Cox Needed Any Joe to Fill Role

Call it a star search that was still going on as late as Monday afternoon.

With eight of baseball’s most celebrated performers unable to play in tonight’s 71st All-Star game because of injury, National League Manager Bobby Cox of the Atlanta Braves was still scouring the country to find an 11th-hour replacement for starting catcher Mike Piazza, sidelined because of a concussion.

He ultimately decided on Chicago Cub veteran Joe Girardi after first inquiring into the availability of the Dodgers’ Todd Hundley, who had to reject the invitation because of his own injury and a family illness, and then learning that his own catcher, Javier Lopez, was in Puerto Rico and unable to return.

Girardi, who was not expected until late Monday night and will be making his first All-Star appearance at 35, will serve as a reserve catcher behind Pittsburgh’s Jason Kendall, who is now the starter, and Philadelphia’s Mike Lieberthal.

“I had a lineup etched in stone 10 days ago,” said Cox. “Then guys started dropping.”

In addition to Piazza, the injury list includes Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., Cal Ripken, Pedro Martinez, Alex Rodriguez and Greg Maddux.

“It’s very unfortunate how many players we’ve lost to injury over the last couple weeks,” American League Manager Joe Torre of the New York Yankees said. “I guess the only upside is there are so many more deserving players that the [30-man] roster doesn’t allow you to have, and now some of those guys will get a chance.

“We have 15 first-timers [on the AL team]. For me, as a manager, it’s a big thrill to see the faces of these guys when they come into that clubhouse and see all their teammates for that one day. It’s a great experience for me, and I know it will be for them.”

Said Colorado Rockies’ outfielder Jeffrey Hammonds, who learned that he would be replacing Bonds in the eighth inning of his team’s game against the Angels in Anaheim on Sunday: “I’m going to enjoy it. It’s not a burden. This is what we all dream about.”

Cleveland third baseman Travis Fryman, who is starting in place of Ripken, whose streak of 16 consecutive All-Star appearances is ending, shook his head and said: “It’s not an All-Star game if I’m not playing behind Cal. I’ve always been his caddie. The highlight for me is always taking grounders with him and having a locker next to him. This will be a different experience.”

Dodger outfielder Gary Sheffield reflected on the injuries and said: “It puts a bit of a damper on the game, but it will give some of the up-and-coming guys a chance to show what they can do.”

Cub right fielder Sammy Sosa is the only fan selection still in Cox’s starting outfield. Jim Edmonds is replacing Griffey in center, while Vladimir Guerrero is replacing Bonds in left.

Cox had first selected Sheffield to start in left, pending a talk with Guerrero on his willingness to move from his Montreal position of right field to left. Guerrero said he was willing to move, putting Sheffield in a reserve role.

He wasn’t entirely pleased.

“From the standpoint of respect, I feel like my numbers were good enough to get more votes from the fans,” Sheffield said. “Then I get here, and one minute I’m starting and the next I’m not.

“A lot of things go on in this business I don’t understand.”

Nevertheless, Sheffield said he was happy to be here, particularly since he has relatives in Macon, Ga., and Americus, Ga., who will attend the game.

“I always wanted to play for the Braves, but they never came after me,” he said.

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The AL could lose another player today if starting second baseman Roberto Alomar is unable to play. However, the Cleveland star, hit near the right elbow by a pitch Sunday, said the swelling was down--”I could barely move my arm yesterday”--and he expected to play.

“The fans voted me to start,” he said, “and I came here to play, not sit.”

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Rodriguez, the Seattle shortstop who suffered a concussion and injury to his left knee in Friday night’s collision with Dodger shortstop Alex Cora, said he brought his Mariner pom-poms to cheer on the AL while sidelined.

“I’m optimistic the concussion will make me a smarter person,” he said, laughing.

He is also optimistic that an MRI exam today will show there is nothing seriously wrong with his left knee and that he will return to the Mariner lineup Saturday.

“I’m disappointed not to be able to play here, but I consider it a blessing in disguise to have this happen now,” he said.

“I would rather miss the All-Star game and have a few days to recover than face missing another four or five games of the regular season.”

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Chuck Finley left the Angels after 14 frustrating seasons only to experience another with the injury-wracked Indians, who face an uphill battle attempting to catch the Chicago White Sox and retain their dominance in the AL Central.

In the meantime, the Angels are in the thick of the AL West race and show increasing promise.

“I know one thing, they get on ‘SportsCenter’ now a lot more than we do,” Finley said. “We keep getting pushed farther and farther back. We’re right in front of the Propecia commercials now.”

And Finley, an All-Star because of his 3.73 earned-run average rather than 7-6 record, feels he must have brought some of that “weird and freaky” Anaheim luck with him to Cleveland.

“I’d like to walk in here 14 and 2,” he said, “but I can hold my head as high as anybody with 14 wins. It’s refreshing that people looked past my numbers and recognized how I was pitching rather than when.”

He referred to fickle support from a team that, “I keep thinking is ready to explode, but it just hasn’t happened. We have enough time to salvage something, but the fuse is still a long way from the stick.”