| | March 20
One of our a favorites here at ESPN.com announced his retirement.
After getting roughed up on Sunday, Mark Langston got his cell phone out of teammate Chuck Finley's car, called his wife and then called it a career.
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Rumor Central
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According to the Los Angeles Times, Angels GM Bill Stoneman met with Jim Edmonds over the weekend and told his center fielder that he's not going anywhere.
"As far as I'm concerned, he's going to be an Angel all season," Stoneman said. The Yankees wouldn't part with Ramiro Mendoza or Alfonso Soriano and the Angels turned down Oakland's offer of Ron Mahay and pitching prospect Jesus Colome.
Seattle, meanwhile, has turned its attention to Matt Lawton and Bobby Higginson. The Twins are concerned about Lawton, who his hitting .259 wit only two extra-base hits. He was at the minor-league fields on Sunday working on his swing.
The Orioles continue negotiations on a long-term deal with Mike Mussina, who is seeking a five- or six-year deal worth about $14 million per year. The Orioles are believed to have increased their previous offer of five years, $50 million.
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Langston was one of the most underrated pitchers of his generation, toiling on bad teams most of his career yet ending up with a lifetime mark of 179-158. Only six active pitchers have won more games -- Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux, Orel Hershiser, Dwight Gooden, Tom Glavine and David Cone.
Langston was a four-time All-Star and twice won 19 games. He led the American League three times in strikeouts. For eight consecutive years -- 1986 through 1993 -- he pitched at least 220 innings each year. That workload eventually took its toll, as Langston suffered from elbow problems on and off the rest of his career.
"It's a relief from the standpoint I know I gave it my all, but the sadness is leaving what you love," said Langston, who allowed 12 earned runs in nine innings during six appearances this spring with Cleveland.
"I love going out and competing. Physically, I feel good. I pushed it all the way to the end. It just didn't work out between the white lines."
After reaching the majors in 1984 with Seattle, Langston never played on a winning team until 1995 with the Angels. That year, he lost the division tie-breaker game to Randy Johnson and the Mariners in the Kingdome.
He finally reached the postseason in 1998 with the Padres -- and he's still waiting for that third strike to be called on Tino Martinez.
Another of our favorites is Jeff Bagwell. Not that we need another reason to tout Bags as an MVP candidate, but here it is: he has discarded his contact lenses after undergoing laser eye surgery in the offseason. He now has perfect vision.
"It's amazing. I don't have to worry about different conditions
in different ballparks," he said. "My contacts used to dry out on
me, and on windy days, the dust gets in your eyes."
Bagwell hit 42 home runs with 126 RBI last year and moves into what should be a more hospitable hitting environment at Enron Field.
"You can't be satisfied," said Bagwell, who is tinkering slightly with his stance again this spring, trying to get less movement in his hands before he starts his swing. "I'm always trying to
get better. I haven't had a perfect season yet, and I'm sure I
never will, but until I do, you have to keep working for it."
Injury update
Wilson Alvarez threw Sunday and felt good afterwards, but it looks like he won't be ready for Opening Day. He'll probably need to go to extended spring training to get some innings in and open the season on the DL.
Meanwhile, Devil Rays teammate Juan Guzman left Saturday's start with tightness behind his right shoulder blade. Guzman will take three days off and throw on Thursday. If all goes well, he should be OK to start the season.
Problems with the Cubs. Ismael Valdes is suffering from "dead arm" and will be checked on in a few days to see if anti-inflammatory medication is working. Glenallen Hill pulled his left hamstring on Sunday and will be re-evaluated on Monday.
White Sox righty Kip Wells has a nasty bruise on his pitching shoulder after getting nailed by a Mo Vaughn line drive. He may miss a start. He is scheduled to start Chicago's second game of the season.
Braves reliever Kerry Ligtenberg was struck by a Quinton McCracken shot in Saturday
night's game at Caracas, sustaining a cut on his cheekbone and a
bruise under his right eye. He's OK and on Tuesday he is scheduled to pitch two innings for the first
time this spring.
Position battles
The Rangers may keep only one true outfield backup -- Chad Curtis -- leaving David Segui and infielder Scott Sheldon as the emergency reserves out there. Segui also said he'll accept his role as the designated hitter, with Rafael Palmeiro getting most of the time at first base.
Peter Bergeron has all but won the center field job with Montreal thanks to a .304 average (although with no extra-base hits). Milton Bradley is hitting .222.
Fantasy corner
You asked, you got it. The Rights (and Wrongs) of Spring Training five sleeper pitchers for 2000:
1. Dustin Hermanson, Expos. After struggling the first half last season (5.48 ERA) with possible shoulder problems, he had an excellent second half (2.95 ERA). Look for him to turn around that 9-14 record and post an ERA close to 3.
2. Bruce Chen, Braves. With a spot all but assured in Atlanta's rotation, Chen is primed to have the year analysts thought he would have a year ago. Last year, he was 2-2 with a 5.47 ERA in 51 innings for the Braves. His biggest problem was home runs -- he allowed 10 of them -- but his other numbers were good: a .208 average against him and 45/27 K/BB ratio. Look for 12-14 wins this year.
3. Kip Wells, White Sox. Never bet on a rookie pitcher. Well, almost never. Wells is the real deal with a terrific arsenal of pitchers and a demeanor compared to Mike Mussina. That's good enough for us.
4. Dave Veres, Cardinals. Don't be surprised if Veres is one of the better closers in the league this year. He had 31 saves (with a 5.14 ERA) with the Rockies last year, but his ERA away from Coors Field was 2.52 and he had a 38/9 K/BB ratio. With the playoff-contending Cards, he could save close to 40 games with an ERA under 3.
5. Eric Milton, Twins. Don't be surprised if he's the best lefty in the American League this year. His offense will have trouble scoring enough runs for him and a shaky bullpen will surely blow a few of his leads, but he could still win 15 games with a nice ERA.
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ALSO SEE
Previous Rights (and Wrongs) of Spring
ESPN.com's spring training 2000 coverage
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