Blessed with some grip on reality, the Chicago Sun-Times’ Mike Kiley debunks rumors that the Cubs’ LaTroy Hawkins was bound for Flushing.
There is a slight problem with a New York Post report that the Mets might be interested in a trade for Cubs reliever LaTroy Hawkins.
First, the sides would actually have to have a conversation about it. The Cubs have not been in contact with the Mets about any such trade.
Second, Hawkins has certain teams in his contract as places he wouldn’t go in a trade. Could the Mets be one? That sounds like a good bet.
Hawkins could decide to waive any contract clauses that currently prohibit him from being dealt to certain places. But there is one more obstacle to a deal — and this is a big one.
While the fans may want to run Hawkins out of town, he remains one of the team’s most talented relievers. With Ryan Dempster impressing as the closer, there is every reason to believe Hawkins still can excel as a setup man, the job he should have had all along.
After suffering yet another beating at the hands of his former club, Tom Glavine’s decision to sign with the Mets 3 years ago is reviewed by the New York Times’ Lee Jenkins.
Glavine’s problems with the Braves are as much about karma as they are about pitching. He took $35 million to join the Mets, and the baseball gods are apparently still making him pay for his decision. With his latest loss to Atlanta, by 4-0 Tuesday night, Glavine fell to 1-8 against his former team, even though his earned run average declined to 8.81 from 9.36.
“It was as good a game as I’ve pitched all year long,” Glavine said. “If I pitch like I did tonight, I’ll win this game more than I lose it.”
But he has lost almost every time, letting a blooper here turn into a three-run inning there. In a composite of so many similar outings, Glavine experienced a minor misfortune, then watched it cascade into a major mistake.
The innings in which Glavine allowed runs were revealing because they started the same way. Raul Mondesi dribbled infield singles to third base and Glavine responded by allowing hits to Johnny Estrada. A twist of fate quickly turned into a jam that predictably brought about a loss.
“Sometimes there’s a little bit of luck there,” Glavine said. “But that’s what makes that team who they are and what they are. They find ways to win games like this.”
I’m not sure what role the baseball gods played in matching Glavine against the impressive Tim Hudson, but the former did pitch well enough to win on most other nights.