ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 11, 1996 TAG: 9602130006
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-9 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: BASEBALL NOTES
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
Dave Winfield was sitting alone in the dugout, all dressed up with nowhere to play. He'd been left off the postseason roster of the Cleveland Indians, so he could only watch as they practiced on an off-day during the AL playoffs.
The sun was setting that October evening at Jacobs Field. It already had set on his baseball career, as it turned out.
He was talking about old times, about playing against Willie Mays, Henry Aaron and Bob Gibson. And talking about the stars that followed, especially those who played his position - right field - in their prime, particularly the likes of Dave Parker and Andre Dawson.
``When's the last time you saw anybody throw someone out from the outfield?'' he said. ``Back then, I mean some of those guys had guns. You'd see them out there before the game, working. It was important to be good at all phases.
``Now, I look around and see guys who have talent, but they're not willing to work,'' he said. ``They just want to hit the ball out of the ballpark.''
Winfield, as he pointed out, had been what baseball people call a five-tool player. He could run, field, throw, hit for average and hit for power.
And while critics complained about Winfield's self-promotion, there never was a doubt about this: He came to the park every day to play, and he delivered.
``I don't think I've ever seen somebody play as hard as David played the game of baseball,'' former Yankees teammate Ron Guidry said after his first year with Winfield.
He climbed walls to catch balls. He barreled into infielders to break up double plays. He swung big, hit or miss.
When asked at his retirement speech to describe the defining image of himself, Winfield did not pick one of his 465 home runs, 3,110 hits, 1,833 RBI or the double that won the 1992 World Series. Instead, he said he saw himself sliding into third base with a tying triple.
When Winfield moved to New York, it looked as if he finally would be rewarded for the eight long years he'd spent in San Diego. But in the Bronx, full credit again eluded him as he seemed destined to be second best, never able to do enough to please Yankees owner George Steinbrenner or the fans.
He couldn't do what Reggie Jackson had done in the World Series. And after Jackson left, he couldn't compete with Don Mattingly.
In a fitting scene, Winfield and Mattingly went down to the final day of the 1984 season for the AL batting title, and Mattingly won.
In five years, Winfield and Mattingly may be together again, on the ballot for the Hall of Fame. And then, for all that Mattingly brought to baseball, Winfield will not finish second - he's the one headed to the Hall.
The only question then will be which hat will he want on his plaque at Cooperstown. He rose to stardom in San Diego, achieved even more success in New York, won the World Series with Toronto and later played for the hometown Minnesota Twins.
``I'm not taking anything for granted,'' he said Thursday. ``And I won't speculate about the cap.''
GOLDISOX: He's won three Cy Young Awards, made all the money he'll ever need and has ensured himself a spot in the Hall of Fame. So at age 33, on days when his body is hurting, what keeps Roger Clemens going?
Winning a World Series would be great, especially since his Red Sox were one strike from winning the championship in 1986. But the Boston ace has another goal in mind, albeit one that still is more than four years away.
``The Olympics,'' he said this week. ``I see Larry, Michael and Magic getting their gold medals. It's something I'd like to try.''
While Bird, Jordan, Johnson and other NBA pros are eligible for the Games, major-leaguers are not. The problem in the past has been that the Summer Olympics are held in the middle of the baseball season.
That could change in 2000, however, when the Games are held in Sydney, Australia. Because the seasons run opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, those Olympics will be held Sept.15-Oct.1, at the tail end of the baseball season; for that reason, among others, major-leaguers may be allowed to play.
``I have my sights on it,'' Clemens said. ``I'd like to do it.''
WORTH NOTING: The Reds, who have signed former Cincinnati stars Eric Davis and Chris Sabo to minor-league contracts, still are listening to free agents Kevin Mitchell and Joe Oliver. Mitchell, the 1989 National League MVP, played in Japan last season and wants to return. But he's asking much more - reportedly a low base salary but $10,000 per plate appearance - than Marge Schott wants to spend. Oliver, who hit .273 with 51 RBI for Milwaukee last year, is a free agent and wants to catch again for the Reds. He helped them win the 1990 World Series, but now wants more than Cincinnati is willing to pay. ... Jeff Conine has donated the minivan he won as MVP of the 1995 All-Star Game to the Florida Special Olympics. The van will be the prize at a raffle, with the winner being drawn during the 1996 All-Star break. ... Darnell Coles, who hit .225 in 138 at-bats for St.Louis last season, is being courted by a Japanese team.
IF YOU SAY ONE MORE WORD ... : David Segui became the latest player to find out the salary-arbitration process can be no fun, even if it results in a nice, new contract.
The Montreal first baseman agreed to a two-year, $3.1 million contract Wednesday, shortly after Segui and the Expos presented their cases before an arbitrator.
Segui thought he'd had a good season, finishing seventh in the NL with a heard Expos lawyer Frank Casey make his argument.
``I didn't mind the way they carved up my statistics,'' Segui said. ``I knew what to expect going in.
``But some of the other things that were said got out of hand. There was a lot of below-the-belt stuff - like the production of players like me was the reason the team finished in last place.
``That hearing room was probably the only place in the world the guy [Casey] could have said some of the things he did without getting punched in the mouth,'' he said.
A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN: Tito Landrum, a smooth outfielder whose bat came alive in the postseason, is the new commissioner of the U.S. Women's Baseball League. The league, which began with four teams in Florida in 1994, plans to field eight teams in the Northeast in 1997. This season, an all-star squad of 17 women will travel around the country, playing college teams, men's senior teams and maybe some minor-league clubs.
The USWBL would like to play the all-women's Colorado Silver Bullets at some point, possibly in Cooperstown, N.Y., this summer before the annual Hall of Fame exhibition game.
``The only place we want to compete with the Silver Bullets is on the field,'' Landrum said. ``We're not trying to take away anything from them. We're only trying to help the system.''
Landrum played in the World Series with Baltimore in 1983 and St.Louis in 1985. With the Orioles, his three-run homer in the 10th inning of Game 4 of the playoffs against Chicago won the pennant. With the Cardinals, the reserve outfielder stepped in after Vince Coleman's leg was caught in the automatic tarpaulin at Busch Stadium and hit .429 in the playoffs and .360 in the World Series.
Landrum, 41, is now assistant baseball coach at New York University. Bobby Bonds is deputy commissioner of the USWBL, and league founder Sal Algieri is the executive director.
LENGTH: Long : 133 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Dave Winfield is joined by his wife, Tonya Turner,by CNBas he announces his retirement in New York on Thursday. The 12-time
All-Star, who played for Cleveland last season, has spent 23 seasons
in the majors with San Diego, the Yankees, California, Toronto,
Minnesota and the Indians.