Motor City loses ace lefty to Hartford November 4, 1999
Hartford, CT (AP)- Free agent Sterling Hitchcock took little time in
leaving Motor City this offseason. The lefty Hitchcock, who went 12-7 with
a 3.88 ERA for the Madmen this season, signed an unprecedented 7-yr, $84
million deal yesterday to pitch behind The Rocket in Hartford. Amidst a
maelstrom of pressure and speculation, Hartford GM Peter Gammons remained
calm, collected and with a straight-arrow plan in mind the whole time.
Despite disagreements with Owner Jeremy Chrabascz, Gammons and interim
Manager Dwight Evans collaborated on getting the best free agent starting
pitcher available. "It wasn't a hard sell at all," said Hitchcock,
"Hartford is a class organization with a bright, young future. I'm anxious
to be a part of it." The only response from Chrabascz was simply, "He's a
good pickup." Meanwhile, the Whalers we excited to have Hitchcock join
their staff, especially Witt and Clemens. Said The Rocket, "Bobby (Witt)
and I plan on retiring here and it's reassuring to know that there is
quality talent behind us in Kevin (Millwood) and Sterling (Hitchcock) to
fill our shoes for many years to come." Indeed, concern had been growing
that Hartford's pitching staff was incredibly old in comparison to its
youth at the positions. Clemens, 34, Witt, 32, Irabu, 31 and Hill, 30,
certainly weren't getting any younger. Masato Yoshi had been dealt to
Punxatawney for its playoff run for the same reason--he was 33 years old.
Of acquiring the 25-yr-old Hitchcock, Gammons stated, "We couldn't be
happier. We considered going in another direction to add depth to our
outfield but, in the end, we learned from our mistakes in the past.
Pitching and defense win championships."
With the deal the Hartford payroll has ballooned to just under $60
million/year, its highest ever. Almost $24 million of that amount alone
will be given to Mo Vaughn and Sterling Hitchcock. Hitchcock edged Vaughn
in the race to become the highest paid player in PVBL. Now, with two of
the highest paid players in the game, a quality pitching staff and a wealth
of young positional talent on the field, only time will tell what the
future holds for the Hartford Whalers.
