Remember 1987 - the year of the rabbit baseball and the long ball and everybody with a bat hitting 20 homers?
It's back.At least, that's what baseball statisticians are saying as the quarter-season mark approaches.
Compared to a corresponding date last year, homers are up by 18 percent. Through 408 games last season, there were 562 homers - or 1.38 homers a game.
After just 351 games this year, hitters have slugged 573 homers - or 1.63 a game.
As in '87, the consensus is that this year's balls have been made differently and are more lively. Similar claims were made - and denied by the league offices - in '87.
Broadcaster Ken Singleton thinks the livelier balls may be intentional. "Maybe they (baseball officials) instituted the rabbit ball this year because they're trying to put more action into the game for the fans, who had to suffer through the (spring-training) lockout," he suggested.
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ULTERIOR MOTIVE: Expo pitcher Dennis Martinez is crying racism this week, and the big question is: Why?
According to news reports, Martinez became incensed when he learned that the Expos had sent Cuban-born catcher Nelson Santovenia to their Triple-A team. Santovenia was hitting a paltry .155, but that's beside the point, Martinez asserted.
"Put it this way: I don't think they would have sent Mike Fitzgerald (another Expo catcher) down, because he's American," Martinez said. "How many times do American players get into slumps and they just let them stay up? They might put them on the bench for a while, but they don't just send them down . . .
And then Martinez may have revealed the real reason he is angry: "People want to think racism doesn't exist in baseball any more, but I know it definitely does. Why do you think I didn't get on the all-star team last year? I was 10-1 or something like that at the time, but I'm from Nicaragua, so they didn't pick me."
Don't you wonder if he had a bonus-for-making-the-All-Star-team clause in his contract?
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RADER WATCH: When Doug Rader was named manager of the California Angels before last season, baseball observers pointed to the crazy things he did in two-plus seasons as a manager with the Texas Rangers (1983-85) and said he'd never last the season. But he did make it, prompting many to herald his remarkable change in personality and temperament.
Of course, last year the Angels won 91 games and were contenders. The real test of Rader's personality change could come this season, if his team continues to struggle.
Watch him.
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AWESOME A's: Forget Oakland's recent mini-slump. Here are some of the reasons they will win the West:
- Rickey Henderson has more stolen bases than five A.L. clubs: the Tigers, Angels, Orioles, Indians and Red Sox.
- Reliever Dennis Eckersley has not walked a batter since last August.
- The entire team made five errors in April.
- Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire have a combined 24 home runs, ahead of the Brewers, Red Sox, Yankees, White Sox, Orioles, and Royals.
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SHORT STUFF: The Braves are trying to interest the Red Sox in Dale Murphy . . . Minnesota's Rick Aguilera (BYU) has 10 saves in 11 opportunities . . . Cleveland's Steve Springer (Utah), called up from Class AAA Colorado Springs, dressed for his first major league game Tuesday after nine years in the minors. He has yet to appear in a game . . . California's Wally Joyner (BYU) has 20-plus walks already this season after just 46 last year.
Murphy was among NL's 10 worst hitters last week, at .150, and Cleveland's Cory Snyder (BYU) was 10th worst in the AL, at .125. Joyner was tied for the best in the AL, at .500 (10 for 20) . . . Snyder, incidentally, has been benched in favor of hot-hitting Candy Maldonado.
Since spending two months on the disabled list last season with a fractured right elbow, Detroit's Jack Morris (BYU) is 6-11 . . . The Giants have suited up 17 different pitchers already this season, and the Braves have had seven different starting first basemen.