictment of Murphy's abilities in centerfield.

EXHIBITION SCORES
Braves 7 Florida State 1 - Rookies Gerald Perry and Glen Bockhorn each homered in a five-run seventh as the Braves topped the Seminoles, 7-1, in an exhibition game. Amusingly, both were optioned to the minors after the game.

Dodgers 6 Yankees 4
Blue Jays 3 Mets 2
Reds 9 Red Sox 1
Tigers 3 Pirates 2
Orioles 9 Phillies 2
Rangers 8 Expos Split 1
Expos Split 11 Royals 5
Cubs 4 Indians 0
Twins 3 Astros 2

Oakland vs San Francisco and San Diego vs Seattle Split were ended by the same rain that washed out the Milwaukee-California clash in the fourth inning with the Brewers leading, 2-1.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

March 16, 1982

MLBPA head (and blamed by some for last year's strike) Marvin Miller has filed a grievance charging collusion over the lack of movement of players, including the one that brought Sid Monge to Philadelphia. Miller's complaint is that Monge, a free agent, was offered less by Cleveland than by Philly, who signed him for less and THEN traded Monge to Philly. Miller insists it has nothing to do with whether Monge likes it in Philly or not, it's the principle of the fact they conspired to lower his value. Monge noted that Atlanta drafted him in the free agent draft and then didn't even make an offer. Miller hasn't stopped to ask why a 31-year-old middle reliever with a 30-38 record and a career ERA over 4.00 would even get an offer from a serious major league club. There MAY be collusion - but good luck proving it in this case.

Hall of Famer Luke Appling is advising the Atlanta Braves on hitting - and is quite popular with the younger players despite being 75 years old. The Braves also announced that Bob Horner is the team captain. Their best pitcher in spring training has been 23-year-old rookie Ken Dayley.

Toronto skipper Bobby Cox, who has developed a habit of being ejected, was tossed from yesterday's game for arguing over a safe/out call at second on an attempted steal by Anthony Johnson. Cox was tossed 16 times during his four years in Atlanta, including both ends of a double header by the same umpire (Lanny Harris) on July 13, 1980. Noted umpire baiter Billy Martin has been tossed four fewer times, although he missed nearly half of the 1978 season when he was fired, and Earl Weaver has been tossed 23 times during the same span.

A number of major leaguers and pundits are complaining about Bill Madlock's third batting title last season, which he earned with only 279 at bats in 89 games. Madlock noted that he doesn't make the rules that enabled him to win the title due to a shortened strike season. Pete Rose, who was the runner-up, had 152 more at-bats, and Madlock missed the last two weeks of the season with a sore thumb.

Fergie Jenkins pulled a hamstring just two batters into his spring start and had to be taken out. Gaylord Perry, who is trying to make the Seattle roster, was shelled for six runs in 3 innings. He's still a safe bet to make the roster simply because he only needs 3 wins to reach 300.

SCORES
Braves 15 Orioles 0 - 3 Atlanta pitchers gave up but 3 hits while the Braves smashed out 20 to lift their exhibition record to a league-best 8-1
Dodgers 6 Tigers 2 (10 inn)
Pirates 10 Twins 1
Blue Jays 7 Red Sox 3
Rangers 5 Yankees 2
Angels 6 Giants 2
Padres 13 Brewers 4
Oakland 3 Cleveland 1
Cubs 12 Mariners SS 3
Mexico City Reds 6 Mariners SS 2
Cardinals 13 Phillies 6
Reds 3 Astros 1
Royals 2 Expos 1 (11 inn)
Mets 6 White Sox 0