– Shawon`s wish: Shawon Dunston knows what he wants. Whether he gets it is another story.
Dunston wants a three-year contract after this year. If he doesn`t get it, he might become a free agent after the 1991 season.
”I want three full years,” he said. ”Not a two-year extension. I`m giving up free agency. That`s a lot to give up.”
Dunston won a $1.25 million judgment in arbitration this year. The Cubs reportedly offered him a three-year deal worth $5.5 million, but Dunston turned it down because the deal would have included 1990`s arbitration settlement. The Cubs also reportedly offered him $4 million over two years.
He won`t say how much he wants. He also said he isn`t using the possibility of free agency as a threat.
”I`m not going to use the leverage of (saying) `I`m going free agent` to people who are feeding me,” he said. ”I want to stay here, but business is business.”
The sides are to resume talks after the season.
– The numbers game: Is Rick Sutcliffe missed? At last year`s All-Star break, he was 10-6 with a 3.50 earned-run average. He was named to the National League team along with Mitch Williams, who had 22 saves and a 1.93 ERA in 41 games. . . . Greg Maddux and Mike Bielecki combined to win 37 games last year. After Maddux`s start Saturday, they are winless in their last 20 starts. They`ve won back-to-back games once all year. . . . Dunston, an All-Star this year, was hitting .238 with only 5 homers at last year`s break.
– And now the forecast: When the skies threatened late on the afternoon before the Cubs` opener April 9 in Chicago, Cub President Don Grenesko turned meteorologist and predicted gametime clearing.
It poured.
Same thing happened back on Aug. 8, 1988, when Grenesko, then in charge of Cub business operations, guessed it couldn`t possibly rain on Wrigley`s first night game. That became, of course, Wrigley`s first postponed night game.
So don`t even think about asking Grenesko if he has any weather predictions for Tuesday`s All-Star Game. ”Are you kidding me?” he said recently. ”I`ve learned to keep my mouth shut.”
If it`s any help, the Central Weather Service on Friday predicted clear skies, temperature near 70 degrees and winds in from left-center field at gametime Tuesday.
– Little known fact: Hector Villanueva pitched three times in the minor leagues. He gave up three runs, five hits and two walks and struck out two in three innings-one each in Peoria, Pittsfield and Iowa.
– L.A. heat: The Cubs haven`t caught many breaks this year, but they did last week in Dodger Stadium. They had originally been scheduled to face Ramon Martinez but missed him when the Dodgers brought another pitcher up from the minor leagues.
The sighs of relief were audible in the visitors` clubhouse. Dwight Gooden and Roger Clemens can prompt this sort of reaction, but a pitcher in his first full big-league season?
Consider that Martinez, named to the All-Star staff, throws a fastball in the vicinity of 96 miles per hour. And consider his numbers: He is 9-4 and leads the major leagues with 131 strikeouts, putting him on a pace to finish with 262.
The only Dodger to strike out more than 262 in a season is Sandy Koufax. He also owns the Dodgers` single-game whiff record of 18-tied this year by Martinez.
That`s fast company.
”I`ll tell you, that is one good pitcher,” said Cub Domingo Ramos, who played against Martinez in the Dominican Republic winter league.
– What do you mean, out?: Quote from Vince Coleman after his expensive little run-in with umpire Ed Montague: ”I`ve stolen 500 bases. I know when I`m safe or not.”
By Friday Coleman led the league with 47 stolen bases, 16 more than second-place Eric Yelding. Coleman is gunning for a record sixth straight Lou Brock Award, presented to the National League`s leading thief.
– Injury of the week: Cincinnati infielder Mariano Duncan sustained a minor neck injury when his cab was involved in a rear-end collision on the way to Montreal`s Olympic Stadium. X-rays were negative.
– Contract talks: Lenny Dykstra, Bobby Bonilla and Darryl Strawberry have all opened contract talks with their respective clubs. Strawberry is said to be after a contract ”similar” to the five-year, $23.5 million deal that makes Jose Canseco the highest-paid player in baseball history.
”What`s Canseco done that some of us others haven`t?” Strawberry said.
”He`s a great player, I agree. He had that 40-40 (steals and home runs)
year, but I had a 30-30, and I`m on my way to another great year. You`d have to put us in the same category.”
– Around the league: Los Angeles second baseman Juan Samuel was stumbling along below .225 by the weekend, but he has to be looking forward to this week`s visit to Wrigley Field. Samuel, a former Met and Phillie, is a lifetime .301 hitter against the Cubs, with 14 of his 109 career home runs coming against the North Siders. . . . St. Louis is 11th in the National League in team hitting, 11th in runs, 12th in home runs, 10th in team pitching and 12th in number of times being hit by pitch. ”Hell, they`re not even throwing at us,” said manager Whitey Herzog, who had enough and quit on Friday.
– Turnabout is fair play: The Cards pounded out a total of 25 hits in the two games after Fernando Valenzuela no-hit them, while Valenzuela gave up 10 hits to the Cubs in his next start.
Speaking of turnabout, what about Houston ace Mike Scott? He started 1-5 but went 4-2 with a 3.03 ERA in June. . . . The Giants have become respectable again thanks to their pitching. Three Giants received NL Pitcher of the Month votes for June: Scott Garrelts, 4-0 with a 1.45 ERA; Trevor Wilson, 4-0 with a 2.12 ERA; and John Burkett, 3-1 with a 2.68 ERA.
The volume of fan complaint about manager Jack McKeon is growing as the talented Padres do their usual disappearing act.
