It has been more than 25 years since United States troops pulled out of Vietnam and ended one of the most turbulent and divisive chapters in American history, but the war to end all unpopular wars still has a huge impact on the American psyche -- and, apparently, the Canadian psyche, too.
Former Toronto Blue Jays manager Tim Johnson was fired on Wednesday, in part because he frequently used Vietnam war references around his players and coaches that intimated that he had done a tour of duty in Southeast Asia. He had not.
He owned up to his deception over the winter and apologized for it, but doubts about his credibility in the clubhouse convinced someone in the Blue Jays hierarchy -- no one is saying who -- that he could no longer be an effective manager.
Strange but true. There is a whole generation of American politicians who squirm whenever the subject of past military service comes up, but a guy who served in the U.S. military and exaggerated his role is not considered capable of running a Canadian baseball team.
What Johnson did was wrong and amazingly stupid, but he did a good job as manager of the Blue Jays in 1998. He led the team to an 88-win season after upper management gutted the roster at midseason by trading away several veteran players.
The credibility issue was legitimate. There were players in the clubhouse who didn't trust Johnson and there were former Blue Jays players (most notably veteran third baseman Ed Sprague) criticizing him from outside the organization. But he didn't deserve to be fired in spring training, even if the Blue Jays did have the worst exhibition record in the major leagues. The exhibition standings don't mean a thing.
There is nothing wrong with general manager Gord Ash's choice of a new manager. Jim Fregosi is an experienced guy who has had success in both leagues, but Johnson should have gotten a better chance to redeem himself.
Cubs caught short
The Chicago Cubs did little over the off-season to improve last year's playoff club, and now they stand to pay a heavy price for standing pat.
The loss of pitching phenom Kerry Wood will hit the club hard in two places. The starting rotation will be diminished with veteran left-hander Terry Mulholland in Wood's place and the bullpen figures to be thin because Mulholland was one of the two veteran left-handers expected to pitch in middle relief.
The front office didn't see the necessity of adding more left-handed depth over the off-season, so now general manager Ed Lynch is left to scour the waiver wire in search of help. If none arrives, the Cubs will either promote a minor-league prospect or open the season with Felix Heredia as the lone left-hander in the bullpen.
Not a good situation. The Cubs felt that they could get back to the playoffs without making significant off-season upgrades. Now, they are starting to look like a fourth-place team.
Sammy's new routine
Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa got under the skin of Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Todd Stottlemyre on Wednesday when he slammed two home runs at HoHoKam Park and bowed to the crowd at home plate after each of them. It was all part of Sosa's new home run routine, which he adopted after visiting Japan on the major-league exhibition trip in November.
"Go to Japan and play baseball then," Stottlemyre said afterward.
On Thursday, however, Sosa said he would stop bowing, but left the door open to doing it in the dugout during regular-season home games.
"I'm going to stop it, but not because I'm scared or because he [Stottlemyre] wants me to do it," Sosa said. "Nobody can stop me. I'm a grown man. I wasn't trying to show up anybody."
Great expectations
The Texas Rangers have won the American League West title two of the last three years, but that doesn't mean that manager Johnny Oates can take his job security for granted.
Rangers owner Tom Hicks has dialed up the pressure on the defending division champions, who lost to the world champion New York Yankees in the first round of the playoffs last year.
"I don't want to take a step backward," said Hicks. "I'm realistic enough to know that only one team wins, but I want to make sure that we continue to climb the ladder and ultimately win the World Series."
The addition of $45 million first baseman Rafael Palmeiro gives the Rangers owner reason to believe that the club should be better than last year, so he has made it clear that key people will be held "accountable" after the season. Presumably, that includes Oates, who in just three years has established himself as the most successful manager in club history, but he isn't complaining.
"We're trying to take this team to the next level," Oates said. "The fact that we've won the AL West two of the past three years is a huge change for this franchise and I want to keep that momentum. We've got a solid foundation and the nucleus for a championship club. But I don't want to be satisfied or happy with a division championship. I don't want our players thinking that way. I don't want our fans thinking that way."
Concession speech
Chicago White Sox slugger Frank Thomas has all but conceded first base to one of the club's up-and-coming first base prospects -- probably Paul Konerko.
Thomas came to Florida intent on playing regularly at first, but the strong performance of Konerko apparently has convinced him that everyone will be better off if he spends most of his time in the designated hitter role.
"I think I'll handle a majority of the DH-ing," Thomas said recently. 'We'll work out a good rotation [at first base]. I'll probably play a couple of days a week."
The Sox have several good young first basemen in camp, including minor-leaguers Jeff Liefer and Mario Valdez, but Konerko made a big first impression by batting .400 with two homers and 10 RBIs in his first nine exhibition games. It's about time. He was the 1997 Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year, but struggled at the major-league level with the Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds last season.
D. Minor is in tune
San Francisco Giants rookie first baseman Damon Minor knocked in 12 runs with four swings over a three-game span last week. He hit three three-run home runs in Grapefruit League action, and added a three-run double off San Diego Padres starter Andy Ashby in a "B" game.
Minor is the brother of Orioles prospect Ryan Minor.
New kid in town
The Detroit Tigers are excited about outfield prospect Gabe Kapler, and he has done nothing this spring to discourage the notion that he is one of the club's stars of the future. If he keeps up the good work for a couple more weeks, the future might be now.
He certainly doesn't have much left to prove in the minor leagues, where he batted .322 with 47 doubles, 28 home runs and a Southern League record 146 RBIs at the Double-A level last year.
Kapler has been getting a lot of playing time in center field, prompting rumors that the Tigers may try to deal speedy veteran Brian Hunter at the end of spring training. That might be a stretch, but the kid has caught the eye of Tigers Hall of Famer Al Kaline.
"He has unbelievable work habits -- the best I've ever seen in an outfielder," said Kaline, who does color commentary on the Tigers broadcasts. "He's going to be a big star. He's going to will himself into being a big star. He's really mentally tough. A lot of guys have a lot of ability, but not all of them are mentally tough. And the game of baseball is probably more mental than anything else.
"He's not smooth. But he gets to a ball. Whether he can play in a real big ballpark, I don't know yet. But I wouldn't bet against him. He's just an unbelievable kid. I wish I was his agent.'
Pub Date: 3/21/99