Pussy Toad On Double Secret

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"That's all we can say for now."
What the heck could it be?

August 29, 11:51 PM ET
Expos suspend Irabu seven days
ESPN.com news services

MONTREAL -- The Montreal Expos suspended injury-plagued pitcher Hideki Irabu for seven days without pay for failing to respect the terms of his contract.

Irabu, in the midst of a rehabilitation stint with Triple-A Ottawa, has been out of the Expos lineup since June 13 with a strained right elbow.

Expos assistant general manager Larry Beinfest would not disclose details of the suspension Wednesday.

"Irabu can't take part in Lynx games and he won't be paid," Beinfest said. "That's all we can say for now."

The suspension is the latest blow to Irabu's shaky Expos career. He has missed most of the last two seasons with injuries after being acquired by Montreal from the Yankees on Dec. 22, 1999, for pitchers Jake Westbrook, Ted Lilly and Christian Parker.

Irabu has made four rehab starts with Ottawa this season while recovering from knee and elbow operations, going 1-2 with a 4.43 ERA.

He strained his right elbow while pitching against the Yankees in a 9-3 loss at New York on June 13. He is 0-2 with a 4.86 ERA with Montreal this season.

Irabu's contract expires at the end of the season and the Expos are not expected to offer him salary arbitration.

[Duque]

Seeing as the Expos have turned into a sort of farm club for the Red Sox, I wouldn't be surprised to see Irabu end up there over the offseason. If Joe Kerrigan were still the pitching coach, he could probably work wonders for the Japanese Nolan Ryan.

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Another steal for the Bosox? Well, someone has to take Sabes place?

Related, if Ted Lilly develops as some suspect he can, the Irabu deal may end up as a steal for NY.

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Thanks to Lee for this info:

According to a couple of Canadian news reports, Expos P Hideki Irabu's suspension was for drinking himself into stupor before a scheduled start.

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The Japanese Nolan Ryan. I believe they once called him that, no?

Thursday, September 6
Expos decide to cut Irabu loose
Associated Press

MONTREAL -- The Montreal Expos released pitcher Hideki Irabu on Thursday, the day after he finished a one-week suspension imposed while he was on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Ottawa.

"It's a risk that we can't take," Expos general manager Jim Beattie said Thursday after making the announcement about the injury-plagued Japanese right-hander.

Team officials would only say that Irabu had "violated the terms of his contract" when the suspension without pay was announced on Aug. 29.

Japan's Kyodo News Service subsequently reported that Irabu had to be hospitalized one day before a scheduled rehab start after he went on a drinking binge while the Lynx were in Buffalo.

Irabu made just three starts for Montreal this season due to a variety of injuries. The Expos restructured his contract after acquiring him from the New York Yankees for three prospects on Dec. 23, 1999, signing him to a two-year deal with club options for 2002 and 2003.

"We won't spend millions without knowing he has a good chance to perform for us," Beattie said.

Irabu went 0-2 with a 4.86 ERA this year for Montreal. He had surgery on his right knee and right elbow last season, and was 2-7 with a 6.69 ERA overall in 14 starts with the Expos over both seasons.

"We're disappointed about the way things happened and it's time to move on," Beattie said. "If he gets healthy and demonstrates that he wants to pitch, he has the talent to do it in the major leagues. Not being healthy is tough and he hasn't been healthy very much. He's a talented guy and he can do things others can't."