If they can get 400 innings from Westbrook and Carmona, the pressure is lessened for Justin Masterson (who still may end up a closer), David Huff and Mitch Talbot, with Aaron Laffey in the shadows and Carlos Carrasco coming off the kind of spring that gives them second-half hope.

Now, the NL East is pretty good, with the Phillies, the Braves much improved and Mets players texting "we are a lot better than people think."

Who are they texting that to, Gammo?

There's a lot of "if this guy and that guy and the other guy make big steps forward, and everyone stays healthy then the team can compete."

Russell Martin put his weight back on, says, "I have my legs back and can drive the ball again," which means he can be a 50-doubles hitter at any time.

Gammons has been writing columns like that since the dawn of baseball.

There's a lot of "if this guy and that guy and the other guy make big steps forward, and everyone stays healthy then the team can compete." That's true, but it's also true of every team except the Royals and Pirates.

There's a lot of "if this guy and that guy and the other guy make big steps forward, and everyone stays healthy then the team can compete."

Gammons has been writing columns like that since the dawn of baseball.

Only 88 times in baseball history has a player hit 50 or more doubles in one season.

There's a lot of "if this guy and that guy and the other guy make big steps forward, and everyone stays healthy then the team can compete."

For those of us who have had [Milton] Bradley's remarkable support after suffering a life-threatening situation, there is the hope that Milton will remember who and what he is and let all the other stuff drift off into the ozone.

There's a lot of "if this guy and that guy and the other guy make big steps forward, and everyone stays healthy then the team can compete."



Gammons has been writing columns like that since the dawn of baseball

A couple of weeks ago, Sparky Anderson was telling people he'd gotten to pitcher Dave Rozema - the man who washed his own car with Brillo pads two years ago - and that one-time airhead was a new man. Well, this week Rozema missed the team plane to Puerto Rico after judging a wet T- shirt contest in Fort Lauderdale, had trouble pitching that night and is deep in Anderson's doghouse. "I told him it's my way or the highway," says Anderson . . .Ted Williams thinks [Rich] Gedman has a chance to be an extremely dangerous lefthanded hitter. "He hits the ball as hard as anyone around,"says Williams... A's reliever Dave Heaverlo has shaved his head again, and says it will remain shaved until the hostages are out of Iran . . . Oriole scout Jim Russo says Atlanta's Bob Horner will hit 60 or more homers one of these years. Especially in that park . . .

And then there's the Orioles' spring phenom, infielder-catcher Floyd (Honey Bear) Rayford, who looks like a VW bug. The Goodyear blimp took off beyond the outfield Thursday morning in Pompano and Frank Robinson shouted, "Rayford, come back." On his first look at Rayford, Jim Palmer said, "Only one body to a uniform" . . . Chicago manager Tony LaRussa on rookie outfielder Harold Baines: "I think he'll hit right away, but even if he doesn't, he's such a sound fundamental player he'll help the club" . . .The best rookie I've seen thus far is L.A.'s Mickey Hatcher. Why the hell he isn't in center field I'll never understand . . .

Don't- drink-the-water, either: Indians rookie outfielder Joe Charbonneau was stabbed with a ballpoint pen in the lobby of the Mexico City Hilton on their trip there last week . . . From Sparky Anderson: "The player with the most worth in all baseball in three years will be Lance Parrish." If Parrish gets over his injured left elbow by the season opener, he is a big man right now, because the Tigers are going to see an awful lot of lefthanders and he is their one righthanded hitter with power . . . The two toughest pitchers for [Rod] Carew? He says Ron Guidry and Detroit's Jack Morris . . . Angel GM Buzzy Bavasi on Dave Winfield's $13 million, right-of-sale-approval contract request: "Ray Kroc should give him $1 million and then sell him the team for $12 million . . .

[In reaction to Bruce Sutter winning a $700,000 salary at arbitration:]

Ever since Marvin Miller took over the Players Assn., the owners have claimed they're on the brink of disaster, and we found out they were crying wolf. But Sutter was no special case. Under the salary structure ownership has created, his is a norm of sorts, and finally I've come to believe that enough, indeed, is enough. There has to be a point where it begins to crack, where fans start having to pay too much, farm-system cutbacks delete the product into ABA quality and the Clevelands and Minnesotas are run out of business - and that time may have come. It's management's fault, I realize, and why should the players be punished for owners' ego problems? But if you're a fan, you have to hope that the order of the game is somehow saved, and some intelligent form of compensation may be the only way.

Ned Williamson came close in his freak double year, which was the year before his freak HR year.

It's especially short given that when Biggio hit 50 doubles, he was a second baseman.

Ned Williamson came close in his freak double year, which was the year before his freak HR year.

STEROIDS

•Manny Acta expects Travis Hafner to win a gold glove this year, but he could have competitoin for fielding glory from his own teammates Carlos Santana, whose flip-flop and new unstable attitude should work wonders, and Luis Valbuena.

It seems the Score Bard is updating his Gammons-O-Matic!

although they lost a few good hitters (Garko

Ted Williams thinks [Rich] Gedman has a chance to be an extremely dangerous lefthanded hitter.

the Zander Hollander guidebooks were pretty hard-nosed.

Gammons has been writing columns like that since the dawn of baseball

That 1980 Gammons excerpt was genius. More, please.

I miss the Score Bard. And Mike Crudale.

Word is that Garko's lost his half of the planned 1B platoon in Seattle due to poor defense.

And [Lance] Parrish will be right there in Eddie Murrayland ... It's interesting that the Orioles' Murray and the Tigers' Kirk Gibson each has had a large disability insurance policy taken out on his behalf. Sparky Anderson says the Tigers' bench will not play as much this year and that more of the load will fall on his seven key every-day players -- Trammell, Whitaker, Parrish, Lemon, first baseman Darrell Evans and outfielders Gibson and Larry Herndon. One sometimes wonders if second baseman Willie Randolph has ever received his due in the shadows of the Yankee Stadium monuments.

Second baseman Glenn Hubbard is experiencing shoulder problems (and he's already in a battle with Paul Zuvella for the starting job). But with the encouraging early signs on third baseman Bob Horner and pitchers Len Barker -- who'll show National Leaguers how tough he really is, yet -- and Zane Smith, the optimism in West Palm Beach appears ready to blossom. The Dodgers are bringing Ted Williams to Vero Beach to work with first baseman Greg Brock.