St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 31

SPORTS ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH SATURDAY, AUGUST 18, 1990 5C BASEBALL MINOR LEAGUE REPORT BASKETBALL Dim TCn EM Rincon Works As Coach In Minors Yugoslavia Hands Americans Another Hoop Heartbreak IFa 1 kjrA ft 1 It UPI days with a fever and I'm sick now," he said. His first shot from behind the 20-foot, 6-inch line came during a 9-0 run that gave Yugoslavia a 14-6 lead just over five minutes into the game. The second came with 8 minutes 58 seconds left in the half and gave the Yugoslavs their first double-figure lead at 31-20. The United States closed to 47-43 in the final minute of the half, but Yugoslavia scored the last four points for a 51-43 halftime lead.

The United States kept getting close but could never pull even, despite shooting 62 percent (37 for 60) from the field. "I thought our team played very well. If we didn't, we'd have lost by 30," U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke said. "I thought they were the best team and they played every bit like it today." Petrovic's shooting show took off in the second half.

His final 3-pointer, with 6:23 remaining, gave Yugoslavia its biggest lead at 90-71. Billy Owens, slowed by a sore back since Tuesday, had 12 points for the U.S. "I wasn't 100 percent," he By Mike Eisenbath Of the Post-Dispatch Staff If life was fair, Andy Rincon would be rolling in CWoney. He would be completing his 10th full season bs a big-league pitcher and enjoying a reputation as one of the top pitchers of his generation. Instead, Rincon is a player-coach on the disabled list low in the minor leagues and unable to release the dream.

But he is happy. "Sure, I'd love to pitch still," Rincon said. "But I think the only place I could pitch new is in the Senior League." Sorry, Andy, you can't even pitch there. Even though Rincon hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 1982 when he went 2-3 for the Cardinals still is only 31. Pitchers have to be at least 35 in entile Senior League.

tnRincon serves as pitching coach for the Class A ballclub, the Cardinals' South Atlantic League affiliate. That team has had a turnaround in the second half of the season. isiijAlthough Rincon doesn't take full credit for being in first place in its division in this half, he does take a measure of pride in his work. He said the pitchers on the Savannah team listen to him and w.ork with him. They should.

He's been to the big leagues. inn excelled in the big leagues at least for a Rincon was a phenom in 1980, when he pitched Class AA Arkansas to the Texas League champion-: He was driving home to California after the title when he was pulled over by the Texas Highway Patrol; the Cardinals had just called him up to the big leagues but had needed patrolmen to j'teck him down. xi made a stir immediately. He allowed only i j. eight hits in his first two starts and won his first three games by combined scores of 14-3.

He was the rii JtJational League player of the week and had an outstanding future. He started the 1 98 1 season as the 8fe of the Cardinals' staff. He went 3-1, had a 1.75 earned-run average and allowed only five walks in his first 35 innings of the '81 season. "I've always been the ace on every level I've pitched at," he said. "Here I am, 22 years old, and I'm matched up with guys like Mario Soto and all the rest.

Then Phil Garner rained on my parade." Garner, then with Pittsburgh, smacked a line drive back at the mound and off of Rincon's right forearm. His pitching arm. Rincon tried to come back before the forearm had healed fully, which caused a stress problem in his shoulder. He tried to come back too soon from the shoulder injury, which caused problems with his elbow. He continued to pitch with hope in the minor leagues, but he lost 1987 when he had surgery to repair a tendon in his biceps.

Last season, Rincon went to Arkansas with the intention of taking a spot in the regular rotation. But at the all-star break, the Cardinals asked him to coach the rest of the season. "I wanted to stay in the game, and I'm a Cardinal," Rincon said. "Through all the injuries, I realized it would be a long shot to get back to the big leagues. I wanted to be more than a Double-A or Triple-A pitcher.

I wanted to give my family more than that. The Cardinals offered me some longevity with a coaching job." Rincon couldn't think of working in any other baseball organization. Ted Simmons, the Cardinals' director of player development, was the catcher when Rincon came to the big leagues. He has played with Mike Ramsey, Bruce Sutter, Jim Riggleman, Dave Bialas and many others in the Cardinals' coaching and front-office ranks. "The Cardinals have said I can go to winter ball, and if I throw well there and have good arm strength they'll find room for me," Rincon said.

"So I'm going to Tijuana this winter and try it. I want to see if I can still do it. "But coaching is fun, too. And I think I'm good at it. Of course, everybody wants to be coaching in the big leagues, but if I can help in the minor Andy Rincon has gone from receiving applause to offering encouragement to promising minor leaguers.

leagues, that's fine, too. There's more security in the minors for a coach, anyway. And I'm married with a 212-year-old son now. That changes your perspective on the risks you're willing to take." Rincon entered the Cardinals' scene on the doorstep of what could have been a dynasty. In a decade when the team often seemed one impact pitcher away from being dominating, he had seemed to be that pitcher in 1981.

He harbors no bitterness. He isn't haunted by a vision of Phil Garner's line drive. "I realize it's part of the game," Rincon said. "Guys have had it worse than me. There are a lot of guys whose careers ended because of injury and never made it to the big leagues.

At least I have that to look back at and remember." Louisville Gives Maclin A Call MIKE EISENBATH NOTEBOOK the 40th round in 1971; he went on to a stellar career. The Cards drafted Hamlin, also a first baseman, in the 56th round this year and might have hit the jackpot. Hamlin has been named the batter of the week twice in the Arizona Rookie League, has a .340 batting average, five homers, 27 runs batted in and has committed just five errors in 41 games. He struck out just 20 times in his first 160 at-bats. "It bothers me that guys who get drafted low sometimes get overlooked," Hamlin said.

"Only one scout really was interested in me in college; that's why I got passed up. But I've seen guys in this league who got drafted higher who aren't playing as well as me." Hamlin, 20, is a native of Salt Lake City and went to the College of Southern Idaho, a junior college in Twin Falls. He batted .411 and showed some power this spring. But despite that and his 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame, teams didn't notice him in the draft through 55 rounds. "You have to do something to stand out here, because this is the lowest minor league there is and teams tend to overlook this league a lot," Hamlin said.

"With my power, maybe I'll get to move up." Bullet On Chart: Todd Van Pop- pel has started to move. Van Poppel, regarded as the nation's top high school prospect this season and one of the top pitching prospects in recent memory, was promoted to the Madison (Wis.) Muskies in the Class A Midwest League on Wednesday. Oakland started him at Southern Oregon in the Northwest League, where he went 1-1 with a 1.13 earned-run average and struck out 34 with 10 hits allowed in 24 innings. Mo Knows: Make room for Mo Vaughn in the future of the Boston Red Sox. But quit comparing him to fellow powerful first basemen such as George Scott and Sam Horn.

"I'm my own man," he told Baseball America magazine. "It's hard enough to be yourself than someone else." Vaughn, 6 feet 1 and 225 pounds, has played through hand and hamstring injuries at Class AAA Pawtuck-et, R.I. He's batting .293, with 18 homers and 56 RBIs in 314 at-bats. At 22, he is one of the most promising young sluggers in the game. Of course, Horn held the same status at one time with the Sox and now is clawing to make it in the Baltimore system.

"It all comes down to the ultimate goal, where you want to be in two or three years," Vaughn said. "I want to BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) First, it was Indianapolis. Then Seoul and Seattle. Now it's Buenos Aires. The U.S.

men's basketball team has proved it can lose anywhere. Drazen Petrovic scored 31 points in as many minutes Friday as Yugoslavia defeated the United States 99-91 In the semifinals of the World Basketball Championships. It was the fourth consecutive major international tournament in which the Americans have failed to win the gold medal, dating to the 1987 Pan American Games at Indianapolis. The Americans then failed to win at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. They also lost at last month's Goodwill Games in Seattle.

Yugoslavia (6-1), the favorite at the championships, will face the Soviet Union, a 98-82 winner over Puerto Rico, in Sunday's championship game. The United States (5-2) will face Puerto Rico today for the bronze medal. Petrovic, who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers and was the NBA's second-leading 3-point shooter last season, missed a game and a half for Yugoslavia because of the flu. He looked weak during warmups, but excelled once the game began, finishing with six 3-pointers. "I was sick for two Kentucky, On Ford's LEXINGTON, Ky.

(AP) Former University of Missouri basketball player Travis Ford plans to take a trip on tobacco road to decide where he will continue his college career. Ford, of Madisonville, said he will visit North Carolina this weekend and Kentucky next week. He was granted a release from Missouri on Wednesday. Ford's father, Eddie, said Kentucky was "first and foremost" on his son's list of transfer sites. Travis Ford will meet with Kentucky coach Rick Pitino during his visit.

"I've met him, but that was the extent of it," the player said. "I want to see where I stand with him." Travis Ford said North Carolina "is a good situation. I'll go and listen to them and see what it's like down there." Eddie Ford said that his Son will need assurances similar to those made by the Missouri coaching staff. Travis Ford was expected to be Missouri's starting point guard the next Omar From page one going to hang out with the music." From the age of 7, Omar wanted only to be a baseball player. He made the high school team in basketball, but quit when it cut into his hardball time.

"My daddy's a director of sports and recreation on the west side of Puerto Rico," Olivares said. "He taught me everything I know. He's the one who thought about making me a pitcher. "He knew I had a nice and loose arm, and he knew I was going to never get hurt. I was 16 years old.

So I changed from an outfielder to a pitcher." Olivares, 6 feet 1 and 185 pounds, was acquired from the San Diego Padres on Feb. 27 for minor-league outfielder Alex Cole and veteran pitcher Steve Peters. Needless to say, Ed Olivares was tickled by the possibility that his son would follow him to the Cardinals. "He was real happy about it," Omar said. "And I was, too.

The Cards were always one of my favorite teams. I liked the way they played." The Padres dealt Cole to Cleveland, where he recently won American League player of the week honors. But the Cardinals had two other outfield prospects at Louisville, Bernard Gilkey and Ray Lankford, who figure to be in St Louis sooner than later. The Cardinals were in need of starting pitching. Olivares has not disappointed them.

In 23 games at Louisville, he was 10-11 with a 2.82 earned-run average. His record was marred by a recent four-game losing streak. "I think I was doing a good job," Olivares said. "Not as good as in the beginning, but I wasn't getting enough support from my teammates. "We weren't scoring runs, but I know they were trying to do their best.

So it was not a big deal." Although his father was his first and most influential baseball teacher, Olivares is in the big leagues now because he was a willing pupil at Louisville. When Olivares got the call Thursday, he spoke to Louisville pitching coach Mark Riggins even before calling home to Puerto Rico. "I talked to him awhile about situations in pitching," Olivares said. And he credits Bruce Sutter, the ex-Cardinals reliever who is now an unpaid volunteer coach in the club's farm system. It was Sutter who convinced Olivares to stick with his new pitch, a forkball, after giving up a costly home run.

"If they hit your fastball out you wouldn't quit throwing it would you?" Sutter asked. Switch Of Colleges Held Key Louisan Lonnie Maclin, an out-vi fielder in the Cardinals' minor-league system, didn't go to bed until 4:30 a.m. Wednesday in Jackson, Miss. So he im wasn't thrilled when his hotel room jj. rang at 9:15 that morning, ci; first, he thought one of his teammates on the Class AA Arkansas team iiiMivas playing a prank.

But when the Maclin shook himself into consciousness, he realized it really was iMNithe voice of Arkansas manager Dave Bialas on the other end. "Get your tired butt out of bed," Bialas shouted. "You're going to who had hit a tired .248 last season at Class A Springfield, 111., was ffiaded to Class AAA. He might think tjjjs entire season" has been a dream, eut he isn't about to shake himself to Sge if he really has been asleep. Maclin, 23, already had made a pre-; -vious jump in ihe minors this season.

He started the year at St. Petersburg, a Class A team ranked a level above Springfield in the Cardinals' system. hitting better than .380 there in 1 games, the Cardinals promoted Ma-n clin to Arkansas. He batted .308, drove llin 24 runs and stole 1 1 bases in AA; he fended his AA career by hitting a home urun in a Tuesday night game at Jackson. He joined the Louisville Redbirds in Indianapolis just before the game Wednesday night "They didn't give time to go back to Arkansas to get some more clothes," he said and walked and scored in a pinch-hit ap-; pearance in the ninth inning.

He had one hit in two at-bats Thursday night. Maclin, a Ritenour High graduate, believes he belongs. "It caught me by surprise a little, although I did figure it would hap-: pen," he said. "I guess I'll be in right field, with Bernard Gilkey and Ray in left and center. I thought I'd make it up here, but I thought it would be because one of nihose guys got called up to St.

Louis. "'I think I pretty much proved myself at St. Pete and Arkansas. Now I've got 19 games to show what I can do I yiiere. I don't want to be greedy, but this still isn't where I want to be.

The ultimate goal is to be in St. Louis." Only a fractured arch in his foot last month has slowed Maclin. He has produced, and the Cardinals have re-" yarded his production. "That keeps you working," Maclin said. "I knew I always had something J(q look forward to if I played well." End Is Here: Cory Satterfield 15-8 and had a 2.87 earned-run average last year for Class A Springfield.

But the Cardinals' pitching prospect quickly forgot those numbers this season. He went 1-8 with a 6.12 ERA at Petersburg, then retired from the game. Low-Round Bonanza: Who is 'fhis year's Keith Hernandez Award hopeful? Maybe Jonas Hamlin. The Cardinals drafted Hernandez in Tar Heels Visit List three seasons, he said. The Fords would not like to go to a school that is recruiting a point guard this fall, Eddie Ford said.

But Kentucky's fall recruiting list is expected to include Travis Best, a point guard from Springfield, considered one of the nation's top backcourt players, said analyst Bob Gibbons. "I don't want to get into that right now," Travis Ford said. "I really don't know much about that. I haven't talked to Coach Pitino yet." Ford, who has three years of eligibility remaining, averaged 6.4 points and 3.5 assists. He hit 60 of 67 free throws for a school-record .896 percentage.

He was second in the Big Eight in free-throw percentage. He decided to leave Missouri because of the possibility of sanctions stemming from an NCAA investigation of the basketball program. Among other schools on his list are Louisiana State and Florida. As for other visits, Travis Ford said, "Nothing's planned right now." Olivares got the point. "That day, I wasn't too happy about it," Olivares said, "but I kept throwing the forkball after that.

One night I had 14 strikeouts, and that's the best I'd had my forkball. "They told me they wanted me to throw it at least 20 times a game. Right now, I've got much better control of it than I used to have. I had to adjust. "It's still not perfect, but I'm working on it." The forkball is now a featured part of his repertoire, along with a sinking fastball, a changeup and a slider.

Tonight, Cardinals manager Joe Torre and pitching coach Mike Roarke will be as interested as the Astros in seeing what the youngster has. "No, I don't know anything about him," said Torre, who had never met Olivares until he arrived about 90 minutes before Friday's game. "All I know is that when Joe Magrane was sort of iffy a week ago, when he had that back problem, we almost brought him up then. "But when Magrane was able to pitch, we went with the reliever Tim Sherrill. But we feel he's throwing the best down there now, so he's earned the shot to be up here." Roarke got a glimpse of Olivares in spring training.

"We liked what we saw," Roarke said, "but we only saw him for a few games then. It was such a short spring. But he has a good live ball." i Olivares got stellar recommendations from Ken Hill and Bob Tewks-bury, who were staffmates of his at Louisville before being promoted earlier this season. "When I was there," Tewksbury said, "he started learning that fork-ball, because he needed another pitch. He's got good mechanics and a good live arm.

"And he's a good athlete. He swings the bat pretty good. And he's a good kid, too." Hill, who is only a year older than Olivares, said, "He's just the type of pitcher like I am. He throws a sinker. And he throws the split-finger, which has helped him out.

"He's got confidence in it now. He's got it together." Back in San German, Puerto Rico, the Olivares family is, in all likelihood, trying to get its TV reception together for tonight The night will have a special meaning for Ed Olivares, the big-leaguer who hung up his spikes to dedicate himself to his family. 1 "When I got traded last winter," said Omar, "my daddy said, 'Maybe you're going to end up where I For Omar Olivares, tonight will be the ultimate reminder that father knows best j. St. Louisan Lonnie Maclin has joined the outfield corps in Louisville.

be in the big leagues. Awards are nice, but it will all be forgotten if you're just washed up." Texas-Style: The Midland Angels (California affiliate) must have had some help from above in a disputed triple play Thursday against the El Paso Diablos (Milwaukee affiliate) in Class AA Texas League play. Midland led 5-4 in the eighth inning, when El Paso put runners on first and third with no one out. Rafel Skeete's flyball to deep left field looked like an easy sacrifice fly, and Shon Ashley was called safe at the plate when the throw went past catcher Doug Davis. Pitcher Mark Zappelli, backing up the play, fired to first and caught runner Casey Webster off base for a double play.

That turned into a triple play when Midland appealed to third base, where base umpire Red Morrow ruled that Ashley had left the base too soon. El Paso argued to no avail and went on to lose 5-4. Local Line: Belleville West graduate Bryan Daubach has rediscovered the stroke that landed him on the Post-Dispatch All-Metro first team this spring. Playing first base for the Mets' rookie team in the Gulf Coast League, Daubach is batting .290, with 18 RBIs in 35 games. Bus Tour: Former University of Illinois outfielder Mark Dalesandro has found success with the Angels' Class A Northwest League outpost in Boise, Idaho.

In 55 games, he has a .336 average, six homers and 44 RBIs The Cardinals drafted nine catchers in June; former Illinois State catcher Don Prybylinski has been one of the more successful since then. In the Arizona Rookie League, he has a .357 average and 22 RBIs in 33 games Bobby DeLoach, a graduate of East St. Louis, is regarded to have one of the top power strokes in the Cardinals' system. An outfielder, DeLoach has eight homers and 50 RBIs for Class A St. Petersburg this season.

But he also has a paltry .228 batting average. Excitement Central: Cedric Landrum, an outfielder at Iowa (Class AAA, Cubs affiliate), was the batter of the week in the American Association last week. He has a .304 average and leads the league with 43 stolen bases. Kenny Lofton was the batter of the week in the Class A Florida State League last week. He has a .324 average, 26 RBIs and 51 stolen bases for Osceola (Houston affiliate).

Both play outfield. might have triggered Thursday's fracas. "What I'm getting a little bit of a feel for now is this didn't start last night" said Torre, who took over as Cardinals manager Aug. 2. "I didn't know that until I talked to Pete afterwards.

So that's pretty much a housecleaning. "You have to protect your own. I'm not saying you have to hit somebody. But you have to let people know you're in the ballpark." The fine for Guerrero is his second in less than a week. He was fined by Torre Sunday for arriving late to the ballpark before a game in Pittsburgh.

By Mike Eisenbath Of the Post-Dispatch Staff Charles Nagy knows that some decisions can have an impact on a man's life. But he had no idea what course his life would take when he transferred from Cornell to the University of Connecticut a few years ago. "All I knew was I wanted to get away from Cor-nell," Nagy said. Nagy left Cornell because he didn't fit in with the kind of people he found there as much as any other reason. It had Nagy little to do with baseball.

In the end, the decision had everything to do with baseball. He flourished at Connecticut and now is one of the top pitching prospects in the minor leagues. He has a 13-7 record and 3.19 earned-run average at Class AA Canton, Ohio, in the Cleveland Indians' system. Nagy, 23, seems the product of a lifetime geared toward a pro baseball career. He pitched for the U.S.

Olympic team in 1988, went in the first round of the draft that summer and spent part of this season only his second full pro season on the Indians' roster. Those usually sit on the resume of players who spent every moment of their youth working toward the big leagues. Not so with Nagy. He grew up a three-sport athlete in Fairfield, Conn. Though recruit like I look at any pitcher.

Then he starts yelling. That's what made me mad." Darwin beat out an infield single in the top of the seventh. More words were exchanged after Darwin reached first base. Then Guerrero slapped the pitcher on the his face. After the ensuing scuffle, Darwin, Guerrero and Astros manager Art Howe were ejected.

Guerrero said he had been hit in the head three times in his career, induing once by Nolan Ryan. "When I was with the Dodgers, I was the only one that ever got hit," Guerrero said. 'I'm not a punching ed out of high school, he didn't garner heavy attention. He went to Cornell to play football and baseball, get a good education and have fun. Emphasis on have fun.

The fun wasn't there. He transferred in the middle of the spring semester his freshman year, just before the spring baseball trip so he could maintain his eligibility for the next fall baseball season. Back closer to home and willing to concentrate on baseball alone, Nagy became a full-fledged baseball phenom. He had a fabulous summer in the Cape Cod League and gained a spot on the Olympic team. Last year, the righthanded Nagy split time between Class A Kinston, N.C., and Canton.

He had an 8-4 record and 1.51 ERA in Class then went 4-5 with a 3.35 ERA in AA. "I'm usually my own worst enemy," Nagy said. "When I first got to AA, I gave the hitters too much credit instead of just doing what had got me here I've been fortunate with pressure, anyway. When I was drafted, Cleveland drafted Mark Lewis 14 spots before me in the first round already. We were together in Kinston, so that took some of the focus off me." After Nagy had won five successive starts in June, Cleveland called him to the big leagues late in the month.

He went 0-2 with an ERA around 5.00. His first start came against Olympic teammate Jim Abbott "That was exciting," Nagy said. "I only lasted 4 y3 innings and we lost 4-2. 1 didn't pitch bad, but I was just happy to get out of the first." bag. "You can get hit in the head and it can end your career.

I'm not going to sit back and let that happen." Denny Walling started at first base in place of Guerrero on Friday night "The suspension gives Guerrero a chance to cool down anyway," Cardinals manager Joe Torre said. Torre might not have started Guerrero anyway with Bill Gullickson pitching for the Astros. Gullickson and Guerrero had a confrontation during a game in Houston in May, when Gullickson threw two pitches close to his bead. Guerrero indicate mat the earlier confrontation with Gullickson I Guerrero From page one timr and inside to Guerrero in the bottom of the sixth. Guerrero backed out and at Darwin, who yelled back at ''It wasn't the pitch," Guerrero said.

It wasn't that close. It was because he Jcomes inside and then he's yelling at -me. a) "I was leaning over the plate and I backed out and looked at him,.