Rewind: Another look at the bullpen brawl
01:10 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 22, 2004
The bullpen brawl with the A’s won’t go away. Because of some compelling
performances, it's like a movie that stays in your mind long after
you’ve seen it.
I liken it to Goodfellas, which is my all-time favorite flick.
It’s a great movie, with a great story and great performances.
But here’s the kicker: Good as Goodfellas is, there is no
character in the movie you root for. No sympathetic figure.
The chair incident strikes me (pardon the choice of words) much the same
way, although it’s hard not to feel terrible that fan Jennifer Bueno
ended up leaving the stadium with a broken nose.
Just look at the main participants:
• Frank Francisco: There is no excuse, explanation or
reason for throwing a chair into the stands, especially when the player
who did so was not in the vicinity of the heckling when it escalated.
Francisco ran from the dugout to the fray. The next thing you know, the
seat hit the fan (as Dallas Morning News headline writer Carl
Ellis so eloquently put it in our print edition).
• Craig Bueno: He admitted he was heckling the Rangers all
game. For a guy who said he had done some youth sports coaching, this
doesn’t come across as terribly sporting.
• Doug Brocail: A veteran who has been in some ugly fights
(see the Detroit-Chicago melee of 2000) simply let a fan get under his
skin in an important game. Instead of having rabbit ears for the stands,
he should have been focused on the game. Also, as he mentioned two days
later, he should have approached a security guard rather than the stands.
• Manager Buck Showalter: He came off looking uncaring.
After the game, he could have helped tone down an already inflammatory
situation if he had simply said he was unaware of all the details, that
he was sorry a fan left the stadium injured and that beyond that he’d
have to do his own investigating. Instead, the comments about Oakland’s
fans being over the line seemed to point fingers and struck many in the
Bay Area and elsewhere as cold.
It made for several interesting days of stories. None was of the
feel-good nature.
Q: It has been discussed before in this forum that the
out-of-town scoreboard at Ameriquest Field always leaves out one NL game
so the pretty people sitting in the Gold Club can get a glimpse of the
Rangers score on the base of the left field wall. What I'm wondering is,
who decides which NL game to omit? One would assume that all "big"
matchups are posted -- i.e. the wild-card race between Chicago, Houston,
Florida and San Francisco. Tonight I noticed that the hugely pivotal and
immensely exciting tilt between the Brewers and the Reds was left off
the wall scoreboard. Sorry I couldn't get updates for that one.
GRANT: There is no set-in-stone policy for what score gets left
out. Usually, if there is a day game, it’s the one that gets left out.
At this time of year, though, I think the scoreboard folks are
considerate of those interested in pennant races, which is why
Reds-Brewers didn’t make the cut.
• • •
Q: What's the latest on Colby Lewis? Does he still fit in the
picture as a starting pitcher or are we looking at another potential
Justin Thompson?
GRANT: A Lewis-Thompson comparison is not valid. Thompson has had
multiple surgeries since 1999. Lewis has had one. Granted, he won’t be
back pitching before the middle of next year, but that’s a far cry from
Thompson, who hasn’t pitched in the majors in five years.
Lewis is still in the mix. If things fall right for the Rangers, though,
he’s going to have more of an uphill battle. The team has developed one
starter in Ryan Drese and hopes to have at least one from the Juan
Dominguez-Chris Young twosome. There are high hopes for Ricardo
Rodriguez when he returns from injury next season. If all those guys fit
into the rotation, along with returning Kenny Rogers, Lewis is going to
have a hard time forcing his way in next season.
It could mean a move to the bullpen. It could mean an extra-long rehab
assignment. If it all works out, it’s a great problem to have.
• • •
Q: When you mentioned Rangers shortstops of the future, you
listed Ian Kinsler and Joaquin Arias but not Drew Meyer. Do the Rangers
no longer consider Meyer a major league prospect or is his future at
another position?
Paul Ivice, Jacksonville, Fla.
GRANT: Certainly the environment around Drew Meyer has changed.
Kinsler and Arias made huge jumps this season, and Meyer first went
backward, then got hurt. Meyer's biggest supporter, Grady Fuson, is no
longer in the organization, putting his future with the Rangers in
question.
Arias is likely headed to Double-A next year, which means a position
switch for Meyer may be in the offing. Remember, though, when he was
drafted, it was with the idea he could eventually be a center fielder.
The Rangers at the time had a long-term answer at short. His name was
Alex Rodriguez.
• • •
Q: Do you think Kevin Mench will be traded? How is the clubhouse
dealing with Chan Ho Park. Are things going OK?
Norton Rosenthal
GRANT: Kevin Mench’s strong second half has made the Rangers’
decision not to deal him at the trading deadline look brilliant. Going
into the week, Mench was hitting .287 since the All-Star break with 10
homers and 26 RBIs in 53 games. In that stretch, he has played more
regularly. The only downside is that many of his homers have come with
the bases empty. He must prove he can be a bigger run producer to be
untouchable, but he’s on his way.
Since returning from the DL, Chan Ho Park has been more animated and
worked more quickly on the mound. Those are the two biggest things the
Rangers wanted to see. His teammates probably would have lost patience
with him if he had continued to mope on the mound and worked at an
interminably slow pace. The Rangers are happy to have anybody on the
mound who gives them a chance to win. For the most part, Park has done
that.
• • •
Q: Jason Conti plays a great center field but doesn't have much
success with the bat. It would seem that if Rudy Jaramillo could improve
Conti's hitting to the upper .280s, he would be a real prize. Is
Jaramillo working with Conti?
Glenn Brown
GRANT: Jaramillo worked with Conti in the spring as he did with
every other player. If Conti signs a minor league contract with the
Rangers this offseason and Jaramillo stays with the Rangers, it’s
entirely possible Conti could come here and work with Jaramillo all
winter.
• • •
Q: Surprisingly, the Rangers look as if they are going to finish
fifth in the AL in ERA this season, ahead of the Evil Empire. I'm sure
there are going to be a lot of fans demanding a starting pitcher in the
offseason, but I'm really wondering if that's in the team's best
interest. With the way Chris Young seems to be forcing his way into the
Rangers' plans for next season, the rotation is going to be pretty
crowded with Drese and Rogers guaranteed spots and Park basically
guaranteed one if he's healthy because of his contract.
That's only leaving one spot for the likes of Colby Lewis, Ricardo
Rodriguez, Joaquin Benoit and Juan Dominguez to fight for. Do you think
that the Rangers would be better off pursuing a bat like Magglio Ordonez
this offseason as opposed to trying to acquire another starting pitcher?
A veteran middle-of-the-lineup hitter seems to be the team's most
pressing need.
Sean, Denton, Texas
GRANT: Like a magician, watch me make your theory disappear. As
mentioned earlier, it doesn’t appear that Colby Lewis will be ready for
the start of next season, and in the wake of the Rangers’ decision to
put Juan Dominguez on the 60-day DL, the team said it can’t go into the
fall planning to commit a job to him either. It’s now pretty clear
Benoit’s future with the Rangers is as a middle reliever or setup man.
And Rodriguez will be returning from an injury that shattered his elbow
and could effect his delivery.
Add that together with:
• Kenny Rogers, who will be 40 ½ by opening day next year;
• Drese, who has one full successful season under his belt;
• And Young, who has come along way this year, but has less than 10
major league starts, and there is plenty of room for pitching.
I suspect the Rangers are going to look for a bat. As you and I have
mentioned, the White Sox's Magglio Ordonez is a great possibility. The
Rangers also will look for starting pitching (a serviceable 200-innings
pitcher in the John Thompson mold). And I think they’ll try to reinforce
the bullpen because for some reason relievers vary greatly in success
from year to year.
• • •
Q. With the likelihood the Rangers will not re-sign Brad Fullmer,
I go back and forth about re-signing Rafael Palmeiro for next season. It
looks like Baltimore wants to be rid of him and can't find a taker. Has
he burned too many bridges for him to re-sign here as a full-time DH? If
so, what are our other options outside of a surprise trade?
Charles, Mesquite, Texas
GRANT: Don’t expect Palmeiro back with the Rangers next season.
Forget the terms he left on; he’s already proven he can bury bad
feelings. The biggest reason is that his skills appear to be in decline.
The Rangers don’t need a 40-year-old DH who may not have anything left
to give. They need somebody who gives the middle of the lineup real
presence or somebody who gives them a bonafide every day leadoff hitter.
Frank Catalanotto would be interesting in the latter role, but his
inability to stay healthy for a full year makes him a big concern. As
for a middle-of-the-order hitter, say the Rangers can sign Magglio
Ordonez to play left field. Then they have Ordonez, Laynce Nix and Kevin
Mench for the outfield. They can afford to go a lot cheaper on the DH
and make him somebody who could fill in at first or third base
occasionally. Florida's Jeff Conine would fill that role.
• • •
Q: I just read the Rangers put Juan Dominguez on the 60-day
disabled list for numerous reasons, including that he "angered
teammates." What is that all about?
GRANT: I don’t think we ever referred to teammates being
"angered,’’ but several players have questioned Dominguez’s ability to
be counted on. Several instances have been mentioned.
One that did perturb many players -- and management, in particular --
was a perceived lack of focus on rehabbing his back injury. First, his
recovery took longer than expected. Second, he spent one pre-game
session in full view of his teammates asleep in the clubhouse (that got
him banished from the major league clubhouse back to Double-A Frisco to
continue his work). Finally, after an impressive outing against Oakland
in his return from the DL, he showed for a huge, huge game against
Anaheim and pronounced himself to ill to pitch. Do that and teammates
won’t think you are reliable until you prove otherwise.
• • •
Q: I must not be a true-blue baseball fan because I can't see the
point in booing a hometown player. Well, maybe a pitcher or two, but not
a second baseman. Especially not one like Alfonsio Soriano. He has made
more errors than we would like, probably a whole lot more than he
would like. But the bottom line, he is one of the best, if not the best,
second basemen in baseball. I would love to see some of those booing
fans get out there in a uniform and do what he does every day. Then we
would have a reason to boo. Soriano is not the only player on the field
to make mistakes, but he is always called for his. Other players
get the benefit of the doubt from some of the umps and all of the fans.
Why is that?
Pam Hathcox, Rowlett, Texas
GRANT: Obviously, Pam, you aren’t a true-blue fan. If you were,
you’d know that according to true-blue fan Craig Bueno of Livermore,
Calif., (the husband of the woman hit by the chair last week) that
heckling the opposition is an "American tradition.’’
Look, as fans, we all get frustrated by our own players and others, as
well. We have a right to boo. I don’t think we have a right to verbally
emasculate players, but that’s already been discussed. And we have a
right to boo our own players.
Some players are lightning rods for this more than others. It has been
noted on a couple of occasions that Soriano doesn’t run hard on some
ground balls and that he has jogged to first on hits when he should have
been hustling toward second. That’s a perceived lack of effort. But the
fact he brings a lot offensively would seem to cancel out all that other
stuff.
On defense, he has made more errors than any second baseman. Some of the
errors looked like lazy errors. But until his hamstring injury last
week, he played every day. I think he made some mistakes that looked
lazy when he was tired.
The bottom line: There’s no accounting for human emotions. Fans do what
they do.
