Giants do nothing for fans and not enough for Deion

Not paying me during the suspension doesn't show me much," Gant says. "That's pretty horrendous. This is something I won't forget come negotiations. I'll definitely remember this. I get paid if I'm on the disabled list. This is just a different reason for not being able to be on the field. I was sticking up for the team when I got suspended."

A Bip bop

Can anyone understand why Bip Roberts was standing in the bullpen acting as a simulated batter when the Padres have plenty of choices with September call-ups?

And why do it for Andy Ashby? He hit a batter, and gave up five walks and two wild pitches in 42/3 innings in his previous start. Now, Roberts has a broken leg and the Padres are falling out of the wild-wd race.

The Padres will shop Roberts in the offseason.

Around the basepaths

When Athletics first baseman Mark McGwire passed Reggie Jackson on the club's all-time home run list he didn't keep the baseball. "People find it funny that I don't have any baseball stuff at home," he says. "I'm at the ballpark every day. The last thing I want when I come home is to see something that has to do with baseball." ... Ifs mind-boggling that the Royals still are in the wildcard race. Bob Boone should be Manager of the Year.... Wouldn't it be something if Padres starter Fernando Valenzuela was the man who decided if the Dodgers made the playoffs? ... If the Cardinals don't obtain free-agent first baseman Fred McGriff, look for them to go after Tino Martinez of the Mariners. ... Reds G.M. Jim Bowden on Coors Field, where his team is 4-12: "It's the world's largest pinball machine.... It's a joke and it's ridiculous." ... Bobby Cox's teams have won their division title in each of his last five full seasons as manager. He won in 1985 with the Blue Jays and in 1991, '92, '93 and '95 with the Braves. The last manager to will five consecutive pennants was Casey Stengel (1949 through 53). The last National League manager to win four consecutive times was John McGraw with the New York Giants from 1921 through '24. ... Marlins third baseman Terry Pendleton's option kicked in for the 1996 season when he played in his 120th game.

Marlins pitching coach Larry Rothschild on Braves closer Mark Wohlers, after watching him consistently hit 103 on the speed gun: We had the Nasty Boys at Cincinnati, but I've never seen anything like that Rob Dibble, on his best day, hit 100. Wohlers wasn't under 100 the whole time." ... Do you realize that Jim Abbott has yet to win a home game since rejoining the Angels? .. Tim Salmon joined Don Baylor as the only players in Angels history to hit 30 or more homers in back-to-back seasons. ... Rockies shortstop Walt Weiss, on what it would mean to win the division rather than be the wild-card team: "It would be nice in our third year to take the division from the Dodgers. It would be like beating the Yankees in the American League."... What in the world did the Angels ever do to upset the baseball gods, anyway?

COPYRIGHT 1995 Sporting News Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning