The Reds and Padres reach an agreement to trade Ken Griffey, Jr. for Phil Nevin

The Reds and Padres reach an agreement to trade Ken Griffey, Jr. for Phil Nevin

ByTom

2002 – The Reds and Padres reach an agreement to trade Ken Griffey, Jr. for Phil Nevin, but Nevin, with a no-trade clause in his contract, nixes the deal. He says he will only agree to a trade to a West Coast team that trains in Arizona. Griffey tore a tendon in his knee during the first week of last season, setting up another season limited by leg injuries. He also pulled a hamstring and strained hip muscles, limiting him to 70 games, a .264 average, eight homers and 23 RBIs. In a week, the White Sox will turn down an offer of Griffey for Magglio Ordonez.

2002 – The Phillies, in an effort to fill a void created when Scott Rolen was traded to the Cardinals in July, sign third baseman David Bell to a four-year, $17-million free agent deal. Bell, whose father (Buddy) and grandfather (Gus) were also major leaguers, played for the National League champion Giants the previous season after being traded by the Seattle Mariners during the spring.

ByTom

2002 – The Phillies, in an effort to fill a void created when Scott Rolen was traded to the Cardinals in July, sign third baseman David Bell to a four-year, $17-million free agent deal. Bell, whose father (Buddy) and grandfather (Gus) were also major leaguers, played for the National League champion Giants the previous season after being traded by the Seattle Mariners during the spring.

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Outfielder Richard Hidalgo is shot in the left arm during an attempted carjacking in his native Venezuela.

ByTom

2002 – Outfielder Richard Hidalgo is shot in the left arm during an attempted carjacking in his native Venezuela. Thankfully, his wounds are completely healed by the start of the season and it does not interrupt his career. 

2002 – Houston Astros RF Richard Hidalgo is shot in the left forearm during a carjacking in Venezuela. He is released from the hospital and will go to Houston for more tests.

ByTom

2002 – Houston Astros RF Richard Hidalgo is shot in the left forearm during a carjacking in Venezuela. He is released from the hospital and will go to Houston for more tests.

The Montreal Expos may play approximately twenty-five percent of their home games (22 of 81) in San Juan, Puerto Rico next season. Away “home games” are not unprecedented as the Brooklyn Dodgers played seven games in Newark, NJ in 1956 and 1957, and the Chicago White Sox, filling a void when the Braves left, played nine games in Milwaukee, WI in 1968 and another 11 in 1969.

ByBaseball

The Montreal Expos may play approximately twenty-five percent of their home games (22 of 81) in San Juan, Puerto Rico next season. Away “home games” are not unprecedented as the Brooklyn Dodgers played seven games in Newark, NJ in 1956 and 1957, and the Chicago White Sox, filling a void when the Braves left, played nine games in Milwaukee, WI in 1968 and another 11 in 1969.

In the earliest-scheduled season opener in major league history, the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners will start the season in Tokyo, Japan, on March 25, 2003. The two-game series will feature recent American League Rookies of the Year Kazuhiro Sasaki (2000) and Ichiro Suzuki (2001).

ByBaseball

In the earliest-scheduled season opener in major league history, the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners will start the season in Tokyo, Japan, on March 25, 2003. The two-game series will feature recent American League Rookies of the Year Kazuhiro Sasaki (2000) and Ichiro Suzuki (2001).

 Jesse Orosco, agrees to a one-year contract with the San Diego Padres after setting a major league record with 1,252 games pitched

 Jesse Orosco, agrees to a one-year contract with the San Diego Padres after setting a major league record with 1,252 games pitched

ByBaseball

2002 – Jesse Orosco, agrees to a one-year contract with the San Diego Padres estimated at $800,000. Orosco started his major league career in 1979 with the New York Mets (traded by the Minnesota Twins for Jerry Koosman). He will retire next season at age 45, after setting a major league record with 1,252 games pitched.