THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 2, 1995 TAG: 9507020215
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
Wherever he goes, great fielding Norfolk Tides shortstop Rey Ordonez is acclaimed as the next Ozzie Smith or whatever. But Ordonez, hitting .223 before Saturday's game, apparently didn't come close to making the National League team for the Triple-A all-star game.
A perennial glitch in the voting process might have robbed Ordonez of any chance to be elected. Voters may choose only one player for each infield position, and in the International League, Columbus' Derek Jeter, an American League player, took the lion's share of votes at shortstop. Thus Ordonez, a National League shortstop, had little support when the ballots were pooled. Calgary's Erik Johnson, a Pittsburgh prospect, will start at short for the National League.
Ordonez's hope, then, was to be selected as an extra player, but that process is always clouded by the problem of making sure every team is represented.
One alternative discussed, Tides general manager Dave Rosenfield said, is to allow voters to vote for National League and American League players at each position. But then comes the likelihood of voting for undeserving players just to fill in the ballot.
``Nobody's ever come up with a better way to do it,'' Rosenfield said.
McCOY COMING HOME? The Mets are close to making a deal to sign Trey McCoy, from Virginia Beach, for the Tides, Rosenfield said. McCoy has been playing in Mexico since shortly after he was traded by the Texas Rangers and then released by the Chicago White Sox in April.
McCoy, who apparently is injured right now, is a favorite of Tides manager Toby Harrah, who worked with him as the Rangers minor league hitting instructor the last two years. McCoy batted .306 with 15 home runs and 67 RBIs a year ago for Oklahoma City.
PAYTON'S PROGRESS: Binghamton outfielder Jay Payton, due in Norfolk shortly, compiled a 25-game hitting streak that ended Friday. The streak is the longest in the minor leagues this season and a Binghamton record. Payton was 45 for 102 (.441) during the streak with five home runs and 17 RBIs.
TWO TIFFS: After the Tides and Richmond were involved in a fracas last season that resulted in fines and suspensions for players who left their positions or the bench to join in, the IL had avoided any similar incidents until two weeks ago.
Syracuse and Scranton had a beanball war turn into a bench-clearing scuffle that left 42 players suspended at least three games and fined at least $300. Four days later, a hard slide into second base spilled over into a shoving match in which 28 players were cited.
NOTABLE: Richmond is slated to get free agent third baseman Gary Scott today to help with their depleted infield situation. . . . Pawtucket's outfield now features former major leaguers Mark Whiten, Willie McGee, Wes Chamberlain and Tuffy Rhodes. Also on the Pawsox is former Tides and Mets righthander Wally Whitehurst. Infielder Cory Snyder was released by the Pawsox a few weeks after he was signed. . . . Four of the top 14 strikeout leaders in the minor leagues are Mets prospects: the Tides Jason Isringhausen (125), Paul Wilson (123) in Double-A, Jesus Sanchez (117) in Class-A Columbia and Toby Larson (94) in Class-A St. Lucie. . . . Former IL pitcher of the year Sam Militello, who lost his control last year and was released by the Yankees, resurfaced with the Marlins in the Florida State League to the same dismal results: 20 walks and six wild pitches in 10 1/3 innings. by CNB