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| Wednesday, January 24, 2007 | (No comments posted.)
Al Hamnik/Times Columnist
Jason Marquis, an enigmatic pitcher thought to be in the twilight of his career, gets a three-year, $21 million deal from the Cubs.
Gil Meche, hardly a household name, is given $45 million for five years by the lowly Royals.
Major league pitching today is bottled water at a biker bar. Anyone in shape and under age 40 who's played the game probably could hit 60 percent of the throwers on current rosters.
Modest resumes and stats are suddenly attractive, if you still have a heartbeat.
"When you can throw the ball left-handed and get it over the plate with regularity, you're a very valuable commodity," former Cy Young winner Steve Stone said.
I wondered if retired big-leaguer Dan Plesac was considering a possible comeback.
Plesac was a horse, an ironman who appeared in 1,064 games -- fourth on baseball's all-time list. The Crown Point native played 18 seasons, had a 95 mph fastball that could singe the hair on your arms, a devastating slider and remarkable control.
And he's a lefty. Cha-ching, cha-ching.
"I knew when I left, that I was done," Plesac said. "I feel like I squeezed every bit of juice out of that left arm that I had. I have never had a day where I looked back and said: 'Boy, it would be great to be making the money that they're making now, especially in the last couple of offseasons.'
"In 1989, I signed a three-year deal (with Milwaukee) for unheard-of money at that time -- $6.5 million. So it's all relative to the time that you're playing. I have no bitterness or resentment. I have no complaints on what I made for how long I made it. I feel very fortunate."
We're all victims of timing in our lives, whether it be love, health, employment or honors received. Some people are more fortunate, luckier if you will, than others. We accept the hand we've given the way church ladies accept their bingo cards.
But in sports, it's a bit grating when mediocre athletes hit the monster payday and we know it's wasted money.
"That's the price of poker right now," Plesac said. "There's never been a better time to be a pitcher."
It's no wonder youth baseball coaches say there are more parents today who want their sons to be pitchers rather than play any other position. If the kid is tall and willowy, short and stubby, and couldn't break a pane of glass at home plate, doesn't matter.
Develop a curve. Throw junk. Knuckle down.
"It says a couple of things," Plesac said. "With all the steroid accusations, most of the changes over the last 15 to 20 years have been geared toward offense and you've got to be able to counter that some way.
"That's why with pitching, particularly good pitching, you can write your own ticket."
Robbery suddenly has a new look. A quick glance at spring training rosters would suggest all that's missing is a mask and a teller's note.
This column solely represents the writer's opinion. Reach him at ahamnik@nwitimes.com.
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