Fielder: No urgency for new contract
January 31, 2010
MILWAUKEE (AP)—On the field, nothing will change with Prince Fielder(notes). He’llplay first base, bat fourth and is still considered the key of the MilwaukeeBrewers’ offense.
Off the field, Fielder says there’s nothing to worry about right now,either. He wants to stay in Milwaukee as long as he can and there’s no urgencyin negotiating for a new contract.
“I came up here and I love it here, so I want to stay here as long aspossible,” Fielder said Sunday at the Brewers’ annual offseason fan event.“I’m here for two more years anyway, so I’m just trying to see what happensthen and all the other stuff hopefully will work out.”
Fielder hit .299 with 46 homers and tied for the major-league lead with 141RBIs last season. He has a year left on an $18.5 million, two-year deal signedlast season and the Brewers still hold his rights through the 2011 season.
“The guy is a definite force now,” Brewers manager Ken Macha said. “Ithink his contributions are greater than the numbers that he’s put up.”
After next season, Fielder could join a crowded class of free-agent firstbasemen that may include St. Louis’ Albert Pujols(notes), Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard(notes)and San Diego’s Adrian Gonzalez(notes). Fielder said he hasn’t done a lot of thinkingabout what’s in the distant future, but realizes he’ll be the youngest of thatgroup who could be available.
“I’ve never been a free agent. I’m just thinking on things I’ve beentold,” the 25-year-old Fielder said on his priorities. “The money’s great, butin the end, if you have money and you’re not happy; say, if the team doesn’tthink they’re going anywhere, you have to make sure everything is order when yousign that kind of long-term (contract).”
The slugger has had a busy offseason back home in Florida, moving into a newhouse in Windermere and taking his children to school daily. His home has aworkout facility and a batting cage, and he said he started conditioningimmediately after the season ended to keep his weight down.
“So I don’t turn into an obese person, because I can,” said Fielder, whoweighed 268 pounds last season.
Fielder, who is represented by Scott Boras, says his only concern right nowis playing out his first contract, even though he realizes he’ll be asked abouthis plans more and more as he moves closer to free agency.
“In the end, it’s my decision. But as my agent, he’s going to make sure Ihave the most information possible about what’s going to benefit me and myfamily first. That’s what it’s about first,” Fielder said. “My family has tobe happy and then we go from there.”
General manager Doug Melvin said he won’t discuss any negotiations becauseit can hinder the process, but the organization recognizes Fielder’s value.
“I don’t think there’s any secrets to what kind of player he is. You justhave to look at his numbers and his performance and how he’s been here in theorganization the entire time,” Melvin said. “(He) grew up here, developedhere, came on the scene quick.”
Melvin said he had no specific time to discuss Fielder’s future with Boras.
“It’ll all be done behind closed doors at a certain time and a certainplace and I don’t even know where that place is and I don’t know where that timeis,” he said. “There’s really not a story to it from my standpoint.”
In the meantime, Fielder will be right back where he’s comfortable thisseason—hitting cleanup for the Brewers, who scored the third-most runs in theNL last season. After making the postseason in 2008 and fading to 80-82 lastseason, Fielder has a simple goal for this year’s club.
“My thing is just to get better,” he said. “Worry about our divisionfirst, worry about our own stuff first. When your team is crisp, taking care oftheir business, then all that other stuff falls into place.”
Giants, closer Wilson agree on 1 year
January 30, 2010
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—Brian Wilson(notes) and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a$4,437,500, one-year deal on Saturday, avoiding an arbitration hearing.
The Giants confirmed to The Associated Press that the sides settled at themidpoint of what each proposed in arbitration.
Wilson has spent the past two of his four major league seasons as SanFrancisco’s full-time closer, recording 79 saves during that span and going tothe All-Star game in 2008. The hard-throwing right-hander has a career record of11-13 with a 3.73 ERA and 86 saves.
When the sides exchanged salary proposals, the 27-year-old Wilson asked for$4,875,000 and the Giants offered $4 million.
Meanwhile, the Giants could be headed to an arbitration hearing withtwo-time reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum(notes). He is seeking a record$13 million and the Giants offered their ace $8 million.
Getting Wilson’s deal done is another item general manager Brian Sabean cancheck off his long to-do list this winter. The Giants re-signed second basemanFreddy Sanchez(notes), utility infielder Juan Uribe(notes) and catcher Bengie Molina(notes). Theyalso added left-handed hitter Aubrey Huff(notes) to play first base and bat cleanup,and Mark DeRosa(notes) as a utilityman and likely left fielder.
The Giants hope they’ve upgraded their offense enough to be a playoffcontender in the NL West. San Francisco was in the wild-card chase well intoSeptember last season but ultimately missed the playoffs for the sixth straightyear.
“Our goal is to win the division. It’s not going to be easy to win 88games. We have to catch two clubs,” Sabean said recently. “I think it’simproved but it still has to translate on the field, and the players areresponsible for that. And we have more depth. We’re getting closer to feelingwe’re all that much stronger than last year.”
Negro Leagues Museum could be in trouble
January 30, 2010
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, a unique window intoa vital chapter of American history that the late Buck O’Neil helped open 20years ago, could be in trouble.
Attendance and revenues are down, and a decision by new management todistance itself from O’Neil has splintered many of its most loyal supporters.
What’s more, the recession has cut deeply into donations. After posting itsfirst loss two years ago of about $30,000, the museum is looking at what onestaffer termed “a monster loss” that could approach a quarter of a milliondollars when the final accounting for 2009 is complete. For a relatively smallmuseum that has always depended on the kindness of others, $200,000 is seismic.
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Much of the revenue loss is traceable to a drop in licensing revenue. No oneis predicting the museum’s imminent demise, but everyone agrees the trend mustbe reversed.
“For museums all over the country, dollars are becoming hard to find,”said Greg Baker, who took over as executive director a little more than a yearago. “We are challenged by that. We’ve got to raise money to keep going and ifwe don’t, we’ll end up closing our doors.”
If it shuts down, the country will lose the only museum dedicatedexclusively to black baseball’s unique contribution to American culture and thevital role those men played in the long and painful march toward equality.
“This place is cherished by too many people to let that happen,” historianand filmmaker Ken Burns said. “It would be a cultural tragedy.”
O’Neil, a two-time Negro Leagues batting champion and longtime manager ofthe Kansas City Monarchs, died 3 1/2 years ago at 94. Extraordinarily charismatic,he crisscrossed the country the last 15 years of his eventful life, spinningentertaining tales of long gone African-American stars while making friends andraising money for the museum.
He and a few others began the museum in a little office in 1990. With thehelp of Burns’ epic film on the history of baseball, the museum grew into a10,000-square foot facility in Kansas City’s historic 18th and Vine district.
Crammed with photographs, artifacts, memorabilia and interactive exhibits,it tells the story from the late 1800s until the late 1950s after the majorleagues became fully integrated. Just down the street is the old YMCA buildingwhere Rube Foster formed the Negro Leagues in 1920.
But O’Neil’s passing robbed the museum of its eloquent goodwill ambassadorand almost immediately, controversy and infighting set in among management.
Most divisive has been Baker’s decision to back away from the museum’sstrong connection to O’Neil. Some board members have resigned. Plans to move themuseum to the old YMCA building and build the Buck O’Neil Education and ResearchCenter have been put on hold in spite of a $1 million donation for that specificpurpose by Julia Irene Kauffman, daughter of the late founder of the Kansas CityRoyals.
“On hold, languishing, nearly forgotten—all are terms that are applicablehere,” said Mark Bryant, a Kansas City attorney and board member from 2004-09.
Like many, Bryant is disturbed by the shift from the memory of the museum’smost beloved ambassador.
“I believe that more than any other person, the success of the museum wasthe result of the efforts of Buck O’Neil,” Bryant said. “If we enjoy areservoir of good will, locally and nationally, it was built on the back of BuckO’Neil.”
Burns agrees.
“I am extremely disappointed in the tact it is taking,” he said. “It isfoolish, absolutely foolish in the extreme to think you would not take advantageof the meaning of Buck’s life to help this museum which he struggled so hard tohelp create.”
O’Neil’s voice has been removed from the museum’s telephone greeting. Butwhat has most angered many people was the decision to de-emphasize his annualbirthday celebration in November. The all-day party used to draw as many as 500people to the museum. But last year, a fraction of that showed up and the eventwas not used as a fundraiser.
Baker insists he does not intend to forget O’Neil and is trying to widen themuseum’s circle of friends. Toward that end, he has involved the families ofother Negro League stars in museum activities. Sean Gibson, the great-grandsonof Hall of Famer Josh Gibson and the head of the Josh Gibson Foundation inPittsburgh, presented a plaque at the museum’s annual Legacy Awards dinner onSaturday night.
“You might say people are still in shock that Buck is gone,” Baker said.“They are still languishing there. When you lose somebody like that, sometimesit takes a little time to bounce back. I think they will eventually see this isa really, really good strategy to help keep this museum moving and advancing. Ifyou love Buck, how can you separate the museum from Buck? I’m not Buck O’Neil.There was only one Buck O’Neil.”
The history of the Negro Leagues, as O’Neil often pointed out, is much morethan a baseball story.
Many historians believe the modern civil rights movement began even before1955 when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white person and promptedMartin Luther King to stage the Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott. They point toJackie Robinson breaking the major league racial barrier shortly after World WarII as the real spark.
But long before America had heard of Jackie Robinson, men like SatchelPaige, Oscar Charleston and Cool Papa Bell graced segregated baseball fieldsthroughout the country. Gibson was the only man to hit a ball clear out of oldYankee Stadium. They often beat all-star white teams in exhibition games thatwould pack the house and showed that black players were as skilled andentertaining to watch as whites.
By paving the way, they made sure mainstream America was ready to acceptRobinson—a former Negro Leaguer who played for the Monarchs—when finally hemade his courageous debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.
As it turned out, Robinson’s breakthrough to the majors hastened theeventual death of the Negro Leagues. But, as Buck O’Neil would admonish, wasteno pity on the Negro Leaguers.
“Feel sorry for the people who never got to see us,” he once said. “Wewere good.”
Pirates owner rejected Lemieux offer
January 30, 2010
PITTSBURGH (AP)—Officials with knowledge of the talks say the owner of thePittsburgh Pirates declined to listen to separate proposals to buy the team lastyear, including one from Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press onSaturday because the talks were private.
The Pirates, owned by Bob Nutting, are perennially unsuccessful butprofitable. The surprise offer from the Penguins came from Lemieux and co-ownerRon Burkle. Minor league team owner Chuck Greenberg also made a proposal, but helater joined Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan in a successful bid to buy the TexasRangers.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first reported on the Lemieux proposal Saturday.
Mariners, OF Byrnes agree to 1-year deal
January 30, 2010
SEATTLE (AP)—The Mariners added a right-handed bat, agreeing to a one-yearcontract with outfielder Eric Byrnes(notes).
Byrnes, who will turn 34 on Feb. 16, was let loose two weeks ago by theArizona Diamondbacks. Arizona owed him $11 million from the final season of a$30 million contract, and any team could sign him for the $400,000 minimum, withthe Diamondbacks responsible to for the remainder.
He a career .260 hitter with 189 doubles, 30 triples and 109 homers. Seattlegeneral manager Jack Zderiencik said on Thursday the Mariners wanted to add aveteran, right-handed bat to their lineup.
Byrnes was hampered by injuries the past two seasons and hit just .226 in 84games last year.
A’s, RHP Wuertz agree on 2 years, $5.25M
January 30, 2010
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)—Right-hander Michael Wuertz(notes) has agreed to a $5.25million, two-year contract with the Oakland Athletics that avoided salaryarbitration.
Wuertz was the last of the three Oakland players who filed for arbitrationto settle. The contract includes a club option for 2012.
He was one of the top setup men in the league in his first season in Oaklandlast year, going 6-1 with four saves and a 2.63 ERA in a team-leading 74appearances. He led AL relievers with 102 strikeouts in 78 2-3 innings.
Wuertz had asked for $2.9 million in arbitration after making $1.1 millionlast year and the A’s had offered $1.9 million.
Angels LHP Saunders agrees to $3.7M deal
January 29, 2010
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP)—Left-hander Joe Saunders(notes) and the Los Angeles Angels haveagreed to a $3.7 million, one-year contract, avoiding a salary arbitrationhearing next month.
The 28-year-old was 16-7 with a 4.60 ERA last year and has a 33-14 record inthe last two seasons. Eligible for arbitration for the first time, he had askedfor a raise from $475,000 to $3.85 million and had been offered $3.65 million.In addition to his base salary, he can earn $50,000 in award bonuses.
Shortstop Erick Aybar(notes) and catcher Jeff Mathis(notes) are the remaining Angels inarbitration.
Los Angeles announced the deal Friday night.
Feldman, Rangers agree on $2.4M, 1 year
January 29, 2010
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)—Texas Rangers right-hander Scott Feldman(notes), a 17-gamewinner season, agreed Friday to a one-year contract worth $2,425,000 and avoidedan arbitration hearing.
Feldman began last season in the bullpen before the Rangers moved him intotheir starting rotation April 25. All 17 of his victories came as a starter.Only four pitchers in the majors had more total victories and his 12 wins on theroad matched the most in the majors.
When they exchanged figures last week, Feldman was seeking $2.9 million andthe Rangers offered $2.05 million. Feldman, the last Rangers player inarbitration, agreed at $50,000 under the midpoint.
Feldman (17-8, 4.08 ERA), who turns 27 next month, became only the thirdplayer in Rangers history to win at least 17 games in 31 starts or less, eventhough he lost his final three starts. He joined Kenny Rogers(notes) (17 wins in 31starts in 1995) and Ferguson Jenkins (18 wins in 30 starts in 1978).
A 30th-round amateur draft pick by the Rangers in 2003, Feldman made 73relief appearances from 2005-07 while splitting time in the minor leagues. Hehad three stints with the Rangers in 2008, going 6-8 with a 5.29 ERA in 28appearances (25 starts).
Mets bring back INF Tatis, sign RHP Fogg
January 29, 2010
NEW YORK (AP)—Fernando Tatis(notes) has agreed to an $850,000, one-year contract tostay with the New York Mets, who also gave a minor league contract toright-hander Josh Fogg(notes).
The 35-year-old Tatis, who plays all four infield positions and the corneroutfield spots, gives the Mets additional depth at first base in case they don’tre-sign Carlos Delgado(notes). Tatis hit .282 with eight homers and 48 RBIs in 340at-bats for the injury-ravaged Mets last season.
Fogg, 33, was 0-2 with a 3.74 ERA in one start and 23 relief appearanceslast season for Colorado and has a 62-67 record and 5.08 ERA in nine big leagueseasons.
Yanks taking World Series trophy to Asia
January 29, 2010
NEW YORK (AP)—The New York Yankees are taking their World Series trophy toAsia.
A delegation of team officials, including team president Randy Levine andgeneral manager Brian Cashman, will accompany the trophy on a six-day tourbeginning Sunday.
The trophy will be displayed Monday in Tokyo along with the Yomiuri Giants’Japan Series trophy. It travels to Beijing on Wednesday, the first time it willbe displayed in China. The trip ends in Hong Kong on Friday.
Major League Baseball has made an effort to build the game in Asia, recentlyestablishing its first development center in China. There have been discussionsabout the World Series champion someday playing the Japan Series champion.
