Rafael Furcal comes to terms with father’s death
For about a month, Rafael Furcal said that his mind was wandering.
His father, Silvino, was in the hospital in the Dominican Republic after being kicked by a horse.
“What can I tell you?” Furcal said. “I wasn’t able to concentrate.”
Three weeks ago, Furcal returned home to see his father during his final days. In some ways, Furcal said that the death of his father relieved him of a significant emotional burden.
“What can I do now?” he asked. “Now that he’s gone, I have to move forward. I have to concentrate.
“Because I got to see him, I feel better now.”
That has translated into better results on the field. In the 14 games Furcal played from his return from the bereavement list June 23 to Wednesday, he batted .400, scored 17 runs and drove in 15 more.
Furcal had a season-long 10-game hitting streak snapped Wednesday.
He said he misses hearing the voice of his father, who would call and scold him when he wasn’t playing well. In his younger days, Silvino was a shortstop and left fielder for an amateur team in their hometown of Loma de Cabrera.
“He was one of the best ballplayers in my village,” Furcal said proudly.
Manny’s rehab
Manny Ramirez will start a minor league rehabilitation assignment Saturday with the Dodgers’ Class-A affiliate based in San Bernardino.
The plan is for Ramirez to play as many as three games for the Inland Empire 66ers, who play host to Lancaster from Saturday through Monday. He will be activated for the Dodgers’ first game after the All-Star break, at St. Louis on Thursday.
Ramirez is said to be fully recovered from the strained hamstring that got him placed on the 15-day disabled list.
The mystery continues
On this day, players were asking questions instead of answering them.
Everyone wanted to know: Where is Ronald Belisario?
Some of Belisario’s friends said they called and sent text messages to the missing reliever, but hadn’t heard back.
When the Dodgers placed Belisario on the restricted list Wednesday — a move that removed him from the 40-man roster — they said it was due to “personal reasons” but didn’t elaborate. General Manager Ned Colletti has refused to comment on the situation and Manager Joe Torre claims to know nothing about it, in part because he doesn’t want to know.
“If I do, I have to tell you guys,” Torre said.
Belisario’s agent, Paul Kinzer, didn’t return multiple voice and text messages, but told ESPN Los Angeles on Wednesday night that his client had “some personal problems” and that he has “a lot of anxiety.” Kinzer offered no timetable for Belisario’s return and said Belisario might return to his native Venezuela at some point.
Belisario’s problems do not appear to stem from the drunk driving charges he faced this. Belisario, who pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, must pay a $1,000 fine and complete an alcohol and education program but has until Sept. 8 to do so.
With the workhorse reliever unavailable, Torre said he would increasingly turn to Jeff Weaver and rookie Travis Schlichting.
Ausmus nearing return
Backup catcher Brad Ausmus has started a minor league rehabilitation assignment with Inland Empire. Ausmus, who had back surgery in April, is more than a month ahead of schedule in his recovery.
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