Garciaparra Got Kicks From Baseball
Without the lure of baseball, Nomar Garciaparra might have competed for a spot on the U.S. soccer team that plays in the World Cup today. He considered offers to play soccer at UCLA and other schools before accepting a baseball scholarship from Georgia Tech.
“Baseball was my love,” he said, “but you also look at what your future holds if you’re able to get to the highest level in your sport.”
He is amazed, he said, that the U.S. can field a world-ranked soccer team despite a culture that rewards its best athletes for playing other sports.
“People don’t realize how well we’ve done,” he said. “Everywhere else, the best athletes play soccer growing up. Here, if you’re a great athlete, you play football, basketball or baseball.”
While Americans might succeed on the field, he said, they never can duplicate the passion other countries have for soccer.
“We never will,” said Garciaparra, who is married to soccer star Mia Hamm. “We don’t have that mentality. It stops wars in other countries. Here, we just say, ‘How’d they do?’ and go on.
“If you’re in Mexico or Brazil as a tourist and you go in someplace and you want a soda, you’ll have to wait two hours until the game is over. The mentality is incredible.”
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Cesar Izturis makes his debut at third base tonight. He worked out there with infield coach Mariano Duncan on Wednesday, making several poor throws after charging to field balls.
Izturis, a Gold Glove shortstop, said he is “not comfortable” at the position yet.
“I’ll just try to catch the ball and make an out, no matter how it looks,” he said.
Duncan said he was not concerned about Izturis’ ability to play third but said instruction would not end with this week’s crash course.
“I’ve got to keep working with the guy every day, to where he starts to feel more confident at that position,” Duncan said. “To me, when you play a position you haven’t played, that’s not a one- or two-day thing.”
As Izturis returns from elbow surgery, Duncan estimated his current arm strength at 85% to 90%.
“I don’t think anybody expected he’ll be 100%,” Duncan said. “Everybody expected he’d miss the whole year.”
Even if Izturis takes nicely to third base, he cannot retain the position on his glove alone.
“We can’t tell what it will look like two or three weeks from now, but a lot will be dictated by the offense he brings,” Manager Grady Little said.
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The Seattle Mariners did not bring Garciaparra’s brother with them to Dodger Stadium, but they could bring him to the majors at some point. Michael Garciaparra, 23, a middle infielder, is hitting .333 with one home run at triple-A Tacoma. He is in his fifth pro season, his first above Class A.
“He’s a kid who has struggled,” Seattle General Manager Bill Bavasi said. “He may now be figuring it out. He’s got a lot of determination and perseverance, and he’s withstood a lot of injuries.”
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The Dodgers scratched Brett Tomko from his scheduled start tonight after he fouled a ball off his left foot in batting practice Wednesday. Derek Lowe will start tonight, on regular rest, and Tomko will start Friday.
