THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 20, 1994 TAG: 9408200387
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
Greg Graham's sore right big toe was barking beforehand, enough so that he might have begged out of just another game. But not this one.
This was TV, national cable, Skip, Don and Joe of Ted Turner's WTBS. This was a couple hours of notoriety normally foreign to minor leaguers, unless, of course, a major league strike is on.
This was families gathered around TVs in Louisville for Graham; Lawton, Okla., for Butch Huskey; Tavernier, Fla., for Jeromy Burnitz; Carolina, Puerto Rico, for Omar Garcia, who was unlucky enough not to start.
Times like these are why the Tidewater Tides changed their name to Norfolk Tides last year, and put Norfolk across their road jerseys this season.
Accordingly, there was no way Graham, the Tides' reserve shortstop stepping in for the injured Aaron Ledesma and Fernando Vina, was going to join the ranks of his fallen mates Friday at The Diamond. ``I'm hurting but I wouldn't miss this game no matter what,'' Graham said. ``If you have to cut it off, I'm going to play. Take enough Tylenol to get through the game.''
The butterflies might have fluttered more than usual for the TV notices. But for Burnitz and other former major leaguers, it seemed more a No-Doze night. TV is everywhere in the bigs, and nowhere more obtrusive than in New York. You learn to live and play with it, Burnitz said.
Some guys play to it, and those opportunities were there Friday. But it behooves most people, Richmond's starting pitcher Mike Birkbeck said, to ignore the little red light as best they can.
``If you think about TV when you're playing,'' said Birkbeck, ``you'll be inside watching it on TV soon.''
Burnitz swears the presence of WTBS' cameras meant nothing to him. For him, Friday was simply another day in a dwindling minor league season.
``I'm not ignorant to the fact that the game is on TV,'' Burnitz said. ``You know if you make a good play they're up there talking about you. But it doesn't affect me. Maybe in college (Oklahoma State) when it first started happening, but now not at all.
``It's all the same. It's a baseball game whether it's on TV or not. If it's a playoff game or postseason game, that changes your attitude towards it a little because there's more at stake. But the fact that it's on TV, no.''
Same for him, Huskey said, though he is a relative TV fresh-face. He played a couple weeks for the Mets last September. Included was a game on WTBS, so the folks in Oklahoma have seen their guy perform before.
``It'll be fun,'' Huskey said. ``But if you start thinking about it, somehow, some way it's going to bite you.''
So Huskey tried to turn his attention elsewhere. The buzz started early on the Tides' bench, though, among the less jaded.
``Here's the main difference,'' outfielder Rick Parker said. ``Usually, you've got to drag guys out to coach first base. Tonight, they're back there drawing straws.'' by CNB