Time To Pillage The Village

For all his cheerleading, Dedeaux doesn't want his players to be too confident. "We've won only one international tournament in the last 10 years," he says. "The Japanese won't have more than six collegiate players, the rest coming from their terrific industrial leagues. The Nicaraguans defeated us in the 1983 Pan Am Games. The Dominicans have about 50 players in the big leagues, and it's a cinch the majors didn't sign all the good ones. And the two best amateur pitchers in the world may be Chih-Chun Li of Chinese- Taipei and Dung Sun of South Korea." Resting a sore arm, Sun has pitched only 1? innings in exhibitions against the U.S. but is expected to be ready for Los Angeles.

By the time the U.S. team had left Boston for its appearance at this week's major league All-Star Game, it had played 19 games in 21 days, and the players were routinely getting 5 a.m. wake-up calls for flights and bus trips. "Sleep? What's that?" said catcher John Marzano, a Temple junior who was the Red Sox' No. 1 pick. Even so, the players keep their cool, sign autographs and somehow abstain from chewing tobacco. "A lot of guys had to break habits," says McGwire.

"We decided on this schedule to sell Olympic baseball to American crowds," says Dedeaux. "Thus far, only the final game in Los Angeles has been sold out. If the games are an artistic and financial success, the chances of baseball becoming a medal sport will be greatly enhanced. So every baseball lover owes it to do what he can."

In the meantime, Dedeaux's boys will just try to do what they can—win.