CARDINALS
Edmonds retires
JUPITER, Fla. - Jim Edmonds is retiring from baseball at 40, one day before he was to start spring training with the St. Louis Cardinals as a nonroster player.
Edmonds notified General Manager John Mozeliak on Thursday night that his right Achilles tendon, which he injured while running out a home run last year when he was playing with the Cincinnati Reds, had not responded to recent treatment, which included two platelet injections.
The Cardinals had announced the signing of Edmonds in late January, a couple of weeks after Edmonds, who was being honored at the St. Louis Baseball Writers’ dinner, had called the day before the dinner to say he wasn’t going to make it because his foot was bothering him too much.
Dr. George Paletta, supervisor of the Cardinals’ medical staff, had spoken in recent days with Edmonds’ physicians in California. Paletta told Edmonds that Edmonds was at risk of rupturing his Achilles if he tried to come back.
In a statement released by the Cardinals Friday, Edmonds said that after he spoke to Paletta “and a number of doctors about the potential risk of future permanent damage, I have decided to retire. Although I feel I can still play and contribute, the risk of permanent injury is too much for me to chance.
“As much as I regret this announcement, I feel that it is for the best.”
Edmonds, who also played for San Diego, the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee, Cincinnati and the Los Angeles Angels, with whom he started his bigleague career in 1993, finished with 393 career home runs and eight Gold Gloves, six of them as a Cardinal.
NATIONALS
Rodriguez still starter
VIERA, Fla. - At 39, Ivan Rodriguez remains a starting major league catcher.
The 14-time All-Star started 102 games for the Washington Nationals last year, and Manager Jim Riggleman said Friday that Pudge is still No. 1. That leaves Jesus Flores and Wilson Ramos to compete for time as a backup.
“He’s got a lot of baseball left,” Riggleman said. “Whoever wins that second spot is going to be incorporated into the lineup more and more as we go along. Whether it’s Ramos, and/or Flores, they’re very talented guys.”
Ramos, acquired from Minnesota in the Matt Capps trade last July, hit .269 (14 for 52) with one home run in 15 games for Washington last season. He is seen as more of a defensive standout with some offensive potential.
Flores appeared to be the Nationals catcher of the future just three seasons ago. However, he has been battling shoulder injuries for much of the past two seasons and missed all of 2010 following surgery to repair a torn labrum.
“We’re not going to let them die on the vine. They’ve got to get playing time,” Riggleman said. “Whichever guy is there, if not both of them, they’re going to get playing time and stay sharp. And as the year goes on, they’ll probably get a little more playing time.”
Rodriguez, a 13-time Gold Glove winner, will tutor his backup. He’s looking forward to the mentoring role.
“We get along well. They respect me a lot. I respect them very much,” he said. “I’m going to talk to them a lot in spring training because I’mthe kind of player that wants other people to do great.”
ANGELS
Wells ready for left
TEMPE, Ariz. - Vernon Wells has a new goal this year, and it’s to excel in a new spot.
Wells won three Gold Gloves while playing center field with Toronto. The Blue Jays traded him to the Los Angeles Angels during the offseason and plan to play him in left.
“When you get to a position, a different position, you want to be the best at that position,” Wells said Friday. “If I’m going to end up playing left, I want to be the best left fielder in the game.”
The Angels have speedy youngster Peter Bourjos in center and nine-time Gold Glover Torii Hunter (Pine Bluff) in right.
The 32-year-old Wells has a history of hamstring problems and there were whispers he’d lost a step or two.
Angels Manager Mike Scioscia doesn’t sound concerned at all.
“Talking with other managers, seeing him [and] his range against us, seeing the way he was controlling the gaps, there’s no doubt that he can play center field and play it at a high level, much the same way we feel Torii can,” Scioscia said.
“Certainly, there are going to be some angles and getting balls into the corner that as a center fielderyou’re not as in tuned with. But as athletic as Vernon is and as much talent as he has, it should be a position that he settles into very comfortably and we’re excited to start putting those pieces together.”
Scioscia expects the Angels’ outfield defense will improve this season, and sees Wells adding a lot.
“He’s going to virtually shut down a first-to-third situation as well as he, hopefully, can play left field,” Scioscia said. “With Torii in right and Bourjos in center doing what he does and Vernon in left, we’re going to control a lot of the base-running aspects that were troubling to us at some points early in the year.
“You’re not going to impact a game as much from a defensive end from left field the same way you are in center,” he said. “There’s an advantage to having a plus defensive left fielder which we feel we will have. Vernon’s defense would show up more if he’s playing center field.So, there’s less pressure for him to have to do that on a daily basis.”
TIGERS
Leyland: No disruption
LAKELAND, Fla. - Detroit Tigers Manager Jim Leyland is confident slugger Miguel Cabrera’s arrest this week will have no effect on the team’s performance.
Cabrera was arrested late Wednesday on suspicion of drunken driving in Fort Pierce, about 110 miles southeast of Lakeland, where the Tigers hold spring training.
“It is not going to be a disruption for our team. Trust me,” Leyland emphatically said Friday. “I’m the field manager. I manage the players on the field. Our clubhouse will be great, and our team has a hell of a chance to be an outstanding team.”
Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski said Thursday he wasn’t sure when Cabrera would report to camp. There was no update from the team Friday.
Pitchers and catchers have been working out this week, but the full team takes the field today, and position players have begun arriving.
Cabrera was “very embarrassed” and planned to apologize to his teammates and the Tigers organization when reporting to camp today, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person said he talked to Cabrera after the slugger was released from jail, then spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the incident.
Sports, Pages 23 on 02/19/2011