Baseball : Angels’ Comments About Pitching Inside Irritate Boone

So Doug Rader and Lance Parrish are saying that one reason for the Angels’ sudden and surprising pitching improvement is an emphasis on pitching inside, implying that former catcher Bob Boone didn’t work the inside of the plate.

Before the Angels choke on their first-stage smug alert, before their pitchers have to face someone besides the Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics without Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, let’s test our memory:

--Didn’t Mike Witt win 18 games with Bob Boone behind the plate in 1986, then 16 more in 1987? The same Mike Witt whose former pitching coach, Tom Morgan, gave up in exasperation over Witt’s lack of consistency and concentration?

--Didn’t Kirk McCaskill, in his first full season, win 17 games with Bob Boone behind the plate in 1986? The same Kirk McCaskill who started only 26 games in 1987 and ’88 because of injuries?

--Didn’t Bob Boone help nurse nine victories out of Chuck Finley, in only his fourth pro season and first as a starter, last year, and 12 more out of a force-fed Willie Fraser, also in only his fourth pro season? The same Willie Fraser who has been moved out of the Angel rotation?

Bob Boone didn’t call inside pitches? Aren’t people forgetting who he was working with and the often difficult circumstances involved?

“To say that the difference between last year’s rotation and this year’s is that they’re now pitching inside is not even close,” Boone said from Boston, where his Kansas City Royals are playing a weekend series.

“It’s so far from the truth as to be ridiculous and almost undeserving of a comment,” the six-time Gold Glove winner said.

“Last year we were starting Fraser and Dan Petry. We didn’t have Kirk McCaskill because he was hurt. We didn’t have Bert Blyleven throwing back-to-back shutouts. We didn’t have the same Mike Witt because he went the whole year without a curveball.

“Do I believe you have to pitch inside? Of course. When Chuck Finley becomes a star it will be because he throws inside. But last year he couldn’t get it there. Do I force the ball inside or go with what can get him through the game?

“The object is to win, and you have to operate within a pitcher’s ability. There are a lot of variables that go into calling a game.

“It’s just irritating to hear a pitcher say (as Finley and McCaskill did the other day) that one of the reasons he’s winning now is because he throws inside. I’ve always told my pitchers, ‘It’s your ball, throw it where you want.’

“And for someone to say (as Rader and bullpen coach Joe Coleman did) that I didn’t call inside pitches because I preferred the ball out away from me as a hitter and that stuck with me when I called pitches . . . well, that’s B.S. That’s not worth a comment.”

The Texas Rangers’ 12-2 start through Thursday was the best in the American League West since the A’s opened the 1981 season 11-0.

Said left fielder Pete Incaviglia: “There’s an arrogance in the air. The attitude is that we just don’t think we’ve got a winner, we believe it and we believe we can prove it.”

Cautioned Manager Tom Trebelhorn, whose Milwaukee Brewers finished third in the AL East after opening the 1987 season with 13 straight wins: “Fourteen games does not a season make.”

On his approval as new owner of the Rangers, George Bush Jr. said: “I finally won an election on my own. It’s the first time the Bush family ever won an election by unanimous vote.”

Booed by Metrodome fans and booed even when he took his family to the circus, Frank Viola finally capitulated and accepted the Minnesota Twins’ three-year, $7.9-million offer, the same as Orel Hershiser received from the Dodgers.

Now what do the Twins give Kent Hrbek and Jeff Reardon, who can become free agents after this season, and Kirby Puckett and Gary Gaetti, who can leave after 1990?

Then there’s Allan Anderson, who has a 15-3 record and 1.77 earned-run average since July 1, a span in which Viola is 12-8 with a 3.66 ERA. Anderson is also represented by Craig Fenech, whose hard-line approach on behalf of Viola led Minnesota General Manager Andy MacPhail to turn the negotiations over to owner Carl Pohlad.

That was something of a tainted record set by Kevin Elster of the New York Mets Wednesday night.

Elster set a major league mark for shortstops by playing in 73 games without an error. He appeared in 60 of those 73 last year and 15 were non-starts, meaning he played only an inning or two as a defensive replacement.

Elster handled only 240 chances in the 73 games. Ed Brinkman, who held the record at 72 games, handled 331 chances.

And Buddy Kerr, the previous National League record-holder at 68 games, handled far more than either Elster or Brinkman--383.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have already put six players on the disabled list after putting only seven on all least year. Said Andy Van Slyke, sidelined by a pulled rib muscle:

“You blow out one tire and you put on the spare. Blow out three and that’s a different thing. We don’t carry that many in the trunk.”

With two relief appearances against the Dodgers this week and 1,021 for his career, Kent Tekulve, now with the Cincinnati Reds, replaced Hoyt Wilhelm, who made 1,018, as the all-time leader.

Describing Tekulve, who is 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, his new manager, Pete Rose, said: “He looks like a professional blood donor.”

And of Rob Dibble, who angered the Dodgers by throwing a pitch behind Willie Randolph’s head, Rose said: “I wouldn’t charge the mound against Dibble. He’s 6-4 and looks like he’s mad even when he smiles.”

A postponement in Cleveland the other day prompted the Boston Red Sox to move Dennis (Oil Can) Boyd back a day to keep Roger Clemens on schedule.

Boyd, 0-1 with an 11.25 ERA at the time, responded with one of his typical orations.

He said he wouldn’t play second fiddle to anybody, his concern is for himself and not the club, that he can’t control the weather--”I’m not God, man”--and that Manager Joe Morgan doesn’t care for him as a person, that he and the manager are a bad mixture.

Morgan, who has nursed the Red Sox into first place in the American League East despite the departure of Bruce Hurst and Boyd’s ineffectiveness, seemed hurt by the remarks.

“He just blurts stuff like that out, but I don’t understand him saying he has problems with me,” Morgan said.

“He came up to me last week and said he wanted to get to know me better as a manager and we stood out in the outfield one day talking for 20 minutes.”

Delayed a day, the Can responded with 6 1/3 shutout innings in a 6-2 victory over the Indians Thursday, his first win since Aug. 26. Any reaction?

“I ain’t doin’ no talkin,’ ” he said. “I ain’t doin’ no rappin.’ ”

The New York Yankees, who have stolen 27 bases and hit seven home runs this season, have recorded more steals than home runs only twice since 1920.

The departure of Jack Clark and the loss of Dave Winfield are major factors in the power shortage. Then, too:

--Third basemen Mike Pagliarulo, Tom Brookens and Wayne Tolleson are 9 for 68 with one home run and three RBIs.

--First baseman Don Mattingly, with virtually no protection behind him, is getting little to hit. Mattingly is batting .208 and is on a pace to draw more than 90 walks. He has never had more than 56 walks in a season.

Said Syd Thrift, the new Yankee executive, of his attempts to improve the Yankees with trades:

“Nobody wants to help the Yankees. I’ve got a sore throat and cold just from spending two weeks on the phone talking to those clowns (other general managers).

“I think when it comes to trading, the American League is 90% air and about 2% balloon.”

Former Dodger Pedro Guerrero drove in 17 runs in the St. Louis Cardinals’ first 14 games but was 2 for 18 against left-handed pitchers despite a .307 career average against both left- and right-handers.

The obviously astute Guerrero said of southpaws: “I don’t like them. They throw with different hands.”

Informed that he is going to be the subject of a Sports Illustrated story, Chicago White Sox shortstop Ozzie Guillen said: “Are you sure they’ve got the right Ozzie?”

Tom (Flash) Gordon, the Kansas City rookie who struck out 263 batters in 185 minor league innings last year, struck out 20 in the 18 2/3 innings of his first eight appearances as the Royals’ setup man this year, but he delivered 320 pitches in the process, prompting TV analyst Tony Kubek to fear for the 21-year-old right-hander’s arm.

“I can’t believe what they’re doing to the kid’s arm,” Kubek said. “They’re ruining him. If it doesn’t catch up to him this year, it will next year.”