Brewers in no rush to find a closer
"There has to be pride, has to be a way to play the game that the fans and the organization feel proud of," Cora said. "Making sure that the other teams worry about us. We don't want to worry about them. We want to make them worry about us."
Cora is one of seven candidates to interview for the job. He might be the favorite, especially because highly regarded Boston pitching coach John Farrell declined an interview.
Farrell turned down a chance to interview in Pittsburgh a year ago. He appears to be banking on getting a chance to manage a more competitive team. He would be a strong candidate in Cleveland if GM Mark Shapiro ever decided Eric Wedge wasn't the right guy.
Stage father: Seattle passed on local hero Tim Lincecum in the 2006 draft, selecting Brandon Morrow with the fifth pick overall. Lincecum, who had starred in the Seattle suburbs and at the University of Washington, went to San Francisco five picks later.
After Lincecum won the Cy Young Award, a Seattle Times columnist asked Lincecum's father about the decision made by then-GM Bill Bavasi and scouting director Bob Fontaine to take Morrow over Lincecum.
"Let me see if I can say this tactfully," Chris Lincecum said. "Bavasi and Fontaine, they were idiots. And they're where they should be now - gone. Is there a little retribution in this? There sure is. Am I a little excited? Yeahhhhh."
Something to watch: If you can't get enough baseball, keep your eye on the American Division race in the Arizona Fall League. It's a Cubs-White Sox showdown.
The Mesa Solar Sox (Cubs, Braves, Marlins, Phillies and Tigers) are dueling the Peoria Saguaros (White Sox, Cardinals, Mets, Nationals and Padres) for the right to meet the Phoenix Desert Dogs in the championship game Saturday.
The Saguaros' chances could be helped by the Nick Swisher trade. They get the services of right-hander Jeff Marquez, who had been with the Peoria Javelinas as a Yankees prospect before being traded to the Sox. Marquez is tentatively slated to start one of the last games.
Sox first-round pick Gordon Beckham is making a run at hitting .400 with good run-production numbers, but recently he was the target of some criticism. Baseball Prospectus' Joe Sheehan questioned Beckham's fielding and effort. Minorleagueball.com's John Sickels referenced scouts criticizing Beckham's range and "choppy" swing. Tough audience.
The last word: "I'll leave it up to you guys." - Boston DH David Ortiz on whether the Red Sox would have reached the World Series with Manny Ramirez.
The Whispers
The Twins had been expecting Pat Neshek back for 2009 before he blew out his elbow playing catch recently. He will miss all of next season after having Tommy John surgery, putting the Twins in the market for relief help. Third baseman Casey Blake and shortstops Yunel Escobar and J.J. Hardy are believed to be their top off-season targets. ... Brewers general manager Doug Melvin says there hasn't been much interest from other teams in Hardy, who could be available because of the progress of prospect Alcides Escobar. The current plan is to have Escobar work with new coach Willie Randolph at second base during the spring. ...
The Red Sox, who hosted the 1990 All-Star Game, are trying to persuade Commissioner Bud Selig to give them the 2012 game, celebrating the 100th birthday of Fenway Park. ... One reason you're hearing Bobby Jenks' name in trade talks is the Sox's confidence in Jon Link, who had 35 saves in Double A last year. His slider has become such a nasty pitch that some in the organization believe he will have a good career as a big-league closer. Link came to the Sox for Rob Mackowiak at the deadline in 2007 - pretty good trade. Link or no Link, though, there's no way the Sox should trade Jenks. ...
Given Kerry Wood's relationship with Nolan Ryan, it figures Texas will make a run at him. Arizona's another good possibility. ... The Pirates are hoping to sign a veteran starter, with Paul Byrd, Odalis Perez, Braden Looper and Brad Penny on their list. ... Some believe Randy Johnson still will wind up re-signing with Arizona despite the ugly impasse last week. If he has another season in him like 2008, he would be a welcome addition on almost any NL team, even if he is 45. ... The best pitcher in the NL? Brandon Webb has finished in the top two in Cy Young Award voting three years in a row. Hard to argue against that. ...
Here are four must players for Team USA in next year's World Baseball Classic: Joe Mauer, Grady Sizemore, Dustin Pedroia and David Wright. They were the only big-leaguers to win Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers. ... Shortstop Julio Lugo, being shopped by Boston, hit .139 with runners in scoring position, the lowest average by a qualifier since Ron Gant hit .130 with Philadelphia-Anaheim in 2000. ...
Congrats to scout Mike Shirley. He signed six of the players who are listed tentatively in the White Sox's top 30 by Baseball America: Clayton Richard, John Shelby III, John Ely, Tyler Kuhn, Nate Jones and Levi Maxwell. ... The hiring of Mike Arbuckle as an assistant to GM Dayton Moore counts as actual good news for the Royals. Arbuckle, as solid a scout as there is, helped build the World Series winner in Philadelphia but was passed over in favor of Ruben Amaro Jr. for the GM's job when Pat Gillick retired. ... If the Cubs lose both Ryan Dempster and Wood, they will have a hatful of picks in the 2009 draft. Both are Type A free agents, bringing two high picks each as compensation. ... The Sox can get that kind of compensation for Orlando Cabrera, but only if they offer him arbitration, no sure thing.
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(c) 2008, Chicago Tribune. Distributed by Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.
