Karros Shows Staying Power

A funny thing happened to Eric Karros on his way to the office the other day. When he got there, he hardly knew a soul.

At first, he thought he had wandered into the Florida Marlins’ locker room by mistake. I mean, where was his longtime buddy and slugging mate, the catcher? Mike Something-Or-Other? This new receiver wasn’t even Italian. Where was the classy third baseman? None of the pitchers were Japanese.

As they say, it was a whole new ballgame.

Karros made the best of it. He usually does. Just sigh, suck it up, put on the uniform and go to work.

To tell you the truth, Karros was kind of surprised he was still there. In the off-season, he’d been hearing about how he was on the trading block. The Dodgers put him in the window with a “For Sale” sign on him. Or a “Make Offer” lure. Eric was their “Have Bat, Will Travel” for hire.

No one knew why. All Eric ever did was hit 30 home runs a year, bat in 100 runs and dig his infielders’ low throws out of the dirt at first. Hall of Fame stuff, ordinarily. But the Dodgers yawned.

They kept talking about this young phenom they had down in the minors waiting to be called up. At the very least they wondered if Karros could play the outfield in a pinch.

Compared to Eric Karros, Rodney Dangerfield was in demand. You almost pictured him wandering around the clubhouse saying, “Fellows! What do I have to do around here? Pick up towels? Empty the trash?”

He’s no trouble in the clubhouse. He’s a UCLA grad with a degree in economics. He gives $350 to charity every time he hits a home run. He plays hurt. He doesn’t eat with his hat on. He signs autographs. Otherwise, all he does is stand there and knock in runs. Oh, he makes outs every now and again. So did Babe Ruth.

He hit 32 homers, drove in 105 runs in 1995, hit 34 home runs, drove in 111, in 1996 and hit 31 homers and drove in 104 last season. But, no, he doesn’t do windows.

So the club didn’t protect him in the expansion draft last year, it is generally conceded.

The trouble is, the Dodgers always take their first basemen for granted. They had Dolf Camilli. Led the league in homers one year, drove in 120 runs. He’s not in the Hall of Fame. Then, they had Gil Hodges. He hit 42 homers one year, 40 another, drove in 100 runs a season forever. He’s not in the Hall of Fame. Then, they had Steve Garvey. ‘Nuf said. Hit 33 homers one year, in the high 20s a few others, drove in 100 runs five seasons. No Cooperstown. They had the nifty Wes Parker, who made an error only every other eclipse of the sun.

So, Karros is in good company. “What have you done for us lately,” the Dodgers sniff. “Show us why we should keep you around, there’s more where you came from.”

No, there isn’t. The other night was a pretty good indicator. Karros got four hits in five at-bats, including a home run, and drove in five runs. The next night, he came to bat in the eighth inning with the game on the line, his team behind, 2-1, two out, and he ripped a game-tying single to left, scoring Eric Young.

After the game, his manager, Bill Russell, not given to the extravagant, said of him. “He’s a warrior. He’s playing the game on one leg. He loves to play this game. I wish I had four of him. “

Managers never take their first basemen for granted.

So, they still let Karros shower with the team. He missed 21 games at the start of this season because of arthroscopic surgery on his knee. He dislocated a finger on his glove hand when he returned. Thus, he has only two homers to date but is unworried.

“Last year, I only had two homers after 100 at-bats too, but I ended up with 31. I came back early this year. I wanted to play. I had no rehab, really. But, on the plus side, I’ve had three years of 30/100. No L.A. Dodger has ever done that.”

Does he feel underappreciated?

“You go about your business,” Karros sighs. “And it is a business, don’t forget. In a sense, we’ve got a new team here. It’s not just one guy, we’ve got the core of another team [the Marlins] here to get used to. It’s not only a case of their adjusting to us, we’ve got to adjust to them.”

And where does Karros fit in?

“I’m still here,” he grins.

Still hitting homers, still driving in runs. Maybe that’s his trouble. Maybe Karros should concentrate on popping up more often. Hitting behind the runner, laying down bunts, waiting for a walk. It’s obvious hitting home runs and driving in runs are not what the Dodgers are looking for. Maybe they want sacrifice flies or double-play balls.

Or, maybe, if he took himself out of the lineup on the nights his knee hurt, they’d have more empathy instead of apathy.

The Dodgers are spoiled. They’re maybe the only team in baseball that can look at 30/100 and shrug and say, “It goes with the position.” They think it grows on trees. You trade it away for a guy who can bunt, I guess.

For their sake, I hope not.