Baseball : Some of Game’s Most Difficult Stains Remain--on Its Bib

Pete Rose was rightfully suspended for acts that stained the game, to use the words of the late commissioner, Bart Giamatti.

What about New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who annually produces more stains than a baby with his first jar of strained carrots and often acts as if he were that age?

Consider the mindless player moves that have destroyed a once-proud tradition. Consider the constant turnover in management, the musical chairs of the front office and manager’s office.

Consider the last two weeks, during which Steinbrenner:

--Fired Manager Dallas Green, then engaged him in a war of words.

--Tipped a reporter that he had five people on his hit list and immediately got rid of two by trading Ken Phelps and forcing General Manager Syd Thrift to resign.

--Tipped another reporter that Dick Williams had called to say that he was available for any job Steinbrenner might want him for.

--Did not rule out the possibility of Billy Martin returning for a sixth tenure as manager.

--Said he might have made a mistake in promoting Bucky Dent from his Columbus farm team to replace Green.

Nice to see a little humility, at least.

“We might have rushed Bucky,” Steinbrenner said. “He’s done a good job in difficult circumstances, but he might have come up too soon.

“Maybe he needs more experience. We probably should have brought him up here and let him coach for two years and get the experience he needs.”

Steinbrenner added that Dent is “in the process of gaining that experience,” but that “there isn’t much of the season left for Bucky to learn.”

Said Dent: “I disagree with that. I’m ready. I know how to manage. I may not be ready for losing is all. I don’t like to lose.”

Some Yankees have said privately that Dent has already demonstrated that he feels the pressure inherent in managing for Steinbrenner, overworking an already beleaguered pitching staff by warming up relievers at the first sign of trouble.

And Steinbrenner refuses to relieve the pressure and uncertainty, setting up the Dick Williams story only to knock it down--slightly.

“To conclude from my conversation with Dick that he is going to be my manager is ridiculous,” Steinbrenner told Newsday.

“What happened is that Dick called me on a friendship basis, knowing I’m going through a rough siege. He told me to hang in there, not to get down . . .

“He did say that if I needed a baseball adviser, scouting done or somebody to look at minor league teams, ‘I’m there, pal.’ That was all there was to it. He never mentioned wanting to manage during the regular season again and neither did I.”

Asked then if he was eliminating the 60-year-old Williams, whom he sought to manage in 1974 and again in ‘81, he said, “I’m not making any guaranteed statements. I said Dallas Green would be my manager through the year and that didn’t happen. I’m not going to be hung by my words.”

George II: Steinbrenner has accused the media of turning the Yankees’ recent travails into a carnival, but no one can top the ringmaster himself.

Asked about the “George must go!” chants that have become routine at Yankee Stadium, Steinbrenner displayed his arrogant love of the spotlight by saying he wasn’t angry, it was the fans’ right.

“The only way you get me mad in a situation like this is ignore me,” he said. “They pay their money; they would probably boo the Pope.”

And appearing with Sam Donaldson on the ABC-TV show, “Primetime,” Steinbrenner displayed consummate bad taste when it was suggested that the New York Mets, despite the Yankee tradition, havebecome the team New Yorkers love.

“Loving in sports is winning,” Steinbrenner said. “I could play a Hitler in right field if we were winning and the fans would cheer.”

Two acquaintances of Pete Rose expressed apprehension the other day regarding his possible reinstatement and general well-being.

Said Joe Nuxhall, a former big league pitcher and longtime broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds:

“Pete is going to have to stay away from the track if he wants to be reinstated and I don’t think he can do that. This has been the story of a man who thought he could rule the world and found out he couldn’t.”

Said Dave Collins, the Cincinnati utilityman:

“This is going to be a living nightmare for Pete. He has no other outlet. All his outlets are sports-related. I don’t think he knows what he’s in for. It’s like cutting off your arms and legs.”

St. Louis Cardinal Manager Whitey Herzog found a new way to compliment and characterize first baseman Pete Guerrero, telling Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

“Pete’s like Babe Ruth. I’ve never seen a hangover bother him. He’s the best player with a hangover I’ve ever managed.”

Guerrero had 91 runs batted in and a .419 average with runners in scoring position through Thursday, and Herzog added: “I’ve never had one like him. Maybe George Brett (with Kansas City) in 1977, but I don’t see how he could have done any better than this guy.”

Manager Don Zimmer of the Chicago Cubs was one of the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Boys of Summer, which has given birth to a T-shirt that is both selling well at Wrigley Field and being worn by Chicago players. It is inscribed: “The Boys of Zimmer.”

And the Cubs have shown some of that same Brooklyn magic, registering 27 come-from-behind wins, 15 since July 20, 10 in their final at-bats.

Can they continue? Much depends on the pitching. Besides continuing problems with the fourth starting position:

--Mike Bielecki has not won since July 14 and has not gotten past the sixth inning in his last three starts.

--Rick Sutcliffe has not gotten past the fourth in his last two starts and was booed at Wrigley Field when he left after 3 1/3 innings of Wednesday’s loss to the Houston Astros.

“I can understand why they booed,” Sutcliffe said. “This is sickening. It’s tough to face your teammates. I feel horrible. You can’t eat or sleep when this happens. I’ve got to find some answers.”

If the Cubs’ Jerome Walton and Dwight Smith finish 1-2 in the balloting for rookie of the year, it will be the fifth time that teammates have finished on top. The others:

--1957, Ed Bouchee and Jack Sanford of the Philadelphia Phillies.

--1963, Gary Peters and Pete Ward of the Chicago White Sox.

--1975, Fred Lynn and Jim Rice of the Boston Red Sox.

--1984, Alvin Davis and Mark Langston of the Seattle Mariners.

Dwight Gooden, reactivated from the New York Mets’ disabled list Saturday after recovering from a shoulder strain, threw batting practice at Dodger Stadium Tuesday for the first time since July 1 and was disappointed that neither Frank Cashen, the club president, nor manager Davey Johnson was on hand to watch.

“Davey hasn’t seen me throw since I’ve been hurt and that’s not right,” Gooden said.

Said Johnson: “I’m not going to go out there and watch him every time he throws. This is only one step he has to go through. I want to see the finished product.”

Met catcher Mackey Sasser left Los Angeles having started only four games in the last two weeks. Sasser went seven for 12 in those four starts and said: “I’m at least glad they’re playing me on days I’m hot.”

Don Carman of the Phillies is 4-14 and unhappy that he has shuttled between the rotation and bullpen since May, when he was demoted after giving up 12 earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of consecutive starts.

“I was 1-6 but I had a pretty good ERA (4.06),” Carman said with a straight face. “Then I had two bad games and you would have thought I was a bad pitcher or something.”

Or something?

Bobby Witt seemed to be coming on during the second half of last season, making the same strides that a young fireballer named Nolan Ryan once had in his battle with wildness.

Witt was 8-5 and pitched 12 complete games in his last 16 starts of 1988. But he is now 10-12, leads the American League in walks and earned runs allowed, and has seen his Texas Rangers lose six of his last seven starts.

Manager Bobby Valentine, exasperated when Witt was unable to hold a 3-1 lead in Minnesota Thursday night, said it’s time Witt learned to pitch.

And when asked if a strong September was important for Witt, Valentine shook his head and said, “What for? So he can put together some numbers for his agent to take to arbitration?”

If it’s August, Bo Jackson’s mind must be on football. The Kansas City Royals’ outfielder batted .149 in August 1987, .218 in August 1988 and .210 in August this year.