Sunday, July 04, 1999
BASEBALL INSIDER
Braves' Jordan still bemoans All-Star snub
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
D Outrage would be a justifiable reaction if Reds first baseman Sean Casey isn't named to the National League All-Star team. Surprise wouldn't.
It's nothing new for the league's leading hitter, which Casey has been through most of the year, to be spared a trip to the Midsummer Classic. Just last year, Atlanta's Brian Jordan, then with St.Louis, topped the NL with a hefty .339 average yet wasn't chosen to join his NL peers at Denver's Coors Field.
Jordan faded in the batting race — finishing 47 points behind batting champion Larry Walker of Colorado at .316 — but his disappointment never did. Jordan is enjoying another strong season, batting .295 with 15 homers and 65 RBI while remaining on pace to post the biggest numbers by a Braves right fielder since Henry Aaron had 44 homers and 127 RBI in 1966.
“I'd be angry if I don't make it, because that will be two years in a row that I feel I deserve to be there and wasn't,” Jordan said. “It's a touchy situation.”
Jordan's not alone. Atlanta appears destined to place no starters on the All-Star team despite having the league's best record.
LUCKY 13: Venezuelan-born shortstops typically honor their heritage, established by Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio, by wearing No.13. Reds great Davey Concepcion continued the tradition, which has been perpetuated by Atlanta's Ozzie Guillen and Cleveland's Omar Vizquel.
Recently, it was pointed out to Florida Marlins manager John Boles that his fine Venezuelan rookie shortstop, Alex Gonzalez, perhaps should be wearing the No.13 on the skipper's back. Gonzalez has No.11.
Boles, who once managed in the Venezuelan Winter League, didn't just agree. Witnesses claimed he literally jumped out of his seat and said, “I'll give it to him today.” Gonzalez politely said he would wait until next year to inherit No.13, though Boles said he could have it any time.
“I'll even do the sewing myself,” Boles said. “I'll take my name off and put his on. He can do anything he wants, as long as he keeps playing like this.”
That's part of the story, too. Gonzalez, who entered the weekend hitting .295, is the NL's leading Rookie of the Year candidate.
YANKEE DOODLES: The New York Yankees' 17-9 resurgence in June can be traced to manager Joe Torre's shuffling of the batting order. Derek Jeter moved to the No.3 spot, Bernie Williams shifted to No.2, Tino Martinez settled in the cleanup hole, and Paul O'Neill occupied the fifth position.
Everybody involved has benefited tremendously. Before Saturday, Williams was hitting .446 (25-for-56) since the shift with five homers and 11 RBI. Martinez was at .365 (19-for-52) while O'Neill's .390 binge (16-for-41) lifted his average from .267 to .289.
Then there's Jeter, whose average has remained stratospheric all season. He began Saturday batting .378, second in the AL only to Toronto's Tony Fernandez.
Said a cautious Torre: “I don't know if Derek is really a .370 hitter. If he is, it'll be like my .360 (Torre hit .363 in 1971), a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I see Derek as a .310-.330 hitter, who can hit some home runs and steal some bases.”
Jeter didn't see it that way.
“I don't put any labels on myself,” he said. “If I say I'm a .310 hitter, and I reach that, am I supposed to be satisfied with that? I'm just seeing how far this year takes me.”
BRAVO, PEDRO: Boston's Pedro Martinez became the third AL pitcher in the last 25 years to approach the All-Star break with at least 15 victories. Boston's Roger Clemens (1986) and Kansas City's Bret Saberhagen (1987) are the others.
“I don't ever remember being that dominating, but I felt every game I pitched I was going to win,” said Saberhagen, now Martinez's teammate. “I feel that way with him now.”
WHAT ABOUT BOB: Groundskeepers are resodding worn parts of the infield and outfield grass at the Arizona Diamondbacks' Bank One Ballpark, otherwise known as BOB.
St.Louis megastar Mark McGwire complained about BOB after he suffered an ankle injury there last weekend.
“The field is terrible,” he said. “Every time you go to make a move, your feet give way.”
Diamondbacks manager Buck Showalter said: “I'm sure we'd have a lot more complaints if it was artificial turf.”
ANGELS' ANGST: Entering the weekend with a .314 team on-base percentage, the majors' lowest, left Anaheim Angels General Manager Bill Bavasi hoping to acquire an offensive catalyst.
Chuck Finley, Anaheim's ace left-hander, has expressed a willingness to be traded if it would help the team.
“If he becomes available, I won't get much sleep,” Bavasi said.
QUICK PITCHES: Before the San Diego Padres launched their remarkable winning streak, which reached 14 games Friday night, they hadn't won more than two in a row all year. “I see something special here,” said infielder Carlos Baerga, the would-be Red and newest Padre, who drew a walk and scored the winning run Wednesday.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers, who finished 8-17 in June and fell to last place in the NL West, were happy to turn to a new page on the calendar. “There's no complacency on this ballclub,” manager Davey Johnson said. “We're good enough defensively, and we're good enough offensively. We haven't found the right key or something.”
• If there's anything grand about 3Com Park, it's the numbers on the outfield fence heralding the Giants greats. Next Sunday, first baseman Orlando Cepeda, who'll be enshrined in the Hall of Fame on July 25, will have his No.30 placed alongside the numbers of Bill Terry, Mel Ott, Carl Hubbell, Willie Mays, Juan Marichal and Willie McCovey.
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