MLB News, Notes & Anecdotes
By Jim Lachimia

PEOPLE LOVE HOME RUN hitters and Craig Wilson was indeed popular with Pirates' fans before being dealt to the Yankees. But he was too easy of an out too much of the time to be a truly effective everyday player. Even during his big season in 2004-when he collected 29 homers and 82 RBI-he struck out 169 times and batted .212 in his final 105 games. That's about four months worth of baseball. One afternoon in late July, when Joe Randa's name appeared on the line-up card at first base, Wilson told a member of the local media: "I'm either getting traded, or they hate me more than I thought." Contrary to popular opinion, the fact that Wilson wasn't an every day player this year wasn't all about defense.

DURING THE GIANTS' visit to PNC Park in late July, Barry Bonds was telling long-time members of the Pirates' front office that he doesn't plan to play after this season. When pressed for a reason, his response was, "Dude, my body just can't take it any more." These days he does appear to be putting in time as opposed to enjoying the game. Ol' Barry would like nothing more than to go underground and seldom be seen or heard from again - a la Mark McGwire.

FREDDY SANCHEZ being viewed as a utility player was not a reflection on his offensive skills. The Pirates may not have foreseen that he would contend for the batting title, but they certainly knew he could hit. He fit the utility mold because he's very capable defensively at three infield positions. But with the glove, Jose Castillo is better at second, Jack Wilson is better at short, and Joe Randa is better at third. Plus Sanchez is a smallish guy who has had physical issues in the past, and durability as an every day player was a bit of a concern.

SPENDING MAD MONEY doesn't guarantee a thing in baseball. Case in point: Toronto heaped many millions of dollars on three free agents this year-catcher Bengie Molina, starting pitcher A.J. Burnett and closer B.J. Ryan. However, as August was drawing to a close, the Blue Jays were again in third place behind the Yankees and Red Sox in the A.L. East-precisely where they've finished in seven of the past eight seasons. Toronto improved this year, but only slightly.

HOW DID IT COME TO THIS? There is only one powerhouse team in the National League this year-the Mets. And there are at least a half a dozen teams in the American League-the Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, White Sox, Twins and A's-that are better than anyone else in the N.L. The Mets match up well with any of those A.L. clubs, but don't forget, they have to win two rounds of playoff games just to get to the World Series. But the fact that pitchers Pedro Martinez, Tom Glavine and Orlando Hernandez all have a wealth of postseason experience should help manager Willie Randolph's club win those tough October games.

Jim Lachimia is the editor of the Pittsburgh Pirates' On Deck magazine.