At Least Bowa Has Achieved Team Unity

Philadelphia began the weekend with a 67-53 record and a one-game lead over Atlanta in the East, a remarkable worst-to-first transformation from last season’s 65-97 disaster, which makes you wonder: How nasty would the clubhouse sniping be if the Phillies actually stunk?

A recent report in the Bucks County (Pa.) Courier Times quoted one anonymous Phillie as saying 22 of the 25 players disliked first-year Manager Larry Bowa, the ultra-intense former Angel third- base coach whose emotional outbursts and tell-it-like-it-is style have rubbed many the wrong way.

The Philadelphia Daily News, in a story about Bowa last week, quoted five players, all anonymously. Among the excerpts:

* “He’s tough to play for. Not everyone can play for him. You don’t want to get on his bad side, that’s for sure. . . . He can manage. He knows baseball. But if we win, it will be just to spite him. Everybody hates him that much.”

* “To a man, you won’t find anybody in the clubhouse who has a good word to say about him.”

* “All managers fall in love with guys when they’re going good and then get really down on them when they’re going bad. But I think our guy takes that to an extreme.”

And you thought losing breeds discontent?

Bowa, whose passion for winning and abhorrence of losing may be unrivaled in baseball, shrugged off the issue of how players feel about him.

“I don’t care,” he said. “I couldn’t care less. That’s the least of my worries. Play hard. Play to win. That’s all I care about. And they’re doing that.”

The Phillies wanted a fiery manager to replace the fired Terry Francona, whom Phillie senior advisor Dallas Green thought “coddled” the players too much, and they have that in Bowa. And in General Manager Ed Wade, Bowa has one of his strongest supporters.

“The bottom line is that there’s only one vote that counts about the manager, and that’s mine,” Wade said. “I’m very happy with the manager and coaches, and the players know it.”

*

Tony Gwynn thought he had a great chance of becoming the first player since Ted Williams in 1941 to hit .400 or better before the strike ended the 1994 season in August, leaving Gwynn’s average at .394.

Now that a persistent knee problem has reduced him to pinch-hitting duty, Gwynn, who will retire after this season, is again threatening to hit .400.

“How weird would that be?” said Gwynn, who was batting .378 entering the weekend. “I don’t even have 100 at-bats, but even in 100 at-bats, that’s hard. It’s still very difficult.”

Williams’ .406 mark is out of the question--Gwynn won’t have enough at-bats to qualify for a batting title--but Robert Sydney Hazle’s mark is not. A part-time outfielder with Milwaukee, “Hurricane” Hazle hit .403 in 134 at-bats in 1957. No big leaguer since has hit .400 while logging at least 100 at-bats. Gwynn has 74 at-bats with 42 games left.

“Can Tony do it? Absolutely,” Padre General Manager Kevin Towers said. “Opposing teams ought to feel lucky he’s not getting four at-bats. He used to be a starter’s biggest nightmare. Now he’s the reliever’s biggest nightmare.”

*

The reluctant Barry Bonds, who practically scolds reporters for asking about his home runs, found a subject he could warm up to--Giant pitcher Livan Hernandez, whose offensive feats overshadowed the slugger last week.

Before Friday, Hernandez had hit safely in eight consecutive at-bats, two short of the National League record, last accomplished by Bip Roberts in 1992. Hernandez, who homered in the same game Bonds hit his 50th homer, also hit safely in 12 of 13 at-bats before Friday, when he went one for three.

“Livan’s our hitting coach now,” Bonds said. “I’ve never seen anything like that. Eight straight hits! It ain’t that easy. He’s embarrassing all of us, but it’s fun to watch. It doesn’t matter what they throw, sliders down and in, fastballs. . . . It was his day. Let him have it. I’ve had enough headlines in my day.”

*

Pittsburgh catcher Jason Kendall is fed up with the apathetic attitude in the Pirate clubhouse, and he vented his frustration last Sunday.

“It’s almost like some guys think we’re going on vacation, like we’re on a tour of the U.S.,” Kendall said. “Next stop? Lovely Phoenix. Get ready to see the desert and some cacti.”

And some losses. The Pirates were swept in a three-game series against Arizona, dropping their record to 45-75.