RMJ 187 August 21

THURSDAY, AUGUST 21 ● Houston, vs Colorado

Whew! What a day. It started with a rush, as I was going through the mail at my desk.

One minute Babe, our six-month-old Lab puppy, was lying by my feet; the next, she was ripping the upholstery off my favorite chair. I exploded, and she ran out into the yard.

I started chasing her, which is like Rush Limbaugh chasing Michael Jordan. Luckily, she was contrite, and she cowered down.

That got my heart going, and I proceeded with the desk-work until I got a call from Gerry, requesting a meeting at 1:30. I knew what it was about.

 

Ed Fowler wrote a column in today’s paper, suggesting Derek Bell was acting like a baby, demanding to hit second in front of Bagwell instead of hitting fourth or fifth, where he could add some power to the attack. I was quoted, and my comments were a bit abrasive. Naturally, not all of my comments were printed; just the ones that served Ed’s purpose.

I don’t blame Fowler, really. It was more his opinion than mine, and I think that came through. But Gerry was still worried that Derek would react badly and quit on us.

All season long, we have been tiptoeing around him, hoping he wouldn’t quit. What I have seen is quite the opposite. Since he has been hitting second, he has been happy-go-lucky and hell-bent-for-leather on the field.

I asked Rob Matwick to give me the runs we have scored since Derek has been hitting second. The results were 10, 8, 6, 8, 3, 7, 10, 3, and 1. That isn’t so bad. In fact, it’s quite good, when you take out the two threes and the one — in other words, take out Schilling, Smoltz, and Glavine.

I was prepared to meet Derek and the press on this issue, but no controversy arose. Derek hadn’t seen the column, but Mac and I wanted to talk to him about moving down in the lineup anyway. I wasn’t going to do it today, no matter what, because it would look like Ed Fowler was running the team.

 

The discussion with Bell was nothing compared to the interview by Steve Rushin of Sports Illustrated. Steve is a tall, gangly, likeable guy; respectful. He pursued a line of questioning that started with my childhood experiences and proceeded along through the 43 years of my baseball journey.

I had the impression he was going to write a magazine story, but with the information he gathered (both sides of a 60-minute cassette) he could write a picaresque novella. As he finished up and shook my hand, I asked how long the SI jinx might last. He said it would play out in about a week, and he promised to do a story on the Pirates.   

Then came Milo Hamilton, recorder in hand. Then came Jeff Kingery, the Rockies broadcaster, recorder in hand. Then came David Dalati from KTRH, recorder in hand. Then came Gerry and Drayton with encouraging words.

Batting practice had already started, and I still hadn’t looked at the scouting reports and the matchup information. By the time I got my lineup ready, batting practice was over. I had been in the building for six hours and had not left my office.

 

The game went well. Bagwell hit his 34th homer in the first inning, and we went on to win 10-4 with Bell hitting second.

Chris Holt got his first win in two months. With the monkey off his back, he should be a better pitcher as we head for the stretch.

I am well-pleased with my pitching now. The starters and relievers have been stingy lately. If we keep it up, it will be hard for the Pirates and Cardinals to catch us.

I’m not sure we can keep it up for six weeks, though. It could get pretty hairy in the end.

This was a perfect win, however, as the Birds and the Bucs lost. They won and we lost, then we won and they lost. Two more days off the schedule, and no headway for the competition.  

If we go 17-18, the Pirates will have to go 21-14 to tie us — and the Cardinals will have to go 26-10.

The trick is to win 17 or more games.