THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 30, 1994 TAG: 9407300423
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
Thanks to the Tides' rash of suspensions, Greg Graham has been lifted from a part-time role in Double-A into a critical infield position during one of the Tides' most important weeks of the season.
Graham, a utility infielder batting .248 in Binghamton, has started all five of the games - two at third, three at shortstop - that he has been with Norfolk.
The Tides face two of the teams ahead of them in the West Division, Richmond and Charlotte, over the next six games.
And Graham probably will start at short again tonight in Richmond when Aaron Ledesma sits out the final game of his two-game suspension.
The responsibility is nothing Graham is shrinking from, that's for sure.
In fact, Graham, 25, was so certain he belonged in Triple-A a year ago with the Boston Red Sox that he quit when he was sent back to Double-A after spring training.
It was a bad move, admits Graham, who leapt at the Mets' contract offer in May to play in Class-A St. Lucie. Quitting set him back, but Graham said he's on the rise again.
``I feel like they feel like they got a better player than what they thought they were getting,'' he said.
He made two errors at third base in his Triple-A debut Monday, helping cost the Tides a game in Columbus, but he has been solid at shortstop, his favorite position.
``(Quitting) really was a hasty decision by me. I probably screwed up,'' said Graham, who was drafted in the ninth round in 1990 out of the University of Louisville. (It was incorrectly reported this week that Graham attended Western Kentucky.)
He quickly signed with the Mets because he missed playing, even though the Mets are loaded with middle infield talent.
There is so much that Graham figures he might have to shop for another club and more opportunity in the offseason.
``It turns out that of all the 27 other teams I could've been signed by at the time, this is probably the worst organization for me because of all the middle infielders,'' Graham said.
``But on the other hand, it's such a first-class organization, so much more than where I was.''
SPEAKING OF SUSPENSIONS: The Tides will play with suspended players through Aug. 5, but so far missing two men a game because of the bench-clearing incident against Richmond hasn't been a major hardship, manager Bobby Valentine said.
``I think it's strengthened us a little,'' Valentine said. ``Knowing things aren't perfect, the guys have to give a little extra, and they're all doing that.'' by CNB