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 Gammons
on Nomar, Mannygate, Cy Young
9.14.02: Peter Gammons (PG) on The Baseball Show with Bob
Neumeier (BN), Sean McAdam (SM) and Steve Buckley (SB):
NOMAR
PG: Something very strange going on, friends around him don't
know
SM: Maybe all the changes he's seen, not to make geo
stereotypes, he's a So. Cal. boy at heart, expectations
off-putting.
SB: They have to blow it up, start over, is he nudging that?
PG: Don't know, I've been asking for three months if
something's eating at him... no... loves the passion of Boston,
but doesn't like the intensity of the media... talk show
callers, nature of beast, entertainment... I read the
columnists, beat writers, very fair... this town is very fair to
the Red Sox...
SM: Very little criticism of him, made target or scapegoat, not
sure where he gets that
PG: He's earned a lot of respect from us... never thought of
him as stat guy, but a guy that likes to win... but Cubbage, I
don't know (poor Cubbage, first Vince Coleman)
SM: Nomar went over to Cubbage and said things were written
that he was hanging him out to dry, but that he didn't hear
him.... sounds like backtracking
SB: Now blaming the media, low blow, he needs to stand-up to
own words
PG: Like nobody wants to play here. docs are killing us... I
know he was upset about Cumberland, I like that, don't mind
players having passion. Bob Stanley would blurt out something
occasionally, don't mind that
SB: One thing to make these comments, but another thing to
backtrack 24hrs. later. (He said "nobody wants to play here"
loud and clear, twice, to backtrack was horrible and
disingenuous)
BM: Now Nomar says some things that are blown up... in advent
of talk radio, we latch on to one liners, he says I can't win,
if I give them cliché or truth...
PG: He said he understands that every word can take on a life
of its own... one sentence, one quote can become your entire
show... I remember rushing in there running for those quote...
not Churchill talking about WWII.... remember Glenn Hoffman came
up to pressbox saying "this is what I really meant, I blurted it
out, I'm a jerk".... if Nomar would just say "I blurted
something out, didn't mean it, just me" people wouldn't mind.
Lowe does that.
SM: Whoever comes in as GM, pretty free reign, three years, no
playoff appearances... let's deal. Nomar would be logical guy
to trade. Got to keep Lowe, Pedro, makes you de facto
contender. Health issues with others. Nomar is clearly the guy
to trade this winter, other team gets him for two years. They
could not resign him, but get him good now.
PG: Pedro is a 10/5 now. Not many teams would pick up $17.5
option for 04. Two players making $36M in 04.... that's a
problem.
SM: Pay him (Nomar) for two years and possibly beyond, southern
California where he would resign. Respectively of those two
teams, how do they match up.
PG: Angels would be interested, but wouldn't break up mix with
Eckstein at SS now. He's involved in every play, break up,
walk, etc. If Watkins got hold of team from Disney, could make
a splash... Dodgers want to trim payroll too, but what do you
get back... Asturas, gets on base 25% of time not big Asturas
guy, now high level guys...
SM: San Diego, new position,.... have to take Bubba Trammel,
not a lot of bad contracts, Tomko... not sure owner cares
enough, Quilvio Green from Clemson will be SS on opening day,
guy drafted in June, they can have him for nothing... if Jeff
Kent leaves, maybe Giants would do it...
MANNY
BM: Dynamics of winning baseball. Manny hitting more valuable
or angst created with laissez-faire attitude poison a team?
PG: Harder not to be a distraction, need certain types of
players here... prob. with trading Nomar, he plays intense every
day. Manny can't deal with the criticism or reprimands. They
don't have any idea what they are going to do with Manny. He a
great hitter, he's a Savant, can set up pitchers... but it's an
issue... maybe Moorad, but that's not going to happen.
Because of Manny you have to move Pedro or Nomar to make it work
down the line. If you want to build up that core, hasn't
worked. Something really wrong here. We want to have this
attitude, like Angels... hard to do, not just Manny not buying
into it ... he can't comprehend it.
SB: Are they going to wait until December to get new GM?
PG: Decide in next two weeks, if Beane and Riccardi
are priorities, how are they going to go about it. Can put a
lot of people in place in terms of what they want to do. If
they have Billy or JP in Arizona, then they'll know what they
want to do...
BN: Is it possible that BB or JP wants to deal with a negative
Manny on salary, preclude my chances of building a winner?
PG: Billy and JP both love Manny as a hitter, they'll tag along
with the atmosphere.
PG: Change really came when Rick Down left... he was in cage
every day at 2pm... not now...
SM: Rick Down was the emissary when Manny was going to jump the
team last year
PG: Talked to Manny out at the cage, relaxed, comfortable,
funny.... he needs someone he trusts, not there now... when
Kerrigan came in Down out. Manny closed the door right then.
Kerrigan got rid of him that afternoon... the Yankees jumped
all over him last year.
Manny needs detail and a routine.
SM: Two franchises have done everything they can to mollify and
accommodate Manny. Hargrove to Grady, all about making Manny
comfortable. Ultimately dead end.
PG: I agree, you get somebody like Down. Good hitting coach.
Hitters go along with him...
PEDRO/D-LOWE
BN: DLowe going for 20. Cy: Martinez, Zito, Lowe
PG: Zito the favorite across country, 6-0 losing streaks, 12
wins... perfect game against M's. OK Oakland is winning 100
games, that guy's it. Fact that A's in playoffs, hurts him
directly. Having to gerrymandering Pedro around may have hurt.
Zito wins in close election.
PG: Mariners: Howard Lincoln said "we're not in the
business of trying to win the World Series every year... we're
in the business of filling the ballpark every year" Lou Pinella
pissed. Some players too. Burned out.
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