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Center stage Down the stretch, NL races come to the forefront
Sports Illustrated senior writer Tom Verducci's Baseball Mailbag appears weekly on CNNSI.com. To send a question, click here. The latest mailbag opens with a look at the NL East race, as the Phillies and Braves take their underwhelming struggle to the wire. What might have happened if Mike Lieberthal had stayed healthy? Is this the worst of the past 10 Braves teams and if so, how much credit does Bobby Cox deserve? And where in the world are the fans in Philadelphia? We'll tackle these and other mysteries. What kind of credit should Bobby Cox get for keeping the Braves in first
place this season? The lineup Atlanta trots out is nothing special (Julio
Franco?), yet the Braves will win the NL East again. Is this the best year of
Cox's managerial
career?
It must be one of Cox's best jobs because this team is very weak. The front office has done nothing to improve it. Two things, though: I don't like Cox's constant carping on the umpires; it's getting worse. And though they might win the division, the Braves are not exactly a juggernaut. They should feel fortunate the Mets underachieved for three-quarters of the season. With the Phillies just two games out of first place through Monday, how much
has the absence of catcher Mike Lieberthal hurt
them?
That's hard to quantify. But I think even though Johnny Estrada has done a nice job, the Phillies miss Lieberthal's experience behind the dish. Astros manager Larry Dierker credits Brad Ausmus and Tony Eusebio with helping his young pitchers through the season. Lieberthal is a gold glover and leader who could only have helped. Considering the race with Atlanta is so close, Lieberthal might have been the difference. What is going on with the fans in Philadelphia? The Phillies are actually
contending and playing huge games, yet the attendance last week at the Vet was
utterly embarrassing. What's your take on
this?
Hard to figure. Obviously, the Phillies didn't sell a lot of season tickets this year, but that's no excuse for such poor walk-up crowds. Apparently, this city doesn't believe in the Phillies after they have collapsed and/or stunk the last few years. Do you think the St. Louis Cardinals will supplant the Atlanta Braves as the
team with the strongest starting pitching in baseball? With the emergence of Bud
Smith, the addition of Woody Williams, the pending return of Rick Ankiel, plus
the solid work of Matt Morris and Darryl Kile, the Cards have the best rotation
the club has seen in years.
Offer me any team's rotation over the next 5-10 years, and I'll take Oakland's crew. I'd probably go with Houston after that. I like what the Cardinals have in place, but I have no idea what will become of Ankiel, who still has the chance to be dominating. The Astros are proving to be an NL powerhouse. Will this same team be back
for 2002, or will it lose some key
players?
It might depend on how far they get in the playoffs. I doubt that there is room in the budget to keep Moises Alou, and Pedro Astacio won't be back, but I think the core of the team will remain. Why isn't any special consideration being given to Rickey Henderson as he
breaks the toughest record of all -- runs scored -- this year? Is baseball
being selective about its heroes?
I have great respect for Rickey and the runs record, but let's face it, nobody goes to the ballpark to see someone score a run, and less than one percent of the population can tell you what the single-season runs record is. The career runs record is a tremendous achievement, but home run records, hitting streaks and winning streaks get people a lot more jazzed. It's not about Rickey. Tom, the Mariners have lost star players three years in a row, partly because
their GM was not willing to sell the farm for one superstar. Each year, the M's
seem to get better. Do you think other teams will start to follow Seattle's
example and look to field a team with solid all-around players, and hold back
from paying any one player an exceptional amount? In the long run, do you think
this might help deflate the market for
superstars?
I think Seattle has emboldened some teams into thinking they don't have to go that extra mile. Best case coming up: the Giants and Barry Bonds. I have to believe if you give San Francisco GM Brian Sabean $19 million a year to spend he'll come up with two or three players to keep the Giants competitive. In general, though, I never think the owners will learn or show any restraint. Who, in your mind, is the greatest left-handed starting pitcher of all time?
I would guess the short list comes down to Sandy Koufax, Steve Carlton and Randy
Johnson. While I know many will pick either Koufax or the Unit, my loyalties lie
with Lefty. He was dominant from the early '70s through the mid '80's.
You didn't mention Warren Spahn, who won 20 games 13 times! I'd have to say he's No. 1. Koufax was the best for a short period. Johnson, the most dominating overall, is climbing. With the economy going through a hard time because of all that's happened, do
you see owners not being as active as they normally would be when it comes to
free agency during the
offseason?
Again, I never trust owners to control themselves when it comes to spending. Every year they say they will, then they get caught up in the shopping frenzy and dump tons of money on people such as Derek Bell and Steve Trachsel. The real question is whether you people keep picking up the tab as they continue to raise prices to subsidize their spending. They haven't priced tickets too high yet, based on sales. Very quietly, Alex Rodriguez has put up a monster season. Yes, the Rangers
are awful, but you have to give A-Rod credit for not letting his new contract
hinder his play. Do you agree? Also, would you say A-Rod is CLEARLY the best
player in the game
today?
A-Rod is one of those solid citizens who doesn't change. GIve him the money and he won't change. Derek Jeter is the same way. And yes, A-Rod is the best player in the game, and he has been for a few years. To send a question to Tom Verducci's Baseball Mailbag,
click
here.
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