He Kept Out of Trouble When Reggie Got Him Into Ballpark

Oakland Athletic right-hander Dave Stewart told Tim Kurkjian of the Baltimore Sun how he became an A’s fan: “I was a Giants fan for 10 years, from ’62 to ‘72, until my dad died. To him, the Giants were the only team in town. But after he died, I started going to A’s games, mainly because it was closer than Candlestick Park. And it was cheaper to get into A’s games: We just hopped the fence. That’s how I met Reggie (Jackson).

“I got caught laying out in the seats in right field. Reggie told me I could get in trouble doing that. He said if I wanted some tickets, he said he would give them to me. So me and my cousins went to games.”

After games, Stewart said: “Reggie would drop me off at my house to make sure I got there safely. Reggie was really good with kids. He treated me like a human being. I think that’s a reason why I’m like I am with kids now. He was different.”

Add Kurkjian: “When told Dodger pitcher Orel Hershiser said this season that Mike Scott of the Houston Astros might scuff baseballs, Oakland Manager Tony La Russa said: “Hershiser should be ashamed of himself for saying that. We had our doubts about him last year (during the World Series).”

Add La Russa: On the significance of Bay’s Ball: “We’re not playing this thing for bragging rights in the Bay Area. If we win it, we’ll have bragging rights for the whole world. That’s what we’re here for.”

Trivia time: Who is the only player with 50 or more extra-base hits in the last eight seasons?

They don’t want to hear it: When NBC’s Bob Costas arrived at Toronto’s SkyDome for Game 3 of the American League playoffs, 50,000 Bob Costas cardboard masks were being handed to fans. On the back of the mask was a Costas quote: “Elvis has a better chance of coming back than the Jays.”

Even though Costas was referring to the Blue Jays’ chances of overcoming a four-run deficit in Game 1, Torontonians hit the roof. CBS Radio’s Jack Buck on announcer-bashing, as quoted by Norman Chad of the Washington Post: “When a team goes bad, they blame the announcer. When the game’s 9-1 and your team is losing and the announcer says they’re out of it, then they want to kill the messenger.

“And when the wave gets started, it’s tough to swim.”

Add broadcasters: ABC’s Al Michaels told Ray Frager of the Baltimore Sun that the most exciting game he ever worked was Game 5 of the 1986 American League playoffs between the Angels and the Boston Red Sox. That was when Dave Henderson hit a home run off Donnie Moore and saved the Red Sox, who were one strike from elimination.

“It was the single greatest game I’ve ever witnessed,” Michaels said. “I kind of walked away from Anaheim Stadium saying, ‘This was what you’ve been waiting for.’ ”

Blowing off steam: What prompted Minnesota Twin Manager Tom Kelly’s clubhouse tirade Sept. 23? Kelly says he was served with divorce papers at the Metrodome that morning. “Whether it had anything to do with it (the tirade) or not I don’t know. It’s not an excuse for losing my composure,” Kelly said.

The papers from Kelly’s wife, Mary, were delivered to the Metrodome at 8:15 a.m. His tirade occurred later that day after a 5-3 victory over the Oakland Athletics when Star Tribune reporter Dennis Brackin remarked that the team’s young pitchers seemed to be struggling.

“Well, that’s your opinion (that) the young pitchers have struggled,” Kelly said. “I don’t think they’ve struggled. . . . You think they’re going to be supermen, these young kids?”

Kelly then shouted profanities, announced, “End of story,” and stormed out of his office into the clubhouse, where he threw at least two chairs.

“It’s not professional. I should have handled it a little better,” Kelly said.

The Fitchburg State watch: The Falcons forced five interceptions and three fumbles as they ended the nation’s longest college losing streak at 36 games with a 33-7 victory over Southeastern Massachusetts Saturday at Fitchburg, Mass.

Trivia answer: Tom Brunansky of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Quotebook: Former Baltimore Oriole great Brooks Robinson on the senior baseball league, which opens training camp in Florida today: “I believe there are a bunch of orthopedic surgeons behind this league, if you want to know the truth.”