Spring Issues Are Thaw-Inspiring

In the aftermath of a winter chilled by accusations of collusion, with dozens of well-known players having had to accept minor league contracts, and Kenny Rogers, Reggie Sanders, Chuck Finley and Rickey Henderson among the familiar names still unsigned, spring training begins in earnest this week. In Florida and Arizona, the position players will be following pitchers and catchers into camps in which the verbal rites of spring are already in full flower.

Consider:

* The early absence of Kevin Brown, who for another $15 million is supposed to be proving that he has recovered from his injuries and demonstrating enthusiasm in regard to getting on with that process, has stirred private consternation among Dodger management and some players.

* George Steinbrenner, celebrating his 30th year as principal owner of the New York Yankees, is proving he hasn’t mellowed. His off-season barbs at shortstop Derek Jeter and Manager Joe Torre and his coaches has prompted 1) Torre to stop referring to him as “George” in favor of a more sarcastic “Mr. Steinbrenner” and 2) an angry Jeter, saying his integrity and work ethic have been demeaned by the insinuation that he is a Dennis Rodman party animal, to meet privately with Steinbrenner, who refused to apologize.

* And Pedro Martinez, proving what’s important to him, was in camp for only five minutes before saying that if the Boston Red Sox didn’t pick up his $17.5-million option for 2004 before the end of spring training, he would definitely leave after this season as a free agent.

This is also a spring in which two multimedia giants -- News Corp. and the Walt Disney Co. -- may sell the Dodgers and Angels, as well as a spring sobered by international tensions, the relaxed atmosphere yielding to tightened security and the possibility that the March 25-26 season-opening series between the Oakland A’s and Seattle Mariners in Tokyo will be played in the U.S. instead.

As always, there are questions.

Here are 20 for the Answer Man:

1. Since the Yankees guaranteed $53 million to Hideki Matsui and Jose Contreras, what will be more difficult for the Japanese outfielder and Cuban pitcher, investing in Wall Street’s bear market or coping with the media microscope?

Answer: Hans Blix may be tied up, but Matsui and Contreras will experience intense inspection in the camp of the Evil Empire, as Red Sox President Larry Lucchino described the Yankees, who have been unable to dump Raul Mondesi, Rondell White and Sterling Hitchcock, and still have a payroll that is about $53 million over the $117.5-million tax threshold. The Boss, though, cares only about winning (and preventing the Red Sox from winning), and if Matsui and Contreras struggle getting acclimated, so did Ichiro Suzuki in his first spring with the Mariners before going on to win the American League’s rookie-of-the-year and MVP awards, along with the AL batting title.

2. How many teams open camp with new managers?

Answer: Nine, at last count, or almost a third of the 30 teams. They are Dusty Baker, Chicago Cubs; Felipe Alou, San Francisco Giants; Alan Trammell, Detroit Tigers; Bob Melvin, Mariners; Buck Showalter, Texas Rangers; Eric Wedge, Cleveland Indians; Art Howe, New York Mets; Ken Macha, A’s, and Lou Piniella, who so desired to work where he lives that he agreed to the equivalent of a triple-A assignment as manager of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Or as the man who managed Seattle to 116 wins in 2001 said before welcoming 72 players to his tryout camp, “I never thought I’d say, ‘Boy, if we win 75 games we’re doing well.’ ”

3. Is Ken Griffey Jr. still with the Cincinnati Reds?

Answer: Yes, but the player who was baseball’s best before returning to his hometown Reds has virtually disappeared while struggling with injuries the last two years. He is penciled to start in center field but the Reds tried to trade him to the San Diego Padres before Phil Nevin exercised his no-trade clause and blocked a deal that Cincinnati Manager Bob Boone had lobbied for. That left a potentially fragile relationship between Boone and the sensitive Griffey. Of course, Boone’s own status is fragile. He could be the first managerial victim in the new season, what with Bobby Valentine available and Cincy fan (and bookmaker) favorite Pete Rose twisting Bud Selig’s arm.

4. Might the possible sale of the Angels and Dodgers become a distraction for those teams?

Answer: The stagnant economy has pervaded the local market, but it is believed that Dave Checketts, among others, is still moving on the Dodgers and that Lehman Brothers, a New York investment banking firm, will soon begin an official bidding process for the Angels. The sale of either could produce turmoil and front-office turnover, but the spin is best expressed by the Dodgers. Swallowing a little pride as the second team in town now, they point out that Disney’s well-publicized attempt to sell didn’t distract the Angels from winning the World Series.

5. What will the Atlanta Braves be looking for as they try to win their 11th consecutive division title in the refurbished National League East?

Answer: They are primarily looking for Mike Hampton to shake off the altitude ills of Colorado, although in a 7-15 season that included a 6.15 earned-run average, he was just as bad closer to sea level, going 3-12 on the road. The Braves are hoping Hampton can regain his 22-win form of 1999 under pitching guru Leo Mazzone and help newcomers Russ Ortiz and Paul Byrd compensate for the economic-related departures of Tom Glavine and Kevin Millwood, their two winningest starters, as well as four relievers who totaled 262 innings and 18 wins. What goes around now comes around in the East, where Glavine will face the Braves as a Met, Millwood as a Philadelphia Phillie, and Hampton’s $8.5-million salary in ’03 is being paid by the Florida Marlins.

6. Does any team go to camp under the threat of being folded?

Answer: The new bargaining agreement removes that threat through 2006. The Minnesota Twins, who outlasted Selig’s guillotine, won the AL Central title and have further responded to their new life by continuing to lock up key players with multiyear contracts, could repeat in a division where the only real competition is the rearmed Chicago White Sox. The Sox now have 20-game winner Bartolo Colon to complement 19-game winner Mark Buehrle and new closer Billy Koch, who will be trying to prove his shoulder is still sound after 84 appearances and 44 saves with Oakland last year. Koch’s mouth may be the bigger concern. He couldn’t wait to put on his new uniform before jabbing the Twins, commenting, “Unless they have a deal with the devil, I don’t see them [winning] again.”

7. Did the Angels err by sitting on their World Series laurels and failing to make a major off-season move?

Answer: Who would they have replaced and at what cost to their chemistry? The late-season additions of John Lackey and Francisco Rodriguez proved superior to any off-season trade or signing they might have made, and they are confident of having enough pitching potential to replace Aaron Sele, if his shoulder still isn’t ready, and Kevin Appier, if the well is as dry as it appeared in October.

8. What player is making the biggest position change?

Answer: Aside from the Padres moving Nevin again, this time from third base to left field, and the Reds turning closer Danny Graves into a starter, the spotlight will be on Craig Biggio. The catcher turned second baseman will make room for Jeff Kent with the Houston Astros by moving to center field, allowing Lance Berkman to move back to left and focus on what he does best, hit. The athletic Biggio should adjust, but his biggest hurdle may be proving that his .253 average last year and 23 steals in the last two don’t mean he is no longer the catalytic converter.

9. Should the Dodgers concede, or will Brown (three wins last year), Andy Ashby (nine) and Darren Dreifort (none) prove to be productive?

Answer: There are no guarantees except for the mind-numbing $36 million those three pitchers will be paid this year, and that Brown has quietly proven there is no limit to his clubhouse unpopularity.

10. Will Howe’s low-key leadership be a tonic for the combustible, underachieving Mets, who have joined the Yankees as the only teams over the tax threshold?

Answer: The New York media reacted to the hiring of the manager who’d led the A’s to 205 wins in the last two years as if he had never managed above Little League. Howe, though, should provide calmer leadership in the aftermath of Valentine’s tumultuous tenure. It really comes down to how the new Mets, including Glavine, Cliff Floyd and Mike Stanton, perform, and how some of the returning Mets, including Mo Vaughn, Roberto Alomar, Jeromy Burnitz and Roger Cedeno, rebound from miserable seasons.

11. How will the revamped Giants respond to Alou’s leadership?

Answer: The new San Francisco manager recently predicted his team would “go all the way and win it all,” but how much energy will he retain at 68 (on April 12), and how much passion was drained during those frustrating summers as the Montreal manager and as a coach with the hapless Tigers last year? The Giants fed off Baker’s dugout emotions and people-oriented personality, but then half of the lineup will be new and the real issue may not be Alou’s age but that of Barry Bonds. He’ll be 39 in July and can it be assumed he will maintain his average of 56 home runs over the last three years?

12. Is Joe Thurston ready to play second base for the Dodgers?

Answer: Was anyone out there really that enamored of Mark Grudzielanek that they would not have given Thurston, coming off 196 hits and 22 steals in triple A, this chance? Thurston may be pedestrian defensively, but if the Dodgers are ever going to recycle their payroll and roster, they have to provide openings on those rare occasions when their farm system coughs up something of a prospect.

13. Is the control-minded Showalter the right fit in Texas?

Answer: It will be an interesting dynamic, indeed, to watch Showalter work with strong-willed owner Tom Hicks and General Manager John Hart. Maybe Showalter, who helped build championship teams with the Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks, has learned that it really doesn’t matter what color the clubhouse furniture is. Hicks says Showalter alone will make the team 10 games better, but that’s overlooking a pitching staff whose 5.15 earned-run average ranked 12th in the AL and is banking on Chan Ho Park (9-8, 5.75 ERA) regaining his form.

14. Are the Diamondbacks approaching the chronological wall?

Answer: Randy Johnson is 39, Steve Finley 38, Matt Williams 37, Curt Schilling 36 and Luis Gonzalez 35. It would be foolish to bet against Johnson and Schilling continuing their extraordinary work on the mound, and that may be enough for a third straight NL West title, but at some point -- with all of that deferred salary and age -- the bills are going to come due. The addition of Elmer Dessens should give Johnson and Schilling support in the rotation, and closer Byung-Hyun Kim may join that rotation if former closer Matt Mantei is sound. The loss of Erubiel Durazo, Greg Colbrunn and Damian Miller, however, significantly dilutes depth.

15. Was the hiring of Macha, the acquisition of Durazo or the retention of General Manager Billy Beane the most important off-season development for the A’s?

Answer: Get real. Beane is simply baseball’s best, and his rejection of a lucrative Red Sox package was critical to the future of the payroll-conscious A’s. They must now cope with the challenge of shortstop Miguel Tejeda’s demand for an eight-year contract or the likelihood he will leave as a free agent after the 2003 season. Beane has been something of a miracle worker in a difficult environment, but he will need to produce his biggest one yet to keep his AL MVP.

16. What direction are the Colorado Rockies headed?

Answer: What year is it? Last year, General Manager Dan O’Dowd tried to rebuild on athleticism and speed. Now he has reshaped his roster and is thinking to feature more power. Coors Field has so befuddled the philosophies of O’Dowd and predecessor Bob Gebhard that you truly need a scorecard to identify the players. First baseman Todd Helton, right fielder Larry Walker and shortstop Juan Uribe are likely to be the only opening day starters from a year ago, and that’s only because Walker rejected a trade to the Diamondbacks. Preston Wilson is expected to be the eighth center fielder in eight years, and Jason Jennings the eighth opening-day pitcher. Clint Hurdle is still the manager, but stay tuned.

17. How much pressure does Jim Thome face with the Phillies?

Answer: Well, we know how Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are treated in the city of brotherly love, and it will be no different for the six-year, $85-million centerpiece of the Phillies’ remodeling, given the high expectations. We also know of the jabs Manager Larry Bowa took at Scott Rolen when he felt Rolen was not fulfilling his heart-of-the-lineup responsibilities. The intense manager isn’t fooling anyone when he insists that he intends to back off and let his veterans take more of a leadership role. As he put it, “I think we have some guys who fit the city’s personality. They’re thick-skinned, blue collar; you can’t crack them.” Check with Santa.

18. What can be expected of the Padres, aside from providing fodder for facetious reporters desiring to link their play to the name of their new stadium, Petco Park?

Answer: General Manager Kevin Towers remained handcuffed by the division’s smallest payroll and the refusal of owner John Moores to do what the Phillies did, which was borrow against the increased revenue expected with the move into the new park next year. What hope the Padres have is based on a promising young rotation that may come of age in the new park but is likely to struggle again this year and is led by Jake Peavy and Oliver Perez, both 21.

“If the young pitchers are as good as I think they are, we’ll be in every game,” says Towers, who knows that might not be enough, considering closer Trevor Hoffman could miss the season because of shoulder problems.

19. Does the return of Roger Clemens to the Yankees and David Cone to the Mets underscore the perception that every day is seniors’ day in baseball?

Answer: Clemens, who needs seven victories to reach 300 and will be paid $10.1 million as he pursues them, and Cone, accepting $550,000 in a longshot bid to renew his career, are both 40 and not alone. They are youngsters, in fact, compared to Jesse Orosco, who at 45 moves from the Dodgers to the Padres; John Franco, who at 42 tries a comeback from elbow surgery with the Mets, and Julio Franco, who returns to Atlanta with birth certificates suggesting he is either 41 or 44. Jamie Moyer, 40, is embarking on a three-year, $15.5-million contract with Seattle, and teammate Edgar Martinez, also 40, has a new one-year deal for $4 million, with a shot at $4 million more in bonuses. Henderson, 44, Finley, 40, and Mike Morgan, 42, are among the “veterans” still hoping to land contracts, but Andres Galarraga, 41, is getting a spring shot with the Giants and reliever Dan Plesac, 41, has a $2-million deal with the Phillies. Never has experience counted for so much -- on the field and at the bank.

20. Will Rose be reinstated during the spring?

Answer: Given his new tax problems and frequent casino sightings, the hit king’s reinstatement is no longer the ... well, safe bet it was appearing to be.