White Sox left-fielder Rudy Law is being shopped around the leagues by new Sox boss Ken Harrelson, who has never been a Law fan.
With Harrelson intent on making catcher Carlton Fisk his starting left-fielder next year, Law is definitely expendable–if the Sox can replace his speed in the lineup.
What about Ron Kittle? ”He`ll hit 40 homers for us next year, and most of them will be as designated hitter, I think,” Harrelson said. ”But that will be (manager) Tony LaRussa`s decision, not mine.”
— Kansas City pitcher Mark Gubicza, who started and earned the victory in Tuesday night`s 5-3 Royals` victory, has to be nursed along, says catcher Jim Sundberg.
”I keep a pacifier in my back pocket,” Sundberg joked. ”No, really, we have this sign from me to him that tells him, `Stay back, don`t push it.` ”
Gubicza admitted he needed some form of restraint. ”I was pretty bad that way in school as a kid,” he said. ”In last year`s playoffs I remember Leon Roberts, who was with us then, offering to give me his whole playoff share if I could sit still, not say anything, not touch anybody, for three innings. I lasted about 2 seconds. I`ve always been hyper, talk quick and move quick.”
— At the precise moment St. Louis` Ozzie Smith hit his dramatic ninth-inning home run to win Monday`s National League playoff game, injured teammate Vince Coleman dropped his crutches.
”It`s a miracle!” Coleman exclaimed. ”I don`t need these crutches anymore.”
It may take a minor miracle for Coleman to be ready to play against the Dodgers Wednesday in the sixth game of the NL playoffs. The Cardinals lead the best-of-seven series three games to two.
Coleman injured his left leg and ankle before Sunday`s game when he got caught under the metal cylinder that rolls the tarp onto the infield at Busch Stadium.
”I wouldn`t wish for that to happen to my worst enemy,” said Coleman, who sat out Monday`s game and rested Tuesday, a travel day. ”I`m just thankful that tarp stopped or it could have run over my head and killed me. They call it the killer tarp.
”It`s sore at my knee now, but not at my ankle. I really don`t need these crutches. I gain a little more attention with them. I`m shooting for Wednesday to play again.”
— Coleman`s replacement, Tito Landrum, was asked to compare his four-hit, three-RBI performance Sunday to his game-winning homer against the Sox in the 1983 American League playoffs, when he was a member of the Baltimore Orioles.
”There certainly are comparisons,” Landrum said. ”But they are two different teams, two different sets of circumstances. Both will always live in my memory.”
— Left-handed reliever Gary Lavelle isn`t certain he will be healthy enough to help the Toronto Blue Jays if they get into the World Series. He had a cortisone shot last week in his sore elbow.
”If we make the Series and I can`t throw, I`m going to have to be replaced on the roster. I`m hoping I hold on another week or two,” Lavelle said.
He has pitched to one batter–walking the Kansas City Royals` George Brett–in the playoffs.
— Orel Hershiser, who has not lost at Dodger Stadium all season, will start against the Cardinals` Joaquin Andujar (21-12) Wednesday afternoon.
”Hershiser is no different than Fernando (Valenzuela),” Cardinals`
third baseman Terry Pendleton said. ”His record (19-3 and 1-0 in the playoffs) speaks for itself. We have to make a move on him early.”
Andujar was pushed back a day from his normal spot in the rotation because of shaky performances his last few times out. ”Joaquin has his way about him, but his attitude and approach toward pitching never varies,”
Pendleton said. ”When he gets out there it won`t make any difference to him.”
— The Dodgers announced Tuesday that there are still some tickets available for the sixth and seventh games.
— Sundberg is glad to have felt the elation of being in the playoffs. The experience is sweeter for having been with the Texas Rangers for so long. ”Being in Texas 10 years, you begin to wonder if that chance will ever come along,” he said. ”Years of losing tend to drain you. The playoff experience has brought back feelings I used to have before I started to play pro ball . . . very uplifting.”
— Jays` outfielder George Bell caught a lot of heat for saying after Game 5 that the umpires were purposely making bad calls against his team because they were Canadian representatives and not Americans.
”When I said some of those things I was joking,” Bell says now.
Lloyd Moseby, who overheard Bell`s comments because he was lockered beside him, agreed he was joshing reporters.
”He was joking to a large extent, but it didn`t go over that way,”
Moseby said. ”I couldn`t even eat breakfast, I was crying and laughing so hard reading the story. He didn`t mean anything by it. He was being facetious.”
Bell got off a good line in trying to explain reporters who embellish their stories. ”It`s like I say `water` and they write `Lake Ontario.` ”
Now that`s funny, George.
