Johnson Has Diabetic Episode

Right-hander Jason Johnson of the Baltimore Orioles was rushed off a practice field in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Wednesday after a diabetic episode.

Johnson, who wears an insulin pump to maintain his sugar level, was treated outside the clubhouse on the back of a cart by the club’s medical staff and paramedics from the Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue unit.

About 10 minutes later, he walked to the trainers’ room with minimal assistance.

Johnson, 29, recovered swiftly from hypoglycemia -- low blood sugar -- and was cleared to drive from the club’s spring training complex. Johnson, who has Type I diabetes, has similar reactions to low blood sugar about once or twice a year.

Signs of hypoglycemia include dizziness, light-headedness and confusion. If left untreated, it may lead to unconsciousness.

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Florida Marlin ace A.J. Burnett lost baseball’s final arbitration case of the year, but he still came out a winner.

The right-hander will make $2.5 million this season, quite a jump from last year’s salary of $367,500. Burnett, who led the major leagues with five shutouts, had sought $3,075,000.

Burnett led the Marlins in victories last year, when he was 12-9 with a 3.30 earned-run average and 203 strikeouts in 204 1/3 innings. But the Marlins noted in the arbitration hearing that he has been on the disabled list each of the last three seasons because of thumb, foot and elbow injuries.

Owners won five of seven cases this year, giving them a winning record for the seventh year in a row. Teams have a 259-194 record since arbitration began in 1974.

The Marlins won two of their three arbitration cases this winter. Reliever Vladimir Nunez lost, and starting pitcher Mark Redman won.

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Left-hander Kirk Rueter agreed to a two-year, $12-million contract extension with the San Francisco Giants that runs through 2005.

Rueter, who went 14-8 last season with a 3.23 ERA in 33 starts, will receive a $3-million signing bonus to be paid out $1 million each on Jan. 31 the next three years. He will make $4 million in 2004 and $5 million in 2005.

The 32-year-old Rueter will probably be the No. 2 starter in the rotation following Jason Schmidt.

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Giant left-fielder Barry Bonds had a 10-minute operation on his left elbow to remove a quarter-inch ball of scar tissue and a suture from a previous surgery. Giant trainer Stan Conte referred to the procedure as a “bumpectomy.”

“It was uneventful, exactly as we planned,” Conte said.

“We didn’t have to dig into the [triceps] muscle or anything else. It was right below the skin. The key to the surgery was we opened up the skin and it was right there.”

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Boston Red Sox owner Tom Werner said that the seats atop Fenway Park’s left-field wall may not be ready for the April 11 home opener against Baltimore because of the recent snowstorm in Boston and construction delays.

The Red Sox play their first 10 games on the road, starting March 31 at Tampa Bay. The club recently announced plans to add 280 seats, plus standing room, atop the 37-foot high wall.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates were close to finalizing a contract with outfielder Reggie Sanders, who was unable to land a major league job until now despite hitting 23 homers for the Giants last season.

Keeping with club policy, the Pirates won’t announce the deal until the 35-year-old Sanders passes a physical.

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The Seattle Mariners announced that right-hander Freddy Garcia will start the March 25 season opener in Tokyo against the Oakland Athletics. Left-hander Jamie Moyer will start the second game of the series as well as the home opener April 8 against the Angels.... Jeff Kent’s much-anticipated debut with the Houston Astros was put off because he didn’t feel well. Kent made a brief appearance at camp in Kissimmee, Fla., early in the morning, but was sent home. He didn’t take part in the club’s first full-squad workout of spring training.