Path: utzoo!telly!ddsw1!lll-winken!uunet!looking!clarinews From: clarinews@clarinet.com (United Press International) Newsgroups: clari.sports.baseball,biz.clarinet.sample Subject: Baseball Central Keywords: baseball, men's professional Message-ID: Date: 21 Sep 89 01:59:35 GMT Followup-To: biz.clarinet.sample Lines: 94 Approved: clarinews@clarinet.com ACategory: sports Slugword: bb-central Priority: regular Format: regular ANPA: Wc: 899; Id: s3539; Sel: ns--s; Adate: 9-20-10ped; Ver: sked Codes: ysbprxx. CHICAGO (UPI) -- Former Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Tony Taylor said he'll never forget how 25 years ago the 1964 Phillies team squandered a 6 1-2 game lead with 12 games left to play. ``It will take me the rest of my life to get over that,'' said Taylor, who also played with the Chicago Cubs. ``Everywhere I go, people still ask me, `What happened to the '64 Phillies'? ``After we lost six straight, (Manager Gene) Mauch would come into the clubhouse everyday and tell us, `We only need one more (victory),''' Taylor said. ``That put pressure on us. The only thing we could have changed was the pitching. Mauch pitched Jim Bunning and Chris Short on one or two days' rest. If we had used another pitcher, he would have given Bunning and Short an extra days' rest, and we would have had a better chance to win.'' ------ TORONTO (UPI) -- Blue Jays reliever Tom Henke says he's tired of hearing how the Blue Jays will choke in the final days of the season. Toronto fans and media are having a hard time forgetting how the club squandered a 3-1 lead over Kansas City in the 1985 best-of-seven divisional playoffs, and a 3 1-2 game lead over Detroit in the AL East with seven games left in 1987. ``What's the definition of a choke, anyway?'' said Henke. ``Anytime you lose they say you choked. ``People forget we played seven one-run games with Detroit in '87 with two key players (Ernie Whitt and Tony Fernandez) out with injuries. In '85 we made it to the playoffs, how can you say we choked? It's an unfair statement. We didn't choke in '85, we didn't choke in '87 and we're not going to choke now.'' ------ CLEVELAND (UPI) -- Despite the fact that the Cleveland Indians have dropped out of the pennant race, pitchers Bud Black and Jesse Orosco have had profitable seasons. Orosco, 1-4 with a 2.03 ERA and three saves, will earn $1 million this year in base salary and bonuses, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. Black, 11-11, with a 3.43 ERA, will earn $675,000 this year, including bonuses. Orosco, who has appeared in 63 games, received a $50,000 signing bonus and $800,000 in base salary, and earned $150,000 in bonuses for appearing in at least 62 games. In addition, his performance in 1989 has guaranteed him a 1990 salary of $850,000. Black earned $75,000 in bonuses and is guaranteed a $800,000 next year. ------ MINNEAPOLIS (UPI) -- Kirby Puckett is starting to feel like he just can't do enough. Puckett continues to hold a narrow lead in the American League batting race, yet most of the attention directed at the Twins centerfielder after the Twins Tuesday night victory was focused on his declining power figures. Puckett's two-run homer in the sixth was just his eighth of the year and the first since July 25. ``I don't worry about that,'' said Puckett. ``You can't satisfy everybody. A lot of people continue to dwell on the negative. ``I just happen to be in a batting championship race and everybody talks about home runs,'' continued Puckett. ``I get 200 hits (for the fourth consecutive year) and catch everything I can reach. I'm doing my job. I don't think it's too shabby.'' ... Brian Downing isn't satisfied yet. But he doesn't regret his decision to return to the California Angels. Even after 11 often disappointing seasons in Anaheim, Downing decided to return in 1989 for one more shot at a pennant. ``I wouldn't have come back if I didn't think we had a chance,'' says Downing, who resigned despite the Angels' fourth-place finish last year. ``I've gotten to see all the low moments,'' he said, not including the AL West championships in 1982 and 1986. ``It'd mean a lot to win a pennant,'' he said. ------ ST. LOUIS (UPI) -- After being benched for a game by Manager Davey Johnson, New York Mets outfielders Darryl Strawberry and Kevin McReynolds were back in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cardinals. Johnson benched and fined the two for Tuesday's game in Chicago because both had left the bench during the ninth inning of the Mets' 10-6 loss to the Cubs on Monday. Strawberry had to be called back to the dugout from the clubhouse to bat in the ninth as the Mets rallied. Batting with the bases loaded and representing the tying run, Strawberry struck out to end the game. Johnson said after Monday's game that he had ``never been so upset in my life.'' ... Because of his lackluster play, St. Louis Manager Whitey Herzog kept Vince Coleman out of the starting lineup for the fourth straight game. Herzog has been upset with Coleman's play on offense and defense. Coleman is hitting .258 with 27 RBI and 62 stolen bases. Herzog says Coleman has stranded too many baserunners and is not stealing enough bases. -- This, and all articles in this news hierarchy are Copyrighted by the wire service or information provider and licenced to Clarinet Communications Corp. for distribution. Only paid subscribers may access these articles. Any unauthorized access, reproduction or transmission is strictly prohibited. We will reward the first provider of information that helps us stop violators of this copyright. Send reports to reward@clarinet.com.