Four decades?

Toward the close of each decade, baseball historians start keeping an eye out for veterans whose careers could extend long enough that they play in the majors in four different decades. Some past players of note who have achieved the distinction include Hall of Famers Eddie Collins (1906-30), Ted Williams (1939-60), Early Wynn (1939-63), Willie McCovey (1959-80), Nolan Ryan (1966-93), Carlton Fisk (1969-93) and new inductee Rickey Henderson (1979-2003). There's a possibility that 2010 could see up to half a dozen four-decade major-leaguers, which would be a record. They are:

Tom Glavine. The Atlanta Braves of the late 1980s were baseball's laughingstocks, known primarily for being visible to most of the nation for most of the season on TBS. With the development of players like Glavine, the Braves turned into the juggernaut that appeared in the playoffs every year for a decade and a half. Glavine debuted on Aug. 17, 1987, and since has racked up 305 wins. He opened 2009 on the disabled list for the Braves but is penciled in as part of the starting rotation.

Ken Griffey Jr. Griffey has returned to the Seattle Mariners, where he started his career as a 19-year-old, batting .264 with 16 home runs, 61 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 1989. This year, he homered off the Twins' Francisco Liriano on Opening Day, career blast No. 612.

Randy Johnson. The Big Unit was already was pushing age 25 when he debuted in 1988, but he's just five victories shy of 300 as a member of the San Francisco Giants' rotation this year. He lost his first start of the year Wednesday to Milwaukee.

Jamie Moyer. He's the last major-leaguer who's older than I am (46), but his contract with the Phillies runs through 2010. The lefty, who debuted with the Cubs in 1986, had 246 wins entering this season, including 82 after he turned 40!

Gary Sheffield. The Mets signed the guy who once used to make bad throws so the Brewers would trade him. Many fans hope his stay in New York will be a short one.

John Smoltz. A trivia favorite of mine involves Smoltz: The Tigers traded him (as a minor-leaguer) to the Braves for Doyle Alexander, who once was involved in a trade for Frank Robinson. That's more than half a century of baseball, right there! Smoltz opened the season on Boston's disabled list, but he's shown the tenacity to battle back from injury and wants to improve on his 210 wins thus far.

Two other players who were active in the '80s also might end up pitching in the majors in four decades: journeyman relievers Kent Mercker and Rudy Seanez. Both pitched in 2008, Seanez for the World Champion Phillis, but neither is on a big-league roster at the moment. You never know if they'll pop up somewhere this season and/or next.

And I wouldn't bet against some team giving Julio Franco a shot sometime in 2010. He played until he was 49, a record for a position player. And with his track record of physical fitness, he probably could get a hit or two at age 52. Hey, Minnie Minoso got a hit at age 53 when the White Sox made him a four-decader. (He didn't do the same at 57 when they made him one of two five-deacers in major-league history. But that's another story.)

Opening-day madness

A 27-year-old man died after being involved in a fight on Opening Day at Angel Stadium. An Angels spokesman told the Associated Press that the fight occurred shortly after the game and that the man was pronounced dead at the hospital. Witnesses said the man was involved in a fight with another person, when a third man entered the fight and punched him in the head. The man fell and struck his head on a concrete step.

While this is extreme, opening days have always been full of outrageous and sometimes, dangerous, behavior in Pittsburgh. I recall seeing multiple fights in the stands at Pirates opener at Three Rivers Stadium, especially near the end of games. Maybe people just wanted to let off steam from a long winter, or that many of the fans who showed up didn't care much about baseball and just wanted to be part of the event. I am sure alcohol played a major role.

As security has tighten, it has gotten better over the years at PNC Park. But the only time I made sure I had my binoculars in my computer bag was when I covered the Pirates home-opener.

Time for an audit

By Michael Jones

With it being tax season, I think it’s time the our Internal Revenue Service to launch an investigation into our pitiful Pittsburgh Pirates. And I’m not talking about how Bob Nutting spends his money.

Is Andy LaRoche really a baseball player? I’m sure he lists that as his primary occupation on his tax forms, but I think it’s time for an audit by the IRS. The man has yet to get a base hit in six at-bats and committed his third error on a routine pop-up. This is a guy who is supposed to provide some pop in the lineup and be the future after the Jason Bay trade last July. Does anyone else in Western Pennsylvania have the same kind of job security as LaRoche2.0? Not that the Pirates have a suitable replacement at third base, but management can’t let this circus sideshow go on much longer. It’s just another example of how spring training statistics are worthless.

Update 4:50 p.m. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette beat writer Dejan Kovacevic is reporting that LaRoche2.0 has been dropped from Wednesday night's lineup in favor of ... Ramon Vazquez? Now that is a slap in the face. It seems that the Pirates' management finally got a clue. Maybe it's time for LaRoche2.0 to do the same.

(AP Photo: Andy LaRoche drops a pop-up in Tuesday night's game)

Way to go Emilio

MIAMI (AP) — Emilio Bonifacio has hit the first opening-day inside-the-park homer in the major leagues in 41 years.
The Florida Marlins’ new third baseman and leadoff batter hit a drive over the head of center fielder Lastings Milledge and circled the bases for a two-run homer in the fourth inning Monday against the Washington Nationals.
The last inside-the-park homer on opening day was by Boston’s Carl Yastrzemski on April 10, 1968.
Bonifacio earned a curtain call from the crowd of 34,323 for the homer, his first in the majors.

A good start

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jack Wilson gave the Pittsburgh Pirates a dramatic opening-day victory.
With the Pirates down to their last strike, Wilson hit a three-run double to cap a four-run ninth inning off rookie closer Jason Motte, leading Pittsburgh over the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 Monday.
In a game played in 41-degree chill, Ryan Ludwick broke a 2-2 tie with a leadoff homer in the eighth off Tyler Yates, and David Freese added a sacrifice fly off John Grabow (1-0) for a 4-2 lead.

It started already

The first pitch of the regular season has yet to be thrown in Chicago, and already Carlos Zambrano is doing stupid stuff. The latest came after the Chicago Cubs pitcher was in New York to play in an exhibition game to christen the new Yankee Stadium.

Zambrano said an Associated Press story misquoted him in reporting that he coveted a replacement for Wrigley.

"I didn't say that," Zambrano said Sunday, according to the Chicago Tribune.

According to Saturday's story, Zambrano said "you wish that Chicago'd build a new stadium for the Cubs."

But Zambrano backed off his comments Sunday.

"I said anybody wants to have a new ballpark," the Cubs' ace said, according to the newspaper. "As a player, you feel like you're trying to be more comfortable. As a player, you want to have the greatest ballpark in the National League, or the big leagues. As a fan, we should stay there."

With today's technological advances, it is hard to believe Zambrano was misquoted. He also has a reputation of being emotional and fiery on the mound. Cubs fans will tolerate that because he is a winner. There is no faster way to draw the rath of Cubs fans than to criticize Wrigley Field.

Baseball in rebuttal

By Michael Jones

I fully understand those who plan to stay away from PNC Park this year, and I don’t blame them. The thought of another dollar going into Bob Nutting’s pocket makes many Pirates fans cringe, but the man still will make millions regardless if we attend a few games or take our proverbial ball and go home. PNC Park is still a bargain since the $9 cheap seats are about the same price as an evening out at the movie. And wouldn’t you rather spend a night outdoors rather than inside a cramped and dark theater? So I have devised a plan over the years to limit the revenue streaming into Nutting’s coffers.

The easiest way to save a few bucks is to refuse to buy concessions at the game. That $8 beer and $5 hot dog are not conducive in a recession, so I instead go to Primanti’s in Market Square for a Capicola on rye while splitting a pitcher of Yuengling with friends.

Before walking across the Clemente Bridge, I’ll buy a bag of $2 peanuts and a $1 water bottle to hold me over while inside the stadium. Still without tickets, I go to the gate and purchase a $9 nosebleed seat I’ll never use and maybe flash my former WVU student ID card for an additional discount. I always buy my tickets at the gate rather than get raided by Ticketmaster and its ridiculous surcharges.

This is where things get interesting because I have no intentions of sitting in Section 399. By June, the Pirates will suck as usual, meaning there are at least 20,000 open seats from which to choose. Just stroll down to the lower deck and find a seat with a clustered population, because the ushers usually don’t check your stub if you can slip in behind other fans and blend into the crowd. At a game against St. Louis a few years ago, my father and I made our way to an open section near third base, only to be escorted out by an usher during the national anthem. But we found even better seats on the first-base side after a five-minute walk around the concourse. The key, that time, was moving into a populated section where we could hide.

Maybe this is stealing. But I think the reign of Bob Nutting (among others) has stolen more from us the past 16 years. I think the Pirates owe me a discounted seat every once in a while, don’t you?