COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- Lee MacPhail, the longtime baseball executive who ruled in the celebrated Pine Tar case and later became part of the only father-son Hall of Fame pairing, has died. He was 95.
He was the oldest Hall of Famer, and he died Thursday night at his home in Delray Beach, Fla., the shrine said Friday.

"There's not much I haven't done off the field other than commissioner," he said during a 1985 interview with The Associated Press when he retired after 4 1-2 decades in the sport.
 
In the second generation of one of baseball's most prominent families -- his son, Andy, also was in the front office for several teams -- MacPhail's most well-known moment in baseball came in 1983. He upheld Kansas City's protest in the Pine Tar Game against the New York Yankees, restoring a ninth-inning home run to Royals slugger George Brett -- also a future Hall of Famer.

"Lee MacPhail was one of the great executives in baseball history and a Hall of Famer in every sense, both personally and professionally," commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "His hallmarks were dignity, common sense and humility. He was not only a remarkable league executive, but was a true baseball man."
With MacPhail's death, Bobby Doerr at 94 becomes the oldest living Hall of Famer.

"Baseball history has lost a great figure in Lee MacPhail, whose significant impact on the game spanned five decades," Hall chairman Jane Forbes Clark said. "He will always be remembered in Cooperstown as a man of exemplary kindness and a man who always looked after the best interests of the game."

Lee MacPhail was the son of Larry MacPhail, a top executive with the Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Dodgers and Yankees.

"Over his lifetime in baseball, Lee made many significant contributions that helped to make the game what it is today," former players' union head Don Fehr said.
Born Leland Stanford MacPhail Jr. in Nashville, Tenn., on Oct. 25, 1917, he was general manager at minor league Reading, went on to work for the Yankees in 1949 and spent a decade as farm director and player personnel director, with players he developed winning seven World Series titles.
He moved to the Baltimore Orioles as general manager in 1959 and six years later returned to New York as chief administrative assistant for new baseball commissioner Spike Eckert. He returned to the Yankees as general manager from 1967-73, and left after George Steinbrenner bought the team to become AL president in 1974.
A member of management's labor negotiating team along with NL president Chub Feeney during the 1981 midseason strike, he also headed the AL when it added the designated hitter for the 1973 season and expanded to Seattle and Toronto for 1977.

After he stepped down as league president following the 1983 season, he served two years as president of the owners' Player Relations Committee, overseeing bargaining during a two-day strike in 1985. He was elected to the Hall as an executive in 1998, 20 years after his father.

In the famed Pine Tar case, MacPhail overruled plate umpire Tim McClelland and crew chief Joe Brinkman and restored a home run to Brett. After Yankees manager Billy Martin argued that Brett's bat had excessive pine tar when he hit a two-run, ninth-inning homer at Yankees Stadium on July 24, McClelland called Brett out, the final out in a 4-3 New York victory.

Brett stormed out of the dugout, eyes bulging, in one of baseball's most replayed arguments. Four days later, MacPhail upheld a protest for the first time as league president, said the home run counted and ordered the game to continue from that point. When the game was completed Aug. 18, the Royals held on to win 5-4.
While the pine tar extended more than 18 inches past the handle, the limit set by baseball's rules, MacPhail said taking away the home run was improper.

"The umpires' interpretation, while technically defensible, is not in accord with the intent or spirit of the rules and that the rules do not provide that a hitter be called out for excessive use of pine tar. The rules provide instead that the bat be removed from the game," he wrote. "Although manager Martin and his staff should be commended for their alertness, it is the strong conviction of the league that games should be won and lost on the playing field -- not through technicalities of the rules."
He retired at the end of that season.

Son Andy became GM of the Minnesot Twins, president of the Chicago Cubs and president of baseball operations of the Orioles. From the next generation, Andy MacPhail IV worked for the Cleveland Indians and is a scout for the Orioles.

The Hall said no services are planned and a memorial will be held later.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

Ortiz and Biting the Hand That Feeds You

Fresh off his new deal with the Red Sox, slugger David Ortiz fired back at former manager Bobby Valentine, who two weeks ago insinuated his designated hitter missed the latter part of the season not because of soreness from an Achilles injury but because his team was out of the playoff hunt.
"Stopping me (from playing) was the decision of the doctors, management, the manager and me," Ortiz told ESPNDeportes.com. "The team doctor recommended that I stop playing to not make the situation worse for the tendon.

"... As a player, the game runs through my veins. In the 10 years I have played in Boston, I have been the heart and soul of the organization and not a second has gone by in which David Ortiz, able to go on the field to do what he knows best, he stayed seated instead."
Ortiz was on the disabled list from July 18 to late August with a strained right Achilles. He went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in a one-game return Aug. 24. The next day, the trade that sent Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto to the Los Angeles Dodgers was made official. Ortiz went back on the DL on Aug. 27. "He realized that this trade meant that we're not going to run this race and we're not even going to finish the race properly and he decided not to play anymore," Valentine said Oct. 23 in an interview on "Costas Tonight" on NBC Sports Network. "I think at that time it was all downhill from there."
The soon-to-be 37-year-old Ortiz emphatically denied that deal had anything to do with him missing the rest of the season and said he ignored a message from Valentine after the interview because he thought he was dealing with someone with "some mental issues."

"No. 1, never bite the hand that feeds you, because in the end that will come back to bite you," Ortiz said. "I was one of those players that always showed support for him. In fact, I held a couple of player meetings.
"No. 2, the day that I returned from the DL, I told him that I was not sure what percentage health-wise I was in, but that I could not be out there without trying to help. When I told him that, I put my career on the side to help him and the team. Being in an incredible amount of pain, I went out there to support them.

"No. 3, after he went on national TV to say what he said, he sent me a text message trying to tell me that it was the media trying to change things. I did not respond to the message and I said to myself, this guy must have some mental issues or needs medicine or something? I said, I am dealing with someone crazy and I am not going to drive myself crazy, so it is better if I leave it alone."

Ortiz said he is only speaking up about it now because he was focused on finalizing a two-year contract with the Red Sox.

"I am a player that has the game in his blood," he said. "In the 10 years that I have (been) in Boston, I have been the soul of the organization and there has never been a second where David Ortiz being able to go on the field and do what he does has decided to stay seated."

On Monday, the Red Sox officially announced Ortiz's return to the team. The veteran designated hitter will get a two-year deal worth at least $26 million, a source told ESPNBoston.com.

Ortiz, who made $14.575 million last season on a one-year deal, will make $14 million in 2013 and $11 million in 2014, and will get a $1 million signing bonus with performance incentives that could bring the total value to $30 million, according to a team source.

Regarding his new contract, Ortiz said that it is the best thing that could have happened to him at this stage in his career. It practically guarantees that he will not wear a uniform other than that of the Red Sox for the rest of his life.

"I feel happy and, on top of that, my mind is at ease because I won't have to move in the next two years. Over the coming two years, I will conclude a 17-year career; not many can accomplish that in this league," said Ortiz, who has had a .285 batting average with 401 home runs and 1,326 RBIs in 16 years with Minnesota and Boston.

Ownership, bad trades combined to sink Indians

Ownership, bad trades combined to sink Indians: Analysis

Published: Sunday, November 04, 2012, 7:00 AM     Updated: Sunday, November 04, 2012, 7:09 AM

 CLEVELAND, Ohio — If a baseball team is built the right way, the advance elements of its incoming talent should blend with the remnants of the old like waves crashing onto a beach. As the old seeps into the sand, the new washes over it.

When the Indians didn’t exercise future Hall of Famer Omar Vizquel’s option at the end of the 2004 season, he represented the last remnant of the franchise’s emergence from the muck and mire of 40 years of disappointment. As Vizquel disappeared into the sand, the next wave had already started to hit the beach to bid him farewell.

CC Sabathia, Jake Westbrook and Cliff Lee were in the rotation. Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore, Jhonny Peralta, Victor Martinez and Casey Blake were making inroads in the lineup. Bob Wickman and Rafael Betancourt were in the bullpen.

Last week, the wave that said bon voyage to Vizquel finally ran its course. Sizemore became a free agent for the second time in as many years on Monday. Hafner and Roberto Hernandez, who came ashore as Fausto Carmona in 2006, became free agents Wednesday when their 2013 options were declined. Unlike Vizquel, who still had quality baseball left in him, it’s questionable how much Sizemore, Hafner and Hernandez have left. It’s even more questionable if they’ll ever wear an Indians uniform again.

For the last several years, Sizemore and Hafner have been irrelevant from a production standpoint because of injuries. Sizemore didn’t play this year and Hafner was limited to 66 games. Lies and deception cost Hernandez almost the entire season following his January arrest in the Dominican Republic for identity fraud.

The right wave can lead to great things for a ballclub. The Indians appeared to have just that in the surge that dissipated last week at the steps of Progressive Field. It produced two Cy Young winners, a 20-game winner, 14 All-Star game appearances, a 30-30 season, the most productive DH in team history, the franchise leader in saves, two Gold Gloves, three Silver Slugger awards, one manager of the year award and two executive of the year awards.

From all that came exactly one postseason appearance — which explains what’s wrong about the current Indians.

The tease began in 2005. Propelled by a 46-28 record after the All-Star break, the Indians finished 93-69. On Sept. 25 at Kauffman Stadium, they trailed Chicago by 1.5 games in the AL Central. In the ninth inning of a 4-4 tie, Sizemore lost a fly ball by Kansas City’s Paul Phillips in the sun and it fell for a game-winning double. Whatever mojo the Indians possessed vanished.

They lost six of their last seven, getting swept by Chicago at home in the last three games of the season. After former Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen capped the sweep by giving Tribe fans the choke sign, the Indians finished six games out of first and two behind Boston in the wild card. Chicago went on to win the World Series.

Still, the wave was impressive. Hafner hit .305 with 33 homers and 108 RBI followed by Martinez (.305, 20, 80), Sizemore (.287, 22, 81, 111 runs) and Peralta (.292, 24, 78). Lee went 18-5 with a 3.79 ERA followed by Sabathia (15-10, 4.03), Westbrook (15-15, 4.49) and Wickman (45 saves).

The glare of expectations ruined the Tribe in 2006. So did a bullpen with the fewest saves in the league. Wickman was traded in July to Atlanta for a minor-league catcher. They finished fourth at 78-84, 18 games out of first place.

But the production continued: Martinez (.316, 16, 93), Hafner (.308, 42, 117), Sizemore (.290, 28, 76, 134 runs), Blake (.282, 19, 68), Lee (14-11, 4.40), Westbrook (15-10, 4.17), Sabathia (12-11, 3.22).

The crest came in 2007. The Indians won the division — their only Central title in the last 11 years — and tied Boston for the most victories in the league with 96. They beat the Yankees in the division series and took a 3-1 lead over Boston in the ALCS before losing three straight. In Game 7, third-base coach Joel Skinner mistakenly stopped Kenny Lofton, acquired from Texas for the stretch run, at third base for what should have been the tying run. The Red Sox went on to beat the Tribe, 11-2, and sweep the Rockies in the World Series.

It was the last hurrah for the core and it was a good one: Martinez (.301, 25, 114), Peralta (.270, 21, 72), Blake (.270, 18, 78), Sizemore (.277, 24, 78, 114 runs) and Hafner (.266, 24, 100). Sabathia went 19-7 with a 3.21 EA to win the Indians first Cy Young award since Gaylord Perry in 1972. Hernandez was almost as good at 19-8 with a 3.06 ERA. Westbrook and Lee were held back by injuries and poor performances. Lee didn’t even make the postseason roster. 

The lead element of the current wave helped as well. Asdrubal Cabrera (.282, 3, 22, 30 runs) replaced Josh Barfield at second base to assist in the stretch run. Right fielder Shin-Soo Choo played six games, but underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow in September after spending most of the season at Class AAA Buffalo.

After the season Eric Wedge was named AL Manager of the Year. Two years later, he was fired. Why couldn’t the wave regenerate itself? Four words: ownership and bad trades.

When the Indians came out of spring training in 2008, Hafner, Martinez, Westbrook and Joe Borowski, who recorded 45 of the bravest — but most unlikely — saves you’ll ever see in 2007, were all playing hurt. They quickly broke down and the season went with them.

Borowski was released on July 4. Sabathia, a free agent-to-be, was traded to Milwaukee on July 7 because the Indians couldn’t afford to keep him. Blake, who went from spring training invitee to core player, was traded to the Dodgers on July 26. Paul Byrd, who won 15 games for the Tribe in 2007, was traded to Boston on Aug. 12.

Sabathia turned into Matt LaPorta, Michael Brantley, Rob Bryson and Zach Jackson. LaPorta has been a bust, Brantley finally put together a solid year in 2012. Bryson and Jackson were non-factors. 

The deal for Blake worked out better as the Indians acquired catcher Carlos Santana.

Amidst the bodies flying off the roster, members of the core were still producing. Lee went 22-3 to win the team’s second straight Cy Young award. Sizemore, meanwhile, became only the second Indian to go 30-30 in a season (38 steals, 33 homers). For Sizemore, 2008 would be his last healthy season. For Lee, it guaranteed that he wouldn’t be an Indian long.

The fire sale continued in 2009 when ownership told GM Mark Shapiro that deals had to be made to offset what at one time was thought to be $16 million in losses. The two biggest deals involved Lee and Martinez, each with a year left on their contracts.

Lee and Ben Francisco were traded to the Phillies on July 29 for Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, Jason Knapp and Lou Marson. Knapp, supposedly the key to the deal, was released by the Indians earlier this year after two shoulder operations.

Martinez was traded to Boston on July 31 for Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price. The trading continued in 2010 as Peralta was sent to Detroit for a minor-league pitcher and Westbrook to St. Louis for right-hander Corey Kluber, who made 12 starts for the Tribe this season.

A big part of the latest wave is already ashore. Cabrera, Santana, Jason Kipnis, Brantley, Masterson, Ubaldo Jimenez, Zach McAllister, Kluber, Chris Perez, Vinnie Pestano, Joe Smith, Tony Sipp, Cody Allen all played a part in the Indians’ 94 losses this year.

Can they do a better than the previous wave? Will ownership and management give them more to work with than they did the previous core of players? It all depends what the next wave brings in.

 Going, Going, Gone | Timeline of the Tribe's core group


July 25, 2000: Jake Westbrook and Zach Day acquired from Yankees for David Justice and Ricky Ledee. 
July 28, 2000: Bob Wickman acquired from Milwaukee for Richie Sexson, Kane Davis, Paul Rigdon and Marco Scutaro. 
April 8, 2001: CC Sabathia goes 5 2/3 innings against Baltimore in his big-league debut. 
Feb. 23, 2002: CC Sabathia signed a four-year, $9.5 million deal. 
Dec. 18, 2002: Casey Blake signs minor-league contract with the Indians. 
June 27, 2002: Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips and Lee Stevens acquired from Montreal for Bartolo Colon, Tim Drew and cash. 
Sept. 10, 2002: Victor Martinez goes 1-for-4 against Toronto in his big-league debut. 
Dec. 6, 2002: Travis Hafner and RHP Aaron Myette acquired from Texas for RHP Ryan Drese and C Einar Diaz. 
June 13, 2003: Jhonny Peralta starts at shortstop against San Diego in his big-league debut.
July 13, 2003: Rafael Betancourt lost to the White Sox in his big-league debut. 
April 5, 2005: Victor Martinez signed a five-year, $15.5 million deal. 
Sept. 18-24, 2005: Travis Hafner homers in six straight games. 
March 6, 2006: Grady Sizemore signs five-year, $23.45 million deal; Jhonny Peralta signs
six-year, $13 million deal. 
April 15, 2006: Roberto Hernandez, known as Fausto Carmona, won his big-league debut with a victory over Detroit. 
May 7, 2006: Bob Wickman saved his 130th game as an Indian to make him the team’s all-time leader. 
July 20, 2006: Bob Wickman traded to Atlanta for Max Ramirez.
April 7, 2007: Jake Westbrook signs three-year, $33 million deal. 
May 20-June 17, 2007: Casey Blake hits in 26 straight games, longest AL streak that year. 
July 12, 2007: Travis Hafner signs four-year, $57 million extension, biggest in team history. 
Aug. 8, 2007: Asdrubal Cabrera starts against Chicago in his big-league debut. 
Sept. 28, 2007: CC Sabathia beat Kansas City for his 19th victory on his way to the Cy Young Award. 
Oct. 5, 2007: Hernandez/Carmona pitches nine innings in Game 2 of ALDS against the Yankees at bug infested Progressive Field. The Indians won, 2-1, in 11 innings. 
April 10, 2008: Hernandez/Carmona, signs four-year, $15 million contract. 
July 7, 2008: CC Sabathia traded to Milwaukee for Matt LaPorta, Michael Brantley, Rob Bryson and Zach Jackson. 
July 26, 2008: Casey Blake traded to the Dodgers for Carlos Santana. 
Aug. 25, 2008: Grady Sizemore, facing Detroit, hit his 30th and 31st homer to become the second 30-30 man in team history. 
Sept. 1, 2008: Cliff Lee threw a five-hit shutout to beat the White Sox for his 20th victory on the way to Cy Young Award. 
May 1, 2009: Jhonny Peralta homered against Detroit to pass Woodie Held and become the Indians’ all-time home run leader among shortstops. 
July 3, 2009: Shin-Soo Choo went 4-for-5 with two homers, four runs and seven RBI against Oakland. 
July 29, 2009: Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco traded to the Phillies for Jason Donald, Lou Marson, Carlos Carrasco and Jason Knapp. 
July 31, 2009: Victor Martinez traded to Boston for Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price. 
July 29, 2010: Jhonny Peralta traded to Detroit for Giovanni Soto. 
July 31, 2010: Jake Westbrook traded to St. Louis as part of a three-team deal in which the Indians receive Corey Kluber. 
Oct. 29, 2012: Grady Sizemore granted free agency. 
Oct. 31, 2012: The Indians declined the 2013 options on Travis Hafner and Roberto Hernandez, making them free agents. 