Notebook : Major Leagues Plan to Do Some Tests of ‘Livelier’ Baseballs

Asked in a press conference here Monday if he thinks the 1987 baseball is juiced, National League President A. Bartlett Giamatti, the distinguished former president of Yale University, responded:

“No more than I am, sir.”

When the laughter subsided, Giamatti went on to say that he couldn’t conceive of equipment manufacturers risking a loss of business by violating contract specifications without approval.

However, Giamatti and his American League counterpart, Bobby Brown, announced that because of the dramatic increase in home runs they have authorized new tests on the ball. The tests, Brown said, are similar to those performed in 1984 when Rawlings received its current contract from major league baseball in competition with other manufacturers. Brown said the test results are expected in about 14 days.

Meanwhile, on the eve of the 58th All-Star game, the possibility of livelier baseballs remained a lively subject.

Said Houston’s Mike Scott, who will start for the National League tonight:

“I can’t prove anything, but it used to be that when a guy hit a ball off me I knew if it was gone or not. Now I give up a flyball and have to hold my breath. Yes, I think the ball is livelier.”

Rick Sutcliffe of the Chicago Cubs was named recipient of the 1987 Roberto Clemente Award because of his annual donation of $100,000 though the Sutcliffe Foundation to social and charitable organizations in the Chicago area. He called it the highlight of his career, surpassing his Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards and selection to the All-Star team.

“I never had the opportunity to meet Roberto Clemente,” Sutcliffe said, “but I spent a lot of time talking about him with Manny Mota when I was breaking in with the Dodgers and I give a lot of credit to Manny for impressing on me the values and respect you should bring to people.”

A meeting was held at an Oakland hotel Monday morning under the supervision of Commissioner Peter Ueberroth, his adviser on minority hiring, Dr. Harry Edwards, and legal counsel Ed Durso.

Three active players--Dave Winfield, Don Baylor and Dwight Evans--attended, along with former players Dusty Baker, Bill North, Joe Morgan, Bill Robinson, Larry Doby, Curt Flood, Manny Sanguillen, Lou Brock and Tony Oliva.

Winfield called it a continuing and positive dialogue in the program to accelerate minority hiring, identify job candidates and create a system within baseball in which minority hiring is based on common sense rather than outside pressure or the desire to solve a race problem.

“If you use post-Al Campanis as a starting point,” Winfield said, “and find out how many hirings behind the scenes that there have been, I know that things are moving. On the field hirings are a whole different strategy, but overall I believe progress and changes are being made.”

The Chicago Cubs’ Andre Dawson, an outfield starter for the National League and still recovering some from his beaning by the San Diego Padres’ Eric Show, said he was not happy about a pitch delivered by Bob Welch in the ninth inning Sunday of the Dodgers’ 12-0 victory.

Dawson said the brushback pitch was obviously intentional and designed to additionally intimidate a batter Welch may have believed is on the edge of total intimidation.

“It (angered) me,” said Dawson, who flailed his arms at Welch when it happened. “A guy’s got excellent control and is ahead 12-0 with two outs in the ninth. I saw him shake off a sign. He knows what’s been going on.” Of Show, Dawson reiterated: “I’m not threatening him with physical violence, but there are ways to get back at him on the field.”

More Dodgers-Cubs: Talking about the brief incident in which he and Pedro Guerrero exchanged words after Guerrero stood and watched his long home run the other day, Sutcliffe said:

“To me, that was showing me up. When I strike someone out I don’t point at them. Pete called me the next day and apologized. I just told him, ‘when you hit it, get going.’ ”

Orel Hershiser, rested and hopeful of pitching, said: “There’s such a great feeling coming into this game that I hope that I don’t do anything to dampen the memory.”

It’s Hershiser’s first All-Star game and the first that Fernando Valenzuela has missed since 1981, his first full season in the majors.

“Some people say that I’ve replaced Fernando as our ace, but I don’t see that,” Hershiser said. “I have no rivalry with Fernando or anyone else. I see our whole staff as being an ace. On any given night any one of us can shut down a team for nine innings.

“Fernando is such a media child, I’ve never seen myself replacing him in the media or fan sense. Maybe in a statistical or baseball way, but Fernando is such an outstanding person and there is such an aura around him, I don’t think anyone can replace him, especially a plain, home grown guy from mid-America like myself.”

The advent of the All-Star contract bonus has turned the selection of the NL and AL squads into an annual controversy. The decisions made by John McNamara and Davey Johnson during the past week were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, making an All-Star snub a pain in the wallet for many.

To this, Rickey Henderson offers a solution.

“If a guy doesn’t make it and the club feels he should,” Henderson said, “he should get his bonus anyway.”

Expect the owners to unanimously adopt that policy any second now.

Next to the juiced-up baseball, the basebrawl was the most popular topic of discussion around the batting cage.

Said Dave Winfield: “This is my 15th year. I’ve been hit (by pitches) 13 times, I’ve had a half a dozen fights. That’s the ugly part of baseball.”

Said Sutcliffe: “Maybe they should use the hockey format. Put the bat down, put the gloves down and let ‘em go at it. When the first guy falls, then everybody can go back to their positions.”