Baseball : Winfield Expects to Play 6 More Years, but Not as Yankee

The April release of Dave Winfield’s autobiography, said to spoof and sting George Steinbrenner, will coincide with what could be the beginning of his last chapter as a New York Yankee.

The guaranteed portion of Winfield’s 10-year contract ends after this season. The Yankees can buy out the two remaining option years for about $1.9 million, a saving to the club of more than $2 million.

The Yankees have made recent attempts to trade Winfield. It would not be surprising if they do not invite him back. Winfield said he will only be surprised if he is not playing somewhere.

“I can still outplay 99% of the players in the game, and I will continue to do that,” he said after a recent workout.

“Am I worried that it’s my last year here or in baseball? Not at all, and I’m not bragging. Those are the facts.”

Winfield will turn 37 the day after the season ends. He hit .250 with 7 home runs and 29 runs batted in during the second half of last season. His 50 extra-base hits were his fewest since 1976.

It is expected that in the new and potent Yankee lineup, Winfield will bat no higher than fifth. Manager Billy Martin has already discussed the possibilities with him. Winfield said he assured Martin that he will do anything asked of him.

Winfield also said:

“I feel like I’m 26 or 27, no different. I guarantee that I’ll play another six years, barring injury. I’d like my kids to see me play, and I’d like to win a few championships.”

The record shows that Martin has been hired five times and fired four times as manager of the Yankees, but Martin said he wasn’t fired in July 1978, when Bob Lemon took over and led the Yankees to a third straight American League pennant.

“George didn’t fire me,” Martin said of club owner George Steinbrenner. “I resigned. Reggie Jackson’s actions were bothering me so much, I couldn’t sleep at night. He was interfering with things I was trying to do on the club. I asked out.”

A Jan. 13 story from the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison, Wis., is tacked to the bulletin board in the Yankee clubhouse.

The story quotes Dan Plesac, Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher, ripping the Yankees in a variety of ways.

On pitcher Richard Dotson, acquired from the Chicago White Sox during the winter: “He’s a .500 pitcher who’s hurt a lot.”

On Jack Clark, signed as a free agent: “Jack Clark is not going to win you a division championship. What wins divisions is what happens 60 feet 6 inches from the plate.”

Plesac said there are bound to be the inevitable personality clashes among the Yankees, then added: “If I ever did end up in New York, they’d sure have a great team.”

Yankee outfielder Gary Ward scanned the article and said: “I have to know what he said so that when I hit him upside his head I can tell him why. He’s not that good to be saying this stuff. All he’s got is a straight fastball.”

Rickey Horton, traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the White Sox recently, has made 158 pitching appearances in the last three years, only 18 as a starter.

But Horton will start Chicago’s season opener April 4 against the Angels as a member of Jim Fregosi’s redesigned rotation. Gone are the high-salaried Dotson and Floyd Bannister, along with Jose DeLeon, who was traded to St. Louis in the Horton deal.

Those three pitched 646 innings last year and registered 38 of the White Sox’s 77 wins.

Of the 16 pitchers in Chicago’s camp, only 4 were there last year at this time, and the new rotation averages just 24.8 years old.

Besides Horton, it includes Dave LaPoint, Jack McDowell, Melido Perez and Joel Davis and is known as Anonymity, Inc.

Dotson, Bannister and LaMarr Hoyt were a combined 62-27 for Tony LaRussa’s Western Division-winning White Sox of 1983, but of his Oakland Athletics staff, led by Bob Welch, Curt Young and Dave Stewart, LaRussa says, “My expectations for this staff are as high as for any I’ve ever had.”

Night ball at Wrigley Field?

“It’ll be strange,” New York Mets Manager Davey Johnson said. “But it will probably keep some of my players out of trouble.”

The one Chicago Cub who isn’t happy about it is the most important Cub, Andre Dawson. Dawson was willing to take that $500,000 contract from the Cubs last year because of his fondness for day ball, which he demonstrated again during his MVP season.

Dawson hit .315 with 35 homers and 94 runs batted in during day games and .238 with 14 homers and 43 RBIs at night.

Cub ace Rick Sutcliffe will attempt to make it through the season with a bone spur in his left heel.

“It’s like having a rock in your shoe 24 hours a day,” Sutcliffe said. He added, however, that he does not intend to have it removed until the season is over.

“Whatever is best for the club,” Keith Hernandez said when notified that Gary Carter will be the Mets’ co-captain this year. Hernandez, however, was not thought to be happy about it and will protest by having the “C” removed from his uniform this year. In fact, his nose was definitely out of joint, having been broken in batting practice earlier in the day.

Dwight Gooden, the Mets’ Doctor K, said he wants public address announcers to refer to him as Doc Gooden in the hope that it will become an accepted moniker, allowing him to sign autographs faster.

The spring work of Bob Ojeda, who was limited to 10 appearances last year, has left the Mets both delighted and relieved. Ojeda, 18-5 in ‘86, had surgery for bone chips on his elbow and repositioning of the ulna nerve.

“This is the first time in 20 years I don’t hurt at all,” he said.

Met center fielder Lenny Dykstra, now at 186 pounds, has added 21 though weightlifting and is being called Lenny Hulkstra.

Jeff Sellers, who has yet to fulfill his promise with the Boston Red Sox, has a new mentor. Roger Clemens has taken Sellers under his wing.

“He has as much natural ability as I do and a better slider,” Clemens said.

Said Sellers: “That’s nice, but has he gone crazy?”

Boston Red Sox pitcher Dennis (Oil Can) Can Boyd’s name for his infant son: Baby Oil.

Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts breezed through the Boston camp Wednesday, probably losing the vote of Wade Boggs when he hugged scout and instructor Frank Malzone and said: “You’re the best third baseman we’ve ever had, Frank.”

Cardinal catcher Tony Pena, who hit .214 during the season, then put on glasses and batted .381 in the playoffs and .409 in the World Series, will continue to wear the specs.

“After I put on the glasses, it was like I had been in the dark and came out in the clear,” Pena said.

The Cardinals’ Vince Coleman, who stole 109 bases last season, stole third 22 times. Only 21 major leaguers stole more than 22 bases.

The addition of Ray Knight, 35, leaves virtually no doubt that the Detroit Tigers are baseball’s oldest team. Of the 24 players expected to make the Tigers’ opening roster, 13 are 30 or older and 8 are 33 or older.

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ roster, by contrast, averages 3.2 years of major league experience and the combined hit total of all the players with major league experience is 2,946, still shy of Roberto Clemente’s 3,000.

Moving words by Bob Uecker, who gave the eulogy at Harvey Kuenn’s funeral. Citing Kuenn’s recent physical battles, including open heart surgery, stomach surgery and the amputation of a leg, Uecker said:

“The last couple years Harvey lived with a 3-and-2 count on him, but every time they tried to slip one by him on the corner, he fouled it off. To get one by Harvey looking, they must have wanted him awfully bad.”

Now general manager of the Cleveland Indians, Hank Peters was fired from a similar capacity with the Baltimore Orioles last winter. Owner Edward Bennett Williams cited the deterioration of the Orioles’ farm system as one factor.

The Orioles, however, may open the season with four farm products having less than a year of major league experience in their regular lineup. They are second baseman Billy Ripken, third baseman Craig Worthington, center fielder Ken Gerhart and left fielder Pete Stanicek.

“I don’t feel redeemed because I don’t think I had anything to be redeemed of,” Peters said. “I valued my opinion more than the non-professionals.”