Monday, June 23, 2008

Finding National (League) treasure

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz knows why the Orioles are playing so well in interleague play — it’s impossible to face better competition then they do in the American League East.
“You just remember how hard the AL East is again,” Mientkiewicz said during a recent road trip to Camden Yards. “I talked to [Orioles first baseman] Aubrey [Huff] yesterday during the game and I said, ‘Man this is no joke.’ And he said, ‘No kidding, it’s true.’ Look at the guys you need to face, not only the lineups but look at the [pitching] staff in Toronto, that’s not a fun weekend regardless of the five you get.”
And it wasn’t fun for Mientkiewicz’s Pirates, who lost two of their three games in Charm City to the suddenly-surging Orioles.
Baltimore, 38-36, had won four of its past five series and was excelling against the National League. But the Orioles entered the season with a record of 79-114 in 11 years of interleague play, worst in the American League.
This summer, however, the Orioles are bucking that trend, going 8-4 against the National League, winning their series against the Nationals, Pirates, Astros and Brewers.
“There’s no designated hitter, it keeps everybody ready,” Orioles manager Dave Trembley told reporters this weekend in Milwaukee, the team’s first interleague series this season under National League rules. “I think you’re able to preplan somewhat, set up some scenarios, get your guys in line to come in and face matchup situations.”
And it appears Trembley has been managing the Orioles similar to an NL team this season, as the Orioles lead the AL with 45 pinch-hit at-bats. But maybe that approach is just what has made the team exceed preseason expectations.
“You play in the [American League] East, you have your work cut out for you everyday,” Mientkiewicz said. “It’s a tough league, but for me, it’s the best league to be in.”


A fan favorite in the making?

Anton Gustafsson knows how to tweak his father. He just compares their hockey ability.
“I think I’m a better skater than my dad,” he told reporters Friday night. He couldn’t really shoot. I have a feeling I’m better ... I actually love to say stuff like that because he hates it.”
Whether or not Gustafsson turns out to be better than his father — ex-Capital Bengt Gustafsson — remains to be seen.
The 6-foot-2, 194-pound center, selected 21st overall Friday, is bigger than his father and much more physical.
He’ll play in Sweden’s second division this year and the Swedish Elite league next year before joining the Caps’ organization.
“Anton has had his own private hockey tutor his whole life,” Caps GM George McPhee told The Examiner’s Brian McNally. “It’s a nice story that his dad was a fan favorite here and a great player. But you pick them because he’s someone who can make our club better down the road.”


ON THE RADAR

What to watch for in the world of sports this week:

GOING BATTY » Major League Baseball officials will meet with union representatives Tuesday to discuss the new problem with the sport: maple bats. The bats, more fragile than Nick Johnson’s body, are shattering constantly and serving as projectiles towards ducking fielders. The Nats haven’t had a problem with these bats; alas, you have to make contact first.

PINGED » Outside of a golf course, the word ping is most closely associated with college baseball, thanks to the sound of aluminum bats. But it can be a cool sound, as the folks in Omaha, Neb., will tell you this week during the finals of the College World Series.

DEBATABLE ENDING » So who will be drafted first Thursday night? Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley? Let’s see, it’s a big night for the NBA, which means … disgraced ref Tim Donaghy will drop another bombshell. Maybe he’ll tell us how the Knicks really won the lottery for Patrick Ewing. Or how Kwame Brown is still employed.

LAWN CARE » Once a year tennis snobs get to use words like fortnight and queue and the phrase strawberries and cream a thousand times. The word to avoid is rain, which it does too often in London. Still, the biggest storyline on the grass courts will be the march of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to their inevitable finals matchup. Oh, and please remember, it’s pronounced Wimbledon not Wimbleton.


IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Now he knows why he has negative publicity: it’s his nickname. So Adam Jones has dropped the moniker, Pacman. Now he’ll just be known as Adam. And everyone now will magically view him differently. Of course, the reason Pacman carries such negative connotations might have something to do with all the times Jones has been questioned by police about off-field issues (10 times, and counting). At least he didn’t change his nickname to something like, oh, the Rainmaker.


ON THE RECORD

“If this was all about money, he would go to Russia, because he could make more in Russia than he ever could in the NHL. Evgeni’s decision is he wants to stay in Pittsburgh.”
— J.P. Barry, agent of NHL star Evgeni Malkin, who reportedly was offered $12.5 million to play in the Continental Hockey League.

“We wanted to pin him down on some things. I’m really impressed with the fact that he was very much a standup person. He knows he’s got to be accountable for whatever happens in his life.”
— Timberwolves general manager Jim Stack on his interview with potential draft pick and oft-troubled guard O.J. Mayo.


BY THE NUMBERS

82 » Years since pitchers made their first ML starts against in each other in Yankee Stadium. Reds’ hurler Daryl Thompson bested Yankee Dan Giese in a 6-0 win in the Bronx this weekend.

107 » Strikeouts by Indians pitcher C.C. Sabathia, most in the AL, who struck out 10 Dodgers and added his second career home run — a 440-foot blast in his first at-bat of the season — in a 7-2 win Saturday.