Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi • Page 44

4D The Clarion-Ledger Sunday, July 7, 1991 ASEBALL Captains cash in on LaRose's wild throw MIKE CHRISTENSEN Staff Writer The Clarion-Ledger On Baseball Shreveport rallies in the ninth inning for a 2-1 victory over Jackson. Dan Lewis, and LaRose came on to get Juan Guerrero on a flyball to left field. Captains relief ace Jim Myers, who, came in to retire Howard Prager with two on and two-out in the top of the ninth, im-1, proved his record to 2-3. Generals outfielder Joe Mikulik sin- I The Clarion-Ledger League East second-half race. With the score tied 1-1, Steve Hosey opened the Captains' ninth with an infield single.

LaRose, 1-3, hit Danny Fernandez, who was trying to sacrifice, on the leg. Cooper was also trying to sacrifice as he dropped the ball down the third-base line. LaRose looked to third, then decided to go to first without success. The play was ruled a hit and an error. The Captains opened the scoring in the fifth against Generals starter Jeff Ju-den.

Fernandez walked and scored on Reuben Smiley's two-out single. The Generals tied it in the sixth against Captains starter Pat Rapp, a former Southern Mississippi star. Center fielder Bert Hunter singled with one out and scored on catcher Scott Ma-karewicz's two-out single. Juden struck out a season-high 10 batters in seven innings. He allowed five hits and walked two.

The Captains threatened in the eighth when Smiley led off with a single and John Patterson was hit by a pitch. Dave Richards struck out Royce Clayton and SHREVEPORT, La. Jackson pitcher Steve LaRose fielded Jamie Cooper's ninth-inning bunt attempt and threw it into the right-field bullpen Saturday night, allowing Shreveport to take a 2-1 victory. Jackson dropped lla games behind first-place Shreveport in the Texas gled in the first to to extend his hitting streak to eight games. Shreveport owns a 15-4 advantage in the season series.

The Generals will send Kevin Coff-man, 3-3, against the Captains Dan Rambo, 6-3, tonight at 7:35. Morris' pro career Yr. Team Class Avg. HR RBI SB '88 Butte A .327 4 41 33 '89 Charlotte A .270 0 26 19 '90 Charlotte A .255 2 45 18 '91 Tulsa AA .275 0 23 7 peed! Hiss Morris filnlO InfilOT The former Utica Community College star is stealing his way through Tulsa, possibly on the way to Texas. "is hf fa JA J-.

i By Mike Knottier Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer The Clarion-Ledger File Photo An outfielder without any power needs to be tremendous at something. Rod Morris has speed. That's why after two average seasons in the Carolina League, the Texas Rangers promoted Morris to the Texas League this season. Morris, a former Utica Community College star, began the summer as Tulsa's backup outfielder. Fortunately for him, that backup role changed immediately.

An injury in the first game made Morris a full-time player. He became one of the most productive players on the team. "I just got a break," Morris said. "I knew to stay in I had to produce. I started off pretty hot, and it's stayed that way." "He played his way into the lineup and has done a great job," Tulsa manager Bobby Jones said.

"We've had a couple of other clubs who've come up to me and expressed interest in him. He's played himself into a prospect role. "He could be a Willie McGee or Mickey Rivers type player. He definitely has a chance to play in the big leagues someday." Morris, 25, has a lot of improving to do first. For instance, Jones said Morris gets a big lead off first most of the time but for some reason takes a smaller lead when stealing.

Morris has a team-high seven steals in 1 1 attempts, but Jones said he can do better. "With his speed," Jones said, "he's got to learn how to steal bases." He also should bunt for hits more often, hit for contact and do whatever he can to take advantage of his speed. Tulsa's Rod Morris (right) has become a genuine prospect for the Texas Rangers because of his speedy ways. A glance back at the 'Sport' of real baseball I was first struck by the name. Sport McAllister.

Lewis William "Sport" McAllister. I ran across it while thumbing through The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, looking for something now forgotten. McAllister was born July 23, 1874. Birthplace: Austin, in the Delta, about as north and west as you can get in the state. McAllister, who died in 1962, debuted in "major league" baseball in 1896 with the Cleveland Spiders of the National League.

A history buff and a baseball fan, my curiosity was aroused. As W.P. Kinsella, author of Shoeless Joe, would say, baseball is our history, the one common thread to our past. According to The Sports Encyclopedia records, McAllister might well have been the first native Missis-sippian to play in the major leagues. He is certainly the first to have played in the modern era, generally recognized as 1901, when the American League assumed "major" status.

McAllister, a switch-hitter who threw right-handed, played 416 games over seven seasons, finishing his career with the Detroit Tigers in 1903. McAllister played every position and even pitched. He was a career .248 hitter and was 4-7 with a 5.34 ERA as a pitcher. As I dug through the pages of tiny type for other baseball pioneers from the Magnolia State, I unearthed some fascinating nuggets of information. For instance: On Aug.

23, 1912, a rookie right-hander named Pat McGehee (Meadville) made one start for the Tigers. He gave up one hit, walked a batter and left without recording an out. He never pitched in the big leagues again. In 1913, 18-year-old Howard "Lefty" Merritt (Plantersville) was a member of the New York Giants. Shades of "Moonlight" Graham, Merritt got into one game, on Sept.

27, never got to bat and was out of baseball the next year. Sammy Vick (Batesville) was the starting right fielder for the New York Yankees in 1919, his third year in the big leagues, and hit .248 with two homers. In the winter of 1920, the Yankees purchased a certain portly left-hander from the Boston Red Sox named Babe Ruth. The Yankees' new right fielder hit .376 with 54 homers in 1920, and Vick went to the bench. He played only one more season in the big leagues.

Left-hander Willie Mitchell (Sardis) pitched in the big leagues for parts of 11 seasons, from 1909 to 1919, and four times won 12 or more games. Mitchell's misfortune was pitching for American League also-rans Cleveland and Detroit. Despite a career 2.88 ERA, Mitchell was 84-92 and never played on a pennant winner. Elmer Love's outstanding statistics weren't his pitching numbers but height and weight. Love, from Love, which isn't on the map, stood 6 feet, 7 inches and weighed 195 pounds.

Yep, they called him "Slim," and in 1918, he went 13-12 with a 3.07 ERA and a league-leading 116 walks for the Yankees. He played six years. Ewell Albert "Reb" Russell (Jackson) had two big league careers. As a pitcher, he was 79-60 in seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox. He won 22 games as a rookie in 1913 and was 15-5 for the world champions in 1917.

But in 1919, the year of the Black Sox scandal, Russell developed a sore arm and pitched but one game. Three years later, he returned to the big leagues as an outfielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played two years, hitting .268. There were others from those early days: Dode Criss (Sherman); Pete Shields (Swiftwater); Red Smyth (Holly Springs); Dolly Stark (Ripley); Phil Redding (Crystal Springs); and Ray Roberts (Cruger). As the All-Star Game approaches and baseball again engulfs our sporting consciousness, we might do well to remember those Mississippians who went before, those who played major league baseball when it was a game.

Mr. Hunter's neighborhood Jackson Generals outfielder Bert Hunter managed to maintain a noticeably upbeat attitude despite a horrible first half in which he hit under .200. Credit goes to his next-door neighbor. Hunter, a switch-hitter, said he went through a similarly awful slump from the right side last year at Columbus, when he hit .233. "I didn't know what was going on, and I got pretty down on myself," he said.

So Hunter went home after the season to Riverside, and consulted his neighbor, Alvin Davis of the Seattle Mariners. "I talked with him a lot, and he helped me out," Hunter said. "He just said you have to have a good time in this game, keep your head up and work hard. It'll come. I've called him a couple times this year.

He's struggled some, too, but you know he's going to hit." The talks with Davis and a few technical tips from Houston Astros assistant general manager Bob Watson helped Hunter get off to a hot start in the second half. The Generals can only hope the 23-year-old prospect, a member of Houston's 40-man roster, can keep it going. They need his bat and his speed on the bases. If the nickname fits Generals manager Rick Sweet, "Sweetie" to his players, found a new nickname on a piece of tape stuck above his locker during the last homestand. It read "Iron-horse." "That's me," Sweet said.

"Play 'em 'til they drop." Sweet, who prefers to juggle his lineup, had little choice in adopting his new philosophy. Injuries to Willie Ansley and Rusty Harris and the unexpected promotion of John Massarelli to Triple-A Tucson left Sweet with just 10 position players for the Tulsa series. "We've got some guys who need some time off, and they're not going to get it," Sweet said. "It'll wear on us. It may show up down the road." The Generals went 3-3 on the homestand and looked like a tired club in the finale, when they managed just six singles and committed several mental errors in a 2-1 loss.

The addition Friday of infielder David Hajek from riasa A Osr-pola Fla will siirelv heln. i Class A team in Spartanburg, S.C. Utica went 49-9 in 1985, Morris' freshman year, and he made the junior college all-star team as a sophomore. He went back home to Hammond, to attend Southeastern Louisiana, then signed with the Rangers. That summer he set a Rangers' rookie record with 77 runs scored at Butte, Mont.

He also stole 33 bases in 38 attempts. This season, Morris is proud of another stat. His 18 extra-base hits so far are more than he had all last season. "He might as well forget about that part of the game," Jones said, "and work on the little things that are going to get him (to the big leagues)." Morris, nicknamed Cricket by teammate Paco Burgos, is "about 5 (feet) 10 with my shoes on" and weighs 165-170 pounds. That's 30 pounds more than he weighed at Utica, where coach George McQuitter changed Morris from a self-described "hot dog" into a future pro.

"That was the best thing that ever happened to me, going there," Morris said. "I just learned heart there, hard-nosed baseball. It was like a drill team. You came out (of practice) sweating real hard." Utica teammates Howard and Mike Farmer went on to Jackson State. Howard pitches for the Expos' Class AAA team in Indianapolis.

Mike plays for the Phillies' Stat college player Copyright By Howe Sportsdata International, Complete Through 70591 Bad back has Reed in dugout The former Mississippi State star is recovering from a stress fracture. College Player Pos. Team CI. Org. Avg.

AB ft 11 IB HR RBI SB Mississippi College Busby, Wayne DH Birmingham AA White Sox .108 27 65 7 7 1 0 0 3 2 Alcorn State Campoell, Keiver OF St.Cathrnes A Blue Jays .279 17 61 8 17 1 1 0 8 6 Jackson State Clark, Dave OF Omaha AAA Royals .282 53 170 21 48 10 1 7 30 4 OleMiss Cole, Popeye OF Greenville AA Braves .243 69 230 30 56 6 2 1 15 8 Southern Mississippi Cooley, Fred DH Modesto A Athletics .262 21 84 10 22 1 0 4 21 0 Itawamba CC Daniels, Lee OF MedicneHat BlueJays .152 15 46 2 7 1 0 0 2 0 Jackson State Davenport, Jim OF Hamilton A Cardinals .000 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Miss. Gulf Coast CC Ducksworth, Ron SS Pirates Pirates .200 3 10 22000 02 Mississippi Delta CC Dukes, Willie OF Winter Havn A RedSox .140 47 121 9 17 4 0 0 7 3 Jackson State Edwards, Jerome OF Batavia A Phillies .200 15 50 5 10 1 0 0 3 3 Jackson State Farmer, Mike OF Spartanburg A Phillies .224 72 277 30 62 7 5 6 45 15 Meridian CC Farmer, Randy SS Kingsport Mets .277 12 47 8 13 2 0 1 3 1 Jackson State Ford, Curt OF Toledo AAA Tigers .276 78 283 45 78 18 3 3 37 8 OleMiss Gibson, Tom OF Niagara FIs A Tigers .227 6 22 3 5 1 0 0 2 2 EastCentralCC Glenn.Leon IB Bend A Brewers .176 19 68 9 12 4 1 3 13 2 Mississippi State Grayum, Richie OF Winston-Sal A Cubs .216 60 162 17 35 11 0 1 12 1 Miss. Gulf Coast CC Higginbotham, Robi OF Niagara FIs A Tigers .286 13 49 3 14 1 0 1 6 3 OleMiss Hodge, Lee 2B Gastonia A Rangers .114 10 35 2 4 1 0 0 6 0 Mississippi State Hurst, Jody OF London AA Tigers .300 3 10 53000 30 OleMiss Kessinger, Keith 3B Frederick A Orioles .179 26 56 5 10 3 0 0 4 2 OleMiss Ladnier, Deric DH Memphis AA Royals .237 49 139 13 33 4 0 2 15 1 Jackson State Lockett, Ron IB Clearwater A Phillies .264 77 280 47 74 10 4 6 42 5 Delta State Lyons, Barry Edmonton AAA Angels .391 12 46 6 18 3 0 1 13 0 Jackson State McDougal, Julius DH Syracuse AAA BlueJays .192 25 78 8 15 3 1 0 0 0 Southern Mississippi Nace, Todd OF Pittsfield A Mets .313 13 32 3 10 1 0 0 4 0 Mississippi State Raffo, Tom IB Chston-Wv A Reds .263 76 274 35 72 11 1 8 36 1 Mississippi State Robinson. Jim Geneva A Cubs .278 16 54 8 15 2 0 1 4 0 Pearl River CC Rossler, Brett Kingsport Mets .000 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Mississippi State Shave, Jon SS Charlotte A Rangers .296 21 71 11 21 1 1 1 11 3 Delta State Tucker, Scooter Shreveport AA Giants .259 64 205 29 53 13 1 2 27 1 Southern Mississippi Valrie, Kerry OF South Bend A White Sox .230 67 257 41 59 10 1 6 25 25 Rust Williams, Jerrone OF Winston-Sal A Cubs .269 84 349 59 94 11 8 7 44 14 Mississippi State Winford, Barry Charlotte A Rangers .220 40 123 18 27 3 0 0 6 10 Southern Mississippi Young, Kevin 3B Carolina AA Pirates 775 22 69 12 19 2 0 0 4 3 Other stat players Hometown Player Pos Team CL Org Avg AB 2B 3B HR RBi SB Ocean Springs Battle, Howard 3B Myrtle Bch A BlueJays .274 79 307 43 84 21 3 9 44 9 Greenville Davenport, Adell 3B Shreveport AA Giants .135 13 37 3 5 1 0 1 2 0 Corinth Edmondson, Chris 3B Pirates Pirates .258 9 31 4 8 2 0 0 1 1 Tupelo Gardner, Willie OF Geneva A Cubs .300 5 20 2 6 0 0 0 1 0 Wiggins Hence, Sam OF Burlington Indians .214 10 42 4 9 1 1 0 0 3 Jackson Hodge, Tim OF Dunedin A BlueJays .202 54 173 24 35 12 0 3 20 2 Petal Hust.Gary OF Sou Oregon A Athletics .208 14 53 8 11 1 0 2 7 1 Gulfport Lawton, Marcus OF Midland AA Angels .296 63 250 38 74 14 6 1 31 19 Biloxi Little, Mike OF Peoria A Cubs .300 71 240 36 72 15 1 5 36 2 Petal Lott, Billy OF Bakersfield A Dodgers .233 66 223 34 52 8 0 5 31 5 Pontotoc Pegues, Steve OF Toledo AAA Tigers .211 20 71 7 15 6 0 2 6 1 Gulfport Story, Jonathan OF Utica A White Sox .176 12 34 6 6 0 2 0 3 1 Corinth Taylor, Jon IB White Sox White Sox .000 5 13 1 0 0 0 0 00 Jackson Thompson, Fletcher 2B Burlington A Astros .277 76 278 58 77 10 2 5 29 25 Gulfport Weaver, Trent DH Stockton A Brewers .246 45 142 9 35 7 1 1 11 2 Columbus Williams, Ted OF Jacksnville AA Mariners .219 70 269 47 59 10 3 4 16 34 Stat collage pitchers By Mike Knobler Clarion-Ledger Staff Writer Bobby Reed returned to Mississippi last week, but only as a spectator. Reed, the former Mississippi State ace, dressed out but didn't pitch when the Tulsa Drillers played a six-game series against the Jackson Generals.

A stress fracture in his lower back has kept Reed off the mound since the start of May. Reed can come off the disabled list in a couple of weeks, but he isn't -sure when he'll be ready to Tulsa returns to Jackson for five games Aug. 3-7. "Maybe next time I come here I'll be pitching," Reed said. "I hope so." A sore back in spring training got steadily worse.

He developed muscle spasms. Finally, in his last appearance, he gave up three runs in one inning and had to come out. X-rays showed the stress fracture. The treatment consists of rest and back exercises. Reed has started throwing on the side, and he recently began to throw batting practice.

In his fantastic rookie season, he didn't allow an earned run until he was promoted to Class AA. In four appearances this season, Reed is 1-2 with a 2.05 ERA in only 22 innings pitched. "It's pretty much a wasted year," he said. "The only thing I can do now is iust finish ud strong." College Pitcher Team CI. Org.

W-L ERA CS SV IP BB SO EastCentralCC Culberson, Don White Sox White Sox 0-0 2.00 4 0 1 9 0 4 4 12 OleMiss Dixon, Dickie Kenosha A Twins 2-4 3.74 15 15 0 86.2 95 42 50 Jackson State Farmer, Howard Indianapols AAA Expos 4-2 3.28 11 11 0 60.1 46 23 39 Mississippi State George, Chris Pittsfield A Mets 1-0 7.71 3 3 0 11.2 16 7 4 Southern Mississippi Gilligan, John Salt Lake Independent 2-0 2.60 7 0 0 17.1 16 2 20 OleMiss Hines, Richard Greensboro A Yankees 5-4 2.53 15 15 0 96.0 94 37 71 Delta State Hostetler, Tom Shreveport AA Giants 4-1 3.55 9 9 0 45.2 39 20 33 Delta State King, Doug Chston-Wv A Reds 2-0 2.28 19 3 1 47.1 35 21 34 Mississippi State King, Steve PalmSprngs A Angels 3-2 2.29 14 9 1 63.0 49 45 65 Southern Mississippi KubickLMarc Utica A White Sox 0-0 2.57 6 0 2 14.0 10 6 19 Southern Mississippi Lindsey, Darrell Reading AA Phillies 3-1 6.68 17 0 1 32.1 41 15 23 Jackson State Magee, Bo Butte Rangers 1-1 3.71 3 3 0 17.0 21 9 13 OleMiss Musselwhite, Darren Visalia A Twins 4-3 3.67 21 8 0 81.0 94 21 35 Jackson State Pettiford, Cecil Kinston A Indians 5-1 1.62 14 1 0 39 0 22 18 33 Southern Mississippi Pollard, Damon Appleton A Royals 3-3 2.26 16 4 1 55.2 41 44 56 Southern Mississippi Rapp, Pat Shreveport AA Giants 1-0 1.50 1 1 0 60 5 2 2 Delta State Ray, John Chston-Wv A Reds 9-5 3.46 16 16 0 101.1 95 34 58 Mississippi State Reed, Bobby Tulsa AA Rangers 1-2 2.05 4 4 0 22.0 18 8 9 Northwest CC Robinson, Scott Cedar Rapds A Reds 4-2 2.82 8 8 0 51.0 53 18 23 Delta State Rogers, Kevin Shreveport AA Giants 1-3 2.30 12 12 0 66.2 59 24 64 Pearl RiverCC Russell, Todd Madison A Athletics 2-0 4.73 8 0 0 13.1 18 8 6 Jackson State Sanders, Earl Greenville AA Braves 3-3 3.43 29 0 0 44.2 42 33 45 Delta State Shackle, Rick St. Pete A Cardinals 5-6 2.16 15 15 0 96.0 87 23 67 OleMiss Sullivan, Grant Oneonta A Yankees 2-1 1.67 4 4 0 27.0 23 6 17 OleMiss Uhrhan, Kevin Lynchburg A RedSox 4-3 2 83 30 0 6 54.0 49 17 37 Mississippi College Watkins, Tim Charlotte AA Cubs 3-2 3 04 28 2 7 50.1 56 13 48 Mississippi State Young, Pete Harrisburg AA Expos 4-4 2.88 32 0 6 56.1 52 14 39 Other state pitcher Hometown Pitcher Team CL Org! ER5 GS SV IP BB SO Liberty Coleman, Dale San Antonio AA Dodgers 1-0 2.73 15 0 1 26.1 28 6 21 Columbus Gerhart, Bert Rangers Rangers 1-0 1.64 2 2 0 11.0 7 0 6 Columbus Richardson, Ronnie Lynchburg A RedSox 0-4 7.82 12 4 0 25.1 35 24 16 Starkville Sanford, Mo Chattanooga AA Reds 6-4 2.95 15 15 0 88.1 68 50 113 4aMMft4BMV9 nipt i J. 1 1 tlitt i i I iM4Maila iw4niiaiTi.Ha Mat r..