Don’t Take Them Out of Old Ballgame

Industry officials cite the increasing number of stellar young players filling major league rosters as a significant indication that baseball is staging a comeback in the talent war with football and basketball.

There’s still room for some seniors, as well.

Toronto Blue Jay infielder Tony Fernandez, 37 on June 30, is leading the American League in hitting and--even if he doesn’t become the first player since Ted Williams in 1941 to hit .400--could become only the fourth player 37 or older to hit .340 or better while playing regularly.

The others: Williams, .388 at 39, Tony Gwynn, .372 at 37, and Paul Molitor, .341 at 37 and .341 at 39. Then there’s Tony Phillips of the Oakland A’s, who is 40 and needs seven more homers to become the seventh player in his 40s to hit 20 in a season, and Chili Davis of the New York Yankees, who is 39 and could become the first Yankee over the age of 38 to hit .300 while playing regularly and the first since Babe Ruth in 1934 to hit more than 10 homers in a season--a lock since Davis already has 10.

There are several other veteran veterans leaving a mark this year, including the resurgent Cal Ripken Jr., who is 38 and believed to be the oldest player to get six hits in a game, as he did Sunday against the Atlanta Braves.

Ripken is putting pressure on the Baltimore Orioles to meet an All-Star break deadline for either picking up his $6.3-million option for 2000 or buying it out at $2 million.

In 30 games since returning from the disabled list, Ripken had hit .357 with seven homers and 24 runs batted in before the weekend, raising his batting average from .179 to .329--51 points above his career average.

The possibility of retirement, surgery or both loomed when Ripken went on the disabled list for lower back pain, but he returned “with a little sharper focus,” feeling fine physically and having rebounded mentally from his father’s death.

“I’ve been here three years, and the last couple of weeks is the best I’ve seen him swing the bat,” Manager Ray Miller said. Ripken will be 39 in August, and longtime heir Ryan Minor continues to develop in triple A, but it is unlikely the Orioles would risk a public backlash by simply buying out that final year of Ripken’s contract. A team willing to sign Albert Belle isn’t going to coldly dismiss Cal Ripken.

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In the latest attempt to rebuild his pitching staff, Seattle Mariner Manager Lou Piniella has moved Jeff Fassero (who has given up a major league-leading 25 homers) to the bullpen for spot use against left-handed hitters and given up on talented but inconsistent Mac Suzuki, trading him to the New York Mets for Allen Watson. The rotation is now Jamie Moyer (who has won seven consecutive decisions), Freddy Garcia, Frankie Rodriguez, John Halama and Melvin Bunch. Watson, acquired Friday, became the 21st pitcher on the Seattle roster this year. The juggling Piniella now thinks the Mariners are only “three pitchers away from having a solid staff.” Was he referring to Koufax, Gibson and Marichal?

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Another measure of the Cleveland Indians’ potency: They have had their regular lineup together for only four games, their pitchers are giving up almost five runs per game, slugger Jim Thome has been mired below .250 for most of the first half, catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. has been out three weeks and will miss another month because of a knee injury, and they still began the weekend with a 43-20 record. Maybe it’s the nine essential vitamins they get from “David Justice’s Slugger Cereal” that was introduced at a Wednesday news conference.