Place an Ad Calendars Classified Forums Sports Weather

sptimes.com Text-only News sections Arts & Entertainment AP The Wire Business Citrus County Columnists Floridian Hernando County Hillsborough Letters Movies Neighborhood Times News Update North Pinellas North of Tampa Obituaries Opinion Pasco County South Pinellas Sports State Tampa Bay TV Times World & Nation  Find your local news section Weekly sections Brandon Times City Times Homes Outdoors Perspective Personal Tech Taste Travel Weekend Xpress Special Sections Arena football Buccaneers College football Devil Rays Lightning Police reports Schools Seniority Subscriber Services Subscribe Renew Help Advertise Place an ad In print Online Market Info Join Us Internships Scholarships Times Jobs Contact us

Baseball roundup

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published December 14, 2000

Determination nets Boston a star

BOSTON -- Manny Ramirez buttoned his brand new Red Sox jersey, smiled, gave a double thumbs-up and uttered the $160-million word.

"Bueno."

It was a sight and a sound his new bosses were thrilled and relieved to see.

Less than three days after general manager Dan Duquette thought the slugger would spurn Boston's more lucrative offer and stay with Cleveland, Ramirez strolled Wednesday onto the field where he had been a feared enemy.

Now he joins two-time AL batting champ Nomar Garciaparra and three-time Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez as Boston gears up for another run at its first world championship since 1918.

"This kid has been the most gifted hitter in the business," Duquette said. "We're a lot stronger than we were."

But on Sunday, Duquette added, "We thought we were going to lose him. Monday we negotiated all day and we knew that if we did a couple of more things we had a good chance to close the deal."

"Dan was a bulldog on this project from Day 1," Ramirez's agent, Jeff Moorad, said.

The eight-year, $160-million contract was signed Wednesday.

SELIG WANTS CHANGE: Bud Selig is convinced baseball's economic structure is broken. How to fix it is another thing. "The system has to be changed and it will be changed," the commissioner said.

Selig said he was not surprised by the signings of several free agents to huge contracts during the past week. Leading the way was Alex Rodriguez's 10-year, $252-million pact with Texas.

ALL-STAR GAME TO MILWAUKEE: Miller Park, the Brewers' new stadium, will be the site of the 2002 All-Star game. The July 9 game will generate about $70-million for the area, Selig said.

TRADE COMPLETED: The White Sox completed a trade with the Athletics by acquiring catcher Miguel Olivo. Chicago traded right-hander Chad Bradford to Oakland on Thursday.

BRAVES: Infielders Rico Brogna and Kurt Abbott agreed to one-year contracts. Brogna, hampered last season by a broken left forearm, could replace Andres Galarraga at first.

CUBS: Todd Hundley remembers ditching school on more than a few spring days so he could go to Wrigley Field and watch his dad play. He's home now, and he donned a Chicago jersey and hat as his father, Randy, watched with pride. "This is really a dream come true. More like a fantasy come true," said the younger Hundley, who agreed to a $23.5-million, four-year deal. "I've always wanted to play here and to come home to the organization. To play at the place I was at a lot as a kid, missing school ... it's great to be home."

METS: General manager Steve Phillips says there are no hard feelings between him and Rodriguez. Phillips pulled out of talks early because of perks he said agent Scott Boras demanded, prompting Rodriguez to say he thought Phillips had an agenda against him. Phillips said he had no second thoughts about his dealings with Boras. "It doesn't change anything for me," he said. "I wouldn't have said anything differently. I never made it personal about Scott or Alex. It was about what was right for us." ... New York named former third baseman Howard Johnson as hitting coach of the Class-A Brooklyn Cyclones. ... Pitchers Pat Mahomes and Lariel Gonzalez and infielder Matt Franco were designated for assignment to clear roster space for free-agent pitchers Kevin Appier and Steve Trachsel and Japanese League outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo.

PHILLIES: Philadelphia hired former first baseman John Kruk as hitting coach for Double-A Reading. An All-Star from 1991-93, Kruk was a key player in the team's 1993 NL championship season.

TWINS: Team CEO Chris Clouser resigned six months after taking the job and is turning over his duties to owner Carl Pohlad. Clouser will remain on the board of directors but will not run the team.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright