NAMES & NUMBERS

The Flip Side: All those million-dollar contracts, common among players now, paint a glamorous picture, but it’s not always that way for others in the industry.

Bruce (Jeter) Hines began his career with the Angels as a $13,000-a-year scout almost 10 years ago, stayed with the organization in the low-paying positions of rookie league manager and roving defense instructor, then made it to the majors at the start of this season as a coach under then-manager Doug Rader, bringing fresh enthusiasm.

Hines has been told by new Manager Buck Rodgers that he won’t be retained. He’s out of a job and the organization. It’s no knock at Rodgers. A new administration comes with a new staff--that’s the way it is--but it’s still a painful lesson in loyalty for Hines, whose solace is that several players have asked Rodgers to reconsider. That isn’t expected to happen, but it will help the resume.

Flip Side II: Norm Sherry, the pitching coach of the San Francisco Giants and longtime friend of Manager Roger Craig, was stung Wednesday when Craig informed him he was being fired, along with coach Bill Fahey, who may be replaced by Don Zimmer, another longtime friend of Craig.

Craig is his own pitching coach, but it’s hard to believe that he could make Sherry appear to be the scapegoat for the inadequacies of an often recycled and frequently injured pitching staff. The Giants used 26 pitchers in 1990 and 17 more this season.

“I can’t be bitter,” said Sherry, a former Angel manager. “I’ve been fired before.”

Will clinching early hurt the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League playoffs? “Baloney,” Manager Jim Leyland said, and recent history supports him.

The Oakland Athletics, the first division winner to clinch in 1988, ’89 and ‘90, had a 12-1 record in the American League playoffs.

“We’ve had time to get the pitching in order,” Leyland said. “I’d rather clinch it with two weeks to go than on the final day and start the playoffs scrambling to put the pitching staff together.”

Eight managers were fired during the season, and four more end it in jeopardy: Jim Lefebvre of the Seattle Mariners, Stump Merrill of the New York Yankees, Tom Trebelhorn of the Milwaukee Brewers and Jim Essian of the Chicago Cubs, who may be replaced by General Manager Jim Frey.

Lefebvre is rumored to be receiving consideration by the New York Mets as a successor to Bud Harrelson, along with Chicago White Sox Manager Jeff Torborg, Oakland coaches Dave Duncan and Rene Lachemann and former Angel manager Rader.

Don Baylor or Gene Tenace, interim manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, could succeed Trebelhorn, if he is fired by the Brewers. Tenace’s candidacy would be enhanced if his former A’s teammate, Sal Bando, replaces General Manager Harry Dalton, as expected.

Dalton has two years remaining on his contract, but sources say he and owner Bud Selig no longer are communicating, with Selig at the stadium full time and active in every decision since selling his car agency.

Frank Cashen had been expected to yield his position as Met general manager after the 1992 season but was reportedly persuaded by team owners to move it up a year.

Cashen had a successful tenure, but the firing of Dave Johnson in favor of Harrelson proved to be a major mistake, and Cashen created internal rumblings by departing on in-season vacations the last two years, paralyzing front-office associates who were forced to locate him before making routine moves.

This year, for example, Cashen had to be phoned in Ireland before Vince Coleman could be put on the disabled list. Faced with rebuilding, the club’s owners persuaded Cashen that this would be a good time to hand the reins to Al Harazin, a business specialist who will be assisted on the baseball side by highly regarded Gerry Hunsicker.

Scott Sanderson, a free agent who returned dividends, worked 208 innings--the only Yankee pitcher with more than 120--and was 16-10, which represents the most victories by a pitcher on the club since Rick Rhoden had the same record in 1987.

But Sanderson said: “It’s hard to feel positive about this season. I think this team, for whatever reason, has gotten comfortable with losing.”