Daily News from New York, New York • 44

J3AILY (PORTS NEWS Monday, August 13. 1990 44 By JACK LANG A rmmHm IP is ing cried when he learned of Lavagetto's death. "I like to faint when I heard it on television," Durocher said from his home in Palm Springs. "He was some kinda guy some kinda ballplayer. He just went about his business, never caused one iota of trouble.

And a tough hitter with men on base. Hit for me in '41 and was one of my best RBI men. The tears are starting to come just talking about him." Key man The righthand-hitting Lavagetto hit .277 for the '41 Dodgers and drove in 78 runs. Only MVP Dolph Camilli and Medwick drove in more. Lavagetto went into the Navy after the '41 season and when he returned in 1946, Branch Rickey's youth movement was under way.

He got into only 67 games and hit .236. Burt Shotton was managing for the suspended Durocher in 1947 and by then, Lavagetto had been reduced to a bench player and actually had to plead with the Dodgers to keep him in spring training. He was at third for just 18 games and was a pinch-hitter in 17 others. He was not particularly successful in that role, but his one hit in seven trips in the World Series was enough to ensure his place in Brooklyn baseball history. Bevens that afternoon had been particularly wild, walking 8 batters through eight But he had not given up a hit and held a 2-1 lead going into the bottom of the ninth.

With one out Carl Furillo drew a walk and after Spider Jorgensen fouled out for the second out, Al Gion-friddo-pinch ran for Furillo. Shotton then sent up a gimpy Pete Reiser to pinch-hit for Hugh Casey. With a 2-1 count on Reiser, Gionfriddo stole second ahead of Yogi Berra's throw. The count had risen to 3-1 on that pitch so Bucky Harris, the Yankee manager, or dered an intentional ball four for Reiser committing the unpardonable sin of putting the winning run on base. After Eddie Miksis was sent in to run for Reiser, Lavagetto came off the bench.

He swung amd missed at Bevens' first pitch. But then he connected on a high outside fastball to drive a shot off the right field wall. Tommy Henrich missed the carom off the wall and the ball went through his legs. By the time he recovered, his hurried throw to cutoff man George McQuinn was too late to catch Miksis crossing the plate in a sitting slide. "It was the most exciting individual moment I was ever around in baseball," Red Barber said this weekend.

He recalled how Lavagetto was mobbed by the Dodger players and fans and had to be escorted off the field by park police for his own safety. "They were all thumping Cookie and slapping him. It was bedlam," Barber said. "It had happened so suddenly, most of the people were stunned." The Brooklyn Faithful hugged each other in the stands, others ran out onto the field and long after the game was over, fans were walking to the right-field wall and pointing to the spot where Cookie's hit broke up the no-hitter. Lavagetto was released at the end of that season and went back to play minor league ball in Oakland.

His managers there were Casey Stengel and Jharley Dressen. When Dressen became manager of the Dodgers in 1951, he brought Cookie back to Brooklyn as his third base coach. When the New York Mets played their inaugural season in 1962, Casey Stengel brought Cookie back to New York as his No. 1 lieutenant in the dugout By 1964, Lavagetto yearned to return to California; so the Mets worked out a deal with the San Francisco Giants. They traded "Coach Lavagetto" to the Giants for "Coach Wes Westrum." Special to The News It was his last hit in the big leagues and also his biggest At 3:51 on the afternoon of Sept 3, 1947, in Game No.

4 of the World Series between the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers, Harry (Cookie) Lavagetto stepped to the plate at Ebbets Field and stroked a two-run pinch double off the right-field wall that broke up Bill Be-vens' bid for the first no-hitter in Series history and also gave the Dodgers an incredible 3-2 victory. Lavagetto died over the weekend at age 77 in Orinda, and for old Brooklyn Dodger fans, the news stirred memories of where they were that afternoon when Cookie became a Dodger immortal. Until Johnny Podres came along eight years later and pitched the Dodgers to their only Brooklyn World Series championship, Lavagetto's hit was the biggest moment in Dodger Series history. Until that moment, Lavagetto was known as a solid, popular ballplayer with the fans who had been the regular third baseman on the 1941 team that gave Brooklyn its first pennant-winner in 21 years. Brooklyn eats Lavagetto was the particular favorite of Jack Pierce, owner of a downtown Brooklyn restaurant where many of the players ate.

Pierce had box seats near the third-base dugout and whenever Lavagetto did something good, Pierce, would inflate a balloon, release it and shout "Cookieee." Pierce's antics did not escape Red Barber, the announcer, who always made sure to mention whenever a balloon went up. Pierce became as much a part of the old Ebbets Field lore as Hilda Chester, the Dodger Symphony and the Abe Stark. "Hit Sign, Win Suit" sign in right field. Leo Durocher, who was Lavagetto's manager in those days, admitted to hav Cookie Lavagetto 'Some kinda Leo Durocher Young Mc Andrew diamoed in rough OLLYWOOD has long been known for its love affair with movie sequels. Let's see, there's the Rocky series, the never-ending Friday The 13th saga, Lethal Weapon I and II and then, of course, this summer many of us will Die Harder.

Sequels are money-makers, and down the freeway a bit in Los Angeles, that no- things are going gpod'i. and when they're not going1 so good." Judging by his numbers so far this year, there have been many pleasant talks between father and son. Gets The Save Though they may not be too excited about the on-field exploits of the Everett Giants this year (currently in last place in the North-' west League's North Division), they're still buzzing! about Shelby Hart's recent save. No, Hart's not a pitcher, and his "save" didn't come on the baseball diamond he's a third baseman and it came at the team's hotel in Spokane. Hart and a few Giant: there.

It was something I did every day," McAndrew said. It helped that he had a father in the business, dad being former Miracle Met righthander Jim McAndrew, who now does his pitching for a coal and mineral company in Illinois. With a childhood like that, it made a decision on a baseball career almost seem natural. "With dad being a ballplayer and him telling me the stories of his days in the baseball, it just seemed the way to go," the 6-2 righthander said. Drafted by the Dodgers as a compensation pick from the Yankees for signing free agent Steve Sax, McAndrew began the -89 season with the Bakersfield (A) Dodgers of the California League.

He quickly dominated, compiling a 10-3 record, tops on the team, and a 2.20 ERA, among the team's best The Dodgers were impressed enough to promote the 22-year-old to the San Antonio Missions (AA) of the where he left off in A ball. "There really isn't much difference in the hitters between A and AA ball," McAndrew said. "If you are confident and pitch within your capabilities, you'll do-OK" The 22-year-old McAndrew has been more than just OK for the Missions" since his promotion in early July. He has posted a 5-1 mark and a 2.10 ERA during his brief Double-A tour of duty. His pitching arsenal con--sists of a fastball "which I can throw to spots for strikes," and a slider that has been his "out" pitch since his days as a collegian at the University of Florida.

He's also working with pitching coach Burt Hooten (another former Dodger hurler) on an overhand curve, which, McAndrew says, "drops straight down if I throw it right" He's also toying with a changeup. He keeps in constant contact with his dad, to talk about his latest outing, seek advice or just talk baseball. "Yeah, I talk to dad a lot" 1. 1 leammaies were i eioxiiig uy the hotel pool when he no- ticed a young girl was in se- tion hasn't been lost on the Dodgers, who have been making a few sequels of their own over the years pitching sequels. There was Koufax and Drysdale, then Welch and Valenzuela.

Today it's Ramon Martinez. And tomorrow? Pencil in the name Jamie McAndrew. McAndrew has been around baseball for as long nous trouble in the water. Without hesitation, Hart dived into the pool fully clothed, mind you and hauled the panic-stricken 11-year-old to safely. Ballplayer and swimmer yare 1wth reportedly doing THROWBACK: Jamie McAndrew was 36 years old when he came to Mets Family Day in 1971 with dad Jim.

Jamie's now making pop proud as he works his way up ladder in Texas League. he "It helps to iiav as he can remember, McAndrew dida'tbnk an1 picked tip someone to talk to twhetf.