American League : After Half (?) a Season, It’s Henderson for MVP

Here are some midseason awards with meaning, considering that this season may not extend much beyond midseason. Aug. 6, the strike deadline, is fast approaching:

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER--Rickey Henderson, New York Yankees. Everybody used to wonder what would happen if Henderson’s bat ever caught up with his legs. Wonder no more. Since moving his center fielder’s shingle to the Bronx, Henderson has been Mr. Instant Offense.

He began the second half one point out of the league batting lead with a .357 average, was first in stolen bases with 41, first in runs scored with 77, second in slugging percentage at .552, and third in on-base percentage at .441. And that was after a slow start in April.

CY YOUNG AWARD--Ron Guidry, Yankees. You watch Guidry, and if you squint a little, you can almost see 1978 again, the year of Guidry’s 25-3 Cajun rage. He’s nearly halfway to 25 victories once more--12-3 so far--and his 2.58 earned-run average is second only to the Toronto Blue Jays’ Dave Stieb in the league.

That, however, raises an immediate question, one that certainly must have crossed George Steinbrenner’s mind: With Guidry and Henderson, what are the Yankees doing in second place? You take that one, Billy.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR--Randy O’Neal, Detroit Tigers. Or the Minnesota Twins’ Mark Salas or the Baltimore Orioles’ Larry Sheets or the Seattle Mariners’ Ivan Calderon or. . . . Suffice it to say, there is no Vince Coleman in the American League this year. The pickings for the AL’s best rookie are fairly slim, but at this juncture, O’Neal rates an edge. His record is a modest 5-2, but his earned-run average of 2.61 is tops on a Tiger starting pitching staff that includes Jack Morris and Dan Petry.

FIREMAN OF THE YEAR--Donnie Moore, Angels. He’s also a challenger to Henderson in the MVP derby. In 37 appearances, Moore has contributed to 24 Angel victories--winning 7 himself and saving 17 others. Where would the Angels be without Moore and his 1.46 ERA? Probably where they usually are at this time of year--spinning their wheels in the standings and scouring the waiver list in search of a solution.

MANAGER OF THE YEAR--Gene Mauch, Angels. It’s not even a contest. How else is a team with four rookie pitchers, seven regulars 34 or older, minimal speed and a composite .249 batting average playing .600 baseball--and holding the largest lead in the majors? Twenty-one years after the crash of ’64 in Philadelphia, the Little General may finally get his due.

Don’t Come Around Here No More: Today, the Yankees will play at Minnesota’s Hubert Horatio Humphrey Metrodome for the final time this season, which may prompt Billy Martin to rejoice. Martin hasn’t much liked what he has seen in the Metrodome this week.

First, there was Tuesday’s All-Star game, in which AL Manager Sparky Anderson played Henderson, sore ankle and all, for six innings--despite the Yankees’ written request to the league office that Henderson’s playing time be limited. “I guess Sparky can’t read,” Martin fumed.

Then, there was Thursday’s series opener between the Yankees and the Twins, a wild affair won by Minnesota, 8-4. Martin vented his frustrations on the Metrodome.

“This place stinks,” he said. “It’s a shame a great guy like H.H.H. had to be named after it. It’s a (bleep) park.

“Last time, it was the lights. This time, it’s the artificial turf. The ball bounces too true here. I go out there and catch everything. I’m 57 years old and I can’t miss a ball. I’m 57. And you call this a fair ballpark?”

It should be pointed out that Kent Hrbek’s game-winning grand slam avoided the artificial turf by a good bit. But that didn’t sway Martin’s position on the Twins’ home.

“It stinks,” he said.

The Hot Corner: When it comes to hitting the baseball, third base is where the action has been in the American League during 1985. Entering the second half, three of the league’s top five batters were third basemen--No. 1 George Brett of the Kansas City Royals at .358, No. 3 Wade Boggs of the Boston Red Sox at .342 and No. 5 Paul Molitor of the Milwaukee Brewers at .310.

Then, too, there’s Mariner Jim Presley, who ranks third in the league in home runs with 20 and has a slugging percentage of .500.

Add Boggs: Boston’s singles hitter deluxe has vaulted into contention for a second league batting title with a 23-game hitting streak.

During the streak, the league’s longest in 1985, Boggs hit .396 (36 for 91). He has reached base in 43 straight games and is tops among the Red Sox in hitting with runners in scoring position, with a .435 average.

Boggs still doesn’t hit for power--he has just three home runs in 91 games--but Brett, fellow third baseman and batting championship contender, says that will come with time.

“He is a lot like me, when I was learning to hit, “ Brett said. “He doesn’t pull much. He is bigger and stronger than I am, but he doesn’t turn on the ball. He has the potential to bat .300 and hit 20 home runs.’

Joke told by the girl behind the car-rental counter at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, just outside Arlington, Tex.:

“You hear about the Texas Rangers Diet? You only eat when the Rangers win.”