Cheap Seats

A little cheering in the press box

Nick Canepa, writing in the San Diego Union-Tribune:

“They aren’t horsing around. The equine skeptics aren’t real quiet when discussing Real Quiet. They believe the horse is strictly minor league, running against a bunch of ham-and-eggers who can’t field their position.

“And that he’s turning the Triple Crown series into Triple-A. I hope he wins (the Belmont Stakes) by 50 lengths.”

Another new broom sweeps clean

Now that superstar catcher Mike Piazza’s status has been clarified, what about Fred Claire, the Los Angeles Dodgers general manager, who was left out of the loop in the initial Piazza trade with the Florida Marlins?

Frankly, Claire is on shaky ground.

Claire didn’t learn about the trade until 10 hours after it was done; the specifics were hashed out by Chase Carey, the chairman of Fox TV, and Marlins president Don Smiley.

Dodgers president Bob Graziano said, “With the exception of this deal, Fred has every reason to feel comfortable in his position.”

This position, of course, may come with a blindfold.

More like the public’s team every day

Cup holders on the cheap seats may be going the way of the cheap seats at Seattle’s new baseball stadium. In other words, both may be dropped.

The stadium board is considering replacing 4,800 seats with aluminum benches in the section where tickets will sell for $5 and $7.

And the only place to put cup holders on bleachers is on the back, where people could trip over them. So bleacher fans will have to hold on to their drinks.

All other seats in the ballpark will have cup holders.

Do the M’s need more fans who can hold their liquor?

Golfing miracle revisited

Remember Christian Owen, 27, who made two holes in one recently at the University of Iowa’s golf course in Iowa City?

Golf World magazine reports the aces came in a practice round for a tournament later in the day. Had Owen made them during the tournament, he would have won a $21,000 sports utility vehicle for acing the 8th hole and $1,700 in cash for acing No. 13.

“I’m the luckiest unluckiest guy in the world, basically,” Owen said.

The Mark McGwire Report, Part IV

Writers and players are running out of adjectives to describe Mark McGwire, who hit home runs of 520 and 540 feet and a few shorter ones last week.

However, New York Mets pitcher Masato Yoshii offered a new one after facing him for the first time: “He’s Godzilla.”

Maybe we can all try this ploy

J.D. Drew’s agent, Scott Boras, has said the Philadelphia Phillies have destroyed his client’s love for the game by not paying him what he wants.

“Just another political ploy … by the con man,” responded Phillies infielder Rex Hudler. “It’s like Satan saying, ‘Go ahead, Eve, eat the apple.”’

The last word …

“Something had to change. The players weren’t having any fun, the fans weren’t having any fun, and I wasn’t having any fun. This has been a big change for the better.”

- Dodgers manager Bill Russell, reviewing the original Mike Piazza trade