Ringolsby: Dotted line tied to bottom one

Published April 6, 2007 at midnight

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First, Toronto signed manager John Gibbons through next season. Then the Rockies gave Clint Hurdle a two-year extension through 2009. That leaves eight managers in the final year of their contracts, including five who are on shaky ground.

• Charlie Manuel, Philadelphia. He is in his third year after replacing fan favorite Larry Bowa, and back-to-back second-place finishes haven't satisfied the customers.

• Mike Hargrove, Seattle. Ownership said in September that Hargrove and general manager Bill Bavasi would have to produce, or else, in 2007.

• Buddy Bell, Kansas City. Three times, he has had a chance to manage, and all three times he took over teams at the bottom of the baseball pecking order.

• Eric Wedge, Cleveland. General manager Mark Shapiro was extended through 2012 even though the team has had only one winning season in his tenure. Guess who becomes the fall guy if the Indians can't meet the overhyped expectations?

• Joe Maddon, Tampa Bay. The question is how much patience the organization will have. The Devil Rays have never lost fewer than 91 games, which creates anxiety, even though Maddon is only in his second year.

• Joe Torre, Yankees. The biggest question is whether Torre wants the aggravation any more after this season. He has turned a mediocre managerial career into Hall of Fame consideration during his tenure and has made enough money, his grandkids will never have to work.

• Bobby Cox, Atlanta. He is a fixture with the Braves, where he guided the team to 14 consecutive division titles before having the streak ended last year.

• Tony La Russa, St. Louis. A championship in 2006 finally got St. Louis fans to accept La Russa as one of their own.

Having another year on the contract might not ensure another full season for managers Ozzie Guillen of the White Sox, Jerry Narron in Cincinnati and Phil Garner in Houston.

Guillen was funny with his off-color remarks during the 2005 championship season, but the act wears thin when the team doesn't win. Narron's fate is tied to how realistic ownership is about the challenge the Reds face in becoming competitive.

Garner saved his job with the team's late-season push the last two seasons, but an early-season stumble this time could make owner Drayton McLane antsy.

Overheard

• Left-hander Mike Hampton, sidelined last season because of reconstructive left elbow surgery, then in spring training by a pulled rib cage muscle, is on schedule to pitch for Atlanta on May 7. He is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment next week.

• Left-hander Randy Johnson, recovering from offseason back surgery, will make his first rehabilitative start for Single-A Visalia (Calif.) against Modesto this weekend, and Arizona thinks he could be activated after an April 13 start with Triple-A Tucson.

• Right-hander Carl Pavano will start road games whenever possible to minimize the possibility of negative backlash from Yankees fans, upset he signed a $40 million contract before 2005, then spent the last 1 1/2 seasons on the disabled list.

Readers' turn

Jim Burnett writes, "Jeff Francis has been suspended for five games during the regular season. Since he is a pitcher and would pitch only every fifth game under normal conditions, does that mean he will miss only one game out of five regular-season games played by the Rockies, or will the Rockies have to play 25 games without him (meaning he would miss pitching in five games)?"

Jim, it means he will sit out five consecutive games, but he may not even miss a full start. If the suspension is started, say, the day after he makes a start, it is possible he could be back in the rotation after just having his next turn pushed back a day. If you notice, relief pitchers typically wind up with a three-game suspension and starting pitchers with a five-game suspension to make up for the difference in their usage.

Two cents' worth

A tip of the hat to Cincinnati outfielder Ken Griffey Jr.

With baseball celebrating the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier on April 15, Griffey called commissioner Bud Selig during the offseason and asked for permission to honor Robinson by wearing No. 42, which was retired by all of baseball on the 50th anniversary of Robinson's Dodgers debut.

Griffey then explained he wasn't asking for himself, but for a player off each team, and Selig endorsed the plan. LaTroy Hawkins will wear No. 42 for the Rockies. Dodgers officials say they will have every player wear the number. Griffey, who wore No. 42 with Seattle on the 50th anniversary, said he felt it was important to show appreciation "for everything Robinson has done, not just for baseball, but sports in general."

Actually, it should be for everything Robinson did in society.

When the number was retired, Selig allowed players who already were wearing No. 42 to continue wearing it. The only remaining No. 42 is Mariano Rivera of the Yankees.MILE HIGH WATCH

• When the Rockies talk about the evolution of their organization as being part of the reason for giving general manager Dan O'Dowd and manager Clint Hurdle extensions, here's an example:

Of the Rockies' top 30 prospects in 2000 - from the pre-O'Dowd era - the only ones in the majors today are Jason Jennings, Juan Pierre, Juan Uribe and Matt Holliday.

The only homegrown players who appeared in the majors with the Rockies in 2000 were Todd Helton, Neifi Perez, Pierre, Ben Petrick and Craig House. House was the only pitcher originally signed by the Rockies to throw an inning at Coors Field that year.

Today, in addition to Aaron Cook, Helton and Holliday - all are pre-O'Dowd-era draft choices - the Rockies are built around players such as Garrett Atkins, Brad Hawpe, Troy Tulowitzki, Chris Iannetta, Jeff Baker and Jeff Francis.

• Another detour in the life of pitcher Matt Harrington, the Rockies' first-round draft choice in 2000 who turned down $3.7 million as a signing bonus out of high school:

After spending the past six years bouncing around independent leagues, failing to work out a deal with a major league team, pitching again in independent leagues, reaching a settlement with his original agent, then getting a minor league invitation to spring training with the Cubs this year, Harrington was released last week by Chicago.

The No. 2 pitcher on Harrington's Palmdale (Calif.) High School team in 2000 was a junior left- hander, Dana Eveland, now in Triple-A with Arizona.

Eveland initially attended Hill Junior College and signed with Milwaukee as a 16th-round selection in 2002.

• The Opening Day payroll for the Rockies was 32 percent higher this year than a year ago, according to USA Today. That is the third-biggest hike, behind Florida and Kansas City.

The overall payroll, though, was $54,424,000, by USA Today's calculation, which ranked 25th.

Arizona, at $52,067,546, was among teams with a lower payroll than the Rockies.

ringolsbyt@RockyMountainNews.com

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