If it’s Spring Training, everybody’s an optimist. At the moment teams step out on the sprawling green of the practice fields, everything is possible - the playoffs, a winning season, one more healthy season or the start of a Hall of Fame career. Unless you’re Drew Sharp.
In a world of unbridled possibilties, the Freep’s ‘C’ columnist (sorry, but I’m biased when it comes to the relative merits of Mitch, Rosey and Drew) has tacked toward doom with the “Trammell’s not going to be any good in October” theme. He’s pigeon-holed the 1984 World Series MVP as “a proud figure of the past brought in to divert attention from the mess of the present.” And I thought they brought him in because he showed promised working with young players as a coach in San Diego and Sparky always thought he was a good candidate to be a manager someday anyway. Silly me.
Sharp’s main complaint, or evidence, against Trammell is that the Tigers blew a lot of games in the late innings last season. (Baseball Reference only tracks one-run games, and they were an ugly 12-27 in those.) Of course, the three guys they’re planning on as the back end of the bullpen this year weren’t with the team last spring. (Urbina signed March 29.)
In any case, others are much more optimistic about the season:
- The old sage of the Cardinals, Whitey Herzog, says the Tigers should be capable of good things.
- Urbina’s happy to be in camp, happy to be throwing batting practice, happy to be a set-up guy after being supplanted as the closer, heck, he’s just happy.
- Around the rest of the league, the Cards got a happy look at former phenom Rick Ankiel.
- The A’s taught former Texas reliever (and CWS star) Huston Street a change-up over the winter.
- And, using probably the only reference to Methuselah this season, the Times looks at the outfield of the mostly geriatric Giants. Elias says its the oldest outfield in the game. Ever. But since it’s spring, everyone is young again.
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