DATE: Tuesday, September 2, 1997            TAG: 9709020218

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   82 lines

OUT OF PLAYOFFS, TIDES LOSE FINALE

Regardless of what the final score indicated, the Norfolk Tides' season ended at 4:05 Monday afternoon with the Tides' batting in the seventh inning at Harbor Park.

That's when an out-of-town score flashed on the lighted board beyond rightfield: Richmond 2, Charlotte 5, F.

The moves the Tides then made let everyone in the ballpark know who was heading to New York to join the parent Mets, and reminded those in attendance that this is minor-league baseball. There's a more important level of play and a bigger boss.

Shortstop Shawn Gilbert and first baseman Roberto Petagine were lifted for pinch hitters. Leftfielder Carlos Mendoza came out the next inning.

Alberto Castillo never picked up a bat to pinch hit.

Once the Tides were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, the only acceptable injury for any of those guys would be to bump their heads while boarding the flight to LaGuardia.

Pitchers Joe Crawford and Takashi Kashiwada are also going to New York as the Mets expand their roster for the final month of the season.

Norfolk eventually lost 2-0 to Ottawa when Jolbert Cabrera rapped a two-run single in the top of the ninth.

But by then, many of the Tides were wondering what they would do now that their season is done. Officially, the Tides (75-67) finished 1 1/2 games behind Charlotte (76-65) for the final playoff spot in the International League West Division.

Unofficially ...

``We finish a half-game back, and you gotta think the way last week went that we could have won one of those games and turned it the other way,'' said Tides manager Rick Dempsey, referring to the Tides dropping six out of seven games to the Richmond Braves prior to this season-ending stand with Ottawa. ``In the games against Richmond, we had a lot of tough calls go against us that are the difference in going to the playoffs or not.''

Charlotte's 5-2 victory Monday was fueled by five solo home runs, two by Lou Lucca and the others by Russ Morman, Dave Berg and Todd Dunwoody.

``That's just the kind of strange, weird stuff that happened to us in the last month,'' said Tides outfielder Phil Geisler. ``And when you know you're not in charge of your own destiny, it changes everything.''

The stinger was that Richmond lost four straight games in Charlotte after winning 11 of their previous 12.

Norfolk, meanwhile, did just the opposite, at one point dropping 16 of 20.

``We're better than what we showed in this last month,'' Geisler said. ``And we're disappointed we didn't get the opportunity to go to the playoffs.''

The one glaring omission from the callups list was outfielder Benny Agbayani, who hit .310, stole 29 bases and was among league leaders in runs scored with 90.

Agbayani is caught in a numbers game: New York is already at their 40-man limit and actually had to scratch catcher Charlie Greene from the 40-man to make room for Petagine. And for those surprised by Mendoza going up after he hit .143 in two weeks with the Tides, he's already on New York's 40-man and hit .387 for Double-A Binghamton.

``I guess what I did wasn't good enough to be rewarded,'' Agbayani said, who the Mets can play in the minors for two more years before he must be protected on the 40-man. ``But I'm pleased with the way I performed.''

The Tides are too, even though there's no postseason to show for the effort.

``We sent a lot of players to the big leagues,'' Dempsey said. ``As far as Triple-A teams helping the big team out, we've got to be No. 1 in baseball this year. The team we had originally would have walked through this league. But we sacrificed to make the big team better.

``I won't be surprised at all if I turn on the TV at some point this month and seven of the nine spots in New York's starting lineup are guys who played for us this year.''

NOTES: Tides president Ken Young said Monday that the city of Norfolk has agreed to a two-year extension to be the Triple-A affiliate for the New York Mets. The deal covers the 1998 and 1999 seasons. ... Norfolk, which drew 7,037 for the finale, finished with 500,632 in official announced attendance and their average of 7,702 led the International league. Rochester finished second with an average of 7,675. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MOTOYA NAKAMURA/The Virginian-Pilot

Ottawa leftfielder Jon Saffer is unable to catch up to Tate

Seefried's double for the Tides, one of the few bright spots for

Norfolk on Monday.

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