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Pitcher's colorful mitt no plum foolery
Colorado Rockies reliever Jose Mesa does not mind when people laugh at his purple baseball glove.
Mesa has used different-colored gloves during his stops in Baltimore, Cleveland, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and, now, Colorado.
"It's something I've been doing all my career," Mesa said. "When I was in Cleveland, it was red and blue. When I came here and I saw purple, I decided to make it purple."
Franklin Sports manufactures Mesa's glove. His request even caught representatives off-guard. "I called them and told them I wanted purple," Mesa said. "They said, 'For real?' I said, 'Yeah.' "
Mesa said he isn't superstitious when it comes to his gloves. He doesn't have the same glove dyed or colored differently. "That's why I don't use the same glove every year because I'm not superstitious," he said. "I keep the others at home. Every year I use a different glove."
Boston Red Sox reliever Mike Timlin has a glove colored in camouflage. Mesa, who like Timlin has made more than 900 appearances in the majors, enjoys taking the one-of-a-kind wardrobe approach.
"Purple is pretty good, man . . . nobody is using it," Mesa said. "Some people use red, but nobody uses purple except me. I like that."
NOTEWORTHY
ESPN baseball analyst Steve Phillips isn't ready to jump on the first-place Rockies' bandwagon just yet. Asked which current last-place team has the best chance to reverse its fortunes, Phillips said, "San Diego is probably the one team that has a chance, because they have some pitching depth and veteran experience. For San Diego to win, they are going to have to hope the division is a lot like it was last year, where the winner is close to a .500 overall record. If the (San Francisco) Giants stay healthy, I think they can run away with the NL West."
Denver Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith will be the keynote speaker for the John Lynch Foundation’s annual “Salute the Stars” awards luncheon May 10 at Invesco Field. The event will honor student-athletes, teachers and coaches from Colorado. For ticket information, call 866-553-4747.
It can be noted that Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James already has as many wins (three) in his first NBA playoff series as does his Class of 2003 draft mate, Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony, who has played in 14 postseason games.
Denver boxer Manuel Perez will fight for the World Boxing Council's USNBC super-featherweight championship against the title-holder, Rashiem Jefferson, tonight in Philadelphia. Jefferson, who is from Philly, has a record of 9-0 with five knockouts. Perez, who was a quarterfinalist at the 2002 National Golden Gloves tournament, has gone 6-0 as a pro.
The seen: Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd among a group of team executives inside the club's toasty-warm private suite while former GM Bob Gebhard (now with the Arizona Diamondbacks) scouted from the stands in the chilly conditions during Wednesday night's game against the Cincinnati Reds.