— Baltimore Orioles
DATELINE: MIAMI
Alan Wiggins, thought to be expendable after second baseman Rick Burleson signed, could fill several roles: speedy infielder, leadoff hitter and spare outfielder. New manager Cal Ripken talked with Wiggins during the off-season, and he has had a noticeable change in attitude. Wiggins twice has been treated for cocaine abuse, and that cost him his job with the Padres. ”They want me to play like I did at San Diego,” Wiggins said. ”But I was not given the same type of freedom as I had in 1984. I have a better understanding of what Cal wants.”
— Boston Red Sox
DATELINE: WINTER HAVEN, FLA.
Roger Clemens` walkout, Day 7: General manager Lou Gorman and agent Alan Hendricks talked for 30 minutes, and not just to trade insults. ”I think we softened the situation a little bit,” Gorman said. ”There`s no animosity. We`ll talk again tomorrow.” Meanwhile, players` union boss Donald Fehr suggested the two sides submit to arbitration. Gorman replied: ”You can`t arbitrarily change the rules.” Clemens, asking $2.4 million for two years, isn`t eligible for arbitration. The Red Sox have offered $500,000.
. . . Reliever Calvin Schiraldi, filling in for Clemens, shut out the Pirates for four innings in a 3-2 Boston victory.
— California Angels DATELINE: MESA, ARIZ.
The Angels lured pitcher Kirk McCaskill back to camp by treating him like a man, McCaskill said. He ended his walkout after six days and signed for $232,000, the same offer general manager Mike Port had made before McCaskill left, but without an ultimatum that he sign or have his contract renewed for less. ”To me, it was a different offer,” McCaskill said. ”I didn`t see any punitive action if I didn`t sign the contract. I didn`t do it to make a point. I needed to stand by what I did. I don`t derive my happiness from a dollar bill.”
— Cleveland Indians
DATELINE: TUCSON
Even though Cory Snyder has less than a full season in the majors, the Indians expect a lot from him. ”He`s a legitimate 30 home run hitter, probably more so than anyone on our club, and that`s because he`s able to hit the ball out to all fields,” designated hitter Andre Thornton said. Snyder didn`t come to the Indians last season until June 13, but he hit 24 homers. He also struck out 123 times. ”Everybody says to not worry about it,” he said of striking out. ”I`m going to get my strikeouts, but I must become more selective.”
— Detroit Tigers
DATELINE: LAKELAND, FLA.
Tempus fugit department: Shortstop Alan Trammell and second baseman Lou Whitaker begin their 11th seasons as one of the best and most durable double- play combinations. They were called up together on the same day in 1977. ”The first time I saw them, in an exhibition against Cincinnati, they were just two kids,” manager Sparky Anderson said. ”Whitaker hit pool shots over third. Trammell was so weak you could knock the bat out of his hands.” Said Whitaker: ”When we can`t play anymore, you can be sure we won`t be here.”
— Kansas City Royals DATELINE: FT. MYERS, FLA.
For the first time, Mark Gubicza has a bit of security in spring training, in the form of his 9-1 record and 2.70 ERA after the All-Star break. Gubicza will begin his fourth major-league season in one of the first four spots in the rotation. ”This year, with the second half I had, I think I can go out there at the start of the year and get the starts and keep the rhythm going,” he said. He pitched batting practice recently and finished with a meaningful patch of dirt on his right knee, a Tom Seaver trademark. ”If the knee`s dirty,” he said, ”it usually means I`m getting a pretty good push off and I`m keeping the ball down.”
— Milwaukee Brewers DATELINE: CHANDLER, ARIZ.
Manager Tom Trebelhorn spent the winter as a substitute high school teacher in Portland, Ore. ”Being a teacher, he`s in touch with today`s generation. That`s important,” general manager Harry Dalton said. ”I`m not concerned that he hasn`t managed in the big leagues before. I remember when I hired Earl Weaver in Baltimore, people said, `How you could let somebody like Hank Bauer go and hire a guy who`d only managed in the minors?` ” Said Trebelhorn: ”Walter Alston taught school, too. I want to teach enough in the next off-season to stay certified. But what I really want to do is to stay certified for this job.”
— Minnesota Twins
DATELINE: ORLANDO
Thursday`s 10-2 victory over the Tigers was a good game for veterans trying to win starting jobs. Roy Smalley, 34, drove in three runs; Billy Sample, 32, scored three times; catcher Tom Nieto, in his first start, had three singles; and Ron Gardenhire had three hits with two RBIs. Left-handeder Frank Viola allowed two runs on six hits in four innings. . . . Kent Hrbek, who has slimmed down from an extra-extra large to an extra-large jersey, said: ”I`m quicker on the field and stronger at the plate. I didn`t really think it affected me that much. But I feel that I can be a lot better ballplayer now.”
— New York Yankees
DATELINE: FT. LAUDERDALE, FLA.
After Charles Hudson threw several minutes of batting practice and worked a bit in the bullpen Thursday, he told manager Lou Piniella, ”I`m ready to go.” Hudson, who had a stiff shoulder, will pitch one inning Sunday against the White Sox. He was alarmed by the injury. ”I`d never hurt my shoulder before,” he said. ”This was new and sudden.”
— Oakland A`s DATELINE: SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.
Jose Canseco wants no part of comparisons to Reggie Jackson. ”I don`t think there are any similarities,” Canseco said, ”except maybe that we both speak Spanish and English.” Comparisons are inevitable when Canseco has days like Thursday, when he hit two long homers in an 8-4 victory over the Cubs.
”Canseco is doing fine, mainly because he`s working good,” manager Tony LaRussa said. ”When you have talent and work hard, those things happen.”
— Seattle Mariners DATELINE: TUCSON
Manager Dick Williams said the number of prospects in camp mystify him.
”I haven`t heard of half of these guys,” he said with a wink. Some things he does recognize. ”When you see a guy hit the cutoff man, protect the plate and go to the opposite field, you`re watching good baseball.” Williams is taking a long look at left-handed pitchers Dennis Powell, obtained from the Dodgers for Matt Young, and Tony Ferriera. ”There were too many problems with our pitching last year, and we`ve got a lot of hungry guys here,” Williams said.
— Texas Rangers
DATELINE: PORT CHARLOTTE, FLA.
Kevin Brown be the right pitcher at the wrong time. Last year, the Rangers were hungry for pitching. But that was last year. ”He could pitch very well this spring and not make our ballclub,” general manager Tom Grieve said. ”Last year, if a young guy pitched very well, he was going to make the team.” Brown, the fourth player chosen in the June draft, got his first major-league victory last September, when he held the A`s to six hits in five innings. ”That helped me get my feet on the ground and gave me some confidence,” Brown said. ”I know that this is a club that won`t hold me back if I can do the job.”
— Toronto Blue Jays DATELINE: ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.
Silvestre Campusano, 20, could break into the Blue Jays` outfield very soon. ”There`s no real timetable for Sil,” said Gord Ash, the Jays`
personnel director. Campusano has played two seasons at Double A Knoxville, where he batted .256 with 14 home runs last season. He also struck out 110 times. ”The (statistics) don`t show how hard he plays, or his willingness to work or anything about his defense,” Ash said. He would play this seaon if the Jays had been able to trade center-fielder Lloyd Moseby for a pitcher. Campusano said he`d ”rather go to Triple A and play every day than go to the major leagues and sit.”
