The Seattle Mariners and the
San Francisco Giants are two
of the oldest teams (player ages) in the Major
Leagues. For that matter
Felipe Alou of the Giants and
Jack McKeon of the Marlins
are the two oldest managers
in baseball and both have their
teams in great shape.
What does that says for the
gang over 40 ?
Good news !

By Amaury Pi-González
SeattleSo here we go again. Many people
think that old teams die in August,
well the Giants last season were
one of the oldest teams together
with Arizona and the Giants made
it to the seventh game of the
World Series. This season
Felipe Alou (second oldest manager
in baseball)and Barry Bond,Benito
Santiago,Marquis Grissom,Andrés
Galarraga and the “over the hill gang”
are in great position to win the
Western Division.

In the East the oldest manager
in baseball Jack McKweon took over
from a dying Marlins team and
rejunevated this team. Today
Florida looks like the Wild Card
in the National League.

Let’s not critize the AARP gang
here. In 2001 the Diamondbacks
with Matt Williams and company
won the World Series, they were
not a bunch of twenty-year olds.

During the past few seasons
the Giants have won with “older”
players. Well, they have not won
a World Series but neither have
the Oakland Athletics will all
their youth. As a matter of fact
last time I looked this A’S team
has not won the American League
Pennant with all their youth.
The Giants were old last year
and they are the defending
National League Champions.

What really kills teams during
late August and September is
injuries. There is no -good time-
to loose a player, but it is easier
to adjust your team If you loose
a key player on April 15 than on
August 15.

Look at the young and exciting
A’S (at this time only 2 teams in
the A.L had lower combined batting
averages) they could not beat
Minnesota last year, why because
the Twins were even younger ?

It is easier to win with older
but healthy players than with
young ones that are hurting.
Give me experience anytime
in anything in life.

The Mariners and the Athletics
have one thing in common, they
both cannot beat the Yankees
in crunch time ! During the
Playoffs and yes A’S fans
Jeremy Giambi should have
score if he didn’t try to
score standing up.

The New York Yankees have José
Contreras back and in good shape.
The Cuban hurler got a $32 million
contract for 4 years before picking
up a major league ball in his
hands.He should be able to help
the Yankees win the American
League this year and advance
to the World Series against the
Atlanta Braves.

Let’s be honest here, I do not
think many are counting on the
Giants to win the National League
or for that matter the A’S to win
the American League, both of our
local teams have many holes. The
A’S lineup is not a great one and
can be pitched to, specially come
October ball went scouts come
out of the woods and every player
is scouted with much more
precision.

You could have a good argument
if you say that the best young
rotation in baseball plays in
Wrigley Field, Chicago with
Wood,Pryor,Clement,Zambrano
and company, they all can go
all-the-way and have great arms.

Mark Mulder not in the A’S rotation
cannot be a good thing, Kirk Rueter
having problems cannot be a good
thing. The Giants have the best most
feared hitter in the world
in Barry Bonds and the A’S
have the MVP from last season
Miguel Tejada. Without Mulder the
A’S bullpen will work much harder.
If the A’S get Cory Lidle back (I would
not, I do not think he is that good)
but the A’S might get a Pat Hengen
or somebody of that sort to try to
plug that spot left in the starting
rotation.

September is an “equal opportunity
month”. Both A’S and M’S are going
to be playing their own division
with the A’S ending the season
in Seattle. September 26, 27, 28th.

To win the Division is not that
big a thing anymore. Last season
both Wild Card teams met
in the World Series. All-of-a-sudden
all those people that hated the Wild
Card are “wild”about it today !
How come ? What happened ?

The Wild Card (and I always liked it)
might have been the one thing
MLB did correctly in recent memory.
And that is something even the
most loyal fans in the world,
the Red Sox fans are appreciating
this season.

Tampa Bay and Baltimore will
be playing Seattle and Oakland
this week and then we jump into
September. A lot of “old”teams
might be tired, but there are some
young arms also tired and some
nerves boiling and some front
offices going nuts.

One more thing. A friend of mine
told me that Billy Beane was a
“genious”. I responded, not.
He will be a genious once he
wins the World Series with the
team he built. In the Bay Area
sports chronicles I might say the
only guy that might be fitting
of that title is Mr. Bill Walsh of
the 49ers, he has a bunch of
rings and he has put together
some great teams, that for me
is a real genious. Just because
you get a good player on a trade
that will produce much more
for your team than the guy you
traded away, that doesn’t makes
anybody a genious. If that were
the case 25 of the 30 GM
in Major League Baseball
could be also be genious.
Brian Sabean is also then
a “genious”he has made
some great trades that have
keep the Giants in contention.

Oh, September ball, it makes
all of us feel…..younger ?
————————————————-
Amaury Pi-González currently
Spanish Play by Play Announcer
for all 81 home games in Seattle
for the new Seattle Mariners
Spanish Radio Network (see
www.spanishmariners.net) and
home weekend of Giants games
for the Bay Area on KZSF 1370 AM
recently got inducted into the
CPSHOF (Cuban Professional Sports
Hall of Fame) the ceremony will
be made official in Miami in
March 2004.