Old friend Russell Martin pulled out of the World Baseball Classic when Team Canada decided he’d catch rather than play shortstop as he preferred.
Say what? Martin hasn’t played shortstop since 2002, his first pro season in the minors, and that was just one game.
This hasn’t endeared him to Canadian fans, nor has it done him any favors with Justin Morneau of the Twins, who’s playing for Team Canada.
But the desire to play a new position is kind of what has everybody wondering what the decision-making process was behind that. When we get there, we’ll be there with everybody who wants to be there and with somebody who’s capable of playing shortstop.”
You know, as badly as Martin’s skills have fallen off and as weird as this reasoning is, I think it’s just as well we let him go to the Yankees a couple of years ago.
Update: Another old friend, Rafael Furcal, is going to have Tommy John surgery and will be out for the season.
That’s a shame. When he was healthy Raffy was a great shortstop for the Dodgers.
Update: Tonight’s (March 8) game is available via webcast. Capuano is on the mound to start.
Update: Video of Kershaw’s two-hit one-run outing today in Scottsdale, which the Dodgers won 6 – 1. Juan Uribe (!) had a three-run home run.
NPA.
“This is strange” also fits Uribe hitting a 3 run HR, even in spring training. (At least Gameday says he did.) Good kind of strange.
Calls for an airborne porker alert. Got binoculars out scanning west, expecting to see them anytime now.
Except now management may think Uribe is still salvageable. Maybe they’re hoping some team will be impressed and take him off their hands. Let’s hope.
I hope it’s a GEICO pig and not a “Pearls Before Swine” pig.
Anyone think it odd that Kershaw goes 5 and it is only March 10? Seems pretty early in the process.
Castenallos another HR I see, interesting
Today’s (March 9) game is also webcast live right here:
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?topic_id=16646644&c_id=LA&content_id=25646279
Link to tonight’s webcast in post.
Do miss Rafa and the cannon arm. Best to him.
Would have been interesting to see what he could have done on the mound, as with Loney. Converting folks to pitching–or trying to–seems to be all the rage.
It even works–sometimes. ;-])
Maybe Raffy would have stayed healthier if he could have cut it as a pitcher, but he was/is a quality SS, maybe the best of recent years.
Loney even wanted to pitch, IIRC.