Young Is Dodgers’ Man --in a Roundabout Way

Eric Young had better be the Dodgers’ answer at second base. He has cost them enough.

The Dodgers announced Monday night they had traded Pedro Astacio to Colorado for Young. In reality, they’ve given up two starting pitchers because of him, including a potential Cy Young winner.

In 1992, convinced that Young was not ready to play regularly, the Dodgers let him go to Colorado in the first round of the expansion draft and traded for Jody Reed.

Again without a second basemen when they couldn’t sign Reed after the 1993 season, the solution, they believed, was another trade. The one they made, however, was not: Pedro Martinez for Delino DeShields.

That deal, it has often been suggested, was the one that made Dodger Executive Vice President Fred Claire shy about making another.

He has proved that wrong twice within a week, acquiring a starting center fielder and second baseman for a minor league catcher and a pitcher who had become increasingly undependable.

At the same time, two other Dodger myths have been exploded.

One is that they are color conscious. Both Otis Nixon and Young are African Americans.

The other is that their farm system is an endless pipeline of major league stars. The recent trades were admissions that Wilton Guerrero and Roger Cedeno were not ready for title-race baseball.

That doesn’t mean they never will be.

The Dodgers once told Young he wasn’t their second baseman of the future.

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The Dodgers liked another second baseman in their system, Roberto Mejia, better than Young in 1992. . . .

They agreed to expose Mejia to the expansion draft only after the Rockies agreed to draft Reed from Boston and trade him to the Dodgers. . . .

But Young proved the better second baseman in Colorado. Now Mejia is with St. Louis, where he’s currently on the 60-day disabled list and DeShields is the starter at second base. . . .

If Tony Phillips had accepted the Angels’ suspension without a fight, he wouldn’t be Tony Phillips. . . .

That doesn’t make his stand admirable, just predictable. . .

While on the subject of people who have taken some of the fun out of this baseball season, Jerry Reinsdorf was roasted recently in Chicago. One White Sox fan speaking at the affair said he’s looking forward to “Throw in the Towel Night.” . . .

Chicago sports fans are not laughing, however, about the injury to former USC wide receiver Curtis Conway, considered the Bears’ best player. . . .

“Just catch the damn ball,” the Jets are telling Keyshawn Johnson, who dropped three passes in an exhibition game against the Giants. . . .

Former USC Heisman Trophy winner Charles White, now the running back coach for the Trojans, won’t travel to Williamsport, Pa., to see son Ashton play for South Mission Viejo in the Little League World Series unless the team advances to Saturday’s championship game. . . .

The Trojans will miss linebacker Taso Papadakis, whose career is finished because of a knee injury, almost as much as the media will. . .

Extremely quotable, Papadakis says of working in his parents’ Greek restaurant in San Pedro: “We break plates. We jump off tables. We kiss old ladies. I have fun.” . . .

One former Trojan, Houston’s Cynthia Cooper, should be the WNBA’s MVP, but another, the Sparks’ Lisa Leslie, has been playing as well lately. . . .

Bruins seeking equal time should be heartened by news that UCLA sophomore basketball player Maylana Martin joined Simi Valley archer Justin Huish as the U.S. Olympic Committee’s athletes of the month for July. . . .

Toby Bailey’s point guard brother, Ryan, has transferred from Penn State and will walk on at UCLA, where he will be eligible to play season after next. . . .

Now that Tom Kite has chosen the Ryder Cup team, who will play in the Skins Game at Rancho LaQuinta Nov. 29-30? I’d like to see Tiger Woods, Justin Leonard and Davis Love III join defending champion Fred Couples. . . .

Next on Woods’ schedule, he teams Monday with Arnold Palmer in better-ball team match play against Love and Tom Lehman on the Golf Channel. . . .

There was totally unfounded speculation that Woods would join President Clinton for a round last Monday on Martha’s Vineyard. Clinton played, reporting he shot a 37 on the front nine. . . .

He has been known to fib about his game. George Bush once said, “If he’s a nine-handicap, I’m Bobby Jones.”

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While wondering whatever happened to Irabumania, I was thinking: I guess the Southern Baptists are happy with Disney now, I knew the Mets weren’t doing it with mirrors, Cheryl Miller should pick on someone her own size.