All-Star Sluggers to Be Seen in a Different Light

Reggie Jackson, a 14-time All-Star and now the designated hitter of the Oakland A’s, will be a designated sitter for tonight’s 58th All-Star game.

Jackson will spend the afternoon in South San Francisco, supervising some restorative work on one of the cars in his vast collection, then retreat to his Carmel home to watch the game via TV.

And if traffic delays his arrival in Carmel? No problem.

Jackson said he doesn’t figure to miss anything.

“There’s no sense watching the first few innings anyway,” Jackson said. “None of the players will be able to see. Nothing will happen. It will be the same as it was at Candlestick.

“There could be some home runs hit because the ball flies out of Oakland during the day, but there’s not going to be any three- or four-hit innings.”

Tonight’s game is scheduled to start amid the twilight shadows at 5:30.

The 1984 game at Candlestick Park across the Bay saw the National League win, 3-1, and featured two strikeout records. Fernando Valenzuela and Dwight Gooden combined to strike out six in a row at one point and the two teams totaled 21. Exciting stuff.

Now, in a year in which the ball is considered combustible, with both leagues headed for home run records, will the made-for-TV starting time again defuse the potent lineups?

Said Dave Winfield, the New York Yankee right fielder:

“It’s terrible. I mean, it’s great for TV, but bad for the players.”

Winfield recalled the 1980 game at Dodger Stadium.

Scoreless through four innings as J.R. Richard, then at his intimidating best, started for the National League, the American finally lost, 4-2.

“Think about that,” Winfield said. “Here was a man throwing 90 mile per hour sliders in the shadows. The American League had no chance for three innings.”

The most famous twilight game in All-Star history and the longest ever was played at Anaheim in 1967. It took only 15 innings for the National to score two runs, one more than the American. There were 17 strikeouts, then a record.

Bill Rigney, now an A’s executive and then the manager of the Angels and an American League coach in that game, said he vividly recalled the poor hitting conditions.

Will it be any different tonight?

“It should be about the same,” Rigney said, meaning that the environment alone will present a formidable challenge for the formidable arsenals.

Then there’s the pinpoint slider of American League starter Bret Saberhagen and the renowned, uhh, forkball of the National League starter, Mike Scott.

Would the Houston ace be surprised if his alleged scuffball became a subject of controversy in what is only an exhibition game?

“Nothing surprises me as to when and where it comes up any more,” Scott said, “though it actually hasn’t been following me around since New York (when National League President A. Batlett Giamatti instructed the umpires to carry out frequent inspections of Scott and the balls he was throwing).

“Maybe,” Scott said, alluding to his recent peace, “it just means I’m not pitching as well any more.”

Could be. Scott is 10-5 overall but has a 5.61 earned-run average for the 25 innings of his last four starts and has given up four runs or more in three of those. Scott allowed four runs or more in only four of 37 starts while winning a Cy Young Award last year.

National League Manager Davey Johnson said he selected Scott to start on the basis of that overwhelming performance in ’86. Johnson and his New York Mets have consistently charged that Scott’s effectiveness stems from a scuffball.

On Monday, however, Johnson smiled and said: “He doesn’t scuff, he plays for me now. The next couple days he’s legal.”

Saberhagen is 15-3 and leads the American League with a 2.47 ERA. He was originally scheduled to make his final start of the first half Sunday, which would have prevented him from pitching tonight, but his Kansas City Royals recently moved him up a day and he made his last start Saturday, beating the Toronto Blue Jays with his 11th complete game, the major league high.

“I would normally throw today,” he said Monday, “but now I won’t. (Tuesday) should be no problem.”

He meant that in a physical context. It is yet to be determined how Saberhagen, Scott and their pitching associates cope with the assembled bombers.

The National leads the series, 36-20-1, and features a roster that includes eight players who have hit 19 or more home runs. The American League roster includes eight who have hit 17 or more.

In this summer of the loaded ball, Saberhagen doesn’t believe the shadows are an ally. He lost a twilight game at Oakland, 4-1, this year.

“If anything,” he said, “I had trouble picking the ball up off the bat.

“That can be dangerous the way the ball travels now.”

58TH ALL-STAR GAME THE FACTS When: 5:15 p.m. (PDT) Where: Oakland Coliseum (Capacity: 50,219). Coverage: TV--NBC (Channels 4, 39); Radio--KNX 1070, KFMB 760. Series: National League leads the series, 36-20-1. Last year: The American League won, 3-2, with Boston’s Roger Clemens winning the Most Valuable Player award. STARTING LINEUPS NATIONAL

Player Team Pos. Davis Cin lf Sandberg Chi 2b Dawson Chi cf Schmidt Phil 3b Clark StL 1b Strawberry NY rf Carter NY c Smith StL ss Scott Hou p

AMERICAN

Player Team Pos. Henderson NY cf Mattingly NY 1b Boggs Bos 3b Bell Tor lf Winfield NY rf Ripken Bal ss Kennedy Bal c Randolph NY 2b Saberhagen KC p