After a quiet couple of days, Duaner Sanchez gets us back on track by approaching his rehab from last season's cab accident with the same relish that Tim Hardaway has for Broadway musicals. Sanchez couldn't seem to find his way to Mets camp on time and earned the ire of his manager Willie Randolph. Judging by his rotund physique, the all-you-can-eat buffet at the Port St. Lucie Shoney's was keeping him from getting to the trainer's room a the required hour. Randolph kicked Sanchez out and told him to get back on track and the reliever showed up on Friday before his 8 AM meeting with the skipper. MetsBlog has the transcript of Randolph's comments,
"It was very productive…I’m glad we had a chance to sit down and talk face to face. He understands now, he understands his responsibility and he showed remorse and he understands now that he needs to get with the program and I’m confident that he will…we’re ready to move forward, and get him ready to pitch. He heard me loud and clear. Again, he showed a lot of remorse, he was sorry, maybe a little bit emotional…but I think he understands now his total commitment to and responsibility to this team. We’ll see moving forward, but I’m confident that he understands that this is a team and that we are all working under the same umbrella."
Maybe a little emotional = cried like a little girl who lost her dolly.
- Remember that congressional hearing when Sammy Sosa played the "I no speakie the English" card to get out of talking about steroids? And how a lot of people accused him of playing up his lack of facility with the language? Maybe he wasn't playing. ''But they say no, they was OK,'' he said. ''I pretty much have an opportunity with Chicago -- I mean, Texas -- and they are the one that step up to the plate, and they are the one that look like genius now.''
- Mark Prior's fallen behind the dark horse in the Cubs rotation battle. At least Lou Piniella made an attempt at finding a silver lining. ''You know what, he threw the ball a little better,'' Piniella said after a pause. ''He couldn't get his breaking ball over at all, and he's pitching with one pitch [an 87-88-mph fastball], and he's not locating that pitch. So it's not really a recipe for success right now.''
- Gary Sheffield says that he wanted to go to Boston, not New York, which is both factually untrue and a moot point. That said, if there's a more entertaining interview with a more self-centered view on the way the world works I've never heard of 'em. “I never got that sense either,” he said. “Even when I was out in public, Boston fans would say, ‘Why are you hanging out with Jeter? We hate the Yankees, but we respect you.’ And Jeter would say, ‘Man, when we go out in Boston, no one messes with Gary. Everybody’s always talking good about Gary.’ I used to wonder why, too. Maybe it’s the style of play or something else, but I always sensed the respect factor, even when I came to the plate.”
- Howie Kendrick's fast, swings the bat with skill and has a good glove at second base. According to Mike Scioscia, he's just a debilitating throwing problem away from being an old teammate of the Angels manager. "There's definitely some comparisons," Scioscia said. "Both guys worked hard to become good second basemen, both have speed, although Saxy might have had more pure speed in terms of stealing a base. And both can hit."
- Joe Nelson of the Royals may not be a very good baseball player, but he's no dummy. He wore #55 before Gil Meche came to town with his $55 million contract and he wasn't giving it up for nothing. "Meche has had to buy Nelson a couple of suits, a set of golf clubs and "all kinds of other junk," as Meche put it."
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