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Somehow, Paul Wilson seemed to get lost in the hype. But don't kid yourself. The Mets think he has a chance to be the best of the group. "He would have to fall completely on his face not to make the rotation. And I don't expect that to happen,'' said manager Dallas Green.
Wilson certainly seems to have the, um, desire. Asked by a reporter how far he would go to make the team, Wilson left no doubt that he would go to great lengths.
"If you told me I had to kill you to make the team, then I'd kill you. If you told me I had to cut off my foot to make the team, then I'd cut off my foot,'' he said.
Yikes.
Boys will be boys
Well, you can take baseball players to the White House, but you can't necessarily make them behave like diplomats.
The defending world champion Atlanta Braves got the invitation from President Clinton which, predictably, led to a few funny moments.
John Smoltz couldn't resist telling Tom Glavine, while they were getting a tour, "Hey, Glav, your dining room is bigger than this.''
Then there was pitcher Brad Clontz. All players were told to bring photo identification. Clontz forgot, but got in anyway when he was able to produce a baseball card of himself.
Quote of the week
Montreal first baseman David Segui was asked why he signed a two-year deal when most players seemingly can't wait to leave the Expos.
"I like Montreal,'' he explained. "My family likes Montreal. You feel safe there. You can take the subway to the ballpark. I know what I'm talking about. I played in New York. In New York, you're afraid to open the window.''
Stat of the week
Terry Mulholland may be coming off two rotten seasons with the Yankees and Giants. But the Phillies believe that their one-time staff ace could bounce back now that he's returned.
After all, in his 4 1/2 years with the Phillies, he had a 3.69 ERA. For the rest of his career: 5.59.
Age discrimination
Marlins outfielder Andre Dawson is 42 and entering his 20th major league season. He's two years older than Florida general manager Dave Dombrowski.
Foxy Phils
Phillies leftfielder Darren Daulton and centerfielder Lenny Dykstra have both filmed promotional spots for the Fox Network, which will be carrying baseball for the first time this summer.
The Fox people have done clever ads for hockey and football and, if the commercials starring Daulton and Dykstra are any indication, these will be amusing, too.
Daulton is standing in the outfield, talking about how after 16 years as a catcher he was tired of all the home plate collisions. So he decided to move to a nice, cushy position. Then he's run over by the Phillie Phanatic.
Dykstra is shown performing with a punk rock band, signing Take Me Out to the Ballgame. At the end of his song, he leaps into a mosh pit.
Money, money, money
There's no getting around the fact that salary squabbles are going to be part of any spring training. But some are more interesting than others.
In Montreal, Pedro Martinez is clearly the No. 1 starting pitcher. He's also eight days short of being eligible for salary arbitration. So Expos management is playing hardball in negotiations, unwilling to go much beyond $350,000.
Martinez, who has 35 wins, could therefore reach 50 before he comes close to making the major league average of around a million bucks in a year. That hardly seems fair considering that the Expos are about to give No. 2 starter Jeff Fassero $2.4 million. Fassero has 43 career victories in one more season.
Meanwhile, the Marlins are sticking to their salary structure, which dictates that a player with one year of experience can make a maximum of $250,000.
But that's not what upsets agent Scott Boras the most. Catcher Charles Johnson became the first NL rookie catcher to win a Gold Glove since Johnny Bench and finished seventh in the Rookie of the Year balloting. But the Expos won't pay a cent more than $230,000, arguing that the top figure is reserved for "excellence.''
Dombrowski reasons that, if you give Johnson the maximum amount, what would you pay a player who actually won the Rookie of the Year award.
"Unacceptable,'' snaps Boras.
Money, money, money, Part II
It probably doesn't help matters that the Marlins gave unproven Cuban defector Livan Hernandez $4.5 million for four years. Or that Hernandez, who earned $5 a month as a member of the Cuban national team, showed up for his first exhibition start in a white stretch limousine.
What about a wild card spot
Phillies manager Jim Fregosi, who sees spring training as a time to answer questions, has a proud boast. "You'll never see a team of mine win the Grapefruit League championship," he likes to tell people.
General manager Lee Thomas, however, recognizes that there is a lot of skepticism about the team's chances this year and that winning some games in Florida would be a good way to drum up some interest back home.
"I think we need to show people that we have a pretty good ballclub," he said. "I don't think we're nearly as bad as people think."
Wait and see
Like many baseball people, Marlins manager Rene Lachemann isn't sure what to make of all the fuss about the enlarged strike zone that is supposed to be employed this year.
"If it's called the way they say they're going to call it, guys are going to have to be more aggressive at the plate," he said. "But we'll see what happens."
Wait and see, Part II
The Phillies have been pleasantly surprised to this point how smoothly Darren Daulton's transition from All-Star catcher to neophyte leftfielder has gone. But even Daulton knows he's not established yet.
"When we go north, they add an extra tier or two to the stadiums. And then it's a whole new ballgame," he said.
Power shortage
The biggest weakness the Mets seem to have is a complete lack of a home run threat. But general manager Joe McIlvaine may be biding his time.
Whispers persist that the Mets have their eye on Dean Palmer of the Texas Rangers. The problem is that Palmer had a seriously torn biceps tendon last year. So the Mets will want to scout him thoroughly in the exhibition season before deciding whether to pursue trade talks.
Farewell to all that
Not only will the Braves be moving into a new stadium in Atlanta in 1997, they'll have a new Disney-owned training site in Orlando the following spring.
That will mean abandoning West Palm Beach, where they have roots dating back to Milwaukee and a teenage Hank Aaron.
But Disney dangled a 175-acre site with a 7,500 seat stadium that's already under construction. When it's done, the complex will be able to accommodate a total of 32 sports from auto racing to volleyball.
Paul Hagen, who covers baseball for the Philadelphia Daily News, writes regularly for ESPNET SportsZone.