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True blue Karros on his way to joining exclusive club
Posted: Monday March 06, 2000 11:46 PM
VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- To Eric Karros, nothing beats playing at home. Of course, winning would make it that much sweeter. When he signed a contract extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers last month, Karros put himself in position to join an small group of players who spend their entire big-league career with one team. San Diego's Tony Gwynn and Baltimore's Cal Ripken Jr. appear a cinch to go wire-to-wire. Atlanta's Tom Glavine and John Smoltz, and Cincinnati's Barry Larkin also are headed in that direction. Otherwise, those who might achieve such a feat are much younger. "I'm fortunate, it's an honor to get into that sort of group," Karros said. "I've got a picture of Ripken and Eddie Murray in Baltimore uniforms at home -- Ripken because of the way he plays the game, Murray because he was the last Dodgers first baseman before me. I've also got a picture of myself and Mike Piazza. Otherwise, there's no baseball memorabilia around." Karros, 32, won the first base job with the Dodgers in May 1992, and went on to earn NL Rookie of the Year honors. Piazza won the same award the following year, and remained a Dodger until traded in May 1998. It appeared Karros might follow Piazza out of town last year. Trade rumors circulated, and general manager Kevin Malone admitted when Karros signed the contract extension that there had been opportunities to make a deal. Karros will earn $5 million this year -- the final year of a $20 million, four-year contract. He signed a $24 million, three-year extension with an option for a fourth year that becomes guaranteed if he makes 500 plate appearances in 2003. "I think he's a great teammate," said Orel Hershiser, who pitched for the Dodgers from 1983-94 and rejoined them this year. "He's one of the guys who has carried the Dodgers' mantle, a player fans relate to in terms of the past, present and future. I think he's carried it well."
For Karros, there will be an added bonus if he spends his entire career with the Dodgers. "There aren't too many guys who get to play their whole career and sleep in their own bed," he said. "I grew up in Southern California, I went to UCLA. LA for me is the place to be." Karros has been a model of consistency since 1995, hitting over 30 homers and driving in over 100 runs in four of the five seasons. The exception was 1998, when he missed the first 21 games after undergoing knee surgery and hit .296 with 23 homers and 87 RBIs. Despite the Dodgers' disappointing 1999 season, Karros excelled, hitting .304 with 34 homers, 40 doubles and 112 RBIs. But because of the team's 77-85 finish following high expectations, there was little joy. "It was a humbling season, a humiliating season," he said. "We embarrassed ourselves last year, on and off the field." Karros is close to setting several Los Angeles records and could wind up setting some overall Dodgers marks, too. "I'm sure that will mean something to me when I'm done playing," he said. "Right now, the driving force is to get to the playoffs, win in the playoffs, get in the World Series, win the World Series. "My two most exciting years, easily, were 1995 and 1996," he added, referring to the only two seasons that the Dodgers made the playoffs since winning the 1988 World Series. "Baseball has given me everything I have in my life. I love what I'm doing and make a great living at it. I don't have a world championship. That would be icing on the cake."
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