Astros, Cardinals Ready for Round 2

The Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals, those National League Central rivals, would each seem to have enough to worry about.

The Astros had to put 16-game winner Wade Miller on the disabled list, and the two rookies on the left side of their infield--shortstop Adam Everett and third baseman Morgan Ensberg--are struggling at the plate.

The Cardinals, who opened the season deep in pitching, now must deal with the retirement of struggling veteran Andy Benes, the muscle injury that has sidelined Woody Williams for a month, the back spasms that forced Garrett Stephenson onto the disabled list and the absence of Rick Ankiel, who continues to wrestle with control and elbow problems in the minors. In addition, Tino Martinez, replacing Mark McGwire, began the weekend with one extra-base hit and is still looking to score his first run.

All of that, however, has been almost secondary to the little soap opera the Astros and Cardinals have been caught up in, over who won what last year.

Seems the Astros are upset that a banner in the home bullpen at Busch Stadium proclaims the Cardinals as co-champions of the Central last year. One Astro was so upset about it that he called the press box to complain during last week’s first series between the teams.

It will be recalled that they finished 2001 tied at 93-69.

The Astros, after defeating the Cardinals in the final regular-season game and winning the season series, 9-7, moved on as division champions, relegating the Cardinals to the wild-card slot in the playoffs.

Not only were the Astros offended by the banner, but they defaced the cover of a St. Louis media guide and circulated it through their clubhouse with the words, “2001 N.L. Central Co-Champions” changed to “Wild Card.”

Said Houston General Manager Jerry Hunsicker, obviously taking the matter seriously, “When we saw the Cardinals’ media guide, we kind of scratched our heads. We were awarded the division championship and they were awarded the wild card. That’s what we were told.”

St. Louis General Manager Walt Jocketty couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“I’m disappointed,” he said. “I would think they have more significant concerns than something trivial like that.”

Added Manager Tony La Russa, “Ridiculous. If you want to be champions outright, then win one more game. I hope they get distracted by that all season.”

Well, boys will be boys. Or as major league official Katy Feeney said, “If the Astros and Cardinals keep going on like this, we’ll take it away from both of them.”

Atlanta Burning

It isn’t just that the Braves lost four of six games to their NL East rival New York Mets in their first engagements of the unbalanced 2002 schedule.

Nor is it that they were 7-9 going into a weekend series with the Florida Marlins.

After all, it’s still early, as the slow starters like to say, and that’s what is bothering Tom Glavine. That and the back spasms that have restricted Greg Maddux to only 12 innings, and the team’s .196 batting average with runners in scoring position, and the 17 errors in 17 games, seven by shortstop Rafael Furcal and four by second baseman Marcus Giles.

“We can’t just be concerned about the standings,” Glavine said. “We have to be concerned about how we’re playing. We’re not doing the things a good ballclub has to do and we should be better than last year. We obviously have high expectations and, so far, we haven’t met any of those. That’s a very frustrating situation. I hate to think everybody is going to sit here and say, ‘Aw, well, it’s early.’ So what? Do something about it.”

Road Warriors

So, the Seattle Mariners wouldn’t be able to repeat their 20-4 start and 116 wins of last season. So, they wouldn’t be able to duplicate their American League-record 59 road victories of last year. Well, with their 14-4 record and 10-0 road sweep, all bets are off.

Said Manager Lou Piniella, explaining his team’s road success: “First of all, we have good players who are that much more confident of their ability after last year and that much more convinced that good things happen when you play as a team. Secondly, the conditions and the dimensions at Safeco Field force us to play a fundamental game that carries over to the road. And thirdly, some of the balls we hit into the gaps or are caught on the warning track at home, carry over the fence on the road.”

Turned Off

If the development of young pitchers Bartolo Colon, C.C. Sabathia, Danys Baez and Ryan Drese has helped compensate for the loss of Roberto Alomar, Juan Gonzalez and Kenny Lofton, enabling the Cleveland Indians to get off to a strong start in the AL Central, veteran reliever Paul Shuey also thinks there’s less of the star element in the clubhouse and better chemistry.

“There’s not as much ‘Me, me, me, I, I, I,’ this year,” he said. “It’s a much better atmosphere.”

Part of that improved atmosphere, he added, is the lack of music in the clubhouse. There is no stereo blasting so loud no one can talk, no one like Lofton fighting over the controls.

“This year, we’ve got 25 guys trying to reach the same goal every day, instead of worrying about what music they’re going to play in the clubhouse,” Shuey said.

Of course, that three-game sweep by the division rival Chicago White Sox ending Thursday night might prompt the Indians to reconsider.

Fire Storm

Joe Kerrigan, Phil Garner and Davey Lopes have walked the managerial plank since the start of spring training. Are Kansas City’s Tony Muser and Colorado’s Buddy Bell next? And if managers are hired to be fired, what about the people who hired them in the first place?