SEATTLE -- For years, former Minnesota Twins general manager Terry Ryan hasnt been able to live down releasing David Ortiz after the 2002 season.Somehow, though, the Seattle Mariners have largely escaped ridicule for trading Big Papi.It was one of the worst trades ever made, said Mike Goff, who managed Ortiz for the Mariners Single-A affiliate in Appleton, Wisconsin, in 1996. But it was something they wanted to do.Back then, the Mariners had a loaded big league roster, led by Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson and 20-year-old Alex Rodriguez. They were trying to win a close wild-card race and believed they needed an upgrade over third baseman Russ Davis. On Aug. 29, 1996, they agreed to send a minor leaguer to the Twins after the season in exchange for veteran Dave Hollins.I got a call with about a month or so to go in the season, maybe a little bit longer, and the phone call was, Who are the untradeables on your club? Goff recalled. Ill never forget that phone call as long as I live. I said, Well, Ive got two.Goff advised the Mariners to hold on to Greg Wooten, a 6-foot-7 right-hander from Eugene, Oregon, who had been drafted in the third round in 1995 and was in the middle of going 15-5 with a 3.19 ERA in 27 starts over two Single-A levels.But Goff also hailed David Arias, a 20-year-old first baseman who wouldnt stop using his mothers maiden name until a year later, when he began going by David Ortiz.Ill never forget them asking me, You wouldnt trade Arias for anybody? Goff said. I go, No, I wouldnt trade him for anybody. That conversation ends, and we make the trade for Dave Hollins. We didnt know who the player to be named later was.Ortiz finished the 1996 season batting .322 with 18 home runs and a .901 OPS. He led Wisconsin to the Midwest League playoffs, losing in the championship series to West Michigan.If I would have played one more year in the minor league system for them, I wouldve been the No. 1 prospect in the organization, Ortiz said. I killed [in 96]. But I dont know. They traded me.Goff found out that Ortiz was headed to the Twins after the final game of the season. Ortiz, who hadnt been traded before or since, admitted he had no clue what was happening when Goff informed him.We come off the field, and my phone is ringing. I look at my pitching coach, and I think we both had the same bad gut feeling at that time, Goff said. I pick the phone up, and Im not going to mention who was on the other end, but the phone call was, Dont let Arias leave the club. Im like, Dont tell me he was the played to be named later, and they said, Yes, he was. And I lost it. Im going to be honest with you, I lost it.I had to call Davey in and tell him hes been traded. It was like telling my son that he got traded. He didnt want to go because he had built such a special bond with the kids on that team and had the biggest year of his life and the fear of the unknown. Next day, of course, everybody went their separate ways. He flew back to the Dominican, and the next thing I know, hes in a Twins uniform, which was hard to accept. But thats the reality of the business.Indeed, Ortiz flew through the Twins farm system in 1997, playing at three levels before getting called up to the big leagues late in the season. He spent parts of six seasons in Minnesota before eventually winding up with the Boston Red Sox, morphing into one of the all-time greatest sluggers and a member of the 500-homer club.The Mariners, who will honor Ortiz with a pregame ceremony Wednesday night at Safeco Field to mark his final regular-season trip to Seattle, missed the playoffs in 1996, though it was hardly Hollins fault. He batted .351 with 3 home runs and 25 RBIs in 30 games before leaving Seattle as a free agent and signing with the Anaheim Angels.Looking back, Goff suspects the Twins got a good recommendation on Ortiz from Dan Rohn, who managed their Midwest League team in Fort Wayne in 1996. Regardless, he can only imagine how the Mariners history might be different if they had kept Ortiz.At that time, we had a loaded major league club. Im sure thats what they were looking at, Goff said. They thought this kid was four, five years away, which in reality, I thought he was two years away. And you saw that with the way he came through the Twins system. But that was the story of how Davey ended up in a Twins uniform.A story that has gone largely forgotten over the years. Alex Rodriguez Jersey Large . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. Paul ONeill Jersey Large . 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Casey Stengel Jersey . -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. The Memphis Grizzlies?have placed Zach Randolph?on an indefinite leave of absence following the death of his mother, Mae Randolph, on Thursday, coach David Fizdale said.He can take as much time as he needs to take, to take care of his family and take care of himself and come back to us when hes ready, Fizdale told reporters on Friday. Weve got to take care of our brother. Obviously losing his mom on Thanksgiving, I think, was devastating for him and all of us. I think anyone can connect to that, relate to something like that and how hard it could be.The Grizzlies (10-5) hosted the Miami Heat on Friday night and will travel to Miami for another game between the two teams Saturday. Memphis then hosts the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.Zach and his mother had an inseparable bond. Mae was so fiercely proud of her son, his accomplishments and his truly special place in the heartss of Memphians and the Grizzlies family, general manager Chris Wallace said in a statement.dddddddddddd.I will never forget the unbridled joy she took in attending our games, cheering as all mothers do, and proudly wearing Zachs jersey in support of her son. Mae raised Zach to be a man with an enormous heart, who is deeply committed to enriching the lives of those in need, and for that legacy we are forever indebted to her.Randolph, 35, is averaging 14.2 points and a team-leading 7.9 rebounds per game this season.My message to the team was Lets make sure we keep our hands on him and surround him with love [and] support and know that if it were switched around, people would be praying for us, Fizdale said. Hes such a great guy, such a great teammate. ' ' '
