Baseball notes: Jays' Stieb just glad to be back

Web posted June 21, 1998

By Bill Zack
Morris News Service

Dave Stieb, 41 on July 22 and released by Kansas City's Class AAA Omaha affiliate July 31, 1993 -- his past pro experience -- was in a Blue Jays' uniform Thursday night, his old No. 37. Quite a remarkable comeback, really.

Stieb, who holds Toronto franchise records for wins (174-132), innings (2,822.2), strikeouts (1,631), shutouts (30), complete-games (103) and starts (405) was recalled Wednesday from Class AAA Syracuse, where he'd gone 5-4 in nine starts -- four straight wins to finish -- with a 2.73 ERA, 44 hits and 17 walks over 66 innings, and 47 strikeouts.

He surfaced as a guest coach at Blue Jays' spring training this year, inevitably got to the mound, found he was pain-free and, with encouragement from Jays such as Ed Sprague, Roger Clemens and Pat Hentgen, announced the day before his scheduled departure the second week of March, that he was, instead, willing to take on the routine of Jays' minor-league complex. He still is in excellent shape and remains one of the game's most competitive pitchers. Motivating him was the fact that, because of his elbow problems, he never felt he'd been able to leave the game on his own terms and he'd grown a little weary, during his retirement, of watching major-league starters getting racked for six-seven runs, yet winning.

GRIEVE TOP ROOKIE? A's rookie right fielder Ben Grieve was a Texas Rangers fan until he was 18 years old. But five months after his 18th birthday, at the end of the 1994 season, his father Tom was fired as the team's general manager. ``I was a Rangers' fan when he was the GM,'' Grieve said. ``I'm not a Rangers fan anymore.''

Tom Grieve remains employed by the Rangers as a broadcaster, and Ben Grieve gave his father something to shout about -- in a restrained manner, of course -- with two homers to lead the A's past Texas 9-7 at The Ballpark in Arlington on Tuesday night. Grieve hit his ninth and 10 homers of the season in his first two at-bats as the A's built a 9-0 lead in the fourth. Grieve hit two-run homers in the first and second off losing pitcher Matt Perisho.

When asked if he would like to play for the Rangers, Grieve replied, ``Nah. This is fun for three games, but it could get tedious.''

WRONG TEAM: In case you didn't notice it, Major League Baseball's most recent release on the NL All-Star voting listed Mike Piazza as the catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

THE WAITING GAME: The Phillies still are awaiting the return of closer Ricky Bottalico, who underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery in April. If all goes according to plan, Bottalico should be back in time for a series with the Yankees at the end of the month.

ANOTHER ARM: The Cardinals, Cubs and Indians have all expressed an interest in interim closer Mark Leiter, who is 2-2 with 13 saves and a 2.61 ERA since filling in for Bottalico.

SILVA OUT TWO MONTHS: Pirates' right-hander Jose Silva was starting to look like a darkhorse National League Rookie of the Year candidate as he entered Tuesday's start in Philadelphia with a 6-3 record and a 3.49 ERA. In a game in which the Pirates gave up seven runs in the ninth to lose 8-7 became even more painful when Silva was lost for at least two months with a broken bone in his right wrist. Silva suffered the injury when he was hit by a Tyler Green pitch while attempting to bunt.

MARTIN GONE? Is Al Martin, who twice agreed to contract extensions in the past two years, thinking of leaving the Pirates? That's what The Associated Press reported last Friday. The left fielder, though, is declining comment. ``I've always talked to the media and I've always tried to have a good relationship with you guys,'' Martin said. ``But, this time, I think it's best to keep my mouth shut.''

Martin, though talked last Friday and said he had asked the Pirates to explore trade possibilities last month.

``It's not like I jump up every time the phone rings and I think, `There it is! There's the call!''' Martin said. ``Let's just say that the possibility of a trade was brought up.''

Martin, upset he is being platooned in left field with rookie Manny Martinez, was mentioned in various trade rumors last month. One had him going to St. Louis and another to Los Angeles. Pirates' GM Cam Bonifay declined comment, but club sources indicate that Martin's name has come up in trade talks this season.

BETTER BREWERS: The Brewers feel they are a totally different offensive club with first baseman John Jaha hitting cleanup. Jaha returned to the active roster June 8 after sitting out since April 23 with a liagmentous injury to his left foot.

``I think it's psychological more than anything,'' Brewers' manager Phil Garner said of Jaha's impact. ``But it is definitely real. Our guys just seem to relax more when Johnny is in the lineup. They aren't getting pitched differently, but they just relax more.''

Shortstop Jose Valentin agreed that Jaha lightens the load for everyone else.

``There is not as much pressure all down the line,'' Valentine said. ``J.J. can hit with power, he can hit for average, he's just a good hitter. When he's in there, we can do more things. We can move Marquis (Grissom) down in the lineup and his speed lets us do some things It's just good to have Jaha in there.''

GOOD TIMES IN SAN DIEGO: The Padres couldn't have picked a better time to reveal sketches of the new, 40,000-seat ballpark they're hoping voters will approve on a November ballot. It's good timing because (a) the team stretched its winning streak to eight games Tuesday with a 10-6 victory against Los Angeles, (b) fan interest is so high that a record 155,330 paying customers showed up last weekend for the three-game sweep of the Giants. Friday night's series-opening crowd (60,789) was the largest in the majors this season; (c) the Padres were assured of surpassing one million in home attendance Wednesday night. At their current rate, the Padres will finish the season with a total attendance of 2,518,271, breaking the record of 2,210,352 set in 1985.

ARROJO A CLASS ACT: Devil Rays' right-hander Rolando Arrojo handled a difficult situation last week with the same high level of class he has shown since arriving with the Rays. When Arrojo defected from Cuba in 1996 he left behind five family members on the island. As a result, he couldn't always say what he really felt. His mother, brother, sister-in-law, a niece and a nephew escaped last Saturday by taking a boat 12 hours from Cuba to freedom near the Florida Keys. The look of exhaustion and relief on Arrojo's face as he met the media Thursday night put a lot of things into perspective.

WHERE TO WATCH? Angels' manager Terry Collins, serving out his eight-game suspension, watched the first three games of the four-game series against Texas last week at the Arlington Marriott. But the fourth game, on getaway night, wasn't available at the hotel. He listened to the first six innings on the radio at the hotel and the final three in a hotel van while driving around the area. He had to be at the ballpark as soon as the game was over to catch the team plane to Seattle.