THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 2, 1996 TAG: 9606020219
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 75 lines
The Norfolk Tides have lost another outfielder to injury.
Kevin Flora, the opening-day leftfielder, will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left wrist Monday to repair torn cartilage. New York Mets hand specialist Dr. Tony Wheiland will perform the operation at The Hospital for Special Surgery.
Flora initially injured the wrist on a check-swing in Columbus a month ago. He aggravated the injury on another check-swing a week later in Richmond.
On Monday, Flora re-injured the wrist on a full swing in Richmond and did not complete the at-bat.
``I flew from Charlotte to New York Thursday and had an MRI and X-rays,'' Flora said. ``They found two tears.''
Flora is expected to miss six weeks and joins outfielder Jay Payton (arthroscopic elbow surgery) on the shelf. Neither is expected back before mid-July.
Flora's injury is not associated with the thumb injury he sustained during spring training.
ROBERSON COMING: Outfielder Kevin Roberson, who was outrighted to the Tides by the Mets on Friday, accepted the assignment and will report to the Tides for today's game, scheduled for 1:15 p.m.
Tides manager Bobby Valentine was uncertain whether Roberson would arrive in time to be in the starting lineup. Roberson, who was hitting .222, was outrighted to make room for first baseman Roberto Petagine, who was called up by the Mets Friday to fill in for Rico Brogna (sore shoulder).
The Roberson-for-Petagine switch leaves the Tides with six outfielders and just four natural infielders. Valentine indicated that either Benny Agbayani or Andy Tomberlin would occasionally play first base to give the infielders a rest.
``I can't ask those four guys (Shawn Gilbert, Luis Rivera, Jason Hardtke and Matt Franco) to play every day,'' Valentine said.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: When Matt Franco and Jason Hardtke are in the Tides lineup, chances are good the Tides will get a double. Or two.
Franco leads the International League in doubles with 17 and Hardtke has combined his stays in Binghamton and Norfolk this season for 14 doubles.
Both contend Harbor Park is a doubles hitter's dream. But Valentine adds both have swings made for doubles production.
``The secret is in keeping the ball fair,'' Valentine said. ``That might make it sound too simple. But where a lot of guys will hit hard foul balls, those same balls are fair for (Franco and Hardtke). Same for hits in the gap. When another guy might hit it right to the leftfielder, it's in the leftfield gap for them.''
Hardtke led all minor leaguers in doubles last year with 43. In 1993, he had 38 doubles for the San Diego Padres' Class A team in Rancho Cucamonga.
In 1990, Franco had 33 doubles to lead the Midwest League while playing for Class A Peoria (Cubs). He had 37 doubles in 1993 while playing for two teams and had 32 doubles in 1994 for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs.
``We both hit a lot of doubles that would be home runs for other guys,'' Franco laughed. ``When we get it all, our balls hit the wall or just short of the wall.''
MOVIE QUIZ: Which Norfolk Tide is the nephew of a movie star?
If you said Matt Franco, give yourself an A.
Now, who's the movie star?
Franco's mother Jill is the older sister of Kurt Russell, who played minor league baseball between a stint as a Walt Disney child star and before hitting it big with movies such as the 1982 remake of ``The Thing'' and 1983's smash hit ``Silkwood.''
Russell played second base in the California Angels organization from 1971 to 1973.
``He was hitting over .500 in the first month of the season in the Texas League when he blew out his arm turning a double play,'' Franco said. ``He's still extremely knowledgeable about the game and is always giving me pointers.''
Russell regularly makes a trip a season to see Franco play, although Franco isn't certain when he will show up this season.
Asked to name his favorite three Kurt Russell movies, Franco picked ``Used Cars,'' ``Backdraft'' and ``Tombstone.''
POSTER DAY: The Tides will give away posters of Derek Wallace to the first 5,000 fans on hand for today's game. by CNB