The Sporting News articles from April 2002

The Sporting News archives from April 2002

Your ultimate cheat sheet. (SportingNews.com).(Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit)(Brief Article)(Buyers Guide)(Critical Essay)(Case Note)
April 1, 2002... With SportingNews.com's Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit (ultimate.sportingnews.com/ baseball/draftkit), get the latest player analysis, such as why Jeremy Giambi might be ready for a breakout year, and positional rankings. Then put your knowledge to...

On the road to Atlanta. (Sporting News Radio).
April 1, 2002... Join Sporting News Radio live from the Final Four in Atlanta! Tim Brando, Peter Brown, Bob Berger and Bruce Murray will go courtside for interviews, predictions, analysis and the inside scoop over more than 40 hours of live programming. Get...

Ready to play. (Sporting News Radio).
April 1, 2002... Chet Coppock swings for the fences with special major league baseball preview shows this weekend. Tune in for the American League preview 7-11 p.m. (ET) Saturday. The National League follows at 7-11 p.m. Sunday. Step up to the plate for...

`Hey, didn't you used to be in the shadow of a red-sweatered boor?' (Caught on the fly: fly@sportingnews.com).(sports observations)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... * Welcome to COTF, where Fly doesn't wash trucks, he splatters on them. * There's no (dead) horsin' around when Pierre "Godfather" Lacroix starts talkin' at the trade deadline. Spies say the team's outlook is a mile high now that Darius...

On Hoosiers coach Mike Davis. (Sound bites: heard on the air from Sporting News Radio program hosts).
April 1, 2002... "Mike Davis has been through hell in a handbasket.... I really find it bizarre that good basketball people can't appreciate the job he's done with a team that has some talent, OK, but not the most talent." Tim Brando can be heard 2-6 p.m....

On the Clippers' playoff hopes. (Sound bites: heard on the air from Sporting News Radio program hosts).
April 1, 2002... "I have my doubts as to whether they can overcome Utah. It's going to be very difficult... but I'm not criticizing the Clippers when I say that. I think that they've done a groat job as a group, and (Alvin) Gentry's done a good job coaching."...

On college sports fans. (Sound bites: heard on the air from Sporting News Radio program hosts).(Scott Wetzel quote)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... "Nebraska fans are probably the best in that they will travel halfway across the country to cheer their Cornhuskers football team.... Kentucky fans, on the other hand, will travel halfway across the country to boo Tubby Smith." Scott...

Bob Hille's starting 5. (TSN Sights).
April 1, 2002... 1 The NCAA Tournament, I hear Enron's office pool calls for six teams in Atlanta. It's just that two are off the bracket. 2 Opening Day 2002. Come the seventh-inning stretch, you really want to root, root, root for something? Then...

Ranking the Final Four. (Remote Patrol).(college basketball)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Acrony of mine insists the Final Four doesn't belong on the same pedestal as the NBA Finals or the Super Bowl; as evidence, he points out U2 isn't performing during any NCAA halftime. (He's a pro-Bono attorney. No, really.) Bah! Compared...

Choice voice. (Voice Of The Fan).
April 1, 2002... `I was very glad to hear that Pavel Bure went to the Rangers and not one of my favorite teams. He doesn't backcheck, forecheck, hit, block shots or play a team system. Good job, Mike Keenan.' --Marry Pituch, Calgary Got a comment? ...

Inside the Knicks' mess. (Voice Of The Fan).
April 1, 2002... Greg Logan says the Knicks are a perimeter team, and he is absolutely correct (TSN, March 18). Of course, this is because Marcus Camby is injured, but there are other factors that led to this total lack of an inside game. The retirements of Luc...

State of anger. (Voice Of The Fan).
April 1, 2002... I think I can safely speak for the people of West Virginia when I say we did not appreciate that shot you took at our intelligence in Caught on the Fly (TSN, March 18). We are proud of our state and our university, but unfortunately we must...

Weigh-in: the best NFL coaching hire. (Voice Of The Fan).
April 1, 2002... When we asked readers which NFL coach will do the most for his new team, the debate quickly centered on three men: Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden and Steve Spurrier, and each received passionate nominations. "The Colts' picking up Dungy is probably...

Getting knight right. (Voice Of The Fan).
April 1, 2002... Kudos to Dave Kindred and shame on ESPN! Mr. Kindred's article focuses on the good of Bobby Knight (TSN, March 18). Having read the book and then watched A Season on the Brink, I was appalled at the differences between the actual and the...

A major problem. (Voice Of The Fan).
April 1, 2002... Once again, the NCAA Selection Committee has chosen to play politics and reward mediocrity rather than rewarding deserving teams. How can they continue to stock the bracket with teams that finished fifth or worse in their leagues? At the same...

Upon further review ... (Voice Of The Fan).(Correction Notice)
April 1, 2002... Barry Larkin, Ivan Rodriguez and Frank Thomas each has been in the majors at least nine years and has spent his entire career with the same organization. A chart of active veterans who met that criteria was incomplete in the March 25 issue.

The weigh-in. (Voice Of The Fan).
April 1, 2002... The Red Wings are making a mockery of the competition in the regular season, but some still doubt their chances once the playoffs begin. Will the Red Wings' old legs hold up? Do they have enough talent on defense? Will another team present key...

Information, please. (Voice Of The Fan).
April 1, 2002... To subscribe to The Sporting News: call 800-777-6785. To purchase a TSN yearbook: call 800-825-8508, Dept. TSN. To purchase a TSN book: call 800-825-8508, Dept. TSN. For subscription/delivery problems: call 800-777-6785 or...

Transition game; Indiana's passage from Bob Knight to Mike Davis was anything but smooth, but 18 months later, the program has proved it's larger than any person. (College Basketball).(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... The perilous, fractious, curious journey to this particular corner of paradise began on a lovely September afternoon in Indiana University's Assembly Hall. If you were there that day in 2000, you remember how quiet it seemed in the gym, how...

A senior moment. (East Region Champion).(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Juan Dixon shot lasers from long range; Lonny Baxter slogged through the muddle inside. Dixon needed to get free for his quick darts to the basket; Baxter set up barricade screens that created a roadway. Such is the symbiotic relationship...

Rock chalk ballhawk. (Midwest Region Champion).(University of Kansas basketball)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... How good was Aaron Miles at Jefferson High in Portland, Ore.? He was a McDonald's All-American and the state's player of the year. He was the nation's winner of the Morgan Wooten Award, which honors success on the court and in the classroom. He...

Forget the wait. (South Region Champion).(Indiana University basketball)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... This season was supposed to be a transition. The thinking back in October: Give Mike Davis, in his first year as Indiana's coach without an interim label, a year to get acclimated. Then hope Jared Jeffries would return for his junior year...

Heart of Oklahoma. (West Region Champion).(Kelvin Sampsom)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... This is how life works. It's hard, you work at it, you grow. There are battles and there are breakthroughs and there are moments when everything falls into place. Can basketball and life be so intertwined? It can if you're Kelvin...

Anxiety over empty benches. (Insider).(related article)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... As Stan Heath stood roughly 24 hours removed from trying to coach his team to the Final Four--this less than 12 months after being hired by Kent State--he was asked if he might become a candidate for a job that was not yet open. Wow, this...

Lost world; change is good, but there are a few things fans don't see enough of anymore in today's NBA. (NBA).
April 1, 2002... In the NBA, what's here today could be gone tomorrow--or even right after tonight's game. And that's not always a bad thing. After all, if pro basketball's landscape wasn't so prone to change, we still might be watching The Finals on tape...

Forty reasons to love Stockton at 40. (NBA Insider).(John Stockton)
April 1, 2002... Hate John Stockton? Now, who could hate John Stockton? Maybe former Rockets forward Eddie Johnson, who once said of Stockton, "He comes off as this choirboy and tries to live up to it. Meanwhile, he's trying to take your head off." And...

Eastern conference. (NBA).(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... Atlantic Division BOLTON CELTICS: The team has had no more than one day off between games since February 27, and it's starting to take a toll. Even with the depth added at the trade deadline, playing 17 games in 31 days during March is a...

Western conference. (NBA).(National Basketball Association)
April 1, 2002... DALLAS MAVERICKS: Should the Mavs face the Lakers or Spurs in the playoffs, they plan to use the outside shooting of PF Dirk Nowitzki, C Raef LaFrentz and backup C Wang Zhizhi to draw the opposing big men away from the basket. The middle then...

One man is an island; Islanders G.M. Mike Milbury did some wheeling but precious little dealing at the trade deadline. In the end Mad Mike got upstaged by the moves pulled off by his two New York area rivals. (NHL).(National Hockey Leagues, New York Islanders' Gerneral Manager Mike Milbury)
April 1, 2002... For years, two things had been a constant for the the Islanders: losing Mike Milbury. The losing produced excuses from low-budget owners, miserable, underachieving players and home crowds so sparse you could count them. Milbury produced a...

It's bloom or bust for the Blues. (NHL Insider).(St. Louis Blues, National Hockey League)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... Blues general manager Larry Pleau understands his predicament. "We're in a heck of a battle," he says. "It's time for our players to step up and be counted here in the next couple months because we haven't been counted... for the first...

Eastern conference. (Grading The Trades).(trading of hockey players)
April 1, 2002... Atlantic Division NEW JERSEY DEVILS: It figures that G.M. Lou Lamoriello would make a high-profile deal that no one expected, and we're not talking about RW Stephane Richer. Getting C Joe Nieuwendyk and RW Jamie Langenbrunner from the...

Western conference. (NHL Grading The Trades).(trading of hockey players, National Hockey League)
April 1, 2002... Central Division CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS: G.M. Mike Smith didn't deal pending unrestricted free agent RW Tony Amonte, but he did a good job of filling holes. He traded for Predators captain and RW Tom Fitzgerald for depth. Then he shipped D...

The longest season. (Insider College Football).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... When is more not better? An ongoing series of Mike DuBose coaching seminars would be one illustration. Here's a real-life example: The 2002 season, when the NCAA will allow all schools to schedule 12 regular-season games instead of the...

The winds of change: Winston Cup teams are turning to the magic of aerodynamic specialists to try to gain an advantage. (NASCAR).
April 1, 2002... It was what Jeff Gordon was saying and where he was saying it that caught the ear of Winston Cup garage types several years back. What he was saying was thanks--to his engineers. Where he was saying it was the dais at the year-end...

A pack of young drivers on the rise. (NASCAR Insider).(National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... It might have taken Nostradamus to foresee the phenomenal performances of rookies Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson this season. Some Winston Cup newcomers recently have found quick success after graduating from the Busch Series, but not on...

Driver report.(evaluation of race car drives and their crews)
April 1, 2002... Jeff Gordon 24 BREAKING UP IS...: Now that Brooke Gordon has filed for divorce, it's easy to speculate that marital problems are at the root of Gordon's inconsistency on the track. Certainly, after their breakup was out in the open, his...

Match made in heaven; we're talking David Carr and the Texans, but if not for another perfect union--the quarterback and his wife--we wouldn't be watching his courtship as the No. 1 overall pick. (NFL).(Cover Story)
April 1, 2002... This is how David Carr fell in love with Melody Tipton... He saw her for the first time at a Christian camp, talking to friends. He was 17 and she was 16, and maybe she was avoiding him, unlike all the other girls who couldn't flirt enough...

Got a top-10 pick in the draft? Good luck. (NFL Insider).(National Football League)(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... The general perception is the top of the draft is the source from which Super Bowls flow. The hidden truth is that picking in the top 10 can leave teams with more problems than Pro Bowl players. Just take it from Mike Brown, who this April...

AFC. (NFL).(National Football League team analysis)
April 1, 2002... AFC East BUFFALO BILLS: Although OLB Jay Foreman had a solid first year as the weakside starter, the team recently has entertained free agents who could fill his spot. Foreman is a skilled outside blitzer but has limited range in pass...

NFC. (NFL).(National Football League team analyses)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... NFC East DALLAS COWBOYS: The Cowboys signed free-agent CB Bryant Westbrook because they think he can solve one of their two main needs. He requires little help from safeties, allowing them to focus on run support. Last season, the team...

Touching 'em all; two years ago, Sammy Sosa groused at criticism that his game was lacking in several aspects. Then he took it to heart. (Baseball).(Statistical Data Included)
April 1, 2002... Sammy Sosa points to his right elbow, thinking back to the 2000 season and a secret that he chose not to share. "I couldn't even throw the ball to second base," he says. "I had a lot of opportunities to throw people out. But I was playing in...

Trying to eke out a miracle. (Baseball Insider).(Omar Minaya, general manager of the Montreal Expos)
April 1, 2002... It's 5:30 a.m., and new Expos general manager Omar Minaya is running late. Normally he reports by 5 to the team's spring training complex in Jupiter, Fla. During his first month, when he had to hire approximately 70 employees faster than you...

A.L. (Baseball).(american league)
April 1, 2002... Anaheim Angels www.sportingnews.com/baseball/teams/angels SIDELINE: Shawn Wooten will miss as much as four months after having surgery for a dislocated right thumb. Wooten was expected to get 350-400 at-bats as the righthanded option at...

N.L. (Baseball).(national league)
April 1, 2002... Arizona Diamondbacks www.sportingnews.com/baseball/teams/diamondbacks ANOTHER INJURY: The team lost 1B Erubiel Durazo for at least the first month of the season with a broken right hand. Durazo had been sizzling in spring training, hitting...

Putting some fun into Monday nights.(John Madden joins ABC's Monday Night Football show)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2002... John Madden's pursuit of the Monday Night Football commentary job has ended. It also ended one other time. That was in 1994. ABC executives shared brandy and cigars in celebration of hiring Madden as the second man in the booth with Al...

Don't dodge this draft. (Sportingnews.com).
April 8, 2002... Just because your NFL team doesn't have an early draft pick doesn't mean you shouldn't be interested in where hot prospects David Carr or Julius Peppers land. sportingnews.com's free Draft, Pick & Win game lets you be the draft-day expert,...

Play ball! (Sporting News Radio).
April 8, 2002... Sporting News Radio takes you out to the ballgame for the first week of the baseball season. Catch the latest scores, highlights, news and notes from the field, as well as interviews with the biggest names in the game. Plus, TSN senior writer...

Looking good. (Sporting News Radio).
April 8, 2002... Confidence. Style. Sophistication. The newest supermodel? Nah... it's Sporting News Radio's own Chet Coppock, who is super in his own right. At 6-4, he would be a formidable foe on the court. Put him behind a microphone, and he's just as...

`Hey, didn't you used to be a flex MNF schedule?' (Caught On The Fly).
April 8, 2002... * Welcome to COTF, your weekly one shining moment. * Sure, Butch Davis thinks defense first (and second and third... ), but mark April 20 as a shopping day to accessorize Tim Couch. A bruising back fits the franchise mold, which makes T.J....

On the Eastern Conference playoff race. (Sound Bites).
April 8, 2002... "The dark-horse team I like is Indiana.... The Pacers are playing pretty well now with their young talent, and they have fresh legs at the end of the season. They made some remarkable changes." Phil Jackson can be heard 6-7 p.m. ET Mondays....

On Michael Jordan's legend if he doesn't play next season. (Sound Bites).
April 8, 2002... "He has done far too many great things, has far too many rings and was the most complete player in the NBA in his prime. He doesn't hurt himself at all. This just reinforces the fact Father Time is a foe you just can't overcome." James...

On Arkansas', hiring of basketball coach Stan Heath. (Sound Bites).
April 8, 2002... "I told you Arkansas would hire the best available African-American coach. Not to take anything from Stan Heath, but Arkansas did this because of the pending civil lawsuit from exiting coach Nolan Richardson." Tim Brando can be heard 2-6...

Bob Hille's starting 5. (Caught On The Fly).
April 8, 2002... (1) The Final Four. You know economic recovery is under way because Hal in accounting put his office-bracket winnings under "first-quarter earnings." (2) Home openers. Bandbox ballparks, diluted pitching and juiced baseballs mean...

It's comedy tonight. (Remote Patrol).
April 8, 2002... Did you hear the one about a 9-year-old who wrote ESPN saying he wanted to anchor SportsCenter someday? The reply, postmarked Bristol, Conn., read: "The Worldwide Leader In Sports recommends you get your education, with an emphasis on...

The Deuce is a trump card. (Static).
April 8, 2002... * The Deuce is a trump card: Remember how baseball went ballistic when ESPN wanted to move Sunday Night Baseball to ESPN2 in September to accommodate the NFL? This year, instead of Indians-Angels being a Sunday afternoon season opener on ESPN,...

The buzz. (Static).
April 8, 2002... * The buzz: The NFL released an inflexible 2002 Monday night schedule because Fox and CBS wanted rebates to surrender games to ABC, and intimated they would sue if forced to give the games up for free.

Soundbitten. (Static).
April 8, 2002... * Soundbitten: "This, to me, is idiotic... I think he parked his brain in a bayou." --Johnny Miller, before and after Craig Perks used a 3-wood with a two-shot lead on the 18th and hit into deep rough at NBC's Players Championship. (You...

Voice of the fan.
April 8, 2002... Choice voice `Roger Clemens is Steve Karsay's selection for best role model as a pro baseball player? Who is his best role model for a politician? Bill Clinton?'--Mark Olson, Janesville, Wis. Hoosier pride Mike DeCourcy's words "(the...

College basketball awards. (TSN Sights).
April 8, 2002... PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jason Williams, Duke There was so much so right about this picture: Jason Williams returns to college basketball, returns to Duke, though the culture of the sport all but demands he abandon both to become a top NBA...

Seasoned just right: they arrived at Maryland with only a sprinkling of acclaim, but their four-year journey to the national title made the Terrapins' seniors unforgettable. (College Basketball).
April 8, 2002... On the play of his life, the play that made him an NCAA champion, Byron Mouton could have landed flat on his face. The ball was sailing over the baseline and seemed entirely out of reach. To rescue it required him to think fast and act without...

Coming or going? Are Caron Butler and Dajuan Wagner NBA-bound? Will Tubby Smith bail on Kentucky? Those are just a couple of the key offseason issues that will shape next season.
April 8, 2002... College basketball has become such a fluid sport of late, teetering annually on a handful of postseason issues--early entry into the NBA, the coaching carousel, impact freshmen and transfers and the pitfalls of recruiting. This offseason...

For a change, Final Four blues strike both Duke and UNC. (Insider: college basketball).
April 8, 2002... For those of us fortunate enough to be collected under the leaking roof of the Georgia Dome at the Final Four, the portrait of a spectacular basketball evening was painted almost entirely in shades of red. Maryland's bright red. Oklahoma's...

Trust, lies and radio waves: during a race, a crew chief might have to use a variety of motivational techniques to spur a driver toward victory lane. (NASCAR).
April 8, 2002... The loud voice ringing in a driver's headset can bring a spectrum of messages: You're the best driver since left Gordon. Your car is two-tenths faster than the leader. Hell no, you won't run out of gas. Get up on that freakin'...

TSN10: 10 big races to watch this year. (NASCAR).
April 8, 2002... Texas at a glance Race: Samsung/Radio Shack 500, No. 7 of 36. Length: 334 laps, 500.5 miles. When: 2 p.m. (Eastern) Sunday. TV: Fox. Where: Texas Motor Speedway, Justin, Texas. The track: 1.5-mile tri-oval. Front...

For tires, rubber meets the road at Texas. (Insider: NASCAR).
April 8, 2002... It's lightning fast--perhaps the fastest track on the Winston Cup circuit. Jeff Gordon and Mike Skinner know that Texas Motor Speedway, site of this weekend's Samsung/ Radio Shack 500, is also one of the most treacherous. On a high-speed...

Taking a pass: more teams are backpedaling from drafting a quarterback in the first round because the cost is too high in an environment not conducive to their development. (NFL).
April 8, 2002... Oregon's Joey Harrington has the athleticism of a pro basketball guard. His size is close to the optimum of a scouting manual's quarterback prototype. His release is quick and precise. He knows how to throw with anticipation. He has quick feet...

Scouts are left to guess on defensive backs. (Insider: NFL).
April 8, 2002... Trying to figure out how effective a defensive back can be in the NFL by watching college tape is a little like trying to figure out how sweet a watermelon will be by examining its rind in a bin at a produce store. You never really know...

Second-rounders with first-class potential. (Insider: NFL).
April 8, 2002... Teams unexpectedly struck gold with their picks in the second round during the last two NFL drafts. In 2000, the second round yielded Steelers right tackle Marvel Smith, Saints left end Darren Howard and Dolphins right tackle Todd Wade....

AFC. (NFL).
April 8, 2002... Baltimore Ravens www.sportingnews.com/nfl/teams/ravens HARRIS IS A KEY: Re-signing unrestricted free-agent SS Corey Harris remains a top priority. He is valuable for a couple of reasons. In addition to being a starter, Harris can...

NFC. (NFL).
April 8, 2002... Arizona Cardinals www.sportingnews.com/nfl/teams/cardinals BIG GAMBLE: By allowing RB Michael Pittman to depart, the club is gambling that Thomas Jones is ready for a breakout season. Jones was the seventh pick in the 2000 draft, yet...

Big men on new campuses. (Insider: college football).
April 8, 2002... Back in the fall of 1997, Justin Fargas was a wanted man. It seemed every college in the nation was wooing the running back. He had power, speed, strength and stats that appeared to be typos--6,357 rushing yards and 82 touchdowns in three...

Staying power: what if NHL teams had to live with their draft picks? In the wake of the trade deadline, consider what the league would look like without player movement. (NHL).
April 8, 2002... As the dust settles from the NHL trade deadline, teams that made changes are counting on those moves making them better. But many fans have much more modest aspirations--merely hoping to keep track of all the comings and goings before yet...

Four you can't ignore. (Insider: NHL).
April 8, 2002... Good goaltending and effective special teams are more important than ever in the post-season--that's no secret. But playoff teams also need more from their players to succeed when each game matters, something that can't necessarily be defined...

March swoon will cost the T-Wolves. (Insider: NBA).
April 8, 2002... It started a month ago, in an ugly loss to the Spurs. The Timberwolves, just six days removed from a 24-point win in San Antonio, faced the Spurs in a rematch at the Target Center and looked clueless from the start. Plays? There were no...

Half a chance? The Nets are racking up wins in the regular season, but their playoff success will depend on an untested halfcourt game. (Insider: NBA).
April 8, 2002... Jason Kidd knows the naysayers are out there. He can hear the whispers. After five months of offensive highlights helped propel New Jersey to a likely No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, plenty of experts think the Nets will make an...

Seeds of doubt.
April 8, 2002... Lakers coach Phil Jackson likes to say championships aren't won in December and January, but his team proved last year that April might be a good month to start winning them. The Lakers went 9-1 in the regular season's final month, leaping...

One on one with ... Ray Wooldridge. (Inside: NBA).
April 8, 2002... On Monday, NBA owners will convene to decide a number of issues--none more significant than the relocation of the Hornets from Charlotte to New Orleans. There has been strong opposition to the move; as some owners have questioned the wisdom of...

Eastern Conference. (NBA).
April 8, 2002... Atlantic Division BOSTON CELTICS: When PC; Kenny Anderson (ankle) was placed on the injured list last week, the team could have suffered a serious blow to its attempt to gain home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. But the...

Western Conference. (NBA).
April 8, 2002... Midwest Division DALLAS MAVERICKS: PF Dirk Nowitzki gets along well with teammates, coaches, media and fans. But his complaints about officiating are becoming chronic, and he leads the team in technicals. Nowitzki admits he's too...

First impressions: Jason Giambi drew a crowd of reporters. Tino Martinez drew a standing ovation from the crowd. For each player, linked by a free-agent shuffle, opening day offered a taste of a whole new world. (Baseball).
April 8, 2002... Call it a glove triangle of first basemen. Jason Giambi was Mark McGwire's successor with the A's. Over the winter, Giambi replaced Tino Martinez with the Yankees. Martinez, in turn, replaced McGwire, who retired from the Cardinals. As the...

Unemployment will rise soon. (Insider: baseball).
April 8, 2002... My son, Samuel Joseph, was born on May 21, 1991. The Cubs fired their manager, Don Zimmer, that day. The Royals dumped theirs, John Wathan, the next day. And Sammy's hometown Orioles whacked Frank Robinson the day after that. "It is...

The purity of opening day. (The Closer).
April 8, 2002... The bell rang this week. It finally was time to put all the stuff aside and play ball. Most players had been ready for weeks. Spring training is too long these days. It used to be guys wouldn't pick up a baseball until they got to camp,...

Bring the heat. (Insider: baseball).
April 8, 2002... Some players start hot, some players start cold. Does it matter? In the big statistical picture, probably not, as a season is a long haul and consistency usually determines who plays in October. But start bad enough, and the hole is so deep you...

A.L.
April 8, 2002... Anaheim Angels www.sportingnews.com/baseball/teams/angels CHANGING UP: LHP Scott Schoeneweis has gotten by in recent seasons using only a fastball and sinker. But after noticing he usually was among the league leaders in ground...