McLane follows through, gets Oswalt his bulldozer
By the third inning of the Houston Astros’ pennant-clinching victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, Roy Oswalt was dreaming about a bulldozer.
The right-hander remembered what Astros owner Drayton McLane promised him in the clubhouse before the game – win and you’ll get that all-purpose tractor you’ve always wanted.
Oswalt came through, allowing one run in seven innings in the Game 6 victory that sent Houston to its first World Series two months ago.
Monday, McLane fulfilled his part of the bargain, presenting Oswalt with a shiny, new Caterpillar D6N XL – with a giant red bow on top of the cab.
The Weir, Miss., native beamed as he climbed aboard the corn-colored machine, hauled into the parking lot at Minute Maid Park on a flatbed tractor-trailer.
McLane said a bulldozer has been on Oswalt’s wish list almost from the day he moved up to the majors in 2001. The model he purchased for Oswalt cost about $200,000.
Oswalt said he’ll use the new toy to repair two man-made lakes and build some roads at the 1,000-acre ranch he owns with his brother.
“There are going to be a lot of jealous people around where I live,” Oswalt said. “I’m going to try to hire out and make a little money in the off-season.”
Ueberroth calls for Bush to reverse decision on Cuba
U.S. Olympic Committee chairman Peter Ueberroth called on the Bush administration to reverse its decision to keep Cuba out of next year’s World Baseball Classic.
Ueberroth, a former baseball commissioner and head of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, said last week’s decision by the Treasury Department to deny Cuba a permit to play in the 16-team event will damage American efforts to host the Olympics in the future. Olympic host countries must guarantee all nations can participate.
“It is important to any future bid city from the United States that this be reversed,” Ueberroth said during a telephone interview with the AP. “It’s disappointing. This will impact IOC members negatively. This may be the only example of a country prohibiting competition on an international scale.”
D.C. mayor asks that lease be pulled from agenda
Mayor Anthony A. Williams asked the District of Columbia Council to delay consideration of a lease agreement for his proposed Nationals baseball stadium on the Anacostia River waterfront.
In a signal Williams might not have the votes needed to gain approval, officials said he had asked Council Chair Linda W. Cropp to withdraw the lease from today’s agenda to make “small, technical changes” to the 30-year agreement with Major League Baseball.
Clearing the bases
Chicago White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski agreed to a $15 million, three-year contract and avoided salary arbitration. … Five-time All-Star Nomar Garciaparra signed a $6 million, one-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers that allows him to earn an additional $4 million in performance bonuses. … Ryan Freel avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a $3 million, two-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds. … The Indians agreed to terms on minor league contracts with relief pitchers Danny Graves and Steve Karsay. … The Philadelphia Phillies completed last week’s trade of pitcher Vicente Padilla by acquiring right-handed pitcher Ricardo Rodriguez from the Texas Rangers. … The Oakland Athletics agreed to a $2.4 million, one-year contract with left-hander Joe Kennedy, avoiding salary arbitration. … The Devil Rays announced they avoided arbitration with third baseman Sean Burroughs by agreeing to a $1.5 million, one-year contract that includes a $2.25 million club option for 2007. … Relief pitchers Bret Prinz and Steve Colyer agreed to minor league contracts with the Colorado Rockies.