Cards' man of many faces
By Joe Strauss of the Post-Dispatch
02/21/2005
None other than manager Tony La Russa says there is a "dramatic difference" in how he perceives Tavarez compared with before the club signed him to a two-year contract in January 2004.
"You knew him as a talented competitor who could get emotional out there," La Russa said. "Sometimes he was emotional against us. After being with him a year, he's a very bright man who has an outstanding sense of humor. When I talk about bright, I mean on and off the field. But on the field he has a very good knowledge of what he's doing. He remembers hitters."
He won't soon forget 2004, the year of his mellowing.
In addition to going 7-4 with a 2.38 ERA in 77 appearances, Tavarez was fined twice and suspended once after being accused of offenses ranging from doctoring his cap with a foreign substance to throwing at Houston Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell in the National League Championship Series.
Tavarez's left little finger remains gnarled from his assault on a dugout phone in Houston during Game 4 of the NLCS.
He drilled six hitters last season, most by any Cardinals reliever.
The spindly righthander's 10-day suspension in August for applying a "foreign substance" to his cap was reduced to eight days, a number that still enraged general manager Walt Jocketty and La Russa. It was Tavarez's fifth suspension in pieces of 12 major-league seasons.
And this was in supposedly a turnaround year for Tavarez's reputation.
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Cardinals report: Notes, quotes
Feb. 21, 2005
The Sports Xchange
-- RHP Matt Morris is ahead of schedule in recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, and pitching coach Dave Duncan forecast he would pitch in games late in spring training.
-- Pitching coach Dave Duncan said that LHP Rick Ankiel, who is out of options, appears the most likely candidate to assume RHP Matt Morris' spot in the rotation early on but pointed out the schedule necessitates a fifth starter only twice in April.
-- Duncan admitted being intrigued by RHP Anthony Reyes, a former college teammate of Chicago Cubs RHP Mark Prior who has needed only 19 minor league starts below Triple-A to become the club's most prized pitching prospect. Many believe Reyes will make his major league debut this season and could become an early option should the rotation take a hit.
"Realistically, he's still a developing pitcher," Duncan said. "He needs to go out and pitch innings."
-- RHP Adam Wainwright and non-roster RHP Chris Gissell are also contingencies. Wainwright, 23, was acquired from the Atlanta Braves in December 2003 and made 12 starts at Memphis before being sidelined by an injury.
"It's hard to say where that (depth) will come from right now," Duncan said. "But when you start talking about that, you indicate that certain guys are not going to be here. I think there are some quality arms in the organization. I think there will be some quality arms at Triple-A."
-- LHP Ray King, normally a portly sort, appeared much more streamlined this spring after losing eight pounds. Morris also appears about 10 pounds lighter than last year and is in much better shape than he was then.
BY THE NUMBERS
6 -- Number of errors committed last year by new Cardinals SS David Eckstein for Anaheim. That number was the lowest among regular American League shortstops.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"This is what I believe: I did everything I should have done as a manager. That's my answer." -- Manager Tony La Russa, asked if Jose Canseco's performance as a star player entered into how he handled the situation regarding possible steroid use by Canseco in the 1990s.
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