SARASOTA, Fla. - Sorry, dude.
That was the word from Phillies outfielder Lenny Dykstra, known as The Dude because of his zealous use of the word, when he retired last week. A week's worth of controversy and Dykstra's career came to a close Tuesday when he aborted his comeback attempt by declaring his surgically repaired back was bothering him again.
Dykstra said he was going to get some more medical opinions, but the truth is he wasn't going to get 500 plate appearances, which would have triggered the $6-million option in his contract for 1999. He was beaten out this spring by the significantly younger - and better - Doug Glanville.
Just eight days after a public feud with manager Terry Francona and General Manager Ed Wade, Dykstra was subdued and apologetic. ''I knew when I came down here it was going to be all or nothing,'' he said. ''The organization made it as easy on me as possible. I was pretty much allowed to go at my own schedule. There comes a point where you realize you just can't do it.''
Dykstra's career numbers are nothing extraordinary, but when the games meant the most, he was as good as Reggie Jackson or Babe Ruth. In 32 postseason games, he hit .321 (36-for-112) with 10 home runs, 19 RBIs and 27 runs scored. He also was 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts. In 13 World Series games, he batted .320 (16-for-50) with six homers, 11 RBIs and 13 runs scored.
Dykstra's darker side also is quite memorable.
In spring training 1991 he was placed on probation by former commissioner Fay Vincent for his involvement in illegal poker games in Mississippi. Two months later, with Darren Daulton in the passenger seat, he crashed his red Mercedes Benz into a tree in a nearly fatal car accident. In the winter of 1993 he nearly got into a fistfight with Pennsylvania state senator Earl Baker at a posh restaurant.
Through an insurance policy, the Phillies stand to recover $4.8 million of the $6 million they still owed to Dykstra.
Hoops fans
NCAA Tournament pools are all the rage in every major league clubhouse, but there's one team with a vested interest in March Madness: The Arizona Diamondbacks.
That's because Diamondbacks outfield prospect Jamie Sykes is one of the stars for the Cinderella Valparaiso Crusaders, who made the Sweet 16 in large part because of Sykes. He threw the ball inbound on the shot that Bryce Drew hit at the buzzer to beat Ole Miss in the first round and then scored 19 points in beating Florida State two days later.
Sykes got his degree in December, and had airline reservations for spring training after each tournament game. ''He is a legitimate major league prospect as a true center fielder,'' Diamondbacks director of minor league operations Tommy Jones said.
As the Sox turn
Jerry Reinsdorf and Robin Ventura are finally admitting what has seemed obvious since the White Sox made only a couple of low-ball offers on a contract extension in November -- this is the end of Ventura's all-star career in Chicago.
Ventura is eligible for free agency after this season and the Sox seem unwilling to meet Ventura's asking price -- believed to be at least $30 million for four years. Reinsdorf met with Ventura's agent, John Boggs, recently but did not put forth a new offer.
''It takes two to reach an agreement,'' Reinsdorf said. ''Sometimes things don't work out.''
Lone Rangers
Rangers star Juan Gonzalez and Ivan Rodriguez were once inseparable. Now they hardly speak to each other. Apparently Rodriguez's wife Maribel said something over the winter about Juan in Puerto Rico and the gossip spread through the island.
''It's just a little personal problem,'' Gonzalez said. ''It's private. His wife said something to some close friends of mine. That's all. We're not enemies. Pudge is like my brother. I feel bad sometimes. Someday soon we'll sit down, and Pudge and I will talk about this face to face.''
Said Rodriguez, ''We're still like brothers. We don't have a problem. We can still do our jobs.''
The Rangers are concerned about the relationship of their two stars but it hasn't affected the team. ''Whatever it is, I think they've kept it away from the ballpark,'' general manager Doug Melvin said.
Mistaken identity
Toronto Blue Jays public relations director Howard Starkman had to eject a man --thought to be a Latin television reporter -- from the press box last week for cheering for a home run -- a no-no in any press box, where objectivity is the law.
Starkman asked the man to stop and asked who he was. ''Jose Canseco,'' the man said, and was promptly ejected from the press box. He left without a fight, and you know what, he wasn't being a wise-guy. He really was Jose Canseco -- senior..
The final word
From Yankees newcomer Chili Davis, on the team's proclivity to get in beanball wars. In the Yankees' first 20 exhibition games, 29 batters have been hit with pitches -a dramatic increase from last year, when there were a combined 72 hit batsmen in the their 162 regular-season games.
''I think it's a Yankee thing. I've never seen it like this before.''
Baseball news from Associated Press
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