Sacre bleu! Maybe some members of the baseball hierarchy are wising up and reaching out to the common man.
The Montreal Expos could be a wild-card team in the National League playoffs. Not usually the time when the front office decides to call for ticket price reductions for 1997.
But the Canadian franchise is one of the trailers in league attendance, along with San Francisco and Pittsburgh. People in Montreal know thin ice when they see it.
So it makes sense to announce price slashes that go from $28 to $20, $19 to $10, $11 to $5 and $7 to $5. In addition, all ticket-holders receive free parking.
It’s a baseball owner making sense that’s puzzling. Can’t be contagious, can it?
“Our studies have shown us that, in Montreal at least, baseball is a populist sport,” Expos President Claude Brochu said. “We’re going against some current trends.
“We have a big stadium, and instead of trying to create a scarcity by closing off sections, as has been done in some cities, we’ve decided to try to maximize it.”
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Coors poster boy: If a Colorado Rockies player ever challenged for the all-time home run mark, irate fans would start asking for more asterisks to go beside his name than Roger Maris ever got. The accusations of unfair climate conditions would be a tempest in the teapot called Coors Field.
After all, Dante Bichette was offended by broadcaster Bob Costas “slurring” him during the All-Star Game. Costas called Bichette “the poster boy” for Coors Field, a reference to him hitting much better in the thin Rocky Mountain air than on the road.
“It was an unfair statement,” Bichette said. “He seemed to be saying the hitting difference was something limited to me and the Rockies. You look around baseball and most players hit better at home than on the road.”
Not Florida catcher Charles Johnson, equally bad with the bat everywhere. Read on.
Pent-up hitting: John Boles received all the attention in Florida when he was hired to manage the Marlins without major-league experience. But keep your eye on how Florida hits since Boles brought in new hitting coach Jeff Pentland to replace Jose Morales.
Pentland is new to the majors, not to baseball. The 49-year-old’s pupils won five Pac-10 batting titles when he was Arizona State’s hitting coach, and last year he led Double-A Portland to the Eastern League batting title.
But can he turn around the scuffling Johnson, a defensive whiz and offensive disaster, hitting only .211? “His confidence level is so low he has lost the feel,” Pentland said.
Trading himself: By the time the Cubs get to San Francisco to open a three-game series Monday, Mark Leiter wouldn’t be surprised if he were gone–to Texas or Baltimore. He’ll apparently go anywhere.
“I’m a free agent this winter, and Steve Bourgeois and Shawn Estes are the youngsters that deserve to pitch,” Leiter said. “If I can be traded to a contender, I’d give quick hugs and out the door.”
Hugs are on hold. Leiter’s value didn’t increase when he lost his fourth straight game Tuesday to go to 4-9.
Going everywhere: Every town has its own Bobby Bonilla trade to kick around. Every team is trading somebody to get the Orioles outfielder.
The Giants are supposedly giving up catcher Kirt Manwaring and Leiter for Bonilla.
“I’m sick of reports out of Baltimore,” said Brian Sabean, the Giants’ senior vice president of player personnel.
The reverse spin: The Orioles are sick of reports out of New York about how well young right-fielder Alex Ochoa is doing after the Mets recalled him from the minors. Ochoa was in that Bonilla trade between the Mets and Baltimore last season. So other clubs would be smart to check their wallets before swapping young riches for overpriced talent.
“Right field was a real problem for us,” Mets coach Bobby Wine said about Ochoa, a 24-year-old Miami native. “He has come in and done a good job. I like the way he goes about his business. He’s pretty stable.”
Pitching in: In Philadelphia, left-handed pitcher Terry Mulholland is also acknowledging his availability. “The object of this game isn’t to audition for somebody else,” he said. “As long as I come to the clubhouse and they have a Phillies jersey with number 45, I’ll just put it on.”
Mexican standoff: When Rockies pitcher Armando Reynoso beat San Diego’s Fernando Valenzuela last week, it was a battle for national esteem that extended south of the border.
“He’s one of the Mexican stars, and when he was in L. A., I started looking at him,” Reynoso said. “He gave me motivation when I was pitching in Mexico.”
Colorado manager Don Baylor added: “He would never tell anybody, but deep inside he wanted to beat (Valenzuela).”
Old times: When Tony Perez’s son, Eduardo, hit his first homer for Cincinnati last week, it had Reds manager Ray Knight remembering when the father did it with regularity in his prime.
“I was moved,” Knight said. “I’ve sure seen his dad trot around there a few times. I had goose bumps. (Eduardo) tried to be major-league about it, but he was grinning from ear to ear.”