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Boys of Summer Unheralded U.S. baseball team at top of these Games
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- Neill and Mientkiewicz, Sheets and Rauch and Ainsworth -- throw in Oswalt, too. Sound familiar? Not yet? They may soon if they keep playing like this. The U.S. baseball team -- an unusual collection of up-and-comers, down-siders and career minor leaguers -- has turned the Olympic tournament upside-down at its halfway point. Aside from 1992 World Series MVP Pat Borders, most of the U.S. baseball players passed through the majors without leaving much of a mark. A single off Tim Wakefield in Fenway Park. A slump-ending homer off David Cone at Yankee Stadium. A few eye-opening days in the big leagues at the end of the season. They're making up for it in a grand way at the Olympics. "This is by far the best time I've ever had in baseball," said 31-year-old Ernie Young, who was Oakland's center fielder in 1996. "When you've been stuck in the minors for a few years, you can get a little bitter for the game. This definitely has brought my enthusiasm back." With three games left before medal play, the Americans are the only unbeaten team left, an Olympic first. Even the mighty Cubans are trying to catch up after losing for the first time in three Olympics. For now, those low-profile Americans are No. 1. "These are no-name guys," said Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda, who has the most recognizable name in the bunch. "The whole world will know these guys before this is over." Game by game, the names are becoming a little more familiar. There's Mike Neill, whose two-run homer in the 13th set up a 4-2 victory against Japan. Starters Ben Sheets, Jon Rauch, Kurt Ainsworth and Roy Oswalt have given up a total of one unearned run in four games. Then there's Doug Mientkiewicz, whose eighth-inning grand slam Wednesday provided a 4-0 victory against South Korea for a 4-0 record. "I volunteered for this assignment because I was hoping I could help this team," said Lasorda, who led the Dodgers to two World Series championships. "That's why I'm here. I'll be 73 years old [Friday]. After that grand slam, I felt like I was 40."
Mientkiewicz, a 26-year-old first baseman, played for the Minnesota Twins last season and hit .229 in 118 games. He hit two homers, and one of them qualified as his most welcomed moment until the Olympic slam. "I hit a home run off David Cone that broke an 0-for-38 slump," he said. "That was probably the most relief I've felt. I couldn't believe I got a hit." Mientkiewicz slathers his bat with pine tar that finds its way to his batting helmet, making him a sticky version of Houston's Craig Biggio when he comes to the plate. When he hit the slam Wednesday, he raised his right index finger as he watched the ball, then pumped his fist as he rounded third and headed for the bedlam at home. The Toledo, Ohio native dedicated the moment to his parents. "I finally hit one for them," he said. Neill's two-run shot in the 13th inning gave the U.S. a 4-2 in its Olympic opener. They call that a sayonara homer in Japan; Neill called it a career highlight.The 30-year-old outfielder has never homered in the majors, going 4-for-15 with Oakland in 1998 -- three singles and a double. The homer ranked with his first major league hit, a single off Wakefield. "There's not going to be too many game-winning homers in the Olympics," he said. Whereas the U.S. may be the surprise team of the tournament, the Netherlands thus far pulled off the surprise upset. The Netherlands (2-2) kept itself in medal-round contention and wrote a little history by beating Cuba on Wednesday. The 4-2 victory snapped Cuba's streak of 21 victories in Olympic baseball. The Cubans went unbeaten in Barcelona and Atlanta while winning the gold. Defections have depleted their roster and other teams have added professionals this time around, closing the gap. The Cubans came from behind to beat Italy and South Korea on consecutive days, but couldn't pull off a third consecutive rally Wednesday. They're still in excellent shape for a medal-round berth at 3-1, but it will be interesting to see how they're affected by their loss of invincibility. Will they become a little tentative or come back with a vengeance? Australia (2-2) will find out Friday, when the tournament resumes after an off day. "For the next team, they're going to be tough to beat," Netherlands infielder Robert Eenhoorn said. "I think they're going to come out and be more aggressive. Maybe we had them on a day when they weren't playing their best baseball." The Americans will get them Saturday, after playing Italy (1-3) when the tournament resumes. Lasorda gave his players Thursday off, their first break since they arrived in Australia. "I'm going to hang out at the beach," Young said. Lasorda insists they won't have Cuba on their minds as they sun themselves. "I don't worry about anything but [Friday], when we have to play the Italians," he said. "I'm scared to death of the Italians."
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