Pupil opens Harper's eyes

Fast learner Ellsbury is stealing attention

For 35 years, Tommy Harper has held the Red Sox' record for stolen bases in a season. He claims he always thought Jerry Remy or Otis Nixon would break it, but Remy's bad knees and Nixon's injuries intervened to keep Harper's mark of 54 steals in 1973 in the team record books.

Harper is aware, however, that 2008 will likely mark the end of his reign.

And he doesn't mind one bit, considering the fact he's head over heels in love with Jacoby Ellsbury's game.

Harper, employed by the Red Sox as a consultant, has worked with Ellsbury in the minors and still chats with his prize pupil during the season. Harper earned the reputation as a tremendous hitting and base-running coach with the Expos from 1990-99, tutoring such players as Tim Raines, Marquis Grissom, Delino DeShields, Vlad Guerrero, Larry Walker, Cliff Floyd, Moises Alou, Orlando Cabrera, and Rondell White, but he hasn't seen anyone quite like Ellsbury come along in a long time.

Harper had purposely refrained from commenting on Ellsbury because he wanted to see how the young outfielder responded to the major leagues. Well, he's responded by stealing 19 bases in 20 attempts this season.

"I watch him all the time and I jot things down about his style and how he does it," said Harper. "I keep notes in a book, but I've never once talked to him about anything I've ever written. My feeling is, no reason to fix anything that's not broken.

"If he should get into a slump or have some situations where he's getting thrown out a lot, I'll go to the notes and tell him what I think he might do differently.

"But all base stealers have different styles and different ways of doing things. The important thing is stealing the base. It doesn't matter how you do it as long as you do it.

"There was one time not long ago when Jacoby said to me he thought he was too wide [in his stance], and that told me so much about the kid. It showed me how smart he is. He understood he was too wide and he corrected it on his own.

"I'm telling you, the work I've done with him is more on the mental aspect of it, talking about pitchers and all that. I talk to him occasionally now, but it's usually not about base running because he does that about as well as he can do it."

Harper, who stole 408 bases in his career, took huge leads off first base in his heyday, but Ellsbury is just the opposite. Harper said Ellsbury takes short leads and doesn't feel comfortable being far off the bag. Harper thinks because Ellsbury is so fast he can get away with a shorter lead. He also appreciates how Ellsbury studies pitchers' pickoff moves and catchers' throwing ability.

"I give Terry Francona all the credit in the world," Harper said. "He's basically teaching this kid what I would teach him, and that is situations, who's pitching, who's behind the plate. Ellsbury has taken off in situations which are ideal for a base stealer, and while the kid can run and steal bases, you have to credit Francona with putting him in those situations."

Harper thinks Ellsbury will have no problem stealing 40-plus bases year in and year out. But he doesn't see Ellsbury stealing third much because of the presence of David Ortiz and Manny Ramírez at the plate.

"If you're going to steal third with those bats coming to the plate, you'd better know you can steal the base and not just think you can," said Harper.

Harper loves the fact that Ellsbury uses his speed in so many different ways. Running from first to third. Scoring from first on a double. Playing all three outfield positions and playing them well.

"We're talking about a very special player and a very special person," Harper said. "This kid is one of the best people I've come across in this game. He wants to get better. He wants to learn. He puts his heart and soul into it. I love watching him."

Harper, who stole a career-high 73 bases with the Seattle Pilots in 1969, was asked whether it's easier to steal bases now than when he played.

"When I was a coach with the Expos, probably around 1990 when Marquis was a rookie, you started seeing all of these pitching coaches teaching the slide step so they could make their move to first be 1.2 seconds - hard to steal," he said.

"In time, that loosened up and some pitchers were better than others holding runners. A catcher's arm strength in general has been about the same."

For a long time, base stealing was deemphasized by "Moneyball" teams. It became a lost art. But Harper is impressed with Ellsbury's technique and reads and instincts.

"You can practice getting good jumps and reading pitchers," said Harper, "but it's also something that you have instinctively that you can't teach. And this kid has that."

Colon became spot starter

A few questions for former Cleveland general manager John Hart, now a Texas special adviser, who signed Bartolo Colon for the Indians.

You must have a few stories about Colon.

JH: "I was with Winston Llenas, our great Dominican scout at the time, and we were up there in Santo Domingo, not far from the Haitian border. I mean, Winston did a great job with Bartolo because this kid lived way out in the middle of nowhere. He had never played organized baseball, and we brought both he and Julian [ Tavarez] into a stadium in Santo Domingo under these dim lights. I mean, Bartolo had never even seen an organized game. He was 16 years old. He started throwing for us and it was so impressive that we signed him on the spot."

It looked as if he went through your system quickly.

JH: "He got himself acclimated to pro ball at 17, and at 18 we had him in Kinston, N.C., our A ball team. We nicknamed him 'Boogie,' and after I took a trip down there to see him late in the season, I just said, 'I'm not waiting anymore.' I wanted to bring him up to the Indians on Sept. 1. And he just threw so hard. He was one of those guys who threw harder as the game went on. He'd start out 92-93 and he'd be throwing 97 or 98 by the ninth inning. He had an excellent career for us."

I understand you almost traded him.

JH: "Before Boston acquired Pedro [Martinez], I had a deal in place to trade Bartolo and Jaret Wright to the Expos for Pedro. Everyone in our organization would have traded Wright, who had an excellent World Series in 1995 against the Braves. But everybody said no on Bartolo, so we didn't make the deal. He had a great career for us. He was one of those exceptionally strong guys. He never had a good body, but he had the strongest legs of anyone we ever had in Cleveland. The only question anyone had was whether his body would hold up."

And Julian?

JH: "Just the opposite of Bartolo. He was skinny and rangy when we first saw him, but he had that arm that whipped across his body. We always thought that his most effective role would be out of the bullpen. He's had some good years."

Both were recently available. Why did so many teams pass?

JH: "Good question. I recommended we sign Bartolo. As for Julian, I was shocked that nobody picked him up. He can still pitch."

The waters are getting rough for these skippers

Managers in trouble:
John McLaren, Mariners: It's too bad, because he spent his entire career working toward becoming a manager. McLaren, who was a great lieutenant to Lou Piniella in Seattle and Tampa Bay after a stint with the Red Sox, knows the game inside and out. But some of the things he worried about in spring training - his offense and his bullpen - have let him down. General manager Bill Bavasi could be in jeopardy, as well. But Mariner ownership may not feel the pressure to take immediate action.

Willie Randolph, Mets: Anybody you speak to around baseball will cite the same thing when describing the Mets - poor chemistry. "No leaders, players who don't have any accountability, and just a bad vibe all around," a Mets employee said to me last week. The Johan Santana deal was supposed to give them a boost, but even closer Billy Wagner is sick of being the only player who speaks for the team. It's the same as last year, when both Wagner and Paul LoDuca (who left as a free agent) had issues with teammates. It didn't help when Randolph claimed that he's covered differently by the media because of his race - comments he later apologized for. Or that he lashed out at the Mets' TV network for unflattering camera shots of him. GM Omar Minaya seems to have some explaining to do to the Wilpon family.

Ned Yost, Brewers: His bullpen has imploded, from Eric Gagné to Derrick Turnbow to David Riske. What a mess. A lot of year-after blues on the offensive side, and Billy Hall is misplaced at third base. Hey, if Yost goes, they have Gabe Kapler. Haven't had a player-manager for a while.

Touching the bases

Apropos of nothing: 1. Manny Ramírez's barber, LMonstro, is cooking up a neat reality show; 2. NESN colleague Dennis Eckersley agrees that Justin Masterson's delivery looks awfully familiar; 3. Good news for fans of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs; after their 5-30 start, they won 7 of 11; 4. Can't remember which stadium it was, but the ice cubes in my iced coffee were made of coffee, not water - brilliant; 5. I'll miss watching Mike Piazza.

In the wings

So who would be the best candidates available if one, two, or three managers get shown the door? Here's my seven-man list (keep in mind that teams can deny permission for coaches to move during the season, though the Red Sox would not stand in anyone's way of advancement):

1. Jimy Williams, Phillies bench coach: Williams was a very good manager for the Red Sox and has a new exuberance for the game.

2. Ken Macha, NESN analyst: The former A's skipper is waiting to get back into the game, fired after three 90-win seasons in Oakland.

3. John Farrell, Red Sox pitching coach: Turned down Pittsburgh last season, but is on many short lists.

4. Don Baylor, MASN sports network (Orioles/Nationals) commentator: He has the experience.

5. Tony Peña, Yankees first base coach: Fiery, and perfect for the Mets, who have a huge Latin presence and are in need of a kick in the . . .

6. Jim Fregosi, Braves scout: Many people are asking, "Why isn't this guy managing?" He'd be ideal anywhere.

7. Jerry Narron, Rangers scout: A Seattle or Milwaukee candidate.

Wild story about Wilder

White Sox director of player development Dave Wilder, who you'll remember was interviewed for the Boston GM job during Theo Epstein's 2005 hiatus, is in hot water. The Red Sox thought very highly of Wilder, considering him one of the most impressive candidates they interviewed. He's been a top exec under John Schuerholz and White Sox GM Ken Williams. But a federal and MLB investigation is looking into whether Wilder and two scouts skimmed money from signing bonuses paid to Latin prospects. All three were fired by Williams late last week - which was not easy, since Williams is one of Wilder's best friends. The case has a lot of baseball people shaking their heads, hoping there's some other explanation.

Son is shining

The mean-spirited words he sometimes hears from the stands apparently haven't interfered with Koby Clemens's performance in Single A ball. Through 34 games, he was hitting .284 with 3 homers, 19 RBIs, and a .388 on-base percentage in his first season as a catcher for the Astros' affiliate in Salem, Va., which is owned by the Fenway Sports Group. Clemens's pro career was floundering until he made the move from third base to behind the plate.

A case of non-support

It's no secret that what's killing the Indians is offense, not pitching. According to Elias, since April 17 and through May 22, Indians starters had four of the five best ERAs in the AL: 1. Aaron Laffey (1.60), 2. Cliff Lee (1.61), 3. C.C. Sabathia (1.66), and 5. Fausto Carmona (2.27). Daisuke Matsuzaka was fourth (2.21). Cleveland is 17-16 since April 17 (through Friday night).

Showing some sock in Chicago

Carlos Quentin is carving out quite a story for himself with the White Sox. The right fielder has knocked in 40 runs and hit 12 homers. "I never expected this kid to carry our club," said manager Ozzie Guillen. "We needed help, and he gave us help. He's swinging the bat well and not swinging at bad pitches and he's really strong." Williams acquired Quentin from Arizona for power-hitting A ball first baseman Chris Carter (not the Red Sox' Chris Carter). Eric Byrnes was coming off an excellent season, and the Diamondbacks decided to take care of Byrnes and make him their left fielder for the next three years for $30 million. Byrnes (.220 through Friday night) is having a miserable season.

Totally unexpected

Omar Vizquel and Ken Griffey, likely to be first-ballot Hall of Famers, made their major league debuts for the Mariners on the same day (April 3, 1989). Old friend Hal McCoy of the Dayton News posed the question: Which of them has more hits? The answer is surprising: Vizquel had 2,609 to Griffey's 2,601 through Friday night.

Striking figures

From baseball "newstalgist" Bill Chuck: Jason Giambi has 12 singles and 9 homers this season. In 2001, Barry B*nds hit 73 homers and only 49 singles. In 1999, Mark McGw*re had 65 homers and only 58 singles. One more: Ryan Howard led the majors with 72 strikeouts entering last night, giving him 565 in 460 career games. Joe DiMaggio had 369 strikeouts in 1,736 career games.

Short hops

A shout-out to the many men and women of the military who read and support this column on a weekly basis. Your e-mails make my day . . . David Laurila's revised "Interviews from Red Sox Nation" and "Red Sox Threads: Odds and Ends from Red Sox History," by Bill Nowlin, are on this week's reading list . . . Don't forget the BoSox Club summer camp essay contest, for boys and girls ages 9-16. For more information, go to bosoxclub.com . . . Happy birthday to Todd Walker (35) and Bill Haselman (42).

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com