SAN FRANCISCO -- Even though Randy Johnson was the one who was pitching, catcher Dave Valle still woke up the next day with a sore left shoulder.
Valle, the Mariners' primary catcher in the early '90s, was the man who had to handle Johnson when he was more Wild Thing than Big Unit.
"The fastball would soar up and away (to righties) and if you'd catch it at the wrong angle, it would feel like your arm is going to be pulled out of the socket," Valle told FanHouse. "Then he'd throw that slider down at the back foot. So that was a lot of territory to cover for a catcher ...
"He was a rough day at the office for a catcher. He was throwing 100 mph and didn't have a real good idea where it was going."
Last week, when Pat Lackey told you about Odalis Perez's failure to show up at Nationals camp, he wrote that the "Nationals finished in last place with Perez and they appear pretty confident that they can duplicate the feat without him." They'll put that confidence to the test after releasing Perez on Monday.
That allows Perez to seek other employment, although there probabaly won't be too many suitors lining up to pay him more than $850,000 in this economy. Perez made a fuss about the lack of guaranteed money from the Nats, but he was going to make the team and guarantee himself the salary, so his real problem was with the amount. If he gets more, God bless him, but I wouldn't break ground on that pool just yet.
One of the great pastimes of the cynical baseball fan is to sit back, see what players fail to report to camp, and laugh for the ridiculous reasons given. The biggest name who is a no show right now is Odalis Perez, who's boycotting the Nationals' spring training camp with some ridiculous results.
According to this story, Perez verbally agreed with the Nats on a contract similar to the one he signed last year -- a minor league deal that would pay him $850,000 if he makes the team. That seems like a fair deal to me and the Nationals clearly think it is, but Perez has apparently changed his mind since agreeing to it. He's also decided that the best way to address the situation is simply by not showing up to camp.
* "In 21 months, or just 324 regular-season games from now, Derek Jeter's contract expires. At that point, the Yankees have to decide what to do with Jeter and Jeter has to decide what to do with the Yankees. [...] By 2011, the Yanks could have either Jeter or just his future plaque at Monument Park play short; they will have about the same range." -- Joel Sherman, New York Post
* "Sorry Punxsutawney Phil and your six-more-weeks-of-winter prediction, but if you live in New England and are a fan of Red Sox, a sure sign of spring has arrived -- Truck Day!" -- Steve Silva, Boston Globe
Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2009.
You have to search pretty far and pretty wide these days to find a corner of Major League Baseball where there is virtually no hope. Parity is a reality. The Rays reign in the AL. There have been seven different champions in the last eight seasons and 23 different teams have qualified for the postseason since the beginning of the decade.
Enter the Washington Nationals, one of those few dark corners in the baseball world where it's hard to find anything to feel good about. They have a shiny new stadium in D.C., but it had one of the poorest first-year attendances of any ballpark in the post-Camden Yards era. The broadcast ratings haven't been much better either.
Of course, most of that trouble is related to the product on the field, and what an abysmal product it is. MLB's role as caretaker of the franchise during its last days in Montreal and its first days in Washington has buried it in a deep hole, and general manager Jim Bowden seems to have exacerbated the problem.
No matter what happens this winter, the Nationals have a long way to go.
With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.
- Along with Colorado closer Brian Fuentes, Baltimore left-hander George Sherrill continues to be the hottest commodity on the trading block, drawing interest from many contenders including the Cardinals, Rays, Red Sox and Marlins, according to Dan Graziano. The Orioles remain somewhat reluctant to even deal their closer, particularly since their bullpen is a bit shallow after Sherrill, Dennis Sarfate and Jim Johnson and also because he is under team control for the next three seasons after this one.
Mark Teixeira, Braves Buzz: Though Atlanta has denied a willingness to trade Teixeira over the last few weeks, the club appears to be moving toward becoming a seller. How the Braves play over the next week will likely determine whether or not the team moves the slugger.
Jeff Zelevansky, Getty Images
A.J. Burnett, Blue Jays Buzz: Though several teams have scouted Burnett, trade movement remains slow as teams balk at the right-hander's uncertain contract status. He has great stuff and would be a quality No. 2 starter for a contender down the stretch.
Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images
Brian Fuentes, Rockies Buzz: The closer has reportedly been scouted by seven different clubs over the last few days, but Colorado's asking price -- rumored to be a top pitching prospect -- might be scaring potential suitors off. Florida will not deal Chris Volstad for Fuentes, but is still pursuing a deal for the southpaw.
Doug Pensinger, Getty Images
George Sherrill, Orioles Buzz: The Cardinals and Angels are among the teams who have asked about the closer, while the Brewers are not. Baltimore's rumored asking price is said to be two or three prospects.
Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images
Barry Bonds, Giants Buzz: The Yankees are the latest team to say they won't rule out pursuing the all-time home run king now that Hideki Matsui could miss the rest of the season. Hank Steinbrenner has admitted that the team will discuss Bonds in the next few days as they go over their options.
Lisa Blumenfeld, Getty Images
Jarrod Washburn, Mariners Buzz: The Seattle left-hander is drawing interest from the Yankees, who could use him to bolster their rotation. While not an ace, Washburn is a reliable innings-eater.
Otto Greule Jr, Getty Images
Huston Street, Athletics Buzz: Though some teams are worried about the recent drop in his arm angle and velocity, Oakland's closer seems to have no shortage of suitors. The Reds are the latest team believed to have expressed interest in Street. The Brewers have also made inquiries about his availability.
Jed Jacobsohn, Getty Images
Greg Maddux, Padres Buzz: San Diego would ideally like to move the future Hall of Famer, but he has a full no-trade clause and is rumored to only be willing to accept a deal to a West Coast team.
Marc Serota, Getty Images
Brian Giles, Padres Buzz: Giles is an on-base machine and a solid defender who could give a contender looking for a corner bat a boost. Getting out of pitcher-friendly Petco Park could lead to a power spike.
Doug Pensinger, Getty Images
Andy LaRoche, Dodgers Buzz: LaRoche, L.A.'s No. 2 prospect entering the season according to Baseball America, is reportedly being showcased for a potential deadline deal.
Christian Petersen, Getty Images
But at some point the offers from other clubs are going to be hard to ignore, particularly if the team continues to struggle as it has recently. And Sherrill will probably become the latest chipped cashed in by GM Andy MacPhail as the O's continue to build toward contention in 2009 and 2010.
- Though they have a ways to go to get to the top the AL Central, the Tigers do not consider themselves sellers and are looking at adding pitching, particularly in the bullpen if reliever Freddy Dolsi continues to be bothered by shoulder discomfort. Detroit's biggest need is probably a starting pitcher, not a relief arm, but unless it pursues a bargain option like Odalis Perez, the Tigers do not have the assets in the upper minor leagues to get someone like A.J. Burnett.
July 31 is rapidly approaching. Buy or Sell lets each team know where they stand.
The Washington Nationals would seem to fit anyone's description of a seller. They are in last place, sinking fast and desperate to generate some positive buzz to get people interested in the team. Jim Bowden's never been afraid to pull the trigger on a trade, for better or worse, which is another sell sign. One little detail gets in the way, however. The cupboard is nearly barren of the healthy unwanted veterans that could make a difference in a pennant race.
Even the guys who might garner some interest have some serious warts. Cristian Guzman is an All-Star and there are teams that could use help at shortstop. He'll also be a free agent after the season but how much are teams going to buy into a decent first half from a player whose history says he isn't a competent offensive player?
Odalis Perez is the pitching staff's version of Guzman. He's been surprisingly strong this season, 116 ERA+, and lord knows teams always like to add a pitcher for the stretch run. Once again, though, his history says this isn't to be trusted. Even if they did get a bite, neither guy is going to bring them much of value.
The Nationals should have a desire to sell but the demand half of the equation just isn't going to be there. The only saving grace to this season of futility is that no one's paying attention in D.C. anyway.
The news that Odalis Perez will miss his next start for the Nationals most likely isn't going to create a lot of ripples in the sports world. But the end result of Odalis Perez's tendinitis might pave the way for the next Jay Bruce, for those of you who are actually looking for the next Jay Bruce. On the list of possible replacements for Perez's next turn in the rotation on Sunday, an interesting name came up:
Collin Balester: Balester pitched on Tuesday, so he could be inserted into the rotation without having to adjust the timing of his starts. On Tuesday, he advanced his record to 6-3 with a 5 1/3-inning performance where he allowed two hits and one run.
Balester has been considered one of the Nationals' best prospects, as Baseball America had him on their top ten prospect list for the Nats back in 2005, and rated his fastball the best in the system. This season saw improvement for Balester on the AAA level, as his walks are down and strikeouts are slightly up from his time at Columbus last year ... but he's already given up 11 home runs in 56+ innings this season as opposed to three in 51+ innings last season at Columbus. Not spectacular numbers, and yes ... it's silly to predict instant greatness for a minor leaguer. But if you're looking for the next rookie to knock your socks off in '08, Balester isn't a bad guy to consider. Let's see if the Nationals agree.
With nearly a month of the baseball season in the books, the Washington Nationals pretty much are what we thought they would be -- a bad team (9-17) wallowing in the cellar of the National League East. Just why they are struggling so much is more of a surprise.
The starting pitching has actually been very strong. Odalis Perez, John Lannan and Tuesday night's starter Tim Redding all have ERAs under 4.00. The offense, despite battle-tested pros like Ryan Zimmerman and Nick Johnson and young hitters with upside like Lastings Milledge, is really scuffling. Cristian Guzman is the only regular hitting over .300. Milledge is the only other player hitting over .255. Ouch.
That's especially hurt the Nationals in the power department. They have 14 home runs as a team, the second fewest in the NL. They rank 14th in the league in doubles (44) and 15th in slugging percentage (.334). And unlike last year, it doesn't appear they can blame the ballpark. Nationals Park seems to play a lot more neutral than RFK, which was a definite pitcher's park.
Manager Manny Acta, one of the more statistically-inclined skippers in the league, isn't worrying too much yet. "The power numbers will come," said Acta before tonight's game with the Braves. "The only reason [the middle-of-the-order hitters] don't have five, six, seven homers is because of the batting averages.
On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups
San Francisco Giants (3-6) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (7-2) - 10:15PM Est.
Wait a minute. Aren't the Cardinals supposed to suck? How in the hell are they 7-2 and ahead of both the Brewers and Cubs in the NL Central? If the Redbirds win again tonight, they'll have started a season 8-2 for the first time since 1981, which was before their starter tonight was even alive. Adam Wainwright was great in his first start of the season, going 8 innings and allowing only 2 runs against the Nationals, and he's one of the reasons why St. Louis is off to such a hot start. After their first 9 games, the Cardinals starting rotation has an ERA of 1.99. (So it's either the pitching or Tony LaRussa getting drunk and calling Albert Pujols fat, bald, and ugly before each game that's responsible for this start.) Wainwright has never started against, but he's 1-0 with a 4.91 ERA against them in two appearances out of the bullpen. On the other side of the diamond we have the Giants, who are just about eliminated from the NL West division crown thanks to their 3-6 start. Well, that and they aren't very good. Kevin Correia gets the start for the Giants, and he gave up 4 runs in 6 innings against the Brewers in his first start, and picked up the loss. On the bright side, at least it's not Barry Zito starting.
Last week, when Pat Lackey told you about 
One of the great pastimes of the cynical baseball fan is to sit back, see what players fail to report to camp, and laugh for the ridiculous reasons given. The biggest name who is a no show right now is 
Footprints in the Snow
July 31 is rapidly approaching. 
Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in 
