TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Figgins is forced to scramble

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 15, 2009

Updated: 07/15/2009 12:34 am

ST. LOUIS - American League All-Star manager Joe Maddon said he didn't pick the Angels' Chone Figgins to replace the injured Evan Longoria on the roster because he is a Brandon High graduate.

But Maddon noted that Figgins won some points with him back when he was the Angels' bench coach.

"I know Figgy is from the Tampa Bay area, and his mom used to bring us really good BBQ chicken and ribs any time we played in town," Maddon said. "Baked beans that she puts cinnamon on."

Maddon joked that if he wanted to show favoritism in making a roster addition, he would have added someone from Hazleton, Pa., his hometown.

Having spent much of his seven-year big-league career as a super utility player, starting at six different positions and sometimes jumping from the infield to the outfield and back in the same game, Figgins is used to adjusting on the fly.

But nothing could have prepared Figgins for Tuesday's mad scramble when he Figgins was added to the AL roster about 10 hours before game time.

Tim Mead, the Angels' vice president of communications, was at a breakfast function Tuesday in St. Louis when he received a call from MLB officials informing him that Figgins had been added to the team.

"We made numerous calls to Chone, but he wasn't answering his cellphone at first," Mead said. "We finally got a hold of him. Suffice it to say, he was very excited."

Once the initial euphoria wore off for Figgins, his next thought was this: Can I get to St. Louis in time for the game?

The Angels looked into securing a private jet for Figgins, who remained in California over the All-Star break, but had no luck.

They then booked Figgins on a nonstop flight from Los Angeles to St. Louis that was scheduled to arrive in St. Louis less than two hours before the scheduled first pitch. He was in uniform and was introduced to the crowd during pregame ceremonies.

Figgins is hitting .310 with an AL-leading 68 runs, 16 doubles, seven triples and 27 stolen bases.

A little help

President Barack Obama was true to his word: He didn't bounce it.

Obama's ceremonial first pitch at the All-Star Game barely reached the plate Tuesday night. St. Louis Cardinals star Albert Pujols helped the president, reaching out to scoop the toss.

Obama had warmed up on the White House grounds Monday night, and was determined his pitch would reach the plate on a fly.

"We did a little practicing in the Rose Garden," he said during a half-inning with the Fox broadcasters. "This is as much fun as I've had in quite some time."

Wearing a White Sox jacket, jeans and sneakers, and cheered by the sellout crowd at Busch Stadium, Obama walked out of the National League's dugout on the first-base side, shook hands with Cardinals Hall of Famer Stan Musial and trotted to the mound.

From right on the rubber, 60 feet and 6 inches away, Obama wound up and bit his lip as he let go. The left-hander grimaced slightly, and gave a fist pump when Pujols - a Gold Glove first baseman - made the grab with a specially made black mitt with "Obama44" and an American flag on it.

Taking it easy

Tampa native Tony La Russa anticipated a relaxing All-Star Game as a member of the supporting cast in his own stadium. The Cardinals manager was on the coaching staff at the All-Star Game, and he relinquished his office to the Phillies' Charlie Manuel.

La Russa and Dodgers manager Joe Torre had adjacent lockers in the more cramped coaches locker room, swapping stories early in the day. La Russa's plan: Stay in the background as much as possible.

"I guarantee you, the coaches enjoy it more than the manager," La Russa said. "Charlie's got a lot to do, a lot of decisions to make."

Lots of eyes

Monday's Home Run Derby received a 6.0 rating on ESPN, which translates to 5,855,000 households and 8.25 million viewers.

It was the network's No. 3 rating this year, topping only by Game 5 (6.5) and Game 4 (6.9) of the NBA's Western Conference finals between the Lakers and Nuggets.

It was down slightly from the 6.4 rating (6.2 million) households for last year's derby at Yankee Stadium.

Information from Tribune reporter Tony Fabrizio, the Los Angeles Times and The Associated Press was used in compiling this report.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT