MAILBAG: May 2

Q: Why did the Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies and Kansas City Royals wait until the season started to fire their managers? It's not as if these teams had pennant expectations coming into the season. -- Jon Chang, New York
PWG -- In every case, the people running the team appreciated that talent was a problem and wanted to give the manager another chance and hope that somehow things broke right ... a la Pittsburgh. Detroit president/GM Dave Dombrowski and Kansas City GM Allard Baird were very realistic about the talent level and realized that losing had infiltrated everyone and everything. Colorado GM Dan O'Dowd wanted to give Buddy Bell a chance to reinvigorate that team; it didn't happen. I think the Brewers are the only one of the four who believe their team is better than it is, but Milwaukee GM Dean Taylor tried to give Davey Lopes a better shot with pitching coach Dave Stewart. It didn't work.

	Cubs manager Don Baylor

Q: I'm a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, so my expectations aren't too high. But after watching Don Baylor on a daily basis for the past couple of years, I'm convinced I've not seen any Cubs manager as poor at calling a game as he is.

Any chance the Cubs may replace Baylor ? -- Andy Cary, Peoria, Ill.

PWG -- I think this month has distorted the role of a manager. The Cubs have had injuries, they have age at some positions, their bullpen isn't set right now. Is that Baylor's fault?

Chicago is only a couple of games behind Houston and St. Louis, and that's what counts.

Q: How long will Bobby Cox last in Atlanta if the team doesn't start producing better results, both on the field and in the stands? -- Mike M., Austin, Texas
PWG -- Bobby Cox will manage as long as he wants. He has won 10 straight divisions. He built the Braves organization to the point that GM John Schuerholz could come in and take over and make the final moves, but Cox is more responsible for his franchise's success than any manager anywhere.

Q: What are the Cincinnati Reds going to do when Ken Griffey Jr. comes off the DL? Adam Dunn, Juan Encarnacion and Austin Kearns have all been extremely productive. I have always liked Griffey, but at this point it seems his return could ruin the continuity of this outfield. -- Eric Wilburn, Ohio
PWG -- The original plan was to send Kearns back. Now perhaps they'll rotate the four. If GM Jim Bowden wants to take a run at Scott Rolen, perhaps he will use Sean Casey and move Adam Dunn to first.

Q: With Matt Mantei coming back from Tommy John surgery, do you think Byung-Hyun Kim will continue to close once he returns, even though Kim has been unhittable and flawless so far? If Kim continues to close, how much leeway do you think Arizona Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly will give him until he puts Mantei into the closing role? -- Brian, Binghamton, N.Y.
PWG -- Once Mantei is ready, Kim will be the eighth-inning man. Right now, the right-handed setup is a problem for the D-Backs with Miguel Batista back in the rotation and Bret Prinz struggling.

Q: I'm a big New York Mets fan. Considering the fact that Rey Ordonez is struggling with his best attribute (defense) and that they have a nice shortstop in the making in Jose Reyes, do you think the Mets will trade Ordonez? Or will they wait until Reyes is ready to come to the big leagues? -- Maurice Mills, Irvington, N.J.
PWG -- After Ordonez bulked up in the offseason and lost some of his flexibility, he no longer was the shortstop he once was. They love Reyes, but I doubt they could plug him in yet. I could see them taking a Neifi Perez or someone like that for the second half of the season, but I think you'll see the Mets go for an outfielder and starter first.

Q: Without a doubt, the Boston Red Sox can score runs, but will they make a move to bolster their starting pitching rotation? -- Eric Karp, New York
PWG -- I think that will be determined by what happens in the next five weeks, when they play real teams. Remember, their payroll is already at $108 million, and they don't have a positional prospect in their organization.

	Rolen

Q: If the Phillies' season keeps going the way it has and the Cubs are still struggling in the middle of June, could you see the Phillies trading Scott Rolen and maybe Robert Person to the Cubs for, say, Mark Prior and a prospect? If not what could you see the Phillies getting for Rolen? -- Scott Mersinger, Middletown, Del.
PWG -- I doubt the Cubs would trade Prior under any circumstances. Rolen? Larry Bowa has said that if they fall far enough behind, they have to explore. As I mentioned in another response, I think Cincinnati is a possibility. But I'm not sold on Rolen being gone yet. I heard they could dump Travis Lee and Doug Glanville, but I think the Bowa/Ed Wade situation bears a month worth of watching before kissing off a great third baseman. That is, if the Phillies aren't being run by an accountant owner.

Q: What's up with the Baltimore Orioles? You and most of your fellow writers continually refer to them as a bad team, yet they're playing close to .500 ball with success against the Yankees and the Red Sox. Is it just a matter of time before they fall down? -- Roy Baty, San Francisco
PWG -- They have very good pitching and a great young closer in Jorge Julio, and while their positional players are suspect, they have a lot of young pitching depth. If they could get two good young positional players for Scott Erickson, they should make the deal.

Q: If the Pittsburgh Pirates and GM Dave Littlefield decided they needed to move Jason Kendall and his albatross-like salary, would we find any takers? Who would be interested? -- Scott Brady, Pittsburgh
PWG -- I think Kendall would take a discount to go to San Diego, and if the Bucs could get Dennis Tankersley and Xavier Nady, it could be a heckuva trade. Colorado, with all its Double-A talent, would be a possibility.

Q: What would you think of a straight-up trade of Andruw Jones for Todd Helton? The Rockies save one run a game in center, and Andruw's long pop flies clear the fences at Coors, while the Braves fill the black hole at first and get the pure hitter they so desperately need. And both have big, long-term contracts. Your thoughts? -- Chris, Washington, D.C.
PWG -- It's an imaginative idea, but the Rockies would never deal Helton. He is the energetic leader of that team.

Q: What do you think is the toughest park for a visiting bullpen? Despite the tussles in Dodger Stadium over caps last year, I think it has to be Pac Bell Park. Your thoughts? -- Matthew Greber, San Francisco
PWG -- Pac Bell and Boston. In Pac Bell, the fans lean right over. In Fenway, they torment opponents all night. Seattle is not exactly the Louvre, either.

	Hampton

Q: It seems obvious that at some point this year Rockies starter Mike Hampton will be traded. Who has the best chance to get him? Can the Red Sox get him without giving up Manny Ramirez? -- David Kerr, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
PWG -- I think someone will take Hampton, and I think he'd be a great pitcher for the Red Sox, and in Fenway. I still wouldn't rule out the Cardinals -- he almost went there -- or the Cubs.

Q: I have been a baseball fan since I was very young. I also grew up with the world's pastime, soccer. Instead of contraction, what about taking a page from the top soccer leagues and use relegation? The bottom two teams are sent down to Triple A and the top two Triple A teams move up to the majors. Every year teams fight for the World Series and for their lives to remain in the majors. -- Andrew Hartman, Killeen, Tex.
PWG -- I have always loved that idea, but owners would say that it would greatly damage the value of their franchises. Jefferey Loria didn't get $150 million for Les Expos to play a home-and-home with Ottawa, even if Ottawa might draw better than the Braves in Montreal.