European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 12, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday april 12, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary Piniella 14th in Yankees Long line no photos paintings or plaques adorn the White and Blue Walls of his Yankee stadium office yet befit Ting a Rookie manager. But on Lou Piniella s desk a Small furry Brown Teddy Bear sits atop a Book. The Teddy Bear has a Small homemade "14" on it. It s got a Boss tag on it and the sign with my number the new Yankee manager was saying. Somebody sent it to me in Spring training and things went so Well we brought it with not that the new Yankee manager confuses himself with the Only Boss alias George Steinbrenner alias the principal owner. The new manager realizes that the title of the Book underneath the Teddy Bear expresses the principal owner s baseball philosophy. A passion for excellence the Book jacket reads. But when the new manager was asked if he had read the Book he shrugged. No he said. It just sits on my Over on the Side of his desk was a copy of a cartoon showing two bums sitting on a Park Bench. Here s a part time Job one is saying. It s out doors and lasts for just a few weeks this what is it " the other asks. Yard work or construction " Dave Anderson no the first bum says. Managing the Yankees if what s on his desk reflects the manager As Well As the Man Piniella is starting his first season with full knowledge of what the future holds for better or for worse. Except for the departure of Ralph Houk after the 1973 season Piniella has witnessed the other 12 managerial changes in the Steinbrenner regime. The Yankees have failed to win a world series since their 1977-78 reign. And if they Are to win the division this year much less the series their pitching needs to be better than it appears to be. The Yankees rotation of Ron Guidry de Whitson Joe Niekro Rookie Bob Tewksbury and Dennis Ras Mussen does t scare hitters the Way the mets starters or the royals starters do. Pitching represents the Rea son the royals reign As world series champions notably pitchers such As Bret Saberhagen Charlie lie Brandt Danny Jackson Mark Gubicza and Bud Black. The new name on the Yankee staff is Bob Tewksbury who was to Start against the Brewers Fri Day night. For the 25-year-old Rookie right hander from Penacook n.h., the Romance of opening Day occurred when he stared at his name scripted inside the Waist of his pinstriped uniform pants. Amazing he said. My name on a pair of he glanced across the Yankee clubhouse. I remember when i came Here for a tryout in 1980, i had a locker Over there in the Corner he said alluding to where Reggie Jackson s locker was. Reggie had 14 pairs of pumas in his locker. I saw Catfish in the bathroom. I said him. Hunter and he said i he had a big of chaw in his Cheek. Bob Lemon watched me throw in the bullpen that Day. I came Back in dressed ate in the press room. I talked to or. Steinbrenner who offered me a Good Deal. Then 1 turned it the Yankees offered him a $14,000 Bonus. He preferred to go to College but signed a Yankee contract the following year. Now he s in a Yankee uniform with no. 35 on the Back. But the number to watch on the Yankees is the number on that Teddy Bear on Lou Piniella s desk 14, befitting the 14th manager since the Boss new York times raiders Davis likes Plunkett s comeback chances by Bucky Fox staff writer Schweinfurt Germany talk with safety Mike Davis and you get certain feelings about his los Angeles raiders. For one Jim Plunkett will return to starting quarterback. For two the raiders will return to the super bowl. I can t understand Why people think Plunkett is finished Davis said while trav Eling with four other nil players on the Uso tour of army bases. He s Only 38. He Hurt his left shoulder last year not Bis throwing Arm. All he has to do is step Back and throw the Ball. The Raider passing philosophy Calls for patterns. We like to give the quarterback a seven step drop and lots of time for the receivers to stretch the defense. Daryle Lamonica was suited for that. Ken Stabler was suited for that. Plunkett is suited for that. But that s not Marc s game. He s More used to Quick routes like he had at that s Marc Wilson. He took Over As Start ing quarterback when Plunkett who had led the raiders to two super bowl titles went Down with his separated shoulder in week 3. The raiders went 11-2 with Wilson to finish 12-4 and atop the acc West. But in the playoffs Wilson completed just 11 of 27 passes with three interceptions in . S 27 20 loss to new England. Word out of . Was that the raiders had built Plunkett is. Wilson Camps. Last week the raiders confirmed that they Al most traced Wilson to Philadelphia but his $900,000 salary killed the Deal. Let s get something straight Davis said. There Are a lot of people saying there Are divisions within the team. There Are no divisions. The Plunkett Wilson Camps Are not True. Plunkett got Hurt and you go with what you got. Wilson was also Hurt and he proved he could play with injuries. Marc is extremely courageous to be a quarterback in the nil. When you win you get the glory. When you lose you get the yet ask Davis about How the raiders went 12-4, and he brings up his defense and Marcus Allen running behind a huge line. He lauds Jessie Hester and Dokie Williams at wide receiver then ponders . S medi Ocre passing game. A los Angeles sports writer said make sure you put this in quotes the raiders won despite Marc Wilson " whoever quarterbacks in 1986 Plunkett Wilson or Young Rusty Hilger the raiders will be favored to contend for record tying fourth super bowl title. Is photo by Dave Didi Omike Davis of the . Raiders hits choline with spec. 4 Eric Nolan during Uso tour. The Plunkett Wilson Camps Are not True but they Haven t won a playoff game since their 38-9 shattering of Washington in the 1984 bowl. Is the raiders commit ment turning into strictly regular season excellence the raiders Are still the raiders Davis said. We still play aggressive at tack Type defense. We Haven t lost any thing. The raiders Are the most feared and respected team in the league. Every team gets up for us. They All play us like it s the super Davis longed to take on Chicago in last january s bowl. As it was the patriots lost to the bears 46-10. I d have loved to play the bears Davis said. It probably would have been one of the toughest meanest games of the year. That Chicago defense is a monster. I saw what they did with new England. The new England situation was not prime time players against prime time players. The acc could be been better represented by any other playoff Davis said the same thing about the pre Vious year. That s when san Francisco ripped the acc s Miami dolphins 38-16. We can say what if what if but All you can say is if you re in the game. And once we re in the super bowl we answered that against Philadelphia and the with Davis totalling 13 tackles and a sack the raiders beat the eagles and the redskins by a combined 65-19. Davis will turn 30 tuesday the last Day of the Uso tour. A nine year Veteran out of Colorado he Hopes to play at least four More years despite hurting his knee last season. His main Competition will come from no nil surprises in 86 Schweinfurt Germany is Don t expect surprises in the 1986 nil season. So says Mike Davis the . Raiders safety. Last year 1 thought St. Louis would come through Davis said during this week s Uso tour. But i was wrong there. I think the same faces will contend this year if any team will collapse according to Davis it will be new England. Other Davis insights Best rushers Eric Dickerson Marcus Allen Walter Payton. Future linebacker Star Reggie Mckenzie of the raiders. Up and coming wide receivers Al Toon of the jets Jessie Hester of the raiders. Best defensive linemen Leonard mar shall of the giants Howie Long of the raiders. John Elway tremendous Arm. When things go Well he seems to work. But when they go bad they go Baraad. He needs drugs my guest mation is 3 percent Are using drugs league wide. I m not naive to say everyone s clean. But it s not on a level where they can demand random urinalysis. You can t treat drug users like criminals. You be got to treat it As a patriots Coke Case one of the Sulli vans said 12 of their players were on Coke but he named Only seven. What is it he also said the patriots Don t have the most Coke users. I know they Stacey Toran a third year safety out of notre Dame who played in Davis Stead late last year. So quarterback won t be the raiders Only Job open for a fight. Davis and his four fellow Flers Jim Collins of the . Rams Matt Blair of the Vikings Dave Krieg of the sea Hawks and Matt Suhey of the bears continue their Uso tour saturday. They visit two of Italy s Remote army bases Cegglia at 3 . And Derzo at 5 30 . Sunday they go to Zelo at noon and cd Loggia at 4 30 .monday it s on to mount Calvaria at noon and Pluto at 4 .tuesday they conclude the tour by flying Back to Germany and stopping at the wies Baden a gym at 7
