4B
THE UNIVERSITY BABY KANSAS
SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2008
MLB
Players apologize for steroid use
ASSOCIATED PRESS
There's nothing like a good apology, especially when you know it comes straight from the heart.
Eric Gagne issued his Monday in two different languages, though if you had just come back from a few months climbing in the Himalayas you'd be hard-pressed to know just what he was apologizing for.
Even Gagne didn't seem sure, and you would think he would be the one to know. Something about a "distraction that shouldn't be taking place" was taking place and that "right now I just want to go forward."
Gagne had to have been watching and taking notes a few days earlier when his former batterymate, and the guy who used to score HGI1 for him, issued his own mea culpa before beginning his new job as a $5 million a year catcher and role model for the Washington Nationals.
For that kind of money you would think Paul Lo Duca might be able to do better than a three sentence statement apologizing for "mistakes in judgment I made in the past and for the distraction that has resulted." Maybe even tell us if the details in the Mitchell report about him buying steroids for his minor league teammates in 1999 and then going around the clubhouse to make sure his buddies had a fresh supply of HGH in the majors were true.
Apparently not. Like Mark McGwire, he just doesn't want to talk about the past.
"Come on, bro." Next question",
Lo Duca said.
Jason Giambi never explained what he was apologizing for, Paul
Byrd has developed a case of amnesia, Gary Matthews has never told us why he was sent HGH, and we haven't heard a peep from Jose Guillen or Troy Glaus.
Miguel Tejada isn't about to talk, and he made that clear Tuesday upon his arrival in camp for the Houston Astros.
Unfortunately we've heard way too much from Roger Clemens. It was his strident denials that brought Pettitte deeper into this mess than he was eved to be, and his insistence on having a congressional investigation that led to some embarrassing revelations about family members of both pitchers.
Hopefully, Byrd, Matthews, Gagne, Lo Duca and the other players were taking notes because Pettitte never tried to hide. When he finished answering some questions, he would ask the reporter if he needed more.
The short one on why he did HGH, though, seemed good enough.
"Stupidity, desperation, that's the only excuse I can give you," he said.
That's better than what most of baseball's juiced generation has given. They remain content to hide behind ambiguous statements that offer nothing, figuring a few home runs or a few clutch saves will win the faithful back anyway.
They'll probably get away with it, too, because fans have short memories, and writers are just as tired of writing about steroids and HGH as people are of reading it.
To Pettitte, though, that wasn't enough. He had to apologize to the Steinbrenners, to the fans, to the media, to everyone. Mission accomplished.
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Jayhawks enjoy depth in pitching
BASEBALL
Five veteran players compete for spots as starters in weekend rotation
The baseball team's pitching staff combines retraining veterans and proven transfers to create stiff competition for starting rotation players. Jayhawks kicked off their season with a five game series against Hawaii-Hilo, starting at 5 p.m. Friday, in Kona, Hawaii.
BY SHAWN SHROYER shroyer@kansan.com
After starting two sophomores and a freshman on the mound during weekends last season, Kansas now boasts one of the most experienced rotations in the Big 12.
Junior left-hander Nick Czyz and sophomore left-hander Wally Marcelian anchored Kansas' weekend rotation last season and are the incumbents to do the same this season. However, unlike last year, Kansas has a handful of worthy candidates to choose from, so Czyz and Marcelian will have to earn their spots in the weekend rotation.
"There's three weeks of games before we go to Texas and each time those guys walks on the field, they're competing for one of those starting jobs," coach Ritch Price said.
Also throwing their names in the hat to claim a weekend spot are senior right-hander Andres Esquibel, junior left-hander Sam Freeman and sophomore left-hander Shaefer Hall.
Esquibel led Kansas with seven victories last season, while switching between starting and relief duties. Although he's the only right-handed candidate to start for the Jayhawks his value as a setup man out of the bullpen may prevent him from starting on weekends.
Freeman, a transfer from North Central Texas College, was a strikeout machine last season with 50 strikeouts in 50.2 innings. Price said Freeman fit the profile of a true starter, with high velocity, a good slider and possibly the best changeup on the team. All of which certainly bode well for Freeman, assuming he can acclimate to pitching in the Big 12.
Hall, another addition to the Kansas staff via transfer, was an innings eaten at Jefferson College last season. En route to a 10-1 record, Hall pitched 83 innings, throwing six complete games. Considering how Kansas' starters didn't toss a single complete game in 2007 and rarely pitched late into ballgames, Hall's stamina could be a welcome addition to the Kansas rotation.
Unfortunately, the candidates have only been able to audition indoors, in batting cages, rather than on the diamond.
pitching stats
"We're doing the best we can to prepare ourselves as far as throwing
LHP Wally Marceli: 3.94
ERA/5-3 W-L/47 SO/59.1 IP
LHP Shaffer Hall: 2.19
ERA/10-1 W-L/67 SO/83 IP at
Jefferson College
LHP Nick Czzy: 4.60 ERA/4-8
W-L/62 SO/72.1 IP
LHP Sam Freeman: 3.20
ERA/10-1 W-L/50 SO/50.2 IP at
North Central Texas College
RHP Andres Esquibel: 4.66
ERA/7-3 W-L/50 SO/67.2 IP
LHP Andy Marks: 5.52 ERA/5-
W-L/91 SO/89.2 IP
live in the cages and stuff like that." Czyz said. "But we're really looking forward to getting outside."
As for the incumbents, Czyz and Marciel, they've already run the gauntlet of pitching in the Big 12 and will be expected to improve upon their numbers from a year ago.
Other than his 4-8 record Czyz had a solid sophomore season, starting all 14 of his appearances. He was second on the team with a 4.60 ERA, 62 strikeouts and 72.1 innings pitched.
Marcel began 2007 as a reliever and midweek starter, but by seasons end, he found himself in the weekend rotation with the lowest ERA on the team - 3.94. His freshman campaign was capped off when he was named second team all-freshman by "Ping! Baseball."
These five candidates will get their first chance to claim a spot in Kansas' weekend rotation in this weekend's five-game series with Hawaii-Hilo. However, with only three games per weekend thereafter, two will be moved in midweek starting roles.
Of course, no matter who Kansas' top three starters are after this weekend, in about a month a familiar face will be thrown into the mix.
Junior lefty Andy Marks was the third member of last season's weekend trio,but he's been out of commission since the fall when he had surgery on the labrum in his throwing shoulder.
Marks hasn't experienced any setbacks in his rehab and Price said he hoped his top pitcher from a year ago would return by late March, when Kansas heads to Bradenton, Fla., for a spring break tournament.
Last season, Marks led Kansas with 91 strikeouts, the eighth most in a season by a Kansas pitcher, and tallied a 3.28 ERA over his final six starts. When he does return, Price expects to pitch him in the Friday slot.
Marks update
Junior left-hander Andy Marks threw his first bullpen of the season on Saturday without any complications. Coach Hitch Price said Marks was supposed to throw at 50 percent Saturday, but actually kicked it up to 75 percent. Nevertheless, Marks got through the session pain-free with good mechanics. For now, Marks is scheduled to throw 35 pitches a day until he's ready to increase his workload.
If all goes according to plan, there will be one less spot in the weekend rotation open to the other five candidates. In the meantime, the candidates will use the competition as added motivation to make up for Marks' absence.
"He's a huge loss for us." Cazy said, "but we brought in a couple guys and there's some guys who need to step up a little bit and kind of fill his role and take some innings away from him until he gets back."
—Edited by Russell Davies
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MLB
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Jose Guillen arrived right on time Tuesday, bouncing into the Kansas City clubhouse bright and early with a happy smile and a polite refusal to talk about steroids, the Mitchell Report or the 15-day suspension hanging over his head.
The power-hitting outfielder said he would discuss all that after his appeal is decided.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
"I'm pretty sure we're going to be talking before the season starts, as soon as the situation gets resolved," he said. "Right now, it's in the process and I'm looking forward to getting this over with."
Last December, literally hours after Kansas City signed him to a three-year, $36 million contract, Guillen was suspended for 15 days for violation of baseball's drug policy. He had been linked in media reports to the buying of thousands of dollars worth of human growth hormone. He appealed immediately and an arbitrator's decision is expected before the end of spring training.
Royals players prepare to appeal drug suspension
Guillen spent much of the first full morning of the Royals' camp introducing himself to players he hadn't met and hugging those he's known while playing for eight different teams in 11 years.
Guillen said he's been keeping up with the Mitchell Report and baseball's embarrassing steroids scandal.
He'll be the highest paid player per year in Kansas City history, counted on to provide much-needed
pop in the middle of a weak lineup.
"They know what they got, so I'm a player and I'm going to work hard and do the best I can to help this team win," Guillen said.
If Guillen's suspension is not reduced, he will miss 12 games because the penalty starts on the first day of the season, when the Royals are off. Olivos' suspension is not based on days, but on games. He'll sit out five games regardless of when they are played.
Guillen is not the only new Royal who is appealing a suspension. Backup catcher Miguel Olivo is appealing a five-game penalty for an on-field fight near the end of last season with the Florida Marlins.
If the players don't win their appeals, the Royals will probably go short-handed and open the season with a 24- instead of a 25-man roster, leaving off either a pitcher or a position player. They would have a backup catcher to replace Olivo in case something should happen to starter John Buck.
That would not be ideal for a team that notoriously gets off to slow starts. But the Royals insisted they knew a suspension was a possibility before signing Guillen, who has a 2.74 lifetime average with 166 home runs and 673 RBIs.
"We talked about it before the winter meetings, we talked about it during the winter meetings," said manager Trey Hillman. "We knew it was a possibility with the Guillen situation. And obviously, it affects us.
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