Baseball Digest articles from April 2003

Baseball Digest archives from April 2003

The fans speak out. (Letters to the editor).(Letter to the Editor)
April 1, 2003... In the February issue, George Vass stated in his article ("The Wide World of Baseball") that Otto Hess was "undoubtedly the best pitcher ever to come out of Switzerland, or all of Europe, for that matter." Hess might have been the best...

A new baseball season revives some favorite and lasting memories. (Warm Up Tosses).(Column)
April 1, 2003... WITH ANOTHER BASEBALL SEASON UPON US, MY MIND WANDERS INTO THE past and lingers on players and managers who have made baseball a special lure for me for such a long time. Memories of these men date back to the 1930s when, despite being a...

It pays to win.(what baseball players and clubs earned during 2002 playoffs)
April 1, 2003... A FULL WORLD SERIES SHARE FOR THE 2002 WORLD CHAMPION ANAHEIM ANGELS WAS $272,147.47. A SHARE FOR THE NATIONAL League Champion San Francisco Giants was $186,185.62. The players' pool, formed from 60 percent of the gate receipts from the...

American League: the Yankees again appear to be the team to beat in the East as do Minnesota in the Central and Oakland in the West while Anaheim and Chicago may battle for the wild card. (2003 Division Previews).
April 1, 2003... AT LEAST THE EVIL EMPIRE IS STILL BURNING MONEY. While many teams spent the winter sipping ketchup soup and cutting payroll, the New York Yankees spent wildly. After out-bidding Boston for Cuban defector Jose Contreras in December, a frustrated...

National League: early calls have the Braves, Cardinals and Giants repeating as division champions with the Phillies, Astros and Diamondbacks challenging for the wild card playoff berth. (2003 Division Previews).
April 1, 2003... THE NATIONAL LEAGUE MAY NOT HAVE WON THE World Series last year, the Giants coming up short in a seven-game classic with the Angels, but there is little question about which circuit was the busiest in the hot-stove season. The biggest...

Catching a "second wind": star players look to rebound after having difficult seasons in 2002.
April 1, 2003... ABOUT THE ONLY SURE THING IN baseball is that you can't be absolutely certain about anything, including the vexing question of whether a player, especially one in his early or mid-thirties, is likely to rebound from a season or two of sub-par...

Baseball quick quiz.
April 1, 2003... (If you score 80 or better, you are a baseball expert; 70 or better, superior; between 60 and 70, good, and between 40 and 60, average. 1. Who is the only active player to hit .350 or two different teams while qualifying for a league...

Angels' Mike Scioscia: a calming manager in pressure situations: his composure during slumps, hot streaks and must-win games guided Anaheim to its first World Series title.(Interview)
April 1, 2003... FOR 42 YEARS, THE ANGELS were hounded by the demons of fate and baseball. It would take a special man to exorcise those evil spirits from Anaheim. That man was Mike Scioscia. Early in the 2002 season, things looked to be shaping up for...

Matt Clement--Chicago Cubs. (Baseball Profile).(Interview)
April 1, 2003... FULL NAME: Matthew Paul Clement AGE, HT., WT.; 28, 6-3, 213 Born: August t2, 1974 in McCandless Township, Pennsylvania HOME: Butler, Pennsylvania STATUS/FAMILY: Married one child LIFE OUTSIDE BASEBALL: Very relaxing. In...

Transactions: major league deals, trades, free-agent signings.
April 1, 2003... AMERICAN LEAGUE Anaheim Angels Signed outfielder Eric Owens of the Marlins to a one-year contract. Claimed catcher Wilbert Nieves off waivers from the San Diego Padres. Baltimore Orioles Signed free-agent pitcher Omar...

Gary Carter and Eddie Murray: elected to Cooperstown. (Hall of Fame).
April 1, 2003... ONE JUST WANTED TO BE LEFT alone. THE OTHER APPEARED TO LUST AFTER the public's adoration as if it were a life force. A silent slugger and a charismatic catcher, Eddie Murray and Gary Carter embodied two of baseball's most divergent personas as...

Necrology: deaths of former major league players, managers, executives, scouts, umpires and writers.
April 1, 2003... From January 27, 2002 through January 27, 2003 JIM SPENCER, 54, an American League first baseman from 1968 through 1982 who played for the Angels, Rangers, White Sox, Yankees and A's, on February 10 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. of an apparent...

Baseball rules corner: here are some requirements of the legal catch rule.
April 1, 2003... IN THE BOTTOM OF THE SIXTH INNING of Game 5 of the ALDS at Oakland last year, the A's Miguel Tejada hit a ground ball to Twins' second baseman Denny Hocking who threw to shortstop Cristian Guzman to start a 4-6-3 double play. Guzman dropped the...

American League. (2003 Pre-Season Rosters).
April 1, 2003... Anaheim ANGELS Manager: (14) Mike Scioscia, Coaches: (24) Bud Black, pitching; (4) Alfredo Griffin, first base; (7) Mickey Hatcher, hitting; (70) Joe Maddon, bench; (13) Bobby Ramos, bullpen; (12) Ron Roenicke, third base; (88) Orlando...

National League. (2003 Pre-Season Rosters).
April 1, 2003... Arizona DIAMONDBACKS Manager: (15) Bob Brenty, Coaches: (50) Chuck Kniffin, pitching; (19) Robin Yount, first base; (21) Dwayne Murphy, hitting; (53) Glenn Sherlock, bench; (14) Eddie Rodriguez, third base; (13) Mark Davis, bullpen ...