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Baseball briefs

Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 9, 2000

Manuel top manager

NEW YORK -- Jerry Manuel had just been named American League Manager of the Year, and to listen to him speak, it seemed as if he had nothing to do with it.

"What I try to do is make sure I remove myself and put the team first in all aspects," the Chicago White Sox manager said Wednesday after winning the award in a runaway.

Manuel received 25 first-place ballots and three seconds for 134 points in voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Oakland's Art Howe, whose team won the West title, was second for the second straight season. Seattle's Lou Piniella was third.

"You don't have to necessarily like me," Manuel said, recalling his spring-training speech to the team. "I'm not going to be a player's manager or whatever they want to call it. I just want you to do what's best for the team and respect the office of manager more than anything else. Hopefully that has worked here for the White Sox."

Manuel, who in his third season as manager led Chicago to its first post-season appearance since 1993, became the fourth White Sox manager to win the award, joining Tony La Russa (1983), Jeff Torborg (1990) and Gene Lamont (1993).

"Our team came together in a stretch of about 11 days in spring training," Manuel said. "We had a lot of split squads, and there were 11 straight days where we won a game."

Manuel's White Sox finished 95-67, five games in front of the Indians, despite a payroll of $37-million, which ranked 21st.

"It probably will be very difficult to repeat 95 wins, and also probably difficult getting into the post-season," Manuel said. "My message is to get to the post-season: 85 or 86 or 87 wins, it doesn't matter. I think post-season is more of a goal than wins."

The NL Manager of the Year is scheduled to be announced today, with San Francisco's Dusty Baker expected to win.

GM MEETINGS: The bidding for the negotiating rights to the top hitter in Japan came to a close, and it could take days to find out the winner.

The commissioner's office planned to notify the Japanese commissioner of the amount of the winning sealed bid, but not the bidding team, for All-Star outfielder Ichiro Suzuki. The Orix BlueWave, Suzuki's team, has until Tuesday to accept the offer.

The winning team then has 30 days to negotiate a contract with Suzuki, and the team pays the fee to Orix only if he signs. If he doesn't, he will remain in Japan for at least one more season.

Suzuki, 27, hit .387 this season to win his seventh straight Pacific League batting title. Suzuki is a career .353 hitter with 118 home runs and 529 RBI in nine seasons.

"He has ability to be a starting outfielder for most major-league teams," said Mets assistant general manager Omar Minaya, whose team made one of the sealed bids. "He has the ability to be a good player, but it is too early to say if he can be a star. It's not fair to put those labels on him."

About 15 teams were expected to submit bids, with Seattle being the favorite.

Also, White Sox manager Manuel made a plea to owner Jerry Reinsdorf to make a run at shortstop Alex Rodriguez, the top free agent on the market.

Rodriguez, 25, likely will command a salary in excess of $20-million a season, nearly two-thirds Chicago's opening day payroll.

"I have no idea how far Jerry wants to go," Manuel said. "I don't get involved in those conversations. I just say, "Oh, please get him. Please get him.' "

BA AWARDS: The White Sox were named organization of the year by Baseball America, and the Cardinals' Walt Jocketty was named general manager of the year. "It's rare that an organization can simultaneously improve its major-league club and upgrade its farm system, but the White Sox did that this year," Baseball America editor Alan Simpson said.

U.S.-JAPAN SERIES: Major-league all-stars beat their Japanese counterparts 5-1 in Osaka, improving to 3-1-1 in their eight-game tour of Japan. Giants outfielder Barry Bonds had two hits and an RBI.

REDS-ROCKIES TRADE: Cincinnati traded left-hander Ron Villone to Colorado for two minor-league pitchers to be named.

TOP PICK JOINS SAINTS: The St. Paul Saints of the Northern League signed right-handed pitcher Matt Harrington, the first-round pick of the Rockies in June. Harrington was considered the best high school player in the draft, but he wasn't picked until seventh overall because of signability concerns. By signing with the Saints, Harrington retained his eligibility for the 2001 draft.

PADRES: San Diego offered free-agent outfielder Tony Gwynn a one-year, $1-million deal that includes $1.5-million in incentives, the Associated Press reported. Gwynn would have earned $6-million if the team had picked up his option for 2001.

CUBS: Shortstop Ricky Gutierrez's $3.4-million option for next season was exercised.

DODGERS: Coaches Glenn Hoffman, John Shelby and Manny Mota will return next season and be joined on the staff by former big-league manager Jim Riggleman and Jim Lett. Riggleman will be new manager Jim Tracy's bench coach and Lett the bullpen coach.

METS: General manager Steve Phillips fired hitting coach Tom Robson, a favorite of manager Bobby Valentine's, for the second time in 18 months. Robson, who might be retained as bench coach, was one of three coaches fired in June 1999 in a move that damaged Phillips' relationship with Valentine. Phillips said he consulted with Valentine this time.

RED SOX: Rick Down, a finalist for the Dodgers' managerial job, was named hitting coach. He succeeds Jim Rice, who was fired and has been offered a job as a roving instructor and a community relations liaison. Boston finished 12th in the AL in runs.

YANKEES: The team postponed its attempt to negotiate a multiyear television contract, instead agreeing to a $52-million, one-year deal with a branch of the International Management Group. The deal with IMG's Trans World International division was submitted to Madison Square Garden Network, the Associated Press reported. Under the terms of the team's expired $486-million, 12-year contract with the MSG Network, MSG has seven business days to match it. ... If the luxury tax had remained this year, it would have cost New York at least $7.4-million more to win the World Series. From 1997-99, the teams with the five highest payrolls had to pay a luxury tax, but it lapsed with the start of 2000, according to baseball's collective-bargaining agreement.

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