Page 166 - Phoenix1999-2000

Thursday, April 13,2000 - Page 14 SPORTS The Sports View: It's that time of the year again; Insights and analysis of the 2001 baseball season CHRIS ANASTASlA to be a star in Colorado. Hopefully, up? Did r miss the meeting for the "Poor-Tony Gwynn. Healthy for are high? Sports Editor Cirillo's bat can carry him in the new ERA calculation system or the first rime in a year and he gets * If Pat Rapp wins 15 or more The sun is shinning, the sky is mile high city the way it carried something. hit by a pitch in his season opener, games this year, I will write the clear, and the grass is green. This him in. the home of beer and This must be the new math that and is put on the injured list. man a formal apology and hand-' must mean that baseball season is Bratwurst. tells the Orioles front office that This eight-time N.L. batting deliver to his house the multi-page upon us again. The career .300 hitter should Will Clark is both young and a bar- Champion is due some good luck, letter about my doubts of his abil- There is nothing I love better find the spacious home of the gain, right? and worked very hard over the ity. than sitting down with some Rockies a haven for line drives and Now, before I go, here are some summer to stay in shape. Lets all But just between you and me, I friends, some food, and some for giving opposing pitchers head- quick hits about the young 200 I hope that this soon-to-be Hall of am not worrying about what to drinks and enjoying a good aches. season. Farner will be back in the lineup write just yet, ifyou know what I batlgame. **Quote of The Week** *Andres Galarraga has made a soon. mean. This seems to be the season for Baltimore Orioles ace Mike big impact for the Braves already *Charles Johnson has had an *And finally, Sports Illustrated watching baseball, 100. I have never Mussina, on his four run perfor- this season. awesome start this season and picked the Boston Red Sox to win really seen the league this wide mance in the season opener versus It is great to see a player come should have a great offensive sea- the World Series this year. open in quite a while. the Cleveland Indians. "Even back from as great a setback as can- son. OK, insert your own favorite "if Last years finalists. the Braves though it shows r gave up four runs, cer, and to do it with as much grace Anybody think this is not be- the Red Sox win the world Series, and the Yankees, are still strong, but I didn't feel like four runs." as Galarraga has makes you think cause Johnson is in the last year of the world will end" joke here. a number of teams have made im- Uhm, ok. Well, Mike, how that there maybe still-some good a contract and is due for a big pay- Until next time, I will see you provements and should pose a sig- many runs do you THINK you gave left in pro athletics. day at season's end if his numbers guys in the cheap seats. nificant challenge. The St. Louis Cardinals are one • team that will definitely be a force come playoff time. The Cards strengthened a lineup that already boasted Mark McGwire, Fernando Tatis, and J.D. Drew with Fernando Vina and Jim Edmonds. The Cards biggest additions, however were in the pitching de- partment; where Daryl Kile and Pat Hentgen will help anchor an effec- tive, but often injured, rotation. With so many teams in conten- tion this year, it seems that some individual efforts will be the dif- ference for most teams in making the playoffs. Here are a few of the players that I think will need a big year for their club to have a great season. *Lee Stevens, Expos: Now I know what you are thinking, the Expos have no chance of going to playoffs this year. Yes, but the key cover=you.r butt. phrase is "this year." The Expos have finally made a better yet, help cover your long-term commitment to winning (i.e. money). Stevens, a good longball hitter [tuition]s with Texas the last few years, gives a young Expo's lineup some much needed punch and will allow this team to grow into a more offensive unit. College can mean maneuvering through a lot at different things. but tuition payments *Rick Reed, Mets: With a solid one-two punch of Mike Hampton shouldn't be one of them. That's where Army ROTC comes in. Here, yo~J'1Idevelop and AI Leiter, the Mets will win sk~lIs that'Il tast a liletrme. Meet friends you can count on. And have a shot at their fair share of games. What New York needs from the gett,ng a 2~or 3-year scholarship. Talk to an Army ROTC adviser today. and find out former replacement player Reed is more about our scholarship program. We've got you covered. the basics from a solid third starter, 14 to 16 wins, and more impor- tantly 200 innings. *Paul Konerko, White Sox: AR MY ROTC Unlike any other college course you can take. Konerko, a former top prospect of the Dodgers, lost some of his hype while bouncing around the league last season. There is still hope for the young slugger if he can find the hitting stroke he showed in the minors be- hind Magglio Ordonez and Frank Thomas for the South Siders. A live bat for Konerko could push the White Sox into contention for the wild card. *Jeff Cirillo, Rockies: Cirillo, Visit Gill Gym or call (410) 857-2720 who was virtually unknown in Mil- waukee, has gotten a second chance