MILWAUKEE -- Ben Sheets was in the mood to joke around. Until the issue of his unsettled contract came up, that is. Sheets, the Brewers' fun-loving ace, is coming off a breakthrough season in whi ch he set a franchise record for strikeouts and ranked among baseball's best in ERA, strikeouts and innings pitched. He did it all while struggling with sometimes severe pain in his back caused by a bulging disk. He had surgery to correct that problem immediately after the s eason, and expects to be ready to go when pitchers and catchers report to Sprin g Training on Feb. 19. "I'll be ready," he said. "I'm mad they didn't tell me to [have the surgery] ea rlier. I feel a lot younger." Is that possible? Sheets is, in many ways, the Brewers' biggest kid, joking abo ut everything from fantasy football to his hitting -- ahem -- prowess. On Frida y, when he was in town for the team's since-postponed Brewers On Deck event, he was asked about the record $18 million contract awarded by the Astros to Roger Clemens. "They offered me that. I didn't want it," he deadpanned. "They wanted me to be a pitcher, and I wanted to hit for the rest of my career." Then there was this, when Sheets was asked about new Brewers slugger Carlos Lee : "It's weird you mention his name, because [manager] Ned [Yost] mentioned that L ee's going to hit in the No. 5 hole, behind me. They say he can hit, so I shoul d see some good pitches." Never mind the fact that the only way Sheets sees a good pitch is if someone lo bs a softball in his direction. The 26-year-old clubhouse clown was having fun holding court on Friday. Then someone mentioned his contract. Sheets, who is eligible for arbitration for the second time, exchanged salary f igures with the team last week. He and agent Casey Close proposed a 2005 salary of $6.5 million, while the team offered $5.5 million. If both sides cannot come to an agreement, they will participate in an arbitrat ion hearing in February. Sheets, who earned $2.45 million last season, sounded resigned to doing just that. "That's what it's looking like," he said. "That's the nature of the game." Often deals are struck soon after figures are exchanged. Clemens and the Astros settled near the midpoint between Clemens' record request of $22 million and t he team's proposal of $13.5 million. "That's not the case for everyone," said Sheets. "We're prepared. We've already got together our case." He and Close have quite a case. Sheets' 2.70 ERA and 237 innings pitched ranked third in the league, and he trailed only Arizona's Randy Johnson with 264 stri keouts, a Brewers franchise record. Sheets also made his second All-Star appear ance. Ever modest, Sheets nonetheless hinted that he would have liked to hear a multi -year offer from the Brewers. General manager Doug Melvin has said that he woul d like to sign Sheets to a one-year contract and check the health of the pitche r's surgically repaired back in Spring Training. Then both sides could begin ta lking about a long-term deal. Sheets would be eligible for free agency followin g the 2006 season. "In the end, it's me," said Sheets. "The next contract I sign is the only one t hat's guaranteed. Why not maximize while you can?" -- 意者可回信 正式交易時請用ATM轉帳 --

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