Rangers exemplify bad-news baseball

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published July 10, 2005

The Rangers might have been the worst-behaved team in baseball even before the inexcusable behavior of starter Kenny Rogers, who decided to break up a TV camera before a recent game.

Since September, the Rangers, according to the Dallas Morning News, have received 53 suspensions from Major League Baseball and been fined more than $100,000. They also have:

Attacked fans near the bullpen in Oakland (the Frankie Francisco chair-throwing incident).

Watched pitcher Ryan Drese throw down in the dugout with catcher Rod Barajas.

Enjoyed the view of pitcher Francisco Cordero grabbing his crotch to celebrate a win over the mighty Royals.

Saw Rogers, their best pitcher, go haywire.

"People have every right to ask why these things always seem to happen to us," first baseman Mark Teixeira told the Morning News. "I hope each incident is an individual occurrence. I know this, I don't like seeing it happen."

How does manager Buck Showalter fit in? No player mentioned his name, though shortstop Michael Young told the Morning News, "Maybe people have wound us too tightly. Who knows?"

MONEY BALL: The new team-first attitude of White Sox slugger Frank Thomas, not to mention the 11 home runs he hit in his first 72 at-bats, has put him in line for a multiyear contract extension, possibly three or four years at about $5-million a pop.

His current deal calls for $10-million next season or a $3.5-million buyout.

"I love this organization and I have given this organization my all," he told the Chicago Tribune. "I would love to be here and win it all. This is a special team."

Also working in Thomas' favor is he has never been accused of using performance enhancing substances despite 447 career home runs..

"After everything we have noticed that has come to light, I definitely feel that," Thomas, 37, said. "I will continue to go out there and show a high level of excellence."

ONE'S BORN EVERY MINUTE: Sammy Sosa is just awful. Simple as that. The former slugger was batting .230 entering Friday with nine home runs and 27 RBIs. Since June 20, he has five hits, one for extra-bases (a double) in 48 at-bats. That's a .104 average, folks, for only $17-million a year.

Things are so bad, manager Lee Mazzilli told Baltimore reporters he will use Sosa more as a DH to conserve his energy.

"At times he's gotten tired," Mazzilli said. "I think DHing will help him out in the second half."

COST OF WAR: Rockies first baseman Todd Helton was hit with the reality of war when Steve Reich, Helton's teammate on the 1993 U.S. national team, was killed last week in Afghanistan.

Reich, who carried the American flag in the Opening Ceremony of the World University Games in Buffalo, was one of 16 military members killed when the Chinook helicopter in which they rode crashed into a mountain in the eastern part of the country.

"So many times we get caught up in our little world of baseball," Helton told Denver reporters. "We worry about things that in the grand scheme don't matter. When someone you know dies protecting our country, things take a different perspective. When it's someone you know, it hits closer."

BYRD WATCHERS: After Paul Byrd pitched a two-hit, 5-0 victory over the Royals on July 1, he flapped his arms twice to salute a clutch of fans in the upper deck of Kauffman Stadium.

The former Byrd's Nest members came to the stadium with feathers on their arms, rubber bird beaks and hats that looked like bird nests to salute the former Royals pitcher who won 17 games for Kansas City in 2002.

"I wanted to make sure I acknowledged them," Byrd said after the game. "I did that as a sign of respect. I haven't had a Roger Clemens-type career, so when someone is putting on some gear and pulling for you, it feels nice."

ETC: Rumors are flying the Reds are trying to move Ken Griffey. But Griffey, as a player in the majors for 10 or more years and five or more with his current team, has final say on all trades and he told the Dayton Daily News he's staying put. "I ain't going nowhere," he said. "I want to end my career in Cincinnati." ... Cardinals manager Tony La Russa could have easily justified naming St. Louis starter Matt Morris to the NL All-Star team. Morris was 10-1 with a 3.70 ERA entering Saturday. But La Russa told St. Louis reporters he was hesitant because the Cards already had six players on the squad. ... Bartolo Colon could be the first Angels pitcher to win 20 games since Nolan Ryan in 1974. The right-hander has 11 victories, and since a 6-8 start to 2004 is 23-8 with a 3.33 ERA in 33 starts.

[Last modified July 9, 2005, 23:35:17]