The Week That Was
Prior Impresses In Debut
Chicago Cubs phenom Mark Prior showed excellent poise in his major-league debut Wednesday night.

	Prior

The Cubs did a terrific job slotting his first start. He pitched at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team with the lowest batting average (.227) and the fewest runs scored (154) in the majors. And Prior couldn't ask for a better catcher in baseball then Joe Girardi to guide him through his first start. Girardi is so good at working with pitchers, especially young pitchers.

I was impressed when Prior got two strikeouts after giving up a home run to Brian Giles in the sixth. Even though he walked only two, his control wasn't quite where he wanted it to be, but that was likely due to jitters. He threw 103 pitches in six innings (an acceptable number for seven innings) so he could have been more pitch-efficient. Still, strikeout pitchers usually have higher pitch counts -- and Prior struck out 10 in his debut.

I love Prior's delivery and can see some similarities with Kerry Wood's delivery, although Prior doesn't throw across his body as much as Wood. But the stuff, including some tough curve balls, is reminiscent of Wood.

Now it's wait-and-see. Unless the Cubs start hitting, one guy won't salvage their season.

With the support of the home crowd and Girardi's mentoring against baseball's weakest-hitting team, the stage was set perfectly for Prior. The Cubs put him in a win-win situation -- and he won.

Wild, Wild West I: Movin' On Up
Arms and the M's: In the AL West, two teams are advancing (Seattle Mariners, Anaheim Angels) and two teams are retreating (Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers).

Despite a difficult schedule, the Mariners have posted the third-best record in the majors (29-16). Now they'll catch a break -- their next 17 games are against teams that currently have sub.-500 records.

It's no secret that the Mariners have been seeking a couple of power arms to back up Freddy Garcia and Jamie Moyer. And they may need to look no further than their own roster. Joel Pineiro has started five games, posting a 4-1 record and 2.00 ERA. Rookie Rafael Soriano has worked out of the bullpen so far this season (two appearances, no runs allowed, six strikeouts in five innings). But Soriano is slated to get his first start Saturday at home vs. the Baltimore Orioles.

The July 31 trade deadline is more than two months away, so the M's have time to see if Pineiro and Soriano -- who both throw in the mid-90s -- can succeed long-term. It would be easier to fill their pitching needs from within the organization, especially with a labor stoppage looming. In 1994, there were fewer deadline deals because teams were unwilling to take on a big contract given the strike-related uncertainty.

If Pineiro and Soriano pan out, the Mariners will have four legitimate starters for the rest of the season and for October -- assuming they (and MLB) get that far.

Amazin' Angels: The Angels are on an amazing roll, having won 21 of 24. They trail the Mariners in the AL West by just 1½ games despite starting the season 6-14 (they went 1-6 vs. Seattle in that stretch).

The Angels haven't yet played the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox (their last three games of July are vs. the Sox, their first four in August vs. the Yanks). When they play those clubs and face Seattle again, we'll get a better idea of how good the Angels really are.

So much attention has focused on Anaheim's offense, but their pitching has been terrific. Angels relievers have given up just 11 runs in their past 56 innings (an ERA of 1.77). Starters have gone into the seventh inning in 25 of the past 35 games.

Wild, Wild West II: Retreat!

	Giambi

Missing Jason: After a 4-14 skid, the A's sit at 20-25, tied with the Rangers for last place in the AL West, nine games behind the M's. When the A's limped out to an 8-18 start last year -- and sat 12 games out of first on May 1 -- the leadership of Jason Giambi was key. This year, they don't have Giambi in the clubhouse to lead them out of the wilderness.

In fact, Oakland has no Giambis left in the clubhouse after Wednesday's trade that sent Jeremy Giambi to the Philadelphia Phillies for utility man John Mabry. On Tuesday, the slumping A's made three other roster moves to shake things up: optioning rookie first baseman Carlos Pena, second baseman Frank Menechino and right-handed reliever Jeff Tam to Triple-A Sacramento (while calling up infielder Esteban German and outfielder Adam Piatt from Sacramento and purchasing the contract of infielder Larry Sutton).

I don't know if Oakland can make a move this year. In 2001, the A's won 29 of their last 33 games to waltz into the wild card while Boston folded. But the way the Yankees, Red Sox and Angels are playing this year, it will be tough.

Misguided Rangers: The Rangers are also in retreat. After a bad start, they made a move, winning 11 of 14 to pull within one game of .500. But since then they've faltered, going 2-6.

In my opinion, the Rangers have been mistaken in their offense-first approach. Only six times in major-league history have teams finished in the bottom half of the league in ERA and won the World Series. Owner Tom Hicks' heart has been in the right place, but he's learning that baseball is not like other businesses.

When Yankees owner George Steinbrenner started surrounding himself with baseball people, the Yankees began to rebuild their farm system and regain their luster. And New York has made its remarkable run on great pitching. Ninety-five percent of the time, pitching is the essential ingredient in championship baseball.

On The Horizon
AL: Yankees-Red Sox (four-game series in Boston begins Thursday)
Boston has the best record in baseball (30-13), but leads New York by just one game in the AL East.

Is this series more important for the Yankees or the Red Sox? Some might say the Sox, given Boston's frustrating history. But the story line of the tender Red Sox psyche is for the fans and the media. Boston's players hail from California, the Midwest, the Dominican Republic. Do you think Manny Ramirez or Pedro Martinez care about the Curse of the Bambino?

Boston's players are confident and just want to play ball. If the Yankees sweep the Sox this weekend, they'll tip their hats and say, "Let's go get 'em at Yankee Stadium."

This series features some intriguing pitching matchups. Pedro Martinez (6-0, 2.80 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Sox on Thursday night against Ted Lilly (1-3, 2.61). Roger Clemens (7-2, 3.33) is slated to face John Burkett (5-0, 2.57) on Friday, with David Wells (6-1, 3.86) against Derek Lowe (7-1, 1.90) on Saturday. On Sunday, Mike Mussina (6-2, 4.14) goes against Darren Oliver (4-3, 4.20).

	Wells

Wells is still day-to-day because of a strained lower back, which caused him to miss his last start. If he can't pitch Saturday -- probably a game-time decision -- Sterling Hitchcock would get the call. With Orlando Hernandez and Andy Pettitte on the disabled list and Wells hurt, the Yankees are missing three-fifths of their rotation and still have won 13 of 15.

This is the second straight four-game series at Fenway for these rivals; the Sox have yet to visit New York this year. But the New York Mets will be home this weekend, and the schedule-makers like to avoid having the two New York teams in town at the same time.

NL: Reds-Braves (three-game series in Atlanta begins Friday)
On paper, this series pits a team on the upswing vs. a team that could be on the decline. The Cincinnati Reds (28-18) are in first place in the NL Central. And while the Atlanta Braves (24-23) are just one-half game behind the Mets in the NL East, you wonder how much they have left in the tank after a decade-plus of excellence.

Cincinnati won't have to face Tom Glavine this series. Glavine, who has been Atlanta's best starter this season, threw a shutout Wednesday vs. the Expos. But it looks like the Braves will have to face Junior.

Reds GM Jim Bowden says he's optimistic that Ken Griffey Jr. will be activated from the disabled list for this series. During Griffey's absence, the Reds' outfield (Austin Kearns, Juan Encarnacion, Adam Dunn) has been productive. Dunn also has filled in at first base for Sean Casey. When Griffey returns, the Reds plan to split time for those five players among the four positions, thus enabling Griffey to ease back into the lineup.

As far as pitching, the Reds have done better than they ever envisioned. The staff's 3.49 ERA is fifth-best in the NL.

If I Were The Skipper
The Situation
In Friday's San Francisco Giants-Florida Marlins game, Giants closer Robb Nen entered the game in the top of the eighth with a 4-2 lead and got the final out. In the bottom of the eighth, the Giants scored five runs for a 9-2 lead going into the ninth. If you were Giants manager Dusty Baker, would you lift Nen to save his arm, knowing you could need him the next day? Or would you leave him in to get his save?

Campbell's Call
This is a classic case of "individual stats vs. the welfare of the team." What's best for the team is to have Nen fresh. But closers like to add to their save totals when given the chance.

Thirty years ago, when I played, the player tried to please the manager. Today, the manager tries to please the player. In today's game, if you don't let an athlete get his numbers, the agent will be calling and screaming and the player will be brooding.

	Nen

So if this were 1972, I would have lifted Nen. But in 2002, I would leave Nen in to get his save. And just about every manager in baseball would do the same. I've seen Joe Torre operate this way often with Mariano Rivera. Is it best for the team? Not necessarily, but that's the nature of the game today.

The Conclusion
Baker left Nen in. The closer gave up a run and three hits before recording his 13th save in the Giants' 9-3 win (the next day, Nen got a two-out save, shutting the door in the ninth with the bases loaded as the Giants won 10-5).

Ballpark Focus: Fenway Park, Boston
If you love baseball history, you love Fenway Park. It's the oldest ballpark in the majors, opening in 1912.

When you walk into Fenway, the fabled Green Monster is easily the park's defining element. Images of Ted Williams and Carl Yazstremski playing left field in front of the Green Monster are indelibly imprinted in the minds of Red Sox fans.

But plenty of other features also give Fenway a special character. There are the bullpens behind the waist-high right-field wall. There's the 302-foot distance to the right-field foul pole. There's the odd alcove in right-center. There's the high wall in center field. Also, the stands jut out down the left-field and right-field lines, so outfielders must be ready for unexpected caroms.

There's also a great atmosphere on Landsdowne Street and the area surrounding the park, with restaurants and bars and vendors hawking all kinds of Red Sox paraphernalia.

The biggest question is, how long will Fenway survive? It has no luxury suites and few of the amenities that the newer parks have. With real estate at a premium in Boston, it looks like the park will have to be torn down to make way for a new one. There has been talk of replicating the field -- with the Green Monster and all -- in a new stadium with more seats, luxury boxes and the works. I hope that comes to fruition -- it would be fun.

Editor's Note: All statistics are through Wednesday's games. Dave Campbell, who was an infielder for eight seasons in the major leagues (1967-74), works as an analyst for Baseball Tonight and ESPN Radio.