European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 15, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 26 the stars and stripes Friday july 15,1988 Galarraga big cat is a bit fat Montreal s Andres big cat Galarraga loses his Bat while pouncing on a pitch. A photo by Bill Zack Gwinnett a daily news Atlanta not of let s say it right up front and get it out of the Way. Andres Galarraga is us Chubby. Al right alright he s fat. Big Deal. At the end of last week he was hitting a league leading .342 with 19 Home runs and 54 Bis. He hit Home run no. 20 against the braves in Atlanta on saturday. No one is Ever really considered Over weight when they display numbers like Galarraga s. The Montreal expos first baseman who turned 27 last month has quietly become the most feared hitter in the league while also drawing rave reviews for his defensive play. He s a Complete player Atlanta manager Russ Nixon said giving Galar Raga his highest Praise. Nixon and the braves got an eyeful of him recently in a four game set North of the Border. In helping the expos win three of four games Galarraga was 12 for-17 with six Bis. The Shell shocked braves pitching staff finally wised up and walked him in two of his last three plate appearances. So Why s it taken the rest of the base Ball world so Long to discover the Man his teammates and Montreal fans have nicknamed the big cat for his Quick Ness he s not a household word expos manager Buck Rodgers admitted. A lot of people Don t know about Andres a  soon enough they will. And when they do the player they la discover is a Friendly Man with a Quick smile a Man who s still Pudgy 6-foot 3, 234 pounds but enormously Quick and powerful. I saw a big Quick kid who could swing the Bat and occasionally hit the Ball out of sight Rodgers said of his first glimpse of Galarraga. The expos also saw a Dom Deluise lookalike at least from the shoulders Down. Galarraga was an obese teen Ager in Venezuela when Felipe Alou who was a expos farm team manager during the Greenwell Hopes to follow in George Brett s footsteps by Malcolm Moran Boston the swing As effortless in appearance As it is familiar is the result of dozens of Early springtime afternoons at Terry Park in fort Myers Fla. Day after Day through childhood and adolescence Mike Greenwell headed for the snug wooden place where older citizens would pass the time watching the Kansas City royals prepare for the baseball season and Green Wells idol would pass near enough for a close annual inspection. Back when the royals would return to fort Myers each year the Only change in Greenwell s surveillance of George Brett was the Young Man s Mode of transportation. He would make the trip by bicycle on those Days when Leonard Greenwell could not take the youngest of his seven children when the child became a teen Ager he Arn sports radio baseball Milwaukee at Texas 2 30 . Saturday. Travelled by motorcycle. And when the baseball team from North fort Myers High school would play on an adjacent Field after the Roy als game was done Greenwell would arrive Early climb a tree and collect information to take Back Home. I used to look in the Mirror and want to look like him Greenwell remembered at his locker in the clubhouse of the Boston red sox. Now if you look at the Way George Brett swings you la see a lot of George Brett in my  similarities can also be found in their results. Greenwell s swing and his achievements have become As distinctive As any among the More than two dozen new All stars this year the generation that can be expected to remain All stars into the 1990s. When the american league player began to gather in their clubhouse at riverfront stadium in Cincinnati Greenwell an outfielder experienced another important moment in a Short career that has already included several memorable experiences. By the time Greenwell reaches his 25th birthday on july 18, he will have been part of a world series and an All Star game. His .345 batting average fourth Best in the league has raised a career average that stood at .326 at the beginning of the season. He has 15 Home runs and leads the league with 71 runs batted in. He possesses enough Confidence to understand Why Tom Kelly the manager of the Minnesota twins would twice have him walked intentionally in one game. He remains Young enough to have be come unsettled Early last week about the strange position of playing in front of Kelly the manager of the american league All stars in the final Days before the rosters for tuesday night s game would be announced. Ill be glad when they announce it he said last thursday about 15 minutes before the news would come. That Way i can go out and play the Way i can play and quit trying to do things i m not Capa ble of  a Little More than two hours later Greenwell swung at the first strike he saw that evening and hit a hard line drive inside the right Field foul pole for his 15th Home run of the season. Summer and held the same Job for the Caracas Lions in the Winter first Laid eyes on him. I did t think he had a Chance to be a player Alou said. I thought he would have trouble walking never mind play  nonetheless on the advice of a local scout the expos signed Galarraga for $1,500 in 1978. His climb upward through the Mon Treal farm system took him from Calgary to West Palm Beach to Jacksonville to Indianapolis before he landed with the big club for 24 games in 85. It gave us an Opportunity to bring Galarraga into the big leagues the Way we wanted to Rodgers said. Not burying him right off the Bat. Then Midway through the season we started playing him on an everyday  since then Galarraga has posted consecutive seasons which gave the expos a preview to his Bright future. He hit .271 with 10 Home runs and 42 Bis his Rookie season then followed it with a .305, 13-Homer, 90-rbis season last year. You Don t find very Many Complete players Rodgers said. Those that can run have quickness and Power can hit to All Fields hit for average play first base do All those things. He s a  said expos third baseman Tim Wal Lach everybody got a glimpse of what he could do last year. I Don t think they be seen the total picture yet. I think there s still More to come. He s gotten better and better every year and now that he s got his Confidence and knows he can play up Here i just think he s going to get  Many of Galarraga s mannerisms Are reminiscent of former Cincinnati reds Star Tony Perez. The gentle shrugging of his shoulders when he swings a Bat the unc oiling Force of his stroke his Grace around first base. It s no coincidence for Galarraga makes no secret of wanting to follow in Perez s footsteps. He told me Don t try to hit Home runs just put the Ball in play Galarraga said of Perez. I know i have the Power and if i m hitting Good the Ball will  a Phot Boston s Mike Greenwell. Idolized hitting Champ Brett his memory is Strong enough that an unexpected souvenir from Terry Park in fort Myers could hold As much meaning As any big time experience. One Day from his Perch in a tree Greenwell watched Brett run in the out Field and noticed he had a Small can of chewing tobacco. I yelled at him to throw it to me Greenwell remembered. The teen Ager was More interested in a souvenir than in the tobacco. He threw it up there Greenwell said. I started to throw it Back to him after i took a Little bit. And he said keep it kid i be still got it. Nobody knows what that can Means but  the new York times