A Religious Compromise Is Upsetting to Correa

Texas Rangers pitcher Edwin Correa says his desire to stay with the team may waver if he is not allowed to observe his religion’s Sabbath.

Ranger Manager Bobby Valentine excused Correa, a Seventh Day Adventist, from 5 p.m. Friday to 5 p.m. Saturday last season in respect for the pitcher’s religious beliefs.

But Valentine may ask Correa to agree to a compromise in the arrangement during the 1988 season, his third in professional baseball. Valentine would like Correa to be available at least for the six Friday nights and Saturdays that he is scheduled to start, the Dallas Times Herald reported.

Correa said he is distressed by the idea.

“That’s not negotiable,” Correa said. “It’s something they gave me, and it would look awful if they took it away from me. That’s not money. You can’t take 20% off. It’s in me.”

“I have never veered in my respect and belief in Edwin’s convictions,” Valentine said. “No one has. I am no less aware of his beliefs this year than I was last year. But (the situation) is less comfortable than I thought it would be.”

Ranger General Manager Tom Grieve said options have been discussed, but that any change in Correa’s schedule would come from Valentine.

“It seems premature to talk about it when Eddie and I haven’t discussed it,” Valentine told the Associated Press.