
##3000151 <p> BACK home in the city where he remains a strong role model and a favorite son , Andre Ware arrives at Gold 's Gym prepared for a grueling workout that will last nearly six hours , complete with weight lifting and aerobics . Ware is confident that the 1992 National Football League season , his third as a Detroit Lions quarterback after winning the 1989 Heisman Trophy at the University of Houston , will be different from the first two . Something has to give , he said . <p> This was Thursday at 1 P.M. , a few days after he had completed spring courses at the University of Houston where he continues to work toward his degree in business management . Now his complete focus is on football . On becoming a starter . On fulfilling his promise . In 32 regular-season games with the Lions , he has made one start -- and that in his rookie year , when he was pulled at halftime in a game against the Minnesota Vikings , with Detroit trailing by only 7-0 . He has played in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attempted only 30 passes . He is frustrated , which is evident as he munches on a sandwich between the weight lifting and the aerobics . <p> " Can you imagine being an N.F.L. quarterback and not throwing one pass last year during all of the regular-season games ? " Ware asked , offering an incredulous glare between bites . " That 's hard to understand , hard to cope with . And I only played in one regular-season game last year . I knelt down for two plays to end a game at Minnesota . " <p> Ware never thought it would be this way . <p> He was one of the most prolific passers in National Collegiate Athletic Association history at Houston and figured that when he was the seventh player chosen in the 1990 N.F.L. draft and wound up in Detroit , the fit would be perfect . The Lions used a run-and-shoot offense similar to the one he had directed at Houston . When he stayed out of training camp during a contract squabble , he thought that his familiarity with the offense would help overcome his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before the last pre-season game that year and arrived with plenty of confidence , which some of his teammates viewed as aloofness and cockiness . Rodney Peete won the starting job in 1990 , and by training camp the following season Ware found himself No. 3 behind Peete and Erik Kramer . That is exactly where he is slotted now . <p> The Lions have talked about bringing Ware along slowly , the way most N.F.L. quarterbacks are , and not throwing him to the carnivores and damaging his confidence . In effect , what they have tried to avoid has happened anyway . <p> " It 's one thing to be brought along slowly and quite another to not be brought along at all , " Ware said . " There have been so many games in the last two years where we were either way ahead or way behind and I 'm just standing on the sidelines . I go to the coaches after the game and ask why I 'm not being put in and they say , ' We thought about putting you in . ' We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I tell you , there are times that I go to pick up my check on Mondays and I feel so guilty . I 'm not playing and getting paid and I do n't like it . When you 've had a taste of success , you 're hungry and you want to taste it again . I am very hard on me . I am not content being a backup to Rodney . " <p> Ware had two different quarterback coaches -- Mouse Davis and Raymond Berry -- in his first two seasons and now has a third , Dan Henning , who was dismissed as head coach of the San Diego Chargers after last season . <p> " Andre was in mind and was part of Wayne Fontes 's thinking when we went after Dan , " said Chuck Schmidt , Detroit 's executive vice president and chief operating officer . <p> " One of the problems with Andre Ware playing more has been the development of Rodney Peete , " Schmidt continued . " Rodney 's had severe injuries , but he has always bounced back and played @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but it 's not like we have a Joe Montana here . In the preseason , anything can happen . " <p> Henning said : " I 'm going to work with Andre and he 's going to get every opportunity to succeed . My first impressions are that he is a bright guy , who 's not very voiciferous , who is interested and studies . He 's athletic with a strong arm . But until that quarterback puts pads on and gets under fire , you never know . Guys in this league , regardless of their background , either make it or not . I feel I can help Andre , but it still comes down to him . A quarterback has to have the ability to blame himself every once and awhile . " <p> Schimdt said Ware has never pouted or refused to take his share of snaps . Sometimes , though , Schimdt said , Ware has more bounce in practice than at other times . Sometimes , he said , he can tell the situation has weighed on Ware 's mind . Schmidt and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trade Ware . <p> " I 'm not going to do anything or say anything out of frustration , " Ware said . " But if things keep going like they have , I will speak out behind closed doors this year . I think my teammates now feel more comfortable with me and know I 'm all about performing and winning . I want this to be a big year for me in Detroit -- or somewhere else . " <p> And if speaking privately does n't help , would Ware consider speaking out publicly ? <p> " It 's possible , " he said . <p> One reason Ware 's status with the Lions has been harder for him to accept is because throughout high school and college , he was always a starter , always a star . When he won the Heisman Trophy , " the city of Houston opened its arms to me and I was their kid , " Ware said . " The question I 'm asked most is when am I coming back to Houston to join the Oilers ? " <p> Ware @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to his home in nearby Sugar Land , Texas . His mother , Joyce Ware , who lives about 40 miles away in League City , is waiting for him . An only child , Ware shares a tight bond with her , evident in their warm embrace and easy communication . Fifteen minutes later , Ware heads for a nearby high school field to work on his passing with a boyhood friend , Anthony Ross , where he will remain until darkness falls . <p> " I talk to my mom nearly every day and when we do n't talk for a day , the next time we do it 's at least for two hours , " Ware said . " You look at guys involved in drugs and alcohol who are just drifting , and I admire my mom so much for being a single parent and giving me the strongest example of how to live my life . " <p> Ware 's father , Robert , died of pneumonia when Andre was only 7 years old , " and when my mom at the time was only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'd get on the floor together and shoot marbles and we liked to play cards , " Ware said . " She always had to work , so in junior high and in high school , I was left alone a lot at home . That 's why I value time alone to myself and why I first try to solve problems by myself before talking about them . But at my games in high school , it was very difficult watching my teammates 's parents at the games and neither of mine being there . I think my teammates on the Lions are just beginning to understand that about me , that I 'm a loner but I 'm a team player . " <p> Ware was such a standout team player as a schoolboy that he has always known what his career would be . <p> " I knew from the age of 11 that football would be the ticket for me to earn a college degree , " Ware said . " I had it set in my mind that I would get that degree and make the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gravy . I grew up at first in a one-bedroom apartment that me and my mom shared and she worked hard for me to have everything I needed . I was always studious in school for her and for me . One day I dreamed I could repay her , that one day I would have a nice house and a dependable car and get the same for her . " <p> It is 8:40 P.M. when Ware finishes the passing drills and returns to his sparkling , five-bedroom brick home in Sugar Land , parking his sparkling new Lexus Coupe next to the one he bought his mother . Later he sits in his office , talking about his off-season campaign to make himself a success in the fall . Four days a week , Ware said , he maintains the training pace he exhibited on this day . At the end of this month , he said , he will begin throwing with University of Houston receivers . He will return to Michigan for at least two meetings with Henning and for a Lions ' passing camp in June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Look , you 're making millions , you 've got your health , just take the money and wait , ' " Ware said . " I 'm just not that way . I think I have talent , but more than that , I have determination . I hope that coach Henning will give everything a fresh spin for me in Detroit . I would like to play all of my career in Detroit , but more than that , I just want to play anywhere . <p> " If I were playing behind Warren or Joe Montana , a couple of seasoned veterans , I could handle it better , " said Ware , who is 23 years old . " But I 'm in a group of young quarterbacks like myself and really feel I have n't had the best opportunity . " <p> The Lions say that Ware has it all : intelligence , ability , attitude . Ware is , in short , their quarterback of the future . <p> Ware hopes the future is now . 
##3000152 <p> Like a flag at half-mast , his shoulders seem permanently fixed in a shrug that could be apologetic , apathetic , or simply an expression of the non-aggrandizing posture they do n't teach in Dale Carnegie 's course -- or anywhere else . But no wonder Pete Sampras has n't learned to strut . He 's at a career-high No. 3 in the world , he 's merely 20 years old , in 1990 he became the youngest United States Open champion in history , and still , wherever he goes , it 's the same old litany : What 's wrong with Pete Sampras ? What has this one-slam-wonder done lately ? <p> " If I do n't play well , people say I was n't trying ; if I 'm on , they say it 's just a matter of serving genius , not effort , " said Sampras . " I 've said from Day One that I 'm a guy who lets his racquet do the talking . " Sampras is at his most articulate during his service motion -- which happens , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ " I 'm not going to win an Academy Award out there on the tennis court , " Sampras said as he lounged at poolside recently during a break from a tournament outside Atlanta , in which he lost in the final to Andre Agassi . " I 'd kind of compare myself to a Fred Couples . He does n't show much emotion , and it looks like his power is effortless power . But when I hear someone say , ' Oh , that Pete Sampras , he has so much talent and he 's not even trying , ' well , that bothers me . " Stuck in Clay <p> A few other things are bothering Sampras these days as he prepares to take a serious stab , for a change , at the French Open , the coming Grand Slam whose crumbly red-clay surface has proven an anathema for him , and for his opponents , provided an antidote to his paralyzing serve . <p> " It 's a surface that definitely does not help out my game , " said Sampras , who does n't take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and , until this year , managed just five career victories atop it . " On clay , it maybe takes 20 or 30 balls to win a point . It 's a tough way to make a living . You have to be willing to stay out there four or five hours and just have this grinding mentality , and that 's not me . That 's Jim Courier . " <p> But temporarily , it will be he , and while he does n't expect to hone the round-the-clock junkyard-dog mentality that helped Courier win last year 's French Open , he 's hoping he can perform like a respectable watchdog and maintain a vigilant front . So far , Sampras 's 10-4 showing on clay alone this year ( as opposed to the skimpy 10-6 overall record he took to Paris last year ) is one of the more encouraging aspects of his 24-8 showing in 1992 . He reached the quarterfinals of the Italian Open last week . <p> " I 've kind of had to tell myself to do it , " said Sampras . " @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be any good at the French , and I was n't . This time I 'm going to be committed to stay out there forever . It 's easy to whine and say you do n't want to be there , be a bit of a baby , but I 'm not going to quit . " When Serving Is Painful <p> Sampras 's serving arm , however , has not been so ready to volunteer for the long haul . <p> The radiating pain he occasionally experiences after an overdose of serving re-exploded in his elbow two weeks ago in Atlanta . After spewing 16 aces at Jimmy Connors two days earlier , Sampras managed just six against Agassi , and each one pained him just as much as it hurt his opponent . <p> Sampras later guessed that his effort to defy clay 's sluggish properties by serving even harder than usual probably caused the flare-up . Too , Sampras does n't serve at match velocity during his practice sessions , primarily because doing so practically guarantees that the point will stop right there , hence no practice rallies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has n't allowed the muscles in his serving arm to build up enough tolerance to dependably carry him from a first round to a final . <p> Durability , Sampras sighs , has never been a strong suit , but it 's a suit that 's in the process of undergoing some remodeling ; Sampras even attempted an underhand serve , a la Michael Chang when he won the 1989 French Open , during his semifinal victory against Todd Witsken in Atlanta . <p> His new coach , Tim Gullikson , said this latest instance of arm trouble has only emphasized Sampras 's need to become a little less reliant on the very weapon that , according to his victims , has made all the difference in his being labeled a potentially great player rather than just another player . <p> " People always get labeled , sometimes correctly , " said Gullikson , who signed on with Sampras for 1992 only to be immediately placed on hold when elbow trouble forced his pupil 's withdrawal from the Australian Open . " Pete has the potential to be the best , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of judgment and shot selection . And that takes time . Pete has to learn to play the score a little more : Rather than always going for the big shots , you want to play the bigger points in a way that you wo n't lose them . <p> " Coaching Pete is probably a little like being a basketball coach and getting a fantastic pure shooter like Jerry West . The trick is to teach the guy when he should take the 3-point shot and when he should n't . " <p> " Plan A is the obvious one : let his first serve win free points , " said Gullikson . " Plan B is that Pete has to understand his second serve is extremely more than adequate ; it 's a weapon . John Newcombe once said you 're only as good as your second serve . Pete has a great second serve , he just does n't yet realize how to use it . " ' The Sky 's the Limit ' <p> Sampras describes himself as a player " with so much room for improvement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my backhand volley , I 've got to serve-and-volley a little on my second serve , " he said . " And if I could just return as well as I serve , the sky 's the limit . " <p> Being No. 3 in the world , he said , is definitely not his limit . Courier 's ascent to the top is goading him along , not to mention what his coach calls " the esoteric joy " he takes away from perfectly played matches like the ones that catapulted him to the Open title two years ago . <p> " But there are days when I feel like a pitcher without his fastball , when I just do n't have it , " Sampras said , more fascinated by this problem than cowed by it . Though he 's been too busy making millions to nail down a high-school diploma , Sampras recites the theory of relativity with ease , and having decided it pays to increase his word power , he 's gotten on familar terms with the dictionary . But he remains a puzzled student of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . <p> " I ca n't tell you why on the court I make mental errors for no reason at all , " he said with his signature shrug . " It 's a pretty confusing game I play , and I 'm still trying to figure it all out . " 
##3000154 <p> Would you have hired Jerry Krause ? <p> When Jerry Reinsdorf , the chairman of the Chicago Bulls , did just that in 1985 , shortly after he bought the Bulls and chose Krause as his vice president in charge of basketball operations , or general manager , he received a phone call from one of the top executives in the National Basketball Association . <p> " Why did n't you talk to me before you hired him ? " the executive told Reinsdorf . " I would have told you not to . " <p> Over the last seven years , some of Reinsdorf 's business associates and close friends , as well as his star player , Michael Jordan , have counseled him fervently to fire the guy . ' What Do You Have to Do ? ' <p> Before the Bulls ' first home game this season , each player and team offical was introduced to the capacity crowd of more than 18,000 at Chicago Stadium and presented with his championship ring , emblematic of the N.B.A. title the Bulls won when they beat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ finals in June . The only man to hear boos was Jerry Krause . <p> " What do you have to do to please them ? " Krause asked his wife , Thelma , when he returned to his seat in the stands . <p> After all , this is Jerry Krause 's team . Only one player and no coaches remain from the team he inherited on March 26 , 1985 . <p> Admittedly that one player is Jordan , but , says Krause , " no one has ever before built a team around a No. 2 guard , no matter who it was . " Others , like his boss , echo that notion . It was Krause who maneuvered to make a trade in order to draft Scottie Pippen , and drafted Horace Grant , and traded for Bill Cartwright , and purchased John Paxson . And he went after capable reserves like B. J. Armstrong and Scott Williams . <p> " One guy ca n't win a championship , never been done , " said Krause . " We needed guys who could help take the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rebounds and hound on defense . And you needed a solid bench . We needed ' deep depth , ' like Casey Stengel used to say . Now we got it . " Full of ' Foibles ' <p> While the Bulls are favorites to win their second straight N.B.A. title -- they beat Miami three straight in the first round of the playoffs and are tied 2-2 in their second-round series with the Knicks -- Reinsdorf admits that Krause , now 53 years old , has his " foibles . " <p> Reinsdorf says Krause can be , well , " abrupt , " and sometimes " he does n't shut up , " and some of his decisions " have n't worked out so well . " Fans have n't forgotten top draft picks like Brad Sellers ( " a real nice guy , but I 'll never again draft a guy who plays soft , " said Krause ) , or trades he made , like Dennis Hopson ( " the harder Dennis tried here , the worse he got " ) . Both Sellers and Hopson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to hire general managers who can court a good press . " The press in Chicago does n't like Jerry , " said Reinsdorf . " He wo n't give them the time of day . He 's afraid that if some piece of information gets out , it 'll hurt him in his basketball dealings . " <p> Said Sam Smith of The Chicago Tribune : " He treats us like we 're morons . " ' Ludicrous ' Deals <p> Some of Krause 's fellow general managers around the league feel similarly . " Sometimes he calls you with deals that are ludicrous , " said Red Auerbach of the Boston Celtics . " And he expects you to fall into his trap . The thing is , sometimes it works . Some people think Jerry 's not too bright , but they 're wrong . He can disarm you and fool you . " <p> And another sports executive , who knew Krause when he was a baseball scout , said : " Ask Jerry Krause and he 'll tell you that he discovered Willie Mays , Hank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saturday . " <p> " Well , " said Krause , " I admit that I used to toot my horn a little too much . " <p> Nor does Krause appear the stereotype of a sleek sports executive . Pat Williams , the general manager of the Orlando Magic and the general manager of the Bulls when Krause was his director of scouting from 1969 to 1972 , has another description : " He 's short , fat , dumpy and disheveled and almost unconcerned with clothes . I call him the Prince of Polyester . " <p> Said Reinsdorf : " That 's maybe the way it used to be . But Jerry dresses better these days . It 's just that nothing looks neat on him . " Permanently Ruffled <p> Krause 's hair appears permanently ruffled , he is jowly to the point where the neck is nearly obscured , his left eye squints like that of the frazzled boss of Inspector Clouseau , his pants cuffs sag , and the owner of the team sizes him up at about 5 feet 5 inches and 230 pounds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to his current contract , four years ago , Reinsdorf offered to add $50,000 if Krause lost 50 pounds and kept it off for a year . " Not so much for looks , " Reinsdorf insists , " but for his health . " Krause refused . " When I 'm ready to lose weight , I 'll lose it , " he said . <p> The best player on his team ( the best player in the universe , for that matter ) , the sharp-tongued Jordan , has referred to him as Crumbs because of the doughnut flakings he had supposedly spotted on the lapels of Krause 's sport jacket . And just last season Jordan went to Reinsdorf and asked that Krause be allowed immediately to find employment elsewhere . ( Reinsdorf told him nicely to zip his lip and play basketball . ) <p> Bulls Coach Phil Jackson said Krause reminds him of Joe Btsfplk , in the Li'l Abner comics . " You know , the guy with the cloud always over his head ? That 's like Jerry , " said Jackson . " @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and when he comes out the windshield is covered with bird droppings . " <p> Said Pat Williams : " I pinned the nickname Sleuth on him . He 's a classic . Slinking , suspicious , secretive , talking low and fast , plotting , planning , hiding behind potted palms , wearing disguises . " <p> Said Krause : " I do n't know if you call them disguises , but when I go to scout a player in college I often wear a hat pulled down and a raincoat and dark glasses and try to sit behind someone taller . Of course , I take off my glasses and look over the guy 's shoulder in order to see the game . " New Hat Each Year <p> To throw off would-be competitors -- he 's concerned another scout might see him at a game and thus heighten interest in a particular player -- Krause confesses to buying a new hat every year ( the current one is olive suede ) . <p> " He 's been mocked , laughed at , scoffed at , kicked around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sports , and yet here he is , the general manager of the defending world champions , " said Pat Williams . " He 's like a rubber ball . He keeps bouncing back . And I 'll tell you why . No one works harder . He works and works and works . He is relentless . He believes in himself and never has doubts about his abilities . And he does know talent . He also has a vision , a design for the future . I remember one day when he was a scout for the Bulls and he said , ' Pat , one day I 'm going to run my own club . ' He has had the same kind of plan for his team . " <p> " I do n't always agree with him , " said Jackson , whom Krause fought for to become first an assistant coach and later head coach . " But you listen to him because you know he knows what he 's talking about . " <p> Reinsdorf discovered Krause for himself when Krause was a scout for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . Krause had been hired by the previous team owner and a mentor , Bill Veeck . <p> " I remember in team meetings about ballplayers that Jerry would never get off a point when he believed in it , " said Reinsdorf . " Some of the baseball people would roll their eyes . But I found that he argued from knowledge . He had spent days and weeks studying a prospect . He watched Ozzie Guillen in the Pacific Coast League for 17 straight games . He was convinced he 'd be a big-league star , and fought for us to trade LaMarr Hoyt -- the year after he was a Cy Young Award winner -- for this minor league shortstop . It turned out to be a great deal for us . I love a guy who has the courage of his convictions and puts his behind on the line and will be held accountable . " Eye to Defense <p> When Reinsdorf bought the Bulls , he had long talks with Krause and decided that their basketball philosophies coincided . " We both believed that the key @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reinsdorf also knew that Krause had an extensive background in basketball . He had been director of scouting of a one-man staff for the Baltimore Bullets in the late 1960 's , where he was responsible for drafting Earl Monroe , Wes Unseld and Jerry Sloan . He scouted for the Lakers and the Suns , besides having been a baseball scout for Cleveland , Oakland , Seattle and the Cubs . <p> He even had a previous stint as a Bulls ' general manager in 1976 and was fired because he supposedly tried to hire Ray Meyer of DePaul as the team 's coach without first discussing it with the owner , Arthur Wirtz . Krause denies that he did that , but , he said : " I wanted the job too much then . I was too eager . I learned a lesson . " <p> Krause grew up in Chicago , the son of the owner of a shoe store on the northwest side . He never played schoolboy basketball , but at Bradley University he was so good at charting plays for the basketball team and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrangled his first job in 1961 as a " gopher flunky " in the office of the Cubs at $65 a week . Some 35 years later he earns more than $300,000 a year and has overseen a franchise that seven years ago was purchased by Reinsdorf and partners for $16 million and which is now worth upwards of $150 million . <p> Krause loves his work and is challenged by it to the point , Reinsdorf believes , where " the man is devoid of any other outside interests . " <p> This certainly seems to be the case . In his memento-studded office on Michigan Avenue , Krause is calling Europe to keep the lines of communication open with Tony Kukoc , a star player in Italy , whom he has visited several times and hopes one day will be a Bull . On his VCR , Krause goes over game film after game film , of college and pro teams , forward and backward , to the point where he has suffered an occupational injury he calls " clicker thumb . " <p> " I could never be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , " Krause said , " but I try to be that good behind this desk . " <p> " One scene I remember typifies Jerry best for me , " said Pat Williams . " We went to scout a college game years ago and were given bad seats way upstairs . He would n't accept them . He ran downstairs and fought with the ushers so he could at least stand beside the bleachers seats and be closer to the court . You could n't contain him . Then we had to leave early . And I 'll never forget the sight . <p> " It was snowing and he was running to his car , his hair wet , his coat flapping behind him , papers that he was carrying flying out of his hands , red in the face , this overweight guy about to have a heart attack , and hollering for me to hurry up because he had to see another game that night in another town . " 
##3000155 <p> For the last couple of years , talk about the Pittsburgh Pirates has centered on the exploits and the contract status of Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla . Maybe this season the talk will switch deservedly to the pitching staff . <p> The Pirates ' pitchers lead the National League in earned run average with a sizzlingly low 2.62 , having pitched six shutouts in the first 22 games of the season and limited opponents to one run on three occasions and two runs seven times . Only the Atlanta Braves ' staff has pitched more shutouts , seven , but Tom Glavine has three of those . <p> Keeping in tune with the philosophy of their coach , Ray Miller , the Pirates ' pitchers have used more of a group concept . Five starters and four relievers have shared in the shutouts . The staff has n't even showed signs of missing its 20-game winner from last year , John Smiley , who was traded to the Minnesota Twins . <p> " We do n't walk people and we keep the ball in the ball @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the shutouts is excellent defense . We have two Gold Gloves in the outfield , a second baseman and shortstop who led the league in chances the last two years and good defensive catchers . " <p> As the Pirates won the division championship the last two seasons and people talked about Bonds and Bonilla , the pitchers were walking the fewest number of batters and compiling one of the two or three lowest earned run averages . They have shown no inclination to lose their effectiveness this season . <p> " If we keep our guys healthy , we have as good a rotation as anybody , " Miller said . " We have the best manager I 've ever seen for using a pitching staff and keeping them healthy . " ' Keep Your Guys Healthy ' <p> When Bob Patterson relieved in games last Monday , Tuesday and Wednesday , Miller said , it was the first time in three years Jim Leyland had used a reliever three days in a row . The manager , he added , also rarely uses a starter with only three days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for today , " Miller said . " If you have to take one on the chin , you take it on the chin . But you keep your guys healthy . " <p> Miller has his own methods for keeping the pitchers mentally healthy . <p> " We push pitchers not to talk about themselves but to talk about we , " he said . " If you have a good game , talk about what the defense did . When I was in Baltimore , we learned that when you say we , you keep the pressure off you and me . If you do n't talk about yourself after a good game , you do n't have to talk about yourself after a bad game . If you have a bad game , you can say we tried some things that did n't work . " <p> Another aspect of Miller 's psychological strategy is his approach to his pitchers if they should falter . Young Pitcher Looks Good <p> " You have to constantly tell people they 're the best , " he said . " The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I grabbed him and said that was a good game ; you have nothing to feel upset about . He saved us . He got us into the seventh inning . It would have been awful if we had to use the bullpen after that 16-inning game . Then after the game , when he was talking to reporters , he said I do n't like losing , but I feel pretty good about myself . " <p> It is too soon , Miller said , to determine if Neagle will be a solid replacement for Smiley . <p> " Denny looks good for a young guy , " the coach said of the 23-year-old left-hander , who was acquired for Smiley . " He 's improving each time out , but it 's hard for a young guy to maintain that consistency over the long haul of six months because he 's never pitched that much . " Over the Hill ? No , Over the Wall <p> It 's the dream of any child who ever has played baseball : going to bat with two out in the ninth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three runs and hitting a grand slam . At 40 years old , Dave Winfield is not a child -- although he 's playing like a man 15 years younger -- but he fulfilled the dream Thursday night . <p> " I knew if I was going to get up , it would be with two outs and the bases loaded ; it was the only way I could get up , " Winfield related . " And that 's what happened . " <p> The Toronto Blue Jays had scored a run in the ninth , narrowing Seattle 's lead to 7-4 , when Winfield stepped to the plate against Mike Schooler . Five years ago , Winfield would recall later , he hit a grand slam in the eighth inning against Tom Henke , now a teammate , that beat the Blue Jays , 15-14 . <p> " You know it 's you and the pitcher , " Winfield said , recreating his latest grand slam . " If he does his job , we have a long plane ride to Anaheim . If I do my job to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got two quick strikes on sliders , then I took two balls . The next one was n't really a bad pitch , but I anticipated it and got it , a slider . I do n't know the odds of grand slams with two out in ninth -- it does n't happen often -- but as soon as I hit it , I knew it was gone . As soon as I made contact , I just stood back and said yessss , it 's gone . Everybody in the park knew it . The pitcher looked around and dropped his head . " <p> The home run was Winfield 's sixth of the season , the 412th of his career . It gave him 20 runs batted in and it raised his batting average to .360 a month into the season . Two years ago tomorrow , the Yankees exiled Winfield to California , convinced he was no longer capable of playing regularly and producing runs . <p> As Winfield celebrated the second anniversary of his liberation , though a bit early , the Yankees had no one with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no one with a .360 batting average . The Camden Cannonball <p> The Baltimore Orioles have more than a new park going for them . They look like they have a pretty good team , too . Among the reasons for the Orioles ' turnaround : <p> *Their pitching staff has seven complete games , only one less than it had all last season . Rick Sutcliffe and Ben McDonald each have pitched three complete games . Bob Milacki led the team last year with three . <p> *They hit three grand slams in the first month compared with five all last season . <p> *They are so deep in productive players they did n't miss Glenn Davis , who missed 25 of the first 26 games . <p> " Davis came back and people were asking the manager how are you going to use all the first basemen , " General Manager Roland Hemond related . " Well , he used them all in a ninth-inning rally and they all got hits . " <p> Besides Davis , the Orioles have Randy Milligan , Sam Horn and David Segui to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beat Minnesota , 5-4 , Thursday night , Davis , the designated hitter , led off with a single ; Milligan , playing first , rapped a double ; Segui , playing right field , singled Davis home , and Horn , pinch-hitting , singled Milligan across . <p> " Early in the year , people were wondering how we were going to use the depth , " Hemond remarked . " I said I do n't understand why people get concerned when you 're deep because that 's what we try to do : be deep in as many positions as you can be . " Swift Is Tough , With Bat or Ball <p> The Swift race : Bill Swift , the surprising San Francisco starter , failed to get a hit in three times at bat in his most recent start , but he kept his batting average ( .238 ) above his earned run average ( 1.29 ) by shutting out St. Louis for his sixth victory against no defeats . <p> Other starting pitchers with higher b.a. ' s than e.r.a. ' s : Dwight Gooden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .316-2.06 ; Donovan Osborne , St. Louis , .167-1.45 ; Ken Hill , Montreal , .222-1.64 . <p> These starting pitchers do n't qualify for that group because an e.r.a. ca n't go below zero , which is what their batting averages are : Greg Swindell , Cincinnati , hitless in 15 at-bats ; Tim Belcher , Cincinnati , 12 at-bats ; Danny Jackson , Chicago Cubs , and Mark Portugal , Houston , 11 each ; Shawn Boskie , Cubs , 10 ; Randy Tomlin , Pittsburgh , 9 , and Jose DeLeon , St. Louis , 7 . <p> Butch Henry of Houston was hitless for the season -- 6 at-bats in five starts -- until Friday night when he got his first hit , a three-run inside-the-park home run on an opposite-field bloop that Barry Bonds of the Pirates failed to snare with a diving try . The same night , Kyle Abbott of Philadelphia doubled for his first hit in nine at-bats. 
##3000156 <p> IT will come as no surprise that the automobile industry has been a leader in the necessary but regrettable downsizing of American business . Plants have closed . Thousands upon thousands of jobs have been lost . General Motors has reorganized . And now there is another small indicator , a drop in the number of passenger-car models available in the United States . <p> According to Automotive News , the weekly bible of the industry , domestic and foreign manufacturers now sell 555 models , down 36 from the 591 that were available at this time last year . That compares with a post-World War II high of 614 in 1987 and an all-time high of 621 in 1928 . <p> What is surprising is that Chrysler and Ford both are running slightly against the trend , with Ford selling one more model than last year for a total of 57 , and Chrysler adding three for a total of 52 . <p> The Automotive News tabulations do n't count sport-utility vehicles , but if they did they would show that Chrysler has added still another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fragile No. 3 automaker in a big way . <p> The addition is Jeep-Eagle Division 's 1993 Grand Cherokee , the new flagship of the Jeep line . It is a sleek-looking four-door , the second generation of compact sport-utility vehicles introduced by Jeep in the past decade . <p> Surprisingly , too , the Grand Cherokee will be sold side by side with the previous generation 's smaller standard Cherokee in what Larry Baker , general manager of the division , said was an attempt to blanket the market . <p> " The standard Cherokee is still important to us , " Baker said . " While last year was n't anything to write home about , Cherokee sales this year are up 67 percent , and we 'll continue to use it to go after the low end of the market . " <p> To do that , he said , the number of standard Cherokee models will be cut from five to three and there will be " content repositioning , " which is another way of saying that the basic vehicle wo n't be as fancy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , two-wheel-drive model with a 2.5-liter four , carries a sticker of $14,831 . The least expensive Grand Cherokee lists for $18,980 , with the price ranging up to $27,433 . <p> That gets you a fancy buggy , indeed , and one with few options . Planning for it began in 1986 with a special team set up by what was then American Motors . When Chrysler bought AMC the following year , the corporate accent was on design of a new minivan , and the new Jeep was put on the back burner , in effect allowing an extra 18 months of development time . <p> Given the lead time , as well as the fact that the Grand Cherokee is the first vehicle to be produced at Chrysler 's billion-dollar Jefferson North plant in Detroit , it 's not surprising that the new vehicle has a number of technical innovations . <p> Among them are a standard driver 's air bag , the first to be offered in an off-road vehicle ; standard antilock brakes at each corner ; a choice of three kinds of four-wheel drive , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . The Grand Cherokee is also the first sport-utility to have unit-body construction , which makes it tighter and adds to the quiet of the interior . <p> It is , in fact , the most carlike and best-behaved sport-utility that I have ever driven . The tester was a red Limited , currently the top level of dress after the base and Laredo versions . A Grand Wagoneer with a standard 5.2-liter V8 will join the lineup later this year , and a two-wheel-drive model will make its debut next January . <p> For now , the engine , a fuel-injected inline six that displaces 4 liters and puts out 190 horsepower , is for now the same as that available in the standard Cherokee .. According to the company , it is sufficient to move the 3,600-pound vehicle from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in a mere 9.2 seconds with the five-speed manual transmission , making it the quickest of the sport-utilities . <p> It is also more comfortable on the road than most of its competition , with a ride that is splendid and manners that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 70 m.p.h. that seems to be its favorite cruising speed . <p> The engine , which produces 225 foot-pounds of torque , also can tow loads up to 5,000 pounds , and a heavy-duty towing package is available . That oomph takes its toll , of course , and the Grand Cherokee 's fuel consumption is rated at 16 miles per gallon , city , and 20 , highway . <p> With the automatic transmission that is standard in the Limited version , the figures are 15 and 21 , but the vehicle has a 23-gallon tank , so range is not a problem . <p> What actually might be considered a problem is that old Jeep bugaboo , ergonomics . Even with all the development time , the driver seems to have been overlooked , and driving position is not good despite power adjustments and a tilt wheel . <p> For me , the two-spoke wheel is too close to the chest . Conversely , the seatback does not come up straight enough . And , too , there is a definite need for a dead pedal for the driver @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , your foot sort of hangs in space . <p> The steering wheel also ought to have remote controls for the radio , which is festooned with hard-to-use buttons and is far away in the center of the wide dash . For those who smoke , the tiny ashtray also is a long and obstructed reach . <p> That said , the new Jeep is beautifully put together , with full instrumentation , full power equipment and , in the Limited , leather upholstery on the front buckets and rear bench . The back seat is also split so that either side can fold to permit carrying cargo and a rear passenger . <p> Luggage space is ample , as always , measuring 79.2 cubic feet with the rear seat folded , and 40 cubic feet with the seat in an upright position . <p> Outside , there is a new look -- but one that retains the old styling cues . The vertical-slot grille is there , albeit with a new slant , and the trapezoidal wheel openings have been retained . <p> Front and rear bumpers have been fared @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ headlights with integrated parking lamps . The windshield rakes at a more aerodynamic angle , and semi-flush glass is used on the side doors and one-piece tailgate . <p> With a .44 coefficient of drag , the Grand Cherokee still ca n't be called a paragon of streamlining , and a Jeep still seems to me to be pretty much a Jeep . But I did notice a surprising number of turned heads and double takes , and I guess that 's what happens when you drive what is only the eighth new model in a company 's 51-year history . 
##3000157 <p> Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins , considered by many to be hockey 's best player , will miss tonight 's game and possibly the rest of the National Hockey League playoffs because a bone in his left hand was fractured on Tuesday night when Adam Graves of the Rangers slashed him with his stick early into a 4-2 Ranger victory at Madison Square Garden . <p> The injury to Lemieux seriously damages Pittsburgh 's hopes of repeating as Stanley Cup champions and can only help the Rangers in the quest for their first championship since 1940 . The Patrick Division final , which resumes in Pittsburgh , is tied at 1-1 . <p> Graves received a two-minute minor penalty for slashing Lemieux , but his act is being reviewed by Brian O'Neill , the N.H.L. 's executive vice president , who serves as the league 's chief justice in these matters . A suspension of Graves is a possibility although Graves and Ranger officials say it would be undeserved . Mullen Out , Too <p> Shortly after the play involving Lemieux , another high-scoring Penguin forward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Paul Broten and was crashed to the ice by a blind-side hit from Kris King . Mullen left the game and never returned , and yesterday the Penguins announced he was out indefinitely with a strained knee ligament . King was not penalized . <p> Videotapes of the slash to Lemieux have been sent to O'Neill , who was in Chicago last night for a game between the Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings . O'Neill is expected to travel to Pittsburgh today and could meet with Graves and Ranger officials before tonight 's game . <p> Gary Meagher , a league spokesman , said that no player can be suspended without a formal hearing and that none was scheduled as of last evening . <p> The circumstances of the injury and the stature of the player injured could be factors in a decision by the league , which already has had its 75th anniversary season tainted by a 10-day players strike near the end of the regular season . Critical of Violence <p> Lemieux , the league 's leading scorer this season and its most valuable player in last spring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hockey . He has also criticized the officiating , which he says tacitly encourages violations of the rules that minimize the contributions of players with talent and maximize the effect of aggressive players with mediocre skills . <p> Earlier this season , when he thought the officials were n't calling penalties properly , Lemieux called the N.H.L. " a garage league . " <p> Lemieux and most Penguin officials refused comment on the injury yesterday . But Coach Scotty Bowman said that " hockey does n't need to lose a player like Mario Lemieux in an incident like this ; he 's a very important player to the N.H.L. " <p> Calls to Lemieux 's home seeking comment were answered only by a tape machine . Protective Role for Graves <p> Graves , although a much-admired and effective member of the Rangers , is a role player . He is known primarily for his checking skills and his willingness to protect Mark Messier , the Ranger superstar , whose absence from Game 2 with back spasms raised talk of the possibility that the injury to Lemieux had evened matters . No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lemieux and the Rangers play without Graves , the Rangers get the best of the deal . <p> The injury occurred 5 minutes 5 seconds into the game , with Pittsburgh ahead , 1-0 . After Lemieux fell to the ice in pain , Graves gave his prone body a shove while the Garden fans hooted and cheered , much as fans did two years ago in a playoff game after Pat LaFontaine of the Islanders suffered a concussion when two Rangers lined him up for a collision . As LaFontaine was being rushed to the hospital , fans surrounded the ambulance and rocked it while pounding on the windows . <p> After Tuesday night 's game , Coach Roger Neilson of the Rangers said " it 's great not having to worry about Lemieux . " <p> Neilson complained to reporters yesterday that the quote was taken out of context . A review of the audio tape revealed that Neilson was responding to a question about how the injury to Lemieux had changed the Ranger strategy for the rest of the game . <p> In an interview with reporters after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ " slashed him too hard and he got a two-minute penalty for it . " Neilson that said Kevin Stevens of the Penguins had slashed King and that act was n't penalized . The Rangers have put together a videotape of this and other incidents to use if they are called before O'Neill for a hearing . <p> Neilson defended Graves 's tactic of hitting Lemieux 's gloved hands with a piece of wood . <p> " You are supposed to go for the hands , " Neilson said . <p> The coach said he was concerned about N.H.L. justice because this case involves a star player . " A different standard may exist , " Neilson said . Graves Explains <p> Graves said he was trying to hit Lemieux in the glove to loosen his grip on the stick and take away the puck . <p> " I hit him right in the glove ; it was quite evident , " Graves explained . " The play that I did was not invented last night . You see four or five guys coming across with their sticks on gloves every @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I never use the stick . I ca n't say I 'm an angel , but you go back and look at my record and you can see I do n't use my stick . You ca n't say I 'm a goon . " <p> Graves said Lemieux is " a class guy , a great player , " adding that " I would n't want to hurt him . I 've got to live with whatever happens . " ' Give Him a Litle Whack ' <p> The slashing incident occurred when Graves was killing a Ranger penalty and the Penguins had a man advantage . When killing penalties , it is common for the short-handed team 's players to swing their sticks in the direction of players with the puck , often hitting their sticks and sometimes their gloves . <p> Phil Bourque , a Pittsburgh forward who also kills penalties , said , " You try to hack a guy 's stick , give him a little whack across the hands . " <p> But Bourque said that Graves 's action was extreme . <p> " After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a joke ; this is ridiculous , ' " Bourque said . " He wound up like a baseball swing , a two-handed , wild baseball swing , and definitely intended to hurt him . " <p> King , with a bandage on his right arm following practice yesterday , said he had a bruised muscle from Stevens 's slash . He said that such slashes were common and that the one he took was different from the one Lemieux took because he did n't go down the way Lemieux did . <p> " It 's a good play , " King said . " You either hook the hands or you slash at them . It warranted a two-minute penalty , nothing more . " <p> Photos : " A Ranger Caught on Camera " <p> Adam Graves of the Rangers slashes Penguins ' Mario Lemieux , breaking his left hand in the first period of Game 2 Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden . Videotapes of the incident are being reviewed by the N.H.L. and Graves could be suspended . ( ABC ) Chronology : " Injuries of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ books on hockey , saw his first game in 1937 . Here are his recollections of some of the most serious injuries in Stanley Cup play . <p> APRIL 10 , 1947 , Stanley Cup final . Montreal vs . Toronto . Second Game . Maurice Richard of Montreal hits Toronto forwards Vic Lynn and Bill Ezinicki in the face in the first and second periods respectively . Both receive seven stitches but play the next game . Richard is suspended for one game and fined $250 . Toronto wins game , 4-0 , and series , 4-2 . <p> MARCH 28 , 1950 , Stanley Cup semifinals . Detroit vs . Toronto . First Game . Gordie Howe is struck with butt end of stick by Ted Kennedy and suffers a fractured skull . Howe misses remainder of playoffs . N.H.L. takes no action , believing the incident an accident . Toronto wins game , 5-0 , but Detroit wins series , 4-3 , en route to Stanley Cup title . <p> APRIL 18 , 1952 , Stanley Cup semifinals . Boston vs . Montreal . Seventh Game . Leo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . Labine is penalized . Richard is carried off ice and remains dazed until third period . He then comes off bench to score deciding goal in a 3-1 victory . Montreal wins series , 4-3 . <p> MARCH 25 , 1958 , Stanley Cup semifinals . New York Rangers vs . Boston . First Game . Vic Stasiuk of Boston cross-checks George ( Red ) Sullivan , breaking Sullivan 's jaw . N.H.L. takes no action . Rangers win game , 5-3 , but lose series , 4-2 . <p> APRIL 2 , 1969 , Stanley Cup quarterfinals . Toronto vs . Boston . Pat Quinn of Toronto knocks Bobby Orr unconscious with devastasting charge , sending Orr to hospital . Quinn is not penalized . Boston wins game , 10-0 , and series , 4-0 . <p> MAY 5 , 1974 , Stanley Cup semifinals . Philadelphia vs . New York Rangers . Seventh Game . Dave Schultz of the Flyers pummels Dale Rolfe , Ranger defenseman , during scoreless first period . Philadelphia wins game , 4-3 , en route to Stanley Cup title . <p> MAY 11 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . Sixth Game . With less than two minutes left , Flyer goalie Ron Hextall skates out of net and punches Montreal defenseman Chris Chelios . Hextall is suspended for 12 games , commencing with start of 1989-90 season . Montreal wins game , 4-2 , and series , 4-2 . <p> APRIL 5 , 1990 , Stanley Cup division semifinals . New York Rangers vs . New York Islanders . First Game . James Patrick and Chris Nilan of Rangers converge on Pat LaFontaine , who suffers a concussion . LaFontaine does not return until fifth game of series . N.H.L. takes no action . Rangers win game , 2-1 , and series , 4-1. 
##3000158 <p> The clash between Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent and a group of owners opposed to him has erupted into the open . The conflict , which has been raging behind the scenes for months , reached a boiling point with a series of letters last week that ended with Vincent vowing never to resign . <p> At the request of the dissident owners , the two league presidents , Bill White of the National League and Bobby Brown of the American , asked Vincent in a letter to call a meeting at which his opponents were expected to ask him to resign or be fired . <p> Vincent , saying such a meeting would be unlawful under the terms of the Major League Agreement , rejected the request . <p> Vincent then wrote a strongly worded five-page letter to all 28 major league club owners saying he had considered resigning as the easiest way out of an unpleasant situation but rejected the possibility and proclaimed , " I will not resign -- ever . " If the owners tried to remove him , Vincent said , he would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court of this land tells me otherwise . " <p> Vincent , whose term runs through March 31 , 1994 , also informed the owners he has hired a lawyer , Brendan V. Sullivan Jr . Sullivan is probably best known for his defense of Oliver North in the Iran-contra hearings . <p> Sullivan and his colleagues , Vincent told the owners , " have familiarized themselves with the issues , analyzed the law and are assembling factual information so as to be prepared to respond to any inappropriate action . " <p> Peter O'Malley of the Los Angeles Dodgers , Bud Selig of the Milwaukee Brewers and Jerry Reinsdorf of the Chicago White Sox have been most often identified as the owners most outspoken against the commissioner . But yesterday two owners said the real leader of the movement was the Tribune Company , owner of the Chicago Cubs . <p> The Cubs have sued the commissioner to block his ordered realignment of the National League , which would move them to the Western Division . But the two owners cited the Tribune 's concern about Vincent 's view of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that broadcasts Cub games -- as the source of the company 's concern and opposition to Vincent . <p> Furthermore , one owner said , a lawyer for the Cubs prepared a document that charges the commissioner with wrongdoing in a half-dozen areas . The dissident owners have tried to secure as many owners ' signatures on the document as possible in an effort to induce Vincent to resign . The document , however , has not been presented to the commissioner . <p> Stanton Cook , chairman of the Tribune Company and the Cubs , declined yesterday to discuss his view of Vincent . But he acknowledged that he had been among the owners who requested a meeting of all owners to discuss " basically the performance of the commissioner . " <p> " I think it should be discussed , " Cook said by telephone from his home in the Chicago area . Asked if the owners would ask Vincent to resign , he said : " I 'm not going to comment on what could or could not happen at a meeting . We 'll just have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ completing a vacation at his Cape Cod summer home , declined to comment on the letters or any other aspect of the conflict . <p> Brown and White sent a letter to Vincent last Monday saying numerous owners in their leagues wanted to have a special joint meeting . The presidents said they were concerned with the ongoing turmoil . Vincent Says No <p> Last Thursday , Vincent responded to Brown and White , declining such a meeting -- to discuss the duties of a sitting commissioner -- because it would violate the Major League Agreement . <p> In the letter , which an owner read to The New York Times , Vincent wrote that the presidents could call a meeting to discuss the role of a future commissioner but added , " I would not expect you to call a meeting for the purpose set forth in your letter of Aug. 17 . " <p> The presidents could still convene a meeting , but Vincent would almost certainly refuse to attend if he thought he would be the topic of discussion . Although no document provides for the dismissal of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vincent . But they would undoubtedly have to go to court to have the action enforced . <p> " In my judgment and in the opinion of my counsel , " Vincent wrote to the owners last Thursday , " there is no contractual right to remove me from office or to diminish my powers prior to that time . " <p> In the letter , the commissioner went on : " How could the commissioner function otherwise ? The possibility of removal midterm would render the commissioner ineffective . If the commissioner knew that a particular decision would prompt an effort seeking to remove him , difficult decisions will not be made or , if made , will favor the most powerful owners most likely to assure his continuance in office . " Traditionally Immune <p> A court fight over Vincent 's status would represent a critical test of the broad powers granted to baseball 's central office . Not only has the commissioner traditionally been considered immune to dismissal , but he has wielded wide-ranging decision-making powers over the game under the clause allowing him to act " in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were to win the right in court to dismiss Vincent , the powers of the commissioner 's office would be significantly reduced . <p> The next regularly scheduled owners meeting is Sept. 9-10 in St. Louis . If some owners tried to raise the issue of his dismissal , Vincent could simply rule them out of order or adjourn the meeting . <p> Vincent 's opponents have made claims in the past two to three months that their group numbered anywhere from 25 to 15 , the number currently being mentioned . However , they never have presented any proof to the commissioner or anyone else of their claims . Vincent 's supporters have counted 10 to 12 in opposition , at most . They count at least 10 in their group , with the others remaining neutral . <p> In his letter to the owners , Vincent wrote that some owners want a commissioner who would be " more malleable , more willing to see things their way , more likely to be in their camp and less sensitive to the broad-based constituencies , including players , umpires and fans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ letter that his first reaction was " if they do n't want me , why should I stay ? Why should I fight with some baseball owners especially if the disagreements interfere with the accomplishment of my stated goals for baseball . " <p> But , he added , he determined that " my initial reaction was wrong " and if he would be doing " a grave disservice to the office of the commissioner and to baseball itself were I to resign . " <p> Vincent said he would resist " with all my strength and ability " any effort by his opponents to get him out of office . <p> " Even if there is a meeting and a vote to remove me from office or an attempt to limit my powers , all in contravention of the Major League Agreement and my employment agreement , I will not leave , " he wrote . " I will continue to carry out my responsibilities until such time as the highest court of this land tells me otherwise . " <p> Concluding the letter , Vincent said he regretted that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ " to do everything in my power to repair those relationships . " 
##3000161 <p> The Milwaukee Brewers remind Phil Garner , their rookie manager , of a movie . No , not " The Bad News Bears . " The movie Garner has in mind as he watches his scrappy team play is " Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid . " <p> " We 're like the guys in the long coats , " Garner said , " the guys who kept following them . They kept asking , ' Who are those guys ? ' They could n't shake them . At some point , teams ahead of us are going to say : ' Who are those guys ? They keep tracking us and we ca n't shake them . " ' <p> Garner recalled the Robert Redford-Paul Newman movie when he was asked if the Brewers are or are not in the American League East race . Although they have been in third place since June 6 and have ranged from three and a half games out to eight and a half behind , the Brewers have not established themselves as unquestionable contenders -- unless they finally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threshold of suffering a fatal blow at the hands of the division leaders , they destroyed the Toronto Blue Jays in two games . <p> By winning those games , the Brewers sliced their deficit to four and a half games from what had grown to six and a half games with a first-game loss to the Blue Jays and made a seer out of their manager . Timing Is Everything <p> Asked just before the start of the series if the Brewers were or were not contenders , Garner said : " It depends on when you see us . Some days you 'd look at us and swear we were n't . But when they want to write the death sentence , we somehow get back in the thick of things . " <p> Garner himself believes the Brewers are contenders . " We 've struggled together as a group , and we have a tendency to play in streaks , " said the manager , who played in post-season games with three different teams and batted .500 ( 12-24 ) in the 1979 World Series . " We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way . I believe our offense can come alive and score runs . " <p> The Brewers finally did in the two victories over the Blue Jays , scoring 26 runs , only one less than they had accumulated in their previous dozen games . In three successive games with Boston last weekend , the Brewers scored one run in each game and won two of them . In four of the six games before that set and in the game after , they scored one run or no runs and lost all four times . <p> Their problem in producing runs puts a premium on their pitching staff , which has the second-lowest earned run average in the league , and on their base stealers , who are the most prolific in the league . Going into their game with Detroit last night , the Brewers had 64 home runs , the third fewest in the league , but had 176 stolen bases , far from Oakland 's league record of 341 in 1976 ( 35 of which belonged to Garner ) but already better than Oakland 's league-leading total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the team and saw we had intelligent runners , " Garner said , explaining the derivation of his running game . " We did n't necessarily have the fastest runners , but we had smart runners . My idea was if we have intelligent runners and they can grasp what we 're trying to do , we 'll put them in motion . " <p> The Brewers have a green-light running game , which means the runners can steal at will unless they get a don't-steal sign . <p> " They run all the time , " Garner said . " My philosophy is I want them to be aggressive . When they get on first base , I want them thinking about stealing second ; when they get to second , I want them to think of stealing third . It 's go , go , go until you 're told not to steal . I have signs for not stealing , but I do n't use it very often . " <p> The Brewers have been successful stealing 70 percent of the time , which is among the best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shortstop and leadoff hitter , leads the team with 39 stolen bases . Five other players are in double figures . 3 Pitchers in Double Figures <p> Three pitchers are in double figures in victories -- Jaime Navarro 14 and Chris Bosio and Bill Wegman 11 each . They have been joined in he rotation by an impressive rookie , Cal Eldred , whose first five starts produced a 3-1 record and a 1.93 e.r.a . <p> Wegman has brought relief to Bud Selig , the Brewers ' owner , who invited criticism last winter by signing his injury-plagued free-agent pitcher to a four-year , $9.5 million contract . A year earlier , Selig signed injury-plagued Ted Higuera to a four-year , $13 million contract and continues to suffer from the pain of paying Higuera for not pitching . <p> " You never know , " Selig said , " but the doctors said -- and they did n't tell us this on Higuera -- said if you want to sign Wegman to a long-term contract , he 's as good a risk as anybody . " <p> One ironic element @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bosio 's status . He can be a free agent after the season , and the Brewers had planned to trade him because they were far apart in their negotiations . As long as they even appear to be in the race , though , they can not trade him . <p> " It does put our owner in a dilemma , " Garner said . " You have to be able to survive financially . " <p> Selig worries about his club 's financial health , but if keeping Bosio at the risk of losing him as a free agent helps produce a pennant , he will gladly take that option . Yount and the Count <p> Their place in the standing is not the only intriguing element of the Brewers ' season . Their senior player , Robin Yount , is on his way to becoming the 17th player to amass 3,000 hits in his career . That is , he will be the 17th if George Brett of Kansas City does n't get there first . <p> At the start of the season , Yount needed 122 hits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , however , has had a bad two-month stretch and entered last night 's game 21 hits away while Brett was 41 short going into a game with Chicago . <p> Before erupting for a triple , double and single against Toronto Thursday , Yount had batted .169 with only 30 hits in his previous 49 games . That was well off the pace he set through June 19 , when he had a .291 average and 66 hits in 61 games . If he had been able to maintain that pace , he would have reached 3,000 with his three-hit flurry Thursday . <p> Yount , who will turn 37 on Sept. 16 , is in his 19th major league season . He has n't said if there will be a 20th . <p> " I do n't know what his plans are , " Phil Garner said . " I do n't think he 's decided . I 'd welcome him back , and our organization welcomes him back . I 've told Robin do n't worry about what you 're hitting ; your presence on the field says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's a leader . " <p> The manager related an incident that occurred in a game against the Chicago White Sox last month . After George Bell was hit by a pitch , he went out of the baseline to slide hard into Pat Listach on a force play at second . <p> " He tangles Listach up , and they start to go at each other , " Garner said . " Yount got between them and was protecting the kid . That 's worth millions to me . " <p> Yount , Garner added , is such a team player that " if he ever gets down to needing two or three hits and five games are left , if I ask him to bunt to get a runner over , you 'll never hear him complain . " Playing the Waiver Game <p> Bruce Hurst , San Diego 's 12-game winner , is the latest left-handed pitcher who was claimed when his team tried to get him through waivers , anticipating a possible trade . Claiming clubs are not identified , so general managers of other teams know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was claimed last week , and the Padres , who could have traded him once they decided they no longer were in their division race , naturally withdrew his name rather than lose him . In recent weeks , left-handed starters Chris Nabholz of Montreal and Bob Ojeda of Los Angeles and left-handed relievers Randy Myers of San Diego and Mike Stanton were also claimed and withdrawn . <p> Right-handed pitchers have n't been ignored totally . The Yankees tried to get John Habyan through waivers and the Houston Astros tried to do the same with Doug Jones , but each was claimed and thus withdrawn . <p> The general manager of a National League team said he did n't know who claimed Hurst , but he speculated that it could have been the Mets . The word around the league , he said , was that the Mets had been putting in claims for left-handed pitchers to block the Montreal Expos from getting one . A Mets official said the team has claimed some players , but not Hurst . <p> After July 31 , a team needs waivers on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a player , it effectively blocks a competitor from making a trade for him . <p> Since the start of the season , eight players have moved to other teams via waiver claims , but seven times clubs had asked waivers on the players so they could outright them to the minor leagues and the other time the player had been placed on unconditional-release waivers . In those instances , the waivers are irrevocable . 
##3000162 <p> They did not plan to be spectators on Saturday afternoons . After all the letters and phone calls from college football coaches , the visits and decisions , this much seemed clear : Michael Miller , Bryan Fortay and Robert Smith each possessed the gifts to make a difference in a sport that turns nearly all the others into witnesses . <p> As the structure of college football continues to evolve , with a coalition of bowl games attempting to reshape the sport 's decisive moments and with severe economic and pressures threatening further change , there is one factor that has remained constant since the days of the flying wedge . At the highest level , on the most memorable Saturdays , the history of the game is often determined by the remarkable accomplishments of great players . <p> " Ninety-five percent of your athletes have to be good enough not to get you beat , not to lose a game for you , " said John Cooper , the Ohio State coach . " But you better have somebody who is going to win the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Smith still fit that description , even after a difficult season of inactivity in which their careers took sudden detours . In a period of several weeks late last summer , circumstances turned each of them into spectators . The circumstances illustrated the competitive and academic pressures of Division I-A football ; the players ' return represents an acknowledgement that they had little choice but to come to terms with the system . <p> Miller , who had been advertised as the next Rocket Ismail before he graduated from Willowridge High School in Sugarland , Tex. , left Notre Dame to return home after 31 seconds of playing time , citing the frustration of being injured and the pressures created by Ismail 's accomplishments . He returned in January after realizing he had made a mistake and starts his sophomore year at the school in September . <p> Also a year ago , Fortay , who lost the competition to Gino Torretta for the starting quarterback spot at Miami , was driving north to New Jersey , to transfer to Rutgers , before the 1991 season started . <p> And Smith @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Big Ten freshman of the year at Ohio State in 1990 , left the team -- but not the school -- last August . Smith 's charge that an atmosphere emphasizing athletics over academics was in conflict with his responsibility as a pre-medical student made him a national symbol for academic neglect in athletic departments . <p> Once the college choices of the three were made , their status as prize recruits had not shielded them from the realities of their business . An injury , or a coach 's decision , or an assistant coach 's approach , or a breakdown in communication , contributed to problems that had to be addressed . <p> " To them , " Smith said of coaches , " it 's a job . To me , it 's a way to pay for school . That 's a very big conflict . " <p> When their situations became unbearable last season , the only way out was to get out . <p> " It really was n't hard at all , " Miller said . " One day I woke up . ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were n't going the way I thought they go . I was disappointed , hurt . I just up and left . I did n't really think . I just did it . " <p> Miller played in one game , at Michigan , returning one punt for 5 yards and three kickoffs for 19 . The previous time Notre Dame had played at Michigan , in 1989 , Rocket Ismail had returned kickoffs for touchdowns of 92 and 89 yards . Ismail was a sophomore that season , and healthy , and he had been able to develop a knowledge of the system . Miller was an injured freshman standing in the place of a departed legend . <p> " He looks like Rocket , " Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz said in February 1991 . " He talks like Rocket . His facial expressions are like Rocket . He 's not quite as tall as Rocket , but he 's got the same bubbly personality . They tell me he 's slightly faster than Rocket . He 's very good at kickoff returns and punt returns , and he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this stage . " <p> Holtz also said this : " We do not expect him to be another Rocket . " <p> It was too late . The coach 's detailed comparisons had already chiseled the expectation into stone . <p> The coach had omitted one important similarity . Miller has the ability to run 40 yards in 4.35 seconds , but he would rather not be a focal point off the field . <p> " Another guy on the team , " Miller said . " That 's the way I prefer it . " <p> A year ago , Miller 's speed and potential transformed the 5-foot-7-inch , 155-pound freshman into the college equivalent of a No. 1 draft choice . A summer injury made the expectations unreachable . <p> " A few guys back home were just in the weight room , " Miller remembered . " I was never really a big lifter in high school . It was like , ' Hey , I wonder how much you can squat . ' I never squatted in high school . I was like , ' Well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about 300 pounds , and felt his legs were tired when he ran afterward . He first thought the discomfort was just a cramp , and did not see a doctor for more than a week . But the fatigue turned out to be a severe hamstring pull . <p> His injury created a cycle that would soon cause him to leave . Missed practice time caused him to fall behind , and his painful hamstring prevented him from catching up . Miller was gone the Monday after the Michigan game , and was soon enrolled as a non-scholarship student at the University of Houston . <p> " I would n't like to see anyone else go through anything like that again , " Miller said . " Anyone . " <p> Fortay 's problems also began before he left high school . His 4,100 passing yards at East Brunswick High School in New Jersey made him a target of the elite . Fortay listened as Miami Coach Jimmy Johnson and assistant Gary Stevens placed him in the impressive line of Hurricane quarterbacks . <p> Craig Erickson , the successor to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leave Fortay as the starter as a third-year sophomore in 1991 . <p> " I heard Lou Holtz say you should not choose a school for a coach , " Fortay said . " But with all other things being equal , why do you choose a school ? A guy you feel comfortable with for the next five years , four hours a day , every day . You 've got to feel comfortable with him . " <p> Fortay made his commitment before Christmas of 1988 . By early March , everything had changed . Johnson had left to coach the Dallas Cowboys , and was replaced by Dennis Erickson of Washington State . <p> " So here I go from a coach I feel really comfortable with to somebody I 've never even spoken to on the phone , " Fortay said . " And this is after nine months of perpetual call after call , after letter after letter , to the point where I 'm hiding from people . And all of a sudden I 've got a coach I 've never even talked to . @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intent binds the athlete to the school , but a coach 's contract does not prevent a sudden departure . Fortay was on the Miami roster as a backup in 1989 , and sat out in 1990 . A year ago , just over a week before the season , Miami announced its starting quarterback . Erickson acknowledged that Fortay had better statistics in scrimmages , but said he chose Gino Torretta because of the experience . Within days , Fortay was driving north . <p> Robert Smith 's situation did not take him anywhere . He was even in Ohio Stadium for three games last fall , using his evasive tactics . He was just evading a different group of people . <p> " Just basically scooting in and out , " he said . " Getting the head down low a little bit . Getting the hat on , the glasses . I was n't really seen too much during the games . " <p> Smith 's dispute with former assistant coach Elliot Uzelac -- a conflict Smith described as one of ideologies , not personalities -- put a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ athletes . <p> " I want exactly what Robert is talking about , " said John Cooper , the Ohio State coach . " All we had to do is communicate . If Robert Smith had come to me and said : ' Coach , I have a problem . There 's a conflict . What should I do ? ' Boom -- go to class . It could have been avoided . It should have been avoided . " <p> A year later , Smith has returned to the team , but an edge in his voice brings a reminder of the emotion of the time . " Saying that I caused the controversy is like saying that law causes crime , " Smith said . <p> The controversy was especially intense with the backdrop of all those loyal thousands in scarlet and gray . " If the whole world was against me , I still would have done what I did , " Smith said . <p> Smith considered leaving for Stanford or Southern California , but chose to stay because leaving would have disrupted his academic schedule and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ athletes who transfer were also a consideration for Miller and Fortay . <p> Miller was able to return to Notre Dame because he had not gone to Houston as a scholarship student . Fortay , by rushing to enroll at Rutgers before 1991 classes started , became eligible to play this season . Smith remains on schedule to graduate with his class in 1994 , and has three more seasons of eligibility . <p> " I feel a lot more comfortable with Coach Cooper and the coaching staff now , that they are more dedicated to us as students as well as athletes , " Smith said . <p> " I think I 'm different mentally . I 've put college football into a more clear perspective in my life . I see it as a means to an end even more now . I always did , but I do realize I need to play . How long that is in the future I really do n't know . " <p> The fall quarter at Ohio State was weeks away , and for most of the day , Smith was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers were reassembling the huge bleachers that fill in the south end of the gray horseshoe and expand its capacity to 91,470 . And not far away , on the practice fields outside the massive , $10.6 million Woody Hayes Athletic Center , the Buckeyes were working to meet the standard expectations of all those thousands in scarlet and gray . <p> As the sun began to set and Smith and his teammates sprinted at the end of their day of work , it seemed as if nothing had changed . There was still a job to be won , a system to be mastered , and a coach to be satisfied . <p> " It 's not my job to keep them happy , " Cooper said with a smile . " It 's their job to keep me happy . That 's the way I look at it . " 