K.C.’s Baird searches for veteran manager

around the horn

Asking a manager to win games while rebuilding with young players is “the toughest job in baseball,” Kansas City general manager Allard Baird said Thursday.

But Baird discounted suggestions he’ll have trouble “convincing” someone to take over for Tony Pena, who resigned Tuesday night with the worst record and one of the youngest teams in the major leagues.

“Believe me, with the number of phone calls I’ve gotten from guys the last 24 hours, I’m not sure it’s a whole lot of convincing,” he said. “It’s a matter of them understanding the direction of the club and understanding what they have on this ballclub coming up.”

The Royals are 9-26 after beating Tampa Bay 7-5 in a rain-shortened game Thursday night. The roster is full of young players, some of whom would probably benefit from more seasoning in the minor leagues. But the Royals are particularly encouraged by a stable of young pitchers who could develop into top-tier performers.

Baird confirmed that experience as a major league manager would be a high priority. That’s a quality few managers – including Pena – have had in the team’s history.

Rolen could miss six weeks

St. Louis third baseman Scott Rolen was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained left shoulder and could miss up to six weeks.

Rolen’s shoulder was still too sore to undergo complete medical testing, but Dr. George Paletta, the team physician, indicated the third baseman could be sidelined anywhere from 2-6 weeks. Paletta said the results of an MRI exam showed no significant structural damage and he was hopeful Rolen would be able to take a second exam today that would detect any damage to the labrum.

Anxious Sheets wants to return

Ben Sheets’ spinning world is starting to slow down a bit, and that makes him antsy to return to the mound.

“I’m not liking what I’m doing,” the Milwaukee Brewers’ ace said, “because it’s nothing.”

Sheets has been on the disabled list since April 21 with an inner ear inflammation that left him so dizzy that he had to be hospitalized for several days.

He’s still in a fog but he’s slowly getting back to normal. The next step in his recovery is a bullpen session today in Pittsburgh, followed possibly by a simulated game next week in Washington, D.C. He threw 65 pitches of batting practice and fielding drills Wednesday.

Owner commits to Dodger Stadium

Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has committed to keeping the team and playing in Dodger Stadium for 25 years as part of a debt refinancing deal.

“This just reaffirms the commitment I made to own the team for the long term and to play baseball at Dodger Stadium,” McCourt said.