NOTES : Piniella Is Haunted by Yankee Memories

Manager Lou Piniella, joking Sunday before the Cincinnati Reds’ workout, was recounting stories ranging from his high school days as a basketball player in Tampa, to walking Schottzie around the streets of Cincinnati, when the questioning started.

The smile disappeared from his face. His eyes started to burn with rage. His voice rose a couple of octaves.

The questions dealt with Rickey Henderson, the Oakland Athletics’ leadoff hitter, who is expected to provide more than enough problems on the field and was causing difficulty before the first pitch of the World Series.

Henderson, who played 1 1/2 seasons for Piniella in New York, spent his off-day criticizing his former manager, particularly the way he was treated in 1987. Piniella was asked to respond.

“I’ve got a good relationship with Rickey,” Piniella said. “He played hard for me. He’s a good player. But we had that one problem that was caused upstairs, and that’s where problems usually were caused, upstairs.

“I said it then, and I’ll say it now, I’m very protective of my players. I don’t play players when I feel like it could damage their careers. I don’t pitch pitchers that way.

“And in this case here, it happened, and I’m sorry it happened. That’s all I want to say about it.”

A reporter then tried to ask another question concerning Henderson. Piniella yelled, “I said that’s enough!” He then said, “No, let’s just talk baseball . . . can we please just start talking baseball? Let’s don’t start something before we even get going. Please, I’m asking you.”

Henderson twice went on the disabled list because of an injured hamstring that later was found to be torn in 1987, but there was constant pressure to force Henderson back. It reached a point that George Steinbrenner, Yankee majority owner, issued a statement in which he quoted Piniella as saying that Henderson was “jaking it,” recommending a trade.

“It was the worst thing that happened to me in my career,” Henderson was quoted as saying in published reports Sunday. “It was hard for me to forgive him at the time . . . It hurt me when Lou told some reporters to go ask Rickey when is he going to play. That showed me he’s not protecting me.”

Yes, Cincinnati catcher Joe Oliver has seen the antacid commercial featuring a worried catcher studying film of Henderson.

“Every time I turned around today,” Oliver said, “someone was asking me about it. I’m going to go home now and watch some football games. I figure the first thing I’ll see is that stupid commercial.”

Eric Davis, the Reds’ left fielder, on being frequently booed by the fans in Cincinnati: “I don’t think I’ve ever been accepted by the fans here. Certainly, I’ve never been at ease with them.

“But I’m not going to go out (and) wear jeans and cowboy boots to be accepted and be one of them. I’m not going to change. I’m not Pete Rose or Johnny Bench or part of the Big Red Machine. I’m just me.

“Besides, I’ve learned a long time ago, you’re only as good as your last at-bat, and no one will ever convince me differently.”

Piniella sat behind his desk sorting telegrams Sunday when one caught his attention.

It was from Steinbrenner:

“Good luck, Lou.

“You’ve played it before.”

“Play it like Fenway, ’78.”

It was in, 1978, of course, when the Yankees battled back from a 14-game deficit, forced a one-game playoff with Boston and won on Bucky Dent’s home run into the netting atop the Green Monster.

Rob Dibble and Jose Rijo, two of the most outspoken Reds, struck a deal Sunday by which they said that neither will talk with reporters during the World Series.

“Too much has been made out of what I’ve been saying, and the same with Jose,” Dibble said. “So neither of us will speak during the Series.”

There was a bottle of champagne awaiting each of the Red players, coaches and staff, compliments of owner Marge Schott, when they arrived Sunday at the stadium. Each of their names was listed on the label that read: Cincinnati Reds, 1990 Western Division Champions.

There was one name missing from the list, however: Bob Quinn, the general manager.

“Oh well,” Quinn said, “I don’t need that to get any satisfaction. The satisfaction is being where we are. And there’s also a tinge of satisfaction leaving New York and doing this.

“George (Steinbrenner) said that I couldn’t pull the trigger on trades. Well, we pulled five since I got here, and we did just fine here, didn’t we?”

Jose Canseco’s injured finger hurt so much during the American League playoffs that he would not have played had it been earlier in the season.

“If it were the regular season, he would probably have been out of the lineup,” Oakland batting coach Merv Rettenmund told the Associated Press.

Canseco took batting practice for the first time Sunday since coming out of Game 4 Wednesday after striking out in the fifth inning. He hit the first pitch over the left-field wall.

“I was seeing the ball real good,” Canseco said. “I was a little bit late. But my hand felt good.”

Danny Jackson, who had the lowest earned-run average (2.38) among Red starters in the playoffs, probably will be moved into the No. 2 spot ahead of Tom Browning, Piniella said. “This will keep Jackson on normal five days rest,” Piniella said.