European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 7, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday july 7, 1988 the stars and stripes socked in Young sluggers making Waves in . Bay by Steve Wittjr Tfir _. Page 21 baseball by Steve Wilstein Oakland Calif. A Jose Canseco struts to Home plate with a Jaunty smile Nicks his head from Side to Side digs into the Batter s Box Waves his Bat menacingly and takes aim at the deep seats. On deck Mark Mcgwire wears a Grimmer Counte Nance As he thrashes against a classic Sophomore slump his freckled face thinner than a year ago whence hit 49 homers. Across san Francisco Bay will Clark s eyes bum with fiery desire above his blackened cheekbones and his gleaming jaw is set at an Angle that defies the Pitcher to throw it by him. Pennant races aside these 24-year-Olds with distinctive styles Are feeding baseball fever around the Bay just a few years after the Oakland athletics and Sanfrancisco giants considered leaving because of poor attendance. Now the teams Are headed toward two million fans each for the first time and May prove they can co exist profitably especially if they meet in the world series. Oakland s Canseco and Mcgwire and san Francis co s Clark Are giving fans the Home run thrills new yorkers once knew when Mickey Mantle Willie Mays and Duke Snider roamed the Center Fields of the City. Canseco and Clark in their third seasons Are at or near the top of their leagues in Home runs runs batted in runs slugging average and game winning hits. Canseco 6-foot-3, 230 pounds of rippling Muscles takes Pride in his blend of strength and Speed. He s trying to become the first player to hit 40 homers an steal 40 bases. Through the athletics 81st game he had 23 Home Sand 22 steals including three homers sunday against Toronto. In his first two seasons he had 33 and 31homers with 15 steals each. A lot of people said it la be hard for me to steal 40,but i think it la be harder to hit 40 Home runs says Canseco who also has 65 Bis to Lead the majors and a .289 average. I m sure i la have More than 40 he s developed into a Good right fielder with one of the strongest arms in the american league. My whole game has come together Canseco says less with Surprise than certainty. I m a More consist ent player. I be got two pretty Good years under my Belt and i just look to make this year a Little better. I really still discovering what i can one thing he s doing is turning on fans with his 450 foot homers Brawny shoulders and Valentino profile. Female fans shriek his name in Canseco s Corner beyond the right Field Fence and kiss his life size card Board cutout under the stands. Said a woman reporter from people Magazine gosh he s gorgeous.". Mcgwire Canseco s successor last season As Al Rookie of the year started this year Strong but Sank into a Long slump. His average dropped to the .230s before he had six hits this weekend to get up to .246. File photo. Fld Jii major league Home run and rib Leader Jose Canseco will Clark up photos Mark Mcgwire he s off the Pace of his phenomenal 49 homers and118 Bis last year when he batted .289. But he had 15 homers and 47 Bis going into wednesday s game. Lefebvre says. It happens to a lot of players after great Rookie seasons. They re constantly getting bombarded and measured by past performances and High expectations of the press and fans. They get caught up in that. They say to themselves it does t bother me i m Fine but yes deep Down it bothers Mcgwire has shown the effects of the pressure he feels. Gone is the gosh and Golly look he had last year eyes As big As bullets Over his surprising achievements. He still cordially signs autographs for dozens of kid before games a 6-5, 225-Pound re haired giant sur rounded by munchkins squealing Mark Mark but he s become a Little tester and warier in inter views. He s been hounded so much about Why he s no hitting As Many homers he s come to respond by repeating a simple baseball mantra the year Ain t in batting practice when the pressure is off and Allie s trying to do is hit solid line drives Mcgwire has been mashing the Ball with his smooth controlled swing. I see great hitting sessions from the kid but he bad trouble carrying them into the ballgame Lefebvre says. He s trying too hard. He gets in a Gam and whoosh he strikes out or pops up trying to solve it All with one Clark a first baseman like Mcgwire and a former olympic teammate got off to a slow Start for the Sec Ond consecutive year. But Clark s showing More Power than last year when he carried the giants to the playoffs with a .308 average 35 homers and 91 Bis. Going into wednes Day s game he was hitting .267 with 19 homers. His 64 Bis Lead the National league. Will the thrill As he s called is smaller than his Oakland rivals at 6-1, 190, but he s no less capable of taking Over a game with his Bat. Two weeks ago he had a dream game against san Diego with seven Bis including a game winning bases loaded double with two outs and a full count in the ninth. He s maturing in a lot of ways giants manager Roger Craig says. But sometimes he tries to do too much. He s a perfectionist and thinks he can hit Home run every time he goes up there. He can t stand when he hits a Ball hard right at Craig does t think Clark will realize his full Poten tial for a few years. He s still growing up Craig says. He s a boy Andall of a sudden he s doing a Man s Job. He s like my son. I have to Call him in every once in a while and just talk to him about certain things. He gets upset sitting on the Bench and says things he does t really mean. But he s learning. He s a great natural hitter with a Home run Swine. _ to Jii. J in j a 5 a Tuiai Bitici Wii ii i1uii1c Fuu swing Mark is going through the same thing that Hap Craig says and he s going to put up some big num opened to Jose last year Oakland batting coach Jim Bers and make a lot of Money in this High mileage career has Morris struggling by Harry Atkins Detroit a nature has thrown Jack Morris the ultimate change up. The question now is whether the Detroit right hander can adjust. Morris is 33 years old but his Armi cels much older and not without some reason. Since Morris broke into the major leagues in 1977, that Arm has thrown 2,500 innings. After being pounded for six runs on seven hits including three Home runs on sunday Morris said his Arm just does t snap Back As easily As it once did. I just wish i could take the Sam stuff out there every Start Day in and Day out Morris said. In 86, Ever Start of the second half i Felt great int happened in 81, too prior to the strike. This year it s different. I m starting to feel the on tuesday the tigers announce that Morris complaining of a tired Arm was scratched from his Friday Start against the Oakland athletics. Morris will return to the rotation after the All Star break probably starting july 14 in the first game of the team four game series in California. Morris the winning est Pitcher in the major leagues in the 1980s, is 7-9 with an Era of 5.24. A Check with other veterans in the Detroit clubhouse indicates Morrision t alone in his feelings about age. If you Check my numbers in 1982 and 1983, you la see i was t too spectacular either said 37-year-old right hander Doyle Alexander. I was with the Yankees and it was the Yankees released Alexander in 1983 with an q-2 record and a 6.35era. He was signed about a month later by Toronto and went on to win 39� Ames in just Over two seasons before eing traded to Atlanta. Age affects everybody differently Alexander said. But it does affect everybody. Nobody gets Darrell Evans 41, also has had to Battle to turn Back the clock. Last sea son he became the Only player Over 40to hit 30 Home runs. I can t speak for Jack because everybody is different the first baseman said. But i know this we won t Turnour backs on him. Jack carried this club for a lot of on monday Morris resumed the Iso metric exercises he aband9ned after Spring training. He s convinced that More work rather than less will get him Over this trouble spot. Pitching coach Billy Muffett agrees. It s nothing mechanical Muffet said. I wish it was. But i watch Jack pitch and there s nothing wrong. His form is perfect. So i just stress the positives to form is so Good i would t be sur prised if in the second half of the sea son Jack reels off 13 straight Morris is determined to do whatever it takes to turn his season around As he says he wants to earn his million Dollar salary. I be seen so much in this game Morris said. I know about the Strug Gles for respect for self Confidence. Know the failures and Success. And 1 know when it s All said and done you be got to accept it All everything that happens. Someday when a Little boy says to me grandpa Tell me about baseball ican Tell him about no hitters and world series. And i can also Tell him when it was Tough. When it was
