Cooperstown Clippings--Mick the Quick, Moeller, and Sexson
With Hall of Fame weekend only two weeks away, plans are intensifying for the annual midsummer celebration of baseball nostalgia and history. In addition to the 50 Hall of Famers expected to be in Cooperstown for the July 27 induction ceremony, there will be the usual supplement of retired ballplayers making appearances in and around Main Street. CVS Pharmacy, now in its second year of hosting player signings, will feature Mickey Rivers and Bobby Shantz. "Mick the Quick," one of baseball's most offbeat characters, should be a popular figure in these parts because of his connection to the championship Yankees teams of 1976 to '78; the same could be said of the affable Shantz, who will be making his first visit to Cooperstown in years. Shantz pitched for the Yankees from 1957 to 1960, appearing in two World Series along the way...
Speaking of the Yankees, many of their fans continue to ask themselves why Chad Moeller is being kept on the roster as a third catcher. Moeller hasn't appeared in a game since July 2 (approximately ten days ago) and hasn't started a game behind the place since the final days of May (almost two weeks running). Brian Cashman's insistence (or is it Joe Girardi's?) on carrying the light-hitting Moeller has crippled Girardi in the late innings of games, often leaving him without decent pinch-hitting or pinch-running options. Perhaps the Yankees need to be reminded that this isn't 1978 anymore, and that with 12 to 13 pitchers hogging roster spots, it makes little sense to carry three catchers, especially when two (Moeller and Jose Molina) can't hit...
No one should have been surprised when the Mariners finally cut their losses by releasing Richie Sexson this week. Already a poor defensive first baseman, Sexson had become an offensive wasteland, his production declining every year since his injury shortened 2004 campaign with the Diamondbacks. As badly as Sexson has played, he won't be out of work for too long. His numbers against left-handed pitching are decent, which will make him desirable to a team like the Twins, Yankees, or Blue Jays.
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