European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 10, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 22commentary the stars and stripes sunday february 10,1991 Yogi has the answer by Mike littwin a the Baltimore Sun r Jimmy Jimmy what Day doing babe this comeback thing you think its a Good career move you got underwear. You got to. You got the Sun in the morning and the Moon at night. Jimmy that do you need baseball for of i understand mid life crisis. Come on in be been there. We Veall been there. Sure you buy the Miata with the personalized License plates go to the gym buy a $200 Power tie and learn Howoo do the lambada the forbidden dance. If you be got it real bad you climb the Tara mountains or go to Tibet to visit your personal guru Trainer who tells you the so Cret of life and of a narrow Waist. But Jimmy you re 45. Older than Ernie Whitt. Older even than Dewey Evans. Its not like in a not rooting for you a All us thirty something pluses Are in your Corner a but if you can still pitch like you used to i can climb mount Everest and right now in a Lucky if i can get to the top of the stairs without an. Oxygen mask. A / Quot j a a a Jimmy what is it you Caniell me. Life is. Boring you just got married. You get to see Brooks Robinson in person. For a lot of Guys your age its a thrill just to Wake up each morning. Jimmy when Guys get to be 45 and Start thinking about playing baseball they go to the Winter fantasy Camps. Of i think right can still get a1 Bumbry out. But Jimmy Jose Canseco you really want to take him on look i done to blame you for going South for the Winter. And if you want to pick up a baseball Why not its a free country. You want to throw a Little hell you re in the Hall of Fame. You can throw All you want. But Jimmy this is a different Deal. Forget about Nolan Ryan for a minute. Nolan Ryan is a Freak of nature one in a million a actually one in about 5 billion. Ryan is the Pitcher that time forgot which would Mike a great movie. You re a great Pitcher who got old. Ryan is going to turn out to be Dorian Gray a just watch. A a a a a a a ,.v # a / a but you say you be found this kid pitching coach who a straightening you out. Yap say he told you your mechanics were awful and that you used to hold your Glove wrong and that suddenly you re better than Ever. Now holding your Glove wrong can be very dangerous if you re say a first baseman and you hold it nigh when the throw comes in Low or vice versa. It can be dangerous if you re Michael Jackson and you put the Glove on the wrong hand. But pitchers i done to know. Did this kid Ever beat Koufax i bet he does no to know Sandy Koufax from Sandy Duncan. Who re we kidding Here Jimmy you know More about pitching than Gen. Schwarzkopf knows about press briefings. And just for a minute think what kind of position you put the Baltimore orioles in. Jim Palmer announces for the thousandth time that he a making a comeback and they be got to pretend they re inter ested even they know its just Jimmy who can to quite Ever say a a it a Jimmy go ask Yogi. So the orioles Are saying All the right things. Frank Robinson a says gee if anyone can Dott Jimmy can. And Larry Lucchino says that Jimmy is an Oriole great and if he wants to pitch again you think we re going to let him do it for the Cleveland indians a but Jimmy you re a smart Guy you must know what they re thinking. They think you need help and not from a pitching coach either. Secretly a lot. Of folks Are wondering when or if you might Ever decide to grow up. Its not necessarily All bad not to grow up. And you can say like campy did that you heed some Little boy in you to play baseball. But Jimmy the Only Little boy you be got left is in a photo album that dad has Back Home. You re in the Hall of Fame. Dignity son., think about dignity. A say you do come Back. You can throw 82 Miles an hour and the orioles put you in the bullpen throwing Long Relief. Where does it Lead you be been where it leads. You be been everywhere. Actually i Don t think its going to happen. Do you i mean the orioles say come look at you and suddenly its a pinched nerve Here and a tight Elbow there and its the old Jimmy except now its the old Jimmy. And now you re talking about next year already Jimmy do you think this Deal is open ended you see anybody out there pitching who a 60? do you think things last forever i mean other than the mortgage payment come on Jimmy. I know. I really do. You never liked the Way you retired. They tossed you out when you still thought you could pitch and maybe you could Back then but maybe you either. And so you be never been Able to say the words a i in be seen you try. You be made a hell of a try. Once i saw you get to a i but Jimmy this is silly Isnit it Isnit it. A a you won 268 games and you had a career that is officially enshrined As one of the greatest of All time and now you want to turn that career into a carnival sideshow its up to you of course. For All i know you re just trying to get a shot on a a american a funniest Home but Jimmy you want to do something wild Why not take up sky diving at least then if you fall on your rear you a have the Benefit of a Parachute. A Comiskey ii Chicago a there Arentt any baseballs players or screaming fans in the new Comiskey Park yet. But As the finishing touches Are being added to the new Home of the Chicago White sox its getting easier to conjure tips ii image a i can to wait for the Ballpark to be alive Quot said Rob Gallas the White sox teams marketing vice president. Quot in be been walking Over Here since the Cement was still wet. Quot now when i walk through tie aisles the place is quiet Quot Gallas said. Quot but this place will be something when its All lit up and workers last week used cranes to steady and Bolt in place the electric that will sparkle and whirl whenever a White sox player blasts one Over the Fence. Groundskeeper already has transplanted the infield and the Light stands already Are Park wont officially inherit the Comiskey name until april 18 when fans pour in to watch the sox play the Detroit tigers. Comiskey u represents the City s first new big league sports facility since Chicago stadium opened on March 29, 1929 the new Comiskey Park is 88 percent finished said Peter . Yunoe executive. Director of the Illinois sports facilities 1 authority. Bynoe said the ramp connecting the Ballpark to a parking Structure across the Street is the Only thing not expected to be finished when the Park opens in april. Construction of the parking Structure wont begin until the original Comiskey Park is destroyed during a six month process beginning March 1. The Field itself looks Complete and the front offices Are finished. But other areas a from the clubhouses to the Swank stadium club a still Are under construction. Former Yankee Dave Righetti. Quot not used to it Quot by Tim a Lotta. San Francisco a Dave Rig Hetti catches himself now and then when he talks about his team. After 10 seasons in new York a where he set Yankees records for saves1 and games pitched a he a Dave Righetti of the san Francisco giants. A to a not used to it a a r ighc11i said. "11�?Ts a change. Id be lying to you if 1 said i was �?o-Tised-4l.2eh�_adjustment will be made in the clubhouse in spin frail not a Quot Quot not being Able to turn around and know everybody who i m talking to. That will be Tough. It will take prying himself out of the routine that Righetti put himself through each Spring since 1980 has had its positive moments. Righetti has maintained his Home in san Jose calif., through most of his major league career. A a Quot every Winter i had to get packed find a place to live in new York drive to Florida a Righetti Szijj. A this is going to be tremendous. You Don t realize the Load that a been taken off. Quot every time i turn around in a trying to plan something and i say a you know you done to have to do a what Righetti will have to do is Load up the car and drive to Scottsdale ariz., and report with the other pitchers and catch ers to the giants training facility on feb. 22. A. A its not what Righetti had planned when he declared free Agency after the 1990 season. Instead of returning to new York he wound up signing a four year $10 million contract with the giants. A my dream was to play for the Yankees and put the pinstripes on a Righetti said. A a however when i was a kid my dream was to play like former giants Willie Mccovcw-<>r-4 Juan Barich a i no doubt about pitching for the Yankees who finished in the cellar last year was not a pleasant experience Righetti managed 36 saves in 39 opportunities with a 11 record and a 3.57 Era. Quot it was a different feeling last year Quot Righetti said. A the team was out of it right away. There was the Deion Sanders mess. The George Steinbrenner mess. We always had that but we always won and stayed above the mess. The players weren to bothered by it. A a a but the last two years was really a lot of so Righetti 32, has some new things to get used to a a new league taking a turn at the plate those sorts of things. A a i think getting used to the Mounds that a the most important thing Quot Righetti said. Bubble gum cards go on War footing Washington up the marketing masterminds at Topps company the Industry Leader in the manufacture of Khz Scoball trading cards have stepped outside the Friendly confines of the sports world and onto the modern Day Battlefield. A 7. Not Only has Topps stamped its first 5 million 1991 major league baseball cards with Quot operation desert shield logos and shipped them exclusively to the . Troops in the persian Gulf but the Brooklyn based firm is about to release Quot operation desert storm Quot cards. Topps spokesman Norman said this series will be an Quot Overall information record of what s going on there. Statistical data photos of military hardware biographies on civilian and military leaders and historically significant dates in re lation to desert among the leaders featured in the 88-card and 22-sticker set Are president Bush joint chiefs of staff chairman Gen. Colin Powell and Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf Field commander Liss said the cards should be available in the . Market by the Middle of the month. There was no word on whether the cards would be sent to the Gulf Region
