Sue Estes wasn't shocked when she learned about the three-player deal that sent her son, Shawn, from the San Francisco Giants to the New York Mets on Sunday. She did have one concession to face up to, though.
The commute to Shea Stadium from her home in Gardnerville is much more difficult than the one to Pac-Bell Park.
"It's disappointing to us because San Francisco is so convenient," said Sue Estes, who routinely drove to San Francisco to watch home games that Shawn started during his seven seasons with the Giants. "We will still get to go watch him play when he's on the West Coast and we'll probably get DirecTV with the special stations so we can watch some of the games on television."
Estes, drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the first round as a senior out of Douglas High School in 1991, was obtained by the Giants in a deal early in the 1995 season and he pitched his way from Class A all the way to the parent club by the end of that season. He's been there ever since.
Until now.
It's still no surprise the 6-foot-2, 195-pound left-hander is moving on. His name surfaced last week in discussions about a three-player, three-team trade in which Robin Ventura would have gone to the Giants, Ray Lankford would have gone to the Mets and Estes to the Padres.
"I think he was kind of prepared for this," Sue Estes said. "The Mets trainer took a look at him last week ... checked his ankle out and all that ... so he knew they were interested in him."
When the Giants signed Jason Schmidt to a long-term deal, Estes knew he'd probably be moving on, Kevin Czerwinski of mets.com reported on Monday.
"Maybe I wore out my welcome here, that's why guys get moved. They signed Schmidt and they want to give [Kurt] Ainsworth a shot. I may be the odd man out. I've been rumored to be traded the last three or four years, so I actually prepared myself for this. So I'm really not surprised," Estes said.
Estes went 9-8 with a 4.02 ERA in 27 starts this past season. Estes is 64-50 with 4.25 ERA in 160 games.
He had surgery to remove bone chips from his left ankle when the season ended. But he says that he is now fine, that he's running and anxious to pitch in New York.
"I think it's great," said his father, T.C. Estes. "The Mets have a good shot at getting to the World Series. That's a good young team.
"Shawn gets to pitch with Al Leiter, I think that's going to help; he's going to have a great defense behind him; and from what I understand, they're still trying to make themselves stronger. I hear they're looking to pick up Juan Gonzalez or Jeromy Burnitz from Milwaukee ... another big hitter to help out Mike Piazza. You've gotta like that."
Estes, who will celebrate his 29th birthday on Feb. 18, figures to join a starting rotation that includes Leiter, Kevin Appier, Bruce Chen, Glendon Rusch, Steve Trachsel and possibly Satoru Komiyama. He will also have the support of an infield led by three-time Gold Glove winner Rey Ordonez -- who set a major league record for errorless games by a shortstop when he ended the 2001 season by playing 100 straight games without a miscue -- plus Edgardo Alfonzo, who will move from second base to third to make room for Roberto Alomar, acquired from Cleveland in an eight-player swap last Tuesday.
"He's excited to be on the team with those guys," Sue Estes said. "It's not where you play that matters, it's how you play. And I'm just happy he's going to be playing."
Though Shawn will wear different colors when he plays, he still intends to make his home in San Francisco.
"He loves San Francisco," Sue Estes said. "But we as a family will have to change our team allegiances. That's going to different, especially for T.C., because he's been a Giants fan for so long.
"Shawn is fine with it, so I'm fine with it. He's still getting to do what he loves. That's the main thing."
Dave Price is a sports writer for the Nevada Appeal
YearTeamWLERAGGSCGSHOSVSVOINNHRERHRHBPBBSO
1995SF036.7533000017.116141321514
1996SF353.601111000070.0633028323960
1997SF1953.1832323200201.01628071128100181
1998SF7125.0625251100149.1150898414580136
1999SF11114.9232321100203.0209121111215112159
2000SF1564.2630304200190.11949990113108136
2001SF984.0227270000159.0151787111577109
TOTAL64504.251601609600990.09455114687429521795
