The sporting news 06 03 1996

NBA and NHL PLAYOFFS: Complete coverage of the conference finals

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Why should I giue up the tools I trust?” he asked.

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"Leaue the tools. R i p e em a shot.'

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June 3,1996

COVER STORY Weighing his decisions

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You’re out!

T h e shocking loss of his friend John M c S h e rry has renewed umpire Erie G regg’s resolve to change his lifestyle— and win die battle of the bulge.

I can't imagine any of us will soon forget John M c S h e rry walking with halting steps away from hom e plate in Cincinnati on opening day. lit e television replays followed every step. until he lurched to the turf, h is system in arrest. W hen Erie Gregg.

M c S h e rry 's friend and compatriot in cating, saw tile pictures, he knew he must change h is lifestyle or suffer the same results. Only days later, he checked into the Duke / University Diet and Fitness \ Center for \ what, he hopes! will be a chance to win the battle against his weight.

Senior writer Steve M a ra n a knew Tmh

VOICES 6

Dave Kindred: Form er major leaguer Bill Tuttle tells a horrifying first-person tale of the evils of tobacco.

7

letters

BASEBALL 15

You need a calculator: Scoring is up dramatically, but Michael Kinsley offers concrete suggestions on what pitchers can do to slow down the sluggers.

18

Michael Wilbon: M o v in g Cal Ripken from shortstop ✓

to thud base is a cause celebre in Baltimore. But to Ripken, the ultimate team player, whatever is best for the Orioles is O K with him.

19

Bob Nightengale: General manager Randy Smith has no regrets about leaving the Padres for the toothless Tigers.

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Baseball Insider

21

Baseball Notes

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FOOTBALL 37

S k ir t in g N ews

Bob Glauber: Instant replay is back— but only on an experimental basis in preseason.

38

NFL Notes

51

Wan Malse): Small-college stars finally are honored by the College Football Ball of Fame.

BASKETBALL 43

Never Sleepless In S e a t t l e Sam Perkins’ 3-point

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expertise has given the Sonics a weapon that is difficult to defend.

46

Steve Marantz: Phil Jackson’s blend of athleticism and spirituality makes him a coach with qualities from the ’60s who is right at home in the '90s.

47

Shaun Powell: New Jersey has cast an enticing net for Kentucky coach Rick Pitino.

51

Mike DeCourcy: Best recruiting class in the country? T r y UNLV.

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HOCKEY 48

Nothing hut net: Patrick Roy’s focus, whether he's playing in Montreal or Denver, is always on the Stanley Cup.

50

Larry Wlgge: Six reasons the Stanley C up finals will

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end on a Rocky Mountain high.

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DEPARTMENTS 5 52

Openers The Sports Marketplace: A treasury of products

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was the perfect place for Gregg Gregg: W ater w eight to tell h is story. is left in the pool.

M a ra n a was very critical of the relationship between baseball and the um pires union that allowed M c S h e rry to start the season in uniform. "T h e risk of losing his job might have been the only thing that could have motivated M c S h e rry to control his weight,” Marantz says. ‘T h e same applies to Erie G regg and several others.” * Marantz pressed National league president leonard Coleman to allow a visit to G regg while he was at D u ke and the league grudgingly consented. What you see in the story that begins on Page 8 is G regg’s compelling fight against h is own compulsion to overeat. as well as a larger picture about this quiet killer nationally. "G re gg would rather have done this quietly and without fanfare,” Marantz says, though G regg could come to symbolize the fight against obesity.

Perhaps Erie G regg’s eloquent story will inspire some of u s to lake the action we need to extend our lives.

and services.

54

The Closer: Sayonara grand slams.

Cover photo o f Erie Gregg by Albert Dickson/TSN.

To subscribe to TH E SP O R T IN G N E W S or make a change of address if you are an existing subscriber, see Page 47.

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T H E S P O R T IN G N E W S (IS SN 0038-805X) Juno 3. 1996, Vol. 220. No. 23. is published weekly, except se mi-weekly during a week in January. March. April.

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June 3,1996

CAI GOT ON THE FLY

Buy low, sell high his Heineken gimme calendar “I’d be insulting everyone’s intelligence if I called it just one of 16 games on our schedule," J J . says. "Besides, that’s not exactly my style.

The bigger the game, the bigger I want to blow it up. And in Dallas, if they say its just another game, then they will be insulting our intelligence."

■ Next, on Unsolved Mysteries: ‘The Case of WHI Clark’s Disappearing Power."

■ Hot cha, think Knickleheads care who’s drivin’ this train with three draft picks and $10 mil of cap wiggle room?

Dave Check efts and Ernie Sninfeld say Je ff Van G a id y's the man because he isn't a name. Bottom line, though, is they needed a coach, any coach, before the free-agent inquiries (read: serious wooing of Juvran Howard) got hot-n-heavy.

■ Hey-yo, Fly’s as big a C&W fan as anybody (shaddup!), but when the Jest talk about “ Ho*Sliow” Jones, they ain’t talkin’ The-Possum. M LB Marvin, who was AWOL from the second week-o-camp, has it all over George .

Crimson ’n’ cream HIW : In General term , Hoosier Bob has a doughnut lineup—a soft outer ring with a hole in the middle.

■ The Spies caught Emmttt pumpin’ iron at 7 arn. (ahem) at the Ranch, heard Troy and Barry’ve buried the hatchet, and saw that Chack Haley and Tony Tolbert’re mending nicely from surgeries. Draw these conclusions: Inrln or no, South America's Team ain’t finished yet.

■ Speaking of J .J . and the ’Boys, My hears that, yeah, Old Helmet Hair makin’ no secret dial he’s circled October 27 on

Nicked names THURSDAY NIGHT TALK SHOW. 8-9: The Fly swats scrubeenie questions (TSN Chat Room). 9-10: Get a Stanley Cup Finals preview with Larry Wigge (TSN .

Chat Room). 10-10:45: Join S parky Anderson and his minions in the AOL Sports Dome. (All times Eastern).

BULL SESSION: Bulls fans are invited to talk about Michael, Scottie, Rodman and even Kerr. Win a prize in Bulls trivia. Come by to bash the Bulls as well, but beware this crowd. Sundays and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET in TSN’s Chat Room— while the team’s alive.

Tofind other impromptu chats through the week with TSN writers, editors and surprise guests, check out our Chat Schedule on the site's Talkscreen.

HOW TO FINO US ONLINE: lf you have America Online software (call 1-800-827-6364 to order), you'll find TSN by going to keyword: T h e S p o r t in g N e w s . Or go to Sports from the Main Menu and look for our icon. Bummer for Mac users: Our site is accessible on PC’s only until fall, when AOL’s 3.0 client arrives.

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s been a brutal sports year for coaches and managers named Buddy and Butch. We can’t begin to tell you why; check your 1-900 directory for a qualified psychic who can.

All we kno^ is this: The Kame

circle was closed on the Buddy/Butch phenomenon in early May when ScrantonAViikes-Barre manager Butch Hobson was charged with cocaine possession in Pawtucket. R I., where Buddy Bailey is manager of the PawSox.

Here's the Buddy/Butch breakdown:

Real name

Season record

Buddy Bell

■ Now that mega-recruit Bandy Moss is an ex-’Nole for playin’ lead guitar for the Coral Reefer Band. you-n-Fiy know he’ll land on his shackled feet somewhere. The triple-options: I) another Division I halfway house (“Hello, operator, gimme directory assistance. Lincoln, Neb. ..."); 2) the C (and formerly softie U.S.) FL; or 3) a small college.

Best guess (shaddup!): Small Spuds U. for a year and on to the N FL ■ Bobby Bo blows a head gasket about Cavey J . ("What the is going on around here?"), and Fly can’t help but think he's t/iisdose to bein* an ex-O. It’s simple math: John Hart puts up with Albert because his numbers project to 60plus homers. Bobby Bo? Its tough for Pat GIII!ck to take a pop-off good for a dozen, count ’em, dingers.

■ Fly’s word problem of the week: lf yer a franchise owner in a league with a limp commissioner who threatens a fine if ya talk to another city about movin’ yer franchise, how willing are you to peel off 500 thou to pay the fine and make a move that’ll put $300 mil in yer pocket? You have two seconds to answer.

■ Finally, the Rox hit I mil in their 21st home date, leavin’ the Broncos in their dust. And now Fly’s old friend Scott Hastings, a No-gut turned 'TV/radio fool, pinpoints just how hot the Lanche are in Denver "I’ve only been in town five years, and I remember when people used to buy anything for the Broncos. They’d buy Bronco farts if you handed them a bottle and said that’s what it was. But now the Broncos actually have to compete with the Avalanche, which is hotter than a pot of coals right now."

5 !*,

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Butch B.

ASSOC I AT CD P R IS S

Don’t even ask Fly to play third.

■ You think Fly didn't notice that: Hal Katz sold to a j cable company, Do* Starling's talkin' with Disney about the | Clips, Heft Kohl’s thinkin’ about passin’ the Bucks and Mal Katz, Don Sterling and Herb Kohl are friends-o-Jerry Reiwdort. jerry’s mouth says, “ It doesn’t feel like the right time,” but his bottom line screams: Sell the Bulls now— and collect rent as a landlord at the Jordan (nee United) Center, where all 216 suites are sold for the Bulls and Blackhawks for from five to eight years (and they ain’t there to see Eerico CfCCOM, bay-bee).

■ In last offseason’s ‘Tastes great... Less filling,” most G.M/s preferred Craig Blgglo over Robbie Alomar (the whissspers were that Alomar sat out tile last week of the season to preserve-n-protect his .300). Hey-yo, Robbie can’t sit out the rest of the way to hit .400, but his start left the Spies askin’ not if he was the best free-agent second sacker last offseason but if he's the best player in the game today.

One M LB exec’s response: Junior has the most talent, but Robbie’s the best player.

■ Speaking of Junior, Fly hears he was {alkin’ to teammate Darren Bragg at Fenway during a pitching change when points of red light began hitting Griffey’s body, then his head. Says Bragg: "All you could think about was somebody with a laser scope on a gun." Turns out some knucklehead with an infrared classroom pointer's gettin’ his sick yuks. Yo, its baseball and you're an American.

■ Hoosier buddies tell Fly that Bob Knight’s happy with his recruiting class, but theres still a Kent Bwson-sized hole on the roster. The General pins I.(0 )U .’s subpar season last year on one place: "Our guard play was bad from Day One." Yeah, yeah, starters Charlie Miller, Hell Reed and Andrae Patterson are back for another go-round, but that’s like saying, “Boy, this food is bad, but the servings sure are big."

■ Fly hears Dolphins tight end Erie Bree* has gotten his considerable fanny in a sling with J.J. over a knee injury. It’s not how—Green says during QB camp, the Fish say joggin’ on his own— but how quickly, Fly’s guessin’ (shaddup!), as in how quickly hell recover from the surgery he underwent to repair the knee, not to mention if/when hell be in shape.

Butch H.

Butch 0.

Status

David Gus 12-38 (throuah Sunday) Manager, Tigers Comm ent: His team has A.L.'s highest ERA, worst batting average and second-worst defense Buddy Ryan James David 4-12 Fired as Cardinals coach Comm ent: Sent out to pasture with his horses Buddy Teevens Eugene F. 2-9 Football coach, Tulane C o m m e n t Has G-36 record in four years; without major Improvement, ifs bye-bye Bayou Butch Beard Alfred J r . ' 30-52 Fired as Nets coach Com m ent: Yet another coach swallowed up by the Nets. “ Was I doomed from Day One?" he says. “ Ycfc."

Butch Hobson Clell Lavem Jr. 13-14 On leave of absence as manager, Scranlon/W-B Comm ent: Charged with cocaine possession, awaiting a hearing July 10 in Rhode Island Butch Davis Paul Hilton 8-3 Football coach, University of Miami C o m m e n t Two players have died; probation ruling knocked team out of bowl game

Openers compiledby Cad Moritz and Mark Newman.

6 • VOICES

The Sporting News

Huge potholes onTobacco Road P m Jit t t A CTO

N c h o L is H Niles

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Dave

KINDRED

invited the Tuttles to help warn players about snuff and chewing tobacco.

H ie U.S. surgeon general has said oral cancer rates are 50 times higher in chronic snuff users than in non-users. “The tobacco companies use the warnvand-fuzzy word ‘smokeless/" Garagiola says. “ ‘Smokeless’ does not mean ‘harmless.’ " The surgeon general also says tobacco kills more Americans than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, murders, suicides, drugs and fires combined. “"When we’d begin in the clubhouses,” Garagiola says, “the players thought, ‘Oh. great, another sermon from baseball.’ " Then he would say he and the Tuttles had come on their own nickel, not baseball’s. “ Bill and I are not especially religious people." Gloria Tuttle says. "But we feel a calling about this.”

Baseball is a game of choice.

Garagiola told the players: “You choose to throw a fastball. You can choose, also, to chew or dip.

We just want to tell you, 'Here are some of the consequences of that choice.’

“And if you don’t think of yourself, think of your mother, v your father, your friends who come to the hospital for your two-hour operation and nine hours into it. they're still waiting."

Garagiola showed a picture of Bill Tuttle in his big league days.

Then he introduced a man without a face. “ Bill didn’t have lo say a word to get his point

Merchants of misery to make money selling tobacco. Oth­ erwise. tile weed has never done any good for anyone. Thinking here of Brett Favre, Marge Schott. Brett Butler and Bill Tuttle...

Kavres admitted addiction is to painkilling drugs including alcohol. The Packers quarterback also (tips snuff and carries a paper cup to catch the loathsome drool of his saliva running brown.

Someday, unless he gels lucky.

Favre will pay for that addiction as well.

Schott is good at making a fool of herself. But seldom has the owner of the Reds demeaned herself more completely than by allowing Sports Illustrated to pose her with a cigarette in hand. its smoke rising toward the void of lier prison wardens face.

Butler's doctors, done with surger \ on his tonsillar cancer, couldn't say the cancer was Pinch hit: Tuttle, in his heyday with the Twins, before he learned that a i caused by three years of tobacco pinch between the check and gums can be dangerous to your health. use In years ago. But neither could they absolve tobacco. In fact. Butler's cancer— squ amos ce)) carcinoma—often is tobacco's accomplice.

— President Clinton, on using chewing tobacco As for Bill Tuttle, anyone who has touched tobacco needs to know his story. There is no doubt what tobacco did to him. across.

Sow tit), the former outfielder for the Tigers. A's and Twins It was a mortality check for young men who think they're chewed tobacco for 3K years. At home in P E I. Tuttle heard his wife. invincible, Garagiola says. “They might dodge the cancer bullet, Gloria, say. “ Have you started chewing iii the house now?" but tobacco also brings high blood pressure and periodontal “ No." he said. disease. Ten years before his cancer. B ill Tuttle had all his teeth She said. "Then whats that in your mouth?" removed.”

It was a lump the size of his usual wad.

Tuttle first chewed tobacco when a teammate banded him the evil (inly it wasn't tobacco. stuff. “ It burned at first.” Tuttle says, “ bul he told me I’d get used to It was cancer. it. I go! addicted."

Soon enough, most of Bill Tuttle's face was gone. Today his wife Garagiola had chewed. “A macho thing. And we did it out of says lie “looks like a dried-up apple." She calls the last three years boredom. Who could spit the farthest? Who the straightest? Who “years of hell, misery and atrocities.” could drown that bug? There are two baseball traditions: scratchy’ W hats left of Tuttle's face is a chilling example of the plastic and spittin’. I can’t do anvilling about seratchin, but I’m trying to surgeon's art He has no jaw' and no teeth. Skin taken from his chest stop the spittin*. is taut beneath a haunting eye. His cheekbone is a piece of skull “We pray to God that Brett Butler will be OK. What it’s done moved from the back to the front: as Gloria Tuttle explains. "They already is make him a lightning rod on this issue the way Magic revolved his head.”

• Johnson was on the A ID S thing. I want Brett to know that if he wants T lif first of Tuttle’s six operations, done late in 1993. took 13l-j to be part of our team fighting this, I'd love it.” hours. 'They did. like. Roto-Rooter, digging for the cancer." Mrs. Before Bill Clinton threw the seasons first pitch. Garagiola Tuttle says. “ And they kepi finding it." persuaded the president to meet with interim commissioner Bud At ort!' (K/int. Tuttle lost 73 pounds. So many nerves were cut Selig and players union boss Don Fehr. They all spoke out against during So hours of surgeries that he lost feeling in his arms. Unable spit tobacco. Clinton using these words: “ It disables; it disfigures; it to speak alter one operation, Tuttle wrote his wife a note: "No more. kids."

I'd rather die.''

As painful as all this is. the more painful truth is that none of it is Instead, lie talks about it. The Tuttles went to spring training this news. A decade ago when Hank Aaron ran the Braves’ minor league year with jew- Garagiola. once a major league catcher and later a Hall system, lie ordered a change in the players’ uniforms. H ie uniforms of Fame broadcaster. Garagiola's best work now is done tor the no longer would have back pockets.

Baseball Alumni Team. a charih helping players and their families.

Aaron says, “ I did it so they couldn’t carry those snuff cans.” ♦ He also brings passion to a crusade against smokeless tobacco. As chairman of the National Spit Tobacco Education Program. Garagiola D ave K indred is a contributing w riter fo r Tmh S p o r t in g N k w s .

‘It disables; it disfigures; it kills.’

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7

June 3,1996

VOICE OF THE FAX M&M

‘Thank you for the beautiful article on the parallel careers of Michael Jordan and Mario Lemieux—and what a classic cover.’

Whoa, Sparky!

forgetting a fellow named Hareem AbdulJabbar?

Marshall Adesman Durham, N.C. madesman@acpub.duke.edu -ti

I have been on this earth for 13years, but I have seen better big men—including Hareem Abdui-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson—than Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal can’t shoot free throws. Take away the dunk, and he doesn’t have much of a game. Don't tell me he’s the best since Wilt the Stilt.

Ben Wickert Columbus, Ohio

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Dave Kindred, what the heck are you thinking? All Shaq is is a huge guy.

Sue Mikos Westchester, III.

As I read your article on Pat Gillick and how he makes so many trades (TSN, April 22), I wondered whether you recalled how you used to refer to him as "Stand" Pat Gillick for years in Toronto?

Yehuda Hirsch Brooklyn yeh uda. hi rsch@jwtny.sprint, com

Just what the Doc ordered As I watched Doc Gooden throw his no-hitter and fans live or die with every pitch (TSN, May 27), I realized that it is not high scoring that fans want It is excellence.

Excellence has become so rare in sports that fans appreciate it in any form, be it pitching, defense or offense.

Erie Mark Paramus, N.J. emm828@aol.com IVe been a diehard Yankees fan all my life and never thought I’d be thanking George Steinbrenner for anything. But after freezing through nine innings of snow on opening day, what to our wondering eyes should appear but free tickets to a future game.

In an unusual display of largess, George offered free tickets to anyone who braved the snowstorm. We picked May 14th vs. the Mariners and got to witness Doc Gooden’s no-no. For free!

B ill Egan Ijandisville, Pa.

GKfc firings It was so refreshing to see the outstanding article by Clyde Drexler (TSN, May 20) dealing with child-abuse prevention. In Milwaukee County (Wis.), we continue to wage the battle of child abuse and neglect. In 1994, we had 10,574 child-abuse and neglect referrals. In ’95, we had 9,086, a reduction of 14 percent. Unfortunately, the projection for ’96 has us over 10,000 again.

We need to showcase role models such as Drexler to help get the important message across. Keep up the good work, Clyde the Glide and T h e S po r t in g N ew's .

Mark Borkowski Milwaukee County Supervisor Milwaukee

Thinktank Too often I read in your publication letters that denigrate the opinions your columnists espouse. Hey, guys, lighten up. Agree or disagree, that's what makes sports fun. Your writers are great Keep it up.

Paul Ordakowski Arlington, Va.

CTSN, May 20). For the past three seasons, many people thought Neil O'Donnell was what separated the Steelers from a Super Bowl championship.

Now, he has left four starting caliber receivers, a superb offensive line and the league’s best defense to pursue a huge contract and a jersey that will hide the grass stains that he is likely to receive. All of a sudden, he’s a football god?

Jim Miller, Kordell Stewart, Mike Tomczak, even rookie Spence Fischer... take your pick. Better than Neil any day, specifically Super Bowl Sunday.

Michael Sherman Pittsburgh

Oil and water Bill Plaschke’s absurd observation that Houston mayor Bob Lanier is committing political suicide (TSN, May 20) is clearly the view of an outsider. Houston is tired of Bud Adams’ threats to extort even more money from folks who work for a living. I, like a majority of Houstonians, say good riddance!

Nashville, you'll love Bud in IO years when he wants more concessions.

Thomas C. Davis Houston adidasl358@aol.com Before you spout the Tagliabooboo company line, Bill Plaschke, you had better find out what the hell is really going on.

W illie Vandtrfyrink I m Porte, Texas willrun@aol.com

Steelton

Youth movement

I am responding to articles by Bill Plaschke and Gerry Dulac, who wrote about the “quarterback problem" in Pittsburgh

I’m sorry, but someone is going to have to explain it to me again: Why is it a big deal when tim likes of Stephon Marbury, Allen Iverson or Kobe Bryant forgo their college education (TSN, May 13) and not a big deal for the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Cal Ripken Jr. or Andre Agassi?

Mark Cusson Saratoga Springs, N. Y. bwnz07a@prodigy.com

Postscript I enjoy reading Dave Kindred’s column every week, but I must take exception to his statement that Shaquille O'Neal is the best big man to play in the NBA since Wilt Chamberlain CLSN, May 20). Dave, are you

Carolina stew Looklsg greet: As a Jet, O’Donnell can look forward tograss stains to match his uniform.

Pat answer

I have been calling Mario Lemieux the "Michael Jordan of hockey^ for years and it is great to see them recognized together. In answer to Michael Knisle/s question, “How do they do what they do?” I say the same way that Monet or da Vinci or Beethoven did what they did.

They have been blessed with talents that the common man can never know. A John Starks or a Dale Hunter is made; Michael and Mario are born.

Patrick Langan Baltimore langanp@nitnoi.howa.lib.md.us

ii

NBA—Nothing But Adolescents.

hnwitie.Mo,

Hey, wait a minute. Sparky Anderson claims to have an easy way to solve the DU argument (TSN, May 20). He suggests that each team designate a pair of three-game home series in which fans would vote on the issue. What about the majority of the fans, the ones who live in towns such as Rapid City, Albuquerque. Presque Isle and Boise?

Fans who can’t easily run off to the ballpark and cast votes. Fans who have a valid stake in the outcome of this debate.

Bad idea. Spark)'. Ridiculous idea, actually.

Just about as ridiculous as the idea thai gave us the DH to begin with.

Bob Dilley Boise, Idaho

Neil Brown Columbia, S.C. uscgrad@msn.com

East Carolina football coach Steve Logan says ECU is the "football school in the state.”

Wrong. My alma mater, the University of North Carolina, is the state’s football power.

Try four bowls in the past fours years, giving the Tar Heels a total of 20 bowl appearances.

Tile names of Lawrence Taylor, Amos Lawrence, Art Weiner, Charlie Justice and Natrone Means are just a handful of the greats to play football in Chapel Hill.

Je ff Thornton Minot, N.D. thomtoj@m w91740ms. minot.af mii Thanks to Ivan Maisel for his column on East Carolina. It•will take articles such as these for East Carolina to attain the respect of the nation. The Pirates will take another step in earning respect when they defeat North Carolina State November 30 at the new Carolinas Stadium in Charlotte, in front of the largest crowd lo witness a college football game in North Carolina.

Charles Snyder Stoneville, N.C. cecu@gnn.com

Amply for Fly Just to set the record straight regarding tile comments on tile Vikings and Fernando Smith in Caught on the Fly (TSN, May 20): ■ The Vikings are prohibited by Minnesota and Michigan law from disciplining an employee because he is the subject of a wage withholding offer.

■ Fernando Smith did make childsupport payments. However, they were in cash and hence not documented.

■ The concealed weapons charge against Smith occurred two years before he was drafted by the Vikings in 1994.

A subsequent internal review revealed the Vikings were in possession of a 1995 wage withholding order that had been misfiled, . and we have since forwarded the Michigan court more than $19,000 representing withholdings that should have occurred during 1995.

Boger L Headrick President and CEO, Minnesota Vikings

Got a comment?

T h e S p o r t in g N e w s

would love to hearfrom you.

Write Voice ofthe Fan, 1212 N. Lindbergh Blvd., St Louis, Mo. 63132,fax your message to us at 314-993-7723, or send us electronic mail at tsnmail@aol.com. Be sure to include your name and city with your e-mail.

T B e S p o r t in g N e w s reserves the right to edit lettersfor brevity and content.

8 â&#x20AC;¢ COVER STORY

The Sporting News

COVERSTORY•9

June 3,1996

! chance for long-term success declines with • subsequent admissions. A baseball metaphor (lest describes the situation: Gregg has two • strikes against him. He is guarding the plate.

"W ith each passing veal. ii gets more and more difficult." says Hamilton. I bike's direc­ tor. "Because complications oi obesity in-' ! crease with age. there is an urgency to get , this accomplished."

Perhaps urgency explains ( ovgg's atypical demeanor when I visit him in the last week of J April.’Normally he is outgoing, conversationI a1 and upbeat. Since breaking into the Na­ tional League full time in 197R the third black umpire in major league history, lie lias culti­ vated p high profile through media accessi­ bility and force of personality. But M cSher­ ry ’s death stunned Gr£gg; the two were so alike. In M cSherry’s twitching body, Gregg saW himself.

At Duke. Gregg is serious, focused and subdued. His days are filled with exercise, lectures, consultations, group discussions, low-fat food and the company of other obese patients. His evenings are (or quiet rumina­ tion and telephone calls to his wife. Conchie ta. and four children in Philadelphia. Occa­ sionally he takes in the Class A I )urham Bulls or attends a movie.

Gregg is wearing a sweatsuit and sneakers when we meet, after lunch, in an empty con­ ference room. He repeatedly notes the time y t ev e arantz in an effort to stay on schedule for afternoon workouts. I ask him what is motivating him P hotos by A lber t D ickson to undertake the Duke program a third time.

He gets straight to the point. besity killed umpire John "I was told by my doctors my weight and M cSherry. Eric Gregg, high blood pressure possibly could bring on his friend and colleague, is a stroke or heart attack." Gregg says. fighting against the same He pauses to arrange his thoughts. fate. M ore than 300,000 "The tragedy of my partner is motivating Americans will die from also." he continues. 'T hen there s my wife obesity this year, and mil­ and my kids." lions more will know its What about fear? I ask. misery. Doctors aren’t sure how to stop this "Iv e always been in fear of having a heart insidious epidemic afflicting one of three attack." Gregg says. "But even though I have adults and one of five children. But they know a fibrillation, they told me my biggest prob­ one thing: It s time for obesity to line up lem is blood pressure and salt intake. I'm alongside other deadly diseases and face its looking at a stroke more than a heart attack. accusers.

That’s what I’m afraid of. whether it boils M cSherry’s collapse, on opening day at down to one or the other.’

Riverfront Stadium, defines the problem. An You have a sense of urgency. I say. autopsy officially attributes his death to heart 'T h at’s right.’’ Gregg says. “ I've been discase. But obesity specialists know better. through this before, and I'm tired oi yo-yoing.

They shake their beads and hope medical Hie doctor told me yo-yoing is no good for leaders, health insurers and the non-obese my heart, and no good for me. I’m at a point public wake up to the reality of obesity. of my life I’ve been to enough parties. Iv e M cSherry was close to 400 pounds at death. had my World Series and playoff games. Now His heart gave out under the stress of carry­ its time to take care ot my family and do ing his weight— and from a physiology and whats right for me. lf I want to see my kids lifestyle beyond his control. Heart disease -graduate from high school and college. I ve was a symptom, not a cause.

A walk awl a h it B y day; Gregg walks Hie nail'on Duke’s East Campus (above); by evening, he is ii got to be alive. Right now I'm on track to do Until obesity is taken seriously, people popularfigure at a Durham U tile hague field (facing page), visiting as a /aivr to another umpire. that. It’s not going to be easy. It lakes a lot of such as John M cSherry will die prematurely. work to be straight. It’s easy to be a bad guy." times the square of their height in meters (a class as an umpire. Obese travelers flying M cSherry. 51, might have coped more suc­ Weight has been a problem since child* non-metric example: a person who is ti feet tall cessfully if the FOA had not dragged its feet coach must purchase two seats it they can’t I and weighs more than 199 pounds)— run a j hood, as it is for a majority o! obese adults. In on a new anti-obesity drug. approved in the fit into one. significantly higher risk of coronary heart dis­ • his 1990 autobiography. Working the Elate, Ridicule and indifference "stem from our last week of April, the first since 1073. Insur­ ease. stroke, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, i Gregg tells of surviving a dreary West belief that obese people are weak-willed, lazy ance companies continue to resist funding diabetes mellitus, gout, arthritis, gall stones, j Philadelphia ghetto upbringing punctuated or have a character disorder," says Dr. outpatient and preventive care for obesity. bv domestic violence. Raised in an alcoholic infertility, accidents and child-birth complica­ Michael Hamilton, an obesity specialist at Hie American Psychiatric Association still tions. l o Gregg and millions who fight it. obe­ I lather and haltered mother who separated Duke University's Diet and Fitness Center. does not define obesitv rn as a disease. sity is no joke. It s a matter of life and death. \ when,he was 14. Grogg cann ‘brough his Bm obesity usually is not just a matter of Backward medical attitudes are mirrored ■ youth with an insatiable apatite- tor Jood. willpower. It is far more complicated— a in popular culture in the politically correct iun. TV soaps and baseball. chronic disease caused by genes, environ­ 1990s. obese people are victims of the last His high school junior varsity coach n ih ils lie Gregg, 15. on leave iron* the Na­ ment. physiology and psychology. Obese per­ permissible bias. Obesity is both ignored and tional league, came to Duke in the I I iregg, heavy and slow, crying alter hitting a sons may eat the same amount of loud as ridiculed. Erie Gregg has been called “ Fat Al­ third week of April seeking help— as ■ c lean line drive to right field amt being normal-weight people and remain obese. Ob­ bert" find 'Io n s of Fun" by players and man­ I he had betore. as M cSherry had be­ i thrown out at first, (iregg was ivl'v. 240 sessive eating often occurs, however, for rea­ agers. la tin players favor "Chuleta"— Span­ pounds at graduation, but managed to drop fore. Gregg's weight was. 375 pounds, his' sons an individual may or may not control. ish tor pork chop. Tile Cardinals once sent bu pounds to gain admission ut umpire blood pressure up and his heart condition ag­ Mystery shrouds the disease. him a 5-pound sandwich of cold cuts before a school. As an umpire, lie writes, "my weight gravated. He first enrolled iii 1990 and again Those who taunt Gregg may not realize game. Former manager Dick Williams once problem increased the higher I went in pro in 1992. Both times he vowed to maintain his obesity causes him high blood pressure and a told reporters Gregg's strike zone “ is as big ball. H ie more cheeseburgers and beer I weight loss and exercise regimen, and both heart fibrillation. Obese persons— those as his rear end." could afford, the more I a te .... When vou’re times he failed. Duke specialists say the whose weight in kilograms is more than 27 Meanwhile. Gregg is fortunate to fly first

To millions of Americans who struggle with it, obesity is a matter of life and death.

John McSherry lost the battle, renewing fellow N.L. umpire Erie Gregg’s resolve that he will—he must—van.

But can he? Can we?

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HIS DIET consisted of Philly cheese steaks, mustard pretzels, beer and ribs. He ate hamburgers and fried chicken as appetizers before dinner, guzzled six or seven beers after a game and ordered room-service pizza at 3 a .m . He was down to one sit-up a day: ‘ Half when I woke up and haft when I went to b e d .’ working all those minor league towns, eating on the run, and just trying to get filled up on good food, you develop bad eating habits and an expanding waistline.”

He weighed 205 upon reaching the majors in 1978 and ballooned on the wings of a bigleague salary and expense allowance. B y 1980, Gregg writes, “ my suit jacket was up to a 56 long and my weight was at 354. M y collar was a 2 2 ll And I knew it was out of control.”

His diet consisted of Philly cheese steaks, mustard pretzels, beer and ribs. He ate ham* burgers and fried chicken as appetizers before dinner, guzzled six or seven beers after a game, and ordered room-service pizza at 3 a.m. He was down to one sit-up a day: “ Half when I woke up and half when I went to bed."

Teasing was routine. Once, during a rain de­ lay in Cincinnati. Pete Rose was yelling at Gregg to get the Gelcf covered. Dodgers man­ ager Tommy Lasorda, hearing Rose, shouted, “Just throw Gregg’s jacket over the field.”

Someone retorted from the Reds dugout, “You can't do that because Gregg’s suit is going condo after the game!”

Usually he laughed off the remarks. But oc­ casionally leasing got to him; he worried it undercut his authority. Gregg writes of eject­ ing Giants manager Dave Bristol for calling him “ Rerun.” the name of an overweight TV character. Phillies pitcher Tug McGraw was heaved for calling him "Hoagie.’’

Today, as a patient at Duke, Gregg bridles at the indignities of obese existence. Every day is open season on obese people, he tells me. anger building in his voice.

“You hear diem laughing as you go by," he

‘Food was it’ Obesity often is characterized— though not necessarily caused by— obsessive eating. Obese persons eat obsessively for several reasons, specialists say. among them stress. Former hockey agent Mark Perrone says the demands of servicing high-profile clients, Bruins star Cam Neely among them, caused him to eat obsessively.

Perrone’s weight went 140 pounds above his weight as a college lacrosse player before he sought help. "food for me was almost like a drug,” says Perrone, 42. "lf I got nervous or uptight or stressed out, I would turn to food. I don't have other vices. Food was it.

"Physically you look at yourself one day and say, ‘Whoa, .this has gotten beyond me.’ You pretend lo reach a comfort zone where everything else is more Important to you than your health and yourself. In my business I spent so much time taking care of everyone else I didn’t pay attention to myself. You wake up one day and you say, ‘Time to put the brakes on.’ “ The key for me was quality of life. You start not doing a lot of things you normally were doing. You look at what you’ve done to yourself. Nobody has done it to you. It creeps up on you. For me it happened over a six- or sevenyear period.

"Vol/ tell yourself any excuse that works. ‘I don't have

says. “You act Uke you don’t hear it, but you bleeping hear it “it takes a mentality, like, ‘Hey, I’m born in the ghetto, and I don’t give a bleep.’ I'm from a tough family. But a lot of people can’t take it. It’s really, really difficult People are really, really rude and really, really rough on some of these people. You can be the nicest person in the world, you walk in the room and you’re fat, people say, ‘Look at that slob.’ You eat one chip, and they say, ‘No wonder you’re fat, you’re eating all-bleeping day.’ It's rough."

Stereotyping has troubling implications in John M cSherry’s death. Stereotypically, obese persons are hypochondriacs. McSherry felt ill before his last game; Duke staffers

time, I’m entertaining, It goes with the lifestyle.’ You’d be Duke University Diet and Fitness Center; he receives ;• surprised how Imaginative you become. One day you peel treatment In exchange for recruiting athletes as patients. back the layers and say, ‘Heyr For me It was being out of He.ls76 pounds Under his peak wetyhTHe'sayybe breath and uncomfortable all the time. You don’t want to. exercisesClarty and no longer.craved htoty-Jattiwds; go out socially because you don’t want to go through the “I sheke my head and think, 'I can’t betted I ate flat \ hassle of what to wear. You become sedentary. I felt I was crap/ * Refton* says. uThAdoesn1.m^ I won’t ever cheating my wife out of an active lifestyle. I felt terrible about that." : smarter.Mornings-{have/.- • At his most obsessive, p. -Special KLWfth fruit'and aldm I-'Perrone estimates he was consuming a minimum of r v (dr.b(itte^Cdffea.lT stayaway 6,000 calories per day. Break­ fast was scrambled eggs and bacon. Lunch often was a ^coupledw itte r^ creamy pasta dish In Boston’s ^ T d frectiom H ^u itlngh--ls ; North End, near his office. In ti making lifelhore'enjoyabie, between were doughnuts, " pitons sayeB pastries and muffins. r.VJ/;-All,ut a sudden yotir ayes “ Fried clams, fried fish, in and you start doing :\ cream sauces, steaks, pork, again”-lie says.--you lamb, pots of butter, mayon­ itterttoirtVottreeff arid naise,” Perrone says. "Ever­ f.'happlwJawirre^qpshliB. tin g you shouldn't eat was what I found a way to eat. And Mina retattynpp% tim were I enjoyed It. I thought.” badland you,have tire Today, Perrone has a M y M it t PerroneHow’uforitsotriiQ pork o ffthe pounds fortitude Jo s e v ft tterm ” ' : unique relationship with the he says were ruining M o tif his Oft, butkb rip s life, too.

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believe he may have worked to avoid drawing attention to his obesity. I ask Gregg if the the­ ory has credence; his eyes blink sadly.

“I heard that," he says, " tu t I hope and pray it wasn’t true."

Professionally, Gregg is sensitive to innuen­ dos linking weight to competence. Joe Torre, managing the Mets, argued over a trapped ball in the outfield. “If you’d lose a little weight," Torre told Gregg, “you could cover the ground a little better." Commenting on a play during which Gregg lost the bail, Phillies outfielder Greg Gross said, “Erie, if it was two scoops, you’d find it in a second." Gregg’s response: “You got guys looking like jam es Bond who can’t umpire as good as me.”

By the end of the 1980 season, Gregg writes, "I was tired of getting a shoeshine and taking the guy’s word for i t ” His wife was chiding him for “becoming twice the man she m arried." National League president Chub Feeney urged him to lose weight for the sake of his health and the league’s image.

T hat winter, Gregg launched a scorchedplate attack on his obesity. Training under Phillies conditioning coach Gus Hoefling and adopting a low-fat Jow-starch d ie t he dropped 106 pounds to 255. His coat size dropped from 56 to 46. Print and electronic media jumped on the story, making him a weight-Ioss poster boy. Gregg enjoyed his first wave of national celebrity.

But when the next season started, Gregg writes, “there w ere all those cheeseburgers waiting for me in all those National League towns." By 1984, he topped 300 pounds. In 1988, chest pains forced him into an ambu­ lance from a hotel to a New York hospital. Af­ ter the season, National League president Bart Giamatti warned Gregg that obesity was jeopardizing his job. Gregg writes of his pan­ icked reaction: “I’ve got to g e t a handle on this. I know this is serious."

Nothing changed. In April 1990, he checked into Duke for the first time, weighing 385. He returned in 1992. Now he is back, sneakers propped on a chair, digesting a low-fat lunch.

Why is this time going to be any different?

I ask. G regg expects this question. H e has asked it of him self T d be lying if I guaranteed I will keep the weight off,” he says. “But I think I’ve got a bet­ ter track this time on w hat's happening. I'm not looking to lose so much weight; I’m look­ ing at a lifestyle change. Losing weight per se

is not my goal. My goal if I lose 20 or 30 pounds is just to keep it off. Before, it was, ’Hey, I hit my goal, I’m all s e t ’ Now, its a lifestyle change, not a diet"

against short-term goals; they are urged to adopt a “new lifestyle."

Duke’s philosophy is that obese persons can improve the quality of their lives; they need not be helpless victims. Positivism is a practical approach, but reality is murkier and xercise, Eat prudently. Know yourself. more troubling.

These tenets describe the Duke ap­ The center in Durham, N.C., opened as a proach to obesity. Staff m em bers do small diet program in 1969. Today a staff of 30 not talk of curing obesity; they talk of treats up to 95 patients for stays averaging a controlling its effect. Patients are warned month. Patients get three meals a day, private

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consultations, lectures and group discussions.

A swimming pool, fully outfitted gym. class­ rooms. kitchen and dining room comprise* the facility. The atmosphere is unhurried: patients enjoy sunning and chatting on a front patio.

"Basically, we try to change behaviors that contribute to weight issues," administrator Michele Hudgins says. "Our behavioral, nu­ trition. medical and fitness components all work together."

Fitness is the most difficult lifestyle change. r

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Exercise (ends (o be painful and embarrassing for the obese. But Duke doesn’t try to turn obese patients into marathoners; one small step for mankind is a large step for an obese person.

A sedentary obese person who takes up an af­ ter-dinner walk is on (he road (o health. Spe­ cialists say that just a modest increase in fitness improves a variety of medical conditions.

At the heart of the program are behavioral strategies. Exercise and eating, after all. are behaviors. Patients are encourager! to look in­ side themselves and find behavioral triggers.

They are taught to be their own coaches, to be positive, determined and tough. They are giv­ en meditative skills for centering thought and emotion and taught to seek harmony between mind and body. Some learn, for the Erst time, to be selfish enough to take care of them­ selves. Some go home, after soul-searching, to quit jobs and leave spouses.

But Duke’s behavioral strategies may be akin to firing buckshot at a housefly. Intrica­ cies of obese behavior are elusive; genetic signals are powerful and learned habits tren­ chant. Duke specialists admit concern about recidivism. Although patients one year out from treatment are largely successful— 70 percent maintain weight toss— the figures tumble the further out they get. At five years, the success rate drops below IO percent.

M(.'Sherry died six years out from ins initial treatment at Duke.

His death hit the staff hard: lie was as affable and well-liked as Gregg. In M cSherry staff mem­ bers realized the ultimate futility 'U a quixotic quest Some lay his death lo a void of new medication. others to a lack of fitness, still oth­ ers to incorrigible eating habits. oerceptioi: M cSherry failed himself exists alongside an inti­ mation the center failed him.

One specialist voices this painful ambiguity to me. McSher­ ry might not have lived as long as he did with­ out the help lie received at Duke. suggests Mike Scholl/, an exercise physiologist who helped the fallen umpire with conditioning.

The Sporting News

Constitutional challenge: His regimen takes him past society's siren songs(left). but Gregg {corks to stay on the right path. He has to. in* wanted to. lf he had taken off more weight, maybe .he would have prolonged his life."

■'Hie last time John was here he was lighter than his heaviest." Sdioltz says. “So you can’t say he wasn’t successful. If he had been at 450, maybe he would have died sooner."

Still Schultz wonders. "He never got to where

Pros, no cons Obesity is rare among pro athletes for an obvious reason: Performance standards are high and excessive weight is a handicap. Offensive linemen, and one or two major league pitchers, occasionally seek help at Duke's Diet and Fitness Center.

But Duke is trying to reach out to non-obese athletes who are moderately overweight and whose general conditioning is held back by harmful eating habits. Younger athletes particularly are prone lo fast foods and so-called "performance" supplements.

"W hen they’re young, the wrong idea is to just get as much in them as you can,” says Michael Huff, exercise physiologist.

"Nobody teaches them what is good to eat to maximize performance."

Says nutritionist Franca Alphin: "The information is out there, but trom what we’ve seen athletes aren’t getting it. They’re eating high-protein supplements, vitamins, shakes, all the bad stuff.”

Duke's philosophy is that proactive education of young athletes in nutrition and fitness can pay long-term dividends. With that in mind, the Philadelphia Flyers sent to Duke a 19-year-old defenseman, Shane Kenny, early in April. Kenny, a 1995 draftee who played at the major junior level last season, is rugged and powerfully built. But the Flyers fear he will lack NHL mobility it he doesn't reduce body-fat percentage and improve conditioning.

Kenny, who is 6-3, arrived at Duke weighing 240 pounds.

"Hockey players lend to run in the 8 to 12 percent body-lat

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range— his was probably double," says Flyers assistant general manager John Blackwell. "W e feel in addressing the problem early, not only can we get his weight and body fat percentage in line with other athletes, but we can also provide him with the information to maintain himself at an appropriate weight.1'

ric (iregg does not have to be john M cSherry. It (iregg succeeds where M cSherry failed, special­ ists say hopefully, it may be because his weight is distributed differently. Gregg lta> large legs and buttocks; M cSherry carried weight disproportionately in his upper body, pulling greater strain on his heart.

Initially, Kenny was not enthusiastic at attending what he envisioned as a "fat farm."

"I didn't think I was fat,” Kenny says. "But they emphasized the conditioning part. I decided if they're taking that much interest in me, I’ll do it."

Walking the corridors of the center, Kenny, of Oromocto. New Brunswick, is conspicuous among older obese patients. While he shares lectures and meals with them, he is undertaking a more rigorous fitness program geared to his professional goals. His training, under Huff, runs to ab out three hours daily.

In his first two weeks, Kenny lost 15 pounds and learned how to read food labels. He became familiar with high-fiber, (ow-fat foods.

Duke specialists say'Kenny made a relatively easy adjustment because he was not prone to fast-food restaurants and beer.

Now, Kenny says, "I like the program. It teaches you good eating and work habits.

"It takes a little getting used to. but by the time I leave, I won’t even have to think about it. I'm actually eating more than at home.

That’s the good thing about this food. You can eat it in greater abundance."

Many pro teams, with conditioning coaches and nutritionists on staff, may be capable of achieving the same results as the Duke program. Or they may not. Blackwell says the Flyers are typical in that their specialists are not set up to work together. They also tend to be preoccupied with the major league roster to the neglect

of minor leaguers. Duke’s program appeals to him, he says, because it provides a closed teaching environment.

"Another issue is timing," Blackwell says. "W e ’re in our playoff phase now. W e couldn’t give Shane the attention he needed. W e needed a facility prepared to give him immediate direction." ♦ — S rm M m r z

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14 • COVER STORY

Tile Sporting News

Bul to improve his odds, and j H J S s i b l y save | lifestyle upon returning to baseball? Umpires his job—if weight and conditioning require­ have afternoons free, leaving ample opportu­ m e n t s arc iinpk-nionted—Gregg m u s t change nity for exercise. But umpires also have a gen­ liis eating and illness behavior. He is embarked erous expense allowance to fund lavish eating upon a tenacious fitness regimen, will) up to and drinking after games. Food eaten before lour hours of weightlifting, swimming, walking sleeping is not efficiently metabolized. and waler aerobics. Indeed. Duke nutritionists "You've had a lough game, you’re lonely, increased his calorie allowance from 1.200 to there s problems at home, you want to hang I,fitK) to better fuel his pace. He characterizes out." Gregg says. "First you say. TH have a his high-liber. low-fat diet—salads, vegetables, drink.' and then you want to eat something. fruit, potatoes, pasta, lean meat—as satisfying.

Its tough. Nobody is watching you. The hotel Question is. can Gregg hold to his new room is boring. You want to go out."

Hie solution, specialists say, is for Gregg to have to go home.’ you go with the flow. That eat a light breakfast, a large meal in early after­ type of personality has difficulty implement­ noon mid light snacks before and after a game; ing a behavioral change. It goes against the He should drink water, diet soda dr juice in­ nature of who they are." stead of beer. But to change his behavior per­ Nonetheless. Gregg is practicing. One manently. a Duke specialist suggests, Gregg damp evening, he arranged a baseball outing must confront his umpire’s personality. . for 20 obese patients. The group occupied a ‘They lend to want lo appease everybody, suite at Durham's new park; Gregg says he just like in a game," nutritionist Franca Alphin sipped diet soda and water. Another evening. says. "They have to make the call, but they at a friend’s party, he says he drank lemon-fla­ don’t w'ant to irritate anybody. So if somebody vored water and nibbled raw vegetables. says. ‘Hey. let’s do this,’ instead of saying. I "There was music and dancing—it was fine.” Gregg says. “I had a buzz from the at­ mosphere. I didn't need anything else.”

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besity awareness is increasing, to a point it may reasonably be called a ‘‘movement" The American Obesity Association (AOA), formed in 1995, publicizes obesity issues and raises funding for research. H ie Center for Science and Public Interest is pushing for laws requiring diet-system companies, which prey on obese persons, to disclose weightless records. Former sur­ geon general C. Everett Koop’s "Shape Up America" campaign is promoting safer outdoor exercise opportunities for low-income Ameri­ cans in high-crime neighborhoods. Awareness increases as we wake up to the costs of obe­ sity’ and related diseases: more than $70 bil­ lion annually, according to a report by the In­ stitute of Medicine.

But research funding lags far behind. The National Institute of Health budgeted $40 mil­ lion for obesity research—from a total $10.5 billion—in 1994. That comes to about 50 cents per obese person.

Lack of funding is only one reason advo­ cates for the obese are pessimistic. Another is that obese persons are whipsawed between conflicting cultural forces. On the one hand.

Americans are persuaded lo be sedentary and eat. We are urged to drive rather than walk and to sit in front of TV and computer screens rather than exercise. The average household in 1993 and '94 watched about 51 hours of T V per week, according to Neilsen Media Re­ search. The figure in 1970 and '71 was 42 hours. Air time is Ailed with seductive adver­ tisements for high-fat foods and alcohol.

On the other hand. the fashion, beauty and 'fitness industries embrace a harsh narcis­ sism. Intolerance and scorn are directed at those failing a narrow esthetic. Fashion priest­ ess Grace Mirabella has said that clothes should not be made larger than size 8.

How oppressive is an obese existence? The r ^national Journal of Obesity asked forp] merly obese persons who lost weight through stolnach-reduction surgery if they w’ould agree to reverse the procedure for a $2 mil­ lion payment. None would. All queried said they would rather be deaf than obese; 89 per­ cent said they would prefer blindness.

In a better world, advocates say, research would be adequately funded and obese per­ sons accepted socially. Public awareness of obesity, they say, is at a level similar to that of AIDS IO years ago and racism 40 years ago.

"Racism is an apt comparison, because in both cases people are discriminated against solely because of appearance," says Dr. Richard Atkinson, president of AOA. Advocates have a dream—to hold a con­ sciousness-raising event similar to the "Live.

Aid" concert of 1985. Weight-challenged celebrities from all walks of life— President Clinton. Rush Limbaugh. Meat Loaf. Newt Gingrich. Oprah Winfrey—join hands on stage. Eric Gregg leads them in a chorus of— what else?—“We Are the World." ♦

h jh 's O it ii; ( u i r p ii H

Steve M a rant z is a senior writer fo r T m : S p o r t in g N ew s.

BASEBALL • IS

June 3,1996

Runs wilil, o I runs Resp

78910 R H 6 9

Baseball’s hitters are thriving in this season’s hit parade, but here’s howpitchers can take back control Cardinals manager Tony La Russa says.

“They're probably all right, in pieces. The problem is, when you’ve got a legitimate t is not a stretch to trace the scoring question like this one. you want a quick, easy explosion currently hounding base' answer. But fora legitimate question, there is bail back to August 4, 1993. to a no easy answer. You have to try to piece it to­ Wednesday evening in old Arlington gether and really think about it. and some­ Stadium. To the third inning of a thing will come up that makes sense." game between the Rangers and the Some things, baseball can’t change. The White Sox. To Robin Ventura. game can’t make hitters get smaller and Chicago's cleanup hitter, brazenly weaker. It can’t make the air in Coors Field dropping the last vestige of a hitter’s acqui­ gel thicker. Apparently, it can’t reshape the escence to the pitcher’s right to throw inside. strike zone either, despite noise to the con­ That night. Ventura did the unthinkable, trary last offseason. And it certainly can’t something no hiller had done for 13 seasons. keep SportsCenter from its appointed rounds He charged a mound being occupied by the of replays. venerable Nolan Ryan, the last great symbol But the game can be changed from within. of an age in baseball that allowed a pitcher to There are answers..There are even solutions, back a hitter away from the plate. No one had for those who believe the game needs them. stormed Ryan’s castle in the middle of the in­ (Anyone who enjoys those more-than-occafield since Dave Winfield in 1980. But on that siona! 210-minute, 17-14 games probably ap­ August night three years ago, Ryan hit Ven­ preciates tile convenient segue into football tura on the right arm. and Ventura retaliated. season a few months hence.) Pitchers, who It is tempting to certify that moment as the indubitably ought to be looking for answers end of the era in which pitchers controlled by now. can change it themselves. the inside part of the plate. That era had been H ie solutions aren't easy, especially if dying, of course, for some time-one of the you’re pitching in Denver or for Detroit— both signatures of baseball in Ute early '90s was a of those scenarios are too far off the charts for series of brawls on the mound spawned by much hope. The solutions require a return to knockdown pitches—but Ventura's dance-ofthe Nolan Ryan years, to the Bob Gibson death charge toward the institution that was years, to the Grover Cleveland Alexander Ryan may have been emblematic of its last years. Pitchers and defenses have been sec­ rites. ond-class citizens since the powers-that-be be­ It also is tempting to designate the Ventugan tinkering more offense into the game in ra-Ryan fight as the birth of the new era just 1969, which is when the baseball rajahs low­ now maturing in the form of a season gorged ered the mound by five inches, from 15 to IO. with more hits and runs than baseball can They like all these runs, so don’t expect them comfortably digest. Because surely one of to facilitate a reversion to yesteryear. the generalizations we can make about the In fact, it might take a series of counteroodles of scoring we see in 1996 is that pitch­ brawls— pitchers charging the plate!—over an ers have lost their command of the inside extended period of time to end this era of di­ strike. They lost it once and for all when even arrh ea baseball (read: the runs). Tile pitch­ Nolan Ryan’s inside smoke was deemed un­ ers will lose a few battles, but the long war acceptable by today’s breed of hitters, repre­ will be worth it. sented that night by Ventura.

It is time for pitchers to take back the It is tempting because, hey. it's as good an night, not .to mention the weekend afternoon explanation as anything else we’ve heard, and and the businessman’s-speciai matinee. we've heard them all. We’ve heard about Here’s how they begin. juiced balls. We've heard about corked bats.

B y M ichael K nisley

We've heard about short fences in hitterfriendly ballparks. We’ve heard about high al­ titude in Coors Field. We’ve heard about smaller strike zones. We’ve heard about big­ ger. stronger hitters. We’ve heard about ex* pansion-thinned pitching staffs. We’ve even heard about the SportsCenter factor, the loopy theory that pitchers aren’t challenging hitters because they’re deathly afraid their gopher balls will be seen nightly on ESPN. “I've heard all the explanations, too."

Be a man: THROW INSIDE Ask today’s hitters—the best of the bunch—and they’ll argue the knockdown never went away.

“All I can do is speak for myself." the Gi­ ants’ Matt Williams says. “ I get knocked down a lot. I get balls up and in a1! the time."

“I’ve got to be honest with you " the White Sox’s Frank Thomas says. “I get buzzed

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The hits just keep on cornin’: The Angels' Mike Aldrete can only scratch his head at the offensive output ofthe Red Sox May 15 in Fenway, a game not so atypical this season. every night."

"I think guys throw in on me all the time.” the Twins’ Chuck Knoblauch says.

Oh? If that’s the case, how are those three the best in the business at using the whole field? Knoblauch is the quintessential spray hitter. Thomas lias more consistent power to right-center than anybody in (he past 20 years. Williams became a superstar when he said goodbye to his days as a dead pull hitter.

You don’t go the other way on a ball up and in. You don’t find the right-center power alley when you’re being “buzzed."

Tile truth is, pitchers in general seem to act as if the only safe outs come from the oth­ er side of the plate. (Maybe there is some­ thing to the SportsCenter factor.) And when hitters know they don’t have to fear the brushback—and know the game tacitly con­ dones charging the mound if they do get knocked down—they are comfortable with waiting for a pitch on die outside part of the plate and taking it to the opposite field.

Dick Such, the Twins’ pitching coach who has been around the game for 30 years, says the opposite field today is more important to the art of hitting than he can ever remember.

And its because pitchers can’t, or won’t, throw inside effectively.

“I think that’s just the way the hitting part of the game is being taught right now," Such 9

says. "Its been developing over tile last few years. Guys like Frank Thomas and Ken Grif­ fey are going to try to hit home runs, but they’it* also going to the opposite field. Those are your top-of-the-line guys, and they can pretty much basically do anything they want with the ball. They're showing the other kids who are just coming up that using the whole field is the way to go.

“That forces pitchers to have to pitch inside more. but most young pitchers are not adept at throwing inside. Most don't like to do it to start ’will). Batting averages are up as a result of it.

I just think the instruction, as far as hilting goes, is much better than it used to be."

Through May 21. major league hitters av­ eraged .267. That's five percentage points higher than the average through a compara­ ble period of time in 1993. the year of the Ventura-Ryan fight.

STRIKE to start ft's too easy to blame bad pitching for lite cornucopia of offense this season. Check your rosters. You wont find a lot fit rookie pitchers on major league rosters. As of May 19. there were 56 rookie pitchers on 28 major league rosters Thats 20 percent. So 80 per­ cent of these guys are the same pitchers who kepi some semblance of control over their

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18 ♦BASEBALL_____________________________________

The Sporting News

being lost along with the in­ games last season and the side strike: The dramatic season before that. As La defensive shift. When was Russa says. ’There are real the last bmc you saw the good pitchers who, on a cer­ second baseman on the left tain day, are getting side of the bag? Or the bombed.'’ shortstop on the right side In fact, one of the games of second? It doesn’t happen best pitching coaches, the very often anymore. De­ Cardinals’ Dave Duncan, in­ fenses shift for Jose sists this generation of pitch­ Canseco, for Greg Vaughn, ers is belter than any in tile for Barry Bonds, maybe for past, largely because they Cecil Fielder. Other than come to the major leagues with a wider assortment of that, diey play it straight diese days. pitches than the fastballcurveball throwers of yore.

But too many pitchers are failing in one critical area. They aren’t throwing first-pitch strikes, so they aren’t pitching from ahead in the count. W ien they give up the first pitch, they immediately hand the ad­ vantage to the hitter.

W ien the count reaches Why then? Because those 2-0 or 3-1, even the little I are usually the first games guys swing for the fences. § in a series. That way, a pitchWhite Sox second baseman ing staff can establish a tone Ray Durham, 5-8, 175 Taming point Ventura may have charged an icon and changed an era on for the next few games. that hot August night in ’93, but that icon, Ryan, made him payfor it. pounds, hit seven home Don’t let hitters get too runs last season. He had five homey in the batter's box.

by May 21 and credits it to seeing pilches he the Mets and Phillies for 11 seasons and now Put the inside threat in their minds early on, knows he can drive from a propitious position the Orioles’ first base coach. That’s probably and it stays with them. the hardest pitch to make. You don’t have the “You’ve got to keep their feet moving" Gi­ in the count.

“Anyone can hit a home run." Durham says. plate inside. If I’m the catcher and I’m sitting ants pitcher Allen Watson says. “If their feet “ It doesn’t matter, lf you get to a spot in the on tile outside corner, that’s easy. I'm giving don’t move, that means they’re comfortable. count so that the pitcher has to give you some­ my pitcher Ute whole plate to work with. You And when they’re comfortable they can see the thing in your power swing, the ball is going to can see me over there, lf I’m setting up inside. ball on the outside, and they can dive out there I’m giving you no room for error. The hitter is because they know we’re not coming inside. go. I don’t care if you’re 5 feet tall and only right here. Now, as a pitcher, you’ve either got We’ve got to start setting examples for the hit­ weigh 112 pounds."

Its basic baseball, but ifs being overlooked to hit my glove or be worried about hitting the ters. That’s the only way this is going to stop. by a group of gun-shy pitchers who are too batter.

“I say to myself, ‘I have to do it.’ I did it last “But it’s really, really, really important to year, and I had success doing it That’s what I careful with their location. (Tile SportsCenter throw it in there. A lot of the pitchers I work have to do. I mean, to stay in the major leagues, factor again?)

Dusty Baker hasn’t crunched the numbers with have trouble doing it. A lot of them don’t I have to pitch inside. I don’t have the pinpoint the way a quantitative analyst would, so he of­ want to pitch aggressively in there for fear of control of Tom Clarine, where I can move, it fers only a baseball observation. But the Gi­ hitting somebody, and that’s not really the inches off the plate like he does. And if I can’t ants’ manager says he notices how most of makeup or mentality you’re looking for in a do that, I have to throw it inside. Lf you estab­ these eight-run innings are starting. And he pitcher." lish that early in a series, the next game the hit­ One of Stearns’ favorite big-league pitchers ters go ‘Maybe these guys are all coming in.’ " should Imow. A lot of them are starting against is Ute Expos’ Pedro Martinez. The same Pe­ his pitchers. dro Martinez who led the National League “Most of die long balls hit off us, most of tile balls that were sent into orbit, were balls with l l hit batsmen in 1994.

Ask a hitter for the advice he’d give a pitch­ where the count was in the hitters favor and If all else fails, we'll keep seeing runs, which we were pitching from behind." Baker says. er being bombarded today, and die inside also is a solution in and of itself, Such says.

Tou go back and look, and most of the home strike is high on die tip sheet At least, it is on “My counter at that point is that our guys (the runs we’ve given up were on 2-0, 2-1. 3-1 Knoblauch’s.

Twins) are going to score a lot of runs, too.

“Coming inside and being effecdve is the We’re probably going to pitch to our ERAs. counts. Most of the time, the big innings aren't even started on hits, whether it’s our team or big thing," Knoblauch says. “ I mean, to not which have been up around 5. So we’re going their team or any other team. Very rarely do only dirow inside but throw inside for a strike. to score six or seven. I mean, our hitting is you see two, three, four consecutive hits. Most I’m not talking about throwing at a guy, where good. We should be able to score more than big innings are started via a walk or an error die pitch is so far off the plate that the guy is the other team." never worried about having to swing at it But somewhere."

Ryan saw this coming a long time ago, long if a pitcher can throw the ball inside for a Gentlemen, start your engines with strike before the Ventura brawl. In his book, Kings of strike, it really gives a hitter something else to one. You might be surprised. Even the home the Hill, he wrote, T h e game that was played think about lf a guy just throws a pitch at you plate ump will appreciate it. lf you’re around when I came on the scene in the 1960s only the plate from tile beginning, you'll get those a foot inside, it doesn't dtvhim a whole lot of faintly resembles... lite product you see today. good, if you ask me. If he’s only throwing it There were clearly defined, if unwritten, rules borderline calls at the end. dial far inside, he's not effective with it. Its just or codes. One of these had to do with pitching a bal!" inside to a hitter. You were allowed to brush When a pitcher forces a hitter to swing at him back off the plate. You might actually an inside strike, he takes away at least half the knock him down.... It comes under the head­ field. Yes, the power pull hitters occasionally ing ofjob protection, of union rules." ft is one thing to use the inside pitch to back can turn on the inside strike and put a pitcher In today’s game, a knockdown pitch results a bitter off tile plate. It is even better to use the into the dreaded nightly cable lowlights. But in a warning from the umpire. A second inside pitch to get a strike. Fewer and fewer Stearns’ three years of advance scouting for brushback might mean ejection, even if the pitchers seem able to find that part of the the Reds turned up an interesting trend. When hitter doesn’t charge the mound. strike zone. Even fewer seem interested most big-league hitters pull the ball, it stays on Pitchers have to fight that power. Look at it enough to look for it in the first place. die ground. The majority of their line drives this way: How much job protection is there in Today’s pitchers need to be raiders of the and fly balls go to center or the opposite field. a 6.50 earned-run average? ♦ lost art: a strike on the inside part of the plate.

Pitchers need to start playing those percent­ “It’s a hard pitch to throw for a strike, the ages.

Michael Knisley is a senior writerfor Tm. one inside.” says John Stearns, a catcher with One other element of die game is gradually S po r tin g N ew s .

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The Sporting News

1 8 -BASEBALL

Switch hit

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been asked to switch positions? I m ean Hall of Fam e players still in their prim e years?

You rem em ber a fellow nam ed Babe Ruth, don't you? Pitched, once upon a time.

Still holds som e World S eries reco rd s for pitching. You rem em ber Pete Rose, right?

Played second base, dien d ie outfield, then third base, then first. W as an All-Star at any and all of them . I don’t seem to recall his career going down the tubes in 1967 when he was sw itched from second base to the outfield; or in 1975 when he w as sw itched from the outfield to third base; o r in 1979 when he was sw itched from third base to first base. Hell, w hen Rose w as 42 years old, the Phillies asked him to go to the outfield for 35 gam es. Rose w ent to the outfield.

We may rem em ber Jackie Robinson as a second basem an, but that’s not w here he started. He played his whole rookie season, M ichael all 151 gam es of it, at first base. .After WILBON becom ing a perennial Ail-Star at second base. Robinson went to the outfield, then to third base. E rnie Banks, who will always be ardon me if I don’t fall out in die th e best-hitting sh o rtsto p of all tim e, was street and die because Davey sw itched from sh o rt to first base in his 10th Johnson had d ie gall to ask Cal season, after winning consecutive N .L Ripken to help die team by moving M VPs at s h o r t I think Mr. C ub’s exact about IO steps to his right. Can you imagine quote upon being told h e w as being m oved the nerve, asking som eone universally to first base was, “Let’s play three!" agreed upon as being die consum m ate W hen it w as in the best interests of the ballplayer to help his team by playing B rew ers that Robin Yount m ove from another position? I’m familiar with the shortstop On 1985 after l l years) to the phrase "fixture at the position." but this is outfield, he moved. R ather quietly and ridiculous. /Mi this hand-wringing is m aking professionally as I recall. No dram a, no m e nauseous. From the reacdon to Cal’s outcry from th e an g ry m asses. H e was Journey you'd think Johnson was asking nam ed MVP at both positions. Yount, boys him to switch sports— m aybe to water and girls, is going to die Hall of Fam e. No P<j Io— not change positions. asterisk will be placed next to his nam e Granted, Johnson should have had an inbecause h e acquiesced and m oved to the depdi. clear-the-air conversation with Ripken outfield for the good of tile team . His peers before going public with die suggested don't think any less of him. change. But Ripken’s response, that h e ’s You can go front to back through The always willing to do what’s best for the team.

Baseball Encyclopedia and find num erous is absolutely what you’d expect from him and Hall of Fam ers who played m ore than one exactly what he ought to have said. position. Yogi B erm played 50 gam es in the My bigger problem is with all th ese folks outfield for the Yankees w hen he w as young having a conniption over the whole diing.

(1948) and 36 gam es in the outfield when T h e re s nothing sacrilegious about Ripken he w asn't (1960). Paul Molitor, w ho m ay get moving from shortstop. Was th ere sonic to the Hall, played second base, shortstop, point last year when he stopped being a outfield, third base. W ere any of th ese m en ballplayer and turned into a statue? If its going to help th e O rioles for him to play as closely associated with one position as third base, he should be volunteering to Ripken is with shortstop? No. But so what? switch. You know how m any players have Even Brooks Robinson played 16 gam es at

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% second base one season.

If Ripken is indeed th e h e a rt of the Orioles, h e ’ll be the h e a rt of the O rioles at third for a few gam es. O r m aybe a lot of gam es. W e’ve had enough of records. T h e obsession with records and tile insistence on never changing anything is why gam es are taking four ho u rs and an entire generation has tuned out. T h e re ’s still one bottom line and that’s winning, lf the O rioles need to find out w hether Manny A lexander can play sh o rt or bring

A S E B A L L

som ething of significance in a trade, then put him out th ere. Rip doesn’t need a few days to think about it, it doesn't need to be discussed till th e cow s com e hom e.

Cal Ripken is a ballplayer, not a m useum piece. W hen h e says h e ll play third base because, “I do w hat’s in th e best interests of th e ballclub,” let’s cu t the unnecessary dram a and leave it at th a t ♦ M ichael W ilton is a colum nist fo r The W ashington Post.

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BASEBALL • IB

June 3,1996

BASEBALL REPORT

No regrets (yet) for Smith in dreary Detroit city

Bob

NIGHTENGALE andy Sm ith aw akes in a cold sw eat in th e m iddle of th e night, looks around and w onders if he is cau g h t in th e m iddle of a nightm are.

W asn’t he ju st w orking in San Diego, look­ ing at beautiful palm tre e s in th e outfield, sm elling ocean air on th e way to work and rebuilding th e P adres into cham pionship con­ tenders?

Now, h e ch eck s th e tem p eratu re each m orning w ondering if h e still needs a w inter coat, drives past boarde<kip buildings, shows up at T ig e r Stadium and w atch es th e w orst team in baseball night after n ig h t T h is can’t possibly be happening, can it?

W hat did a guy with looks that belongs in GQ, a brilliant baseball m ind and a bascballsa w y family do to d eserv e this?

“Believe m e, this is rough," says Sm ith, g en eral m an ag er of th e T ig e rs—th e laugh­ ingstock of baseball. “Even though w e know w e're doing th e rig h t th in g h ere, it’s very painful to watch. I feel for th e fans, ow nership and everybody involved. It’s hard on every­ body. It stinks."

T h is is a team that entered th e w eek hav­ ing lost l l consecutive gam es, 31 of its last 34, and is on pace to lose 120.

Pitching is so pathetic, th e opposition’s bat­

R

ting practice is th e rough part of th e day. T he T ig ers entered the week yielding a 7.27 ERA, a .309 batting average and 87 hom e runs.

They are on pace to obliterate the record for hom ers allowed in a season.

It is so bad, th e T ig e rs have used m ore starting pitchers—nine—th an they have vic­ tories from th eir starting pitchers —seven— and of course, form er T ig e rs p itch er John Sm oltz of th e B raves h a s m ore victories than all of th e sta rte rs com bined.

“I really don’t have m uch to say," m anager Buddy Bell says. “I'm tired of repeating my­ self, I really am."

T h e e n tire organization is at a lo ss for w ords. T his is a team that opened th e season with an 8-7 record, and since has had th ree losing stre a k s of six or m ore g am es and a schedule that offers no reprieve. Except for four gam es with th e Royals, they spend the next month playing th e Indians, Yankees, O rioles, W hite Sox and Rangers.

Yet instead of panicking and going for a quick fix th at will at least m ake the team r e ­ spectable, Smith wisely is rem aining p atien t It may h u rt like hell, but ifs the only way to go.

Sm ith purchased th e contracts of right­ handers Bob Scanlan and M ike W alker from D etroit's Class AAA Toledo club and called up catcher Raul Casanova before last weekend.

H e sent Jose Lima to Toledo and said goodbye to Scott A ldred and John Farrell, each of whom w as designated for assignm ent H e also planned this w eek to call up rookie pitcher Ja­ son Thom pson, and O m ar Olivares and Brian W illiams soon will be activated.

“W e ll have 60 p ercen t of o u r rotation ch an g ed by th e end of th e w eek," Sm ith says, “and next year, no question, w e will be better. B ut rig h t now w e’r e still try in g to fig­ u re out how m any of th ese p a rts will be with us. We don’t have a w hole lot of tradable com m odities."

Future star Ruben Rivera. R em em ber th e nam e.

Rivera m ade his m ajor league deb u t last w eek with th e Y ankees, and th e acco­ lades are pouring in.

“H e’s g o t a n u m b er of tools that B arry B onds and Ken Griffey (Jr.) have," m anager Joe T o rre says.

“H e can go g et balls in th e outfield. H e's got th e g reat arm . H e’s got som e power.

Ail h e ’s got to do now is m ake som e consistent con­ tact."

Rivera, 22, w as called up w hen B ernie W illiam s and T im R aines w ere placed on th e D .L H e is expected to retu rn to the m inor leagues to g e t playing tim e and be back in S eptem ber for good.

K eep th e nam e in m ind.

You’re going to b e hearing an awful lot from him th e next IO years.

it

.

It stings, Ray: Knight was so distraught over the Reds’ record he offered his resignation— which was refused.

Sticking with Ray Reds m anager Ray Knight offered his resignation last w eek, b u t G.M. Jim Bowden refused. “Ifs not the m anag­ e r’s fault, not at all," Bowden says. “It is the fault of every­ body, from the general m an­ ag er on down. H e is doing a

good job. I told him to check out Tony La R ussa and Jim Leyland. T hey are th e best m anagers in th e gam e, and n eith er one h a s won any­ thing for a while. Despite our bad record, w e’re still close to th e top. AII that counts is how good you are at th e end of the year."

E veryone w ants to know just how badly he re g re ts the move.

G uess what? lf h e had to m ake the sam e decision today, he would choose th e T ig ers all over again. He believes in th e organization, rev eres presid en t Jo h n M cH ale and com pletely resp ec ts ow ner M ike m ilch: He is getting full support and cooperation from every­ one involved with precious little interference. T he T igers a re going to thrive or be doom ed for the next decade on Sm ith’s m erits. If s a chal­ lenge h e craves.

"I haven’t reg re tte d com ­ ing h e re even once," Sm ith says. “Sure, ifs been tough. I wish I could be Uiere— in San Diego—to enjoy w hat they’re going th ro u g h , but as far as long-term happiness, I’m m uch b etter off here."

Besides. Smith is confident h e ’ll do th e rig h t th in g s in tu rn in g around th is fran­ chise. lf h e n eed s stren g th in his convictions, all h e needs J to do is look at how h e built th e P adres. A m ong o th er deals, h e ’s th e one who pulled off th e 12-player trade with Houston that landed the C a n l anyone here play this game? M e r Greg Gohr hides likes of Ken Cam initi and his face as he walks o ff the field en route to another Tigers loss.

Steve Finley, and b e tter yet.

P erhaps th e m ost difficult aspect of all in w as shrew d enough to sign them to rath e r th is m ess, of course, is that Sm ith chose to sane contracts. b e here. It w asn’t as if he w as drafted and ex­ “It probably m akes it a lot easier that iled to th e T ig e rs, or that h e had nowhere.. they’re winning," Sm ith says of th e Padres. else to go. T h is w as his choice.

“If they w ere scuffling, and we w ere scuffling, H e could have stayed in San Diego. He you’d probably question som e of your deci­ could have gone to B altim ore to w atch the sions.

O rioles m ake a serious ru n for the A .L East “T he only difference is that tins is a m uch title. H e could have gone to M ontreal w here larger rebuilding job than in San Diego. We th e Expos a re th e biggest su rp rise in b ase­ just don't have a w hole lot of tradable co m ­ ball. Instead, he is stuck in D etroit w here the m odities. We knew th e re ’d be problem s, but idea of his team reaching .500 is years away. m aybe just not this ro u g h .... Tills place is go­ ing to be som ething w hen we turn it around."

Sm ith is rem inded of h is decision nearly And this tim e, Sm ith plans to stay to reap ev ery day. If it d o esn ’t com e to m ind while th e satisfaction. w atching a gam e, som eone will bring it up.

Hm m , th a ts funny. W as it Tony P erez’s fault w hen he was fired with a better record?

Still, K night w as ready to take the blam e: “I cam e here to m ake things better. W e’re not b e tter than last y ear— not one facet are w e better.

A nd th a t's m y fault. People w ho are supposed to do the job on the field just aren ’t do­ ing i t T h at’s m y job to g et it out of them. I’m not doing it.

Som ehow I’ve failed to in­ spire som ething in them ."

Around the bases Expos m an ag er Felipe Alou pred icted this spring that W il C ordero would get h u rt if th e Red Sox played him at second base. G uess what? C ordero broke his leg w hen he failed to g et out of th e way of a slide. ... B ret S aberhagen says h e still w ants to re tu rn to baseball after his reconstructive

sh o u ld er su rg ery , but con­ sidering th e m an h a s a W orld S eries ring, two Cy Young A w ards and a con­ tract that will leave him set for life, don’t be surprised if he has throw n his last pitch. ... D odgers roving instructor M ike Scioscia, w ho m any believe is th e h eir apparent to Tom la s o rd a. is tentative­ ly planning to m anage in w inter ball this year.

A stros first basem an Jeff Bagwell, no lo n g er able to stand his team w asting away below .500, finally lashed out: “Som etim es, I think we have g u y s w ho a re ju st go­ ing th ro u g h th e m otions, and that isn’t going to cut it here.

I think som e guys a re ju st happy to be in th e big leagues, collect th eir check every two w eeks and go hom e. T hey just w ant to hang on as long as they can." ... Rum ors of Ozzic Sm ith go­

ing to the P adres are ridicu­ lous. Tile P adres would love to have Royce Clayton but have absolutely no interest in Sm ith. Look for them , how ­ ever, to m ake an attem pt to acquire sh o rtsto p K urt Ab­ bott of the M arlins.

D o you realize th e Red Sox and B rew ers are th e only A m erican League team s w ho have^. used only five starters? ... T h e R a n g e r have picked an annual orga­ nizational player of the year since 1984. Incredibly, only right fielder Juan Gonzalez is currently in th e big leagues, and six of th e 12 selections no lo n g er a re in baseball. ... Baseball n eed s m ore guys like M ike S h arp erso n . He w as a class act and will b e re ­ m em bered a s an All-Star, on and off th e field. ♦ Bob N ightengale covers the D odgers fo r the I j ) s A ngeles Tim es.

20 •BASEBALL 1ll HO

The Sporting News

August I. His I0th victory this season came last Friday— three days before Memorial Day—against the Pirates, a 5-3 outing in which he had to have a little help from his teammates. He was bailed out by a seventh-inning rally to record not only his 10th of this season, but also the 100th victory of his career.

“This is a game PII always re­ member because it was my 100th,” Smoltz says. “I don’t keep too many baseballs, but Otis is one I will keep.

I'd like to get another one for an­ other IOO wins.”

Smokin’ Smoltz

Trading a veteran tor a prospect is always a risky proposi­ tion. but theres one trade the Tigers might like to have back.

On August 12. 1987. Detroit pulled nit what at first looked like a steal in acquiring 36-year-old pitcher Doyle Alexander for 20-yearold mi­ nor leaguer John Smoltz.

Alexander went 9A) the rest of that season for the Tigers, while Smoltz was 0-1 in three appearances at Class AAA Richmond.

Although key strides have been Of course, that trade looks pretty made on the playing field, baseball good for the Braves now. With a is only fooling itself if it believes its record of 10-1. Smoltz is the winminority hiring practices have ningest pitcher in baseball and the greatly improved since Jackie first 10-game winner in the majors.

Robinson broke the color barrier in He couldn’t have picked a better 1947. time to have a career season, as he'll . “I hope in celebrating Jackie’s an­ be a free agent at the end of this niversary,” his widow, Rachel year.

Robinson, says, “we will not only “ I don’t even think about that." § celebrate his past, but reevaluate Smoltz says. “Thats out of my con­ the present and look into the future. trol. I’m healthy, and everything We have to ask ourselves, AVhat do else will take care of itself. we still need to do?' ” “People have asked me why is it Indeed, when you have only four this year that I’m 10-1.1 don’t have black managers, three black third Something In the air: Once again, Atlanta has an answer. Its not because f have base coaches and one black general baseball’s top pitcher. Only this year its Smoltz anything to prove; ifs just happened. manager, you've got problems.

I feel like I could have done this in any of the last three or four Baseball's hiring practices have been stagnant for years. It’s years, too. I’m just fortunate that I’m in a good spot.” time for change. We a1! know Marge Schott’s views on race re­ •Smoltz’s best previous seasons were in 1992 and *93. when lations, but. sadly, it is the other owners who have done little he went 15-12 and 15-11, respectively. In '92. he didn't win his to change the perception of the game.

— B o b N t s m m ju i Kith game until July IO. anti in '93. he didn’t win his 10th until

Miles to go

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Look at every good team, and I guarantee you they have a closer to come in and shut the door. I don't want to slight anybody, but the four that come to mind are Robie Fingers, Goose Gossage, Dennis Eckersley and John Franco.

Fingers perfected the position. He’s in the Hall of Fame for it. When Eck’s done, he's going lo have numbers thai come close. Gossage might have been the most intim­ idating of all. f can't imagine how any team can go any­ where without the big guy sitting out there in the bullpen, ready to jump in the fire when everything is on the line.

Sparky Anderson is a regular contributor to Tun S porting N ew s on Am erica Online. For more from Sparky, or to catch him live at IO p.m. E T Thursdays, the keyword on AO L: V ie Sporting News.

BY THE NUMBERS Just how great a hitter is Albert Belle? In 380 at-bats since August 1.1995. he has hit .350 with 48 home runs.

In fact, from the start of the 1994 season through last Friday (including the '95 post­ season), he has hit .336. with 109 home runs, and 284 RBIs (308 games).

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MKE GRACE AHP, Plates It is safe to say no one expected much out of rookie pitcher Mike Grace this season, especially after four elbow surgeries In his minor league career and a visit with Or. Frank Jobe fast fail, that, luckily, revealed his sore shoulder did not need surgery.

But with a record of 6-2, he clearly has evolved from question mark into an early National League Rookie of the Year candidate. So what if his personality is slightly off-center.

“He is his own man and does what he

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feels, like eating bananas in the middle of games he is pitching," pitching coach Jim W right says. “He is a strong Christian who is not afraid of reading his Bible in the open. I admire his strong character Equipped with an 88-92 mph fastball, . which used to push the radar gun Into the mid-90s before the surgeries, Grace has added a slider to a package that also includes a curveball and ctiahgeup.

“He is aggressive and not afraid to throw all his pitches,” Atlanta’s Jeff Blauser said after Grace beat the Braves and Greg Maddux, with a completegame, four-hit shutout May 12.

Given the nickname “Chopper” by minor league pitching coach Larry Andersen because of a toothy grin, Grace has discovered baseball’s razorthin line between pleasure and business.

“I try to stay loosey-goosey and have fun,” Grace says. "But this Is how we make our living. This has been fun. lf you can't have fun up here, then you are taking the wrong approach.”

Helping Grace appreciate it a little more Is that he knew there was a chance he would be added to the long list of pitchers whose arm was lost on the back roads of Class AA baseball.

“I didn’t focus on it, but I can’t say at some point alter the third try that I had to be realistic with myself," Grace says.

“There were days when I threw and my arm was killing me. I felt like chucking It, but deep down I couldn’t.”

Grace and the Phillies are glad he ‘ didn't. ♦ - fe Q M tA .K m lll

N I EAST • 21

June 3,1996

ATLANTA BRAVES W-L: 32-17 Place: 1st Mr. IOO: John Smoltz continues to roll, riding the best streak of his career. His 10th consecutive victory, three shy of the franchise record, was also the 100th of his career. “I got (No. IOO) a lot slower than I would have hoped," says Smoltz, who has won no more than 15 games in eight seasons. “It gives me a greater ap­ preciation of guys with 300 wins." Smoltz reached No. IO faster than any other Braves pitcher in history. The next closest is Phil Niekro, who won his 10th on June ll, 1969.

Smoltz leads the majors in victories and seems a shoo-in to be the National League’s All-Star starter. He beat the Pi­ rates, 5-3, last Friday for the milestone. “It’s a win 111 re­ member forever," he says. Smoltz, who has 83 career loss­ es, led the N.L in strikeouts through last Sunday with 84.

Stepplig up: With the way this offense is producing runs, who needs David Justice? The Braves won six of eight games without him and averaged nearly eight runs per game. “Some people are stepping up," Chipper Jones says.

Among those picking up the slack left by Justice’s absence is Dwight Smith. He will get the majority of starts as man­ ager Bobby Cox goes with a platoon in right field. With Mark Lemke also missing from the lineup, Smith has been the No. 2 hitter. Theres no question Smith can hit He has a .282 average in seven previous seasons and has twice bat­ ted over .300. Hie only question was his defense, and after working on it in the spring, he has made all the plays since Justice was injured.... Ryan Klesko continues to receive treatment for his sore right wrist, although it's not bother­ ing him as much as it did several weeks .ago. “It’s got its good and bad days," he says. “If I take a bad swing, it usu­ ally hurts for a couple of days. A day off from batting prac­ tice usually helps."... One thing missing from the Braves clubhouse this season is the players’ kangaroo court The two judges from last season, Steve Bedrosian and Charlie O’Brien, are no longer with the team.

—B t l ZACK

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’96 Season to date Vs. RH Vs. LH Al it N af St CS M SO F . Al An. HR rn ai A n Jfl rn 32 3 10 4 I 0 0 313 .371 500 0 0 3 6 I ft 320 0 0 7 286 0 0 171 41 49 8 1 16 35 287 418 626 3 2 36 27 2 14J 280 '3 27 Pe 32' 3 8 183 20 51 7 0 5 20 279 322 399 2 2 10 26 2 '5ft 280 4 14 364 I 6 156 17 43 12 3 2 15 276 331 429 7 2 ll 26 1 _ 29 207 .0 6 9 25)1 2 173 19 45 9 0 8 30 260 .348 .451 I 1 25 50 4 142 246 4 21 31 323 4 9 27 2 7 1 0 1 7 259 .259 .407 0 0 0 4 1 20 300 I 6 7 .143 0 t 74 9 19 2 I 2 8 .257 .309 392 1 0 5 9 5 H a 7 '6 _250 0_ J 179 15 43 4 0 4 25 240 .292 330 0 2 12 35 2 '53 242 4 21 26 23' 0 4 158 13 36 6 0 8 20 228 .297 418 0 Q 16 39 2 135 rn 7 19 ?3 Pl? I ?

60 6 11 0 0 I 5 .183 231 233 0 0 4 6 2 5' 176 0 4 9 -22? I I 51 JO 9 P 0 I 4 176 .222 275 0 0 3 12 I 47 .149 I 2 4 500 0 ?

39 4 5 2 0 0 0 .128 .190 .179 0 0 3 10 0 29 103 0 0 '0 200. 0 0 9 OOO 0 0 7 286 Cf 0 16 I 2 0 O O O .125 .222 .125 P 0 2 2 I 17 2 2 0 O O O .118 286 118 0 0 ‘ 4 3 0 12 ,083 0 0 5 POO 0 0 1652 190 397 68 7 53 182 240 311 366 21 15 161 346 31 JOSS 235 43 140 2J7 A/j ;r 1654 216 421 67 IO 38 205 255 .336 .376 19 27 189 331 31 1178 255 24 141 476. 254 14 64 BU f N I Bl ■ n P Si 6 GS CG SY st im. rn rn _ Ai Art. rn rn 1.52 _ 232 17 4 4 0 5 V 0 21 0 0 11 AO 200 P I 42 ?14 0 5 2.41 67.1 45 19 18 4 37 62 I IO IO 1 P IRO IM 4 ii ’52 327 0 3 2.84 122 I? 8 4 I 7 8 Q 13 0 0 1 31 ■?M P 3 18 rn 1 2 334 292 34 13 11 2 ll 17 0 17 2 0 0 71 -268 I 10 44 341 1 6 360 150 17 6. 6. J JO 16 0 19 0 p 2 AO 250 P 9 21 333 I 2 3.99 651 66 29 29 5 31 28 0 IO 10 0 0 124 250 3 15 rn 315 3 12 434 182 18 IO 9 I IO 9 p 6 3 0 0 3‘ PM I 3 39 .263 0 6 448 721 67 40 36 8 20 52 p 11 ll I 0 IM 247 ? PO iii 252 5 17 486 16? 15 9 9 2 9 20 0 23 0 0 0 32 JJS I § 29 310 1 J 506 160 10 9 9 I 17 24 0 12 0 0 0 39 '64 0 5 18 .167 I 3 6.02 332 43 36 30 7 15 18 0 ll 6 0 0 % 313 6 19 42 310 1 9 385 4461 421 216 191 38 189 331 2 51 51 3 14 IQM .241 23 123 643 .275 15 82 3.47 446.2 397 190 172 53 161 346 2 51 51 5 11 1171 .248 44 143 481 222 9 39 J

•Rentena Sheffield Cotorjnn Whit?# Donne Dawson Arias Pendteton# Johnson Grebeck Orsutak* Tavares# .

•MrfanJ_ TEAM OPPONENTS

G 9 51 51 42 49 14 25 49 48 25 3?

24 7 9 51 51 WA. 2ft 6-4 1ft 2ft 1ft 3-5 1ft T6 M 1ft

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RELIEVER

[PfiR ap p May 31 •J.> *2

Avg. A B H HR Avo. A B H HR 4 315 54 17 0 281 3? 9 237 38 9 .125 24 3 0 0 7 4 0 .125 8 I 0 571 I 7 2 0 286 381 21 8 304 23 7 214 28 6 I I

20 14

•Rookje

J 0

J I 0 1 0 2 1 125 1 11 2 I 0 1 1 091 0

QOCLfl.ft

„5

AI later

200 357

s 8 * a «

Rene Lachemann and G.M. Dave Dombrowski called their most diffi­ cult decision, shortstop Kurt Abbott was sent to Class AAA Charlotte so tile team could give 20-year-old Edgar Renteria an extended test He is likely here to stay. With his offensive skills improving, Renteria—the team’s Minor League Player of the Year in 1995—is viewed as next season's starting shortstop. Lachemann would prefer Renteria learn in the minors, “but if they say the guy can help us win games here, I could be wrong.... This guy might be one of the top guys defensively in the league." Meanwhile, Abbott—despite leading N.L shortstops in homers last year with 17—is considered little more than a stopgap between Walt Weiss and Renteria. At Charlotte on a rehabilitation stint for allergy-induced dizzi­ ness. Abbott went 6-for-14 (.429) with two homers and two doubles in four games. But Marlins officials decided Rente­ ria was staying in the big leagues.... If Renteria pans out, Dombrowski could have Abbott back up Renteria, trade Abbott (several teams have called) or move him to anoth­ er position. Terry Pendleton is 35years old and in the final year of a contract, so Abbott could be tried at third base.

A 8nmt-««t Kevin Brown begrudgingly accepted a stint on the D.L after a bone scan revealed a severe bruise and inflamed nerve in his right leg. Brown, whose 2.24 ERA is tainted by a 2-4record and terrible run support, was hit in the leg by a line drive in consecutive starts. He can pitch but has trouble fielding.... Brown’s injury was an opportu­ nity for David Weathers. He responded to his recall with six scoreless innings and his first major league homer....

Rookie second baseman Ralph Milliard’s steady defense is allowing the team to take its time with Quihio Veras, who has a hamstring injury. Veras’ offense and basestealing threat are missed. Milliard and Craig Grebeck have hit a combined .176 with no stolen bases.

— Scan Tom

Chn* Kwrmord VS

W-L: 25-26 Place: 4th Not s M n ta fo it In what manager

0

169 324 40 U SI 274 46 1/8 ftZ5_.29Z J 2 _7L 123 395 32 1063 222 25109 640 233 16 46 218 21 55 3 20 80 25? 7 BS Cl SY Al An HR RH Al Aw.tR IM TH BU IP H Bt SO SY _0__ 0_ I5_260 J JA3_Qft0__ 2 0 J 3_ U Q _29_JQ7_ <L J I 0 J 0 0 14 071 ft_JL Qft_QftQ_ IO. _Q._Q__0._i J IO 0 ll 0 0 .29 AZI 1 .A 31 .AQQ—I I 0-0 OOO l l AL 3 _ J J. 57 0 ll ll J 12_ J 36_7 _i£ 54_E41_Q I H U U S . UL 5 3 8 Q. 64 0 ti 11__ 1_ 169 201 5 20 113 142 I 8 14 300 60 6 3 3 0 58 0 11 ll I 58 310 0 7 1-1 497 122 13 5 8 0 _ 22L ? 29_ i J i 72 0 12 12 1 -LAiU.251.4_ai 162 235 I 8 Oft 1.20 150 14 1 IO Q 35__ 0 24 0__ 0_ 47 298 I 6 _42_JQi_2__2 ft-J S JI 41 7 2 7 1 25 0 24 0 0 I 48 208 0 5 _64_JQU2_§.

14_ 0_ 24__ 0___0 I 0-0 5 40 3 1 4 Q 4 Q 395 0 49 49 I J3 im -22631 104 610 226 10 51 -4J_m ,17JL& JLi?L2 324 4 49 49 4 8 658 260 27 97 668 296 41 158 2-4 643 560 65 22 50 1

Jo ta B u rtjfl PU W Lus Gonzalez*

0

INC.

STATORS

FLORIDA .MARLINS

H HR

Vs. RH WIEK 8 VS. IU Al In . HA BX Al An. m WI l l ll H im TI An. SI ..IL .263.. I . I .25 .440 Q 2 J_Q_ 0. 0 0 Q OOO 0 2L 429 I . I 18.278 0 2 JL L . I P _ L J Q ffJL 357 I . i __i QQQ Q Q 4 _J_J_U Q Q JL HO 2735 26 61 395 7 18) 24 1 3 I 4 6 12S 1 J29JU l_5_2i M J L IO. 28 6 13 3 10 23 464 2 46 304 0 7 all r n 7 .ii 6 2 2 '3.333.Q 151 298 4 19 _62_J&_2_§ 24 . 8 11 2 6 -20.458.2 100 310 13 23 SASSA..L 7 J2__4_i.J_3_9_27.2JL 117 291 I 13 50 .300 2 3 _Z_3_2-JLJ 3J29JL 1 X J 3 3 J L Q 4 1 1 0 0 I 250 0 47 234 i i 2.i_4_fi Q..2 6.286 0.

76 192 3 4 34 265 3 ll 19 3 6 2 2 13 316. Q.

» a

3_ I 4 I 0 4 9 4 2 2 2 I 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 I 0 0 24 15 29 12 SH G 0 14

THROUGH SONOA Y S GAMES. PROviOCO BY STATS.

STATISTICS

'96 Season to date 36 18 18 49 45 43 49 46 43

(lU rtW o h h rt

H HR Avg. AB 33 7 0 333 21 17 4 0 071 14

Avg. AB

3

9 17

OOO

BRAVES

Walton •Perez ’Houston* McGnfl* Jones! iOBSL

iJohnSm ofa

atCnc*funRips May31. june2

294

Avg. AB

•floe*ut

Switz

TomGfrrira

ai a 21 2 21 5 25 3 23 3 Pf) 3

00

4 0 17 ' 14 0

'0 I 1 6 8

0 0 0 0

WEEK 8 h m w T IAvt.Sa 7 0 0 12 333 0 7_ 2 7 14 333 0 4 0 2 4 160 0 7 0 I IO 304 0.

6 2 J _ J ? Opp J 0 O O O -0 0 0 0 0 OOO 0 3 0 1 4 176 0 I O I I 071 0

2 0 0 0 I 1

0 2 2 200 0

0 0 0 OOO 0 0 0 0 OOO 0 0 0 0 OOO 0 O O 1 125 0 184 19 39 5 18 64 212 I 186 20 45 2 18 57 .242 2 WA BU ¥ H W SO SY Oft PPO 1.2 0 1 3 ' o-i 284 61 3 9 7 0 OO OOO 2.0 2 2 10 2ft 0.73 121 ll I 6 P Oft OOO 12 3 I 2 I 1-1 591 102 13 9 3 0 Oft OOO 1.2 0 0 I 0 o-i 569 6,1 5 2 3 0 OO 675 22 2 I 2 0 Oft 1350 20 2 3 1 0 Oft OOO 3.2 A I I 0 3-3 335 510 45 30 30 2 33 3 12 52.0 39 14 40 2

2

2

•

N

I

E

A

S

Tile Sporting News

T

STARERS

MONTRE.AL EXPOS -yr.

KM Butler iJMFUSMO PidrollvilrM vs SviFB*4CrSCOG'A*rt5 tt*r31 • i Avo. AB H HR Ava. AB H HR Avo. AB H HR Avo. AB t Plaver 4 Barry BonOj. I 4?f I? 6 f 200 IO 267 15 rn I 333 16 6 Carteor 429 14 6 1 275 ll 3 0 273 ll 3 0 2S6 7 I Sr^*c« IXnjfon OOO J t> 0 16: p I 0 167 72 2 0 SOO 2 0 421 19 6 0 667 3 2 0 2S0 4 I i 5:5nj3\'5« 0 UalW.-a'Ty i 4ft? 15 6 3 313 ie 5 3 136 22 3 2 tee 5 »• Pf OI O' Marikt .V if 4 5 Player Avo- AB H HR Avo. AB H HR Avo. A B H HR Avo. AB » » * 0 COO 2 .0 A'eiAnas 25G 0 OOO 3 C 0 375 8 t w Greo C6bfU!-ft 25C I OO I2 f 3 0 286 7 2 0 400 5 4» .lei Conn* 25-3 0 b 1 474 19 9 I OOO 8 0 0 37$ 0 • Terry PemfttofX 6TXi 3 3 0 s n 22 6 0 273 ll 3 I 375 8 143 14 2 0 222 9 2 0 364 ll 4 I 429 7 Gary S^e•^e^o i ■RoC'»'E •L£ftH*.v:EO*S*'>CH.Hnc>i A u S T*t.$ r> cs

W-L: 29-21 Place; 2nd Cliff notes: Cliff l-'ioyd lias stopih*il aboiH lum lu‘‘>boinjf ust-d.

■ 'Ik iU iw Ih a v c tn p la y s o n ie w lK T tT c jr -

iiliirly. but all I I’an rt‘ally do is just inainlain i»\ loi'us. I) I was 27 or 2K yt-ars old Cd br more wurrird about bcifijf up herr aud n<it playing'.” Floyd. ‘.‘•‘:o missed most ot last season with a fniciured left wiisi. was ra alled aflrr Komlell While suffered a bruised siileeii •\nril 27. Ile iiiiide lour starts in tho next month. Floyd is \sorkinji with hiUiiiK instructor Tommy Harper whili- waitoifi tor his chalta* lo plai. MauaKer FelijK* Aion w<nild (ira UT Floyd ^'et •'Xpenenceat Class A^\f)tiawa. While isexoriieil i)ack in early ju(\. .Center lielder FP. SaniaiiKelti iteeiied stiiciies after ,1 line (inve off the wall hit him in the hin. "I was iookinj! for inv teeth on the.uround," he says David segue: David missed three starts after receivinjf a cortisone injection in his left thumb, made sore in tendinitis in liis wrist. "Al (east I can brusli my teeth tmw." says.... Mark ( irudzielanek received some ad* vice from six-lime balling champion Tony (jwynn. “I saw .Mark a couple of times last yearand. man. he was the ’snaittnaster.’ with helmets and bats flying everwhere when fhiims weren't jroinjr well." (twynn says. “Focus on winning today’s game. and then if you really have to. take a look some lime in S<.-ptember wlu’ii you can start figuring out how many al*bais you hnvi* left." .. Security in the Olympic Stadium bleachers was increased after fans threw I'tndy oars on the field in tribule lo Henry Kodrigue/. “f would hop*’ F^xpos tans would stick lo eating the bars and not ilirowing them.” N.L. president li'onard Coleman says. He was in Montreal for it'Slivilies marking the retirement of jackie Kobins<m's .Montreal Kovals uniform. ... niird base­ man Shane .Andrews split his first H)Oal-bals between start­ ing and coming off the bench, but Aion is ready to make Andrews a regular. “What In- ha> lo do now is h-i-l." .Aion -iavs. s|K>lling out tile won! for emphasis.

— JIFF BIAIR

Grudzielanek

EXPOS

'96 Season to date J.

AB

>2 49 9 i i _62 i l J _ J? 56 ' 13 i i J9 102 12"26 6 5 ± I J? -2 3 J.9 J3 6 . j £ j ^ . 6 47 9 is 183 29 .

J 3 . .

J 2 23 6 Ji

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lu a n a g e i jo e

84 ll 2g IOO 9 238 .354 250 I 0 IS 19 4 1223 ’6 "Q J 16 217 300 387 2 $ 12 36 8 36 ' 106 i§ _ J I J .

-2 0 0 2 -196 .351 .239 0 Q JO 7 I 3 29 _2. _^'_± I O'2.172.306.2763 0 S ' 7 2 23 23 IS 2 ’ 0 O' O O O OOO 095 .000 t o I 90 50 1763 270 4S6 94 7 54 259 276 343 429 36 14 167 351 44 50

1710 220 428

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2 7 ^ _J5 ._6 ___ 6. J JO . 25

0 22 0 3 0 17

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RobersQiK

Alonzo jones. C Eveielt*.

6o(Uf TEAM OPPONENTS

— M A frrv N o B U

44 46 48 47 24

Ham scK OPo:o TEAM OPPONErrrs

0 3 4

H HR I 0 2 0 C 0 ( 0 C 0

! Player Ava. AB I 2cc Maraud (jniscm I Cr.floer Jones* 6 Mark LerrAel 0 - C Ja.v Looez 4 FredMcGn. SO • lf FitiAUZiO •R<»C

N HR 2 Q

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1-2 r n 2-2 338 3-5 i i i 2-6 iZ§ 5-1 3 79

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11 9 6 2 I 2 0 I 0 68 55

IP

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AB Aw. HR RBI

AB R H W M I TBAn.SB

171 322 4 19 _.5i_4}4.. J _4 100^340 2 13 49 ^ 3_l

i36..235 8 .^ _66_242_Q 74 216 4 J 24 167 0 27 .146 Q

5 I 2 2

ii_OOQ_JL J I

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22 227 0 Of 3 0 0 0 2 -SOO 0 0 9 1 2 0 6 J)Q 0 _ a Q I 2 Q 0 0 478 .305 12 78 204 25 48 4 698 264 14 78 205 34 56 4

4 5 200 I I .125 I 3 130 89.263 2 13 429 I 2 2QQ

IP

33 78 .273 5 H BB SO CT

(M? _54Q .50 1-0 257 70 0-1 11.57 2.1

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AB Aw .HRRB W-i

61 197 Q 2 33 091 I 119 .202 4 ie -130 223 I

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STARTERS

Avo. AB 200 250 i CCC ox 2 CCC V7

R

Htl flows

31 -323 I 4 C M )_4 S0 ._4 .0 _5 4 .5 0 7$ r n I M - 2 i _ 2 5 ? _ 0 . ^ .

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45

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Mw Mc^.

Franco* C ia* tsrt.'yinausen Jones B M 5c{^.a'd* Henry

I

0 0 0

REUEVER

PeteKftnlwh PtulWilwn Uiaon bnmhiusen I Bobby Jonts IjonnFnncn Lo 5 /v*«rf DooCEiS. May 31 •Jur«c 2 Avo. AB H HR Avo. AB H HR Ava. AB H HR Avo. AB H HR Avg AB H HR U3 21 3 I ICOG 3 3 I C50 12 .3 1 • 0 0 0 OOO 12 0 in 18 2 1 DOC 3 0 0 -167 12 2 0 J 'cN - J • 0 0 0 250 12 3 I . 0 0 0 333 3 I 0 OOO 9 0 0 2 0 333 12 4 2 OOO 2 0 0 4SS It 5 0 • 0 0 0 OOO 4 Q 0 4 ir 24 IG 1 O O O 125 8 I 0 • 0 0 0 TM «? 4 0 ATAtLwn* Brw.ts. >jPit 3 •5 Ava. AB K HR Avo. AB H HR Avo. AB H HH Avg. AB H KR Avo A8 H HR 286 28 6 0 .167 6 I . 0 0 0 ITS 0 303 13 4 I 8 9 250 4 ! 0 IM IO I 429 7 3 I 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 0 ?33 21 7 0 .200 5 I 0 .116 17 2 0 • 0 0 0 333 6 2 0 3 I 0 OOO 6 0 0 300 IO 3 0 ' 0 0 0 w 0 33?

5 237 33 9 0 333 3 I 0 3M 22 e 4 3 • 0 0 g 750 0 A u S U t r s t C S IMOOUCM S c ^ iO A v s C A M fS :

'96 Season to date _A8

Huskcv ^

0 0 0

r

METS

Kent

0 3 0

UoueCr Urtiiu

Vs. RH

AB Aw.HR W

0 24 Q 0 0 I IO IO I 0 _0 _ 2 3 _ J)_ 0 _ 0

I

Everett

183 331 44

H R B I H R B 8 $ 0 $ H 0 6 S C 8 S V

Pldvef DsToOeSp?osEr-c Ksrcs R a j McmfeSi M.1? Pkjzia M i rhornoson*

la iilt. ” a l

in b u iin g d ie .M r-ls' w o e s to in e x p e n e n c i* an d a la c k o f eons is e e n o

75 IO 40 207 250 318 378 47 21

5-1 i l J t L J I . 5 21 71 3-J _114___28_2__28 _ll__?0 _ J . J4__22 0-2 341 290 19 l l It 2 15 27 •Uct>fi3_________ ^ _ 3 J 5 ____ 152___ 1 5 .._8 ____6 ,_ J!____8 15 •Manuel _ . . . . . _ 2 J _373.

I J J _25 J4 _ i i 2 i i _22 379 16 380 42 ie 34 4 03 27 601 66 28 Ccnr.ef» 570 57 29 27 iiJ ± 4 26 272 . 3 Ro-2S 17 IS J;3 520 42 600 5 12 39 VcLtt 330 40 25 22 TEA1.1 ^-21 393 4532 428 220 199 O P'f^N EN TS 21-29 4 50 4521 456 270 226 54 167 351

’Ordonez JoTii^n* Gkev Mavin* Hunffeys B.*oqna-

E

2 9 9 J . _S I .413 IC J . ' 1 9 J2 4 .670 ' J 15 ‘ 46 ' i 422" l " 2J L Ii j 304 ^ J J _ 2 _4 0_ 412 0 Q 6 _18 437 3 _2 IS 34 2 441 O O 9 25 I

Martr^ez Die!__ Ua^«

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SO

472 JC

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i 5 23 .345 379 0 5 26 329 JQ 2 2 13 323~ .401 0 i:' S i 313 362 2 1 17 275 Z U O O 2 261 308 0 _5 27 257 3QJ 0 a 35 .257 328 0 4 12 247 311

BB

JI

..

W*L: 20-28 Place; 5(h All the right moves: If the Met> could move one of the tour players who have started games in right field, they would be mure inclined lo promote Alex Dcluja irofn Class ;\/\A Norlolk.

Hut Hutch Huskey. Carl livercu. Chris Jones and Kevin Roberson are out of options—and the club has lound no lakers in trade talks that have included Fvereti primarily. Kverell has fallen into disfavor and disuse in recenl weeks bwaus^- of jwor pro­ duction. and his low-key approach has pt'rplexed Dallas ureen since spring iriiining. (ireen has tried lo be tolerant of Kverell’s demeanor. He could accept it last summer when Kverell was one of the .Mels' most productive hitters following dll' Hobby Honilla (radii Bul wiih Hverelt’s poor production Ibis season, (ireen's patience has worn Ihin. (»reen believes his team generally lacks fire and players with “grind-il-oul" iK'rsonalilies. Kverell appears to be (he lowest of the low-keys. and the manager applies the “if vou’re not part of ihe solulioti. yowYe part of (he problem" thinking to the situation, (ireen had planned lo rest Bernard (iilkey last Sunday—i-ombined with Monday’s ofldav~so hi' could have two davs off. U si Saiurdav. * • (iilkev >aid he would rather not take off tile two days. So (ireen rested him on .Saiurdav and siarled F.verelt in lei!, prompt­ ing speculation thai Kverell was being showcased. “You ((ou t showcase a. 1‘KJ hitter. ’ (ireen s;iy>.

Job security: While some media outlets sjh -culated I ireen's mb was iii jeopardv. the .Mots indicated nothing o| the son.

Sr* news conlereiice was called to express support for I jp 'fi)—lust lowki'V supimri for the manager, (ireen is HKl(through last Suiufayj in rliret^-plus seasons, left TorDorg’s ciiit) was w|u*n lit- was fired on Mas IS. im s ’

H 2B 3B HR RBI A a Obp. SI4. sa cs

J l J l

NEW YORK METS

g a m e s iii ‘*ib. d ie M

A

i i i J i ’ 192 M

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REUEVER

RhuiCcnwr

BB SO E t l l 333 .38? .442 6 I 14 31 3 9 316 .345 392 0 b “ 7 16 IO 2 0 13 5 6 I 19 315 332 437 12 4 _7 0 l l 44 -309 .?71 562 7 A4 19 36'" 0 4 303 378 .424 0 0 4 7 £ 0 I 0 12 3 263 -?48 564 0 N ia 19 37 3 J 6 27 259 333 456 0 A 18 37 I I 0 5 21 25? 306 383 2 ^ ’ 3 _ 2 8 ll 0 3 ll 248 275 328 0 • i^ _ I _25“ I 9 222 x n W 0 3 0 0 6 17 0 « 4 .197 254 22?

0 0 .5 _ J^ 3 ,0 5 19p .209 0 2 0 0„0 14 0 3 17? 302 W 0 0 0 1-L3 A 0 0 J ) 111 111 111 0 J l A 4 0 Jii5_209 265 317 406 J I J3 13 127 332 48 13 46 218 270 340 406 38 12 162 276 45 R ER rn BB SO SM J es ce sv 4

A

STATS.

Vs. RH

Vs. LH

AB A w .H R R W l 134 373 I 128 305 0 7

AB A n . IT RU

HO 245 2 I ■ ..3 L .2 g 5 - 3 49 .204 Q J 23 ?17 g 5

■4 0 ^ i ?

1307 263 41 170 1500 .273 44 204 Aw . HR PB I

6

AB

R MHR RBI T BA w .SB

J 9 _ 2 J 0 _ 1 9^368 1 JZ L W 0 _ i -9_333_Q 26 6 It 0 0 14 .423 4

_ 2 iJIL l_ f t ■19-4.-i 2_S ,13..37§Ji -Q I 0 0- 0 0 0 OOO 0

31 323 I 4 i-^-OQQ-0 119 .269 IO 28 37 243 2 tis 288 6 24 29 .138 0

.132JSC ,5_L6

M^EK6

-2L-i£L0_2 JQ - JfiL9 _2 47 .426 0

!4 3 _ 2 94J.Q J 8

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-22- 2 -5 23 I 4

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• 9 227 0 4 7 .174 Q

-35- 286_0 -3

J9 - JI 2 L. I .5 1 0 0 .Jl- J- Jf iQ - 9 ^ 17 176 p _ J 7 1 1 3 0 1 J - 400 0 A _0 _1 i_25£L0_Ql -L Q _0 342 .272 4 38 2 Q L16-K in 234 2 14 212 29 58 AB Aw . HR in 1H. R A

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June3.1996

N I EAST/CENTRAL • 23 ..S T A R T IN .

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CHICAGO CUBS apologized to manager Jim Riggleman for an incident last Saturday. Riggleman had scolded and embarrassed Navarro in front of his teammates and the T V cameras the night before, after Navar­ ro showed up catcher Scott Servais on the mound. At one point after Navarro swore at Riggleman, the manager pointed to the dugout runway and told Navar­ ro in no uncertain terms, and in the most unflattering of ways, that Navarro could leave any time if he didn't want to pitch, according to several accounts. Riggleman, who had a similar experience wit)} Phi! Planner in San Diego, had had several private discussions with Navarro about his attitude before the blowup. Both sides say the matter is closed, but Riggleman made it clear who is boss and earned the respect of his players, who are led up with Navarro’s selfish behav­ ior. "We ll have absolutely no problem working together," Riggleman says. When a pitcher of Navarro's caliber is al­ lowed to leave the wray the Brewers let him go. there must be reasons, and some of them are becoming apparent.

Navarro, however, says he's frustrated and angry only at himself and his "bad luck."... Righthander Jose Guzman is back with the team lifter a monthlong rehabilitation assign­ ment. He ll throw simulated games as he attempts to regain the velocity that hasn't returned since shoulder surgery in 1994. Guzman will resume his minor league rehabilitation stint when team officials believe he's ready to pitch again.

Guzman wants to pitch, knowing his four-year. SI4 million deal ends this season and that lie s only given tile club 14 wins and 34 starts so far.

Milestone ahead: Ryne Sandberg is 32 hits shy of 2,200. a mark only 130 players have reached. With 35 hits this sea­ son. Sandberg has passed Maury Wills. Don Baylor. Dick Groat, Ken Griffey Sr.. Ken Boyer. Yogi Berra and Don Mattingly on the all-time list. On the way to 2,200 hell pass Pee Wee' Reese. Keith Hernandez. L irrv Bowa, Cecil Coop­ er and Stan Hack.

— BARRY RODIER

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W-L: 24-24 Place: 3rd Double the pain: Lenny Dykstra and Sic) iS S iA n ft* Fernandez were placed on the 15-day A l l i l l I u S ® disabled list—Dykstra with a rib cage \ problem on his left side and Fernandez with a strained ligament in his left elbow. For Dykstra, 33. it was the third time in two seasons he is on the D .L and the ninth time since 1991. For Fernandez, also 33. it is his seventh time on the D .L and the third time in the last three seasons. 'The bottom line is that I couldn’t help the team win," says Dykstra, who was in a 15-for-81 (.185) slump which had his batting average at .261. Asked if the back problems which sidelined him for almost three weeks last year caused tile slump. Dykstra says, “thats a whole other issue." The day Dykstra went on the D .L, outfielder Lee Tinsley came off. But Tinsley was l-for-13 and struck out eight times in the three games he started in center field and batted leadoff. As for Fernandez, he is 2-4 with a 3.26 KRA. The club doesn't believe surgery is necessary, but manag­ er Jim Fregosi says the lefthander will be out indefinitely.

The whiffs: After watching his hitters strike out a majorleague high 393 times in 48 games (an average of 8.2 per game), Fregosi is tired of giving instruction. “You can’t do a thing," Fregosi says. ‘They aren't staying in the action, they pull off the ball. There is only so much talk before you are blue in the face. But if you check the records of the players we got, they strike out a lot." ... Don’t judge Curt Schilling by the way he throws in the bullpen prior to starts, because he has learned it means nothing. “I couldn’t have gotten my wife out with the stuff I had in the bullpen," said Schilling, after he beat San Francisco 5-1 last Friday—al­ lowing one run and three hits in seven innings—while im­ proving to 2-0. “That was as poor as I have felt since my surgery,” he said. Yet, Schilling is slowly becoming the staff ace again. “Two things I look at are one. go out and pitch a lot of innings and two, the guys feel we can win when we go out there," Schilling says.

— GEORGE A. Kilts ill

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24 ’ N.L. CENTRAL CINCINNATI RKDS W-L: 19-25 Place: 3rd KRlght watch: Three years after the firing of Tony Perez with a 20-24 record, current rookie manager Ray Knight hit the 44-game mark with an even worse record. Unlike Perez.

Knight didn’t lose his job. Compar­ isons were inevitable, but general man­ ager Jim Bowden, who as a rookie G.M. fired Perez in 1993, says the situations were different Recently. Bowden said Perez was replaced because Davey Johnson “would have a better chance of winning with" the type of team Cincinnati was building. Meanwhile, Perez felt used, a minority hired at a time when owner Marge Schott was facing scrutiny over racial and ethnic slurs. Perez also was guiding a team wracked with injuries. Knight's team also has injuries, and his roster was ravaged by salary-cut mandates. But Bow­ den has lauded Knight for juggling lineups to get the most out of his team, for showing leadership, for running a good game and for communicating well with his players. ...

Knight’s hands-on approach was supposed to foster more consistency titan Johnson’s laissez-faire attitude. Last year, die team started 1-8, went on a 71-33 tear, endured a 10-17 skid and finished 85-59 after winning three of the last four.

But this year, in a 26-game stretch, the team had a ninegame losing streak, a seven-game winning streak, a sevengame losing streak and a three-game winning streak.

Relief column: Hector Carrasco’s return from Class AAA Indianapolis is a welcome addition to tile bullpen. After starting the season with an 8.59 ERA in six games, Carras­ co went to Indianapolis and seemed to fix his mechanical flaws under pitching coach Grant Jackson, the former Reds bullpen coach. Jackson felt Carrasco picked up some bad habits—and too much work-in winter ball. With Jackson guiding his adjustments, Carrasco produced a 2.14 ERA in 13 games. In Carrasco’s first two games back in the big leagues, he worked 3‘4 innings of two-hit, shutout relief and lowered his ERA to 5.91.

— M io BASS

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W-L: 25-26 Place: 1st Sagging la the Central: Even while drift­ ing under .500. the team was maintain­ ing a lead in the National League's sad­ sack Central Division. 'That’s part of the problem,” says first baseman Jeff Bagwell. “Guys look up at the score­ board and see the Cubs lost or the Reds lost and think. 'Oh. well. we lost, but its no big deal.’

That attitude is not going to last, because some team in this division is going to get hot and win eight or IO games in a row. it better be us." One of the Astros’ perplexing prob­ lems is their inability to beat lefthanders. Even though catcher Rick Wilkins is the only lefthanded batter in the lineup, they’re 5-10 facing lefthanded starters. Disappoint­ ed with his team’s production, manager Terry Collins shook up the lineup. Hoping to get Craig Biggio {batting .261) untracked. Collins raised him from No. 2 in the order to leadoff, dropping Brian Hunter to No. 8. Hunter, who has six walks and an on-base percentage of .313. took the plunge without complaint but said after his first game at the new slot, "I’m not really comfortable there. I saw only one fastball all night.” Hunter was back in the leadoff posi­ tion Saturday night against the Cubs.

Crowds lag: The Astros had hoped that with die Rockets out of the playoffs and school ending, the team might have an attendance surge. But it hasn’t happened yet. and Bagwell says, "I think its going lo take us winning in July and August for us to get people excited. We saw that in ‘94 ” Owner Drayton M oline jr. has said his team needs atten­ dance of 30,000 per game in order to be assured of re maining in Houston. So far. crowds are averaging 21,959....

The Houston Sports Advisory Committee has recom­ mended $625 million worth of expenditures to build a bas­ ketball arena downtown and a baseball-only stadium near the Astrodome.... After turning a blown save into a win for the fourth time tills season. Todd Jones said. “This will give people more fuel to hate me again.”

— ALAN TRUEX

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59 23 81 65 31 49 17 12 20

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A

6 13 9 17 21 20 38 14 17 27 7 3 2 5 215 253

354 323 321 292 .286 .264 .249 .247 .246 .241 2?0 211 206 198 254 .281

.415 382 .410 329 336 302 .314 329 .352 338 227 273 250 221 311 .338

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WEEK 8

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I U H Morgan I Donora O lton* Irf-lan iW w i iToddStoOvnryr* jo*rvUt EdufjJry vs. Houston Astros. May 31 - Ju*c 2 A va AB H HR A va AB H HR Ava AB H HR Avg. AB H HR Avg. AB H HR Ava AB H HR Pt o w I I I Je flB a jw i 350 40 14 3 273 43 12 2 .176 17 3 0 OOO 3 0 0 1000 • O O O 0 0 0 0 0 375 8 3 I .125 8 I 158 IS 3 0 OOO 4 0 0 250 4 I Den* Bel 333 6 2 3 250 4 I 0 0 0 I 0 OOO 3 0 0 Sean Bary 222 9 2 0 OOO 6 0 0 O O O 1 333 3 I 0 667 3 2 0 Cran Boto 263 57 IS 0 250 48 12 0 286 21 6 • O O O Re* W in s* 214 14 3 0 20C 5 I 0 .167 6 I I 333 3 I 0 OOO 3 0 0 at Saw DccjO P ad res, .to * 3-5 A va AB H HR A va AB H HR A va AB H HR A va AB H HR A va AB H HR Ava AB H HR PWy*r 0 500 2 I 0 0 167 6 I 244 41 IO I 348 46 16 2 .273 l l 3 0 .500 2 I SaswRnteY* 500 2 I 0 Hoi 12 4 _ 0 .324 34 ll 0 367 30 11 0 I O C o l i o Tony Gwynn* • O O O R d sv Henderscr 333 15 5 2 1 1 1 9 1 0 400 IO 4 2 O D O 3 0 0 1000 I 1 0 • O O O I OOO 3 0 0 1000 1 1 1 250 40 IO 0 091 ll I 0 OOO 3 0 0 417 12 5 Waft Jeerer* 600 5 3 0 083 12 I 0 1000 I I 0 286 23 8 0 375 8 3 0 333 3 I 0 JodrjVwl •Rook* *Lm wAN 0£0 #S*ncm «TTtn A a statistics th o u g h Sunday's gauss: wwviDCO or STATS. Inc lA«#yB«n*s

’96 Season to date

35 14 49 49

82 6 1683 1697

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BA 1.53 237 292 382 390 4 41 4.41 482 5.14 564 638 4.69 3.91

26 SO 19 34 22 44 4 IO 15 29 25 43 4 15 4 0 221 451 261 438 F 291 190 12.1 660 27.2 161 510 280 68 I 22.1 550 439.0 442.0

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Vs. RH

WEEK 8

Vs. LH

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.384 .442 .338 .342 326 .341 .353 307 328 333 297 316 .256 OOO 328 .328

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W-L* 22-27 Place: 2nd Uke it w |M ta b r While reeling off five straight wins, a season high, start­ ing pitchers permitted just nine runs in 40% innings (1.98 ERA). Says pitch­ ing coach Dave Duncan: “We should see a lot of that because of the quality of the people we have starting. That should be the strength ofour club." Included in that stretch were Donovan Osborne’s first complete-game victory in 81 big-league starts, Andy Benes’ shutout of Florida, which S ait* broke a personal seven-game losing streak; and Mike Mor­ gan’s first victory of the season. Additionally, Alan Benes, C a rd in a ls who had given up 30 runs in 14% innings, pitched a two-hit Mabry* shutout for eight innings at Houston before settling for a 5- fSweeoev* 2 victory.... Tom Pagnozzi was catching every day after be­ Borders ing the No. 3 man a month ago. “How do I say this... we just Shewer needed some consistency back there," Pagnozzi says. Paonarc McGee# “We’re starting to play baseball the way it’s supposed to be LanWoctf* played. Before, we were playing so bad."

Jordan Betel IMM*? Rumors from San Diego were that the Padres Clayton Smith# were interested in backup shortstop Ozzie Smith, but that Gaetti appears to be just talk. Says general manager Walt Jocket* Afcea# ty. “I have not talked to the San Diego Padres about Ozzie Befl Smith, specifically." Smith, unhappy with playing once a •M(*a TFAM week behind Royce Clayton says, “I’m listening. ITI listen to OPPONENTS anybody." ... John Mabry, on hitting safely in IO straight games (20-foMO): “He (hitting coach George Hendrick) 'Mathews keeps telling me there are rocks and there are sponges,” Fosses* Mabry says. Tm just trying to be a sponge and absorb what Morgan Stottemyre he says.” ... Dennis Eckersley was sidelined for nearly a Parrott week after inflammation was found in his right elbow. Eck­ Honeycutt* ersley also was fined an undisclosed amount for a blowup Osborne* Pefovsefc with umpire Larry Vanover at Coors Field.... Mabry’s cycle Benes, An. was the second time in 12 years a Cardinals player had hit ■Bailey for the cycle in a loss. Willie McGee did it in 1984 but made ‘Benes. Al the mistake of doing it the same day the Cubs' Ryne Sand­ TEAM OPPONENTS berg hit two homers off Bruce Sutter.

— R d NAM E

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W -L19-30 Place: 5th Toward tile catter Jacob Brumfield’s parting shot was suggesting the team .‘doesn’t really have a plan. Given the •twists and turns in the team’s philoso­ phy, his observation may have been more than bitter words from a former employee. Consider what’s happened in center field: Brumfield had the Centerfield job in 1995 but played his way out of it The Pirates were so unhappy with him, they signed Mike Kingery in the offseason. Then it be­ came a Brumfield-Kingery platoon. Now neither has thejob.

Instead, center field is being handled by Midre Cummings, who has worked his way back from oblivion, though he’s not really a center fielder.... This club doesn't have one thing it does well. The pitching is weak and thin, and there is little home run power and even less speed. Most ofthe problems stemmed from the two years of inertia while the club was being sold. Tile only plan in those days was to keep costs at a minimum. With new ownership, perhaps the team will start to think long-term. The priority has to be to acquire as much quality pitching as possible.

Five aad a illt: Jay Bell estimates the Pirates are five players away from being a “true contender." He figures they need two starting pitchers, two relievers and a big bat for the middle of the lineup. Here’s the problem: Those five play­ ers would probably cost more than the team’s 1996payroll. ... Danny Darwin is pitching better than his record sug­ gests. So far, he is one example of the club’s bargain hunt­ ing paying off. The team took a modest chance by inviting him to spring training. Darwin’s record has suffered be­ cause the team has given him terrible support “We’ve squandered some real good games by Danny," manager Jim Leyland says.... In the ever-changing bullpen, theres concern about lefthander Jason Christiansen. He hasn’t come close to the form he showed in the first half of last season. If Christiansen doesn’t get on track, he’s a candi­ date for a minor league tuneup.

— JIM Mu m

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W - l: 23-23 P la c e : 4th loco 3 3 J 462 f i r Bel COO I 0 0 273 36 IO 0 .333 3 I 0 286 Cartes Ga.’M 500 2 I 0 111 Young and restless: Despite missing 17 9 I 0 333 3 I I <?9 Jed Kna 030 I 0 0 258 31 B I games with a broken bone in his right OOO 2 0 0 Ai Martn* .091 loco I \ 0 .250 4 I 0 I 4. hand. Eric Young already lias joined Ute OOO 2 0 0 C83 Oriardo MeltedCOO 1 0 0 200 5 I 0 leagues stolen-base leaders with 14.

A v g . A B H HR Avo. Player Ava. A B H H R Ava A B H HR Anti when he gels enough plate ap• 0 0 0 364 Jell 333 3 I 0 030 io o a - pearanees this week. Young will join the 0 0 0 OOO De^Bei 503 6 3 0 167 6 I 0 batting average and on-base percentage • 0 _0_ 0. 500 feanBenv - O O O OOO 2 0 0 leaders as well. “Leadoff hitters are measured by on-base O w Bojo ■ O O O 455 333 3 I 0 360 25 9 0 .444 RdtW Jurts* • O O O COO 2 0 0 COO percentage" Young says. ‘Thats die one I want.” Young also 8 0 0 •Ro c- e . U h h u n c e o «Sv.-:cM M iem b y S T A T S . I nc has made remarkable progress defensively at second base*. Young He has yet to commit an error at a position he lost two years HOCKINS ’36 Season to date Vs. RH Vs. LH WEEK 8 ago because of defensive struggles, 'rho improvement has AB Arc. HR M I AB R H a *8 HH RBI A q . Obp. S it. SS C S .SOE AB Arc. HR RSI AB R HM R REI T I Arc .SS resulted from extra work with infield instructor Gene Glynn.

46 132 39 62 to 2 6 39 341 .401 SIS 6 6 18 TA 1 to rs 5 i i 48 313 I IO ... Curtis Leskanic has lost his closer role to Bruce Ruffin 23 til 24 36 e J 3 12 324 VB .495 U 4 15 9 0 71 .310 I 8 40 350 2 4 22 7 6 1 4 9 i ? 3 5 Voung and temporarily is being used in middle relief. “He has to Butts . i i 176 42 57 12 3 IO 30 324 399 .597 5 2 18 33 1 125 .304 8 _2£L 51 373 2 IO 23 8 8 0 3 13 348 I 46 164 33 51 4_ i I 13 .Oil .421 366 2 J 29 25 9 ■113, 319 I _ j 51_294 Q _4 19 6 7 0 3 9 368 I WASS* find his confidence." manager Don Baylor says. ‘ We’ve Waver* 42 158 33 47 8 4 ll 38 297 .362 .608 IO 0 12 27 I v r n * 12 A L J J L - O L 2 L 5 K L 5 talked about getting him in earlier in games to try to get this 35 IQS 15 31 5 Q 6 19 295 .367 .514 I 0 13_18 A - S S L ,31VJ . J I Reed. J TS 200 2 4 15 1 2 1 I 5.133 0 problem ironed out.” Since April 23. when his ERA was 2.70.

Vander V/au 29 34 4 IO 2 0 I 7 .294 342 .441 I _ £ 3 12 5 0 0 0 I 0 OOO 0 .,Z .

-O K U LA Leskanic lias allowed 14 earned runs and 20 hits in G in ­ 46 178 20 Si 12 0 5 26 287 344 .438 1 0 14 23 4 126 302 4 .20 52 .250 I 6 24 4 9 Q 4 l l ,3.75 i_ 46 172 28 49 12 I 0 43 265 .340 .558 3 . 0 12 51 7 123-233 7 ZI 4? M A -1£ 24 5 8 1 8 13.333 I Gaianaoa nings, and his ERA has jumped to 6.23.

Bates* 26 66 5 15 1 I 1 4 227 320 .318 I O 8 IO 3 46 217 I „ I 20 250 0 2 .V .0 Q..Q ,Q _UKLQ Then there was one: B ill Swift and B re t Saber'nagen became Owens, 14 41 4 8 I O I 4 195 .26? 293 0 _ J ___ 4 14_ 0 29 ,24! I .4 J_2 _X JL2 _L2 2 2 _Q rehabilitation soul m ales in spring training and followed sim ­ 'J&Cracxenr 32 39 6 7 2 I 6 4 179 .283 .282 f 2 S 7 t 3 L M .V .A 7 143 0 0 3 0 , 1 0 2 2 333 I ilarly frustrating [laths into the regular season. But only Swift C a s t a n o __ __9.___ 13. 1 2 OOO 2 154 353 .154 0 0 3 2 _ 0 6 .167 Q I 7 143 0 I 2 , L O P Q O QOO 0 TEAM 46 1575 264 448 80 15 56 251 284 35?

461 45 16 158 328 38 UPL 22032.17$ 474 272 17 £ 207 49 67 7 47 (12 .324 17 rem ains after Saberhagen underw ent reconstructive ^O PPO N EN TS 46 1601 296 457 98 13 61 26* 285 368 .477 31 ll 202 261 39 308 250 13 54 1293 294 48 230 217 43 63 IO 42 105 .290 3 surgery on his right shoulder. Sw ift, still trying to overcom e _WT ERA IP___ H R ER HR BB SO SH G GS CS SV AB A r c .f f i m AB Arc. HR HBI W-l ERA IP H BB SO SY his shoulder problems, can’t help but fee] for Saberhagen.

211 24 IO T ll 1(1 OOO 30 JL 21 0 Ii. 0 _0 Q. A S 380 1 0 5 0 ll 6 Reed 5 4 43 22.1 22 13 ll IO 0 22 O O O 50 260 4 13 OO 300 30 1 1 2 0 “ Its too bad it had to take so long." Swift says. “ H e tried to 3-3 4.60 6 02 68 32 3 \ 2 2 8 0 IO IO 0 0 126 27Q 6 16 116 .293 2 14 1-0 3 75 120 J 3 3 4 0 IL B a m .. . . .

14 I ?

22 0 14 I Q 0 1 1 4 91 252 23 16 73 247 4 15 J2 J& L 1 J I 1 2 2 0 CH) OOO 20 Pa£sU do the rehab, and now lie s lost some months as far as pitch­ Frgemaj J-3 5 17 54 0 SS 37 31 30 23 0 9 9 113 248 6 22 540 81 _ 6 2 .

3 0 3 2 5 JD Z OO ing next year. Hi>j>ebilby he'll bounce back and feel better 11~ 531 201 25 12 12 A IO. 23 0 U ? _ 0 0 " 42 357 £ IJJ J8 __2 5 L ‘ __3 o-q 450 20 Haemal 3 2 4 0 than he does now." Swift lins progressed enough to throw 3 4 '0 44 24_ 23 0 IO TSprr psc" 48 0 Si 31 29 93 276 2 »4 . J L 2 8 L L JA 0-1 3600 2.0 6 4 • t V w sim ulated games again, lit* could be ready next w e e k .... (Rktfr .. ' ” V *> •» 4-2 623 . 260 ;> t4 /n/ 25 9 24 32 •6 16 c 6 .i 63 333 _ 2 15 6 1-0 H57 42 J I 1 J _ J U Shortstop N eill Bere/ is Rey Ordonez without tile Iivjh*. At :LesVan_r. a • a 9 Parrr.c-*. o.o 180 0 54 241 4 IO 15 13 5 13 2 15 133 • ’ P f) PPO 5 P . i i^ U L Class AAA Colorado Springs, d ie brilliant defensive player t 6 59 4a *a •“» _ ' 37 30 542 63 •••• 40 0 ,1 5 o.

286 N 12 i-O 129 70 O« O' aT • ' c f A . •f• a< also nas put together a 23-game hitting streak and is hitting IVj^pz •wa* J" ooj11 ■ 1"*en u cl__l u i jj. o* ITA ^ -I ’ - • c l ‘ TEAM _____ W. __________ ~23-23~ 55?

4090 45L 296 " 272 61 202 2y» 0 46 46 . ’ ( [ 953 26$ 42_jfo 4-2 6 00 54 0 £3 24 39 2 ( over .MPD But with Walt W eiss working on d ie first t ear of a W 286 19 55 lOFFCNENTS PONEMTS 23-23 555 4GoC 440 264 25^ 55 153 323 * 46 40 ?

Q ;i0 7 5 284 36 170 500 .286 20 Si 2-4 861 500 67 25 3- - I fwo-vear d e a l Bere/ will stay pm.

— TONY OeMaRCO A

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LOS ANGELES DODGERS W -L: 27-24 P la c e : 2nd Canadian success: H ie team opened a nine-game trip to M o ntreal. Bliiladelp iiia and New York with a M victo ry last I riday ai O lym pic Stadium . It fol­ lowed tin- next night with a >3 victory. keyed in B illy A shley’* hases-loaded irijile. T ile two w ins in M o n treal are notable, considering the Expos bad a I M boule record en* •m ug tin- <erie>. Also. the team had won just eight of 3C gam es rn v anatta in lie- T O L T h e entire eastern sw ing i»;i" been rough for tin* organization lins decade. Entering the season, ii was iii M ontreal. Philadelphia and N ew fork since BftHi. ' ( )ne reason i> the artiiiciaJ turf." pitcher lo in C andiolti says. “ W e’re not a team built around speed, ■flial'-* w ily we have problem *. W h eji you're playing on turf. von have to have good, >olid pitching and d e fe n se ."... T h is tile n a m ha'* had problem s e veryw h ere but I lodger stadium , w here it e* TG-p. [I was s-1f» on the road celu re tin- eastern trip began.

Karros comes alive: E rie K arro s is show ing signs of em erg­ ing m on bis season-long slump. A fter an D-for-27 skid. Earhit ‘'L l over his next tuat-bats But even a lle r going I•nr.j iasi Sunday at M om reai. E a r n * is hilting only ,2,'Lv Although D in a r! Valde*. won as m any gam es as H id er N ojijii ia>j -ca •'on. lie was som etim es overlooked That is • lin g er the case. " lh ' is without i doubt one of the pre «n-? p itchers m the prague.' m anager Tom m y D tsorda ay* “ I I*- inis com plete com m and o f aff lour o f his pitch• \ a Ides can throw Ins fastball, curve, slider and change:p mr a strike inM about any linn-. He has f a strikeouts and oily J wal ks in bis first ii,s-- innings Valdes is >2 with a : IB E R A a lle r a victo ry over tile M ets M ay 21. H e has not pitt bed few er tbatt six innings in any of his lo starts, aud opponents are batting just .22N against h im .... T h e {('ant m akes its first trip to Atl.'tnta Ju n e l'Mt>. when the players w ill have an opportunity to visit w ith Brett Butler, who bad can cer su rg ery M a y 21.

— GORDO# VERRELL

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SAN DIEGO PADRES W*L: 31-19 Place: 1st Tragic tiroes: For the second time this season, tile Padres werejolted by trag* ic news. Mike Sharperson. a popular ■ W M p M y veteran who took part in spring camp, ^ accident last Sunday In Las Vegas. Sharperson, an infielder with the Class AAA Vegas Stars, was nearly promoted to San Diego to replace third baseman Ken Caminiti. He was to join the Padres last Sunday in Montreal for precautionary reasons in the event Caminiti was placed on the D.L "Sharpy was a class guy," manager Bruce Booby says. "He did everything we asked. Every­ body here knew him and thought a lot of Sharpy."... On Apii 7, Padres ClassA pitcher Matt UChappa suffered two heart attacks and remains in a coma.

S ill led G it Tony Gwynn is a singles hitter, a Hall ofFame one at that, but he never has fit the description more than this season. Forty-six of Gwynn’s first 54 hits were singles.

Considering Gwynn still had a .362average, he had reason for pride, bul he was disappointed in his output ofdoubles (7) and homers (0). “I can’t remember the last time I hit a double,” says Gwynn, who hasn't doubled since the 30th game. “No complaints, no excuses. I just stink.” Gwynn's sore right heel likely Is a factor. Though Gwynn says the pain has subsided, he must wear a crossArainer shoe be­ cause a baseball shoe irritates his heel. Gwynn had four doubles in the first 12games. In the 13th game, he came out against Colorado because as he said, "My heel was on fire.” ... Has Luis Lopez supplanted Andujar Cedeno as the No. I shortstop? “No—we're goingoverboard there," man­ ager Bruce Bochy says. “The way Louie is playing, he de­ serves to play more." Craig Shipley was eligible lo return from the D.L June I and likely wiU cut further into Cedeno's time.... Tlie Padres have a mild interest in acquiring a shortstop. New York’s Jose Vizcaino and Chicago's Rey Sanchez came up in informal talks, but the price was too high.

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WH iM t The team lost a big chunk of offense when right fielder Glenallen IHill suffered a broken and dislocated |left wrist Sunday trying to make a slid­ ing catch against the Phillies. Hell be out at least IO to 12weeks. Before the injury. Hill had been moved from the No. 6 spot in the lineup to No. 5because ofa recent hitting surge. In his last 16games, he batted .390with four homers and nine RBIs. The team replaced Hill on the roster with outfielder/first baseman Dan Peltier, who was leading the Pacific Coast Leaguewith a 372 average. Butbecause Pelti­ er plays mostly 1^ field, he won’t replace Hill in the lineup.

Instead, manager Dusty Baker will platoon Marvin Benard and David McCarty in right field, with Benard leading off when he plays. But neither Benard nor McCarty has the power of Hill. ‘TVe were just getting over all of our injuries and getting it together." Baker says. Tou come to realize maybe youll never be together completely."

Staff savion Mark Gardner wasn't good enough to make Florida's opening day roster, bul Gardner has emerged as the team's mostsuccessful and reliable starter. Gardner, 34 and in his eighth season, leads the team with socvictories, thanks to a four-game winning streak in which he allowed two earned runs or less in each start “I don’t know where we'd be without him," Baker says. “We’d be in bad shape."

Gardner's experience has been so valuable that the team has leaned on him for lips in preseries scouting meetings, He has applied his knowledge on the mound, using a shaipbreaking curve that has fooled hitters regularly. Although Gardner isn't known as a strikeout pitcher, he has struck out ^ in 53t4innings.... Gardner's success has compensat­ ed for some ofthe failures of No. I and No. 2 pitchers Mark Leiter and William VanLandingham, who are a combined 4ll. W lh lefthander Shawn Estes (6-2) continumg his suc­ cess at Class AAA Phoenix. VanLandingham’s status ap­ pears uncertain.

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W-L: 19-28 Place: 4th He can hit, too: The fans and a good segment of the media enjoyed watch­ ing Roger Clemens hit last Thursday against Seattle, but manager Kevin Kennedy came under criticism for al­ lowing it to happen, especially with a seven-run lead in the eighth inning.

Many remember when Kennedy allowed Jose Canseco to pitch when both were with Texas. Canseco suffered an el­ bow injury that sidelined him the final three months of the season. Hitting for the first time since the 1986 World Se­ ries. Clemens singled. He was the team’s first pitcher since Tim Collar in 1986 to get a hit and only the ninth American League hurler to hit safely since the designated hitter was established in 1973. Clemens also moved into 24th place on the all-time strikeout list that night when he reached 2.416.... Second baseman W il Cordero was thought to have suffered a sprained ligament in his right knee when he was taken out at second base by Oakland’s George Williams.

But an MR1 revealed a fractured tibia. He underwent surgery and isn't expected to return ihis season. Team physician Arthur Pappas says he never has seen a ballplay­ er with that type of fracture.

Leadoff changes: Third baseman Tim Naehring became the ninth player to lead o ff this season when the club opened a 10-game West Coast trip. Kennedy says he's going to use Naehring at the top of die order against lefthanders and out­ fielder Troy 0 ‘U ‘<ary against righthanders. Naehring. who had a 16-game hilting streak entering the week. has tile highest on-base percentage (.438) on die team.... General manager Dan Duquette finally admitted die team can't count on Jose Canseco and Kevin Mitchell as regular outfielders because of their injury problems. Citing the need for a de­ pendable outfielder, he recalled Jose Malave from Class AAV... Rich Garces. one of the team’s most dependable re­ lievers. is being careful after experiencing slight tightness - in his throwing arni.

— JOEbHJUOTff

T .'i m r r v

at C al f o a m Angels, May 31 •June 2

W*L: 27-20 Place: 2nd All quiet on Bonilla front Slugger Bob­

by Bonilla has been in the eye of the hurricane since the final days of spring training, leading to speculation that the club might try to trade him during the next few months. That seems unlikely for a number of rea­ sons—more than 6 million of them. Bonilla’s big salary re­ duces the market for his services. His problems at the plate—and in the clubhouse—make him even less attrac­ tive to other contending clubs. Of course, that could change if Bonilla breaks out of his slump, which might already be happening. He is a dependable run producer who adapted poorly to a regular designated-hitter role, even though that is where he can best help the team win the A L East Which further argues against a possible deal. If Bonilla recovers at the plate sufficiently to become a hot property, the team would have trouble justifying a trade considering its stated desire to do anything necessary to end a 13-year playoff drought.... Manager Davey Johnson doesn't seem to mind the controversy that has kept the club in a heightened state of alert the past couple of weeks. The team played well while he talked of moving Cal Ripken to third base, and no one missed a beat when Bonilla made his complaints public.

Catching on: Although there is concern inside the organi­ zation about the club's vulnerability to the running game, the organization docs not appear to be in a hurry to acquire another catcher. Chris Holies has begun to swing the bat with more authority, and the team has not been hurt much on the bases lately. But controlling the running game could become a major issue if the Orioles end up in a playoff showdown with the Indians. Backup Greg Zaun didn't hurt his standing with a game-winning hit in extra innings last week.... If righthander Scott Erickson is correct, the rota­ tion should be back to full strength this week. Erickson missed two weeks with a sprained ankle, but he was sched­ uled to return Tuesday night at Seattle. — PETH SCHMUCK

Scott Erection

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W-t: 27-19 Place: 1st Ruben’s debut: Top outfield prospect Ruben Rivera was a smash in his de­ but, going 2-for-2 and scoring Uh*win­ ning run in a 4-3 victory over the A's.

Rivera. 22. is expected to stay with the team until Tim Raines returns from the disabled list. Club officials don't think Rivera is ready to hit big-league pitching. They would have preferred to keep him at Class AAA Columbus, where he was hitting .245, but mounting injuries left diem no choice. ... Reggie Jackson has taken Rivera under his wing. He gave Rivera a pep talk the day of his debut. "I kind of compare him to Ken Griffey Jr. or Barry Bonds.” Jackson says.... Richer Ramiro Mendoza had a successful debut, going six innings in a 5~1 victory at Seattle. Mendoza, a righthander, was the sur­ prise call-up for the injury-riddled rotation.... Despite all tile pitching injuries. Scott Kamieniecki’s job was in jeopardy al­ ter his third consecute poor outing. “He has good stuff.'' manager Joe Torre says. “but you just can’t throw fat in die zone no matter how hard you throw."... Mariano Duncan re­ turned from the disabled list, giving the team some experi­ ence at second base. Rookie Andy Fox and Matt Howard had manned the position. Fox hasn't hit at the big-league level bul impressed his bosses widi great hustle.

Gerald's rise: Gerald Williams continues to play brilliantly in tile absence of stardng.center fielder Bernie Williams. Ac­ cording to Jackson. Gerald “proved he's a full-time player.'

Team officials will have lo make some interesdng decisions when Raines returns.... Derek Jeter, who made 56errors one season at Greensboro, is impressing his bosses with his poise at the plate and in the field.... Mariano Rivera’s scoreless streak ended at 26 innings, but the rest of the bullpen con­ tinues to struggle, particularly Steve Howe, Jeff Nelson and Bob Wickman. Nelson and Wickman have surprised club of­ ficials with their weak showing.... After Torre urged him to throw more strikes, Kenny Rogers began to show signs of pitching like he did last year.

— JOH HEYMAN

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NEW YORK YANKEES

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Player Harold Baryes*

W-L: 12-38 Place: 4th Extended spring training: Righthanded relievers Bob Scanlan and Mike Walker are pitchers Nos. 16 and 17 as the team tries to end a nightmare.

Scanlan, 29, might have made the club out of spring training had he not suffered an elbow injury. He was 4-7 with a 6.59 ERA with the Brewers last season while Walker was 1-3 with a 3.22 ERA with the Cubs. Walker, 29, signed as a minor league free agent April 26 and allowed one earned run in 11 innings at Class AAA Toledo. But, as if on cue, he surrendered a two-run home run to the first batter he faced—Manny Ramirez.... Blue-chip lefthanded prospect Justin Thompson is the latest attempt to improve the rota­ tion. Scott Aldred. John Farrell and Jose Lima, busts as starters, were returned to the minors last Friday.

Fast forwarding: Switch-hitting catcher Raul Casanova, 23. might represent management’s first premature call-up. Af­ ter displaying restraint with Thompson—letting him get IO minor league starts though he overpowered Class AAA hit­ ters—general manager Randy Smith says he sped up his timetable for bringing up Casanova partly because of the team’s struggles. In his first few games, Casanova has shown good defensive mechanics but needs work at the plate.... There is little hope for a desperately needed win­ ning streak, with upcoming trips to Chicago and Baltimore.

After the team’s 11th consecutive loss and 31st in 35 games last Sunday, it was on a pace (a .240 winning percentage) worse than tile 1962 Mets (.250), who set a record with 120 losses. Tile national media are taking notice, and the team is developing a following it would rather avoid.... Outfield­ ers Curtis Pride and Melvin Nieves could be keepers. Both homered last Saturday. Nieves’ drive to dead center went an estimated 478 feet. A week earlier, he cleared the rightfield roof al Tiger Stadium.... Third baseman Travis Fry­ man hasn't made an error since the third game, a streak of 47 games entering this week.

— REID CREAGER

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Y R : 21*28 Place: 3rd Rising stock: Righthander Marty Janzen went l l days between his first major league appearance and his sec­ ond, then made the most of the op­ portunity. He relieved Frank Viola against the Twins and allowed one hit in 4*7i innings to pick up his second victory. He threw 45 strikes among his 64 pitches, struck out six and walked two. "I like his control." manager Cito Gaston says. “And I like the things he says on the bench between in­ nings. He’s thinking out there." Janzen, one of three prospects obtained from the Yankees in the David Cone deal last July, is surprised by his quick start, if s hard to believe I have two wins and am pitching as well as I arn ," he says. ...

Righthander Jeff Ware was bombed in his first two starts be­ fore being sent to the minors, but he has been impressive since returning. He threw four shutout innings of relief against the Twins last Friday, “i’ve got my confidence back," Ware says. “I can throw all of my pitches for strikes."

Pitching iBpraw ocats: Pitching was supposed to be tile team’s weak spot, but entering the week the staff led the A.L with a 3.74 ERA and had allowed five homers in the last 13 games. ... The team has struggled offensively in recent weeks. Since May 12, when the Blue Jays beat Boston. 8-7. they have scored 35 runs in 13 games, going 4-9. Entering the week, catcher Sandy Martinez has one hit in eight games. Juan Samuel is 3-for-26, infielder Domingo Cedeno is kfor-25, shortstop Alex Gonzalez is Sfor-34 and right fielder Shawn Green is lO-for-53.... Newcomer Jacob Brumfield was thrown out attempting to steal home last Saturday against die Twins. Paul Molitor was the last Toronto player to steal home, in 1993.... Catcher Charlie O'Brien will experiment with a new mask, a hybrid of traditional catching protection and the plastic, full-plated masks worn by hockey goalies. “I guess I hate being normal.” O’Brien says.... The Bluejays are 11-15on the road. In 1995. it took them 36 road games to reach l l victories.

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Barnes, the team’s oldest player at age 37. is making up for the lack of pro­ duction by Robin Ventura and Danny Tartabull behind cleanup man Frank Thomas. Baines batted close to .500 and drove in 16 runs over an l&game stretch, lifting his av­ erage to .329 and his RBI count to 44—one of the top figures in the A.L “Harold can do that sort of thing, but so can oth­ ers on this team,” manager Terry Herington says. “Frank could. Robin could. Danny could. I expect before the season is over, they all will." Baines operates strictly as a designated *linter now. the result of six knee operations. “I can’t run, but I can still see," he says. Herington considers Baines ageless.

“No one’s going to tell Harold when it’s time to retire," Bevington says. “One of these seasons, when he does retire, hell be right." Baines doesn’t try to analyze age or statistics. “I try to hit the ball where ifs pitched, is a ll” he says.

Still sore: Jason Bere made an appointment with Los Ange­ les surgeon Frank Jobe to have his pitching elbow reex­ amined when he felt pain following two rehabilitation starts for Class AAA Nashville.... Tony Phillips escaped criminal charges after his May 15 altercation with a Milwaukee fan.

Phillips was charged with disorderly conduct and ordered to pay a $200 fine. But he still could face a league suspen­ sion. “I don’t think the league should get involved." gener­ al manager Ron Schueler says. “I would think f’d have heard from the president (Gene Budig) by now.” ... Darren lewis went on a .474 roll over five games, hitting back-toback home runs at Detroit and raising his average from .198 to .264. “Ive been trying to take my batting-practice swing into the game" he says, crediting new batting coach Bill Buckner. “We’re trying to go back to the way I used to swing."... H ie White Sox averaged 5.5 hits in a two-game sweep of the Blue Jays after averaging 17 hits in a threegame sweep of the Tigers.

— JOE GOWARD

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June 3,1996

A.L CENTRAL • 33 STARTERS

CLEVELAND INDIANS I M : 33-14 Wk®; 1st For stators: Brian Anderson, who had an 0-1 record and 4.15 ERA to show for his first two 19% starts, neverthe­ less locked himself in as tile No. 5 starter. “Overall, there still needs to be work done by me," says Anderson, who was impressive despite the num­ bers. “I would imagine Brian will get another start," manag­ er Mike Hargrove says facetiously. In his first start, Ander­ son yielded four runs (three earned) and dropped a 6-3 de­ cision to Texas. Anderson, who grew up in Geneva, Ohio, as a diehard Indians fan, was nervous before his first home s ta rt “It’s 45 miles from Geneva to downtown," he says. T m glad it was a day game instead of a night game, so I didn’t have to sit around all day. It was hard waiting for I o’clock."...

Jim Thome hit the longest home run in the twoplus-year his­ tory of Jacobs Field in a game against Milwaukee. Thom e's second-inning blast was estimated at 445 feet and landed in the second deck of the right field stands. Five innings later, Thom e hit a 435-foot home run. “I was ju st trying to have good at-bats," Thome says. “You’re going to have nights like th a i Over a full season, you have ups and downs."

He p a il, IO p a r . Shortstop Omar Vizquel says that when he injured his right shoulder in spring training, he was giv­ en an option: undergo arthroscopic surgery and m iss a month, or play with pain the entire season. Vizquel chose to play. Doctors say Vizquel can’t do any more damage to the shoulder, but an MRI has been scheduled for July. ’‘Some­ times my arm feels numb, sometimes it feels dead, some­ times it's all right," Vizquel says. “It’s something different every day. lf you see m e with ice on it, you know it hurts.”

Vizquel has played in all of the team’s g am es.... Jose Mesa, who earned his 18th and 19th saves on consecutive days, m ight be better when he w orks a lot. “I think he’s better when he goes back-to-back," catcher Sandy Alomar says.

“He has better control of his fastball. W hen he gets time off, sometimes his fastball is erratic" — SHELDON OCKER

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W 4 :23-28 Pfactt 5th Now l f M m : T he verbal sparring has picked up between pitcher Kevin Ap­ pier and the team. Not surprisingly, it’s all over money. T he Royals began the big-bucks tug of war with a threeyear offer of $4.3 million annually. Ap­ pier said no. His agent countered with a three-year, $5.5 million proposal. General manager Herk Robinson said no. At th e height of this drama, Appier made a different kind of sales pitch with an impressive vic­ tory over the hard-hitting Rangers. “I hope I g et signed and can be part of a winner here," Appier says. But he also wants the contract situation to be settled soon—o r put on hold un­ til the offseason when he can becom e a free agent. Robin­ son m et with Appier and they discussed plans for develop­ ing a winner. “We talked about m e being part of the future of the organization. I feel m ore positive," Appier says. Best guess: If Appier is not under contract by (lie end of July, the team will deal him for prospects.

Cheers: Kauffman Stadium attendance is down slightly from 1995, but M ark Gubicza had loyal fans pumped up af­ ter his four-hit complete-game shutout of th e Rangers.

They gave him a standing ovation after W arren Newson broke up his perfect gam e with two out in the fifth, then they stood and chanted his nam e in the ninth. It was sweet revenge for Gubicza, who had suffered the worst drubbing of his career in his previous start at T e x a s.... Jim Pittsley, a 6-7 righthander who would have joined Ute rotation if not for elbow surgery, is making steady progress in extended spring training. His fastball is topping out at 90 m p h .... Ap­ pier, Gubicza, reliever Jeff M ontgom ery and bullpen coach Guy Hansen have developed a motivational phrase for the young team: “Just tru st yourself." T he idea is to keep Ute kids from sinking too deep into a funk when tilings go w rong.... Jose Offerman, who has become a defensive stal­ w art since moving from sho rtsto p to first base, also has raised his average from .216 to .293.

— DICK KAESS.

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0 4 6 I I 2 0 $ 3 I I _ 3 0 35 40

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39 .179 0 ~ 3 102 .265 0 IO 122 270 7 17 230 261 7 30 44 273 2 7 119 2 52 7 23 74 311 0 IO 46 326 I 9 61 361 3 1$ 68 368 4 J S 49 265 0 13 973 .28531.159 671 231 15 66

H HR Ava AB 3 0 0 OOO 2 0 .125 8 I 7 0 286 I 0 250 12_ C 0 389 18 INC

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WEEKS JL & JU *m JU a J» -L it-L O . it- u r n e 3 L ± ± . 1 A J ± J SLI 17

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34 • A l. CENTRAL

The Sporting News

STARTERS

MILWAUKEE BREWERS

.

ner scratches his head and wonders why his club has struggled ai home.

One reason could be Milwaukee County Stadium, the old. gray struc­ ture that o|k*ned in 1953 with 392-foot power alleys and winds that always seem to blow toward home plate. “ In some of the new parks, you can mis-hil a hall and it will go out." says dreg Vaughn, who leads the club with 11 home runs. "At home. you can hit it hard and get nothing out of it." In the team's first I? games, it collected 55 homers— 17 at home and 38 on the road. Conversely, the Orioles ha(I hit J5at Camden Yards and 21 on the road. “ It may psych us out a bit." Gar­ ner says, referring to County Stadium's impact on hitters.

"W hen a player is comparing his stuff in one ballpark lo somebody else... what would (Dave) Nilsson do in Cleve­ land? In Detroit? Baltimore? He might hit 35 or -IO home runs.' Dimensions for new M iller Park have not been re­ leased. but the retractable roof should calm the winds.

Rising star: Second baseman Fernando Vina. always a fine defensive player, has picked up his offense. A recent eightgame hitting streak raised Vinas average as high as .328.

What caused the sudden surge? "I did a lot of work at the (hitting) tee and spread my stance oui some." Vina says.

"I ve really benefited from it. I'm seeing the bali better and I ve got better balance. Plus, the opportunity to be playing ♦very day. that's a key. also." Vinas improvement lias had one negative effect. Pat Listnch's playing time, production and spirits iiave dipped, prompting rumors of an impending trade ... Shortstop Jose Valentin .started the first 14 games before getting a night off. And. not surprisingly, the club lost the game. When Valentin went out with a broken finger last season, the team lost 22 of 30 games.... After blowing a save against Baltimore, closer Mike Fetters reeled off six consecutive saves. Over a span of 11 appearances. Fetters gave up only one run.

— DREW OLSON

Avg. 250 318 291 254 429

Player Canos 8ae<&3« Hben Be*'* Juio Frarco KennyLohcn* Ede* Murray#

W I : 22-25 Place: 3rd Home sweet home? Manager Phil (ear­

AB H HR 24 6 0 22 7 3 17 5 2 28 6 0 : 3 0

Player Av c l AB H HR 0 0 W.i Claik* 167 12 w Dart)! Hit .‘ton* • 0 0 0 Mdemcre* 259 27 7 ■) Dean Pa'mer .143 14 2 0 Nan Rodr-^-r; 063 16 I Ct ‘I jf 7ma*<ceo «im a • R oc**

BREWERS

____

_________________ 6

AB

Nfcson*__________ 17 58 Se-.net 46 167 Vina* _ _ ___ 34 129 M «$ ke 43____136 C«rflo__________ 45 138 W e n tiy__________ 47 172 Vaughn 46 168~ Carr____________ 24 92 Ja to 43 155 Matheny___________ 44 134 ■ews« 22 36 bstacM___________ 30 t il W ard* 34 54 Hulse*____________ 33 48 TEAM___________ 47 1636 OPPONENTS 47 1594 _______________ WA

ERA

Fetters___________ 1-0 I io^d# 1-1 Wi&an<to<* 2-0 McDonald . _____ 4-2 •Qcze_ 0-2 Garcia 0-1 Kafir -4-2 U ra n ia .

3-3 Bones _ 3-7 Sparks _____ 3 5 •Pons*_______ 1-2 TEAM 22-25 OPPONENTS 25-22

2 16 2 61 394 4.24 4 30 4 50 4 60 515 606 6 59 8 22 5 21 5 62

B

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BB

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24 4 0 6 55 IO 0 5 42 6 ,4 2 42 i i I. 6 41___ 9 I 4 49 _ _8_ 3 8 46 5 0 TI 25 5 I 1 40 8 0 6 34 9 I 3 9 O OO 26 6 0 I » 11 2 _ JL 0 0 464 62 12 55 428 82 12 63

460 .433 .396 -364 384 .356 377 313 368 295 .357 309 .353 200 .365 .347

793 .479 .461 .537 464 506 .500 380 .426 .403 .250 315 370 .167 449 454

ry of the season was impressive: a complete-game shutout of the Jays last Friday. It was his third complete game of the season, but he was 0-7. the worst ^ winless streak in the majors, before the win. No magic contributed to Robertson's win even though a handful of teammates offered various remedies. “Some guys suggested I stay out all night.

Others said to gel a haircut. ' Robertson declined the allnighter. He did get a haircut a few days lifter his last start, however. “Maybe thats it." he says. Now. Robertson can con­ centrate on something else*: He’s ped with Texas' Kfnnv Hill tor 'he league lead in complete games.... The team will use a uiur-man rotation for two weeks because of off-days.

Robertson. Brad Radke. Frankie Rodriguez and Pat Ma­ mmies will start, and Jose Parra will work oui of the bullpen.

Second opinion: Kirby Puckett s trip to the Mayo Clinic last »hnrsday likely will result rn nothing more than a modifi•ation in the eye drops lie s using— if that. Doctors con­ cluded tests on retinal damage iii Puckett's right eye. and •In- second opinion appeared to yield nothing more than what Dr Pert Glaser has determined. Glaser, a Maryland vim al specialist who has worked with Puckett since late Gart h, diagnosed Wickett as having glaucoma. lYickett will *t» in Baltimore weekly to be ••xamincd.

The insurance rn dicken s 8b million contract kicks in May 31. at which mini the learn will be reimbursed 5b percent of his 199b -alan. lite team is expected to take San I bego State first Oakman Travis I we with its tirsi-round pick (second over­ all) rn next month's draft.. Paul Molitor passed Brooks Robinson and moved into 33rd place on the all-time bits list •ast week. Next up for Molitor, who had 2,854 hits after last Minday s game: Jesse Burkett. Molitor needs 19 hits to pass h u n .... Pitcher Rick Aguilera and catcher Matt Walbeck .vert1sent on injury rehabilitation assignments to extended spring training in Fort Myers. Fin. — SCOTT MILLER

B ra d R ad E e

Avg. 333 J3 L 222

Pjayeig_____ 0 a rr,lH a T ..-y i»

MahJkUnvye* DeanParser NanBocfiouez

___________ R o b e rt to o

Teja s R angers. May 31 -Jc*.r AB H H R T Ayo' AB H H P & 3 1 250 12 3 0 6_J __ 0 ~333 12 4 I 9 2 0 I 222 9 2 0 AT

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297 .1 l l 0-17.50 6 0 9 5 3 0 651 77 49 44 13 28 18 0 ll \± 0 0 57 1 59 42 42 15 28 13 0 9.

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15 27 27 TS 24 34 35 17 29 16 I 15 6 6_8 282 252

PH Mahone*

W-L 22-26 Place: 4th New start: Rich Robertson's first vieto-

H HR 2 0 I 0 5 0 0 0 2 0

WEEK 8

38 HR. M I B f . E g . Sh . SB CS 16 M i 25 329 IS 326 26 309 17 .297 37 .M S 37 274 l l 272 30 .258 30 2&4 4 250 11 .234 9 .204 0 -167 269 284 252 .269

RELIEVER

A u STATISTICS Th r o u g h S lN C A f 'S C A V E S . PROVIDED B v S T A T S . I**C.

’96 Season to date

MINNESOTATWINS X

_________

Ben McCook} I Any! Miranda "Js tm Sp it* kina Fetterj .> Cii»ctAJ.o Incurs, May 30 •Jute 2 .

Avg. AB H HR Avg. AB H HR Ayq. AB H HR Avg. AB H HR Avg AB 375 8 3 0 265 31 9 2 364 11 4 0 400 15 6 0 250 8 T • 2 0 310 29 9 4 500 3 I SCO •# 3 462 13 6 I .143 333 j I 0 333 12 4 0 3C0 IO 3 I 0 0 0 385 <3 •11 9 I 0 233 30 7 0 167 12 2 0 231 13 3 0 OOO I • it I 2 0 357 250 6 2 0 250 3 1 4 5 1000 2 V4 0 '•S I Hangers. Jir =3-5 Avg. AB H HR Avg. AB H HR Avg. AB H HR Avg. AB H HR Avq AB I i OOO •« 0 0 333 6 2 0 CCO 333 3 1 0 500 2 I - 0 0 0 250 23 *i . .

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I-JCO 2 I• 0 250 8 • 0 0 0 . 0 0 0 333 12 • 6 2 0 167 0 0 0 182 ti 2 0 400 5 2 0 667 3 2 0 500 6 0 250 8 2 0 )75 OO) 0 0 0 500 14 7 0 250 4 o

STARTERS

/ O

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RELIEVE) RELIEVER l f rajyfc R odriguez " l o r n S te v e n s

2___ ____ ______ _ Avg. AB ~H HR PCO ' 00 PCQ T 00 - 0 0 _9

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Robertson

Alt

THROUGH

’96 Season to date'

S GAUSS. ^AOV-DtD 0Y

Vs. RH JA M

Vs. LH

hr RS!

AB A r iJffl RBI

WEEK 8 U _R

, 26 385 1 6 _ . L WO. 0 _ .CL 2 H i 322 2 _ !S 47 426 I 4 29 150 333 224 46 326 j J 30 . US-.296 J- -14 385—3" 16 -25 128 320 2. J8 _ i i 286_ 0. I _ 22 . 9-233. 0.. . . I _ O L Q_. I — I 74 284 0 IO 4 4 _ j4 i i _ 8 24 20 250 0 3 _ A L 326_ 4^J I _ 4

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SS

0 0 0 0 . Q OOO 0.

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AB Arc. HR -N a u a LJi'chn^

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33

Mancmes, Parra ’Bennett OPPONENTS

.

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,

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386MO 600 60 1013 51 OOO IO 3 22 64 1 4.45 64.2

15 J A IO J. 9 0 ~2 0 63 19 76 32

O i i 5 0 0 Q 51 I 45 2

AI WEST•SS

June 3,1996

..

CALIFORNIA ANGELS W*L: 23-25 Place: 3rd Most(Ue) sought atter: Houston and Pittsburgh are the two teams most interested in reliever [;ee Smith. But both clubs would like the team to pick up much of Smith's guaranteed $1.7 million contract. Because Troy fli» Percival (13-for-lS in save situations) is entrenched in the closer s role, its a buyer’s market for Sm itli.... Jim Abbott, at 1-7 with a 6.39 ERA. is off to his worst start ever. Hall of Fame second baseman joe Mor­ gan offers an opinion: “Everything he throws comes up there at the same speed. If he doesn't change speeds, he’ll never be successful. And when he gels ahead in the count, a righthanded hitter knows everything Abbott throws will be from the middle of the plate in. ’ Harked up: WTien Mark Ungstoii went on the D .L, the team began a 4-11 stretch. So the organization was ec­ static when it heard Langston hasn’t lost his ability to heal quickly—the lefthander plans to be back in the ro­ tation two weeks earlier than anyone expected. Langston did the same thing in ’94. after surgery to his left elbow.

Doctors said he'd be out six weeks, but Langston was pitching less than four weeks later. This time, Langston underwent surgery to repair a torn knee ligament. Less than three weeks after surgery, Langston was pitching in Class A Lake Elsinore on a rehabilitation assignment....

With budget-conscious Jackie Autry calling the shots, the team would have never dreamed of making a mid­ season trade for Kansas City’s Kevin Appier and his $5 million contract. Now, those decisions rest with Tony Tavares, president of Disney Baseball Enterprises who says, "If I could catch a ride on the space shuttle and I thought there was a player on the moon who could help.

I’d go."... As G.M. Bill Bavasi tests the trade waters, he finds interest in the team's top prospects, outfielder Darin Erstad and catcher Todd Greene. Neither is likely to be traded.

CuNNIIIQHAM

^STACTtBS

_ Tjhim6oG»

rn PUvef Roberto B/ajy Anderson.

Bobby BO)-- ^ flalae) Paiv?<Jo-

ANGELS

Davisl

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Wallace

G 27 46 25 43 47

TI

28

Pabfeoas* O Saiona _ 46 Aklfete* '2 3 tja s le y 6 TEAM_____________48 OPPONENTS 48

KM. Pe<cival lames Smitfi Ffohvdrtti Finiev* Penniiiqton.

Bosiue Gfimsiev 'Wiftams •HoUemer* TEAM

H HR 7 2 U 0 J 0 16 3 13 I

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29 55 23 45 53

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398 397 411

$1 70-1 15,1 56.0 350 no 620 170 4290

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6 3 2 31 7 26 22

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Vs. LH

W-l: 22-26 Place: 4th Knocked out Carlos Reyes' position in the rotation seemed fragile from the beginning. So it wasn’t a huge sur­ prise when he lost his spot after drop­ ping a May 21 decision to New York.

Reyes gave up five runs on 11 hits in four innings as his record dropped to ‘S-7 and his ERA soared to 6.02. “ I had my opportunity and things didn’t go the way I wanted them to,’*says Reyes, who was the team’s opening-day starter. “I’m lucky I can do both jobs (start and relieve).’’ ... Bobby Chouinard, obtained from Baltimore for Harold Baines after the 1993 season, was recalled from Class AAA Edmonton and made his major league debut Sunday against the Orioles. He was the loser, giving up five runs,and eight hits in five innings. Meanwhile, starter Ariel Prieto, who suffered a strained tendon in his right elbow, is expected to be out until at least mid-June.

John Wasdin replaces Prieto in the rotation. Manager Art Howe says Wasdin and Chouinard will remain in the rota­ tion as long as they are competitive.

Berroa's bombs: Geronimo Berroa became the ninth player in Oakland history to hit three home runs in one game.

Ernie Young accomplished the feat earlier in May. Berroa, who resides in New York during the winter, has hit nine homers in 16 games at Yankee Stadium, where he is 23-for.67.... Pedro Munoz hit the longest home run ever at Cam­ den Yards, a 463-foot blast.... TTie A’s and Red Sox were at odds after backup catcher George Williams’ aggressive slide into Boston second baseman W il Cordero resulted in Cordero probably being lost for the season with a broken bone in his leg. Howe and Boston manager Kevin Kennedy exchanged veiled threats last week.... Brent Gates missed two games and played one inning of another because of an unknown ailment that is causing lightheadedness. He re­ turned to the lineup Sunday and said he was fine.... First baseman Mark McGwire started to heat up last week, hit­ ting four home runs in six games.

— PEDRO GOMEZ

iBudtfyGfooffl Plavef WadeBooos* J.1 T1LevTTi rEOoUartnez* PaUOHe-it Ruben S«Ta4

Ava. AB 143 7 667 a 400 5 750 4 857 7

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WEEK 8

0

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AB Aw. HR RBI MA, 37 135 I 50 260 I 18 167 0

2

M OO J? J 90 O Q L J9 C J ' 39 126 I J I O 5 OO O ' ^18 ’• 103 204 6 15 2 0 04 29' i 13 J J J I J

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23 261 I 5 193 301 6 .Ii 43 326 I 7 _ J8 1124 276 37 160 545 887 259 27 103 771

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SIAFnEAS

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

H HR • • (

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l l 22 0 0 2 5 244 317 16 32 5 0 0 14 213 .239 5 6 ' i 0 3 8 .200 288 0 0 0 O O0,000 000 \es6 223 446 68 6 67 ?>fi 269 136 1667 2S9 454 75 4 61 248 272 .346

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3 -5 Avo. AB H HR Avo AB H HR I Avo. AB H HR Avo. AB WI 9 3 I 091 ll I 1 DCO tw C 0 0 p > 16? 12 /, I 667 3 2 0 OOO J ( 0 - 0 375 0 3 0 286 \56 16 C 313 ie H V 0 G 1 1 ; I 157 6 1 09' 0 0 250 0 ■ 0 I in ( 0 245 49 12 ? OOQ 0 0 A ll StAiiSliSb tMCOjG-1 S j -.Oa* S OWt . f PO. STATS

’96 Season to date

48 38 47

Howe!*

AB 29 38 3 50 46

Pldver Avo. AB H HR Cofdo-^a 182 ll 2 0 Oa-.-eHo'fisa 0 0 0 Chuck KnobiaJCI 400 45 18 2 Pal Meare& 308 13 I 0 PauiU)i*» 200 35 ) 0 •RoCKC -U"»^V.O*0tSJnlCMM-tUh

Abbott

Hodler

Avo. 241 368 333 320 283

Tow^Pinl»Y

Rcutvm

____________

_____

REllEVER

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Reyes

ATHLETICS AB

R

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46

176

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29 17 42 45 30 46 33 40 46

9?

46 156 173

33 18 8 21 24 16

37 40 21 17 48 48 KM

Mohier* 'Woipecfiowsluf Gfoom*

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173

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The Sporting News

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W-l: 30*19 Place: 1st Taking stock: Manager Johnny Oates, upset about his team’s recent lack of intensity, closed the clubhouse for a 15-minute meeting after an 84) loss to the Royals last week. “We had less in­ tensity tonight; we’ll have more to­ morrow." Oates said. ‘Tm not happy with the way our ballclub played the past couple of games.

I'm very happy with my ballclub overall, we’ve got a good ballclub.... It’s my job to tell them they haven't been play­ ing well.” The meeting came after the Rangers had lost six of eight games. “We just seem flat.’’ third baseman Dean Palmer says. "Guys just need to wake up. we all need to wake up.” Oates says he stayed calm during the meeting.

"I told the guys its not fire and brimstone time. We’re nine games over .500 and in first place. We’ve got a good ball­ club, let’s start playing like that" Unlikely hero: Rick Helling, who was called up to replace in­ jured Kevin Gross, pitched a 2-1 victory over the Royals, al­ lowing three hits in eight innings. ‘Wow." Oates says.

‘W hat a shot in the arm that young man was. Just an out­ standing effort at the right time for us." Helling won his first major league game since May 9. “I know I’m capable of pitching up here." Helling says. “I've had some tough times and been through a learning process. One day you’re a hero, the next day nobody thinks you can pitch in the big leagues. It's just nice to pitch well and throw a good outing for the team."... Any problems with the rotation apparent­ ly will have to be addressed from within. General manager Doug Melvin says he doesn’t foresee a move for a starter anytime soon. “I’d love to try to improve our pitching, but you’re probably going to have to do with what you have," Melvin says. “If you get someone, he’s got to be better than what we have. and we’re second in the league in pitching.

At this point, we'll keep giving the ball to the people we have until something changes." Melvin also says he does­ n't foresee a trade for bench help.

— T.H. SuUJVAI

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W-L: 26-22 Place: 2nd Select company: When Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 200th career home run off Boston Icelander Vaughn Eshelman last week, the center fielder became the seventh-youngest player in major league history to reach that plateau.

He would have reached 200 much sooner if not for a fractured left wrist that sidelined him for 73 games last season. The six players younger than Griffey all finished with more than 500 homers and were voted into the Hall of Fame.... Griffey didnt stay at 200 for long. He homered off Roger Clemens two nights later and hit three against the Yankees last Friday nighL It was his first threehomer game, and the five runs he scored established a club record. ... After hitting a major-league record 44 homers in April, die club entered the week with 40 home runs in May.... Right fielder Jay Buhner soon will join Grif­ fey in the 200-homer club. He has hit 16 this season, hiking his career total to 185. /Ml but three have been with the Mariners, whom he joined on July 21,1988.

Platoon in tho works: Manager Lou Piniella is toying with die idea of platooning third baseman Russ Davis with Doug Strange. Davis, who batted only 24 times last season against righthanded pitchers, is hitting .232 against righthanders and .286 against lefties.... After being no-hit

by Dwight Gooden to begin an eastern road trip, the team reached double figures in hits in six of (he next seven games. They collected 21 in one game and 19 twice. ...The team is poised to surpass the one million mark in atten­ dance earlier (ban ever. Five sellouts have helped boost at­ tendance to more than 890,000 in 26 dates.... One of the priorities in spring training was to improve defensively. Af­ ter ranking 12th in defense a season ago. the team has al­ lowed only eight unearned runs through 48 games, the fewest in the majors.... John Marzano is proving to be a valuable backup to catcher Dan Wilson. In his six starts this season, Marzano is 6-for-19.

— Jw S to c t

Sterling Iftcftcock

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June 3,1996

consider the proposed system will incorpo­ rate the key plays that invariably become the centers of controversy on questionable calls: scoring plays, out-of-bounds calls and turnovers.

But I can't give a blanket approval to the system without pointing out three major flaws that must be rectified: First, the current guidelines include only fumbles at the goal line, not fumbles elsewhere. Second, there is no ruling for whether a player has a knee -down on a tackle, a potentially critical play on long delays and a system that attempted to in­ an important drive. clude far too many categories of plays.

‘W e’re aware of these kinds of things, but But, as Iv e been saying all along, why not right now. we’re trying to see if its feasible to look to reduce the scope of replay and im­ get the system working," says Giants G.M. pose a strict lime lim­ George Young, co­ chairman of the it on reviews? That Competition Com­ would make more mittee. "We can ad­ sense than enduring the burdensome de­ dress those things at lays that plagued the a later date."

But theres anoth­ system in the first er more complicated place. problem. Under the Evidently, that’s proposed system, a the growing consen­ team that calls for a sus among N FL own­ review would lose a ers. Not only are — Redskins G M. Charley Cassady timeout if the play is there fewer plays eli___ _ _ _ gible for review in not reversed by re­ the newly proposed system, but also its the play.

11131, in itself, isn’t so troubling. But here’s coaches who get to call the shots on disputed where it gets tricky: lf a team is out of time­ plays. Each team will have three opportuni­ outs, it cannot request a replay review. ties per half to challenge an official’s call, sim­ So. say Jerry Rice catches a pass in the end ilar to the (JSFL’s challenge system. zone on the final play of the NFC champi­ "We’ll never have a perfect game," says onship game against the Cowboys, and the Redskins general manager Charley Casserly. play is ruled a touchdown even though Rice the driving force behind the reintroduction of has one foot over the end line, lf the Cowboys replay. "But we think we can make it a more were out of timeouts, they would not be able (nearly) perfect game by using replay."

Can’t argue there, especially when you to challenge the play.

N FL REPO RT

On further review, replay redux requires refining

‘We'll never have a perfect ame, but we think we can

Bob

make it a more perfect game

GLAUBER

bv using repla

oming soon to an exhibition game near you: the NFL’s latest experi­ ment with instant replay. As part of an attempt to see whether replay should be brought back for the first time since it was voted out after the 1991 season, the league will tinker with an experimental replay system in IO nationally televised exhi­ bitions. If all goes well, owners could vote re play back in for real starting with the 1997 season.

We can only hope. As a staunch replay de­ fender. I never wanted to see it abolished in die first place. Yes, there were problems with the old system, most notably the painfully

C

Little Slash Forded Stewart of the Steelers has earned the nickname "Slash" for his contributions as quarter­ back/receiver/running back/punter, etc. Well, now it's John Mobley's turn.

During the Broncos' re' cent minicamp, coaches asked Mobley, the team’s first-round draft pick, if he’d like to try returning punts and kicks. Surprised that a 240-pound linebacker would be asked to do something normally reserved for re­ ceivers, defensive backs and running backs 40 or 50 pounds lighter? Don’t be.

Mobley has 4.5 speed and returned kicks in college at Kutztown.

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan is going to be tempted to try Mobley as a returner. Just in case. Mob­ ley already has the nick­ name in place. After watch­ ing him return a few kicks with his lightning speed, teammates nicknamed him “ little Slash.”

Slow go Rookie signings are pro­ ceeding at a snail’s pace, in part because of several teams’ salary-cap problems.

"The talk around die league is that people have been dip­ ping into the rookie pool to

sign veterans," says one per­ sonnel director. ‘They’re go­ ing to have to free up some money to get these rookies signed.”

One possible result: A handful of established veter­ ans might be cut in coming weeks and resigned at low­ er salaries, or they might be released outright.

"Ifs real slow," says agent Gary Wichard, who repre­ sents Giants first-round pick Cedric Jones. “ I think after June I. when we see some (veterans) cut, tilings will re­ ally accelerate. Ive talked to player personnel guys who are looking at last year's game film to see who's ex­ pendable from their own teams."

of films,” one Jets official quips.

Even Jets coach Rich Kotite was impressed after viewing the film, which is ti­ tled: Taking Flight. 'Tm looking at it and I’m thinking some pretty good things went on last year,” Kotite says. ‘The film points to the future, but it didn't neglect our accomplishments.”

Boomer days ahead?

Is Cardinals quarterback Boomer Esiason washed up?

No way, says former Bengals teammate David Fulcher, who believes Esia­ son can recapture his MNT form as long as die Cardinals tailor their offense to his strengths.’’^ they can create that Joe Montana-type of­ fense with the three-step drops, the quick release and the 15-yard pass patterns, Boomer is going to be back to where he was when he played with us in 1988,” says Fulcher, thinking back to the Bengals’ run to Super Bowl

Celluloid heroes ' This is the time of year when teams unveil the previ­ ous season’s highlight films, compilations of N FL Films footage and narration that cast a decidedly positive spin on even the most disappoint­ ing record. Case in point: The highlight film of the 3-13 Jets makes it seem as if they had just won the Super Bowl, as N FL Films splices together the handful of posi­ tive plays from an otherwise awful season.

“You know, Ive seen gov­ ernments make these kinds

Cardinal son: Esiason could return to his Super Bowl-season

form in Arizona, or so says a former teammate.

"It’s a problem we don’t have an answer for right now." Young says. .Another factor that makes Young an op|Kihent of replay: According to Competition Committee statistics. 71 of the more than 35.000 plays last season would have been re­ versed by replay. And if the criteria were re­ stricted lo out-of-bounds, changes of posses­ sion and scoring plays —the three categories being used this preseason—only 39 would have been changed.

"I don't ask anybody to agree with nu* on it." Young savs. “ I just state my opinion on it.

I don’t like it?’

Sorry, George, I do.

Granted, the officiating is generally sound. But if theres a sensible mechanism to make sure the most critical calls in a game are correct, and if the referee is the one making the replay judgment, then that system can only add to the officiating, not detract from it.

And for those* who argue that replay adds too much technology to tile game, consider this: Coaches talk to each other via headsets throughout the game, and photographs are taken of every play and faxed down to the sideline, where coaches and players analyze formations.

And for anyone who doesn’t like the idea of interrupting the flow of play, what about all those commercial breaks we’re forced to en­ dure? One or two more stoppages won’t hurl anybody.

Nor will the reintroduction of replay—as long as league officials correct the afore­ mentioned flaws. Clearly, this is one new piece of technology that would only help the game. [jet's hope this year's preseason ex­ periment turns into a permanent fixture in '97.

XXIII. "I really believe he’s capable of doing that."

Quick hits ^ In an effort^) stop teams from relocating to other cities, the league has adopt­ ed a measure that will em­ power commissioner Baul Tagliabue to impose a $500,000 fine on any owner who negotiates in 1996 with a non-NFL city about mov­ ing. Excuse me, but isn't the horse out of the barn on this one, fellas?... Giants coach Dan Reeves, a replay su|>porter, hopes that whatever the owners decide about the future of the system, the res­ olution will be a permanent one. "'File whole thing with replay is we always wont year to year with it," Reeves says. "But there's no way you can get it to work effec­ tively unless you say. ‘Hey, this is what we’re going to do.’ " ... Willie Anderson is the Bengals’ first first-round tackle since Anthony Munoz in 1980. The Bengals project Anderson eventually at left tackle, but hell start as back­ up to right tackle Joe Walter. ... lions . first-round line­ backer Reggie Brown re­ cently ran a 4.46 in the 40yard dash.... From the youshould-have-jumped-whileyou-had-a-chance depart­ ment: Shortly before the

draft, the Jets had a deal with the Chiefs for a trade of tight end Johnny Mitchell, who was designated as New York’s franchise player. The Chiefs were willing to pay S I million over four years and give the Jets a fourth-round draft pick, but Mitchell nixed the deal, saying lit* wanted a $5 million signing bonus....

As part of the collective-bar­ gaining agreement exten­ sion, the league will cover players’ health insurance costs for two years after re­ tirement. Previously, the league had given players one-year coverage. Former Ranis tackle Jackie Slater brought up the subject to tile NFL Players Association, saying many retired players found it difficult to keep up with health costs after their careers were over. ♦ Hob Glauber coven pro

football for Ncwsday.

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38 • AFC

The Sporting News

BALTIMORE RAVENS First things first Top draft pick Jonathan Og­ den will not be at rookie minicamp because he has to finish final exams at UC IA Ogden, an offensive tackle at U G A who is expected to start at guard, was the first lineman selected in last month's draft and the fourth player overall. ‘The orientation runs through June 14. and he doesn't get out of class until June 14." operations director Ozzie Newsome says.

“League rules say that drafted players cannot attend until final exams are over. We're not that concerned. 'The real work starts in train­ ing camp." Ogden is an Al-American shot put­ ter and will compete in the NCAA champi­ onships. Meanwhile, vice president David Modell is expected to begin negotiations with Ogden's agent after the team unveils its new logo around June 7.

Em ttt stalled: Starling center Steve Everitt, a restricted free agent, probably won’t get a hefty new contract. It seems the organization has stalled in its negotiating efforts, and Everitt will most likely have to settle for a ten­ dered offer close to the nearly $700,000 he made last season. Everitt will be starting his fourth season. "I think everyone needs to be mindful of the salary cap. but I’m not saying this is the case in Steve’s situation," owner Art Modell says.... Modell is expected to move to , Baltimore this week. H ie move hasbeen de­ layed by his recovery from a life-threatening blood infection.

— M ik e Presto*

Bl FFAIX) BILLS Paia free: Jim Kelly is confident the questions raised about tile strength of his throwing arm at the end of last season have been resolved by the arthroscopic shoul­ der surgery he under­ went in January. “Right now. its about four times stronger than it was last year." he says.

The proof is in die rehabilitation exercises in which his arm is bent at the elbow and he pulls a rubber cord, attached to a pulley, across his body. Color coding indicates progress: Green is the easiest, purple is moderate and black is the hardest. Last season, Kelly was unable to do two sets of 15 with the green cord. Now, he is up to three sets of 15 with the black. “Pure and simple, theres no pain," says Kelly, who at times could not raise his hand high enough to shampoo and could barely brush his teeth.

End is coming: 'The team is assured of having a new defensive end to replace seldom-used reserve KarJ Wilson, who was released after the season. The leading candidate appears to be Shawm Price, a 64.260-pound free agent in his fourth year. He played with Atlanta. Tam­ pa Bay and then Carolina last season. Price played as an inside rusher on passing dowms. in goal-line situations and on special reams for the Panthers. Another possibility is fourthround draft pick Scan Moran. — V c CARUCCI

CINCINNATI BENGALS Exasperated times: The / (i

club had a tough enough A time trying to keep track • I —^ of Johnny Mitchell’s agent, never mind trying to get the tight end to sign a two-year deal. A month ago, Mitchell started with Anthony Hilliard and then turned

to Drew Rosenhaus. Three weeks later, after Mitchell turned down a deal on the day of a Bengals-imposed deadline, Hilliard was back in the picture. And so were the Bengals. But not for as much money. With Je ff Blake. KiJana Carter and Carl Pickens gobbling up this season’s salary cap for about $7 million, the Bengals think they have to pinch at tight end.

Restricted free agent Tony McGee is looking for $1.5 million per year, but if they can get Mitchell for about half that for two years, they can let McGee be a free agent next season.

With Mitchell gone after ’97, they figure No. 2 pick Marco Battaglia will be able to step up in his third season. The result: three bargainbasement seasons at tight end.

Backup set The Bengals say they’re set at backup quarterback, even though Erik W il­ helm hasn’t thrown a pass since 1993 and rookies Kerry Joseph (McNeese State) and Damon Huard (Washington) weren’t drafted.

If you’re thinking David Wingier—still un­ signed—forget it. For now. — feflF Hots*

DENVER BRONCOS /blatta overtail: The team is trying again to rebuild the defense. By the time the season opens, the unit will have at least five new starters.

The new faces probably will be Alfred Williams and Ray Childress or Tony Casillas on the line, Bill Romanowski and rookie John Mobley at linebacker and rookie Tory James at left cor­ nerback. Despite a similar influx of new talent last season, the defense showed little im­ provement. Coach Mike Shanahan wants to see the unit’s sack (30 last season) and turnover (21) totals increase, and hell keep making changes in personnel until he comes up with an effective lineup. Changes in style or philosophy would be of little value because the talent level remains suspect.

QB or not QB? Early indications are that it might take Jeff Lewis a season or more to es­ tablish himself as John Elway’s eventual suc­ cessor. Lewis, a fourth-round pick from North­ ern .Arizona, was overwhelmed in his first workouts with the team at the rookie mini­ camp. ... Entering the week, the Broncos, un­ able to make a trade, were expected to release veteran wide receiver Mike Pritchard out­ right, making him an unrestricted free agent

Don’t be surprised if a couple of other veter­ ans are also cut.

— JOSEPH SANCHEZ

334-pound guard, but the Colts might consid­ er switching him to tackle. — ’TUHY BUTCHERS

HOLSTON OILERS

JACKSONVILLE JAGl ARS

Boivtetal: For months, owner Bud Adams has tried to buy out the last two years of his lease so the Oilers could play at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn., until their new stadium in Nashville is ready. But Houston Mayor Bob Lanier is holding Adams to the lease, and he says he will not let the Oilers buy out unless die NFL guarantees a replacement in writing.

To Houston's surprise, last week Adams dis­ closed he would consider remaining in Hous­ ton for an additional year if his new stadium in Nashville is not ready for the '99 season. Until the Hoke Bill in Congress is resolved, Nashville can’t start construction of the stadi­ um, and it will take at least 26 months to be ready. H ie Hoke Bill calls for expansion fran­ chises for cities that lose teams.

R M ta s edge: Although they are top-heavy at running back with Rodney Thomas. Ronnie Harmon and No. I pick Eddie George, the Oil­ ers signed TCU’s Andre Davis, a former Southwest Conference rushing champion. He will compete for a roster spot with Mike Archie, the No. 7 pick from Penn State. ...The club delayed signing free-agent punter Reggie Roby because it was hoping to sign Rick in 1995.

— Jow M cC um

INDIANAPOLIS COLT'S |

UM dafdtg: The team is still not saying whether it will bring in one more veteran offensive line­ man going into training camp. It appears as if Kirk Lowdermilk is stick­ ing to his $2 million con­ tract demand and would likely retire if he can’t get that kind of money. The Colts reportedly are offering $700,000 to $800,000. The other possibilities are unsigned guard Joe Staysniak and free-agcnt center Jeff Uhlenhake.

Comer store: H ie club hopes Derrick Frazier can be a solid pickup in the secondary. Frazier spent the past three sea­ sons in Philadelphia.

Frazier should battle Ray McElroy anil Damon Watts for time as the team’s nickel back. He could also wind up in the mix at right cornerback, which is expected to start with veteran Eugene Daniel getting the nod and second-round draft pick Dedric Mathis step­ ping in as soon as he’s ready to go.... The Colts have their eyes on offen­ sive lineman Steve Hardin, a free agent from Oregon who was in camp for a week last season be­ fore heading home be­ cause of personal prob­ lems. But the Colts liked Hardin enough to send him for a World League assignment this spring.

Rocky MofoWo a m ? Defensive tackle Childress. after l l seasons in Houston, could be playingfor the Broncos in '96.

Hardin is listed as a 6-7,

Happy retire: Fullback Le’Shai Maston, who started IO games in 1995, has re-signed.

Maston could become the only two-year starter to come out of the ex­ pansion draft. Of the 31 players the team selected, l l remain on the roster. Of those ll, two are likely starters and one, tight end Derek Brown, sat out the 1995 season with a lacerated spleen. "I didn’t know that," says Maston, referring to his distinction.

“There were so many guys around here last year, I didn’t get to know too many of them by name. And now I guess most of them are gone."... Six other players also were signed last week: kicker Mike Hollis, running back Randy Jordan, defensive tackle Corey May­ field and linebackers Tom McManus, Santo Stephens and Mark Williams. Jordan scored the first touchdown in team history last fall against the Bengals.

Getting seHoec The team will hold a minicamp next week at its practice facility. H ie camp is voluntary, but the entire roster probably will attend. Rookies report Saturday and will stay for a month, working out and learning the sys­ tem. ... The team is considering a oneway training-camp workout with the Buccaneers.

It would be designed to give each team a change of pace.

— PETE PRISCO

I

KANSAS cm CHIEFS Sirprfslig twist; The

chances of signing John­ ny Mitchell took a dive when the club agreed to terms with Reggie John­ son, another veteran tight end. Johnson, who had only 48 catches in five seasons with the Broncos, Packers and Eagles, doesn't solve the need for an inside re­ ceiving threat But he does give the team a third veteran to go with holdovers Keith Cash and Derrick Walker. The Chiefs simply tired of waiting for Mitchell to make a decision.

They thought they were close to a deal short­ ly after the draft, but Mitchell changed agents and couldn’t make up his mind where he want­ ed to play. Johnson impressed coaches when he worked out during a late-April minicamp.

Calling all retnreere: It’s back to square one in an effort to find a kick-returning re­ placement for Tamarick Vanover. The most likely choice, running \ tfrf . back J J . Smith, suf­ fered a knee injury during an offseason workout and probably will miss the season.

Smith, a second-year Mitchell man, showed return ability during the preseason, and there are no other obvious candidates on the roster. Coach Marty Schottenheimer would like to free Vanover of some spetiakeams duties because he will shoulder more offensive responsibili­ ty. ... Smith’s injury also might prompt a search for veteran depth at running back. For­ mer Bengals back Harold Green is a possibil­ ity.

— Au m Tbchh

s

AFC • 38

June 3,1996

mm DOLPHINS

N-EWKNGlANDP.ATltKyR

NKW VORK Jin'S

OAKIAND RAIDERS

M tnlig out: Tight end Eric Green is in Jimmy Johnson's doghouse.

Johnson has publicly cit­ ed Green as the chief of­ fender among players who missed practice in 1995 under Don Shuls.

Green missed 39 practices, leading all truants.

But while Johnson believes the other players have gotten the message that missing work won’t be tolerated. Green apparently hasn’t.

“For working so hard, I gave the players a week off. But every rehabbing player came in anyway—except one,"johnson says referring lo Green. So is Green’s roster spot in jeop­ ardy? “I don’t know. I’m still trying hard to work with him." Although waiving Green might not be in the offing because of the salary-cap implications (he si^ed a sbt-year, $12 million contract last year), it is possible he could be asked to take a payout if he doesn’t improve his work ethic.

Proffllsed (aod? Norman Hand was among the most impressive players in practices late in 1995 but never got into any games because then defensive fine coach Joe Greene hadn’t brought the rookie along fa* enough eariier lo give him experience. Hand expected to pick up during minicamp where he left off but then he injured a knee and needed arthroscopic surgery, also putting his status in doubt for the upcoming June camp. Hand must soon prove that he possesses more than just potendal.

—AnUJDO SALfiUm

Coliiis AWOU Linebacker Todd Collins was missing-in-acdon before the team took a weeklong hiatus from its offseason condidoning program.

Collins, a veteran who unexpectedly announced his redrement at the start of last year’s train­ ing camp, had filed for reinstatement this year.

He originally asked lo be traded but the team refused, prompting Collins to threaten retire­ ment. T^ere was talk he would show up for workouts following an appearance at former teammate Kevin Turner’s wedding in Maine but Collins showed up at neither.

Bowden e o e r^ With no word from Collins, another candidate has emerged during the workouts. Andre Bowden, a former taxi-squad player, has reportedly had a very impressive offseason. He was considered a candidate to start at inside linebacker last season bul a se­ vere ankle injury in training camp put him on injured reserve for the entire season. He's healthy now, and his workouts have rekindled talk that he could be a legitimate candidate for the starting middle linebacker spot... The Pa­ triots are getting close to announcing their plans for a stadium in downtown Boston. It would be a privately financed open-air facility with natural grass. The club had hoped to make an announcement by now, but it has been unable lo put die details together to the satisfaction of the locSI Business and political communities.

‘HC eVOI MajMX

Sah) inm d; Coach Rich Kolite always has been a fan of fullback Brad Bax­ ter’s bruising, bluecollar style. But last season, Kotite decreased Bax­ ter’s role in the offense, using him primarily as a blocking back. Now, with Baxter scheduled to make $^,000 this season, it has been specu­ lated he could be a salary-cap casualty. Not so.

Kotite says. “I wouldn’t, by any sU'etch of the imagination, say he’s on shaky ground." Kolile says. "Nothing even close to that." If Baxter stays, another player with a big salary would have to be cut because the Jots have to clear about $3.2 million to sign their rookies. Possi­ ble victims are wide receiver Ryan Yarbor­ ough and offensive lineman Siupeli Malamala.

Mlnlifgllinrfn: Kotite wasn't happy about line­ backer Marvin Jones’ failure lo show for the second week of the team’s two-week camp.

Kotite saysJones never gave him a reason, but there is.speculation Jones didn’t attend be­ cause ofhis contract situation. Jones, entering the fourth year of a $5.99 million deal, wants lo renegotiate. Jones missed the first six games of last season with an ankle injury, and the team’s defense didn’t come on strong until his return.... Punter Brian Hansen, who suffered a twisted back in the season finale, still isn't IOO percent Hansen, who had the ihird-Iowest net average in the NFL last season (31.9), will be challenged by Pat O’Neill, a Patriots castoff.

—Rich CuiiHi

S « f^ net: Coach Mike White will bring several safeties and an open mind to training camp.

White was not bashful about his team's weak­ ness at safely this offsea­ son. T ie organization re­ leased Derrick Hoskins, traded Patrick Bates and signed free agents Lorenzo Lynch and Darren Carrington. Even after all this jug­ gling. White still sounds skeptical—he knows Arizona let Lynch w'ander aw-ay, and he knows Carrington is joining his third team in lliree years. "I don’t know that the book is closed on the safety position." \\9iile says. “We feel bet­ ter about it, but we’ve got to keep our options open." Lynch will enter training camp as the starter at strong safely, and Carrington will challenge incumbent Eddie Anderson at free safety. The defense needs lo create more turnovers; their safeties have only two inter­ ceptions in the past two seasons. “Once we get the pads on and he (Wliite) sees me out tliere roaming around, making plays, hell sleep well at night." L>T\ch says.

No fans allowed; T ie NFL's most paranoid team will keep daily training-canip practices closed to the public at its new facility in Napa.

Almost all N IT teams permit their fans to watch summer practices, but the Raiders will invite the public lo only two or three night practices. Tiey need to sell more personal seal licenses (PSLs), and this is no way lo at­ tract customers.

— RobKroichick

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40 • AFC/NFC

The Sporting News

CAROLINA PANTHERS

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Drawing the line: There

Contract talk: Another sign the Steelers arc con­ sidering Jim M iller their quarterback of the fu­ ture-. They want to extend his contract. The Stcelers met with Joe Kinta, M illers agent, about a long-term deal for the third-year quarterback. even though he still has a year remaining on his existing contract. The Sutlers, not Miller. requested the meeting. Miller is one of three quarterbacks who will come to camp battling to replace Ned O’Donnell. Mike Tomczak. an I (-year veteran, will be considered the starter, based on seniority, but the Steeled are expect­ ing M iller to make a serious push for the start­ ing position. Horded Stewart, who dazzled in his rookie season, will probably be used in an even more expanded role than last season, in­ cluding inking more snaps at quarterback, lf M iller does not sign a contract extension, he would only be a restricted free agent follosving the 1996 season and the Stcelers could match any offer he might receive.

Looking for an Edge In punting: Free-agent punter Shayne Edge, whom the Steelers expeci will challenge Rohn Stark, is punting for the Barcelona Dragons of the World League and is third in the league with a 38.9 yard av­ erage. Stark was a disappointment last season for the Stcelers.

— GERRY DUUC

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS Call waiting: When free safety Bo Orlando was cut loose. Rodney Harri­ son thought he would step into a starting iob.

But the team acquired free agent Kevin Ross to solidify' the secondary.

“I’m really not worried about the people they bring in." says Harrison, who lost Hie starting nod lo Orlando last season. “ But it makes you wonder." Harrison’s 1995 contributions were made in passing situations and on special teams. Although Harrison missed five games with a knee injury, he led tile team with five interceptions. Coach Bobby Ross raved about Harrison's recent minicamp performance.

“Tile same thing happened during last train­ ing camp." Harrison says. “I mean, what does that really mean? lf I’m not out on the field, it , really doesn't mean anything. It’s frustrating."

Bl9 Ideas: Fourth-round pick Charlie Jones, a 5-8.175-pound receiver, has been impressive during early workouts. "I knew my size was going to be a problem, but there's nothing I •can do about it," Jones says. “ But I run pretty well, and I make that up with my jumping abil­ ity. Size has hurt me from Day One. but ifs got me this far so i ’m not going to complain about it.” ... 'rho team is counting on Don Sasa, who is recovering from a knee injury, to supply depth at defensive tackle.

— JAY PARIS

_

I I [ i I . | | i

Signed to deliver: Heant's one-year contract has big implications for him and the Cardinals. Each side w illfeel the pressure. Among the variables: Meant will be an unrestrictedfree agent next year. decision-making was excellent,” Erickson says. Coaches worked on M irer’s fundamen­ tals, which has improved his accuracy. Signif­ icant improvement is noticeable in M irer’s ability to throw long passes. That could mean more big plays to wide receiver Joey Galloway.

Reasonably healthy: Aside from a pulled ham­ string by tight end Christian Fauna, the learn escaped its voluntary camp with a generally healthy roster. Defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy was able to practice again because of treatment to the pinched nerve in his back.

Cornerback Mate Odomes, recovering from two years of knee surgeries, participated in drills. Fullback Steve Smith, however, still can’t do much' because of his offseason surgery to repair a bulging disk. He could be­ come a cap casualty’ if third-round choice Reg­ gie Brown does well in training cam p.... The only draft choice who might not make the last voluntary camp scheduled for June 3-5 is fourth-rounder Phillip Daniels, who is still finishing his college classes. — JOHN GUYTON

.ARIZONA CARDINALS

The Hearst files: The club and running back Garrison Hearst gam­ bled a bit when they reached agreement on a one-year contract instead of a long-term deal.

Hearst, who will be an unrestricted free agent next year, needs a big season if he is to command large money on the open market. And if he has that kind of year, the Cardinals could wind up paying con­ AU of confidence: Coach siderably more for his services than they would have paid this season. Hearst was seek­ Dennis Erickson was pleased with the throw­ ing a three-year deal worth an average of $2 million a year, and the Cardinals countered ing of quarterbacks Rick M irer, John Friesz and with an offer worth around $1.5 million a sea­ son. A knee injury hampered Hearst ta hts Stan Gelbaugh during first two seasons. He gained I .OTOytrds rush­ the recently completed two-week v o lu n ta ry . ing last year behind one of the league's worst camp. ’T ile accuracy ol a1) oi them and their I offensive lines, but he also fumbled 12 times.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

more than any other non-quarterback in the league. Hearst scored only one rushing touch­ down. becoming the league’s first 1.000-yard back to score that infrequently.

Big steps: Offensive coordinator Jim Fassel has put a great deal of emphasis in quicken­ ing the unit’s tempo. In looking back at last season, he felt the offensive line was sluggish coming off the ball. Changing that has been one of offensive line coach Carl Mauck’s ma­ jor tasks this spring.

— KtMT SOMERS

ATLANTA FALCONS Stronger roster. Although at quick glance it may ap­ pear the team did little during the free-agent signing period, the off­ season will be consid­ ered good if quarterback Je ff George re-signs.

Coach June Jones’ foremost objective was to retain three key free agents, and offensive tackle Bob Whitfield and defensive end Chuck Smith signed multiyear deals months ago.

The next priority was to take a defense that ranked No. 29 in the N F L last season and al­ lowed the most passing yards in N F L historyand make it better. Safety Patrick Bates and linebacker Cornelius Bennett could be impactcaliber players, even though Bates sat out all of last season. Six of the team’s eight other vet­ eran acquisitions are defenders, and although none is a star-quality player, the group collec­ tively upgrades depth and athleticism.

A lot to learn: Camp w ill begin with the third defensive scheme in as many years under Jones. After starting out with a base 4-2-5 alignment in ’94, a switch was made at mid­ season to a conventional 4-3. The team played a 4-3 all of last season but began experiment­ ing with varying blitzes in front of zone cov­ erage late in the year. This season, there will be a major emphasis on the zone-dogging de­ fense deployed successfully, by Carolina last season.

— 't a r F u n s

figures to be intense r \ competition for the startmg right guard position among four players— Matt Elliott. M ark Den­ nis, Sean Love and Norberto Garrido. The bat­ tle begins in this week's minicamp and will ac­ celerate during training camp. Elliott is the re­ turning starter. He did a solid job last season and is considered an overachiever. Dennis started the final seven games last season at right tackle but was moved to guard after the signing of Raiders free agent tackle Greg Skrepenak. Love was a reserve in 1995 who impressed coaches late in the season. Garri­ do is a promising rookie from Southern Cali­ fornia who was the Panthers’ fourth-round draft pick. He’s the most athletic of the four.

The other four starting positions on the of­ fense line look set, with Skrepenak at right tackle, Blake Brockermeyer at left tackle, Frank Garcia at left guard and Curtis Whitley at center. lacking depth: The defense doesn’t have any experienced depth behind starling inside line­ backers Sam M ills and Carlton Bailey. A bid for Jacksonville unrestricted free agent Keith Goganious is expected. Goganious was draft­ ed bv Buffalo when G.M . B ill Polian was there.

— CHARLES CHAKOLER

CHICAGO BEARS Bird In hand: Quarter­ back Dave Krieg opted for a one-year contract to be a backup rather than wait for a potentially bet­ ter deal elsewhere. At­ lanta and Tampa Bay were among the serious callers but were not looking to move for a while, and the team decided it could not go into the season with only untested Steve Stenstrom behind Erik Kramer. *TVith his experi­ ence, if something happened to Erik, he’s a guy who can go in and win for you,” offensive coordinator Ron Turner says, adding that Stenstrom will benefit from learning how a veteran such as K lieg prepares for games.

‘AVe still want to get Steve Teady.to go. He still needs a lot of reps." H ie loser in the Krieg sce­ nario is expected to be Shane Matthews, the No. 4 quarterback in a situation where the plan is to direct all possible developmental reps to someone else.

Innocents abroad: The team is getting encour­ aging news from the World League. Defensive back Kenny Gales is showing no ill effects in Barcelona from the broken finger that landed him on injured reserve last season. Zev Lumelski has been starling at right guard for Amsterdam. Marcus Spears also is starting on the offensive line for Amsterdam, and the re­ ports have been good.

— JOHN MUUJN

DALLAS COWBOYS They to rii U K When cor­

nerback Deion Sanders announced he was giving up baseball to concen­ trate on becoming a twoway football player, the decision was greeted as an opportunity for this high-potent offense to improve. Now, .with

NFC • 41.

June 3,1996

When nerve damage occurred, more proce­ dures became necessary. Amazingly, Steussie is back in the weight room, and it appears he’ll be ready for training camp.... Vice president Jeff Diamond says the '96 team will be playoffcaliber. Diamond points to free-agent pickups Dixon Edwards (linebacker) and Rod Smith (cornerback) and such youngsters as corner Corey Fuller, safety Orlando Thomas and ends Derrick Alexander and Fernando Smit)].

Rookies Duane Clemons and James Manley should help on tile line.

— CURT BbOWR

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Will tire real Scott Mitchell please start Mi? The Lions want to renegotiate their quarterback's contract, but they are wary ofpaying Mitchell the big bucks after his playoffperformance last season.

Michael Irvin's legal problems and the distinct possibility of an N FL suspension, Sanders de­ veloping his wide receiver skills is a necessity.

If the team must play any part of its season without Irvin, the wide receiver corps is re­ duced to Kevin Williams and Sanders plus a slew of rookies and first-year free agents who have yet to catch an N FL pass. Sanders is glad to have a new challenge. “It keeps me moti­ vated,” he says. His work is beginning to pay dividends. He is running crisp routes and seems to have a better understanding of tile offense. Just how many snaps he will be able to take without wearing down is a concern.

Eagla-oyed scouts: Count on the organization scouring the expected expanded list of free agents when teams release overpaid veterans after Saturday’s deadline. The team is still looking for secondary help after the loss of second-year safety Charlie Williams and will keep an eye on any veteran defensive tackles to aid its depth. It also will monitor any expe­ rienced receivers.

— MCOY SfABMOLA

DETROIT LIONS Slow g o lig : Negotiations with quarterback Scott Mitchell have come to a standstill. He still has one year remaining on his contract, but both parties would like to work out a S i deal before the season starts. Mitchell is adamant he won’t continue talks after training camp opens in July. The im­ passe is understandable. Mitchell wants to be paid on the basis of last season’s record-set­ ting numbers. The Lions, concerned about Mitchell’s four-interception playoff perfor­ mance, aren't ready to hand him a John Elway* type contract. Mitchell would be gambling if he plays out his contract Another big season and he could write his own ticket; another in­ jury-plagued campaign and he could pay a stiff price.... Brett Perriman, who has been threat­ ening a holdout has told several teammates he will report to camp July 19 as scheduled.

Mom* retorts: The team signed free agent Derrick Moore to a one-year contract Moore, who backed up Barry Sanders in 1993 and ’94, will return to that role after a year with Car­ olina. Last year’s backup duty was handled by Erie Lynch, Ron Rivers and Cory Schlesinger.

It’s a good bet that at least two of those players won’t make the final roster. Because of his blocking and all-around versatility, Lynch is the best bet to stick.

— T ill KOWAUM

GREEN BAY PACKERS Whits waits ertessloa: The team has held pre­ liminary contract discus­ sions with Reggie White that would keep the star defensive end in Green Bay for the remainder of his career. Team presi­ dent Bob Harlan says there’s a possibility the two sides could work out a contract extension before the start of training camp, which for the Packers begins July 15. Harlan terms the negotiations as “very positive" with White, 34 , who is in the final year of a four-year, $17 mil­ lion free-agent deal signed in 1993. “He told me at the minicamp a couple of weeks ago, T want to stay here and play here,’ " Harlan says.

New contract for Faire? Despite his recent ad­ mission of substance abuse and consequent admittance into a rehabilitation center, quar­ terback Brett Favre and his agent will move ahead on a contract extension. Favre still has three years left on a five-year, $19 million con­ tract signed before the ’94 season. ... Coach Mike Holmgren’s new contract contains pro­ visions that will keep him among the top-paid coaches in the N F L ... Quarterback Mike Mc­ Coy was released two weeks before the team’s final offseason minicamp, next week.... After finding out about a scheduling conflict, the Packers will face New England in their pre­ season opener, not Oakland. — Ahoy F o n t*

.MINNESOTA VIKINGS Log)**: The team has a pleasant problem at wide receiver too many good ones. Cris Carter is com­ ing off back-to-back 122catch seasons and Jake Reed is an explosive No. 2 threat. Now, David Palmer is poised to emerge as a playmaker, Qadry Ismail remains as a deep threat and rookie Tony Bland, an undrafted gem, is be­ ing called “Little Jake" because of his physical similarities to Reed. Ifs easy to understand why quarterback Warren Moon is excited about his 40th-birthday season. Ismail could be the odd man out as coaches attempt to give Palmer more opportunities.

Shoilderiig tire pail: Tackle Todd Steussie. who has started every game the past two sea­ sons, underwent major shoulder surgery.

Executive action: Owner Tom Benson, wanting to take a more active role in his front office, fired ex­ ecutive vice president Jim Miller, citing philosophi­ cal differences in man­ agement style. Miller, 48, had been with the club since 1986 and was a key assistant to former president and general manager Jim Finks, who died in 1994. Benson says he will honor the final year of M iller’s contract. Miller, who already had been re­ lieved of contract-negotiation and salary-cap duties, often was the unfair whipping boy for front-office shortcomings. “Any time money is an issue, the guy who deals with the money gets the credit or the blame." M iller says.

‘That doesn’t bother me, and I don’t think it had anything to do with what happened to me. ... Tom told me that we have a difference in management style, that my style was a little more liberal with employees than he liked.

Tom said my style was a lot like the one used

by Jim Finks that he never really agreed with, and that he was going to take control. That's his prerogative."

Passing grades: No. I pick Alex Moiden (cor­ nerback) and No. 4 Ricky Whittle (running back) will be conspicuously absent from the June minicamp because their Oregon class­ es extend until mid-month. — MIKE STROM

centage last year. Thats not the only reason coach Dan Reeves likes the schedule. There are only two trips outside the Eastern Time Zone. four fewer than in '95, and there are no weekday games, allowing for a consistent practice schedule.

— NEIL BEST

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES Decision soon: Former Broncos defensive end Simon Fletcher (lew to Philadelphia to talk and gel a physical. Fletcher.

34. announced his retiro ment after a disappoint­ in g ’95 season in which he registered five sacks, his lowest total since 1987. But he had a change of heart after a phone conversation with Dick Daniels, the Ea­ gles’ director of football operations. Fletcher says the Eagles are the only team he is inter­ ested in playing for. “If its not Philly. I’ll cook hot dogs," he says. Fletcher owns four hot dog shops in tile Denver area. The Eagles are try­ ing to beef up their pass rush after losing re­ serve end Daniel Stubbs to free agency last month. Fletcher also would provide starting insurance in the event thai right end Mike Mamula is slow coming back from shoulder surgery.

Scouting shuffle: Daniels added two new.*lditions to tile club’s scouting staff. Steve Crosby. a former offensive coordinator with the Browns Joined the college scouting depart­ ment. LeCharls McDaniel was hired as a pro scout. McDaniel spent the past two years as an assistant coach at San Diego Slate. Daniels has all but scrapped the “area" scouting sys­ tem previously used and is replacing ii with a national setup.

— PAUL DOMOWITCH

ST. LOUS RAMS

Making his Mark: Free agent Mark Rypien says he plans to attend the team’s second minicamp Saturday through Mon­ day with or without a new contract “Its impor­ Pair of sixes: This year’s tant for me,’’ Rypien two sixth-round selec­ tions, linebackers Doug says. ‘The fire is still burning." Rypien feels he Colman and Scott Caly­ has his best chance of earning a starting job on, are long shots to con­ since his days with the Redskins.'Die only oili­ tribute immediately, but er experienced quarterback on the roster is coaches were impressed Steve Walsh, a free agent from the Bears who with their work ethics signed an incentive-laden two-year, $2 million^ and coverage abilities during the rookie mini­ contract earlier this spring. The Rams arc* camp. Colman figures to be a middle line­ thought to be offering Rypien significantly backer, with Calyon on the weakside. But the less; and because they have matching rights. he really has no leverage. defense is so thin at the posi­ Shuffling the Cards: Because tion that either or both could of scheduling conflicts in­ make tile team and help out Ss/ volving other teams, the at more than one spot. If the Rams’ exhibition opener has season were beginning today, been switched. Instead of the starters would be Jessie playing August 2 at Arizona, Armstead at weakside, Corey the Rams will open August 3 Widmer in the middle and in Pittsburgh against the Corey Miller at strongside....

Steelers. Given the fact the Coaches were very im­ Cardinals were based in St. pressed with seventh-round Louis from 1960 to '87. there pick Conrad Hamilton’s ath­ was much interest in a letic skills at the minicamp.

Rams’ aas: Walsh was signed Rams-Cardinais matchup Hamilton, a defensive back in to be the dub s starting QB. even if it was only for an ex­ college, probably will play at hibition. But the teams still cornerback. The staff also thinks Hamilton could become an impact play­ meet in the regular season September 29 in Tempe, 'rite Rams now get the Steelers (and er on special teams.

Eider road: In 1995, the team’s opponents had former running back Jerome Bettis) twice in a league-best .547 winning percentage; oppo­ ’96—the exhibition and November 3 in Pitts­ — Jim Thomas nents for the upcoming season had a .479 per- burgh.

NEW YORK GIANTS

42 • NFC

The Sporting News

.-Man Lowry. Stewart persuaded the team to slim Curtis Buckley to a four-year,Si.4 million offer sheet that the Hues refused to match.

Buckley is something not before seen in re­ cent times in a 49ers uniform—a head-hunter who charges downfield on kickoffs and punt returns. H ie signing of Buckley puts some muscle behind the new outlook. The team was ranked 24th and 21st in *95 in opponent punt return and kickoff return averages.

Sp ecial again: Jeff Wilkins, who settled in as the kicker, is holding onto the job—but bare­

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS Som ething s p e c ia l? The team has said it before but this time the liters promise to show a more aggressive side on spe­ cial teams, art. whom tlicv of Sam Wyche's old staff iii Tampa Bay. is the new assistant, replacing 9

ly. The team put a four-year. $2.4 million offer sheet out to kicker Michael Husted. but Tam­ pa Bay matched it. Wilkins was 12-of-13 on Held goals but clearly got rattled in the gusts at Candlestick and missed two extra points in a laie-season game with the Vikings. John Baker, who was in I he Cowboys' camp last summer, will be brought in to challenge W ilkins.... Another special teams newcomer is Randy Kirk. a designated long-snappcr. The team has never spent a roster spot on some­ one just to long snap.

— GARY SWAM

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TAMPARAYBUCCANEERS Busy sum mer: (TM. Rich McKay is expected to start negotiating with some of the team’s draft picks and hopes to have many of the rookies un­ der contract within the next few weeks. McKay already has had preliminary face-to-face talks with the agents for first-round picks Regan Up­ shaw and Marcus Jones. McKay's philosophy is that unless you're dealing with a top-five pick, these deals should work themselves out with little hassle. How­ ever. the Bucs still need to free up another Si ' million under,the cap to sign all their picks— and even more money to renegotiate running back E n id Rhett's con­ tract—so look for more contract restructuring ______ and possible waivers M cK ay among the veterans.

McKay also thinks there will be some big names on die waiver wire on Saturday.

M essage to Glazers? The NFL’s new relocation policy, threatening fines up to $500,000 for teams that talk to cities outside their territory, may have been directed at Bucs owner Mal­ colm Glazer. The team has been talking to sta­ dium proponents in Osceola County (Fla.) and Los Angeles in case a plan for a new stadium in Tampa falls through.The league is studying whether Osceola, 65 miles east of Tampa, is part of the teams territory.

—KICK PUGLIESE

WASHINGTON REDSKINS WE

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Battle at tight end: It won’t get nearly the attention as th.e quarterback duel between Heath Shuler and (ius Frerotte, but veteran blocking tight end Scott Galbraith and secondyear receiving specialist Jamie Asher should wage a spirited competi­ tion this summer. Galbraith started every game last season, but Asher made more catch­ es in his first five games than Galbraith did all season. And coach Norv Turner wants his tight ends' combined catches to rise from 39 last season to between 60 and 70 this season.

Hog w ild: Hogs Jeff Bostic and Joe Jacoby retired as Redskins af­ ter the 1993 season.

Russ Grimm, who moved to the coaching staff when his playing career ended after the 1991 season, has never left the club. But Mark May. the fourth young Galbraith offensive lineman who joined veteran George Starke to become part of the infamous Hogs in 1981, left Washington for San Diego in 1991 and played his final two years with Phoenix.

However, the club recently re-signed the TNT broadcaster so he could retire as a Redskin.

“Ive always said, when I die. I'll bleed bur­ gundy and gold." May said al a Redskin Park ceremony.... Washington signed two rookie free agents: Boston College quarterback Mark Hartseil and Hawaii receiver Brannon Kennedy.

— DAVID ELF!*

NBA • 43

June 3,1996

Sam Perkins’ 3-point shooting is flooring opponents and helping keep the Sonics’ hopes in the clouds B y A r t THIEL

P hotos B y R o ber t S ea le

/ TSN

n the ruthless world of the NBA, compliments from the opposition are sometimes gratuitous, often strategic and usually be­ grudging. Other than hosannas for Michael Jordan, compliments for players are followed by “but,” “however” and “on the other hand,” or some such qualifier.

So when Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich recently gave a Jordanesque salute to the Supersonics' Sam Perkins—“name me the person in this league who can guard him”—eyebrows across the nation arched in unison.

Sam Perkins? He doesn’t even start for the Sonics. And he’s going to be 35 in a few weeks, fergawdsakes.

Maybe Rudy Twas delirious after his Rockets were swept out of the playoffs by the Sonics. But minus a Rorschach test from the Rockets’ coach, the only detectable craziness was at the Sonics training facili* ' ty, where Perkins’ op* portunistic teammates Tom|anovleh seized the compliment and rode him mercilessly.

“They were killin' me," Perkins says, grinning at the recollection. “Every day in practice for a week, when I touched the bail in a scrimmage, somebody would say. ‘No­ body can guard Sam Perkins!’ " Ah. the painful price of greatness. But af­ ter the good-natured abuse fades, Perkins will take whatever truth remains from Tom­ janovich s plaudit to the bank. This summer. he will be a (rec agent, and a rare one—a big man getting better as he gels older, one who still may be worth lo someone the $3.8 mil­ lion he's being paid in his final contract year.

“I was shocked when he said it." Perkins says of Tomjanovich's statement. “I don’t know him, so I wasn't sure exactly what he meam. I assume it had lo do with being a big man who could go outside. It was a big com­ pliment. I was flattered, almost floored."

Beating him to the floor were the two-time defending champion Rockets, who had no an­ swer for Perkins’ strangeness—a long-armed 6-9 post man who glides out beyond the arc with deadly regularity, forcing defenses into foreign and vulnerable positions.

In the four-game sweep of the Rockets, Perkins hit Bof-15 3-poinlers (53.3 percent).

Inside the arc. he was ll-for-lS, which sug­ gests die dilemma that caused Tomjanovich to burst into hyperbole.

“He’s a unique player," Tomjanovich says.

‘Tou put a smaller guy on him, and he’s going to post up and hurt you. If you try to guard him vriih a bigger gu>r^e goes out to the perimeter, and he’s a great shooter.

“He’s a very difficult matchup for any­ body."

Lately, matchups against the Sonics have been in the province of the Jazz, who enter­ ing the week. trailed the Sonics. 3-1, in the Western Conference finals. Uke the Rockets, the Jazz were perplexed last week as to how to chase Perkins when he is in the game with teammate Shawm Kemp, who lately has com­ manded a double-team in the low post.

In the Sonics’ first two wins in Seattle.

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Sam DO sham; Perkins'offensive versatility is a trademark ofthe team'sJlaibility, tvhich has en­ abled Seattle toforget its faiiures ofpreviotis years and put playoffopponents on the mn.

Perkins hit tn)f-9 iVpointers over a retinue of small forwards die Jazz ran out in vain at­ tempts lo harass him. And on Sunday.

Perkins jebounded from a 2-of-S shooting performance in Came 3 lo burn Utah for 3(1 |)ojnts. including a crucial ^kpoinier in the fi­ nal minutes that helled fend off a Jazz come- back. In the playoffs, lie has averaged 13.2 points tier game and has hit -12ixTCent of his 3-poin(ers.

“We’ve seen him a lot. so we know what he docs." Jazz forward Karl Malone says. "We never want lo leave him alone, bul that's eas­ ier said than done. He’s the kind of guy |>eopie don't talk much about, bul then he hurts you."

For basketball fans new to the unorlliodoxies of the Sonics. Perkins is one of sever­ al big men unafraid to wander from die hooj) and let one fly. Deilef Schrenipf, a (i-lH for­ ward. finished second in tile league in ikimini shooting in 1994-95 and is al 38 percent for the playoffs. Backup center Frank Brickowski ishilting al 33 percent.

Guards Gary Pa\lon and Nate McMillan have heated up in the playoffs to join Hersey Hawkins as accomplislied long-disiance gun­ ners. The most stunning ujishol was in (kune 2 against the Rockets, when the Sonics hit 2(1of-27 3 point aiienipis. Hie 20 was an NB.-\ playoff record, coming at the expense of iluteam that elevated die trey to the playtiffs’ ul­ timate weapon.

Bul it is Perkins’ long-distance shooting that has become a trademark of a Sonics of­ fense that has the vcrsalilitv this season to allow the team lo dunk on the ghosis of playoff failures past. * ”I know it’s unusual for a big man lo hit a 3. but I don't try lo think like a big man."

Perkins says. “I like to do things that iicitple sav I couldn’t or shouldn’t do."

I look Sonics coach George Karl, a re­ lentless tinkerer, to grant Perkins tin* |Htmission lo take Ins game away from die basket nearly IO years after establishing himself in the league.

It wasn’t as if Perkins wasn’t a gtiod player to begin will). Most fans have lorgoiii'n lliai in the famous draft of 19S4 that sent Hakeem OltUuwon lo Houston. Sam Bowie to Portland^ and Jordan to Cliicag<». Jordan’s .North Car­ olina teammate. Perkins, was lite next player selected, by Dallas, 'llia i was one spot ahead of a less renowned and smaller forward from Auburn. Charles Barkley.

■ > Tile {ledigree wasn’t enough to lock in Perkins as a high-profile i>art of the NUA fir-

I

The Sporting News

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league, he went 9-for-36. This season, he shot 129-for-363, 36 percent.) 'Hie slight dip this season was only because of a midseason fin­ ger injury that is now mostly healed.

“Ive probably quadrupled my 3’s from Dab las and Los Angeles." he says. “I guess tile 3pointer has helped reinvent my career to some extent. I don’t know if my {leers respect me for it or just think its there because I’m open."

Karl's system has helped create the open­ ings. but Perkins, a.k.a. “Big Smooth," has to execute. Although he appears all elbows as he assembles his shot, erector-set style, he has a fluid snap to his lefthanded delivery that gets the shot off ahead of most defenders’ flailings, without having to gather for a jump.

“One of the best 3-point shooters of all time was Larry Bird, and he shot it a little like Sam," Karl says. “Ifs really a set shot. Sam may jump an inch."

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Inside job: Using his height (6-9), long arms and smart positioning, Perkins can hold his ground against more physical post men such as Antoine Carr. mament. His six years with the Mavericks were mostly undistinguished. '"People didn't know where to use me." he says. “I was a center and 3 forward, filling in wherever.’* There were others who did know how to use him. however, including Tomjanovich. An assistant to then-Kockets head coach Don Chaney. Tomjanovich in the summer of 1990 helped push the Rockets toward a serious of­ ter for Perkins, an unrestricted free agent. But Perkins took less money to sign with the Dikers, who not only had Magic Johnson but onetime North Carolina mentor and team­ mate, James Worthy.

Perkins reached the summit in 1991 with the Dikers in the NBA Finals, where he first flashed nationally his clutch 3-point skills by hitting a memorable trey to win Game I against the Bulls. It turned out to be the Dik­ ers' last victory in that series—as well as the last moment at the top in the Lakers’ decadetong NBA dominance.

Johnson retired in the fall of 1991, and Wor­ thy's knees began to go. By February 1993.

Lakers boss Jerry West knew it was tear-down time, and lie dealt Perkins to Seattle for center Benoit Benjamin and unsigned rookie forward Dong Christie. In the pantheon of legendary West deals, the Perkins trade will not have a

obody in tile West has had a counter to Perkins. But entering tile week, it appeared the Sonics would meet the Bulls, whose athletic defenders may be the answer to Tomjanovich's question.

Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman each has the size and quickness to bother Perkins in­ side and out Perkins would have a slight edge over both inside with his little jump-hook, which the Bulls may try to defend with an­ other versatile threat, (H I Toni Kukoc, but tile Sonics don’t often call that play. Rodman andiippen should be able to stay with Perkins outside, al­ though that means a Sonic inside is likely to receive one-on-one coverage.

Perkins’ contributions, however, are not confined to shooting. Although his sleepy visage and laconic personality suggest some­ thing less than a fire­ brand, his long arms and smart positioning have helped make him an ef­ fective low-post defender.

He was one of several Son­ ics big men whose swarm­ ing tactics helped hold Olajuwon to 18 points a game in the Western semi­ finals. “ Mainly, I’m defensiveminded when I go out there." he says. “I play hard. I may look like I’m in slow motion, but my mind is going, and I’m intense."

Never a big rebounder or shot blocker, he also hadn’t been much of a leader—until this season.

The Sonics voted him a co­ captain two years ago. and his 12 seasons in the league have begun to res­ onate with Payton and The Jazz stinger Malone and Utah could not stop Perkinsfrom Kemp, who were designat­ hurting themfrom the perimeter in three ofthefirstfourgames. ed before the season as the Olajuwon/Drexler and body's watching, your family and your friends.

Malone/Stockton of Seattle Its great to be acknowledged. That’s the most “ I talked to the older guys before training camp began, and I told them they should hear fun."

With the Sonics, Perkins has achieved this from me before they read it in the paper," Karl says. “Ltold them this team was going to more than acknowledgement. Big Smooth has be about Gary and Shawm. They’ve respond­ a big reputation, one he seeks to live down in ed very well. But we still needed (the older practice and up to in another NBA Finals. ♦ veterans’) leadership.

A rt Thiel is a columnist for the Seattle “Sam has talked more this year, as has Post-lntelligencer.

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Almost immediately, Karl spotted in Perkins an underappreciated aspect of his game.

“The first couple weeks we had him. I watched him shooting,” Karl says. “He had the stroke, the release and the legs to shoot the 3.

At the time we had a lot of good outside shoot­ ers—Ricky Pierce. Dana Barros. Eddie John­ son—and he seemed to beat them regularly in our shooting drills in practice.

“So I told him to start taking one or two a game. A wide-open 3 is always better than a contested one. and a big guy is going to get that wide-open shot more than a little guy.”

H ie new guy was hesitant at first.

“His reluctance to shoot it had to do with tile team, not with his ability.” Karl says. “He didn't want to do something that would upset anyone."

Perkins' marksmanship quickly won over the skeptics. His ability to draw a big defend­ er away from Kemp and Payton in the low post was crucial in getting the Sonics to the sev­ enth game of the ’93 Western Conference fi­ nals against the Suns.

After three full seasons as a Sonic. Perkins is reliable and almost undeniable beyond the 3-point line. Each Sonics season until this year he increased his attempts and 3’s made from the previous season. (His first year in the

DetJef. I’m talking less, the players are talking more. 'Hie players show Sam a lot of respect."

Hawkins says: “There aren't too many peo­ ple who have our respect like Sam does. We sort of look at Sam for any type of advice and wisdom he can give us. Everybody is picking his brain."

Lately, Perkins has become even more vo­ cal. ‘‘I’ve never seen him this emotional in timeouts and in practice," Karl says. "Some­ times Sam is so out of character, I’m going, AVhoa.’ " All five Sonics reserves who are getting playoff minutes are over 30. Perkins and McMillan, 31, are the catalysts who help make the transition from starters to reserves often seamless.

“It’s a comfort," Kemp says, “when you know there are guys on the bench who can come in and play as well as you do for the time they’re in there."

As the first player off the bench to spell foulprone starting center Ervin Johnson, Perkins gets about 30 minutes a game and is almost always'on the floor at the end.

“Experienced guys can step in and know what it takes, not just say what it takes," Perkins says. “With veteran guys it’s more in­ stinctive, as opposed to third- or fourth-year players, lf we make mistakes, we can forget about it" Perkins is the only Sonic who has made it to the NBA Finals. “It overwhelms you," he kays. "Its fun just to go to the arena. Every­

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SURGEON G EN ERA L'S W A R N IN G : Sm oking B y P r e g n a n t W o m e n M a y R e s u l t in Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, And Low Birth Weight.

48'" NM

The Sporting News

TheBasketballBuddha

Steve MARANTZ

he 1960s are long gone, but occa­ sionally I hear the faint echo of a sitar. It happened recently while watching a Bulls-Knicks playoff game with a -lOish friend, a bearded Dead­ head who makes a living as a psychologist. A camera zoomed in on Phil Jackson, another bearded Deadhead.

“I like Phil Jacksonrm y friend said.

“He's something good that came out of the ’60s."

That’s heresy in the revisionist ’90s. Not only is it unfashionable to defend the ’60s, it

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and Rodman. He is the Basketball Buddha.

What it means, in practical terms, is this: Michael Jor­ ■ A ” -" dan adjusts his greatness to the orbit of his teammates.

Scottie Pippen doesn’t mind playing second fiddle. Den­ nis Rodman waits until after '-n the game to do his makeup.

Toni Kukoc accepts his role as sixth man deluxe. The centers are bumpers for a i — moving pinball, and the others accept sup­ porting roles.

Jackson blend­ ed these ingre­ Jackson s thoughts and deeds dients into a 7210 juggernaut. somehow bridge East and West His method is more or less a Jordan and Rodman karmic map to the ’60s, to the _______ dawning of the could react spontaneously to whatever was Age of Aquarius. It was a time taking place... the secret is not thinking. when young Phil Jackson, of That doesn't mean being stupid; it means Williston, N.D., later of the New quieting the endless jabbering of thoughts York Knicks, came to a blinding so that your body can do what it's been insight: Love is stronger than hate, trained to do without the mind getting in the compassion more effective than anger, way." “oneness" better than twoness, and Translation: Om. "nowness" more important than thenness.

■ “Compassion is where Zen and If that sounds squishy, soft or weird, then Christianity intersect... love is the force that Jackson is not your man and you had best ignites the spirit and binds teams together move on to the Vince Lombardi story. But if ... once you’ve done the mental work there your spiritual quest began with John comes a point when you have to throw Lennon and Ravi Shankar, and if you yourself into the action and put your heart suspect athleticism is somehow on the line. That means not only being bound up with spirituality. Jackson’s brave, but also being compassionate, toward ideas may be of interest yourself, your teammates, and your Everything is in his book. Sacred opponents."

Hoops. I read it with a healthy Translation: All we need is love, love. skepticism, but now I am a believer. I ■ "In The Tao ofLeadership, John Heider am ready to make my first pilgrimage writes: The wise leader is of service: to the Ganges (at THE S porting N ews* receptive, yielding, following. The group expense). Here arc some teachings of member’s vibration dominates and leads, Chairman Phil: while the leader follows. But soon it is the ■ T h e strength of the triangle member’s consciousness which is offense is that it’s based on the transformed. It is the job of the leader to be Taoist principle of yielding to an aware of the group member’s process; it is opponent’s force in order to render the need of the group member to be him powerless... bottom line: received and paid attention to. Both get theres no need to overpower what they need, if the leader has the when you can outsmart" wisdom to serve and follow.’ " Translation: Hit the open man.

Translation: Thank you, Michael.

■ “In Shambhala: The Sacred It’s easy to admire Jackson’s blend of Path of the Warrior, Tibetan intellectualism and spirituality—he was Buddhist teacher Chogyam voted coach of the year for the first time— Trungpa wrote, The challenge of when the Bulls are on top. But perhaps a warriorship is to step out of the truer test of his philosophy came last cocoon, to step out into space, by season, when the Bulls were struggling, being brave and at the same time before Jordan’s return. Though they gentle: H frequently lost and blew leads, they always Translation: Real basketball players eat played hard. They never lost faith in quiche. themselves or one another and never ■ “The point of Zen practice is to make stooped to backbiting. Jordan’s absence, as you aware of the thoughts that run your life well as his return, brought out the best in and diminish their power over you... sitting Jackson. zazen (a form of meditation), I learned to We live in a time of spoiled, egotistical trust the moment to immerse myself in athletes, bloodless CEOs, and rappers action as mindfully as possible, so that I glorifying violence. I’m not above nostalgia for the Summer of Love. Jerry Garcia is How and Zen: Jackson's ideas on how dead. Long live Phil Jackson. ♦ to blend athleticism and spirituality, formed in the Woodstock em, have Steve M arantz is a senior w riterfo r T he S porting N ews . i flowered in this record-breaking season.

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’60s ideals live on in Phil Jackson’s religion of hoops

is futile. Those who experienced its transforming effect never will convince those who did not. Rush Iimbaugh and George W ill and Pat Buchanan have made careers remembering the worst of the ’60s.

But it is said—perhaps with them in mind— that if you remember the ’60s, you weren't there.

Woodstock Nation is a bit long in the tooth, but not so much that it cannot appreciate the success of one of its own.

Now, as Ute Bulls move toward their fourth NBA tide under Jackson, I can’t help but think, "Right On!" ft’s hard not to feel a connection with Jackson. His is the face of my generation; his philosophy the healthy and muddled essence of the ’60s. His thoughts and i deeds K somehow bridge East and West, Jordan

*

HSII • 47

June 3,1996

NBA REPORT

New Jersey has cast an enticing net for Pitino

Shaun

POWELL nswer A full house every night, a religious following, games on na­ tional TV, a winning tradition and NBA-caliber players.

Question: What’s the difference between the University of Kentucky and the Nets?

That’s the disparity Rick Pitino faced en­ tering the week as he thought about which job he wanted more. The NBA is rapping on his door again, bringing lots of goodies this time.

But as unattractive as the Nets are to some­ one like Pitino. a white-hot prospect who can coach anywhere and in any league he wants, this is an opportunity Pitino should not let slip away. The Nets have virtually offered him a

A

Milking a cash cow Jerry Reinsdorf says he has no intention of selling the Bulls.

“It doesn't feel like the right time," he says.

But unloading them might not be such a bad business decision. The good bet is that nine out of IO people in Reinsdorfs position would be tempted to cash in this summer.

Two reasons: ■ To let someone else pay Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, Dennis Rodman, etc.

■ The going rate for franchises in average condition is high. Imagine what the Bulls would fetch.

Reinsdorf might be the sharpest owner in sports. For IO years the Bulls’ payroll has been reasonable but the return has been as­ tronomical. Jordan is the biggest bargain in sports history because he never made more than $4 million in a season in salary. Scottie Pippen, the second-best non-center in the game, makes less than $3 million on a con­ tract that has two years remaining. General manager Jerry Krause says his boss isn’t cheap: when Jordan and Pippen signed their contracts, they did so at market price.

No, Reinsdorf may not be a miser, just wis­ er than his counterparts. Unlike other own­ ers, he never gave his players an escape clause or a massive balloon payment, and he refuses to renegotiate contracts.

Tile Bulls will generate enough money through the United Center, which is sold out for the next two years, and other revenue sources to justify Jordan’s next contract along with Jackson’s and Rodman’s. But the Jordan era won’t last much longer, and the Bulls may never be as valuable as they are now.

Reinsdorf may be able to fetch $200 minion for the Bulls. Considering that he paid around $15 million for the team in 1985, that’s quite a

blank check and the desk of his choice.

He has more reasons to accept their lucrative offer than to pass it up.

■ After winning his first NCAA cham­ pionship last April, Pitino has no major goals to accomplish at Kentucky. One cham­ pionship serves as fulfillment: additional championships satisfy tile ego.

■ By his admission, Pitino is worried about the future of the college game. He was stunned when sophomore Antoine Walker left to apply for the NBA draft. W ith few exceptions, college stars simply aren’t staying on campus for four years. Most need only one good season and the nudging of friends and family to persuade them to send their application to the league. Therefore, it may become difficult for traditional programs such as Kentucky to maintain consistency when they lose top talent every year.

■ The Nets have offered to make Pitino the highest-paid coach in professional sports and give him full control of the basketball operation and an option to buy a percentage of the team. These Pat Riley-type deals don’t come along too often.

If Pitino were to stay at Kentucky to wait for a more attractive franchise offering the same perks, the wait could be a long one. The Lakers have Jerry West to run the club. The profit. He could sell tile Bulls, keep his share of the United Center and make even more money on rent Evidently, owning a successful franchise such as the Bulls has its rewards. Better to be an owner than ex-owner. Harold Katz sold the Sixers last month and now says he regrets i t

Around the league Don Nelson blew it when he accepted the Knicks’ coaching job last summer. Had he tak­ en a year off like most of Ills friends suggest­ ed, he would be in line to replace Bob Hill, who has only one year left on his contract in San An­ tonio. Spurs G.M. Gregg Popovich and Nellie

like Pitino.

His name alone would give the franchise the luster it has lacked since the ABA-NBA merger. Beset in recent years by poor personnel decisions, petulant players, lottery ap­ pearances and a comical im­ age, the Nets have sought a Hr 1 ' ' respectable figure such as Pitino since former owner Roy Boe sold Julius Erving to the 76ers.

■ The Nets restructured their ownership group to Pitino’s liking. Before, they * had loo many voices speak­ ing different languages. After Pitino turned down the Nets’ initial offer, the club devel­ s oped a singular voice: Henry I Taub, now the managing o £ partner.

Pitino or no Pitino. the , Nets aren’t exactly in moveI in condition. They don't have £ a single star player. They don’t have many players who Jem y-tetM tf? The Nets don’t have a religiousfollowing like anyone else would want.

Kentucky, but otherfactors m y lure Pitino from Blue Heaien.

They have a few million to Celtics have a screwball owner who would spend on free agents, but because of their drive Pitino nuts. The DeVos family would im age. it will be difficult to get anyone to probably' balk before giving Pitino a slice of pass through the Meadowlands on a re­ the Magic. Running the show in New York or cruiting visit, let alone get someone’s name Chicago would be out of the question. on a contract. That would change if Pitino ■ The Nets are in sad shape, and thafs came aboard. exactly the kind of challenge Pitino would Tile Nets are no quick-fix. But they present find interesting. He has a history of turning the challenge, tile financial incentive and the around programs—at Providence, then the power that would keep a great coach going.

Knicks, then Kentucky. Making the Nets into Pitino’s greatest moment in sports occurred winners would be the ultimate construction in April al the Meadowlands. Maybe that was project, one that would satisfy an architect an omen of what’s to come.

I* ’

go back to their days with the Warriors, and Popovich tried to hire Nelson before getting Hill. Now, bringing in Nellie after the Knicks debacle would come at a risk.... Word is Bucks owner Herb Kohl will not stand in the way of any team interested in hiring away Mike Dunleavy as coach. Dunleavy holds the general manager job but has made no secret of his de­ sire to return to the bench, lf he does leave the Bucks’ front office, expect Doc Rivers to be groomed as the possible replacement Philadelphia high school player Kobe Bryant will earn an estimated $2 million from adidas, and if he’s selected in the 12-15-pick range as expected, hell get an extra $4 million

guaranteed. Even if he doesn’t get another NBA contract, Bryant may be virtually set for life financially.... Don’t expect to see Shaquille O’Neal and Dennis Rodman share laughs any­ time soon. Their disrespect for each other was made clear from the start of the Bulls-Magic series. It began when Rodman was given cred­ it for doing a decent job defensively on O’Neal.

Rodman questioned Shaq's heart and said O’Neal “will be a great player, someday.’’ That prompted O'Neal to call Rodman “a gimmick" and say Rodman will “never be on my le v e lon or off the court." ♦

Shaun Powell covers the NBA for Newsday.

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4 8 ' NHL

The Sporting News

After enduring his messy breakup with the Oanadiens, Colorado’s Patrick Roy has recovered the focused, impenetrable look of a playoff legend

Jacques Plante, and my friends were Jean Beliveau and Yvon Cournoyer. “ Believe me, I always won the seventh game of the Stanley Cup finals."

After .stopping HO of 32 Red Wings shots last Saturday in a 4-2 victory to give Colorado a 'Cl lead in its Western Conference final 'se­ ries. Roy was second in career playoff wins with 81, seven behind Billy Smith.

"Iv e seen this act before," Canadiens as­ sistant coach Steve Shutt says. "When Patrick’s in this kind of zone, he stops every­ thing he sees— and some he doesn’t. “(Jetting out of Montreal was the best thing in the world for him. He doesn't have to be God anymore. All he has to do is be tile best goalie lie can be— and that means the best in the game today."

Roy, as In trois: With his peerless ability tofocus in the playoffs, Roy is a good bet to collect his third ring. A 4-2 Ivin Saturday (far right) all but iced Detroit and put Roy and Avalanche fa)is one step closer to the mountaintop.

shock to me. I had seen the tape of Patrick raising his arms in disgust at being Ieft in the blowout against the Red Wings ( I M loss De­ cember 2). I saw him go to the bench, walk past Trem ­ blay and say something to Ronald Corey, but I had a game against Dallas (the next night) to prepare for.

"W hen I came home, the light was flashing on my an­ swering machine. It was (new Canadiens G.M .) R e I jean Houle. He said. 'I’m at home. lf you have any inter­ valanche fans wondered aboil! this est in Patrick Roy. call me.’ It B v La r r y W k .q : trade for Roy. Atter all. Stephane was late, so I waited until first Cise! had a I2-H-2 record and Joce­ Jic 'v-yrnr-old boy sits on bis dad's tiling in the morning to call lyn Thibault was the goalie ol the fu­ shoulder* <<> (hat lie can catch a ture. That first week after tile trade waifhim hec­back. At that time, he glimpse of the soon-to-be champion tic and a little bizarre. said. We want Thibault. No Montreal Canadiens. who are filing Thibault. no trade.'"

Roy iiopped into a taxi at the Denver air­ through a runway nut of the old Forum alter Kittle did Red W ings vice port with teammate1 M ike Keane, who was a practice during the I W it Stanley Cup finals. president Jimmy Devellano part ut the trade that sent Thibault, Martin "Who's (hat ' Who's that?" the boy asks as realize what a prophet he Rucinskv and Andrei Kovalenko to Montreplayer atter player goes by. Theres a quizzi­ was when he heard about the al, tor a ride to McNichuls Arena for their first cal look on bis lather s fact*— until a tall, an­ Avalanche's acquisition of game with the Avalanche. gular blond man with a long, plain lace makes Roy. “ I'm disappointed they "McNichols .Arena, please," Roy said. got Roy." Devellano said.

Cabbie: "So. are you guys hockey players?" his exit.

I “ He's a great goaltender. To Thai. Johnny, is Patrick Hoy," the lather Roy: "Thats right." sacs with emotion. mc. he would look a lot bet­ Cabbie: "So what do you think of this new “ How did you know him without his ter playing for a team in the goalie the Avalanche got?”

I L ....

Hast." mask?"

Roy: “ I hear lie s a nice guy."

"Kvervoin- knows Patrick Roe." In the end. Roy was a per­ Cabbie: “ I don't know about that. but I I No Roy-Tremblay connection was going to H ie truth ol tile matter is Patrick Roy teas fect fit for the Avalanche*— and the architect don'I know if he's as good as the team says, work. That was obvious. the Canadiens in their Stanley Cup victories of Detroit's apparent demise, despite a record riicy're talking like we've got tile Stanley Several longtime Canadiens say Roy and in J M a n t i '93. He backstopped JO overtime Cup all wrapped up. I don ! buy it.'

1)2 wins in the regular season.

Tremblay Jiad words years ago lifter Trem ­ victories in OH and was the savior again and (hat. of course, didn t matter as long as blay suggested Patrick would never be as I again. He will always be the local point tor his general manager Pierre Lacroix was sold on good as Ken Dryden. Tremblay didn t make team in the idacoits because he is the pre­ sobbing, apologetic Roy met (in* Roy. which he had been long ago when he a regular practice ol criticizing Roy. but he mier goaltender ol Ins era. was Roy s agent and negotiated Roy s S-1 mil* media less than 36 hours after lie never put him on a pedestal, either. And after I Roy no longer carries the hopes and tradi­ lion-a-year contract with the C anadiens. openly defied Tremblay in Decem­ becoming coach in October. Tremblay never tion ol the I anadieiis on Ins shoulders. Now. ber. " I really wanted it to end differ­ Insiders suggest that one day before Serge gave Roy any special treatment, twice re­ lie carries the Mopes ol the Colorado ently— hoi in a stupid way like this," Roy moving said.

Savard was fired as Canadiens G.M.. Lacroix Roy from games and not informing Avalanche who built little tradition in (Que­ "Maybe in the short term it was possible to -amid have had Roy tor left wing Owen Nolan him ahead of time whether he would start. bec before moving to Denver atter last sea­ make a reconciliation, but in the long term .md Fiset Savard says Montreal owner Tremblay also tired a shot at Roy s head in the same situation would have come up again son. But Ins neriormance in this year's plac­ Ronald I orry would not go tor that deal even practice after Roy stopped a half-dozen shots 'd is basil1 changed He is still the most fo­ because ol some ol my feelings tor Manti. though he knew there might be some friction

by Tremblay. cused goalie iit die past 25 years with the “ I was humiliated. H ie events that caused between Roy aud new coach Mario Trem­ Roy apologized to the fans tor the gesture Stanley (.upon die line this situation would not go away, ['here was he made in response to their sarcastic cheers blay. who had been hard on rite veteran no solution except to start my career over "H ie regular Orason is the regular season, goalie when he was an analyst loc the Cana­ after making a save in the Detroit debacle. somewhere else. Since 1985,1 have enjoyed and the pinyons are the playoffs." Roy. HO. Bul he had no kind words for Houle or Trem ­ diens television network. blay. playing here. This organization is not an or­ says with a straight lace. 'T he playoffs are a “ Not (rue." tacroix says, referring to the dinary one— it’s an extraordinary one." new season; thee are what von dreamed “W hen I heard the news that Serge Savard rumor that a trade was in the works before But Roy is fiercely proud and thin-skinned. about when von were a kid. I was always and Jacques Demers had been replaced by Savard was dismissed. 'T his was a complete

A

T

*

A

A

NHI • 49

June 3.1996

I

them, i wanted to take a cold shower," Im savs.

oy isn’t bashful about eomniunical* ins his desire to win another Stanley

R

Cup. 'This is something that nobody can take away iron) you." Roy says.

"It doesn t matter that in U M they said (the Canadians) were one of tile worst teams to win the Stanley Cup. My name is on the Cup tor that •year with all on* teammates. And thats something I want all of my new team­ mates to feel.’ looking back on that fateful December night in Montreal. Lacroix has a matter-olfact attitude. “ You don’t know what the future is when you make a trade like- this.” Lacroix says.

"Hut ii wasn't like acquiring just any Joe Blow. I knew Patrick would bring us the ex perience. the grit, the leadership we would need in the playoffs.”

Punny, but then-Monlreal coach Jean Per­ ron had to beg Savard lo let him keep Roy at the start of the 198:V8(> season. Canadiens fans were in love with Steve Penney, and Savard didn’t think Ro}’ had it in him to play in tile N H I. at least not yet.

"I remember Serge saying. W hy do you want him? You have Steve Penney.* ” Perron says. "Hut I knew we were going to have a young team in Montreal, and I wanted a goalie with a fighting spirit. ll there was a re­ bound. and it wasn't cleared, he would battle for i i He would get angry if a goal was scored.

'T h at’s what I saw in Patrick on films of him in the minors— and that s what I wanted for the Canadiens."

Pleven seasons and two Stanley Cup cham­ pionships later, his coiiijmMniceness is still there. \ "When I start a season. I always focus my­ self for the playoffs, think about the playoffs. do everything for the playoffs." Roy says.

"W hen the playoffs come, tin concentration is there, tin* focus is a lot easier. I feel com­ fortable. I guess playing in Montreal tor Id years, under that pressure, you expect more from yourself.

'VI used to fight myself when I gave up a bad goal, but I heard Orel Hershiser say howmuch lie focuses more after he gives up a run that Iv e tried that myself, instead of getting mad and letting in another goal. I don’t give up home runs, but you get the picture."

The picture hockey fans soon will see is Roy lifting the Stanley Cup in celebration once again. ♦ . la rr y Wiggc has covered hockey for Tlii; SftiRTiNt; Nkws siace 1969.

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The Sporting News

50" NHL N H I REPORT

WJGGE he Avalanche came away from two rounds at Joe Louis Arena the clear winner and the favorite to win this year’s Stanley Cup. 'rho truth is this mixture of power and fi­ nesse is exactly what it takes to win it all, es­ pecially when the Avalanche have the game’s best money goaltender. Patrick Roy. standing at the gate, turning away each opponent Col­ orado faces.

Long live the Nordiques, the first team that moved to another city and had a chance to win it all the next season.

The Avalanche learned the lessons the powerful Red Wings should have learned last year You have to be resilient in the playoffs; you can’t play die game one way and win; you have to have and use your size, have to play tough defense, limiting space; and you have to still be explosive enough to score.

The Red Wings made no changes, playing with the arrogance they did in winning a

T

Hot so boring Some teams will question whether using four lines is not belter than the three lines most teams use, con­ sidering the success the Devils had last season and the Panthers have had this season. There is something to be said for gating every­ one involved and having fresh players on the ice every shift.

Another thing. You can’t call the Panthers boring with their team-oriented units, not after they beat the Pen­ guins, 5-2, and fired 61 shots on goal in Game 3 of the con­ ference finals.

The 61 shots not only were a franchise record, but they also were a league play­ off high this season—and surpassed the 57 shots Ron­ da had in the first two games of the series.

“Yeah, I can admit we talked about getting the puck to the net more." coach Doug MacLean says, "but I can’t stand here and lie to you and say 61 shots was our plan. Usually, it takes us two

I ASSOCIATED

Larry

record 62 games during the regular season— and they paid for it. as we predicted they would in our April 22 cover story. No matter how good a team is in the regular season, it must adjust to its opponent in the playoffs.

Yes. we know that no team from the West­ ern Conference has won a Stanley Cup since Edmonton in 1990. But the Avalanche were born and raised on the philosophy that big is better, and general manager Pierre Lacroix pulled off the trade hat trick when he added Claude Lemieux from the defending champi­ on Devils for his grittiness, acquired Sandis Ozolinsh from the Sharks to get die defense involved in the attack and brought in Roy, the stopper. ’This isnt the same team we saw in the regular season," Red Wings defenseman Paul Coffey says. ‘They don’t give up the chances they did. They don’t give you any space to work with on the ice.

“People looked at them as all offense, but they've really worked hard at adding defense to their game plan."

One of the toughest tilings in hockey is to dedicate yourself to checking. There were plenty of skeptics even among the people who have watched this team all season. But the blueprint for this two-pronged playoff at­ tack began with the acquisition of Roy from die Canadians.

“When Patrick Roy came in. I told him to take charge of the defense, show them what they have to do to win in the playoffs." coach Marc Crawford says. “It was just a seed to what we could do back in January. But it was

PRESS

With Roy, there’s no way to stop this Avalanche

Middle man: Softie and teammate Mike Ricci celebrate Softies goal against the Red Wings. With his 15 playoffgoals, Softie has helped make the Avalanche the team to beat in the Stanley Cup race. the start of the overall commitment we knew our guys would have to make."

When the Stanley Cup finals begin Tues­ day, here are six reasons we think this is the year of the ’Lanche: ■ The best goaltender in the playoffs in Roy, winner of Stanley Cups for Montreal in 1986 and ’93.

■ Strength down the middle with Joe Sakic, the playoffs goal leader with 15 (through Game 4 against Detroit), four short of the NHL playoff record by Reggie L each in 1976 and Jan Kurri in 1985. They also have the multitalented Peter Forsberg and great twoway centers in Mike Ricci and Steptoe Yelle.

■ A defense that is underrated but has the puck-handling skills of Ozolinsh, size in Uwe

games to get til at."

With the victory, the Pan­ thers moved into exclusive territory as they became the youngest expansion team to win IO playoff games in one season. The third-year Pan­ thers surpassed the thirdyear islanders of 1975, who won nine playoff games.

Dave’s world Funny things happen in the playoffs—such as Flori­ da’s Dave Lowry becoming a goal scorer.

Lowry had IO goals in 62 regular-season games. But good things have happened for the career checking winger through perseverance and a willingness to drive to­ ward the net Through four games in the conference fi­ nals. he had IO goals in 16 playoff games.

“Its a shame people didn’t realize I was such a goal scorer years ago. I might be getting 40 and 50 goals a sea­ son," says Lowry, laughing.

“Seriously, what Eve discov­ ered is that all of those coaches from peewee on up who said good things hap­

Assautt cmgoal: Penguins goalie Tom Banasso stopped this shot by Stu Barnes, but Barnes’Panthers have had their chances. pen if you go to the net are correct" This playoff phenomenon is not new. Remember Randy McKay of the Devils last year, Paul DiPietro of the Canadians in 1993, John Druce of the Capitals in ’90 and Chris Kontos of the Kings in 1989?

Icy bits With the success of fresh coaching faces such as Marc Crawford, Doug

MacLean. Craig Hartsburg and Ted Nolan the past two seasons, Canadian Olympic team coach Tom Renney is a hot commodity after guid­ ing Canada to the silver medal at the recent world championships in Austria.

What was most impressive about Renney in that tour­ nament was his ability to get his point across to veteran players. The Canucks have considered hiring Renney, but the Maple Leafs appear

Krupp, stay-at-home guys such as Adam Foote and Sylvain Lefebvre who are as solid as a rock, not to mention Alexei Gusarov, Curtis Leschyshyn and Craig Wolanin.'

■ The Lemieux factor—Claude has made players around him, such as Adam Deadmarsh, Yelle, Mike Keane and the other foot soldiers, grittier.

■ McNichols Arena and the rarified air of the Rocky Mountains. Red Wings players say they now know why Colorado is so good in the second periods of games. Long shifts catch up with you against the Avalanche when they are at home.

■ The Avalanche can play the game any way they have to, something not many teams are capable of.

to want him m ore.... The Bruins likely will not re-sign Al iafrate after losing an ar­ bitration case to the freeagent defenseman. They now owe Iafrate the $900,000 he would have made if he were healthy enough to play. The Bruins claimed they were not liable for Iafrate’s salary because he was injured in non-teamrelated workouts before training camp. . .Whalers star left wing Brendan Shanahan is telling friends that general manag­ er Jim Rutherford let him know the team can’t afford his $3 million-a-year salary.

Rutherford reportedly gave Shanahan a choice of which team he’d like to go to. He had the Blues, Rangers and Mighty Ducks on his lis t ...

The Flyers have told center Dale Hawerchuk they don’t plan on bringing him back next season. This was the first time Hawerchuk made it to the second round of the playoffs. But look for Haw­ erchuk, at 33, to retire. ...

The Senators won the draft lottery and will likely choose

Prince Albert defenseman Chris Phillips. The Sharks pick second and likely will go for Russian defenseman An­ drei Zyuzin. The third choice is expected to be Barrie cen­ ter Alexandre Volchkov to the Islanders.... Some sources in S t Louis hint that Wayne Greteky will not be back with the Blues. In reality, those ru­ mors are a public-relations ploy by the Blues to get Gret­ zky to accept less than the three-year, $23 million con­ tract the two sides tentatively agreed to when Gretzky came to S t Louis in March. ♦ L a rry Wigge has covered hockeyfo r T HE S porting N ew s since 1969.

COLLEGE FOOML/COLLEGE BASKETBALL • SI

June 3,1996

have been worthy of recognition for years.

Foundation vice president Dave Torromeo says the organization failed to react when the NCAA split into its current (fission format in the late’70s.

The players who havenT been selected shouldn’t feel slighted. Tile foundation had troubk*. getting nominations from small-college schools. The publicity surrounding the first class should take care of that. The sheer volume of outstanding players who starred at black colleges in the postwar, pre-integration years will keep the foundation busy for years to come.

I I lc induction of the players on August 17 will be among the most noteworthy in the Hall’s history. It’s about lime the foundation got v.i(h it.

COLLELiE FOOTBALL REPORT

Small-college standouts reach the end-all zone

Ivan MAISEL -

J

he National Football Foundation has been racing through the past few years, trying to bring the Col­ lege Football H^l of Fame into the 20th century before we reach the 2Ist. With the announcement of the first smalkollege class to be inducted, the Hall has completed a long journey back to relevance.

For loo long, the foundation has been noth­ ing more than football's version of the John Birch Society, injecting politics into what should be nothing more than a celebration of a sport. Last year, the foundation rectified an old wrong by inducting Jim Brown and Paul Robeson, two outstanding players who had

T

been left out because they had been bold enough to speak their minds.

The foundation’s once-feeble attempt to celebrate the game’s legacy also has been changed. The new Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., is a tremendous-addition to the nation’s sports museums. Now. the lumi­ nance of the names included in the first smallcoUege class explain how large an omission the Hall had made.

For example, Terry Bradshaw of Louisiana Tech, Buck Buchanan of Grambling and Wal­ ter Payton ofJackson Slate already have been inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Other new members include backs Billy “White Shoes" Johnson of Widener and Wilbert Montgomery of Abilene Christian, quarterback Neil Lomax of Portland State, guard Tyrone McGriff of Florida A&M, line­ backers Gary Reasons of Northwestern (La.) State andJim Youngblood of Tennessee Tech and defensive end Vern Den Herder of Cen­ tral (Iowa) College.

“Playing in Division III, there is no nation­ al coverage," says Den Herder, who returned to Iowa to farm after his career with the Dol­ phins, There are two feelings—one of pride in being selected, particularly in the inaugur­ al selection. And its kind of humbling. I'm go­

C()LLE(;E B.ASKETB.ALL REPORT

UNIV is showing signs of improving quickly

M ike DeCOURCY he simplest question to answer when assessing the 1996 crop of basketball talent is; WTio had the best recruiting year? Without a doubt, that would be the NBA. Kobe Bryant.

Jermaine O’Neal. Two of the top five players in high school. No one else did as well.

Among those basketball programs offering (he full college experience, however, the win­ ners aren’t as clear as in June of previous years. With academic standards for initial el­ igibility rising to new (and ridiculous) heights for this autumn’s fireshmen, more players are facing the possibility of failing to qualify.

So when this column says ifs betting on UNLV as the year’s top recruiting class, un­

T

derstand ifs a gamble. Understand, too. this assertion comes from a different angle.

A lot of recruiting analysts lose perepective on what schools are attempting to achieve.

This is not about which guy gets the most cool autographs. It is a matter of attracting players who can make a team belter, who are efigible, who fit a program’s needs.

Thus, Syracuse isn’t on this list. because its best recruit appears unlikely to gain his eligibilit>' (6-10 center Winfred Walton of De­ troit) and one Is trying to escape his letter of intent (point guard Jason Hart of Los Angeles), Nor Villanova, for the freshest of rea­ sons: suspicion that 6-9 power forward Tim Thomas of Paterson, N J., won’t slay long.

DePaul and Miami just missed making this list, but they recruited extremely well from disadvantageous situations. Blue Demons coach Joey Meyer improved his team’s ath­ leticism with seven recruits, including bluechipper Ronnie Fields of Chicago. And Mia­ mi’s Florida duo of 6-7 power forward Jer­ maine Walker from Pompano Beach and 6^ small forward Lucas Barnes of Miami rein­ forced the trend lo stay in state set last year by smooth forward Tim James.

The top five: I. UNLV. Coach Billy Bayno needed substantial talent infusion and attracted at

Down and Dirt

It

Curtain call: Bradshaw is addison overdue college enshrinement to his shining resume. ing lo enter with some of the great names in the N FL" Lomax, who has a sports-promodon business in Oregon, says. T o me, (the smalkollege wing) is going lo open the flood­ gates to the kinds of players who dominated their leagues.’’

Of the four coaches lo be inducted, only Edgar Sherman of Muskingum College is alive. The posthumous inductees are Harold Burry of Westminster, Gil Stcinkc of Texas A&l and k e Tresscl of Baldwin-Wallace. All least three players wlio should make a quick impact. He lured 6-7 forward Tyrone Nesby of Vincennes (Ind.) University away from Louisville, and landed 6-10 Issiali Epps of Maine Central Institute, an underrated post player with a body designed for greatness, and 6-1 guard Mark Dicke! of New Zealand.

2. Arizona. Tlie Wildcats signed more truly gifted players than anyone, notably point guard Mike Bibby of Phoenix and 6-8 Stephen Jackson of Virginia’s Oak Hill Academy, both McDonald’s All Americans, and 6^ Eugene Edgerson of New Orleans.

3. Tennessee. The Volunteers quite likely made the most substantial improvement in . overall talent of any team, even if only two of coach Kevin O’Neill’s recruits arc Top 50 types. The news that 6-10 center Charles Hathaway of Nashville achieved the minimum ACT' score solidified Tennessee’s place in a phenomenal year for Southeastern Conference recruiting. Six new Volunteers could contribute immediately, including a new front lino (Hathaway, 6^ power forward C J. Black of Chattanooga and 6-9Isiah Victor of Hopkinsville. Ky.) and junior college point guard DaShay Jones of Vincennes.

4. Cincinnati. The Bearcats would have ranked No. I if not for a concern about mixing so much prime junior college talent with a team returning three players (Danny Forlson, Damon Flint and Darnell Burion) accustomed lo gelling their shots. Coach Bob Hugginsinsists6-7 forward Ruben Patterson of Independence (Kan.) and 6-5guard D’Juan Baker of Midland (Tex.) have a common goal; They want to reach a Final Four. TheyTl have a better chance if 6-8 forward Kenyon Martin of Dallas qualifies academically.

5. Purdue. Typically a program that lakes a what it can get and makes the best of the

On the day last week that Randy Moss had been scheduled lo appear before a West Vir­ ginia judge to hear if his probation would be revoked. Florida State kicked the freshman receiver off the team. Moss tested positive during a random drug test last month while in a work-release program lo serve a 30-day sentence for misdemeanor battery. The lev­ el of talent cannot dictate the level of conse­ quence regarding decisions on discipline and participation.*’ Florida State athletic director Dave Hart says. "I have always believed and told student athletes that participation on a team is not a right; it’s a privilege."

Oh. if those words only could be stamped on the forehead of ever v N'ebraska freshman plaj’er. ♦ Ivan Maiset covers college football for Newsday. Readers can communicate directly with Ivan via e-mail at imaiscllsn<G:aot.com.

All the rage: Baynos new Rebels sfwuld make an immediate impact in Las Vegas this season. situation. Purdue brought in three elite play­ ers in point guard Mosi Barnes of IndianaiXAlls. shooting guard Jaraan Cornell of Soutli Bend, Ind.. and small forward Michael Robin­ son of Peoria. III. The class could have been outsbnding if 6-10conterJamaal Magloire of Toronto had not opted for national champion Kentucky.

“This was a tough year for recruiting be­ cause of the fact the class was down." says an­ alyst Dave Benezra of the l>osAngeles-based Recruiting USA service. “A lot of schools were saving scholarships for next year, when (it w ll be) much better." ♦ Mike DeCourcy covers coliege basketball for the Commercia/ Appeal in Memphis. Tenn.

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THE CLOSER

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C L A S S I C

Sayonara slams Bv S t e v e

G ie i 'sc h ier

hen Chris Holies hit a grand slam in the bottom of (he ninth May 17. giving the Orioles a 14-13 victo­ ry over the Mariners, he not only brought the game to a close just one minute short of the major league record for the longest nine-inning game, bul also wrote his name on an extremely short list: players who have batted in the last inning with the bases loaded, two out, their team down by three runs and hit grand slams.

In Japanese baseball, according to David Marc Nicporent. a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SARR), game-winning, bottom-of-the-ninth hits are called "sayonara hits." They are ranked by category, extra-base hits being judged more significant than singles, hits with the score tied valued less highly than hits with the home team behind. Obviously, what Holies did is the rarest of all—a sayonara grand slam.

Kesearcii into how many otlier players are on this list may not be i>erfect, bul David Vincent believes the total is 12. including Holies. Vincent is co-editor of SABR Presents the Home Run En­ cyclopedia. and "(irandSlams’’ is part of his email address, so he knows of what he speaks. Nevertlieless. just like any good re­ searcher. he proceeds cautiously. "The research for these homers was done by various people, and as such I can’t guar­ antee that these are the only ones," he admits.

For what its worth, here is Vincent s list of the 11 other say­ onara grand slams.

W

September IO, 1881— Roger Connor Troy Trojans B, Worcester Brown Stockings (or Ruby Legs) 7 Yes, Worcester and Troy were in the National League albeit for only a few years each. In 1881, Troy finished fifth, man­ aged by Bob Ferguson, one of the players lagged with baseball's greatest nickname, '‘Death to Flying Things." and Worcester ended up last. On ^ptember IO, (he teams played in Albany with Worcester’s Lee Richmond, author of the first perfect game the year before, pitching against Tim Keefe, baseball's second 300-game winner. Troy was behind, 7-1, coming to bar in the ninth. The Trojans loaded Ihe bases on three hits and, with one out, a walk forced in one run. After two more runs scored, Connor, the leading home run hitter of the 19th century, hit the say­ onara grand slam.

September 11,1958— Dei Crandall Milwaukee Braves 5, Phillies 4 Seventy-four years and one day later, the Braves played,a doubleheader against the Phillies, with Milwaukee’s Lew Bur­ dette facing Herm Wehmeier in the open­ er. Braves shortstop Johnny Logan tripled lo lead off the bottom of the ninth. Eddie Mathews fouled out, Logan scoring after the catch. Henry Aaron beal out an infield bit. George Crowe made an out, but Chuck T^ner and pinch hitter Bennie Taylor singled. loading the bases.

Crandall worked tbe^cpimt full. then h it.

f August 31,1963—Ellis Burton I Cubs 6» Houston Colt .45s 5 The Colt ,45s were in their second sea: son and on their way to a nintlvplace finish i when they visited Chicago. Hal Woodi eshick started for Houston and Don El^ston for the Cubs, who trailed, 5-1, going : intothe bottom of the ninth. With one on and two out, pinch hitter Don Landrum : and shortstop Andre Rodgers singled lo ■score one run. Hal Brown relieved Wpodi eshick and Leo Burke, pinch-hitting for Iou Brock, walked. Burton, a switch hit­ ter who would hit only 17 homers in Ws career, then hit a grand slam.

I

August l l , 1970—Carl Taylor Cardinals ll, Padres IO San Diego led, 1(^6, after 8l6 innings.

With Ron W illis pitching in relief for the Padres, right fielder Joe Hague singled bul was forced by Dick Allen. Joe Torre and Jose Carden^ singled, scoringAUen, but Mike Shannon, batting against Ron Herbel. forced Cardenal. Shortstop Ed Crosby walked, loading the bases, and Taylor homered on the first pitch.

April 22,1973-Ron Lollch Indians 8, Red Sox 7 The first American League sayonara grand slam was hit by a designated hitter.

The Red Sox scored three runs in the ninth off Jerry Johnson, pitching in relief of Brent Strom, to take a 7-4lead. Leo Carde­ nas led off the bottom of the ninth against John Curtis and reached on an error. Rusty Tbrres madean out Tom Ragland singled ^

’

.

T

V

ebert replaced Curtis and struck out larlie Spikes, but then rookie Lolkh. cou^ ofthe Tigers’ Mickey Lolich, hit one the four homers in his career.

May1,1979—Rogor Freed ardlnals 7, Astros 5 In a game tied, 3-3, after rune, Houston ded three runs In the lith , and Joe Sambito tried to close out the Cards. Cenr fielder Tony Scott opened the bottom, the iniung \rith a single. W th one out, (en Oberkfefl and Steve Swisher walked, oading the bases, and Carry Templeton ruck out. Freed, a 34-year-old reserve, mch-hil for left fielder Jerry Mumphrey d hit the first extra-innings sayonara grand slam.

pril13.1983-fio Diaz h l ll l B s IO, Mets 9 The Mets led, 9-5, and looked ready to wrap it up when reliever Rick Ownbey rered the first two Phillies in the bottom of ie ninth. But Gary Mathews, Joe Morgan d pinch hitter Leo Matuszek each alk^ and Jesse Orosco, foDoMng Own>€y, walked Bill Robinson to fprce in one run. Neil Allen then came on and served a 2-1 pitch that Diaz hit over the wall.

ugusl 31,1984—Ruddy Bell angers 7, Brewers 6 Milwaukee led, 6-1, as Texas came to >at in the bottom of the ninth. Pinch Wtrs Marv Foley and Billy Sample slngl^ and scored, cutting the 1 ^ to 83.Rutthe ke>;play.;

keeping the inning alive and loading the bases. With Pete Ladd pitching, Bell homered Aver the left field fence.

ApriM3,ig85-Phll Bradley Mariners 8, Twins 7 The Twins led, 7-4, going into the bot­ tom of the runth, and Ron Davis came in to pitch. Struggling, he gave'up one hit and two walks before B rile y homered.'

August 29.198&-01ck Schofield Angels 13, Tigers 12 . .Detroit led, 12-5, in the bottom of the ninthsmth Bandy OTfeal in reliefof Frank Tanana. Dick Schofield led btt with a ^ gle, and with one out, Wally Joyner \va^ed, Brian Downing Bingled and Jade Howell doubled in two runs. After Hernandez replaced O'Neal, George Hen­ drick and Bobby Grich each sinp ^ m a run. After the second out, pindi hitter Ruppert Jones walked. Schofield, batting for the second tune in the inning, then homered.

June 21.1988-^lan Tramniell Tigers?, Yankoesi ^

V

Neil Allen—this time pitchiog for the’ Yankees—started Ihebottdoi pf file ninth' and put two on without r e t i^ anyone.

Dave Righetti replace Alldi.and gave up one hit and two walks while getting two outs and allowing two runs.Then it was Cedlio Guante's.tuni. 'pm m ell cattie to bat with the bases loaded and say­ onara. * •• '!• *_• 'i '» •' ,

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