BY SCOTT LAUBERCLEARWATER, Fla. -- Chan Ho Park is the Phillies' No. 5 starter.
Sorry for the delay in posting, but I just came upstairs from the clubhouse. Lots going on here, obviously. Haven't heard yet from Park or J.A. Happ, or Charlie Manuel or Rich Dubee. But Ruben Amaro Jr. did brief the media a little while ago. Among other things, he said the Phillies have not decided if Happ will be in the major-league bullpen or in the triple-A rotation. Also, he said he has contacted Gary Sheffield's agent, although he wouldn't elaborate on that conversation. So, we're not sure if Sheffield would be willing to accept a bench role with the Phillies. Sheffield, of course, is one home run shy of 500 for his career. He always has been an everyday player and has only 34 career pinch-hit at-bats. Also, he's known for being, well, high-maintenance. I wonder how he'd fit into the Phillies' clubhouse.
Some other highlights from Amaro:
(On why they chose Park over Happ): "Frankly, I think our entire staff felt Park pitched better, and we're a better club with him in the rotation at this time."
(On whether Park's reluctance to pitch out of the bullpen played a factor): "Like I said, we're trying to put the best team together, and we felt like him being in the fifth-starting position was our best chance of having success, at least at this time. He won the starting job outright, and that's what we felt was the best thing to do."(On whether there's concern that Park hasn't been an effective starter since 2001): "We think he can do it, frankly, on the way he's pitched. He's come in prepared to take this job, and again, this is not something that necessarily has to continue. We expect all of our starters to perform, and if they're not performing, they'll be taken out of the rotation. This is the decision we've made now, and we're hoping he can give us 200 innings and be an extremely successful starter for us."
(On whether Happ could factor into the bullpen): "I think so. We gave him the opportunity in the playoffs and the World Series. When you have that kind of confidence in the guy, even in a short look, we feel like he can do that."
More later.
2 comments:
Gary Sheffield has always been a self-centered, high-maintenance pain in the nether regions (that should slip by the censor), but he's always had the skills to back it up. His bat was slow last year, and hasn't shown signs of life this spring. why screw up the chemistry, which was arguably this team's biggest asset last year? Don't like it at all. Personally, I'm hoping he signs with the Braves, as it will give me 3 games to see his 500th homer.
So, let me get this straight— the Phillies pay $31.5 million and forego one and potentially two first-round draft picks to possibly downgrade their defense, probably downgrade their offense, and definitely skew a lineup that was already tilted toward left-handers. The reason cited for this stroke of general managerial genius is because Raul E-banez is the single greatest source of clubhouse chemistry in recorded history. Why, if the Phillies had the benefit of E-banez’s magic pixie dust last season, they might have won the World Series in four games instead of five!
However, Ruboy Wonder eventually comes to the realization that all the magic pixie dust in the world is not enough to make platoon splits disappear and his solution to the problem is to... sign Gary Sheffield? The same Gary Sheffield whose ego is so big it requires its own seat on the team charter? The same Gary Sheffield who shoulder is so shot that he now has to take swings at fans with his glove hand? The same Gary Sheffield that is being paid $14 million to go away by the Tigers— a team that recently placed Dontrelle Willis on the disabled list with a disturbance in his midi-chlorian count? THAT Gary Sheffield?
Spending indulgently on E-banez’s intangibles and then signing Sheffield is the equivalent of paying BMW prices because you like the Chevy Impala’s paint job and then parking the car next to a paper mill. Walt White is not as bad for chemistry as Gary Sheffield. Let Gary sheffle off this mortal coil.
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