Someone Needs To Hear It

New York Yankees relief pitcher Jeff Nelson, who used to pitch for the Mariners, says that Seattle manager Lou Piniella hates pitchers.

“He just doesn’t have patience,” Nelson told Buster Olney of the New York Times. “He tells you, `Throw the ball over the plate.’ You feel like saying, `Is that what I’m supposed to do? I didn’t know that. I thought I was supposed to come out here and walk everyone.”’ However, after a game in which Baltimore Orioles pitchers gave up nine walks in blowing a 7-0 lead, first baseman Will Clark had this to say: “It is inexcusable. You can’t ask your offense to go out and score 12 or 13 runs every day. You have to throw the ball over the plate. If it’s not hit, we can’t catch it.”

Safer on the track

Winston Cup driver Tony Stewart was asked if the death of his friend and fellow driver, Kenny Irwin, caused him any personal concern about driving a race car.

“Does it scare me to get back into a race car?” he said. “No. I’d rather run 190 mph with these guys than try to drive with some of those morons on the streets.”

Catch as catch can

Of the 16 players the fans voted into the All-Star game starting lineup, eight scratched because of injuries.

The National League was so strapped for a third-string catcher after Mike Piazza got hit in the head with a pitch, N.L. manager Bobby Cox all but asked for volunteers.

Cox tried his own Javy Lopez, but he had already left for Puerto Rico. The Dodgers’ Todd Hundley, who had played only 46 games, demurred because of family commitments.

Cox finally found a taker, Joe Girardi of the Chicago Cubs, who was hitting .302 with 21 runs batted in.

“Girardi … is officially an All-Star,” the Chicago Tribune’s Phil Rogers wrote. “And Frank Thomas isn’t. What’s wrong with this picture?”

Poor get poorer

The Cincinnati Reds started the season with the slogan “It’s a Whole New Ballgame!” but dumping pitcher Denny Neagle looked all too familiar.

“This just in,” wrote USA Today’s Mike LoPresti. “The Cincinnati Reds surrender. The white flag waves today in the breeze as another small-market team faces real life in the fast lane… . “The Reds sent aid to the New York Yankees, which is like sending a CARE package to Beverly Hills.”

The last word …

“This isn’t necessarily what I had in mind at the time, but it will do.”

- Los Angeles city councilman Zev Yaroslavky, who had called for a return of pro football, on the announcement of the city’s new XFL franchise.