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Baseball

Little fanfare greets well-fed Contreras

TAMPA -- Even before his first workout with the Yankees, Jose Contreras already knew one big difference between Cuba and the United States: the food.

"I've gained 15 pounds," he said after weighing in Wednesday at 244.

And that's while working out nearly every day.

"If not, I would have been 280."

The Yankees have become the Ellis Island of the majors, the landing point in America for international stars such as Contreras and Hideki Matsui. The first wave of immigrants, led by Hideki Irabu and Orlando Hernandez, already has moved on.

While Matsui's every move is followed by dozens of reporters, photographers and camera crews who traveled from Japan, Contreras slipped into spring training relatively unnoticed Wednesday, a look of wonderment on the pitcher's face as he got to see a major-league team in operation for the first time.

He tried on four pairs of pinstriped pants, finding them all too long for the powerful legs of his 6-foot-4 frame. Yankees staff left various equipment in his locker, two away from one of his heroes, Roger Clemens.

"Everything is so organized," he said through translator Leo Astacio, "not only here but in the country. And I like that."

The Titan of Bronze, as the ace of the Cuban staff was called, defected in October while the national team was in Mexico. He agreed to a $32-million, four-year contract with the Yankees, who outbid Boston and Seattle.

Like Matsui, Contreras finds himself in a new land where he doesn't speak the language. Astacio, Hernandez's interpreter, was rehired by the Yankees to ease the transition.

While Matsui's family can visit, Contreras must make due with daily telephone calls to his wife and children, ages 2 and 10. He hopes they can leave Cuba and join him in the United States.

"My agent has started working on that," Contreras said. "He's initiated the paperwork and everything he has to do. I'm anxious that it comes sooner rather than later."

Jaime Torres, who negotiated the deal that brought Contreras to the Yankees, didn't want to go into detail about the process of getting the family out of Cuba, saying it was "a touchy issue."

Meanwhile, thanks to his new teammates, Matsui is adjusting well to baseball in America.

While Matsui is taking English classes, New York shortstop Derek Jeter is learning some Japanese.

"Just talking with guys who have come from different teams, there's a period where you're trying to fit in," Jeter said after working out with Matsui. "I always try to go out of my way to make them feel comfortable."

Matsui realizes the importance of bridging the communication gap.

"It's very difficult to learn English," Matsui said through an interpreter. "Right now I'm learning English. If I can speak English, maybe I can contact with the teammates easier."

Manager Joe Torre plans to meet with Matsui about the outfielder's preparation process this spring.

Ex-Bosox owner, GM dies

BOSTON -- Former Red Sox co-owner and general manager Haywood Sullivan died Wednesday in Fort Myers after a stroke. He was 72.

Mr. Sullivan, who lived in Naples, was general manager from 1978-83 and last worked for the Red Sox in 1993. He was best known for neglecting to mail a contract offer to catcher Carlton Fisk, allowing the future Hall of Famer to become a free agent and leave Boston.

After a seven-year playing career and a year managing the Kansas City A's, Mr. Sullivan became Boston's director of player personnel in 1965. In 1978, he, Jean Yawkey and Buddy LeRoux bought the Red Sox.

SECURITY TIGHTENED: Baseball is setting up plans for tougher security for major-league teams traveling out of the country amid the threat of war and terrorism.

Advance personnel, including a former Air Force officer now working as a consultant to baseball, have traveled to Japan, major-league security chief Kevin Hallinan said.

The Mariners and Athletics open the season in Tokyo on March 25-26.

ASTROS: Infielder Julio Lugo avoided arbitration, agreeing on a one-year contract worth $1,575,000.

CUBS: The team will have a year to settle its dispute with the owners of rooftop bleachers that overlook Wrigley Field. A federal judge set a Feb. 23, 2004, trial date for a lawsuit filed by the team, which contends the rooftop owners violate copyright laws and directly compete with the club for ticket sales.

DODGERS: Darren Dreifort acknowledges he'd rather start than relieve. He isn't about to be choosy. The right-hander, who hasn't appeared in a major-league game since tearing a ligament in his right elbow June 29, 2001, is so eager to return that he engaged in light tossing with Paul Quantrill and Andy Ashby when pitchers and catchers reported to camp in Vero Beach. The first formal workout is scheduled for today. "Right now I'm just happy to be in a uniform," Dreifort said.

MARINERS: Right-hander Freddy Garcia was awarded the third-highest salary ever in arbitration when he won his case. Garcia, 26, was awarded $6,875,000 by arbitrators Richard Bloch, Jack Clarke and William Holley, who heard the case a day earlier in St. Petersburg. Seattle had wanted to pay $5.9-million.

METS: Jay Bell was so certain his career was finished, he already had found something else fun to try. "I was taking flying lessons," he said. "I've had a great time doing it." But following three trips around the Phoenix area in a Cessna 172 prop plane, Bell's back on the ground after agreeing on a minor-league contract, giving the 17-year veteran an invitation to spring training and a chance to start at third.

ORIOLES: Outfielder B.J. Surhoff returned to Baltimore, agreeing to a minor-league contract that included an invitation to spring training. Surhoff, 38, played 41/2 seasons with the team before he was traded to Atlanta in 2000, where he spent the past 21/2 seasons with the Braves. ... Second baseman Jerry Hairston agreed to a $1.55-million, one-year contract, avoiding arbitration.

FRONTIER LEAGUE: Former Cardinals pitcher Danny Cox was picked to manage the independent Gateway Grizzlies.

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