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 ALCS Notebook Torre gives players pre-game pep talk
Posted: Saturday October 10, 1998 01:00 AM
CLEVELAND (AP) -- New York manager Joe Torre wanted the Yankees to put the events of the last two days behind them, so he briefly gathered his team for a meeting before Friday's Game 3 of the American League championship series. The meeting went well. The game, however, was another matter as Cleveland took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series with a 6-1 victory. Torre, who made the Yankees' Thursday workout optional, was concerned that the Chuck Knoblauch incident and the endless discussion about umpires had caused his team to lose focus. "I had a little bit of a meeting a few minutes ago just to make sure -- with everything that's been going on for the last day and a half," Torre said before Game 3. "I just wanted to make sure we go out there and think about tonight instead of trying to make up for something that happened the other day." Torre said he began considering the idea of talking to his team on Thursday, and spent just a few minutes reminding them why they're here. "Whatever the results were the other day, whoever messed up, it's over with, we can't do a damn thing about it," he said he told them. With the Yankees winning an AL-record 114 games this season, Torre didn't have much need to address his team. And he thinks team meetings are more for managers anyway. "I just wanted to let them know what I was thinking," he said. His point hit home. Catcher Joe Girardi said the Yankees were in a good mood when they took the field. "Yeah, this team was relaxed," Girardi said after the game. "We need to hit better. When we hit, we're going to win. When we don't hit, we don't win." Look out!A great night for Indians fans turned nasty for one woman, who was hit in the forehead when Joe Girardi's bat snapped in half in the fifth inning. The woman, a season ticketholder from the Cleveland suburb of Independence, was sitting behind the Indians' dugout with her husband when Girardi's bat broke and flew into the stands. The Indians training staff attended to her, while Cleveland players passed a couple of baseballs up to the couple, who would not give their names. Game 3 in the booksThe Indians' Game 3 win matched several AL championship series records. Cleveland's four homers tied the series record, shared by Baltimore, Oakland and New York. Its three homers in the fifth inning also tied a record. The four homers allowed by Andy Pettitte matched the series record shared by Oakland's Catfish Hunter (October 4, 1971) and Baltimore's Dave McNally (October 7, 1973). Manny Ramirez moved into fourth place on the career postseason home run list with his 13th. Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson each had 18 and Babe Ruth hit 15. Robo ump?The biggest problem with umpiring is technology. That's Marty Springstead's take on baseball's hottest topic these days. Springstead, a former umpire, is the AL's supervisor of umpires. In the aftermath of the controversial play from Game 2, umpiring and the selection of umpires for the postseason has come under increased scrutiny. Springstead was mobbed by reporters before Game 3 and asked if he thought the quality of umpiring had gotten worse. "No," he said. "I actually think it's gotten better. I just think it's gotten tougher because of technology. NBC can dissect a plays 50,000 ways. And we can't keep up with that." Score updateLongtime Cleveland Indians broadcaster and former pitcher Herb Score was upgraded from critical to guarded condition Friday, a day after his car crashed into a tractor-trailer. Score remained in Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio, with a brain bruise, a broken bone over his eye and broken ribs. Dr. Todd Meyerhoeffer said Score's condition was not life-threatening. A moment of silence was held before the game for Score, the AL rookie of the year in 1955 and an Indians broadcaster for 34 years. State police said Score pulled his Buick into the path of a tractor-trailer early Thursday morning as he was traveling from Ohio to Florida. Not quite the Alps, but ...The weather was chilly for Game 3 at Jacobs Field on Friday night, but nothing like the biting temperatures and snow-filled skies for last year's World Series against Florida. Temperatures were supposed to dip into the mid-40s overnight with a light north wind blowing across Lake Erie. Similar conditions were predicted for Saturday night's game. That game will introduce Yankees starter Orlando Hernandez to the cool autumn nights in the Midwest. Hernandez grew up in Cuba and defected last December. He was asked Friday to recall the coldest game he's ever pitched. He thought a moment before answering. "When I was pitching for the Cuban national team, we played in Italy and Ireland and other countries in Europe and it was pretty cold," he said. "I'm not sure what the temperature was, but it was pretty cold. "We all pretty much know my story. I've been through some cold times, and I don't feel that the cold in the field will affect my pitching tomorrow." Swimming toward homeCleveland Indians second baseman Enrique Wilson has been taking some razzing from his teammates since he staggered in from third base to score the winning run in Game 2 of the AL championship series. On the now infamous play in which New York Yankees second baseman Chuck Knoblauch didn't chase the ball in order to argue with the umpires, Wilson scored from first base to give Cleveland a 2-1 lead in the 12th inning. Cleveland went on to win the game 4-1. Wilson was put in the game as pinch runner for Jim Thome but the end of his dash -- from third to home -- didn't win any points for style. His flailing run and flop across the plate have put his fellow Indians in stitches as they've watched replays. "He looked like a guy swimming for his life in the ocean with a bunch of sharks chasing him," Indians pitcher Dave Burba said. "If Enrique picks up a little more speed," said outfielder Brian Giles, "he can start flying home."
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