Inside Pitch

Buffalo Baseball Hall member Lovullo gets his day with Red Sox interview

Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Torey Lovullo had his interview with the Boston Red Sox Friday in Fenway Park, officially getting into the ring to replace Terry Francona as manager. Lovullo, who served as first-base coach in Toronto last season and managed the Bisons from 2006-2008, has told me several times in the last few years he thinks he's ready for a big-league gig.

Here's the MLB.com story on Lovullo's day, which spells out the candidates: Lovullo, Sandy Alomar Jr., Pete Mackanin, Dale Sveum and Gene Lamont.

Check out this Boston Globe video to hear some of his comments during his post-interview news conference in the ballpark's press box.

---MIke Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

Red Sox to interview Buffalo Baseball Hall member Lovullo Friday for manager's slot

Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Torey Lovullo apparently has his hat in a big ring as the former Bisons player and manager will interview Friday for the vacant manager's slot with the Boston Red Sox. Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe tweeted the news about Lovullo late Tuesday afternoon.

Lovullo spent last year as the first-base coach under John Farrell in Toronto and the word is that Farrell, the former pitching coach under Terry Francona, has pushed Boston brass to give Lovullo serious consideration to replace Terry Francona. From this view, Lovullo has a chance to mesh well with young GM like Ben Cherington and the Red Sox know him from his stint as the manager in Pawtucket in 2010.

As a manager, Lovullo had a terrific run in Class A and Double-A with the Indians from 2002-2005, winning two league championships and producing four playoff teams. He posted back-to-back 73-68 seasons with the Bisons in 2006 and 2007 and then had a 66-77 record in 2008 when the Indians had one foot out the door on the way to Columbus. His next two years (57-85 in Columbus and 66-78 in Pawtucket) weren't much better but those teams had few prospects.

Still, Lovullo is highly regarded and has interviewed in the past for the top job with the Indians and Dodgers. He's a great communicator with players, the front office and media and he played for seven big-league teams in addition to having terrific years in the minors (notably with the Bisons in 1995, 1997 and 1998, and Scranton in 1999).

Lovullo was the most valuable player of the 1997 American Association playoffs and batted .326 on Buffalo's 1998 team that won the Governors' Cup and produced the franchise's only back-to-back championships.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

Around the horn: La Russa, CC and Manto

I'm covering the Sabres-Flyers game tonight in a one-day respite from my annual post-World Series vacation (which also means continued withdrawal from my daily fix of St. Louis toasted ravioli). So while I'm back on the job today, I figured I'd chime in on some of the big news of recent days.

Headline: Tony La Russa retires

Reaction: They sure suckered us all. The feeling at the Series was that La Russa was coming back. Cardinals GM John Mozeliak did a group interview prior to Game Five in Texas and was asked about La Russa's potential return. Here was the answer:

"You know, as far as handicapping that, I think I'm not going to go down that path, but obviously having a manager in place and that staff in place, that would be probably something that we need to do right away, because obviously it's a very difficult task if we were to have to replace Tony. So at this point, hopeful that we can wrap that up rather quickly. And right now as far as what's going to happen, every time he and I start to sit down and talk about it, we always realize and we sort of pinch ourselves that here we are in the World Series or having success in the postseason. So we just really haven't stopped to focus on it at this time."

Lies, lies, lies. La Russa revealed during his farewell press conference and again on his fascinating interview with Bob Costas Tuesday night on MLB Network that he and the Cardinals had decided he was done during the summer. They did a fabulous game of possum with all of us. Props to them.

Headline: Yankees re-sign CC and Cashman

Reaction: Brian Cashman reeled in the big fish first and then quickly got his own deal done. There's no way the Yankees would be contending next year without CC Sabathia, who wasn't going anywhere unless his hometown A's or Giants somehow found an extra $100 million in a Dixie cup. A one-year, $25 million extension kept CC from exercising his opt-out clause. Now the Yankees need him to opt out of a few more meals starting in 2012. As for Cashman, he's now signed through 2015. He started as GM in 1998. Remember when George Steinbrenner seemingly had a GM a year? Pretty amazing.

White Sox sign Manto as hitting coach

Reaction: About time somebody gave another shot to Manto, the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Famer and Bisons legend who turned a journeyman like Freddy Sanchez into a batting champion when he was with the Pirates. Manto has been the Sox minor-league coordinator for four years and probably should have had this job a year or two earlier as Greg Walker continued to accomplish nothing in Chicago (see Rios, Alex and Dunn, Adam). Batting practice during those White Sox-Blue Jays games should be hysterical with Manto and Torey Lovullo (Toronto's first base coach) yammering back and forth.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

Pena on life with the Yankees

It was great to catch up with Tony Pena over the weekend in Toronto. The Yankees bench coach had plenty of memories of his 1979 season in Buffalo that you can read about in Tuesday's editions as we head toward his induction Sunday in the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame.

Pena is Joe Girardi's bench coach with the Yankees and got the first World Series ring of his long career with the Bronx Bombers in 2009. He had lost in the Series as a player with St. Louis (in 1987 to Minnesota) and Cleveland (in 1995 to Atlanta).

"That was like a dream come true to win," he said. "You try to achieve your ultimate goal and sometimes you never get it. In '87 and '95 we had chances and didn't win. As a coach I came here and this was my opportunity to have a ring on my hand. Everything happens for a reason. You just have to be at the right place at the right time."

The Yankees, of course, are in the hunt again this year. What does Pena think about their chances?

"We've been a little up and down but we just have to get our own guys back," he said. "[Rafael] Soriano, [Eric] Chavez and, of course, Alex [Rodriguez]. That's the first thing. When you have your guys, you'll be fine. We just need to try to play to the top of our abilities."

Whatever happens in 2011, it will always be remembered for Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit and Pena said he was thrilled to be in the dugout for the dramatic home run against Tampa Bay.

"That was an amazing moment," Pena said. "I've been here for six years now throwing batting practice to him all the time and seeing how much he puts into his body, how much effort he puts into the game, how much beating your body takes to play the same way every day. 

"The most amazing thing about him is how he comes out here and has the same expression every single day. I've never seen Derek jeter go from here to here [putting his hand over his head and then down by his knees]. He's on the same line and that's very tough for a player.

"When he got the 3,000th hit, I was like a little kid. I was so happy for him. It couldn't have happened to a better guy."

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

Bizarre three-ball walk costs Mariners

You can be pretty certain they'll be counting balls and strikes a lot closer now in the Mariners' dugout from now on after what happened late Saturday night. The Mariners lost to the Padres, 1-0, as San Diego's Cameron Maybin scored the game's only run in the fifth inning -- after reaching base on a three-ball walk

Yes, a three-ball walk.

Scoreboard operators at Safeco Field moved the count from 1-2 to 3-2 after an outside pitch in the dirt and no one in the park noticed. No umpires, not catcher Josh Bard (the ex-Bison) or Maybin. Mariners manager and old friend Eric Wedge did think something was amiss but he thought he had missed a pitch since no one else in the park reacted. Turns out Wedge knew what the deal was. 

Go here for the MLB.com link to the video of the "walk." It includes the actual at-bat and the review of it from the ROOT Sports Northwest telecast a couple of innings later.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

Braves coach, an ex-Bison star, loses eye

Tough news coming out of Orlando today that Atlanta Braves Single-A manager Luis Salazar has lost his left eye after he was struck in the dugout by a line drive off the bat of Brian McCann during a game last week at the team's Disney World complex. 

"As the doctor told us from the very beginning," said GM Frank Wren, "in the big picture – and that’s what we always have to keep in mind – in the big picture this is a really good outcome. He’s alive…. He’s alive."

Salazar is still expected to be ready in 4-6 weeks for his managerial gig at Class A Lynchburg (Va.), so that's certainly good news.

Salazar, 54, played 1,302 big-league games from 1980-1992 with San Diego, Detroit and the Chicago Cubs. He played with the Niagara Falls Pirates in 1976 (where one of his teammates was former Niagara University legend Phil Scaffidi), and had a big season for the 1979 Bisons in their first year back in Double-A as he batted .323 with 27 homers and 86 RBIs on a Buffalo team that also featured future big-leaguer Tony Pena.

Salazar, in fact, is the answer to a major Buffalo baseball trivia question. His walkoff home run in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the Herd a 1-0 victory at War Memorial Stadium in its first game as a Double-A franchise after nearly nine years of no pro ball in town. 

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

Baseball Notebook: Moving up

Good to see Torey Lovullo move up to the major leagues on Monday. John Farrell picked the former Bisons' player and manager to be his new first base coach. Torey is a Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame who knew Farrell back from their days in the Cleveland organization. In addition, Lovullo was in the Red Sox system as Pawtucket manager, while Farrell was the Boston pitching coach.

Farrell has developed a reputation as an extremely bright, hard-working person, and you can bet he's surrounding himself with similar people in Toronto. His bench coach choice is former Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu. 

Meanwhile, the list of candidates for the veterans' commitee in the Baseball Hall of Fame have been revealed. It's traditionally been tough to get someone elected this way, but there are some interesting candidates. The obvious ones are George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin, forever linked with the Yankees. Marvin Miller, the MLB Players' Association chief, has a ton of support from ex-players and is probably overdue. Then there are some other players: Vida Blue, Dave Concepcion, Steve Garvey, Ron Guidry, Tommy John, Al Oliver, Ted Simmons and Rusty Staub. No sure bets on that list, although Oliver and John strike me as players near the line of induct/not-induct.

And there will be a change in the lineup for Sunday NIght Baseball next season. ESPN will not be bringing back Jon Miller and Joe Morgan. The combination lasted for more than 20 years. No replacements have been named.

--- Budd Bailey 

Eight former Bisons in MLB postseason

Cliff Lee is on the mound for Texas today in Game One of the division series at Tampa and he's one of eight former Bisons still alive in the quest for the World Series. The Bisons' Web site has a full rundown on each player's career in Buffalo but here's the full list.

Texas P Cliff Lee (2002-03, 2007)
Cincinnati IF Brandon Phillips (2002-05)
Philadelphia relief pitcher Chad Durbin (2003-04)
Philadelphia OF Ben Francisco (2005-08)
Philadelphia IF Wilson Valdez (2009) 
Tampa Bay C Kelly Shoppach (2006)

Rehab assignments only
Minnesota DH Jim Thome (1998 playoffs)
New York P CC Sabathia (2006) 

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

Bisons set for Hall of Fame day

Hello from Coca-Cola Field. Richie Sexson might not be here today, but I am, and that will have to suffice.

The Bisons are getting set up for today's Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame ceremony, honoring the aforementioned, and absent, Sexson, as well as the team's longtime broadcaster, Duke McGuire.

For more on the Sexson situation, be sure to check out the always-excellent work of Mike Harrington in his weekly inside baseball column.

And here's Harrington's profile of McGuire, a true legend of Buffalo baseball.

After the ceremony, the Herd will look to continue its walk-off magic. The Bisons have won the last two games over the Gwinnett Braves with walk-off hits, Saturday night when Jorge Padilla hit a pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the ninth inning.

Dillon Gee (8-5, 4.77 ERA) will be on the hill for the Herd.

Here's the Bisons' lineup for today's game:

Jesus Feliciano, CF

Luis Hernandez, SS

Jorge Padilla, LF

Valentino Pascucci, RF

Lucas Duda, 1B

Mike Cervenak, 3B

Andy Green, 2B

Jean Luc Blaquiere, C

Dillon Gee, P

---Jay Skurski

Around the horn: Full moon edition

What in the world was in the water Saturday? We had sheer craziness around the big leagues. Check it out.

1). The Indians roared back from a pair of six-run deficits to beat the Yankees, 13-11, in a  game marked by a scary scene as Cleveland pitcher and ex-Bison David Huff took an Alex Rodriguez line drive off the head. The ball ricocheted into right field as a horrified stadium full of fans watched. Huff was driven off in a cart to a hospital and actually returned to the park after the game following a negative CT-scan. Amazing.

Late Saturday night  on his Twitter page, Huff thanked the teams' training staffs and doctors, the Yankees' security staff even A-Rod for calling.

2). Kendry Morales of the Angels broke his leg. That can happen. But while jumping on home plate following a walkoff grand slam?  This Orange County Register column points out how the Angels will celebrate differently from now on.   In the Los Angeles Times, there's plenty of stark quotes from Angels players but the picture of Morales holding his head says as much as any of them.  

3). Then we moved to night. While most everyone in Philadelphia was watching the Flyers game, Roy Halladay was working on history of his own. By the ninth inning,the TVs in the bars were being switched in time to see him complete the 20th perfect game in history, a 1-0 win over the Marlins. Here's MLB.com's recap. It's the first time since 1880 we've had two perfectos in the same season. Yes, 1880. One of them that year by Providence's John Ward was against the Buffalo Bisons!

Great story from the Philly Inquirer about the postgame clubhouse scene.  

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)