Results tagged ‘ Willy Taveras ’
Hal McCrae For Reds Hitting Coach, Changes in Minors, Catchers Market and Taveras to Be DFAed?
The Cardinals fired former Reds outfielder Hal McCrae as hitting instructor and brought in Mark McGwire. It didn’t take long–or much common sense–to ask if McCrae would replace Brook Jacoby on Reds. It’s an honest question, it’s a perceptive question. McCrae is one of the best hitting minds in the game and he was fired despite the Cards being third in the NL in batting average and fifth in runs per game during his five years in St. Loo. The differences in McCrae and Jacoby are significant–McCrae is a hitting philosophy and plate approach instructor while Jacoby’s skill is honed on mechanics and physiology. With the Reds perennially hurting for approach and on-base percentage, McCrae’s style is a much better fit. But would the front office make such a move? Maybe. Jacoby has been a target of fans for two seasons and it was surprising he was renewed for next year. You had to figure two things: 1.) The Reds didn’t want to eat his contract and 2.) the front office is looking ahead to the possibility of a new manager in 2011. Why bring in a new hitting instructor now? The new manager always wants his own people. Now, your natural reaction is going to be: Why bring in a new pitching instructor? The Reds had targeted Bryan Price very early in the summer and feel there is a greater need to build a pitching plan from the majors to the minors. He’s one of the best in the game today and wouldn’t be available in a year. But if a new manager comes aboard after Baker’s contract expires, he’s going to want big input on the two most important positions, pitching and hitting coaches. Management can sell a prospective new manager on one of the slots being filled, but probably not both. Still, I think the biggest issue replacing Jacoby at this point is money. That’s how tight things are with the Reds these days. Changes in Minors Affiliates: As expected with the Reds’ move of HQ to Arizona, they are moving their short-season team from the Gulf Coast League to the Arizona Summer League. Additionally, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Reds have worked out a swap with the Pirates for Class A affiliates. The Reds will get Lynchburg, the Pirates’ high-A team in the Carolina League, in exchange for the Reds’ Sarasota franchise in the Florida State League. The Pirates will move that club to nearby Bradenton. Taveras to Be DFAed? Fay is on a daily blogfest of answering reader questions, and today he addresses the Willy Taveras situation. He guesses the Reds will release Taveras and eat his salary–that is, if a trade cannot be worked out this winter. Taveras is owed $4 million in 2010. Good luck. The bigger news from this Q&A is that Taveras was an Uncle Walt recruit, not a Dusty Baker demand. To most, this is appalling but the signs were there all along. When the Rockies non-tendered Taveras last winter, the Reds were on top of him quicker than anyone and put out a two-year offer so fast it boggled minds and oogled Google. Then, word came that the idea of signing Taveras was promoted by Jamie Quirk, former Rockies bench coach who had been hired as a Red scout by by Uncle Walt. The Catchers Market: It’s interesting to read Reds fans opinions for what they perceive as the most pressing need this offseason–left fielder with pop, shortstop with a bat, or a catcher with a combination of offense and defense. As we know, the catching market is forever thin, thus overpriced. That’s why Dog Hernandez could draw some interest as a free agent. There’s no way the Reds pick up his $8.5 million–no. . . way–and they will attempt to sign him much cheaper. Say, $3 million for a year? But what if that fails? MLBTraderumors.com takes a look at catchers who might be available through a trade. Prepare to be underwhelmed, even by the offensive standards of Ryan Hanigan.
Midseason Report: Looking Back, Looking Forward, Looking at the ‘Now’
Red Letter Daze Updates on Twitter! Follow along at twitter.com/MisterRedlegs Well, it’s not exactly what I had in mind. It’s not exactly what I spent all night/morning working on. It’s not exactly what you expected, either, I’m sure. Yeah, me neither. Through most of last week I began compiling all sorts of information and statistics to throw at you for this Midseason Redlegs Report. In the end I tossed most of it in the trash. That’s because after their (predicted?) 2-5 roadtrip through Philly and New York, the Reds’ season is officially on the brink and, no, I’m not giving one @#$&*! dime to John Feinstein. We can look at the NL Central standings and see the Reds are 42-45 but only five games behind the Cardinals. Yay! We can also look at the NL Central standings and see the Reds are in fifth place and closer to the cellar, only 4.5 games ahead of the Pirates. Boo! This “Stuck in the Middle With You” groundswell, as Stealers Wheel sang back in the early ’70s, leaves us decidedly split on what direction the Reds should take in the second half: buy players for a playoff run, or sell off parts to build for 2010? The interesting thing about this position is there seems to be hope–hope for immediate improvement after eight straight losing seasons and hope for sustained success in the near future. Personally, I never believed this roster was playoff material, or even .500 material, coming out of spring training. But many of you are believers, owning that hope (and prayer) that five games can be overcome. It’s not impossible. I want to believe you for believing. I really do. Deep down so do lots of skeptical, cynical Reds fans. That’s where you are asked to answer: “What should Uncle Walt and the Reds do for the second half?” Buy parts that help for a run now, or sell off assets to build toward next year and beyond? Or, maybe a little of both. Even though the Reds backslid into the All-Star Game break and did so in pretty ugly fashion, the position of the team is perhaps its best in 10 years. We see the young pitching developing and the farm system sprouting, and only the farsighted can scream for “winning now,” regardless of the cost. In the past couple of weeks, more of the fan base has come around to the notion this roster needs more than one or two established new players to make a playoff run. We’re not talking World Series run or NLCS run. We’re talking about just getting past “Go” and collecting the $200. So as the first half closed and second half beckons, we’ll take a look at some of the things looking back, forward and in the now. NEWS! NEWS! NEWS! Bruce Out 6-8 Weeks: The good news of the day is Reds RF Jay Bruce will not require surgery on his broken right wrist suffered Saturday night in New York. He will be out 6-8 weeks, which raises a couple of interesting points: 1.) Can the Reds place him on the 60-day DL so they don’t have to make a 40-man roster removal if they intend to call up Drew Stubbs or Chris Heisey from Class AAA Louisville? With healing, physical therapy and baseball rehab, eight weeks seems about right, especially since the minors season will be concluded by the 60-day activation date of Sept. 12; 2.) What to do about right field now? Call up one of the youngsters or make a deal? Uncle Walt was already looking for an outfield bat–like, since last winter–but now there is a sense of roster urgency; 3.) Or is there a sense of urgency? SS Alex Gonzalez is due back from the DL in two weeks and Jerry Hairston could then become the extra outfielder, perhaps the starter in left field. It appears Chris Dickerson will take Bruce’s place in right field–at least, for now; 4.) Is the Reds’ season officially over without Bruce? He was hitting just .207/.283/.471 but he has 18 taters with 41 RBI and he was at least a “threat” to do something with the bat. I mean, if they were offensively challenged without Bruce, what are they now? Offensively ravaged? 5.) We know for a fact Uncle Walt was eyeballing 3b Scott Rolen of the Blue Jays. With Bruce’s injury, how does the front office’s plan down the stretch to the trading deadline change their thinking and approach? First Half Biggest Surprise: Contrary to the Reds’ blogosophere, there have been several positives in the first half. For one, if someone told us on Opening Day the Reds were only five games out at the All-Star break, would we have been happy? Oh hell yes. So why aren’t we happy? Glancing over some notes I have taken along the way, it’s actually a terrific debate (and toss-up) on what is the team’s biggest surprise of the first half. I would make the argument for the effectiveness of reliever Nick Massett, acquired in the Junior Griffey deal with the White Sox last summer and a player many Reds fans wanted released in spring training. Who would have guessed he would supplant Jared Burton, if not made him available for trade? Massett’s line: 4-0, 2.29 ERA, 19 hits allowed, 30 strikeouts in 35 innings. But there are compelling arguments elsewhere. Like, Ryan Hanigan’s performance behind the plate as a 28-year-old rookie. Who expected him to bat .338/.428 and throw out 44 percent of would-be base stealers? What about Coco Cordero earning his $12 million salary by saving 21 of 22 games without all the nail-biting drama of last year? He has posted a 1.75 ERA in 36 appearances and going to the All-Star Game. His performance at the back has shortened the game by an inning. And let’s not forget reliever Arthur Lee Rhodes, older than dirt, carrying a terrific 1.055 WHIP with opponents hitting just .178 against him. Uncle Walt was heavily chastised for this two-year signing, which has not only worked out great for the Reds but also makes Rhodes an attractive trade possibility. You can even make a case for the biggest surprise being the effective 1-2 punch of non-roster invitees Laynce Nix and Jonny Gomes in left field. Yeah, it’s not ideal and certainly a vulnerable position, especially with Gomes’ defense and Nix’s inability to hit lefties or anything that isn’t straight. But together they have combined for .266-13-39 with 141 total bases. Not great, not awful, but certainly a surprise. First Half Biggest Disappointment: You can point a finger at all sorts of things when you have a losing record at the break. But what’s the biggest problem with this team? Lack of execution, fundamental play, inexperience, talent . . . what? An argument can be made for manager Dusty Baker’s lineup choices and construction. We all know he’s a “player’s manager” and that’s certainly a huge benefit, especially when you are strategy-challenged like Baker. The most ludicrous thing I’ve seen on any Reds blog this year was on Redleg Nation, where someone punched some numbers and determined (with serious conviction) that Baker’s lineups had cost the Reds 11.5 games. In half a season. A 23-game turnaround. Now you know that’s stupid, right? But Baker’s insistence on playing on-base allergic Willy Taveras at leadoff and center field each night has played a role in this team’s offensive problems. How much? Hard to quantify because you cannot guarantee results of hypothetical replacements because game situations, the opposing pitcher or his approach, and defensive alignments switch from batter to batter. So while Baker has done a remarkable job with a t We have to be fair; Baker had been throwing together patchwork lineups since spring training, when he warned about the small margin of error with the Reds’ thin roster depth. He was right. 1b Joey Votto, SS Alex Gonzalez, 3b Edwin Encarnacion and last year’s best pitcher, Voltron, have missed huge chunks of the first half. In fact, the Reds have lost 223 games to injuries. Look at that figure again. Two hundred and twenty-three. Heading into the second half with Bruce sidelined and Voltron’s return unknown, that number is going to skyrocket. That leads us to the front office, where Uncle Walt has done zero to fill holes and keep the roster full and fresh in times of need. They played shorthanded for ridiculous spells from late May to mid-June because they didn’t want to put someone on the DL or make a roster move that would force a move on the 40-man roster. Worse, when the team was gasping for air and needing positive energy from the front office, nothing happened. Silence. The lack of any move, like the failed attempt at acquiring Mark DeRosa from the Indians, crippled the team’s resolve and hurt the Reds with the fan base. So to me, the biggest disappointment of the first half was the do-nothing approach of Jocketty. Stats That Tell a Meaningful Story: A look at random first-half numbers. . . . * Runs are next-to-last in the NL and 26th in MLB in runs scored at 4.09 per game; * The Reds trail only the Giants in MLB with an OPS of 84, or 32 points lower than No. 1 Yankees; * The pitching staff ranks No. 13 in MLB and No. 7 in the NL with an ERA of 4.26, just ahead of the average of 4.32. The problem? Walks. Reds have given up 335, ranking No. 3 in the NL and No. 26 in MLB; * Reds have allowed 35 percent of inherited runners to score, ranking No. 4 in the NL and No. 20 in MLB. Surprising. The Second Half Storylines: Most everyone knows I’m a “storyline” kind of fan, and as the second half unfolds on Thursday, what will make us follow them if they officially fall out of contention? Finding the storyline is harder than it appears: * Buy or sell? * Either way, how do the replacements fit into the future plans? * Can the Reds have their first winning season since 2000? * Will this team get healthy and what happens if/when it does? * Getting Voltron healthy, Harang consistent and Arroyo traded; * The progression of Homer Bailey; * The progression of the young guys, especially if some of the top minors prospects are promoted; * Can Joey Votto win the batting title? * Will this team play better fundamental ball against a more challenging second-half schedule? * Is Baker sitting on a hot seat? In Other Things Redlegs Related, or Not . . . * Team MVP to this point, Brandon Phillips, Coco Cordero or Joey Votto? * In the first inning, opponents have outscored the Reds 72-44. Would have guessed the margin to be even wider; * The Reds were in New York this past weekend and MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann, a sensational baseball historian even if doesn’t know it’s Heisey, not Halsey, gave the Reds a lot of words on his baseball blog. You will probably enjoy his rip job of Dusty Baker, too. Read down, Olbermann has several Reds items from the weekend. btw: I wonder what Olbermann thinks of Ken Burns deciding to update his PBS documentary “Baseball” from 1994? At the time of the airing, Oldermann found so many factual errors, misrepresentations and misidentified photos in the series that he held a nightly count of the miscues. Plus, according to Burns’s documentary, the entire modern era of baseball revolves around Red Sox vs. Yankees. Geez, who woulda guessed? * Is the fastball still an effective pitch? Bleacher Report takes a look. And FWIW, I wrote this story almost 25 years ago. * And did you see this story in the Cincinnati Enquirer last week? Marge Schott’s mansion, Ambleside, is for sale. A cool $3.95 mil. Be sure to check out the photo slideshow tour. Seriously, if I had the cake I’d buy it. May not be able to afford heat or air-conditioning, but I’d buy it and hold croquet tournaments on the lawn and barbecue festivals on the grounds. Maybe even a Civil War reenactment, or perhaps a reenactment of the 1990 World Series. Yeah, quick: someone dial up Glenn Braggs, Billy Bates and Ron Robinson, the true creature. What a nice daydream. –30–
eam suffering from so many injuries, how much of the blame does he deserve for the team’s record?
‘The Votto Watch’ and Other Off-Day Musings
The big news of the off-day is “The Votto Watch,” as the Reds first baseman says he’s ready to play, per columnist Paul Daugherty (he lives!) of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Votto made the trip to Toronto and appears ready to be activated Tuesday. But not so fast? The Reds have said all along that Votto returns when he says he’s ready. But no matter how desperate the team is to get him back on the field, the Reds would be justified in using caution. Twice already they thought Votto had overcome his inner ear infection that was causing dizziness and nausea. Twice everyone was wrong. Now, with the team in Votto’s hometown of Toronto for three games, is this the right time and place for Votto to get back into action? Remember the media madness over him during the World Baseball Classic games played in Toronto this spring? There’s still a lot more about the Votto situation to be answered than just the health of his bat and the state of his readiness. In the meantime, we all stand glued to “The Votto Watch.” Fire the Manager! A Cleveland Plain Dealer poll reveals that 71 percent of Indians fans want manager Eric Wedge fired. This got me to thinking: If the Cincinnati Enquirer ran a similar poll about Dusty Baker, what would the percentage be? What to Do About Taveras? No, you cannot shoot him, but the subject of his playing time amid a horrendous slump is the lightning rod issue among Reds bloggers. It’s so akin to the Corey Patterson yap from a year ago that I’ve completely tuned out because the team’s offensive problems run deeper than Taveras and the leadoff spot. Cleanup was the black hole all along, dating back to the offseason, but we don’t hear anyone complaining about the .253 average with 12 homers, 49 RBI and .441 slugging percentage from Reds No. 4 hitters. Or the even worse numbers at the 5-hole, mostly handled by Jay Bruce’s inability to get an RBI that isn’t produced by a home run, a la Adam Dunn Disease. Instead, fans are focused on Taveras and to a lesser degree SS Alex Gonzalez’s offensive production before he went on the DL with bone chips in his elbow. Gonzalez’s defense has been so terrific and such an improvement over last year that his slow bat really hasn’t bothered me (or, likely, the pitching staff). But in tandem with the Reds’ overall offensive woes, I understand the haymakers to Taveras, specifically, and Gonzalez, in general. To most fans, Taveras should be released. That’s stupid and not happening. This organization, and not many others, is going to eat $6.25 million in salary after 68 games. Fine, you say, then bat him No. 8. Maybe, but Taveras’ game is his wheels so what’s the point of his speed if the pitcher is batting after him? Would you pull a Tony LaRussa and bat the pitcher 8 and Taveras 9? Logic dictates that if Baker insists on playing Taveras–after all, you can’t get on track from the bench–it should be in a platoon with Chris Dickerson. This is where Baker’s stubbornness and provinciality drives everyone nuts. Just put Dickerson in center and leadoff against righties for a few series and see how things go. But if Baker insists on Taveras being in the lineup and at the top of the order, why not flop him with Jerry Hairston for a few games? Hairston is a career .264/.334 batter as a leadoff and last year produced .362/.427 in the role in 202 plate appearances. My thinking is the 2-slot should get Taveras more fastballs and better bunting lanes if Hairston is on base in front of him. But then, Hairston is batting just .179/.195 in 41 PAs as a leadoff this year. Meh. Best Reds Tee of the Season: Living in Washington, D.C., it’s not easy to find Reds gear without going online and having to pay shipping charges. So every once in a while I like to prowl eBay for good deals. Last night I found the above t-shirt to be exceptional in style and price. Yeah, call me prejudiced and you would be correct. Simple yet stated, it’s the kind of tee a mascot can wear of himself in public and no one will snicker. Mebbe. The Hardcore Truth: Each time someone wants to fire Dusty Baker over lineups and what they consider general ignorami, consider how difficult it has been replacing the production of injured 3b Edwin Encarnacion and 1b Joey Votto. It’s a miracle this team isn’t in last place. Lance McAllister of 1530Homer did the math, and, frankly, it’s uglier than catsup on a hot dog. The replacements at the two positions combined have provided just a .209 average, 7 homers, 32 RBI and 13 errors. Here’s the breakdown for Reds starters at third and first base this season, minus Vot Third Base Rosales: 17-for-93 (.182 avg.), 2 homers, 9 RBI, 2 errors, 23 starts Hairston: 21-for-96 (.219 avg.), 2 homers, 6 RBI, 7 errors, 24 starts Janish: 1-for-2 (.500 avg.), 1 RBI, 1 start Totals: 39-for-191 (.204 avg.), 4 homers, 16 RBI, 9 errors First Base Hernandez: 20-for-99 (.202 avg.), 3 homers, 16 RBI, 4 errors, 25 starts Rosales: 7-for-26 (.269 avg.), no homers, 2 RBI, 7 starts Totals 27-for-125 (.216) 3 hr, 16 rbi, 4 errors Of course, Daedalus at Church of Baseball has the full story on why these guys can’t hit–the team optometrist. Don’t Line Up for Playoff Tickets Yet: Baseball Prospectus has an interesting feature I like to check from time to time–the odds of a team to make the postseason. This is updated by computer daily and is weighed by all sorts of factors and offers a percentage odds for every team of reaching the playoffs, wild-card and being world champions. Here’s how the NL Central stacks up today (based on percentage chances): WS WC PO Cardinals 51.9 10.4 62.3 Brewers 17.1 8.5 25.7 Cubs 20.5 10.3 30.9 Reds 5.1 3.6 8.7 Astros 2.5 1.7 4.2 Pirates 2.5 1.9 4.4 We really didn’t need a computer to tell us the Reds’ chances but there it is, simple and ugly, despite the Reds being only four games from the lead. No one should be getting in line for playoff tickets yet, nor should they be making bets on the Reds in Vegas. Reds Draft Recap: Speaking of Baseball Prospectus, the publication has offered its thumbnail looks at each team’s recent draft. Here’s what they had to say about the Reds and their top picks: Selections–Round 1: (8) Mike Leake, RHP, Arizona State (photo, above); (43) Brad Boxberger, RHP, Southern California. Round 2: (57) Bill Hamilton, SS, Taylorsville HS (MS). Round 3: (88) Donnie Joseph, LHP, Houston. Quick Take–There is some debate in the industry as to whether Leake was a signability pick or not since the Reds were kicking the tires on some of the high-priced high school arms before settling on Leake. Those that like him think he’s the next Tim Hudson, while those that don’t think he’s no more than a back-of-the-rotation type. Another Pac-10 star, Boxberger, was the Trojans’ Friday starter and he showed plus-stuff during most of the spring while struggling at times to throw strikes. Hamilton was one of the draft’s best athletes, but he’s probably going to move to the outfield, and his power will always be a on the light side. Joseph excelled as a closer this year, with an above-average fastball/slider combination, but also some control issues. Notable Later Picks–Righty Daniel Tuttle (5th) showed some surprising velocity this spring, but at this point he’s far more of a thrower than a pitcher. Catcher Tucker Burnhart (10th) will be a difficult sign, but he’s got solid skills both at the plate and behind it. Mark Fleury (4th) is another catcher who is far more likely to sign, and he drew one A.J. Pierzynski comparison. Final Summary–Leake could move quickly through the minors, while Hamilton and some others provide upside. It’s neither an especially impressive nor disappointing group. Bud’s Stimulus Handout: Joel Sherman of the New York Post had an interesting (yet absurd) column the other day, suggesting the Commissioner’s Office should eat one contract from each of the 30 teams to help them balance their books after this season. That would cost MLB around $396 million for the stupidity of ownership. Uh, no. The Reds player whose contract should be eaten, according to Sherman: Coco Cordero ($25 mil)? Brandon Phillips ($18.75 mil)? Aaron Harang ($14.5 mil)? Edwin Encarnacion ($4.75 mil)? Nope. Willy Taveras at $4 million. Another Giveaway Heyday: There’s a bit of an uproar about how fast the giveaway Frank Robinson throwback jerseys (above) disappeared Saturday night at GABP. The first 20,000 fans in the park received the attractive mesh freebie but they were gone by 6 p.m. for a 7:40 p.m. start. Not surprisingly, by 8 p.m., they were listed on eBay. You know there’s a problem when one seller has sold 10 of the jerseys by Sunday night and has another six listed. Bobbleheads have been a dead market since 2005, but there are still a lot of Reds fans who buy a cheap ticket, grab the giveaways and immediately leave the park to sell the items on eBay. I’m no expert on Reds giveaway items, but it seems the most popular items in recent years have been the Marty and Joe bobbleheads from 2003, the straw sun hat from 2008 and these Robinson jerseys. What do you think? The Jenkinses Evolution: Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post has “grown up” to be one of the best sports writers in America, something many of us in the field didn’t envision 20 years ago. She was so guilty of overwriting and underreporting that a fairly wide group believed she was 1.) a lesser-talented Lesley Visser wanna-be and 2.) getting by on the nepotism coattail of her famous, more talented father. Her dad, of course, is the great Dan Jenkins, the long-time Sports Illustrated scribe known for writing the classic football novel “Semi-Tough” but more popularly known as perhaps the best golf writer of all time. Dan and his self-deprecating Texan humor never fails to entertain, and on Father’s Day this year Sally wrote a terrific story about the evolution of her dad to the world of Twittering. It’s the kind of piece in the past 10 years that will garner Sally yet another national sportswriting award . . . all well-deserved. Like her dad, Sally has greatly evolved. Her latest book, the true Civil War saga “The State of Jones,” is due out tomorrow and already headed to film. Things I Stole Off Other Sites: The Reds went 0-for-5 Sunday with runners in scoring position, making them 27-for-136 (.199) in their last 17 games. . . . Attendance for the White Sox series and the Civil Rights festivities was a healthy 103,415. Good for Bob, who says the weekend was a prelude to getting the All-Star Game. . . . C Ryan Hanigan has now hit safely in 26 of his 32 starts. . . . The injury bug is spreading to the minors. 3b prospect Juan Francisco has a balky hamstring. . . . Hardball Times’ weekly rankings have the Reds at No. 18. The Dodgers are No. 1. . . . Hal McCoy poses the question to Baker: What about Dog Hernandez to third base when Votto returns, keeping Hanigan in the lineup? Baker says no. I agree. That’s a spring training move, not midseason. . . . EE went 0-for-2 in his first rehab performance at Louisville. Don’t be shocked if his rehab lasts the full 20 days. . . . Our old pals Wily Mo Pena and Javy Valentin were released today from the Mets’ Class AAA Buffalo team. ‘Studio 42 with Bob Costas’: Growing pangs were naturally expected in the new MLB Network’s first year on the air, but the one area where the channel has greatly succeeded is the excellent discussion series, “Studio 42 with Bob Costas.” A new episode premiers each Monday at 7 p.m. with repeats throughout the week. The show is conducted in discussion format that Costas has long done so well. In recent episodes, there was an awesome sit-down with Bob Gibson and Tim McCarver to discuss the great Cardinals teams of the 1960s, and another chat with Al Kaline and Willie Horton talking about the 1968 World Series in which the Tigers stunned the Cardinals in seven games. Monday’s show features former umpires Steve Palermo, Don Denkinger and Bruce Froemming–all a part of an interesting or controversial piece of baseball history. Will Denkinger admit he completely blew that call in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series? Froemming’s controversial moment came in the 1977 NL Playoffs between the Phillies and Dodgers but he was also a Reds good luck charm–being part of the crew for the ’76 and ’90 World Series sweeps. Palermo was the third-base umpire who waved Bucky Dent’s home run “fair” in the 1978 one-game regular-season playoff between the Red Sox and Yankees. But his career was ended when he interceded in a mugging of two women in Dallas, was shot and suffered paraplegia. So if you love baseball history, you should watch “Studio 42″ or set your DVR for the series. –30– 
to and Encarnacion:
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