Tigers slugger out 2-3 months

By wire services
Published April 27, 2005

CLEVELAND - Tigers outfielder Magglio Ordonez will be sidelined for two to three months after hernia surgery this week.

Ordonez, who signed a $75-million, five-year contract with Detroit during the offseason, will be operated on by Dr. Bill Meyers on Wednesday in Philadelphia.

"Mags is anxious to get this taken care of and get back to playing," Tigers trainer Kevin Rand said.

The Tigers estimated Friday that the four-time All-Star would miss four to six weeks, but they increased their estimate Tuesday.

Rand said the estimate could change after the surgery, but Ordonez, 31, likely would begin a rehabilitation program in three weeks.

"We're all relieved," Tigers manager Alan Trammell said. "Now we can get on with the next phase. If we can get him for half a season, that would be great."

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - Holy cow!

You could almost hear late Cubs announcer Harry Caray shouting his familiar refrain as former Chicago second baseman Ryne Sandberg finally set foot inside the Baseball Hall of Fame for his first tour of the sport's Mecca.

"Everything is just amazing," said Sandberg, who will be inducted with Tampa's Wade Boggs on July 31. "To be here and feel a part of it is still at the overwhelming stage, and that might always be the case."

Sandberg couldn't hide his elation; he never stopped smiling. His only other visit to Cooperstown was to play in a Hall of Fame game in the mid 1980s, and although he homered in his first at-bat at Doubleday Field, the thrill of that paled in comparison to what he was feeling as he walked into the Hall of Fame gallery.

That his plaque will hang on a section of wall adjacent to the five members of the original class elected in 1936 - Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson and Honus Wagner - only stoked the emotions.

"Just to see the history and the names, heroes of mine, it's incredible to be a part of that family," said Sandberg, who was accompanied by his wife, Margaret.

WELLS SIDELINED: Red Sox left-hander David Wells could be sidelined for more than a month after spraining his right foot, manager Terry Francona said. Wells, 41, will go on the 15-day disabled list because of the injury, sustained in Monday night's 8-4 loss to Baltimore.

Former Devil Rays left-hander John Halama is to take Wells' spot in the rotation and start Tuesday at Detroit. Lenny DiNardo will be recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket and replace Halama in the bullpen.

FOURTH SUSPENSION ANNOUNCED: Mariners minor-league outfielder Jamal Strong was suspended for 10 days, making him the fourth player to test positive under Major League Baseball's new policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Strong, who played 12 games for Seattle in 2003, was with Triple-A Tacoma this season.

Rangers minor-league pitcher Agustin Montero, who was suspended for 10 days last week, became the first player to file a grievance. The players' association filed the grievance Thursday, a day after his suspension was handed down, saying the penalty was "discipline without just cause."

Devil Rays outfielder Alex Sanchez was the first player suspended under the new program, starting his 10-day ban April 3. Colorado outfielder Jorge Piedra was suspended for 10 days starting April 11.

MARLINS BALLPARK: A last-ditch maneuver engineered by Florida House speaker-designate Marco Rubio, R-Miami, to win a $60-million subsidy for a Miami stadium survived a bruising floor debate and headed to a final vote.

The stadium measure was kept alive along with a $75-million proposal to help lure a NASCAR Hall of Fame to Daytona Beach, but the concept of using tax dollars to help lucrative sports franchises must still win approval in the upper chamber.

BLUE JAYS: Catcher Greg Myers chose to become a free agent instead of accepting an assignment to Triple-A Syracuse. Myers, 39, was 1-for-12 with one RBI.

BREWERS: First baseman Lyle Overbay needed stitches for a cut on his jaw after making a catch in foul territory, then falling awkwardly over the tarp and landing hard on the wall in the first inning.

CUBS: Right-hander Chad Fox went on the 15-day disabled list with an injured pitching elbow.

ROCKIES: Manager Clint Hurdle missed the game against Florida because of flu-like symptoms that have plagued him for nearly two weeks.

[Last modified April 27, 2005, 00:49:07]