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Rays/MLB

Rumors interfering with Lou's actual job

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published July 11, 2006

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PITTSBURGH - Lou Piniella is tanned rested and ready. For what, he says he does not know.

"Don't believe everything you read in the papers because there is absolutely nothing there," the former Devil Rays manager said Monday.

The scuttlebutt is all around the All-Star Game that Piniella could be headed to the Cubs or Phillies or any team with a vulnerable skipper.

Piniella, here in part to promote Major League Baseball's Hometown Heros program, which will reward each team's outstanding player as determined by a fan vote, said the rumors are cramping his style.

A Fox analyst, Piniella said he gets much information talking to managers. But how can he do that, he asked, if a manager's expected demise is linked to Piniella's assumed ascension?

"It makes it hard to do this job," Piniella said

When he's not on camera, Piniella said he is fishing: "I've been doing everything I told you I'd be doing."

HAMMERING HOWARD: With a full moon rising over PNC Park, how appropriate that Ryan Howard won the Home Run Derby with a moon shot.

The Phillies slugger blasted five home runs in the final round to beat Mets third baseman David Wright by one. The tiebreaking blow arched high and struck a "Hit It Here" sign at the back of the right-centerfield bleachers, prompting a roar from the sellout crowd of 38,702.

"I didn't even know it had hit the sign," Howard said. "It's great."

It was quite a show by Howard, who began the second round in fourth and last place, eight homers behind Wright's 16, the third-highest total for one round. But Howard, last season's NL Rookie of the Year, hit 10 home runs (several into the Allegheny River beyond the rightfield stands) for a total of 18 and blew past Boston's David Ortiz and Florida's Miguel Cabrera to tie Wright for the lead.

ROGERS' REBOUND: When Kenny Rogers was named the AL's starter, it ended a tumultuous year for the Tigers left-hander and marked a milestone in his rehabilitation.

Rogers came to last season's game just weeks after he was suspended 20 games and fined $50,000 by Major League Baseball for knocking down a television cameraman at Texas' Ameriquest Field.

"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't hard," the Plant City High grad said. "I grew up through that and learned from it and tried to make myself better."

Rogers is 11-3 with a 3.85 ERA and at 41 is the second-oldest All-Star starter after Roger Clemens in 2004. Rogers got the nod because he is the AL's best-rested pitcher.

The Dodgers' Brad Penny will start for the NL.

"This year I'm hoping for a little bit more of an enjoyable time," Rogers said. "Every challenge that's come my way, if I fail through it, I try to take advantage of anything I can learn from it and move on and make myself better. This is no exception."

TO WIN THE GAME: Much has been made of the decision to link an All-Star victory to homefield advantage in the World Series.

Former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda said he loves it if only to give players a reason to care.

"You've got to play this game like it's a very important game," Lasorda said. "You should want to show these guys that your league is better than their league.

"That's what we used to have. We were proud of the National League. We said we were the top league above all and wanted to keep it that way."

Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla better represented the modern players' take on the game. "It's about players having fun and relaxing," he said. "You can't win a World Series at the All-Star Game."

TO WIN THE GAME II: The American League is on an 8-0-1 streak and, coincidence or not, swept the past two World Series.

"I'd have to say the American League is probably taking it a little more seriously right now," Astros and NL manager Phil Garner said. "To me, the task this year is, let's get that sense of pride back to the National League."

Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez said it won't be easy.

"It's a far superior league right now," he said of the AL. "In the American League, this is an All-Star team among All-Star teams."

MISCELLANY: Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo said he is available to pitch one inning tonight despite Sunday's 4¹/₃-inning outing against the Braves. . . . Twins rookie pitcher Francisco Liriano was added to the AL roster after the White Sox's Jose Contreras on Sunday pitched six innings. . . . Cardinals shortstop David Eckstein replaced the Mets' Jose Reyes, who Sunday cut his left pinky.

- DAMIAN CRISTODERO, Times staff writer

[Last modified July 11, 2006, 06:38:58]

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