Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota • Page 50

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PAGE C14 STAR TRIBUNE SUNDAY, JUNE 201999 TV HIGHLIGHTS QUOTE OFTHE WEEK 'Garth Brooks should've stuck around. Maybe he'd be playing. Padres manager Bruce Bochy, joking about his team's myriad injuries NUMBERS GAME AA Homers hit in the first 27 JLLrS games at CoorsReld this yean a pace for 327 homers. 2 Number of earned runs Cal Bdred gave up in his last 11 innings before being pulled from the Brewers rotatioa 9k The record of Mets starters JL since Dave Wallace replaced Bob Apodaca as pitching coach. WEB HIT 1 When: Who: TV: Today, Baltimore at Chicago White Sox WGN Today, Seattle at ccpw 7 pm.

Cleveland Tuesday, Chicago Cubs 8 pm. at Colorado WGN Friday, N.Y. Mets 6:35 pm. at Atlanta TBb http:www.fastban.compastlme allstars1999 Tne All-Star Game is less than a month away and this site offers a guide to Boston and Fenway Park, which will serve as host of the game. Also check out voting or cast your own unofficial vote for players you consider All-Star worthy.

ASundaybasebaUnotebookcompiedbymSouhan MUSTS Soiraera a Norma nrartmares Jfc" 1 .1 Associated Press The Rangers' Juan Gonzalez. Gonzo slugging Rangers slugger Juan Gonzalez on Sunday became only the seventh player in major league history to reach the level in fewer than 1,200 games. The list Hank Greenberg 1,026 Lou Gehrig 1,079 Joe DiMaggio 1,081 AJ Simmons 1,081 Ted Williams 1,146 JimmieFoxx 1.158 Juan Gonzalez 1,158 -4A "-Hi Associated Press The Dodgers have been able to win with ace Kevin Brown on the mound, but not often with anyone else pitching. What is it with pro sports in Southern California? They lost their NFL teams, the Lakers were so fractious they had to hire Michael Jordan's valet, the Clippers are the worst franchise in the history of sport, and now their baseball teams seem to have adopted the "Shaq-N-Kobe: Talent Without Direction" approach. Wonder if Phil Jackson moonlights? Dodging success The Dodgers fell into fourth place earlier this week and lack the cohesiveness of two of the teams they've fallen behind Arizona and San Francisco.

Entering the weekend, the Dodgers were 2-10 since May 30 in games not started by ace Kevin Brown, and no other starter had won this month. After they lost Tuesday, the Dodgers benched catcher Todd Hundley, supposedly their second-best offseason acquisition, and replaced him with rookie Angel Pena. Hundley will begin a remedial catching course with bullpen coach Rick Dempsey. They also replaced Darren Dreifort, the second pick in the '93 draft, in the rotation with rookie Jamie Arnold. Dodgers manager Davey Johnson would have liked to replace lefthander Carlos Perez (2-8, 7.38 ERA).

The Dodgers are so desperate for players who will do the little things that they traded for Marlins second baseman Craig who can do nothing but the little things. "He's a baseball player, and we need baseball players," Dodgers general manager Kevin Malone said. "We need more guys who are hard-nosed, who do the little things and execute. If you look at all the teams beating us, they're loaded with baseball players." So what was Malone doing this winter? Signing shot-putters? Malone admits he's befuddled by his $84 million team. "I'm at my wits' end," Malone said.

"It's disappointing. It's frustrating. When you see the talent we've got and don't see the performance that equates to that talent, it's puzzling." Left fielder Gary Sheffield blames the front office for not keeping pitcher Dave Mlickl (traded to Detroit) or adding a left-handed power hitter other than Hundley. Asked what's wrong, he said, "I don't know I'll let Malone figure that out." Even Brown has been erratic. He lost to former Twin Todd Ritchie on Tuesday as Brown forgot the number of outs in the second inning, causing him to throw to first instead of home and allowing a run to score.

He was pulled after three innings, his shortest outing in more than three years, after giving up eight runs (four earned) on asked him to make two more. By doing that, he turned down a possible $2.8 million from the Cubs to pitch for $200,000 in Milwaukee. "The problem was this," Nomo said. "They asked me to pitch three times in the minors, and I did it. Then they said twice more, and if I had pitched twice more, I wasn't sure what the Cubs would say.

There was no assurance I would go back to the majors. That really was a problem. "The Brewers assured me that by pitching once more in the minors, I could come back to the majors. I feel needed here and appreciate that feeling. If I signed a contract in Chicago, I thought it would take a long time to come to the majors." Cal and Al You could say Cal Ripken and Albert Belle, never similar, are once again headed in different directions.

Ripken has played so well since returning from back problems that the Orioles will have to consider picking up his option for the 2000 season by the All-Star break deadline. In his first 29 games after returning from his first stint on the disabled list, Ripken hit .375 with seven home runs and 24 RBI, raising his season average from .179 to .338. "With the benefit of hindsight, the disabled list was good for me," Ripken said. "Physically, I needed to heal and get sound. With losing my father, it turned out to be a really good time to heal mentally." Ripken, who constantly tinkers with his swing, found a more traditional stance with the help of hitting coach Terry Crowley.

"I've been here three years," manager Ray Miller said, "and the last couple of weeks is the best I've seen him swing the bat" While Ripken adds to his legend, Belle embellishes his reputation as one of the surliest and most selfish players in the game. The word out of the Orioles clubhouse is that Belle has alienated his teammates as well as reporters, in part because Belle has insisted on batting cleanup and has escaped criticism inside the organization during a season in which Miller has juggled personnel and hammered players who haven't performed. And Belle has yet to perform. Etc. Phillies pitcher Joel Bennett gave up 10 homers in 17 innings before being demoted, the most homers in the fewest innings by any pitcher this century.

Reds starter Brett Tomko, after giving up five homers in six innings, including three in the first inning, to the Mets: "I keep thinking, "What I did is not an easy thing to Tomko has given up 14 home runs all year, nine to the Mets in three starts. "That tells you one thing," he said. "Don't pitch me against the Mets." I eight hits. Brown also surrendered three home runs in a game for the second time this season. Low-flying Angels Manager Terry Collins has tried everything to revive the slumping Angels.

They managed only six hits (five singles) off struggling Toronto starter Joey Hamilton Wednesday night and then were shut out by the Jays on Thursday, giving them 17 runs in a nine-game stretch, and meaning they had been limited to four runs or fewer in 20 of 22 games. That's not what they expected when they added Mo Vaughn to one of baseball's deepest lineups. Asked to recall the last time the Angels had a game-breaking hit, Collins said, "I can't really go back that far. Whether it was last week or a week before. I know we have, but I can't remember when." Collins held a 45-minute clubhouse meeting after Tuesday's 13-2 loss to note the Angels remain within striking distance of the Rangers.

Vaughn remains troubled. "I haven't been in last place for a long time, at any level," he said. "I'm uncomfortable at the park and at home. It's tough to take, and we're getting more frustrated as a team." Turkish bats Mets reliever Turk Wendell, a noted goofball, has cast a spell over Mike Piazza's bat. Before Tuesday night's game in Cincinnati, Piazza handed his bat to Wendell, who did one of his mystical ceremonies on it.

Piazza hit a 443-foot home run. Wendell did it again Wednesday and Piazza hit two doubles and extended his hitting streak to 19 games. Wendell also performed a ceremony on the bat when the Mets faced Roger Clemens. Piazza homered off Clemens. "I can't go to the well too often," Piazza said.

"You don't want to dilute the mystical powers." Nomo beats Cubs The Cubs' acquisition of Rick Aguilera has not worked out well, and Aguilera was demoted to setup man behind Terry Adams. But that's not the move Chicagoans were criticizing' this week, not after Hideo Nomo beat the Cubs 11-4 on Wednesday in Milwaukee, raising his record with the Brewers to 4-1. Nomo limited the Cubs to four hits in seven innings and would have fit nicely into the Cubs' battered rotation. But the Cubs didn't sign him to a major league contract after he made three starts for their Class AAA team in Iowa and balked when the Cubs Associated Press Cleveland's Manny Ramirez. Manny has many Cleveland rightfielder Manny Ramirez is threatening to set a record for RBI, and is on pace to drive in about 200 for the season.

Through 60 games, he had 72 RBI more than Cleveland's team leader in 14 complete seasons (if you include the strike-shortened 1981 season). The leaders he has surpassed: Hansell the Regrettable 1981 1972 1968 1967 1963 1946 1945 1918 1915 1914 1913 1909 1907 1905 Mike Hargrove Graig Nettles TonyHorton MaxAlvis Alvis PatSeerey LouBoudreau Jeff Heath Joe Wood, Ray Chapman Elmer Smith Joe Jackson Jackson Bill Hinchman Napoleon La joie Emer Rick V'49 70 59 70' 67 62 62 61 66 67 67: 53 'T 71; 53 63 64 I tf -1 -f Bob Ojeda for Hubie Brooks in 1990. Traded from Los Angeles to Minnesota along with Jose Parra, Ron Coomer and Chris Latham for Mark Guthrie and Kevin Tapani in 1995. Claimed off waivers by Boston from Minnesota in 1996. Released by Boston and signed by Milwaukee in 1997.

Released by Milwaukee and signed by Arizona in 1997. Released by Arizona and signed by Oakland in 1998. Traded from Oakland to Kansas City with Shane Mack for Mike MacFarlane in 1998. Became a free agent and was signed by San Francisco in 1998. Released by San Francisco and signed by the Pirates this year.

When former Twin Greg Hansell surfs the web, he winds up chatting with a lot of former teammates. "It's funny but I'll look at the statistics for a team and I'll always find a former teammate of said Hansell, now with the Pirates. "It's doubtful there's too many players in baseball who have more ex-teammates than me." Hansell has played for 10 organizations in 11 pro seasons, even though he's only 28. The Pirates made it organization No. 10 on April 8 when they signed Hansell as a minor league free agent after he was released by San Francisco during the last week of spring training.

He was called up June 9. "Obviously, you'd like to stay with one organization for a long time," Hansell said. "But it's been interesting to be in so many organizations. I've seen a little bit of everything during my career. "I've seen a lot of different philosophies.

I've been with big-market organizations more concerned with winning now than giving young players a chance. I've also been with small-market clubs who were tearing things down and building from the ground up. I've experienced a lot and played with a lot of guys. "I've been through just about everything but I still enjoy baseball. Through it all, I've never considered giving it up.

I love baseball. I'll keep playing until I can't play no more. I'd rather stay in this fantasy world of professional baseball for as long as I can before I have to go out into the real world and get a job. Any level of baseball is better than any job I could find on the outside world." Hansen's moves: Selected in the 10th round of the 1989 amateur draft by Boston from John F.Kennedy High School in La Palma, Calif. Traded from Boston to the New York Mets with two minor leaguers for Mike Marshall in 1990.

Traded from the Mets to Los Angeles along with Magnificent seven? Ryan McGuire was the seventh Expo to bat first in the order this season. The list also includes: Orlando Cabrera Wilton Guerrero James Mouton Mike Mordecai Manny Martinez Jose Vidro Greg Hansell as a Twin In 1996. THE WEEK THAT WAS: TfliS LOOK AHEAD MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL inJiJjiipimiiiuiH mm at Detroit When: Friday, Saturday, 6:05 p.m.; Sunday, 12:05 p.m. TV: Friday, Saturday, MSQ Sunday, Ch. 9 at Chicago White Sox When: Tuesday, Wednesday, 7:05 p.m.; Thursday, 1:05 p.m.

TV: Tuesday Ch. Wednesday MSC. Where: Comiskey Park pr vX Where: Tiger Stadium IA reach 3,000 hits (Cap Anson) to the most recent (P aul Molitor). Next to Molitor's banner is a blank banner. The Padres have erected a lighted sign reading "TONY 3,000" on the hillside north of the stadium.

"I had no idea about the banners," Gwynn said. They are very nice and I'm very flattered. I know people are getting excited. But I have a job to do here and have to maintain some sanity." The Padres unveiled 21 banners honoring players who have already reached 3,000 hits, but Tony Gwynn, who should become the next player to reach that milestone, continued to be hampered by a sore left calf. The banners measuring 14 by 24 feet are suspended beneath the light ring at Qualcomm Stadium and are in chronological order, starting with the first player to Preview: The Twins have one of the worst records in baseball but are within a hot streak of catching the Tigers.

Tony Clark, The 6-foot-7 first baseman, has lost his power stroke (he's hitting .244 with six homers and 29 RBI). Bobby Higginson and Gabe Kapler are scuffling, too. Their best pitcher is Jeff Weaver (6-3), who made his major league debut against the Twins and has rolled since. LaVelleENealUI Preview: The Twins will get to see what the near future looks ISe in this series. The White Sox went with younger players a year ago, so they are a step ahead of the Twins.

Third baseman Greg Norton is coming around as a hitter, and outfielder Magglio Ordonez is on pace to hit at least 30 homers and drive in 140 runs. But Frank Thomas is still the key; he's hitting .338 and has 42 RBI (through Friday). Associated Press Frank Thomas Is swinging a hot bat for the White Sox..