Giambi to face barrage at camp
Joe Torre doesn’t like to stand directly behind any of his three new starting pitchers while they’re throwing a bullpen session because he doesn’t want them to feel like they suddenly have to look sharp while the manager is watching.
When it comes to Jason Giambi, however, it will be hard for Torre – and anyone else, for that matter – not to stare.
In fact, Torre admitted that while most veteran players are given the freedom to get ready for the season at their own pace, Giambi will “probably get more attention than the other guys” over the next six weeks, starting today when the slugger is expected to make his first appearance at Legends Field.
“I think everything he does is going to be a curiosity,” Torre said Saturday.
Whether Giambi decides to show up today or Monday – when position players are slated to take their physicals – he will face another barrage of questions about steroids. The San Francisco Chronicle reported in December that Giambi’s grand jury testimony in the BALCO case included an admission of steroid use, but at a press conference in New York 10 days ago Giambi wouldn’t confirm whether the Chronicle’s report was accurate.
Since then, Giambi has continued his two-workouts-a-day training program, according to Torre, and is intent on returning to star form. Giambi will still take ground balls during drills, but Torre seems to be leaning toward using Tino Martinez more at first base.
Details revealed in kidnapping
Kidnappers holding the mother of Detroit Tigers pitcher Ugueth Urbina kept her in a dense jungle and surrounded the area with explosives to keep her from fleeing, police said.
Maura Villarreal, 54, was rescued Friday in a police raid that lasted eight hours and ended with one of her abductors dead, two captured and at least seven on the run.
During more than five months of captivity, Villarreal slept on a mattress in a makeshift tent at an abandoned campground in Venezuela’s southern mountains.
Perez off to slow start
Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Oliver Perez has not pitched during the first two days of spring training because of stiffness in his throwing shoulder. Perez was limited to conditioning exercises and wasn’t allowed to play catch.
The shoulder tightened from sleeping the wrong way Thursday night, Perez said.
Dodgers eye plan for Penny
Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Brad Penny did everything except throw off the mound as the team held its first official workout of the spring for pitchers and catchers.
After the morning session, which included drills on bunting, fielding and holding runners, Penny met with manager Jim Tracy and the training and medical staff to outline a spring training schedule.
The pitcher suffered a rare nerve injury to his right biceps that sidelined him late last season.
Canseco owes back taxes
Jose Canseco may need to use his book advance to pay back taxes.
The former major league slugger owes $32,783 to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, The Sun of Lowell reported, saying his name appears on the DOR’s “cybershame” online database of people and businesses that underreported or failed to report income.
Arbitration less lucrative this year
The 89 baseball players in arbitration have an average salary of $2.8 million this year, down from last year’s average of $3.26 million, according to a study by The Associated Press.
Players in arbitration averaged a 123 percent increase, down from 126 percent last year.