Baseball

THE CLASS OF '68

In 1968 the Dodgers had one of the best June drafts of any team ever. In one eight-day period of 1987, three of the biggest stars of that draft—Steve Garvey, 38, Bill Buckner, 37, and Ron Cey, 39—got discouraging news from their current teams. Padres president Chub Feeney told Garvey, who is out for the season following shoulder surgery, that the club might not offer him a new contract after his current five-year deal concludes in October. Buckner and Cey were released, by the Red Sox and Athletics, respectively.

Buckner will hook on with someone—Minnesota, probably—as a designated hitter. He was hitting .273 when released, and his 254 RBIs for 1985-87 were only five fewer than Boston leader Jim Rice's total. "He is still one of the great clutch hitters in the game," said teammate Dwight Evans. But G.M. Lou Gorman said, "We have to be realistic about this season." What Gorman meant was that, before 1987 ends, Boston wants to find out if outfielder Mike Greenwell, DH Sam Horn and OF-1B Todd Benzinger can be everyday players in '88.

Buckner will always be one of Boston's most storied players because of the ball that went through his legs to end the sixth game of the '86 World Series. "It's just too bad that everyone seems to remember only that play," said Buckner. "It just wouldn't go away. Then, with all the rumors about my release, it got difficult to play. I just want to get started somewhere else." If he doesn't wind up with the Twins, he could heed the overtures of the Texas Rangers and manager Bobby Valentine. Valentine was L.A.'s No. 1 pick in that splendid '68 draft and was Buckner's roommate at USC and with the Dodgers.

Garvey, who has 2,599 hits, 10 All-Star appearances and an MVP trophy, is scheduled to meet again with Feeney in September, so his career may not be over either. Cey, however, is almost certainly finished. He left with class, sending his A's teammates a telegram wishing them luck and apologizing for not contributing more to their pennant drive....

One other significant career may also be coming to a close. Kansas City ended Hal McRae's 19 years of distinction by removing him from the roster on July 21, though he will remain as hitting coach. McRae had just 32 at bats this year. He and George Brett were the heart and soul of the great Royals teams that won four divisional titles and a pennant between 1976 and '80, and Brett always credited McRae with "teaching us how to win." McRae aggressively broke up double plays the way Frank Robinson used to, and had he not suffered a serious shoulder injury early in his career, would have hit even better than his lifetime .290 average.

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND

When the Yankees took over first place on June 29, some people suggested they had nothing to fear but the owner's fear itself. Between then and July 26, the Yanks played 24 games and made 24 roster changes. After a 2-1 loss in Minnesota on July 21, in which Mark Salas was thrown out at the plate in the ninth while trying to score from second on a single, George Steinbrenner stood in the visitors' clubhouse, arms folded, glaring. Steinbrenner then had p.r. man Harvey Greene telephone for updates on the Detroit and Toronto scores, and when Detroit rallied in the 10th to beat Oakland, Steinbrenner snarled, "They're getting too damned close. I was worried about this." That was with 67 games remaining and the Yankees holding a three-game lead. The next night produced a 3-1 loss, and afterward, Lou Piniella held a clubhouse meeting and complained about the team's "lackadaisical play." He wouldn't single out anyone, but it's known his target was Rickey Henderson, who had been less than exuberant in recent games while recovering from a nagging hamstring problem. "The next time someone loafs on a play, I'll take him out, right in the middle of an inning," Piniella told the players. The Yankees then lost two of three to the White Sox, and the week ended with Detroit and Toronto 1 and 1½ games out, respectively. August could be a stormy month in Gotham....

Padres fans embarrassed themselves by booing and harassing Andre Dawson in his first game in San Diego following his beanball run-in with Eric Show in Chicago. Crazies in the rightfield stands bombed Dawson with a beer cup and a tennis ball after he made a catch. Dawson also said he was taunted by racial slurs. After Monday's incidents, security guards moved all rightfield spectators one section farther away from Dawson for the next two days. Dawson later said, "If they think I'm at fault for going after the guy [Show], they're crazy. Anybody would have acted the same way I did." ...That Twins lefthander Frank Viola is 8-1, 1.86 in his last 12 starts is not especially surprising, except to those who have been waiting for him to finally elevate himself from a solid starter to the level his talent suggests. Frank Viola Sr. says it's simply a matter of his son growing up. "You'd see the scouting report and it would say the same thing every year: The only person who can beat Frank Viola is Frank Viola. We all kept hearing about his potential, and I have to admit I was getting as sick of hearing it as anyone else. It just seemed that he let so many bad things bother him out there—bad calls, bad plays behind him, whatever."

SAD ENDINGS