No Revenge : Despite Success With Yankees, Sax Sidesteps a Chance to Stab the Dodgers

There was a glow to Steve Sax as he stood by his locker in the clubhouse of the American League All-Stars Monday at Anaheim Stadium.

In his first year with the New York Yankees, his first year in a different league and an environment that has destroyed others, Sax has manufactured what he said was the best first half of an eight-year major league career.

A .282 career hitter with the Dodgers, Sax boasts a .322 average, the American League’s fifth best. He has 26 stolen bases, 34 runs batted in and an on-base percentage of .377. And in 65 at-bats as the New York leadoff hitter, most coming since the recent trade of Rickey Henderson, he is batting .400.

Selected by American League Manager Tony La Russa as the backup to starting All-Star second baseman Julio Franco, Sax obviously has reasons to glow.

He also has reasons to gloat, considering the recent problems the Dodgers have had finding an effective leadoff hitter. He refused the chance at taking shots at his former team Monday on the eve of tonight’s 60th All-Star game.

He refused to say the Dodgers had made a mistake in allowing him to leave as a free agent last winter.

He refused to express satisfaction over the Dodgers’ 40-47 record and fifth-place standing in the National League West.

He said it was a “sweet feeling” to be returning as an All-Star, but there was no “I told you so” smugness over the Dodgers’ inability to replace him in the leadoff role.

The six Dodgers who batted there in the first half’s 87 games had only 39 hits and a cumulative average of .113.

“I will never say the Dodgers made a mistake,” Sax said. “They simply made a business decision or decided they didn’t want me any more. Maybe they miss me some, but you’ve got to have the whole club contributing collectively.

“One guy doesn’t make a difference, especially when he’s not a guy who hits home runs.”

The story of Sax’s departure has been told. He claimed he was treated in an aloof manner by Fred Claire, the Dodgers’ executive vice president, and ultimately rejected a three-year, $3.5-million offer. He signed with the Yankees for three years at $4 million.

The Dodgers eventually replaced Sax at second base by signing the man Sax was replacing--former Yankee captain Willie Randolph, who became a free agent after Sax was signed.

There is more to the irony in that Randolph was also in Anaheim Monday, having been selected by Dodger and National League Manager Tom Lasorda as a backup to Ryne Sandberg.

Randolph also has reason to glow.

Now 35, Randolph, his physical stability questioned by the Yankees, is hitting .291 with an on-base percentage of .387 while used primarily as a No. 2 hitter because of his good bat control.

He has stolen 23 fewer bases than Sax, 29, but he has strengthened the defense. The Dodgers lead the league with 90 double plays. They had 72 through the same number of games last year.

“Sax provides a little more offense and a little more speed,” catcher Mike Scioscia said in the National League clubhouse Monday. “But Willie turns the double play better than anyone I’ve ever seen, is the leader of our defense and has obviously done well offensively or he wouldn’t be here.

“The fact that we haven’t had a consistent leadoff hitter is a big part of our problems on offense, but I don’t think you can focus on one thing.

“We’re leading the league in runners left on base, so we’ve had the opportunity but haven’t had the clutch hitting. I’m hitting .200 with runners on base and we’re hitting .200 as a team.

“I mean, there’s so much give and take between Willie and Steve that you can’t say losing Steve is the reason we’re in fifth place. We’d probably be in fifth if Steve was still with us. Willie has done everything asked and more.”

Said Randolph: “This is one trade that worked out for both clubs. I know Steve is having a good year and I’m happy for him. I’m proud of the fact I played for the Yankees and was part of their line of great second baseman. I saw Steve in spring training and told him, ‘Hey, carry the torch, keep it up,’ and he has.”

Randolph, in turn, has reponded to what he called his own competitive test, and he said there is pride in that as well. He is hitting 16 points better than his career average.

“I knew I had to adjust to survive. I knew I had to concentrate on each day as it came,” he said. “I’m at my best when I can focus like that and it obviously helped me get here today. I’m sure there are people puzzled by the Dodgers’ lack of attack, and it’s easy in that situation to say it would be different if so and so was still with the team, but they forget that last year the Dodgers weren’t world beaters on offense either.”

Said Sax:

“Obviously I had some ill feelings when I first left. I grew up with the Dodgers and wanted to stay. But I couldn’t beg them to sign me. They knew I had other offers and was close to signing with someone else. I don’t know how they could have misread what was happening. We gave them nine days to get back to us, but I’m not going to stand here and say they made a bad decision. I’m not going to rip the Dodgers.

“Willie is doing a great job for them, and New York has been good for my career, too. The Yankees instilled a lot of confidence in me with that deal. It was easy to feel good coming into the season. I was really motivated.”

Yankee Manager Dallas Green noted the other day that Sax has supplied the anticipated “juice and enthusiasm.”

“He didn’t come in jumping up and down and ringing bells about how great he was,” Green said. “Through his play and work habits he let people see what kind of a player he is. I think people recognize him as a special guy.”

Said Sax: “I think maybe the Dodgers were looking to change their style, to go to more of a long-ball threat, and it hasn’t worked out, but it still can. We were 10 1/2 back in ’82 and missed winning (the division) by one game. We were 11 back in ’83 and won. I want them to win. I still have a lot of friends there.”

Sax left Monday’s workout early to spend the night in his hometown of Sacramento, where he is having a house built. He is living this summer in a wooded area of Northern New Jersey and requires only half the time to reach Yankee Stadium that he needed to reach Dodger Stadium when living in Manhattan Beach.

Better yet, he has eluded the verbal barbs of Yankee owner George Steinbrenner, which is not the same as being treated in an aloof manner by Fred Claire.