European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 7, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday March 7.1988 the stars and stripes Page 25 Spring training 89 a viewing series loss As incentive by Dave car Peiter Oakland Calif. A when Kirk Gibson sent a Dennis Eckersley curve Ball sailing into the dodger stadium bleachers last october the Oakland athletics 1989 Pennant prospects soared. A s manager Tony la Russa thinks that s the Case anyway. In terms of motivation for 89, losing the world series was the Best thing that could have happened to us la Russa said. Gibson s game winning Homer in the series opener was the first real Blip in a sensational season for the a a but two Orel Hershiser wins and another los an Geles Victory later the year was Over. La Russa spent much of the Winter rehashing the five game upset and he thinks a Hilling slump and a one week Layoff before the series were Only pan of the problem there s no one simple thing that went wrong for us. For the first Lime All year we got put of our game in couple of ways including Over swinging he said. I think Well have a Chip on our shoulder for All of 89" because of the five game series defeat the manager said. I know our club is really aggravated because we think we were the Best baseball team in the world last year but we came up  the a s Are missing Only part time designated Hitler Don Baylor from the team that bashed its Way through the league a year ago. They be added right handed Pitcher Mike Moore to an already deep pitching staff not to mention a few million Dollar to their payroll. Now All they have to do is avoid contracting the dreaded no repeal syndrome that has felled every Al. Champion since 1978 when the new York Yankees won a third straight league Pennant. The no. T thing we have to do i s to gel our Heads straight to not walk around As the 88 champs Larussa said. If our Heads arc right,1 know we re going to have a big  that s not to say la Russa will have to play Psychia Trist with a team that is coming off an Oakland club record 10-1 victories in the 1988 regular season Bill there Aren t a lot of roster decisions for him to make before opening april 3againsl Seattle. There really is just one spot open he said. But we. Don t know what that will be yet. It could be an Lith Pitcher a third Catcher or it right handed Bat on the Bench. It could be  at thend of Spring training just like last  a year ago the a s were unsettled Al two Outfield positions and second base and the 1 had new players at shortstop Rookie Wall Weiss. Do Baylor and Dave Parke Catcher Ron Hascy and no. 2 starter Bob Welch. The bullpen closer Eckersley had been Good but not great in his debut As a Short reliever when the athletics went 81-81 in 1987, but general manager Sandy Alderson having swapped the a s into a position of strength after thai season decided no More tinkering was necessary Las Winter ii Cpl for the free agent acquisition of Moore who signed a three year contract Worth a guaranteed $3,95 million there is depth at virtually every position. The big Gest likelihood for a team letdown would consist of collective off years by Jose Canseco .307, 42 Home runs 40 stolen bases ,1 Mark Mcgwire 32 homers 99. Iris Dave Henderson .304, 24 hrs. 94 Bidav Stewart 21 -12welch 17-9storm Davis 16-7 and eckersly 4s saves. Those numbers represented career seasons for All but Mcgwire but la Russa in t worried about duplicating them ". I really Don t think these Guys arc going to fall off he said. Jose is going to in 30 to 40 homers every year and eco is going to be in the 40s" in saves. The Only current question Marks arc at second base and in left Field and they involve essentially the same faces who helped bring an Al West title a year ago. Glenn Hubbard .255mike Gallego .209 and Tony Phillips .203 arc in a Battle for the starting second base Job which Hubbard never fully claimed during an injury plagued 1988 season. Rookie Lance Blankenship the second baseman of the future is All lost Canseco warts on his Spring stroke. But certain to wind up Back with triple a Tacoma. If somebody does t assert themselves Well rotate said la Russa. In left. La Russa has pencilled in Luis Polonia As the starter and Lead off hitter Bui plans to Tell Slan Javier that the position is wide open. Polonia hit .287 with 29stolen bases and 27 runs batted in in 125 games. Jav Ier better defensively hit ,257 with 20 stolen bases and 35 Bis in the same number of games Terry Steinbach also will gel occasional playing time in left when Hassey catches and Dave Parker is the do against right handed pitchers. La s important to get Terry a lot of at Bais this year la Russa said if he can get somewhere around 500 Al bats. He should get 90 to 100  that leaves Little or no room on the club. For the a s no. 1 Rookie fell Jose who hit 31 7 As Tacoma s left fielder last season. Even an astounding Spring by Heyoung dominican is unlikely to give the a s a fourth straight Al Rookie of the. Year to follow Canseco Mcgwire and Weiss unfortunately our Streak s going to end Larussa said. A would be a Cal Story to watch if we had a legitimate Rookie of the year candidate but it s hard for me to see that they Jose and Blankenship Are going to do enough in Spring training 10 win a Job there arc players ahead of  elsewhere Mcgwire is Sel at first base Parker will get More at bats As the do Henderson comes into the season As the no 2 hitter and Carney Lansford is coming off his i rat All Star season at third base. The 29-year-old Moore the mariners no. 2 Pitcher behind Mark Langston. May wind up the fifth starter on an Oakland staff that features Stewart Welch Davis and lefty Curt Young 1 1-8. Eckersley should it capable help in the bullpen from fellow Short re Liever Eric plunk 7-2, 3.00 earned run average left handed setup Man Greg Caparel 5-2, 2.89 and mid dle relievers Gene Nelson 9-6, 3,06 and Rick Honey cutt 3-2, 3.50. I feel very Good about our staff la Russa said. We Are in a situation where a Guy like Todd Burns who was 8-2 last year is on the Fence As far As being a starter or reliever or even making the club. We have depth right  la Russa who publicly set a goal of 100 victories Al the beginning of last season in t citing specific num Bers this year. But he icel an upbeat message on his Telephone answering machine during the of season saying the a s think they can improve upon last year s Victory local. It is going to be hard to lop last season from begin Ning to end he said before leaving for Arizona. Except for the end. I said to some people the Day after the series ended that there is no doubt the As. Will be world champions while i m the  Glie world indoor track meet Pace did t need awol stars by Bert Rosenti Ial a track writer Budapest Hungary missing in action was popular phrase Al the second world indoor track and Field championships. The action however was not missing. While Many of the world s outstanding athletes skipped the championships he three Day meet that ended sunday at the Budapest sports Hall featured a lot of record shattering performances. Five world records were broken. 16 championship Marks were smashed two meet records were equated four american Marks were established and 14 1989 world bests were set and one equated in 24 events. I feel sorry for the people who did t come said american Mill aet Conley the Only double men s med Alist of the championships with a Gold in the triple jump and a Bronze in the Long jump / this was a legitimate world championship he said. The cubans were Here and so were the russians and the East germans there went no Boycotts. If athletes weren t Here it s like they were boy Cotting Boycotts have plagued the last four olympic  the african nations staying away trom the 1976 Montreal games the United states leading a Boycott of the 1980 Moscow games the soviet bloc remaining Home from the 15184 los Angeles olympics and Cuba absent from last year s Seoul games. All of Fth big track nations were in Budapest. It was a big mistake for those who stayed  Conley said the Competition was very Good. The europeans and the cubans were in top shape. And the brits were the Best i be Ever seen them. A lot of people were breaking world records oncoming close. And a lot of americans whether they. Won or hot were achieving prs personal records the biggest Block of americans missing  world championships came from the Santa Monica track club coached by Joe Douglas his athletes in clude 1988 olympic Gold medallists Carl Lewis Joe Deloach and Steve Lewis. In an apparent Boycott Over the Lack of Money paid for competing in the world championships Douglas kept most of his athletes out of the . Championships the qualifier for this past weekend s meet. Two of his athletes who did make the team sprint ers Floyd heard and Mark  never showed up leaving gaping holds on the . Team. Their actions were criticized by the athletics con Gress the governing body for track and Field in Ilic United Stales. Frank Grce Berg tac president and chief of mis Sion of Thi . Team said such behaviour would not  the future and a comprehensive review of the situation will be initiated among the other top . Athletes who did not at tend the championships were Jackie Joyner a Croce. Louise Kilter Mary Decker Slancy Evelyn Ashford Steve Scott Butch Reynolds and recently retired Flor ence Griffith Joyner. Also missing were a number of foreign stars including suspended Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson soviet pole vaulter Sergei Bubka and British runners Sebas Tian Coe Steve Ovett Steve cram and Peter Elliou. The world record setters were Paul Erng of Ken vain the men Issod meters one minute 44.84 seconds Javier sol mayor of Cuba in the men s High jump 7feet, ii 1-2 inches Mikhail Shch Noikov of the soviet Union in the men s 5,000-mcler.walk,. 18 27.10 Euy Van Hull of the Netherlands in the women s 3,000, 8 33,82, and Kerry Saxby of Australia in the women s 3,000 walk 12 01.65 american record Breakers were Antonio Mckay inthe men s 400 45.59 Jeff Atkinson in the men s 1,500 3 38.12 Gwen Torrenee in the women s 60 7.07and Diane Dixon in the women s "100 51.77 the americans and soviets tied for Gold medal Hon ors with four apiece while the soviet Union topped the 6vcrall medal count with 13 to the americans ii this has been a great meet Mckay said. The place was sold out. That s the thing you be got to have. For a lot of people to turn Down running for this team a lot of people ran really Well. The next world championships will be in 1991 at Seville Spain