This note’s for you, Roger the Rocket. …
Two out and nobody on in the ninth inning of Sunday’s series finale, Rockies leading 9-2. What does Clint Hurdle do? He changes pitchers.
Any coincidence that it was his ex-boss, Buddy Bell, over there in the Royals’ dugout?
None whatsoever, says Hurdle. The two aren’t friends, never will be from the sound of things. But Hurdle swears he replaced David Cortes with Matt Anderson because Anderson was in desperate need of work after not stepping on the mound for five days.
Still, he waited for the question after the game, but it didn’t come until Monday.
“I would never try to punk Buddy, nor would I ever try to punk anybody,” Hurdle said. “I’ve been around a long time. You go out and punk people, you’re just asking for trouble. I would never do that. I have too much respect for him and the game.”
The two didn’t talk during the series. Nor did Bell show up Friday night for the traditional exchanging of lineup cards between the managers.
“That seems to be a moot point anymore,” Hurdle said. “People ask me about him, and I tell them I wish him well. He’s a good baseball man, but he has his own separate feelings I can’t control. Nor would I want to. But it hasn’t been amicable, to say the least.”
Hurdle says he tried twice to talk to Bell, who apparently feels Hurdle undercut him before he succeeded Bell as the Rockies’ manager.
“I went out and tried twice, but I got his back,” Hurdle said. “That was it. He obviously overrates how much power I have.” …
You think Joe DiMaggio‘s 56-game hitting streak was hot stuff? That’s nothing. Rockies starters going into Monday night had worked 56 straight innings without serving up a home run at Coors Canaveral. …
Craig Biggio, Hall of Famer? Yes, says
Hurdle. “He’s got to be recognized in some area, just the longevity, the numbers. … In his day, probably five years ago, when they really had it going on, he was probably as good an offensive force as there was in the game as a leadoff hitter.” …
Biggio by the numbers: He’s the fourth big-leaguer to reach 400 stolen bases, 225 home runs, 500 doubles, 1,500 runs scored, 1,000 walks and 2,500 hits. The others? Barry Bonds, Rickey Henderson and Paul Molitor, all current or future Hall of Famers. …
The final interleague numbers are in, and the American League won the series 136-116. As if that weren’t proof enough, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney says eight of the top nine teams are in the Circuit Formerly Known as Junior. …
David Stern has his reasons for not wanting 18-year-olds in the NBA draft, I suppose, but it can’t be because most of them don’t make it. Fact: Of the 21 high school players drafted in the first round since Kevin Garnett in 1995, 20 are on NBA rosters. …
Just a thought, but I’ll take my all-skipped school team – Moses Malone at center, Amare Stoudemire and Jermaine O’Neal at forward, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady in the backcourt – over your nerdy all-college grads any day. …
NBAdraft.net sees the Nuggets considering 7-foot-2 Lithuanian Martynas Andriuskevicius with the 20th pick in tonight’s draft. The scouting report reads, in part: “Has long arms … runs the court well … Besides a decent jump hook, his offensive skills are nearly nonexistent.” Skita‘s summer league co-MVP, in other words. …
An NBA tradition lives on. The Bucks measured Andrew Bogut, listed at 7-feet on the Utah roster, at 6-11, and Marvin Williams, who was 6-8 at Carolina, at 6-7 1/4. …
And finally, just to prove time flies when you’re not winning playoff games, happy 45th birthday to John Elway.
Catch Jim Armstrong from 6-9 a.m. during “The Press Box” on ESPN 560 AM and on Fox Sports Net’s “Insider Edition.” He can be reached at 303-820-5452 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
