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By JOHN ROMANO and MIKE READLING
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 25, 2001
ST. PETERSBURG -- Bobby Smith has been through this before. He has seen how this job-in-the-balance stuff works. And he knows better than to worry.
Smith, battling for both a roster spot and the potential starting job at second base, said he was not going to get overly excited about his performance Saturday. Smith had three hits, including his first home run, and looked strong turning three double plays in a 3-2 victory against Toronto.
"It doesn't matter what I do, they're going to take the guy they want to take," Smith said. "I could hit .500 this spring and if they don't want this type of player, they'll take another. It's the same thing with (Brent) Abernathy or (Russ) Johnson or (Damian) Rolls."
Smith, 26, has been competing for a roster spot virtually his entire stay in Tampa Bay. He and Abernathy have been the leading contenders as the second baseman with Johnson and Rolls likely playing for utility jobs.
Smith is hitting .308, Abernathy .404 and Johnson .348.
"He made some nice plays today and swung the bat well. That's what you want to see," manager Larry Rothschild said.
RETURN OF PEDRO: Pedro Martinez is tentatively scheduled to be Boston's starting pitcher against the Rays on Wednesday at Florida Power Park. It would be Martinez's first appearance against Tampa Bay since hitting Gerald Williams with a pitch and touching off a wild brawl Aug. 29.
COMING BACK: Juan Guzman had control problems in his second minor-league start as he continues his rehab after last summer's shoulder surgery. Guzman pitched three shutout innings, but gave up five walks and two hits.
EASY DOES IT: Greg Vaughn, who had shoulder problems last season, is giving his arm a rest and moving from leftfield to designated hitter for a couple of days. "I'm fine," Vaughn said. "Nothing wrong with me, just getting a rest."
LOOKING GOOD: If rightfielder Jose Guillen is trade bait, as has been speculated this spring, he is giving teams plenty of reason to inquire about him.
Guillen hit a three-run home run in the third off Braves ace Tom Glavine in a split-squad game at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, boosting his team-leading RBI total to 13. Guillen is hitting .400 with a .675 slugging percentage.
With the acquisition of Ben Grieve, Guillen was reduced to a part-time role or a potential candidate for a trade.
Guillen, 24, who has been inconsistent at the plate since becoming a Ray in 1999, worked overtime on his problems during the winter. He went straight into winter ball after last season and has returned an improved hitter without a position. Guillen admits being frustrated not playing every day despite playing winter ball and working to correct inconsistency, but says his situation will work itself out:
"It's like when I made some mistakes last year and lost my job, it's so hard to find opportunities to play every day. What I'm looking for is to be here."
MAKING THEIR PITCHES: Albie Lopez and Paul Wilson, contenders to start on opening day, had strong efforts Saturday. Wilson ran his scoreless innings streak to 14 before giving up his first run of the spring against Toronto. He is 1-0 with a 0.60 ERA. Lopez gave up two earned runs in five innings in an 11-5 loss to the Braves. He has a 2.25 ERA in 16 innings.
Manager Larry Rothschild has not named a starter for opening day, and the issue is further clouded because Lopez and Wilson are on schedule to pitch April 3.
Doug Creek relieved Lopez in the sixth with a one-run lead but gave up a walk and two singles, then a grand slam.
OOPS, TWICE: Abernathy committed two fielding errors in the third inning, leading to three runs. They were the first errors in 98 innings this spring for Abernathy, who has had a cold for two days and came out of the game in the fifth inning. "I can't make excuses, those are balls that have to be caught and plays that have to be made," he said.
Headline: Time has arrived for wade fishing
Spring has sprung, and with the water warming, there's probably no better time for wade fishing
It's a great time to break out the fakes.
For the ultimate in heart-stopping action, topwater baits are the way to go. Early morning or late afternoon, slurping will draw ferocious strikes, especially if the sky is overcast.
Favorite topwaters include zig-zaggers, floaters/divers and propeller baits. All have their place, and most often deciding which to use is a matter of preference. There's one thing for sure, they all work extremely well.
Zig-zags do not have any action on their own, so they have to be twitched slightly with slack line to get the side-to-side action. They can be hard on the wrist if you're not use to working them.
Floaters are not as hard to work as zig-zags, but still require tip action to get results. Sudden twitches cause the plug to dive abruptly then shoot back to the surface. The backward movement is what seems to draw the strikes.
Propeller baits are the easiest topwater to work because all you have to do is twitch the rod tip to get the plug to do what it is designed to do, and that is to throw a spray of water. Many prop baits come with a propeller on the front and back of the plug. Many times the front prop will get tangled in the line and foul the action, so it's not a bad idea to remove it. Another trick is to turn the rear propeller blades in slightly to get more "zip" or spray off it. Once the sun starts to cast a shadow, switch to subsurface crankbaits. These are mainly slow-sinking or suspending-style plugs. All you have to do is reel or "crank" them in to do their job. Some crankbaits are loaded with BBs to rattle and simulate a school of baitfish. Others use a flash to simulate wounded bait. The sun reflecting off the sides creates the flash. Both are effective and are even more deadly when a stop-and-go pattern is used.
Crankbaits have to be tuned to get proper tracking out of the lure. The way to tell if your lure is tracking straight is to cast the lure out and reel it in to see if it is running to the left or right. If the bait is running to the right, adjust the front eye hook to the left a little, and vice-versa.
Without question, the most versatile of all artificials is the jig. The reason is simple. It can be worked like a crankbait, skipped across the surface like a topwater, or dragged along the bottom. No other imitation can cover all phases of the water column quite like it. Jigs come in a variety of weights, but for inshore action, the lighter the head the better.
Light heads will sink slower, giving fish more time to react to the fall, which is when most strikes occur. There is a variety of soft, plastic tails that can be slipped on the head to dress up the jig so it resembles a shrimp, crab or ballyhoo. Bucktail or feather jigs also remain very popular despite the soft tails, because of their ability to have a breathing appearance.
Whichever phony bait you decide to use while wading, tie a loop knot to your bait so it allows the bait to have more action. And cast parallel to the shore or sea wall. That's where the fish will be traveling.
-- If you've had a great day fishing from land and want to share it with our readers, then contact the LUBBERLINE at (727) 893-8775 or email captrick@luckydawg.com.