– The money crunch: In the two years before he received a $2.4 million contract extension, Greg Maddux won 37 games, more than anyone in the majors except Dave Stewart and Orel Hershiser. In the two months since, Maddux is 4-8, with a nine-game winless streak going into Monday night.
To some people, that`s proof positive that Maddux is not the same pitcher he was before he hit the jackpot.
Maddux has heard the whispers, and he`s not the least bit concerned.
”If (general manager) Jim Frey or Zim (manager Don Zimmer) said it, it would bother me, but they haven`t said it,” Maddux said. ”It`s just a lot of other people, and they can say what they want. When you get more money, people expect you to win more games.”
Maddux`s poor start has become a source of great frustration to Zimmer, who vented much of his ire to reporters after Maddux lost Wednesday night. Zimmer blasted Maddux for what he called the pitcher`s refusal to listen to pitching coach Dick Pole, but Zimmer made no mention of Maddux`s contract.
Maddux`s salary this year is $437,000, but Maddux said his six-fold increase for next year hasn`t changed him.
”It hasn`t hit me yet,” he said. ”I`m still the same person I was last year. I still live in the same apartment, I wear the same clothes (T-shirts and jeans at home, sport coat when required on the road), I eat in the same places and do the same things I`ve always done.
”I haven`t changed the way I live my life because of what happened in the spring.”
One thing that bothers Maddux, and many other players, is the perception that their performance should improve along with their pay. Baseball pay is tricky; pay raises most times are rewards for past performance.
”If I don`t win as many games as I did last year, that doesn`t mean I shouldn`t have gotten this money,” Maddux said. ”But if I don`t win more the next time around, hey, I`ll take a pay cut.”
– The bad times: Marvell Wynne averaged .250 in his first seven years in the major leagues. But ever since joining the Cubs last Sept. 1, Wynne has hit .155 (21 for 135).
The irony is that Wynne came into this year with a lifetime .324 average in Wrigley Field. He was a .245 hitter everywhere else and didn`t even hit as high as .270 in any other park.
So what gives?
Wynne said he`s enjoyed hitting in Wrigley because he grew up going to games there. But the native South Sider hasn`t been able to translate that comfortable feeling into hits this season. Going into Sunday, Wynne had 12 hits and a team-low .138 average.
”I`m trying too hard,” he said. ”I`m trying to do too much.”
– Relief par excellence: Like the Cubs, the Montreal Expos lost their bullpen closer. Unlike the Cubs, the Expos have come through in their star`s absence. Since Tim Burke went down May 30 with a fractured leg, the Expos` bullpen is 5-3 with 11 saves and a 2.90 earned run average.
The load is being carried by former White Sox Dave Schmidt, with nine saves, and former Cub Drew Hall, who has three.
The man who brought Schmidt and Hall to Montreal also has a Chicago connection. He`s General Manager David Dombrowski, a former White Sox front-office type.
– Jim who?: Never heard of Jim Vatcher? The Cubs hadn`t either until this month. Philadelphia`s rookie outfielder is 7 for 10 against the Cubs this year. He got his first major-league hit June 8 off Dean Wilkins.
– One quote at a time: Philadelphia reliever Don Carman is a joy for Phillie beat writers. In a burst of original wit rare in clubhouses, he`s posted a list of 37 baseball cliches on the front of his locker stall, with a note to reporters: ”You saw the game, take what you need.”
The top cliche: ”I`m just glad to be here. I just want to help the club any way I can.”
Another: ”Baseball`s a funny game.”
Another: ”We`re going to take this season one game at a time.”
Another: ”You`re only as good as your last game . . . last at-bat.”
– Not so fast: As the Atlanta Braves plunged toward their third straight last- place finish in the NL West, and their fourth in five seasons, manager Russ Nixon said after the Braves won the second game of a recent double-header to salvage a split with Cincinnati: ”They pulled me off Death Row, didn`t they?”
The reprieve didn`t last long, though. Nixon was fired Friday and replaced by General Manager Bobby Cox.
– Around the league: Darryl Strawberry is heating up. In his first 36 games, the New York outfielder went .228 with 4 home runs, 13 RBIs and 32 strikeouts in 127 at-bats. In his last 25 games going into Sunday, he`s hit .382 with 11 HRs, 28 RBIs and 11 strikeouts in 89 at-bats. ”I started looking for the pitches I wanted to hit,” Strawberry said. ”I started putting the fear back into pitchers.” . . . The Mets won five of seven from Pittsburgh this month, but they`ve still only gained two games on the first-place Pirates since Bud Harrelson replaced Davey Johnson as manager. . . . San Francisco`s Will Clark batted .300 for eight straight months before hitting .214 in May. . . . The Giants` Kevin Mitchell is considering switching to glasses for home games. Swirling winds in Candlestick Park make it difficult to wear contact lenses. . . . San Francisco won 16 of its first 17 games in June before dropping two straight to the Padres. The Giants hit .320 and averaged 7.41 runs per game during the streak.
Chicago-area product Mike Marshall is being squeezed by Dave Magadan in New York. Magadan went through a recent 18-for-31 tear, is a lifetime .302 hitter and fields first base base as well as Marshall. It comes as no surprise that Marshall says he wants out of the Big Apple. . . . The Astros went into the weekend 9-25 away from the Astrodome, including a club-record 12 straight defeats. ”There`s no excuse for losing like we have been on the road,”
veteran infielder Ken Oberkfell said. ”We`re still a good team, but teams that win championships find a way to win on the road.” Relax, Ken. Nobody expects the Astros to win any championships. . . . Giants pitchers have hit five Padres in 30 innings, and only four others in 63 games. Victims include Benito Santiago, who suffered a broken arm, Bip Roberts, Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar. Carter spoke for Padre hitters, who want their pitchers to retaliate: ”This can`t keep going one way. I`m tired of getting hit.”
