FANS SUE MARLINS: Florida Marlins season ticket holders are so angered by the World Champions payroll purge, they are taking the team to court.
Two separate class-action lawsuits were filed - the first day court was open since Friday's seven-player trade with Los Angeles. The Marlins got Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile, who aren't expected to stay long.Florida, which got rid of 12 players from its World Series roster during the offseason, has lowered its payroll from $53 million at the end of 1997 to $24 million.
WELLS HONORED: David Wells, who became only the 13th pitcher in modern major-league history to throw a perfect game, won the AL Player of the Week award.
Wells went 2-0 with a 1.06 ERA for the week, ending with his perfect game Sunday against Minnesota. He has retired an AL-record 37 straight batters.
CORDERO'S RETURN: Wilfredo Cordero isn't expecting a warm welcome when he returns to Fenway Park.
"It would be nice to have a good series," he said of tonight's game against the Boston Red Sox. "I'm just going to play, that's all. The focus is to win ball games."
The outfielder was released by the Red Sox last season after pleading guilty to beating and threatening to kill his wife. He was signed by the Chicago White Sox in the spring.
The White Sox make their first trip to Boston for a two-game series starting tonight. Chicago manager Jerry Manuel said he expects Cordero to be booed - just like he was last season after his domestic problems surfaced.
"They'll probably boo him, they won't cheer him," Manuel said Monday. "This is not about performing, it's about another issue. It's good that it's a two-day trip and then we come home."
Red Sox first baseman Mo Vaughn, whose locker was next to Cordero's in the Boston clubhouse, said he looks forward to seeing his old friend so they can socialize again.
DAVE, MEET DAVE: Pitching a perfect game is a nerve-wracking experience. Take it from David Wells, it's nothing compared to appearing on David Letterman's CBS show.
Wells did the celebrity thing Monday after pitching his perfecto against the Minnesota Twins. "I was more nervous today," he said. "It's a great honor to come on this show."
Wells made it through unscathed, trading a few barbs with Letterman, who seemed genuinely impressed by the pitcher's accomplishment.
"He went through the Minnesota Twins the way Clinton goes through interns," Letterman said in his opener.
Then he targeted Yankee Stadium's structural problems, saying: "Usually, a perfect game at Yankee Stadium is when nobody gets hit by a chunk of concrete."
That was followed by a shot at Well's taste for refreshment: "He celebrated by retiring 27 Heinekens in a row."