Chicago just isn`t the same without Don Zimmer. At least not in the eyes of Zimmer`s longtime friend, San Francisco manager Roger Craig.
”To me, Don Zimmer is Chicago,” said Craig, who made his first trip to town Tuesday since Zimmer was fired. ”Nothing against that new manager (Jim Essian). He might be better than all of us. But it just doesn`t seem right
(that Zimmer`s gone).”
Craig, who hired Zimmer as a coach in San Francisco for the 1987 season, said the crew-cut, tobacco-chewing Zimmer ”typifies what baseball is all about. The game needs people like him.”
Craig remembered meeting Zimmer at a banquet in San Francisco. Then-Mayor Diane Feinstein did the introduction. ”She said he was a combination of Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb,” Craig said. ”I thought that was about right.”
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Zimmer may be reunited with his Cubs coaching staff on the upcoming West Coast road trip. Zimmer has been invited to play in an old-timers game Sunday in Dodger Stadium. The Cubs play that afternoon in San Diego, but immediately after will bus to Los Angeles, where the coaches hope they`ll connect with their old boss.
Dry spell: Shawn Boskie will try Wednesday for his first victory since April 27, a span of eight starts. He looked at video of some of his early-season outings for clues.
In his last two starts he`s pitched well enough to win, but has cost himself victories with throwing errors. He`s 2-5 with a 3.93 earned-run average.
Just joking: Doug Dascenzo said he wasn`t available to pitch Tuesday because of a little tightness in his left arm after his relief outing Monday night.
Back, back, back . . .: Ryne Sandberg`s home run Monday night was the 183rd of his career, tying him with Charlie Gehringer for fifth place on the all-time list of homers by second basemen. Sandberg needs 40 to catch Bobby Doerr in fourth place. The all-time leader is Joe Morgan, with 266.
Follow-up report: The Cubs are 8-4 in day games after night games.
Star-struck: According to figures released Tuesday by the National League, the top vote-getter for the All-Star Game is Sandberg (758,341), who leads Delino DeShields of Montreal by over 500,000 votes. Andre Dawson is third in the voting for outfielders.