BOSTON -- Darrell Johnson, who managed the Boston Red Sox to the 1975 World Series and was the first manager of the expansion Seattle Mariners two years later, has died at age 75.
Johnson died Monday of leukemia at his home in Fairfield, Calif., the Red Sox announced.
"He was easygoing. We played well under him," said Bill Lee, the starting pitcher in Game 7 of the 1975 World Series won by Cincinnati. "He was a very knowledgeable baseball guy. He handled players well. He was one of my all-time favorites."
Johnson was fired during the 1976 season and replaced by Don Zimmer. Lou Gorman, the Mariners' first general manager, hired him to manage the expansion club in 1977.
"The first guy I hired was Darrell Johnson. I had great admiration for him," Gorman said. "He was an excellent baseball man. He was great at handling players. He had a great deal of patience."
Johnson, who played 134 games in the majors, was a catcher with the St. Louis Browns and Chicago White Sox in 1952. From 1957-62, he played for the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles. Full story
Bonds sidelined with sinus infection
NEW YORK -- Barry Bonds was out of San Francisco's starting lineup because of a sinus infection Tuesday night, and said he hoped to miss only one game against the New York Mets.
Bonds leads the majors in home runs (10), batting (.463) and on-base percentage (.704). He drew 44 walks in the Giants' first 26 games.
"This is the first game I've ever missed in 19 years because of a cold," Bonds said. "They say it's pretty bad."
Bonds noted that some players have been sidelined "four or five" days by such ailments. Sniffling as he talked about his cold, Bonds said he'd been feeling ill for a couple of days.
Jeffrey Hammonds took Bonds' place in left field in the starting lineup at Shea Stadium.
Reds take Griffey out of lineup
CINCINNATI -- Ken Griffey Jr. was out of the Reds lineup Tuesday as a precaution because of a tight hamstring.
The center fielder felt it tighten after chasing a flyball in the outfield during a 7-5 victory in Houston on Monday night, and left the game. The leg felt better on Tuesday, but manager Dave Miley held him in reserve as a pinch-hitter.
"It's getting better," Griffey said. "It just tightened up and we don't want to take the chance of doing anything else (to make it worse). Hopefully, that's it."
Griffey, 34, has been plagued by leg problems the last few years. He strained a calf while running out a grounder the last week in spring training, and missed the season opener.
Marlins' Castillo sits with fractured finger
MIAMI -- Florida Marlins second baseman Luis Castillo has a fractured left pinkie and was not in the starting lineup Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Castillo was injured while sliding into second base in San Francisco on Sunday. X-rays on Tuesday showed a small fracture. He entered Tuesday's game as a pinch-runner in the 10th inning and did not play the field.
An NL All-Star the last two seasons and 2003 Gold Glove winner, Castillo was replaced in the starting lineup at second base by Damion Easley. Castillo was hitting .255 with 13 RBI and four stolen bases this season.
Los Angeles' Roberts leaves with hamstring injury
MIAMI -- Los Angeles center fielder Dave Roberts left Tuesday's game against Florida with a strained right hamstring, an injury similar to the one that caused him to miss much of last season.
Roberts, who entered play Tuesday as the National League's stolen base leader with 15, will be re-evaluated Wednesday, team officials said.
Roberts appeared to injure himself in the third inning while running out a triple to right field. He grabbed his hamstring after the play, was evaluated by manager Jim Tracy and remained in the game, only to come out an inning later.
Jason Grabowski replaced Roberts in the lineup and played left field. The Dodgers' starter in left field, Milton Bradley, shifted to center to replace Roberts, who missed 55 games last season with hamstring problems.
Indians trade Clapp to Blue Jays
TORONTO -- The Toronto Blue Jays acquired minor league infielder Stubby Clapp from the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday for a player to be named.
The Indians will also receive cash for Clapp, who has been assigned to Toronto's Double-A affiliate in New Hampshire. Clapp is Canadian.
Dodgers hire former Magic Johnson agent as VP
LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers hired former Magic Johnson agent Lon Rosen on Tuesday as the team's executive vice president and chief marketing officer.
A day earlier, new owner Frank McCourt hired Martin Greenspun, an executive with the New York Yankees, as the Dodgers' chief operating officer.
Rosen, 45, will start work May 17. His responsibilities will include overseeing the club's marketing, sales, advertising, communications, community affairs and government relations.
A former intern with the Los Angeles Lakers and Kings, Rosen rose to director of promotions for the basketball and hockey teams. He later became an agent, with Johnson his best-known client.
Rosen recently was a partner in an agency representing business, entertainment and sports figures.
Among his other endeavors was starting a sports marketing company; working with a division of Fox television, and heading a talent agency's marketing division.
McCourt bought the Dodgers from News Corp. on Feb. 13 for $430 million.
Nader protests uniform ads
WASHINGTON -- Presidential candidate Ralph Nader called the advertisements on uniforms during major league baseball's season-opening series an "obscene embarrassment" and sent a letter of protest Tuesday.
"This overcommercialization is sapping the fun out of being a fan of major league baseball," Nader wrote in his letter to commissioner Bud Selig. "Now, you have sunk to a greedy new low."
The ads appeared on the uniform sleeves and caps of the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays during their two-game series in Tokyo on March 30-31.
While the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs wore similar ads when they played in Tokyo in 2000, and baseball said in advance that the Yankees and Devil Rays would wear patches, Nader said the ads this year "ambushed fans across the country and left them shaking their heads at this obscene embarrassment."
Tim Brosnan, baseball's executive vice president for business, has said he is open to considering additional uniform advertising in the future, but Selig and chief operating officer Bob DuPuy have said it is not under consideration.
"We urge that you immediately put this issue to rest once and for all and eliminate any current or future possibility that major league baseball will accept advertisements on uniforms," Nader wrote.
D.C. officials to meet with Expos relocation committee
WASHINGTON -- Major league baseball's relocation committee is expected to meet Thursday with Washington Mayor Anthony A. Williams to discuss the city's bid for the Montreal Expos.
Both sides will talk about a new plan that calls for the District of Columbia to fully fund a ballpark that would be built on the grounds of RFK Stadium for $340 million.
City leaders also will present baseball officials with three other sites. Each of those prospective ballparks probably would cost considerably more than a stadium at the RFK property.
Northern Virginia baseball boosters recently had their own meetings with baseball's committee on the Expos.
Commissioner Bud Selig hopes for a decision by July on where to relocate the Expos, who are owned by major league baseball's other 29 teams.
Las Vegas; Monterrey, Mexico; Norfolk, Va.; Portland, Ore.; and San Juan, Puerto Rico; have also expressed interest in the Expos. Baseball owners may cut the list of candidates when they meet May 19 and 20.
D-Backs bring up Hairston, designate Estalella
CHICAGO -- The Arizona Diamondbacks recalled infielder Scott Hairston from Triple-A Tucson before Tuesday night's game against the Chicago Cubs and designated catcher Bobby Estalella for assignment.
The Diamondbacks made the move because backup infielder Donnie Sadler strained his right hamstring Sunday.
"Because of the day-to-day nature of Sadler's injury, we didn't feel good not having a backup infielder," manager Bob Brenly said. "As much as I like to carry three catchers, it was a real luxury for us."
Arizona has 10 days to trade Estalella, release him or send him outright to the minors.
Hairston, in the majors for the first time, hit .297 with four homers and 16 RBI in 22 games at Tucson. He is the ninth member of his family to play pro baseball. His older brother, Jerry, is a second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles.
Expos put Beltran on DL, bring up Fikac
MONTREAL -- The Montreal Expos recalled right-hander Jeremy Fikac from Triple-A Edmonton on Tuesday.
Left-hander Rigo Beltran was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Thursday.
Fikac, who also has pitched for Oakland and San Diego, began the season with Montreal and had a 4.66 ERA and no decisions in seven appearances before he was sent to Edmonton on Apr. 25. He had a 2.45 ERA in two games with Edmonton.
Beltran, whose contract was purchased from Edmonton the day after Fikac was sent down, strained his left oblique muscle while warming up Sunday during the Expos' 6-4 win in Los Angeles. He appeared in two games with Montreal, allowing one run in 2/3 innings for a 13.50 ERA.
Mets designate Roberts, call up Bottalico
NEW YORK -- The New York Mets promoted reliever Ricky Bottalico from Triple-A Norfolk on Tuesday and designated pitcher Grant Roberts for assignment.
Bottalico, a 34-year-old righty with extensive major league appearance, joined the Mets in time for their game against the San Francisco Giants. He was 0-0 with an 0.00 ERA in 7 1/3 innings for Norfolk.
Roberts came to spring training competing for the No. 5 spot in the rotation. A prospect for several years despite injuries, the 26-year-old righty pitched well in the early part of camp before struggling.
Seattle dumps Jarvis, recalls Soriano
SEATTLE -- The Seattle Mariners released right-hander Kevin Jarvis on Tuesday, meaning the team must pay the remainder of his $4.25 million salary.
The Mariners also had to pay Jarvis a $500,000 buyout of his 2005 contract. They designated him for assignment April 26.
General manager Bill Bavasi said it was a move the Mariners thought they had to make.
"He was part of the (Jeff) Cirillo trade so that money already had been swallowed," Bavasi said.
The Mariners also recalled right-hander Rafael Soriano from a minor league rehabilitation assignment and placed infielder Willie Bloomquist on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Sunday, with a strained lower back.
The 34-year-old Jarvis was 1-0 with an 8.31 ERA in eight relief appearances this season. He allowed 20 hits in 13 innings, including eight hits and seven earned runs over a three-inning span in his last two outings.
Melvin to remain Seattle's skipper
SEATTLE -- The Seattle Mariners exercised manager Bob Melvin's 2005 option Tuesday despite their poor start.
Seattle entered its game against Minnesota last in the AL West at 9-16, and already have had a pair of five-game losing streaks this season.
Melvin signed a two-year contract with an option in November 2002, succeeding the popular Lou Piniella. Previously, Melvin was a bench coach with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
"We're not happy with the way the team's playing, Bob's not happy, nobody is happy. But we're playing hard," said Bill Bavasi, who became general manager in November. "When you're not playing as well as you want to play, there's a tendency to change your plan or get frantic. He hasn't done any of that. He's good."
Melvin managed the Mariners to a 93-69 record last year, but the team missed the playoffs for the second straight season.
"We don't feel we're going to play this way all season," he said. "But this is a nice vote of confidence, especially with the way we've been playing."
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