American League / Ross Newhan : Martin Helps Twins See Light

When Billy Martin raised the roof this week over lighting conditions in the Metrodome at Minneapolis, he illuminated a problem that has created hardships for the Minnesota Twins, as well as visiting players.

The Minnesota management is trying to correct the situation before the All-Star game there July 16--if there is an All-Star game. The word is that the Major League Players Assn., the players’ union, will show its displeasure over the lack of progress in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement by boycotting it.

All-Star receipts go to the players’ pension fund, but the players may be willing to sacrifice that money if they can deprive the owners of a showcase event.

Don Fehr, executive director of the union, said by phone the other day that several alternatives have been discussed. He said the players are prepared to take a stand “any time from the end of June onward.”

Martin, meanwhile, protested Wednesday night’s game with the Twins before it started, a response to a Tuesday night loss in which Minnesota scored four runs on two pop flys that were lost by New York Yankees fielders, and a deep drive misjudged by Dave Winfield, who then began wearing sunglasses.

“You can bet that when they play the All-Star game here it’s going to be a joke,” Martin said. “The whole country is going to see how bad this park is.

“Why doesn’t (new Twins’ owner Carl Pohlad) spend $100,000 and paint the ceiling so you can see the ball? What is he . . . a billionaire? Tell him they don’t put pockets in coffins.”

Yankee owner George Steinbrenner then offered a takes-one-to-know-one statement: “What takes place in the Metrodome is not a ball game, it is a circus.” Steinbrenner added that if he wanted his players to learn Ping-Pong, he’d have sent them to play the Chinese national team.

The lighting problem, now being investigated by the American League, is twofold:

--A ring of lights at the base of the dome, replaced in March for the first time since the stadium opened in 1982, is too bright. Fielders are blinded as they search for the ball. Metrodome officials say that the lights will dim through daily use, eventually reaching an acceptable level.

--The gray, Teflon-coated fabric that forms the ceiling is generally fine for day games, lighted by the outside conditions, but then turns shadowy at night. The Twins are spending $100,000 for 49 interior floodlights to illuminate the ceiling.

Said a concerned Twin executive: “They’re yellow lights, and I think that’s a mistake. They should be white to be consistent with the ceiling.”

Martin’s remarks, meanwhile, delighted Twin outfielders Tom Brunansky and Mickey Hatcher, who are hopeful that a serious problem may finally get appropriate attention.

“When a ball comes out of that ring of lights, it’s like having a flash cube in your face,” Brunansky said. “You look up and all you can see are blue dots.”

Said Hatcher: “One comment from Billy Martin and things start flying. . . . Me and Bru have been talking about it for years. We want to see baseball played right.”

Add Metrodome:

Martin’s protest was not the first call for league action.

The Baltimore Orioles have sent films of a May 3-4-5 series there to the league office for review. The Orioles won two games, 8-7, and 10-5, and lost one, 8-6. It was a circus, indeed.

Said Baltimore Manager Joe Altobelli: “I think this is the place Yogi (Berra) meant when he said, ‘It ain’t over till it’s over.’ ”

There is also the view of Oakland pitcher Mike Warren, who emerged shellshocked from a Metrodome game in late April and said: “The only thing that can help this place is if they drop a bomb on it and start over.”

Add Twins:

Having emerged from a nine-game losing streak and re-established their credentials with a 10-game winning streak, the Twins went into a weekend series at Baltimore with a phenomenal season batting average of .338 with runners in scoring position. Center fielder Kirby Puckett was hitting .500 in that category, and second baseman Tim Teufel was at .449.

In addition, third baseman Gary Gaetti, who played all 162 games last year, has already equaled his 1984 home run total of five, and the Twins apparently made a steal in the December minor league draft when they selected catcher Mark Salas from St. Louis. Salas, a La Puente resident who is platooning with Tim Laudner, was leading the league in hitting until Friday.

Said pitcher Mike Smithson: “We have so many offensive weapons, it’s scary.”

Charles O. Finley, the famed and former Oakland owner, resurfaced last week in a column by Jerome Holtzman of the Chicago Tribune. Now a farmer and insurance man, Finley hasn’t lost his touch.

On Reggie Jackson: “I remember Reggie Jackson used to walk around the clubhouse saying he was going to be Finley’s first $100,000 (a year) ballplayer. The most Reggie got from me was $75,000. Today, he’s through, done. They ought to stick a fork in him. But he’s getting 10 times what I paid him. Ten times? Make that 15.”

On George Steinbrenner: “He’s making a farce of the game. I had 15 different managers in 20 years, but by the second time, I had Alvin (Dark) trained. Steinbrenner still hasn’t trained Billy Martin. It’s like trying to teach an old dog new tricks. He should know better. They’ll be lucky to finish fourth, which is the result of complacency, a natural result of too many overpriced ballplayers.”

Scott McGregor, the dependable Baltimore left-hander, is off to a 1-3 start. He has an earned-run average of 7.43, and it’s 8.76 over his last four starts.

“I’m just making a lot of bad pitches,” he said. “I’m strong, but you’d be strong, too, if you were only going four innings a start.

“I told Mike Boddicker and Ken Dixon to stay sharp until July, and maybe I can get my act together by then.”

McGregor shouldn’t have to wait that long. He’s certain to face the Angels during a four-game series in Anaheim on the Angels’ next homestand. McGregor has always found the Angels to be a panacea. His record is 17-5 against them.

Kansas City’s 9-8 victory over Baltimore Thursday was characterized by a loss of control.

--Danny Jackson and Mike LaCoss combined to walk six straight batters in a four-run Baltimore fourth, throwing 29 straight pitches at which Oriole hitters failed to swing.

--Dan Quisenberry walked two in a four-run Baltimore ninth, only the second time in his 652 major league innings that Quisenberry has given up two unintentional walks in an inning.

“Let’s face it, the Orioles aren’t very aggressive hitters,” Quisenberry said, tongue in cheek.

Said Altobelli: “Have I ever seen a game like this? Yes. Every time I go to a Little League game.”

Ex-Giant Johnnie LeMaster was installed as the Cleveland shortstop this week. Spectacular but erratic Julio Franco, who had 36 errors last year and eight so far this season, was moved to second, and former second baseman Tony Bernazard was put on the trading block.

“We lose something offensively, but LeMaster will steady the infield,” General Manager Joe Klein said of Bernazard. “We can’t be giving teams 32 and 33 outs every game.”

Franco and Bernazard are best friends, and Franco responded by saying that he had never played second and never would. He did, however, as soon as LeMaster arrived.

Said Bernazard: “I’ve got nothing against LeMaster, but who is he?”

Toby Harrah, now with Texas after several years as a Cleveland infielder, suggested that the Indians don’t need a new shortstop as much as a new infield, period.

“It’s a cow pasture,” Harrah said of the Municipal Stadium diamond. “It’s a minor league infield and outfield. It wouldn’t even make a good football field. It’s the worst in baseball.”