Plate bears brunt of Piniella's rage

ST. PETERSBURG -- Before the ninth inning Tuesday night, as the Rays showed highlights from their five-run third inning on the centerfield video screen, Mariners manager Lou Piniella came up with some highlights of his own.

As replays showed a questionable bases-loaded ball four to Ben Grieve, one that set up John Flaherty's grand slam to key the Rays' 5-1 win, Piniella walked out to umpire John Shulock between third base and home. Hilarity ensued.

"What I was complaining about was them showing them up on the replay board," Piniella said. "I said, 'There you go, take a look.' He says, 'I don't need anyone to remind me. Get the hell out of here.' "

Piniella walked to home plate and began kicking dirt on the plate, then returned to Shulock and kicked dirt on him. Before being ejected for the second time this season, he went back to home plate, kicked more dirt on it, then kneeled and piled dirt on the plate with his hands.

"He didn't take it too kindly, and you know something? I don't really give a (expletive)," Piniella said. "How's that? I don't give a (expletive) whether he took it kindly or not. He's got a chip on his shoulder. He's always had a chip on his shoulder."

After Piniella went into the clubhouse, the plate remained buried, and Shulock appeared unwilling to brush it clean. Mariners catcher Dan Wilson looked at Shulock and motioned to the plate, then attempted to kick the dirt off with his feet. When that didn't work, he asked Shulock for his brush and wiped the plate clean, drawing applause from the crowd.

"I've never heard of an umpire telling a catcher to clean off home plate, never in my life. Never. That's a first," Piniella said. "I'm not saying he didn't remain calm and professional. I'm not saying that at all. His job is to clean home plate. That's his job. He has the broom. The catcher doesn't have the broom.

"I wish I had been catching. What would I have done? I'd have put more dirt on the damn plate. He'd have needed a broom and a towel and some Windex."

Said Rays catcher John Flaherty, waiting to lead off the ninth while the dust settled: "That's one of the best ones I've seen. I just tried to stay away from it, to stay out of it."

The official statement from Shulock: "I've been buried so many times by you guys (media), I'm not saying nothing. I've got nothing to say. You saw just as much as I did. I have no grudge toward Lou and no chip on my shoulder."

Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, speaking through a translator, said of his manager's tirade: "Before I came to the United States, that was exactly my image of Lou. I often saw him on television."

Wilson said he thought the Ball 4 to Grieve was a strike, but he declined to comment on his interaction with Shulock before the ninth.

FIND THAT GLOVE: With Aubrey Huff slated as the regular DH, Greg Vaughn will shift to leftfield, where he has played seven times this season.

"I enjoy playing outfield," Vaughn said. "You've got something to do. You can't think about hitting 24/7. You know you've got to go out there and take away as many hits as you can."

TAKE A SWING: With the first batch of interleague games 10 days away, Rays pitchers made their 2002 batting practice debut in anticipation of a stretch of nine games without the luxury of a DH from June 14-23.

"I was a little jittery," said starter Paul Wilson, the most experienced of the Rays pitchers with 50 career at-bats and a .080 average. "It's something we don't do worth a (lick), but I'm looking forward to it. We'll see if we can get our bunts in, and anything else we do is a bonus."

THIS AND THAT: After missing five games with a bruised left thumb, Grieve returned to the lineup. He singled to right-centerfield and stole second in the second inning, then drew a bases-loaded walk in the third. ... Steve Kent (3.04) and Travis Harper (3.27) have ERAs in the top five among AL rookies.