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3C SPORTS^l^e Charlotte $o«t Thursday, March 30. 2006 Wallace wins Spartanburg SPECIALTO THE POST Mike Wallace won the Spartanburg Coxmty Youth Sports tournament at Oak Ridge Country Club. Wallace topped the field with a roiind of 74, followed by Wanda Green at 78. Floyd Hendix was third, six shots off die pace. • Chester-Spartanburg won the IGA match March 11 at Sandy Creek Golf dub in Commerce, Ga, The 18-player Chester- Spartanburg team finished at 58, four shots ahead of Asheville-Shelby The 11- player group finm Augusta, Ga., Swainsboro and Par Busters Charlotte, finished fifth with 64, NL should be open in 2006 Continued from page 2C finished just a game behind Houston for the vvild card in 2005. Leadoff man Jimmy Rohins carries a 36- game hitting streak into the season fi'om last year. The rest of the lineup is loaded with Chase Utley Bobby Abreu, Pat Burrell and Howard - the pick here to lead the league in homers and possibly win the MVP. New center fielder Aaron Rowand is an underrated defeaisive whiz who knows how to win. The pitching staff is suspect - and the band- box of a home ballpark doesn’t help. Tbm Gordon, 38, replaces Wagner for his first stint as a fuU-ttme closer since 2001. The rotation is desperately missing a true No, 1 starter, but Brett Myers could become that guy One of these years he’s going to have a breakout season. New York Mets The Mets have a lot of eggs in .caie basket: Pedro Martinez’s special Nike shoe. Slowed by a nagging toe injury the three-time Cy Young Award winner was scheduled to make his first start of spring training this weekend. If the Mets are going to reach the playoffs, which they expect to do, Martinez must be healthy That’s no sure thing, and the rest of the rotation could be spotty Tbm Glavine turns 40 and will probably get the opening day assignment, Aaron Heilman, an effective reliever last year, gets another chance to start.' Wagner is a big boost for the rebuilt bullpen. Ddgado and new catcher Paul Lo Duca make a balanced offense v^y dang^nus - especially if speedy Jose Reyes gets on base more and Carlos Beltran bounces back finm his disap pointing New York debut. This team should certainly contend for a trip to the postseason. Washington Nationals A reluctant Alfonso Soriano finally agreed to move fixtm second base to left field this spring after he was acquired from Tfexas in December. He might be an adventure out there, and he could still get traded again. Livan Hernandez and young clos^ Chad Cordero lead a pitching staff that finished fourth in the league with a 3.87 ERAlast year. The Nationals hope Soriano will improve the dismal offense. Promising third baseman Ryan Zimmerman is a Rookie of the Year candidate. The team still doesn’t have a new own^. Florida Marlins After their second payroll purge in eight years, the young Marlins might be the worst team in baseball. Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett, Delgado, Lo Duca, Luis Castillo, Juan Pierre, Tbdd Jones, Alex Gonzalez, Mike Lowell, Juan Encamacion, Guillermo Mota and manager Jack McKeon are all gone. Frustrated by a failure to secure a new ball park, the Marlins also began looking to move with the permission of Major League Baseball. Cy Young runner-up DontreUe WiUis and star slugger Miguel Cabrera have some long days ahead of them. Florida* did acquire a boatload of talented prospects in return for aU those veterans, so there’s hope for the distant future. Rookie man ager Joe Girardi is a bright guy too. CENTRAL St. Louis Cardinals The Cardinals lost dependable pitcher Matt Morris, outfielder Reggie Sanders and second baseman Mark Grudzielanek during a quiet offseason, but they should stiU have enough to win this division. Carpenter and Mark Mulder pace a solid rotation, and Braden Looper was a wise sign ing as a setup man, Rolen is back fiom a shoul der injury that forced him to miss most of last season. Playing in its new park, St. Louis is seeking its third straight 100-win season. Houston Astros The gritty Bagwell tried to play through debilitating pain during spring training, but acknowledged Saturday he was not healthy enough to play on opening day Doctors will try to detennine if surgery would hdp his shoul der. With Bagwell out for at least the start of the season, Lance Berkman will move fix)m the outfield to first base. That should provide more playing time in the outfield for Jason Lane, WiLy Thveras and Chris Burke - and Houston might be better off All-Star closer Brad Lidge must bounce back fixim an up-and-down postseason. Milwaukee Brewers The young Brewers are a popular pick to challenge for a playoff spot after they went 81- 81 last year, ending a string of 12 straight los ing seasons, Tb contend, they need No. 1 starter Ben Sheets to stay healthy - and he might begin the season on the' disabled hst. Can Doug Davis, Chris Capuano and closer Derrick Ttimbow be as effective on the mound as they were in 2005? The Brewers added third baseman Corey Koskie and traded first baseman Lyle Overbay to make room for rookie slugger Prince Fielder, the son of former big league star Cedi Fielder. Carlos Lee is eligible for fi:ee agency after the season and could become trade bait if Milwaiikee falls out of contention early The Brewers might not be ready yet, but steady manager Ned Yost and GM Doug Melvin definitely have this franchise headed in the right direction. Chicago Cubs The question is always the same with the Cubs: Wll ace pitchers Kerry Wood and Mark Prior be healthy? Not necessarily Wood is coming off shoulder surgery and a minor knee operation and is expected to miss the first few weeks of the sea son. Prior could be out, too, after straining his right shoulder. As for the rest of the staff, Carlos Zambrano is a legitimate ace and Greg Maddux can stiU win. Plus, the buUpen got better with the addi tions of Bob Howry and Scott Eyre. Derrek Lee was probably the best player in the league last year, and third baseman Aramis Ramirez is also dangerous at the plate. New outfielders Jacque Jones and Juan Pierre should help the offense. Manager Dusty Baker and GM Jim Hendry are in the final years of their contracts. This team could finish an5where from first place to fourth. Pittsburgh Pirates New manager Jim Thacy is stressing funda mentals and defense with the young Pirates, who are counting on an ^rtremely inexperi enced rotation led by talented lefties Zach Duke (8-2, 1.81 ERA), Oliver Perez and Paul Mahobn. Jason Bay, the 2004 NL Rookie of the Year, is coming off another big season _ but the rest of the offense looks pretty pedestrian. Second baseman Jose CastOlo and shortstop Jack Wlson can pick-it up the middle. They form a fine double-play tandem. ^fike Gonzalez gets his first shot to be a clos er. • Cincinnati Reds The World BasebaU Classic was probably the best chance for Ken Griffey Jr. to win this year. The Uneup is stiU dangerous with Griffey, slug ger Adam Dunn (40 HRs) and AU-Star short stop FeUpe Lopez, coming off a breakout sea son. Young third baseman Edwin Encamacion is having a big spring and looks Uke the real deal, too. The pitching staff, however, is a mess. A recent trade to acquire right-hander Bronson Arroyo fium Boston might help, but giving up WTly Mo Pena hurts an offense that led the league in runs last year. When the hitters do build a lead, there’s no established closer to naU it down. The Reds have had five consecutive losing seasons, their lorgest such streak since 1945- 55. No wonder they have a new owner (Bob Castellini) and general manager (Wayne Krivsky). WEST San Francisco Giants While everyone is watching Bonds, the key to San Francisco’s season could be the health of ace Jason Schmidt (12-7, 4.40 ERA) and closer Annando Benitez (left knee). Morris should be a nice complement at the finnt end of the rotation. The back end is a con cern. The lineup offers some help for Bonds fiom Moises Alou, Randy Wnn, Pedro FeUz and first baseman Lance Niekro. This division stiU appears pretty soft. The aging Giants can win it if Bonds’ knee is able to withstand the rigors of playing left field and running the bases after aU the walks he’s sure to receive. When Bonds plays, San Francisco scores plenty of runs. When he doesn’t, the offense is anemic. Los Angeles Dodgers A slew of fonner Red Sox wUl be wearing Dodger blue, including Garciaparra, little and third baseman BUI MueUa-. This team should be much better than last year’s 71-91 version, Furcal provides a spark at the top of the Uneup. The rotation is capable, though far finm special. One of three starters needs to step up and have a big season: Derek Lowe, Brad Penny or OdaUs Perez. Jae Seo, acquired in a trade with the Mets, could be a steal. The lineup lacks power outside of Jeff Kent and J.D. Drew - if he is healthy AU-Star short stop Cesar Izturis is recovering quickly fixim elbow surgery, but the Dodgers haven’t said how they might re_shape their infield when he returns. Arizona Diamondbacks Loaded with talented prospects, the Diamondbacks are probably at least a few yearn away finm seriously contending for a pennant imder new GM Josh Byrnes. They traded slugger Ttoy Glaus and pitcher Javier Vazquez in the offseason. Gold Glove second baseman Orlando Hudson was a nice addition - his offense mi^t improve, too. 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The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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March 30, 2006, edition 1
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