BASEBALL / ROSS NEWHAN : And, in Closing, Misery Has Plenty of Company

It was a bad week for former, current and projected closers:

--The Oakland Athletics released Dave Righetti, one-time ace of the New York Yankees’ bullpen, and the Seattle Mariners released Bobby Thigpen, the Chicago White Sox’s one-time ace.

--The Angels revised their relief plans and sent Mike Butcher to Vancouver.

--And the Florida Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals had to put Bryan Harvey and Mike Perez on their respective disabled lists.

If misery loves company, Harvey and Perez have plenty of it.

The disabled lists are already bulging with closers: John Wetteland of the Montreal Expos, Duane Ward of the Toronto Blue Jays, Rob Dibble of the Cincinnati Reds and Gregg Olson, who made his mark with the Baltimore Orioles and is now with the Atlanta Braves.

Olson is not expected to be ready until midseason, if then. Dibble is probably sidelined for the season. Ward is back throwing, but his return from biceps tendinitis is uncertain. Harvey, Perez and Wetteland are expected to return by the end of May.

Amid the overall dilution of major league pitching, age and attrition have diminished the closer ranks, reduced the percentage of converted saves from 70% in 1993 to 55% through April, tightened the trade market and seemingly spawned a new generation of closers.

At this point, only 10 teams are operating with injury-free veterans whose names are synonymous with the closer role and who remain successful in it.

They are Todd Worrell of the Dodgers, Randy Myers of the Chicago Cubs, John Franco of the New York Mets, Doug Jones of the Philadelphia Phillies, Tom Henke of the Texas Rangers, Jeff Montgomery of the Kansas City Royals, Rick Aguilera of the Minnesota Twins, Jeff Russell of the Boston Red Sox, Lee Smith of the Orioles and Mike Henneman of the Detroit Tigers.

Dennis Eckersley remains the A’s closer, but at 39 he no longer boasts his trademark control or swaggering confidence. Mitch Williams might already have worn out his welcome with the Houston Astros, who have given save opportunities to Todd Jones and Tom Edens. Goose Gossage is strictly a spectator in the Seattle bullpen. Jeff Reardon is still getting work with the Yankees, but he has to get in line now.

Roberto Hernandez of the White Sox, Xavier Hernandez of the Yankees, Ken Ryan of the Red Sox, Trevor Hoffman of the San Diego Padres, Darren Dreifort of the Dodgers, Mike Wohlers of the Braves, Rick White of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Hector Carrasco of the Reds are among relievers who figure to be the next generation of closers.

“When you lose the dominant closer, all you can do is scramble,” Montreal Manager Felipe Alou said, fortunate to have Mel Rojas as a interim replacement for Wetteland.

Similarly, set-up man Mike Jackson has helped fill the void for the Giants, starter Todd Stottlemyre has stepped into the breech with Toronto and Carrasco has virtually come from nowhere to head a Cincinnati committee successfully replacing Dibble.

At 24, Carrasco has undergone reconstructive elbow surgery, compiled an undistinguished minor league record, been released by the Mets and traded by both the Astros and Marlins. He had never pitched in competition higher than Class A, but Cincinnati Manager Davey Johnson was reminded of Roger McDowell when he saw the movement on Carrasco’s fastball in the instructional league last winter. Johnson told General Manager Jim Bowden: “He needs some work, but there’s always someone who comes out of spring training as a big surprise.”

Dibble was sidelined because of his rotator-cuff problem, and Carrasco became the surprise. He is 3-1 with two saves and a 1.13 earned-run average.

“So far, he’s shown he can handle it,” Johnson said. “Some of his previous clubs may have made a mistake using him as a starter. I’m comfortable calling on him as the closer.”

The Carrasco-led bullpen has been the key to the Reds’ strong start in the National League Central, but seldom does a mystery man step forward.

The Blue Jays, seeking their fourth consecutive title in the American League East and already in the market for a starting pitcher, know their chances of acquiring a relief pitcher are virtually nil. The hapless Twins might eventually make Aguilera available, but the price will be steep. Harvey could also become available if he returns, but that price will be even steeper. In the meantime, the Blue Jays are hoping to return Stottlemyre to the rotation and use the talented but inconsistent Mike Timlin as the closer.

“There’s nothing we can do until we know about Ward,” General Manager Pat Gillick said. “But even if he can’t pitch, it may cost too much to trade for someone because there are so few closers.”

Bowden, the Reds’ general manager, thinks there will be fewer trades now, regardless of the position involved.

“Because of realignment and the playoff system, it’s going to be increasingly difficult to make the type trade that might win a (division title) for you,” he said. “More teams know they can win, which means fewer teams will be ready to throw in the towel in midseason, concede they have no chance and trade away a veteran player for future prospects.”

MISSING EDGE

The San Francisco Giants led the National League with a .276 batting average last season and are now last at .233. They miss Will Clark, but they miss the real Barry Bonds more. Bonds is batting .227 and suspects he is trying too hard to be nice.

“I need Barry Bonds back,” he said of his nastier persona. “I don’t care if I need to call him collect, or fly him here on a Lear jet. I miss him more than anybody.”

Bonds said he got tired of reading what a bad guy he was, thought he could do it like Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan and learned he couldn’t.

“I’ve always liked being the bad guy, having the odds against me,” he said. “I know I want to be the best, and I know now I’ll have to take everything that goes with it.”

Manager Dusty Baker acknowledged that some of Bonds’ arrogance and confidence have been missing, but he thinks Bonds’ struggle is more the result of a sore shoulder and bad timing.

“He’s such a finely tuned machine,” Baker said. “If you have a Volkswagen and the timing is off, it still runs OK. If it’s a Ferrari and the timing’s off, it runs like a tractor.”

PHLOPS?

The Philadelphia Phillies left Los Angeles Wednesday night with a 1-6 record for their first West Coast trip, a 1-9 record in games determined by one run and an 8-13 overall mark compared to 16-5 through 21 games last year, when they led wire to wire in the National League East.

Manager Jim Fregosi said they have been deficient in all areas and “atrocious” on defense. General Manager Lee Thomas said his players have misplaced their priorities.

“I don’t know where this great macho attitude we’re supposed to have has gone, but it’s not there anymore,” Thomas said. “I’m disappointed with the effort. We’re waiting around to get beat.”

It doesn’t fall on only one person, but the players keep waiting for Curt Schilling (0-3) to show the intensity he did in the playoffs.

Catcher Darren Daulton, after Tuesday night’s loss to the Dodgers, glanced at Schilling and said, “I’ll tell you what stops this. When you have a starter who goes out and puts the fire out. When the No. 1 guy goes out and stops it. We need someone to step up and shut everything down. Someone who doesn’t allow the team to lose.”

TRIBE TROUBLES

If the Cleveland Indians are to sustain their promising start, they will have to overcome the loss of catcher Sandy Alomar and shortstop Omar Vizquel.

Alomar, on the disabled list for the fifth time in the last four years, is expected to sit out two or three weeks after splitting the webbing between his middle and ring fingers blocking a pitch in the dirt. He suffered the same injury two years ago.

Vizquel might sit out two months because of a sprained knee ligament suffered when he was cut down at second base by Texas catcher Ivan Rodriguez on a late slide. Many in the American League say Rodriguez takes cheap shots when the opportunity is there, and Cleveland General Manager John Hart said this one was blatant.

“He put Omar squarely in his gun sights and went out and got him,” Hart said. “He could have ended his career.”

NAMES AND NUMBERS

* BLUEBIRDS: In a four-day span starting Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals were rained out of consecutive games at Busch Stadium for the first time in the 29-year history of the synthetic field, then put three pitchers on the disabled list. Rheal Cormier has a shoulder bruise, Mike Perez a shoulder strain, and Rick Sutcliffe suffered a pulled hamstring.

Tom Urbani, who had been optioned to Louisville on Tuesday, was recalled Thursday even before he had left town. Urbani is familiar with the process.

He had four stints with the Cardinals after beginning last season at Louisville.

“Limbo is better than Purgatory,” Manager Joe Torre said of Urbani’s often in-between status.

* MOUNTAIN HIGH: The Colorado Rockies led the National League in runs, home runs and slugging percentage through Thursday, with Ellis Burks, Andres Galarraga and Dante Bichette on a pace to hit 200 home runs and drive in 485 runs. Galarraga, who set a league record for April RBIs, also aims to repeat as league batting champion, although he was down 74 points Thursday from his .370 of last season.

“I like being one of the top 10,” he said in a spring interview. “I want to see my name all the time. I don’t want to give the batting title to somebody else. I want to hit .400, but I know I can help the team more by driving in more runs.”

* ADD ROCKIES: Of his club-record 16-game hitting streak, former Angel Bichette said: “Unless you’re going to break Joe DiMaggio’s (56-game) record, who cares? Who knows who had the second-longest streak in history?”

* SABO’S LAMENT: A herniated disk that forced Chris Sabo to spend 15 days on the Cincinnati Reds’ disabled list last season and scared off some teams before he signed a $2-million contract with the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent, is again causing Sabo discomfort and has him thinking of early retirement.

“If I can’t be productive, should I still sit around collecting something for nothing?” the 32-year-old third baseman said in Anaheim the other night. “I don’t think that’s right or fair to anybody and I’m not going to do it. I’m not going to waste anybody’s time.”

* RELEASE POINT: New York Yankee Manager Buck Showalter said that telling Bob Ojeda he was being released was the toughest thing he has ever had to do. Ojeda lasted three innings in two starts with the Yankees, giving up 11 hits and eight runs. He started nine games and appeared in 11 with the Yankees and Cleveland Indians after the tragic boat accident in the spring of 1993, yielding 59 hits in 46 innings with a 5.67 earned-run average.

“People keep asking me if I’m going to write a book or be in a movie,” the former Dodger said. “I keep telling them I don’t want to write an ending yet because it ain’t over.”

* NEON’S LIGHT: Deion Sanders is making them forget Otis Nixon. The Atlanta Braves’ center fielder leads his club’s starters in average at .368 and in walks and RBIs.

Said Manager Bobby Cox: “I don’t know where the idea came from that Deion couldn’t do the job. He’s a prototype leadoff hitter but with power. Rickey Henderson is the greatest leadoff hitter ever to play the game and Deion is similar because he has power and speed. I’m not surprised by what he’s doing. He’s played well for us for two years.”

* TO ERR IS . . . Manager Lou Piniella says he can’t explain it, but his Seattle Mariners made 25 errors through their first 24 games after leading the majors in fielding last year. Second baseman Rich Amaral, who made only 10 errors in 460 chances last year, made seven in his first 95 this year. He dropped a popup against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night, then kicked the ball into the outfield corner.

Said Piniella: “I didn’t know if he was playing baseball or soccer.”

* CUB BASHING: Chicago finished 0-for-April at Wrigley Field, and its six victories for the month put them only one up on Bob Tewksbury, the St. Louis Cardinal pitcher who was released by the Cubs in 1988.