Nelson takes spot in Kansas City 'pen

Pitcher Joe Nelson was recalled on Monday by the Royals from Triple-A Omaha. He replaces Chris Booker, who was placed on the disabled list with a groin injury.

Nelson, 31, is the Mr. Spock of the Royals. He throws a change-up which he calls "the Vulcan" because he uses the hand configuration used by the famed "Star Trek" character.

You know, the sign that these days Leonard Nimoy can flash to the Trekkies on that TV commercial only after taking a jolt of intergalactic axel grease or something.

Anyway, Nelson is able to grip a baseball between his four fingers -- the thumb is not involved -- as he tries to Vulcanize hitters with the offspeed pitch. It's not an easy grip to master.

"I spread my fingers, first with a golf ball, then a baseball, then a softball in the web," he said. "It's probably my out pitch. It goes down and in to a right-hander."

His other pitches are more ordinary -- a fastball, curve and slider.

The Vulcan he learned from Lloyd Simmons, his coach at Seminole (Okla.) Junior College. Oddly enough, Nelson never pitched for Simmons at Seminole; he only played shortstop.

Simmons, now the Royals rookie league manager in Arizona, had a good pitching staff that included Eric Gagne, who went on to become the Dodgers' closer.

"I pitched zero innings for him," Nelson said. "He didn't need me. But when I left, he told me, 'You'll pitch in the big leagues someday.'"

Nelson did, if only briefly for the Atlanta Braves and the Boston Red Sox. This year the Royals called him up from Triple-A Omaha long enough to pitch one scoreless inning before sending him back.

For Omaha this season, Nelson was 1-1 and had a 2.20 ERA in 12 games. In 16 1/3 innings, he had 26 strikeouts and six walks.

As Nelson headed for downtown Cleveland from the airport on Monday, police vehicles were closing off the interstate. Ah hah! A special welcome for Nelson?

Probably not. It was more likely for Vice President Cheney, who had just landed in the Starship Enterprise ... er, Air Force II.