There probably won`t be any daily countdowns in the newspapers, and the national media won`t zoom in on it as the race nears the end.
However, at least one member of the White Sox is shooting for something special, and with the way the season`s gone, nobody should complain that it`s not the batting title.
Gary Redus is within striking distance of the American League stolen base title. He went head to head with his main competition, Harold Reynolds, when the Sox met Seattle Friday in the Kingdome.
Reynolds came into the game as the league leader with 49 stolen bases. Redus is tied for second with Kansas City`s Willie Wilson at 47.
Redus has thought about the title of late, but he claims he hasn`t gotten obsessed with it.
”It would be nice to win, but I`m not going to be disappointed if I don`t,” Redus said. ”It`s a big deal, and it`s not. I`m not all that excited about it.”
Redus, though, is excited enough to check out how Reynolds fares on a daily basis.
”The other day I saw he went 0 for 4, and I thought that`s good,” he said. ”Then I noticed that he still got a stolen base. I`ve had a hard time catching him.”
Redus has caught Reynolds a couple of times, but he`s never been able to pass him. Reynolds, though, does have a few advantages.
Redus thinks Reynolds has an edge by playing on an almost totally artificial surface here.
”It`s much easier to run on,” Redus said. ”The tracks in the American League aren`t as good as the National League, especially at home. It seems like they get a lot of water. It`s terrible to run on, especially when you can`t move your spikes.”
Redus also believes that Reynolds benefits from hitting last in the order. ”The pitcher usually forgets about him,” Redus said. ”I may get more at bats hitting on the top, but I also get more attention.”
Redus knows he could easily be the leader if he had been able to steal first base. The Sox wanted to play him on a regular basis when they acquired him from Philadelphia last spring, but his bat troubles have kept him out of the lineup. He entered Friday`s game hitting .235 in 114 games.
”My season has been good in one sense, and bad in another,” He said.
”It`s been good in that I`ve learned some things about this league. And it`s been bad in that I could have done better . . . a whole lot better. I`ve been through too many ruts where I didn`t get enough hits.”
The Sox had hoped that Redus would be their answer at the top of the order. The fact that it hasn`t worked out that way has been a contributing factor in the Sox`s dismal season.
”Sometimes I blame myself for the way the team has been playing,” Redus said. ”The team got me to get on base and to set up things for the offense. But then again, I can`t take all the blame.”
Redus, 30, would like to come back for another chance with the Sox in 1988. He`d just like to stay in one place, period, after playing for three teams in the last three years.
”I don`t know what`s going to happen,” Redus said. ”If I`m here, great. If not, I`ll go some place else. I don`t want to play the rest of my life, anyway. I`d like to go another three years. The traveling gets old and tiring. I`d like to be with my family more.”
