First things first: my well-intentioned tribute at the end of yesterday’s column went horribly awry when I mixed in the wrong Robert. It was public-address announcer Bob Sheppard who the Yankees honored with a plaque in Monument Park on Sunday. Robert Merrill is well known as well, and also closely associated with the Yankees: he…
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS Placed RHP Matt Mantei on the 15-day DL (weak shoulder); purchased the contract of RHP Vicente Padilla from Tucson. [5/5] Sometimes it’s fashionable to bash teams that give up a"known" major-league pitcher for pitching prospects/suspects. Usually, that’s because the ability to pitch in the majors is an unpredictable quality. Pitchers get hurt, and…
There has been a push over the past decade or so to get former baseball greats into upper management in the game, especially in high-profile positions. Some of these appointments have worked well: Hank Aaron in Atlanta has done a fine job as a visionary and public relations lightning rod for one of the more…