The Indians Say They Are Only Whistling Dixie

While breezing again to the American League’s Central Division title, the Cleveland Indians have been accused of whistling while they work.

The Boston Red Sox raised the issue after their 11-7 loss to the Indians at Jacobs Field on Monday night, saying the Indians were stealing their catcher’s signs from a center-field camera and relaying them to their hitters by whistle from the dugout.

“I heard a couple of whistles, and one of them came on a 500-foot foul ball [hit by Jim Thome] on a good pitch,” catcher Jason Varitek said. “I kept glancing into their dugout [trying to figure out who was doing the whistling].”

The Indians have been periodically accused of the tactic since Jacobs Field opened in 1994. Boston Manager Jimy Williams, a coach with the Atlanta Braves before taking over the Red Sox, said he had heard rumors of the Indians’ reputation “even when I came from the other league.”

Williams complained to the umpires Monday night, and the camera was covered for Tuesday’s game, which the Red Sox won in extra innings.

The slyly innocent Indians say the camera, and others scattered around the park and connected to their video control room near the clubhouse, are used to check on jumps their baserunners and outfielders are getting, or to see if an opposing pitcher is tipping his pitches.

“If we cheated at home, why is our road record so good?” Manager Mike Hargrove said, insisting he wasn’t upset by the accusation. “This is the same team that accused [Albert Belle] of using a corked bat in the 1995 division series.”

All of it may be a bit of gamesmanship in advance of another possible division series confrontation.

“We don’t steal signs,” catcher Sandy Alomar said. “We don’t need to worry about the other team. We believe in our own abilities.”

Perhaps, but maybe the Indians do need to worry some.

A 10-21 record against the Red Sox, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers, their possible playoff rivals, isn’t anything to whistle at. Then again, maybe it’s reason to start whistling.

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Lawyers have been busy in Tampa, Fla., where the Devil Rays, in the last week, have given a two-year contract extension to first baseman Fred McGriff, a three-year extension to General Manager Chuck LaMar, a one-year extension to Manager Larry Rothschild, picked up the 2000 option on Jose Canseco and closed in on a three-year agreement with catcher John Flaherty.

The Rothschild extension removes 2000 as a lame-duck season for the manager but wasn’t a resounding vote of confidence measured against the fact that the LaMar deal runs three years longer.

Said Canseco: “‘Between McGriff and I, if we stay healthy, we could hit 80 to 100 home runs next year.” The operative word, of course, is if.

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Dave Mlicki, dispatched by the Dodgers at the expense of rotation depth to save about $2 million in salary, is 13-10 with the Detroit Tigers and has won his last eight decisions, the longest Detroit streak since Denny McLain won nine in a row during his 31-win season of 1968. Mlicki’s 13 wins are more than any Dodger pitcher except Kevin Brown, who has 16, and are about to net Mlicki--who has a 2.88 earned-run average during the streak--a multiyear contract.

Has he ever been on a roll like this? “Maybe high school,” he said.