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| Monday, June 9 Portland one of three cities vying for Expos Associated Press |
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Baseball's delegation includes general counsel Tom Ostertag, executive vice president for administration John McHale Jr. and chief financial officer Jonathan Mariner.
Portland is bidding for the Expos along with Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. It is unclear whether the team will be moved for the 2004 season.
Baseball owners want funding for a new ballpark in place before deciding on a new home for the Expos. Various proposals have been made but full funding has not been put in place in any of the three areas.
Park is back on the disabled list after pitching just two innings in his return from a six-week stay on the DL because of a bad back. After giving up four runs and four walks Saturday against Montreal, Park had stiffness and soreness in his right rib cage area. "He's been plagued with some issues and we are doing to do a full work-up in an attempt to get to the bottom of what's wrong," general manager John Hart said Monday.
Park, in the second year of a $65 million, five-year contract, went on the DL April 28 with a strained lower back and made five starts in the minors before coming back. He said he felt the injury in his side during his rehab stint.
Park is 1-3 with a 7.58 ERA in seven starts this season. He has given up 34 hits and 26 runs over 29 2-3 innings. "It's hard for me to explain and understand how a guy can go from a dominate, big-game type guy to where we are," Hart said. "Obviously, his stuff is down, his control and command are down. We have a problem."
Billingsley, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound right-handed pitcher, was the 24th overall pick in the draft. He was 6-1 with a 1.49 ERA and one save in 11 games at Defiance, Ohio, High this season. Like his brother, Thomas Piazza is a catcher. The 21-year-old Piazza, picked in the 26th round, is a left-handed batter who played at Palm Beach Atlantic University. The elder Piazza was the NL Rookie of the Year with the Dodgers in 1993 and now plays for the New York Mets.
Others who agreed to terms were sixth-round pick Matthew Kemp,
an outfielder; eighth-round selection Lucas May, a shortstop;
18th-round choice Andrew Ellis, a catcher; 23rd-round pick Taylor
Slimak, a catcher, and 37th-round choice Michael Ludwig, a first
baseman.
The Padres also recalled right-hander Brandon Villafuerte and left-hander Kevin Walker from their rehab assignments. Villafuerte was outrighted and Walker optioned, both to Triple-A Portland. Infielder Lou Merloni was placed on the 15-day DL, retroactive to Sunday, with a bruised right knee.
The mound, which has been called the flattest in the majors, has been measured six times and found to conform to standards.
Starter John Riedling blamed the mound for his rough start on Friday. He lasted only two innings in a 9-2 loss to Toronto, then said his sinker won't work at Great American Ball Park because the mound is too flat. "I know it's getting into people's heads," said Riedling, who is 0-3 with a 6.20 ERA. Graves said the pitchers are just going to have to deal with it. "You have to play with what they give you," he said. "The parks are small, but we can't complain that they're too small. You have to make adjustments."
The Twins called up Justin Morneau from Rochester, the team announced. Morneau, a first baseman, was hitting .320 with 29 home runs for the Triple-A team.
Tippit died Saturday at a nursing home in Chagrin Falls, near Cleveland, his wife, Margaret, said Monday.
He had been listening to a radio broadcast of the Indians losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Tippit, known to family and friends as "Tip," was part-owner of the Indians from 1972 to 1986 and served as board chairman for 18 months. He owned Mogul Corp., a company which sold water treatment chemicals, but his true passion was baseball. "Rain or shine, the Indians could lose 100 games a year and he would listen to them," said his son, Carl Tippit.
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