The Calm Before The Storm

Before I get to spring training, I get a couple of phone calls from other teams with trade proposals. The first was one from the Chicago White Sox, offering me Tony Graffanino for Tom Goodwin. Graffanino is at best a backup inf on my team and with Goodwin being the only player I have who can also play CF and is fast, I decide that the trade doesn't help me enough. Unfortunately, I wish that I could see the future, because spring training wasn't kind to Mr. Goodwin. More on that in a second. The next was from the Boston Red Sox offering Jeremy Giambi for Kerry Wood. Not trading my number 3 for a backup OF. Sorry Boston.

Spring Training proves to be uneventful for the most part except for two items. The first involving Tom Goodwin. In a game against Milwaukee on March 6th, Goodwin ended up tearing a ribcage muscle on a violent swing for the fences. Not sure if he thought that they were moving the fences in 100 feet or so for him during this AB, but nevertheless, he'll miss 3 months with the injury. Needing help in CF, I call up Trenidad Hubbard from the minor league camp and he will be providing Corey Patterson with some relief during the first two months of the season. The second injury was a severe concussion to Hee Seop Choi on March 14th. He caused himself to be concussed on a play at the plate, somehow thinking that games in March will win you titles. He'll miss the rest of spring training, but will be fine in time for the season opener.

Around the league, some of the bigger news items during spring training were the Red Sox losing Manny Ramirez for the season with a separated shoulder. Looks like they should be happy that I didn't take Jeremy Giambi off their hands now, huh? Elsewhere, Jason Marquis will miss the season in Atlanta, it remains to be seen whether they will miss him. 'Everyday' Eddie Guardado will have a new role in Minnesota, mainly staying away from the team everyday after herniating a disc in his back that will require surgery and him to miss the rest of the season. Arizona will be without free swinging 3B Matt Williams for the season after he severely fractured his orbital bone around his eye, probably causing him to swing and miss more than he already does. And just to prove that bad luck doesn't just strike the Red Sox, the Yankees lost Raul Mondesi for the season after he hurt his rotator cuff trying to throw out a runner against the Red Sox.