Major League Baseball
Notebook: Gonzaga product Bay wins award

By Seattle Times news services

Jason Bay

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NEW YORK — Former Gonzaga standout Jason Bay became the first Pittsburgh Pirate to win the National League Rookie of the Year award.

Bay, also the first Canadian to win the rookie award, got 25 of 32 first-place votes and 146 points yesterday from the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Oakland Athletics shortstop Bobby Crosby was one vote shy of being a unanimous pick for the AL honor.

"It means the world to me," Bay said of being Pittsburgh's first winner of the award. "You walk into the locker room and you see all those jerseys hanging up, it's kind of amazing it never happened."

Bay, 26, hit .282 with 26 homers and 82 runs batted in. He was married Saturday in Seattle and was with his wife, Kristen, when he was informed of the award.

	Oakland's Bobby Crosby dominated AL voting.

"November 2004, especially in a two-day span, is something I'll never forget," he said.

Bay won the West Coast Conference batting title when he hit .388 as a senior at Gonzaga in 2000.

Crosby, 24, hit .239 with 22 homers and 64 RBI this year.

Notes

• The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., opened its Ichiro exhibit yesterday; the exhibit will stay open through next summer.

The exhibit, dedicated to the Mariner outfielder's record-setting 262 hits, included the bat, batting gloves, spikes, wrist bands, elbow guard and sunglasses from Ichiro's 262nd and final hit of 2004.

• The San Diego Padres traded one of their extra outfielders, Terrence Long, to Kansas City for left-hander Darrell May and right-hander Ryan Bukvich. The Royals also obtained right-hander Dennis Tankersley in the deal.

• Superstars Pedro Martinez, Sammy Sosa and Randy Johnson figured to attract plenty of attention once all 30 general managers got together yesterday in Key Biscayne, Fla., and set up for their annual meetings.

Besides major-trade scenarios, there are other things for the GMs to talk about during the meetings. There will be a discussion about moving the July 31 trade deadline, and the topic of instant replay also was listed on the agenda.

Traditionally, the GM gathering serves as a precursor for the winter meetings, to be held Dec. 10-13 in Anaheim, Calif. "This is where you can lay the groundwork," Atlanta GM John Schuerholz said.

• The Montreal Expos released relief pitcher Rocky Biddle.

• Mayor Anthony A. Williams predicted he has enough votes in the District of Columbia Council to approve financing for a ballpark for the Montreal Expos in the south-of-the-Capitol location agreed to in the team's contract to relocate to Washington, D.C.

The 13-person Council plans to vote today, and seven votes are needed for approval.

• Anaheim officials said they will resist any attempt by the Angels to change their name to the Los Angeles Angels. The franchise began play as the Los Angeles Angels in 1961, became the California Angels after a move to Anaheim in 1966 and has been the Anaheim Angels since 1997, after the team negotiated a 30-year lease with Anaheim.

Jackie Robinson AL Rookie of the Year Award Votes

First-, second- and third-place votes and total points on a 5-3-1 basis.

Player 1st 2nd 3rd Tot

Bobby Crosby, Oak 27 1 — 138

Shingo Takatsu, Chi 1 11 6 44

Daniel Cabrera, Bal — 7 8 29

Zack Greinke, KC — 4 4 16

Alexis Rios, Tor — 3 3 12

David Dejesus, KC — 1 3 6

Ross Gload, Chi — 1 1 4

John Buck, KC — - 1 1

David Bush, Tor — - 1 1

Nate Robertson, Det — - 1 1

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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