MAILBAG: April 11

	Pete Rose

Q: Do you think Pete Rose will have a shot at the Hall of Fame if commissioner Bud Selig is replaced? -- Ken Bussell, Tampa, Fla.
PWG -- No. Rose signed an agreement that he would never be eligible for the Hall of Fame so he could avoid other legal problems, and until he deals with his denial about selling out his team, he cannot and should not be admitted. All he has to do is look in the mirror, but he has never done this. And he cannot push it, because if people started coming forward, it would be a mess.

Q: In the recent Mets-Braves' 14-inning game, replays showed that Marcus Giles failed to touch first base after John Valentin's error in the eighth inning. If the umpire got the call right, the Mets likely would have won. Could instant replay be used in baseball like it is in the NFL? -- Brad, Freeport, N.Y.
PWG -- Games are long enough, and umpires prove to be right 99 percent of the time.

Q: Since the DH position has been an established part of MLB for nearly three decades, I believe DHs should be considered for the Hall of Fame. Judge them by their accomplishments compared to their peers at DH, the same as other players. The NFL doesn't view a placekicker any differently regarding the HOF because he doesn't play most of the game. -- Mike Green, Seattle, Wash.
PWG -- Your argument is a valid one, although I do not consider the Pro Football Hall of Fame comparable to Cooperstown, and it's a very different sport. The problem is that the DH is not a universally accepted position in baseball, so that when an AL team plays in the World Series, the DH is eliminated in the NL park. Defense is a major part of baseball. But if, say, Edgar Martinez finished with numbers that placed him in the top 30 hitters of all time, he would make it. Still, a DH will be held to a different standard.

Q: Where do you rank Torii Hunter in terms of defensive center fielders? I personally believe he's the best, but my friend thinks Andruw Jones is better. -- Jonathan Garber, Houston
PWG -- Andruw is the best, when he's into it. But Hunter may well be the next best, with Mike Cameron. The three are very similar in their results and production. I think Hunter can hit 30 homers and bat in the .260-.275 range.

Q: Is Chipper Jones Hall-o-matic? I think he still has to make a case for himself, but I get shouted down when I bring it up. -- Garrett Wampole, Allentown, Pa.
PWG -- From where he now sits, I would say he has a great shot at Cooperstown. Moving from third base to left field may hurt him in that as a third baseman alone his stats and clutch performances would have made him a shoo-in, but I think if he stays healthy he should have the numbers to get strong consideration.

Q: I can't figure out where the $40 million in bad contracts is on the Boston Red Sox roster this year. You've mentioned this more than once. Can you provide an enumeration? -- Michael Grieves, North Attleboro, Mass.
PWG -- Their talent level is $40 million less than their payroll. The Red Sox are the only team that would have paid Dustin Hermanson, John Burkett, Jose Offerman, Darren Oliver and Ugueth Urbina their current deals (totalling $34 million). And they way overdid it on Manny Ramirez and several other players.

	Chavez

Q: Who do you see being the most productive third baseman seven years from now: Eric Chavez, Eric Hinske, Hank Blalock, Morgan Ensberg, Sean Burroughs, Troy Glaus, Scott Rolen or Drew Henson? Or is there someone else that I'm missing (Betemit, Teixeira)? -- Caesar, Somerville, Mass.
PWG: If his back holds up, Chavez, with Blalock, Burroughs and Rolen right behind. My guess is that Glaus will be playing first base in the near future because of his size. Hinske is a very impressive hitter, and I believe Henson is going to be special. Hopefully Teixeira's elbow injury isn't ligament damage, because his potential and work habits are tremendous. But missing nearly two consecutive full seasons at this point in his career would be a setback.

Q: How do you feel about the fans booing Jason Giambi at the New York Yankees' home opener? -- Chris M., Boston
PWG -- Silly, but all passionate cities boo. I heard the Red Sox fans boo Manny Ramirez mercilessly for his defense on Wednesday. Better than being in some place like Montreal or Florida where they don't boo -- or care.

Q: What do you think about the possibility of Reds shortstop Barry Larkin, now in his 17th year, being elected to the Hall of Fame? Along with Cal Ripken, he was the best shortstop of his generation. He's an 11-time All-Star and was the '95 NL MVP. He won three Gold Gloves (once Ozzie finally retired). His numbers don't stack up with Jeter's and A-Rod's, but the game is different now. -- Doug, Erlanger, Ky.
PWG -- There's no question that the numbers Jeter, A-Rod and Garciaparra have put up will hurt him. So will the injuries, which have dogged him three of the last five seasons going into 2002. He is very close, with a .299 average, the potential of having 200 homers, 2,500 hits, 1,000 RBI and more than 400 steals and some great defensive years, as well as an MVP. He may fall short because he lapsed into the A-Rod era, but let's see how he finishes.

Q: The Oakland Athletics' starting pitching staff is one of the best in the league (if not the best). Billy Koch is a solid closer, but their middle relief is weak. Will they trade for some help or stick it out? -- Matthew Vincent, San Ramon, Calif.
PWG -- Koch has not been solid, let alone average. If co-owner Steve Schott wants to compete for the World Series, he'll have to give GM Billy Beane the cash to go get a couple of relievers, because they may not be able to win with that bullpen. Right now, manager Art Howe is having trouble getting lefties out with any of his three left-handers, and Jeff Tam's command has been erratic.

Q: What do you think of Corey Patterson's late preseason and early-season play? A few years back everyone was calling him the next Ken Griffey Jr. Then, after a couple of sub-par years, everyone was calling him one of the most overrated prospects in baseball. -- Nicky Gigiolio, Winnetka, Ill.
PWG -- Comparing him to Griffey isn't fair, but Corey still should be a fine player. He can run and he's got 25-30 homer power. But he just isn't the leadoff or three hitter some wanted him to be early in his career. He still may be a 3-hole hitter in the future, and if he puts up .260/20/75 numbers this season, he'll be on his way.

Q: I'm 18 years old and a huge fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates. What are your thoughts on their great start? Do they have even the slightest chance to challenge Houston and St. Louis in the NL Central? -- Matt F., Brookville, Pa.

	Kendall

PWG -- Probably not, because of talent. That said, if they get Kris Benson back and he throws close to what he did before he was hurt, an improved pitching staff will be better. They impressed me in spring training as perhaps the team that played the hardest. Manager Lloyd McClendon has instilled a fire in them, and their star players like Brian Giles and Jason Kendall play their hearts out. Root for them, they deserve it.

Q: Do you subscribe to the theory that Bud Selig is using contraction as a way to blackmail cities like Minnesota into building new stadiums? -- John J. Mesh, McCook, Neb.
PWG -- Of course it's blackmail, or leverage. It's also a way of pressuring the union, and depressing the baseball economy so that owners can cry poverty, all as part of a negotiating strategy aimed at getting substantial changes in the system.

The owners have set it up so the players have basically two options. Either the players strike during the season -- and the union must know it will have a hard time keeping the players out (those who have been disenfranchised by the Players Association's obsession with top-of-the-scale stars and foreign-born players are going to be hard to keep marching).

The players' other option is to face a winter in which the owners try to declare an impasse and implement their last offer (their most recent one includes a proposal to legalize collusion). Then the players either win in court or they strike at the start of the 2003 season, if they haven't been locked out the day after the World Series. Whatever happens, I don't think we'll be able to enjoy this World Series any longer than we enjoyed the last one.