The Tampa Tribune from Tampa, Florida • 23

The Tampa Tribune, Tuesday, May 24, 1988 5-C Elated Nixon eager to manage Braves Rose not brooding over suspension years and a $10,000 fine. He's eligible to return to the dugout during games June 1. The Reds were 11-12 when Rose was suspended. They've stayed around the .500 mark under Helms; Rose said he wasn't concerned that his suspension could be another distraction for a team struggling through a hitting slump and a rash of injuries. By JOE MOOSHIL of The Associated Press CHICAGO Russ Nixon didn't dodge or mince words Monday about his elation in taking over as manager of the Atlanta Braves, who have the worst record in the National League.

"I'm glad they made the change," said Nixon, who was named Sunday night to succeed the i i By JOE KAY of The Associated Press CINCINNATI Game time. The Cincinnati Reds are trotting onto the artificial turf at Riverfront Stadium in their white and red-trimmed uniforms, greeted by a loud ovation. Above, Pete Rose is finishing off supper In the stadium dining room. He's wearing slacks and a shirt his "uniform" for the rest of the month of May. That's as close as Rose will get to the field.

He has a week and a half left on his 30-day suspension for shoving umpire Dave Pallone over a disputed call. Until June 1, baseball's most prolific hitter is perhaps baseball's most reluctant spectator. "It's getting boring up there now," Rose said, referring to the stadium booth he occupies during the games. "I just watch the game. It's like sitting at home and watching it on TV." Under terms of the suspension, Rose is allowed in the clubhouse before the games.

He holds court with reporters in his office, then hands the on-field managing responsibilities to coach Tommy Helms. Rose watches from above, barred from communicating with the dugout in any way. He's accepted the suspension the way he accepted other setbacks during his 24-year career he doesn't brood over it "It's not tough (to be restricted to watching) because you know that's the way it is," he said. "That's the penalty I received. There's no sense in crying in my beer because it's not going to change it I just go up there and try to see the game from a different perspective, which I do.

If I see anything that I think can help, I'll relay it to Tommy after the game or before the game the next day. "I don't worry about calling the dugout or anything like that I'm not going to do that I'm not going to break the rules; I'm not a villain in the game of baseball." He became a rallying point for Reds fans when National League President Bart Giamatti made him pay for shoving Pallone in an April 30 game at Riverfront against the New York Mets. Rose got the longest suspension for a manager in 40 guys. I don't want to baby them, but I don't want to ruin them." Nixon was brought in from Greenville, S.C., where he was managing the Braves farm club in the Southern League. Greenville was tied for first place with a 22-21 record.

"I'll evaluate the players within the structure of this group," Nixon said. "I won't be bringing anybody else in." Nixon said he didn't know what the problems were that had the team in last place in the NL West with a 12-27 record through Sunday. General Manager Bobby Cox, who made the change, was in the Braves dressing room Monday. "It was just a situation where we had to make a move," said Cox, who spent four years as the Braves manager and four years as Toronto manager before stepping into the Atlanta front office. "Chuck had them playing hard, I don't think he had lost control of the club but a change had to be made," Cox said.

"Chuck is a great guy and I had a very tough day yesterday. Knowing Chuck, he'll land on his feet" Cox said Nixon was a logical choice. "Russ had been with us for two years and he knows the personnel well," Cox said. "He knows who can do what and those little things help win games." Tanner had managed for 17 consecutive seasons in the major leagues. He also had managed the Chicago White Sox, Oakland and Pittsburgh.

He led the Pirates to the World Series championship in 1979. Tanner led the Braves to a 6-4 victory over Pittsburgh Sunday and learned of his dismissal after arriving here Sunday night "This is the first time I've ever been fired in my life," said a stunned Tanner, before leaving for Atlanta Monday. "We were improving. We had a lot of young players on this team." Tanner came to the Braves from Pittsburgh in 1986 and was in the third year of a five-year contract. The Braves finished fifth in 1986 and last in 1987 with a 66-96 record.

Tanner's record at Atlanta was 153-208 and his overall record in the major leagues was Only hours before being dismissed, Tanner said, "I can have this job Associated Press photograph Russ Nixon was all smiles Monday In Chicago as he took over as the Braves' new manager. were retained. Named as new coaches were Bobby Wine, Roy Majtyka and Clarence Jones. "I think the whole new coaching staff is excited," Nixon said. "We've been meeting all day, evaluating the team, evaluating the organization." Cox said Nixon, who signed a one-year contract, can carry the Braves into contention.

"He doesn't need a whole lot of help in that direction. He understands," Cox said. "I've wanted to manage again," Nixon said. "It might take a little while, but I think we can get things turned upside down in a hurry." as long as I want it" But Cox met the team as it arrived from Pittsburgh Sunday and revealed the decision that had been made Saturday. "We liked Chuck Tanner an awful lot" Cox said.

"I don't think he's failed, actually. When a team's not doing well, the players go, the manager goes or the general manager goes. That's what happened here." Fired along with Tanner were coaches Willie Stargell, Bob Skinner, Al Monchak and Tony Barti-rome. Pitching coach Bruce Dal Canton and bullpen coach Brian Snitker Cardinals rally past Tarpons 5-2 fired Chuck-Tanner. "I'm happy.

I'd be a fool if I said I wasn't "The club is struggling got a ways to go. But it's not the first time I've been in this situation." Tanner Nixon didn't get a chance to manage Monday, as the scheduled game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field was rained out Nixon will make his debut today in a dou-bleheader. Nixon also managed the Tampa Tarpons from 1971-75. His other major league managerial stint was with the Cincinnati Reds. He took over from fired John McNamara in July 1982 and managed the Reds through the 1983 season.

Cincinnati finished last both years. "I have a better grade of players here than I had at Cincinnati," Nixon said. "The biggest name I had there was (Mario) Soto and we knew (Johnny) Bench was in his last year." Nixon doesn't believe his problems will be with the everyday position players. "My primary concern is to get the pitching staff going. Zane Smith is a question mark and there are other question marks.

The younger guys are having problems Smith led the Braves with a 15-10 record last year but is 2-3 this year. He has a bone spur in his left pitching elbow. Charlie Puleo, who made 16 starts last year but was in the bullpen this season, will get his first start of 1988 today against the Cubs. "Puleo always has been a starter," Nixon said. "There will be a change there.

I like to keep a guy where he's had success. I want to take extra caution with the young I I City Phone AN We Won Year. Don't happened our dreams Maybe You until June keys. One door to So, to any one centers at register your Tampa How To Enter: (1) Co to Summerfield 2 Or, mail your entry (3) Listen to 105 for Name Address "Nan. I've got too many professionals to worry about that," Rose said.

"And they knew I was right. They knew it (the suspension) was too long; Rose They knew I was out there representing They knew I got the shaft "I'm saying it now, and I said It then, and I'll say it 50 years from; now: 30 days is too long. And we haven't even started talking about the $10,000. It's too long for what I did. I was wrong.

I deserved a suspension, but not for 30 days." The length of the suspension enraged Reds fans. Rose said he's gotten three or four bags of mail, but he hasn't read the letters. "I appreciate the mail, whether it's good or bad," he said. "But don't have the time to sit there and read all that mail. I've got other things to do." For one thing, he has to care for his knee.

He had previously scheduled arthroscopic surgery May 2 to-remove a torn cartilage, suffered just before spring training. He! missed several games that week be-; cause of the surgery, and still walks with a pronounced limp. The knee problem which would have cost him time in the; dugout anyway has kept Rose from being more frustrated when he's away from the field. "It may be different if I didn't have a bad knee, because it's kind of easy to sit up there during the game. It's comfortable for me," he said.

Helms has managed the club on-field about the way Rose "I don't think he's made a move yet that I wouldn't have made the same move," Rose said. a so Maud) 3 2 2 1 LivcMk (2-5) 4 10 0 12 HBP Milholland, Cartar, Pant, PB Elliot 2:07. 2.879. Elsewhere In other games, Clearwater -edged Vero Beach 6-5, Lakeland beat Miami 4-3, Fort Lauderdale de-; feated Winter Haven 11-9 and Baseball City topped West Palm Beach! 3-1. At Clearwater, Homar Rojas had a pair of RBI doubles and pitcher Hitatsugu Nishimura ran his record: to 5-2 as Vero Beach defeated Clear-; water.

VanSaaca CMaivaMf 001 200 03 I I 1 02 Ml 2t 11 I Nislmura. Johnson (6), Ray (9) and flow; Evtnttoy, Umbadi (8), Fagnano and Zayas. Nishimura (5-1). L-Brantlay (5-3). S-Ray (5).

2B-Batsola, Rojaa (2) (VB), Stark (C). 3B-Batei (C). A 478. hit market club. It was supposed to be a seven-inning game, but the score was 0-0 after seven so Kazmierczak had to mow 'em down again.

Only after his teammates scored in the bottom of the eighth did they notice what had happened. "Everybody looked up," Kazmierczak said, "and 'Holy Cow. No The second game put Kazmierczak face-to-face with the no-hitter because, from the early innings, he had runs to work with and he knew he hadn't allowed any hits. "Knowing about it brought a lot of excitement," he said. Scudder, 20, comes from Paris, Texas, and pitches for a Reds' farm club.

He admitted he needed a little luck In his no-hitter. One play at third base was called an error, even though it could have gone either way. Another ball bounced off his leg to first. Then came the ninth. "The crowd was real loud," Scudder said.

"I think I walked the first guy then I got two quick outs. I was just trying to throw strikes." The batter hit a flare and, for one moment, Scudder thought the ball might fall. "Then," he said, "I saw the second baseman camped right there." Scudder's manager, Mark Bombard, knows all about no-hitters. He pitched three in the minors, including a perfect game against the Lakeland Tigers' Florida State League club that included Lance Parrish and Mark Fidrych. On the last play of the game, Bombard's left fielder made a diving catch.

"I didn't come down for a week," Bombard said. 7 A Tribune Wire Report ST. PETERSBURG A four-run seventh inning Monday lifted St Petersburg to a 5-2 Florida State League victory over Tampa at AI Lang Stadium. The Cardinals' Geronimo Pena led off the seventh inning with a game-tying home run off loser Buddy Groom (3-5). Julian Martinez, who had singled, scored the go-ahead run on Mike Senne's sacrifice.

Scott Melvin, who went 2-for-5, added a triple. Rob Llvchak (2-5) allowed one hit in four innings of relief to pick up the win. The Tarpons scored a run in the fourth and took a 2-0 lead in the fifth. In the fifth, Eric Milholland was hit by a pitch and went to third on Leon Baham's single. Milholland Home A Class A ball corners no FSL scored on Billy Eveline's grounder to second.

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SF Elliot. Tamaa eh so stasis 1 1 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 Groom (3-5) RaynoMt Cort others have come close this year, including Cincinnati's Ron Robinson, Texas' Paul Kilgus, Houston's Nolan Ryan, Pittsburgh's Doug Dra-bek, San Diego's Andy Hawkins and St. Louis' John Tudor. "I guess I would know what was going through their mind," said Kaz-mierczak, a 24-year-old right-hander in the Cubs chain. "The adrenalin is flowing so much it (a base hit) would be a letdown.

"You gotta take a walk around the mound, and tell yourself it was a good effort." Robinson came the closest of any major-league pitcher this season, going 8 perfect innings. One more out would have given him the 14th perfect game in major-league history. He never got it. "He still pitched an incredible game," Kazmierczak said. Kazmierczak, a native of Chicago, threw his first no-hitter April 13 against Salem, a Pirates' farm Our Dream Home Last Here's How.

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When you hear your name, you have 10 minutes to call and claim your key At Summerfield Crossings on June all key holders will get to try their key in the door of a brand new $80,000 home. Ifyour key fits. won a home! Listen to the voice of experience, and get a move on now. and you could be moving into your new home this summer! Take 1-75 just south of Tampa to exit 47, go east 1 mile. Phone (813) 671-3351.

Brokers welcome to participate. Model Centers open 9am until 6pm every day By MIKE TULLY of United Press International NEW YORK Baseball fans wondering where the no-hitter has gone should look in Class A ball. So far this season, at least three no-hitters have taken place on that level, Including two May 20. "That's odd," said Scott Scudder, a 20-year-old right-hander who hurled Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to a Midwest League victory over Wau-sau, that date. The very same day, Winston-Salem's Bill Kazmier-czak subdued Virginia in a Carolina League game.

It was Kazmierczak's second no-hitter this season. The Double A Eastern League also has yielded a no-hitter in 1988, this one from Cesar Mejia, who works for Glens Falls, N.Y., a Tigers affiliate. No major-league starter has thrown nine hitless innings since Milwaukee's Juan Nieves stopped Baltimore April 15, 1987. Several Crossings and register at any U.S. Home Model Center.

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