Now Hear This

Jason Michael Barker

Nothing specific today, as there were only five games in Major League Baseball Monday. Oh yeah, and the White Sox played as well. Seriously folks! You're a great crowd, thanks.

Speaking of the White Sox, the club fired hitting instructor Von Joshua early this week with the club averaging just over four runs per game. When asked what could have been done differently to save his job, Joshua replied that the team could've tried hitting the ball. Essentially, he's right. When a team is going well, nobody talks much about the hitting coach. But when the team stops hitting, it's easier to fire one guy than gut the entire batting order.

I know little, if anything, about what Joshua may or may not have done to help the White Sox. There's quite a bit at work here that's not his fault, however. For one, it's not his fault Frank Thomas is out for the year with a torn right triceps. Thomas, the club's best hitter, hit .328/.436/.625 last season -- you aren't going to replace that kind of production by simply calling up a guy from the minors. Likewise, it's not any of Joshua's doing that the White Sox signed Sandy Alomar Jr. to replace Charles Johnson behind the dish. Not only is Alomar a dreadful hitter, he's also eaten up over 100 at-bats this season.

Moving west, how about that Barry Bonds? After a three-homer day Saturday, the Greatest Player Since Ted Williams (tm) followed with a pair of homers Sunday, tying a Major League record with five in two games. He then added another shot Monday night. With his recent outburst, Bonds now has 23 homers in 41 games and is slugging a cool .915 on the season. Guess who isn't under contract for next season? He may be turning 37 this July, but there's no question Bonds can still hit. If the National League West weren't so wide open, I might suggest that the Giants trade him for a shiny prospect...

Speaking of which, despite owner Tom Hicks saying otherwise, rumors persist that the Rangers might trade Ivan Rodriguez before he becomes a ten-and-five man on June 2, at which point he would have to approve any trade (and likely a new long-term contract). With another full year left on his contract, Pudge has more value in trade than the typical rent-a-player.

Assuming his new team was interested in a new contract, you're likely looking at a seven-year deal worth roughly $20M per year. It isn't the money that's the problem so much as the years, as I'd be very wary of a contract of that length for a catcher who has been injured more than Mike Piazza and doesn't hit as well. That said, Pudge would be a great fit for some team for the next year and a half, assuming said team was willing to part with some young pitching talent.

Speaking of young pitching talent, A.J. Burnett pitched a no-hitter last week, and for all the talk in the media you would think the guy got shelled. Yeah, he walked nine batters, hit another and threw more balls than strikes. But it was still a no-hitter, and you can't take that away from the guy. By the way, with a strong outing in Colorado in his next start, Burnett's ERA ballooned from 0.60 to 0.84 on the year, with just 11 hits allowed in 21.1 innings. Of course he's walked 18 as well, but nobody's perfect.

Speaking of not being perfect, David Wells was at it again, mouthing off about anything and everything to anyone who would listen. At least, anyone who reads playboy.com. Does anyone really "read" playboy.com? I suppose that's for another time, and we do try to keep this a family website.

Getting back to Wells, who earlier in the year blasted Frank Thomas for not really being injured, the pitcher blasted both the city of Cleveland and Mets' manager Bobby Valentine in an interview this week. After essentially ripping Valentine for last year's "funny nose and glasses" stunt, in which Valentine tried to return to the dugout after being ejected from the game, Wells said he would sooner retire than pitch for the Indians. Yeah, that would be just horrible, going from a last-place team to a team with a legitimate shot at winning the World Series this year.

It seems that Wells doesn't really care about anything but his own agenda these days, and his comments get more and more inane by the interview. Will anyone take a shot on this guy, either at the trade deadline or after the season? The answer is certainly yes, because Wells can still pitch, but you have to wonder what kind of effect he has on the clubhouse. And that's coming from someone who doesn't normally put much faith in intangibles like chemistry.

Well that's about all for me. In conclusion: Von Joshua got a bum rap, Barry Bonds is the man, Pudge Rodriguez has trade value, A.J. Burnett rocks, and David Wells is a loudmouth. Did I miss anything?

Oh yeah -- try the veal tonight, folks, it's excellent. I'll be here all week, and don't forget to tip your server.

about the author

Jason Michael Barker is on his way to San Francisco, hoping to catch the next homerun ball of the bat of Barry Bonds. Suggest he'd be better off using a large net than trying to "will the ball" into his little league mitt when you write to jmb@strikethree.com.

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