WORLD SERIES NOTEBOOK : Mitchell Misses Giants’ Workout, and That’s a Fine With Craig

Kevin Mitchell failed to show for the San Francisco Giants’ first pre-World Series workout Wednesday and Manager Roger Craig said he will hit his slugging left fielder with a stiff fine.

The Giants were given a day off after winning the National League pennant Monday in Game 5 against the Chicago Cubs, and Craig called a mandatory team workout at Candlestick Park Wednesday afternoon.

Mitchell was the only no-show.

“Sure I’m upset,” Craig said. “I made an announcement before the whole ballclub about the workout, that he said he didn’t know about.”

Mitchell was at his home in San Diego, Craig said, and was expected back Wednesday night.

The Giants open the World Series in Oakland against the Athletics on Saturday.

Craig said one reason he was upset was that Mitchell, who led the major leagues with 47 homers this season, never asked for permission to go home.

Craig said several players were disappointed in Mitchell’s absence and expected the club to take disciplinary action.

“If I let one player get away with something, then other players can do it,” Craig said. “As bad as I hate to do it at this time of the year, something had to be done.”

Mitchell left a message on Craig’s answering machine Tuesday night after apparently learning of the Wednesday practice from hitting coach Dusty Baker.

Craig said he is not a strict manager but has two steadfast rules: no drinking on the team plane, and show up on time.

Some ticket brokers think the World Series between San Francisco and Oakland is too local for their pocketbooks and fear the out-of-town money tap will go dry.

Having two Bay Area teams in the series “is kind of bad, because you don’t get people from out of town,” said Rod Hudson of the Omni Ticket Agency of San Francisco. He said tourists usually take the first reasonable offer they receive, compared to local fans who shop around for lower prices.

“We are getting buyers from surrounding cities in Northern California,” Hudson said Wednesday. “But that’s not really ‘out-of-town.’ ”

Regarding Northern California interest, telephone company officials note that about 2.1 million callers hoping to buy tickets disrupted telephone service for two hours in communities throughout the northern part of the state.

The callers were seeking 4,000 tickets that went on sale at 9 a.m. for the three Giants’ home games at Candlestick Park. On Monday, a smaller number of tickets for the Oakland Athletics’ home games at the Oakland Coliseum were bought in 1 1/2 hours.

Will the buying frenzy last?

“No matter how big of a baseball fan they are, how many games are they going to go to,” asked Jerry Adelman of Murray’s Tickets in San Francisco. “Three, four?”

But for now, brokers are finding it hard to keep up with demand.

“My desk is loaded with work,” said Joan Gordon, owner of the San Jose Box Office, where tickets for both the A’s and Giants start at $225 per game in the outfield.

When Dave Parker isn’t hitting big home runs for the Oakland Athletics, he’s cracking jokes.

Parker has become the venerable leader of the A’s and he loves the role.

“The main element for this club has been Dave Parker,” pitcher Dave Stewart said. “He’s done it all as far as I’m concerned.”

The A’s worked out Wednesday at the Oakland Coliseum.

The A’s gathered down the left-field line for some stretching exercises, and Parker stood in the middle observing, yelling instructions and laughing.

Parker has weathered 17 major leagues seasons despite injuries and personal problems.

Parker played for three division winners and a World Series champion in 1979 with Pittsburgh. But Parker was implicated with drugs and his relationship with the Pirates’ family soured to the point he no longer wears his World Series ring.

He came to the A’s from Cincinnati before the 1988 season and hit 12 homers and drove in 55 runs.

This season, Jose Canseco missed half the season with a wrist injury and Parker came through in a big way with 22 homers and 97 RBIs.

He entered the playoffs against Toronto 21 for 86 in postseason play with no homers and only six RBIs. But Parker hit two homers against the Toronto Blue Jays as the A’s won the pennant in five games.

“It’s still fun,” said Parker, who has made some enemies along the way. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t.

“I have a big house in Cincinnati and two kids. There are a lot of things I miss.”

Parker, 38, is in the final year of a four-year contract.

“We’ve had some preliminary talks,” Parker said. “I want a two-year contract as a designated hitter, emergency outfielder, emergency infielder.”

Parker says one of the reasons he enjoys playing baseball again is A’s Manager Tony La Russa.

“He’s the best in the business and the manager of the ‘90s,” Parker said. “He’s always prepared.”

Parker doesn’t get too upset about wins or losses, he’s been around too long.

Last year, the A’s lost the World Series in five games to Los Angeles and Parker went three for 15.

“The Dodgers played great last year,” Parker said. “They got timely hits, the pitching and double plays when they needed it. It was their time.

“It doesn’t bother me, but you think about it.”

He thinks it will be different this time.

“This is the best team I’ve ever played for,” Parker said. “I have all the respect for the Giants, but when we’re playing our best nobody can beat us.”

Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey saw the San Francisco Giants win the pennant, again.

Before San Francisco’s victory over the Chicago Cubs on Monday, the Giants’ only other pennant since moving from New York in 1958 came in 1962.

Giant fans in the Bay area still talk about ’62. Mostly because San Francisco beat Los Angeles in a three-game playoff to get into the World Series.

“I first came here in 1959 and the city was just getting used to having a team,” said McCovey, a member of the Hall of Fame.

“There were people at the opera with transitors, at the supermarkets.”

The Giants played the New York Yankees in the World Series, losing in seven games.

“It was still a rivalry, but not the same as when the Giants were in New York,” said Mickey Mantle, who was only four for 23 in the ’62 Series. “It still looked strange to see Mays have San Francisco on his uniform.”

The Yankees won Game 7, 1-0, after McCovey hit a memorable line drive to second baseman Bobby Richardson with two out in the ninth inning when the Giants had the potential tying and winning runs at second and third after a double by Mays.

“Everyone thinks I made a great catch,” Richardson said. “The ball was hit right at me. It would have hit me in the face if I didn’t catch. It was pretty routine.”

After 1962, the Giants won division titles in ’71 and ’87 but lost in the playoffs.

Monday’s victory over Chicago marked the first time a title was clinched at Candlestick Park.

“In ’87 we clinched in San Diego, we won it in the clubhouse in L.A. (when Cincinnati eliminated second-place San Diego) this year,” Giant Manager Roger Craig said. “This is great for the fans of the Bay area.”

Rich Garcia of the American League and Dutch Rennert and Paul Runge of the National League, each working his third World Series, will be among the six-man umpiring crew for the series.

They will be joined by Al Clark of the American League, making his second Series appearance, and Vic Voltaggio of the AL and Eric Gregg of the NL, each working his first World Series.

Official scorers will be Phil Pepe, president of the Baseball Writers’ Assn. of America, Nick Peters of the Sacramento Bee and Chuck Dybdal of the Contra Costa Times.

Do spring training games mean anything?

The A’s won eight of nine exhibition meetings with San Francisco last spring.

Still, it should be noted that the Chicago Cubs had the worst record of any team in spring training at 9-23.

The Athletics and Giants played a Bay Bridge Series in the last three games of the exhibition season, and Oakland swept.

Oakland’s Dave Henderson was especially tough on San Francisco pitching last spring, going 12 for 23 (.522) with eight RBIs and two homers.

During the spring, the A’s held Will Clark to seven hits in 29 at-bats, but Kevin Mitchell was 12 for 23 (.522) with three homers and five RBIs.

Mark McGwire also had a big spring against the Giants, going 10 for 27 with four home runs and nine RBIs. Jose Canseco missed most of the spring with a wrist injury.