azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Bob McManaman
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 6, 2005 12:00 AM
Upon further review, the Diamondbacks weren't so willing to say if Opening Day starter Javier Vazquez might have been tipping his pitches to the Chicago Cubs.
And if he did, the Diamondbacks didn't sound like they wanted to talk about it anyway.
"I shouldn't have even answered the question" Arizona manager Bob Melvin said.
When asked if he had studied videotape of Vazquez's outing in which the Cubs tagged the right-hander for seven runs and 10 hits in 1 2/3 innings, and compared it with previous appearances to see if something was there, Melvin said, "I did."
"Any my feeling on that is, you know, every time Randy Johnson had a bad game, you talked about tipping pitches. Every time Curt Schilling had a bad game, they talked about him tipping pitches. This is another good pitcher that had a tough game.
"John Smoltz had a tough game today as well, and that's as far as I'm going with that. I don't see anything. We're in good shape."
Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee said if Vazquez was telegraphing certain pitches, none of his Chicago teammates decided to tell him about it.
"I just think he had an off day," said Lee, who went 4 for 6 with five RBIs in the Cubs' 16-6 season-opening win. "Somebody else asked me about it, too, but no, I didn't have any feeling he was tipping. I don't think any of us felt that."
Vazquez had nothing new to offer on the subject because, when approached before Tuesday's game, he said he had yet to watch any videotape. But who knows the real story for certain?
"Like I said," Melvin added, "every time a good pitcher gets beaten around like that, even when you're on the other side, you're thinking, 'Are they thinking over there that he's tipping pitches?' It's part of baseball, it has been for a while, and so that's the end of the story for me."
Almost in Arizona
Cubs right fielder Jeromy Burnitz nearly signed with the Diamondbacks this off-season and would have, had Arizona failed in its long-running pursuit of the Dodgers' Shawn Green.
"Yeah, I thought I was here," Burnitz said. "My agent was here ready to get it done, but they sent him home."
Burnitz, a free agent who's averaged 31 homers a season the past eight years, signed with the Cubs instead and said he has no hard feelings about his dealings with Arizona.
"I don't play that game," said Burnitz, who turns 36 this month. "Nobody could have given me a job and I would have been OK with it. I love this game, but I'm in a position in my life and with my family that I'm not going to hold it against anybody or have any hard feelings about anything. I'll just say thanks for what's come my way, I really appreciate it and it's been great, that's my attitude."
Short hops
Craig Counsell appeared in his 800th major league game Tuesday and singled in his first at-bat, the 2,500th of his career.
• Relief pitcher Jose Valverde, on the disabled list with an irritated biceps tendon, threw off the mound Tuesday morning in Tucson and reported no problems, according to Melvin.
• When the Cubs started Todd Hollandsworth, Corey Patterson and Burnitz on Monday, it marked the first time since 1966 they used an all left-handed hitting outfield in a season opener. In '66, it was George Altman, Ty Cline and Billy Williams.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/0406dbnb0406.html
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 6, 2005 12:00 AM
Upon further review, the Diamondbacks weren't so willing to say if Opening Day starter Javier Vazquez might have been tipping his pitches to the Chicago Cubs.
And if he did, the Diamondbacks didn't sound like they wanted to talk about it anyway.
"I shouldn't have even answered the question" Arizona manager Bob Melvin said.
When asked if he had studied videotape of Vazquez's outing in which the Cubs tagged the right-hander for seven runs and 10 hits in 1 2/3 innings, and compared it with previous appearances to see if something was there, Melvin said, "I did."
"Any my feeling on that is, you know, every time Randy Johnson had a bad game, you talked about tipping pitches. Every time Curt Schilling had a bad game, they talked about him tipping pitches. This is another good pitcher that had a tough game.
"John Smoltz had a tough game today as well, and that's as far as I'm going with that. I don't see anything. We're in good shape."
Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee said if Vazquez was telegraphing certain pitches, none of his Chicago teammates decided to tell him about it.
"I just think he had an off day," said Lee, who went 4 for 6 with five RBIs in the Cubs' 16-6 season-opening win. "Somebody else asked me about it, too, but no, I didn't have any feeling he was tipping. I don't think any of us felt that."
Vazquez had nothing new to offer on the subject because, when approached before Tuesday's game, he said he had yet to watch any videotape. But who knows the real story for certain?
"Like I said," Melvin added, "every time a good pitcher gets beaten around like that, even when you're on the other side, you're thinking, 'Are they thinking over there that he's tipping pitches?' It's part of baseball, it has been for a while, and so that's the end of the story for me."
Almost in Arizona
Cubs right fielder Jeromy Burnitz nearly signed with the Diamondbacks this off-season and would have, had Arizona failed in its long-running pursuit of the Dodgers' Shawn Green.
"Yeah, I thought I was here," Burnitz said. "My agent was here ready to get it done, but they sent him home."
Burnitz, a free agent who's averaged 31 homers a season the past eight years, signed with the Cubs instead and said he has no hard feelings about his dealings with Arizona.
"I don't play that game," said Burnitz, who turns 36 this month. "Nobody could have given me a job and I would have been OK with it. I love this game, but I'm in a position in my life and with my family that I'm not going to hold it against anybody or have any hard feelings about anything. I'll just say thanks for what's come my way, I really appreciate it and it's been great, that's my attitude."
Short hops
Craig Counsell appeared in his 800th major league game Tuesday and singled in his first at-bat, the 2,500th of his career.
• Relief pitcher Jose Valverde, on the disabled list with an irritated biceps tendon, threw off the mound Tuesday morning in Tucson and reported no problems, according to Melvin.
• When the Cubs started Todd Hollandsworth, Corey Patterson and Burnitz on Monday, it marked the first time since 1966 they used an all left-handed hitting outfield in a season opener. In '66, it was George Altman, Ty Cline and Billy Williams.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/0406dbnb0406.html
