Ordonez newest Tiger
Forget Super Sunday.
Detroit Tigers fans have a new holiday worth celebrating — Super Monday.
For the second year in a row, Tigers owner Mike Ilitch and president Dave Dombrowski announced the signing of a big-name free agent on the day after the Super Bowl.
Last year, it was catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who helped the Tigers win 29 more games in 2004 than in ‘03.
Monday, it was another Scott Boras-represented athlete – four-time All-Star rightfielder Magglio Ordonez, who signed a five-year, $75-million contract and said he came to Detroit to win and win soon.
“We have a very good chance of winning our division,” Ordonez said Monday at Comerica Park. “We have a good group here, one of the best lineups in the American League. So that’s what we’re going to do, win ballgames.”
Dombrowski, also the Tigers’ general manager, took a considerable risk in signing the 31-year-old, who has spent his entire eight-year career with the Chicago White Sox.
Ordonez, a career .307 hitter with 187 home runs, played just 52 games last season because of a knee injury, which led to surgery. Some clubs backed off from offering him a long-term contract.
But Ordonez said he thinks his knee is at 75 percent, and he expects to be at 100 percent midway through spring training, which begins in two weeks for the full squad. And everyone – Dombrowski, Ordonez, Boras and manager Alan Trammell – expects him to be in the lineup Opening Day, April 4 in Detroit.
“We feel comfortable enough to believe that he will be fine and ready to go at the beginning of the season,” Dombrowski said.
Still, Dombrowski admitted that there is an inherent risk in the signing. But he went ahead with the deal because the club has an out-clause should knee problems crop up this season.
The Tigers, who started reviewing Ordonez’s medical records after the winter meetings and put him through an evaluation Sunday, can pull out of the contract if knee problems land Ordonez on the disabled list for 25 games or more this season.
Otherwise, the Tigers have the Venezuela native under contract through 2009, with options for 2010 and 2011. Those options could make the deal worth $105 million.
If he is healthy, Ordonez likely will hit cleanup, Trammell said, and he has the ability to spread the ball around the field.
Bush didn’t know about steroid
President Bush was not aware of any steroid use by Texas Rangers players while he was a team executive, the White House said.
In his upcoming book, Jose Canseco said he introduced Rafael Palmeiro, Ivan Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez to steroids after being traded to Texas in 1992, the New York Daily News reported. Canseco said Bush, the Rangers’ managing partner at the time, must have known about the drugs.
White House press secretary Scott McClellan said he spoke to Bush about alleged steroid use.
“If there was, he was not aware of it at the time,” McClellan said.
“He has recognized, for some time now, that steroids is a growing problem in professional sports, particularly Major League Baseball,” he said. “That’s why the president has made addressing the issue a priority in his administration.”
Canseco’s book, “Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big,” is scheduled for release by Regan Books on Feb. 21. A company spokesman has said the date might be moved up.
Bonds has suture replaced
Barry Bonds had a suture replaced on his surgically repaired right knee last weekend, Giants trainer Stan Conte said.
“This procedure was very minor and will not affect his rate of recovery,” Conte said in an e-mail. “He continues to do well as expected.”
The 40-year-old San Francisco slugger underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee last Tuesday and will be sidelined for much of spring training.
Clearing the bases
The Astros agreed to one-year contracts with pitchers Pete Munro and Tim Redding, avoiding salary arbitration with both. Redding got a $750,000 deal, averting a hearing that was scheduled for later in the day. Munro agreed to a $700,000 contract — his hearing had been set for today. … Former 20-game winner Denny Neagle agreed to a minor league contract with the Devil Rays. Also, Tampa Bay avoided arbitration with left-hander Trever Miller by signing him to a $1.1 million, one-year deal. … The Pirates agreed to terms with five players on their 40-man roster, including 1999 first-round draft choice Bobby Bradley.