Section B · Page 4
The University Daily Kansan
Thursday, April 30, 1998
Cardinals player is a surprise hit
Red Bird manager rates DeShields as best batter in league
The Associated Press
ST. LOUIS — The guy batting ahead of Mark McGwire in the St. Louis Cardinals' lineup is having almost as big a year.
It's probably no coincidence that Delino DeShields, fourth in the league with a .388 average, has never had a faster start.
"I am getting maybe another fastball here and there," DeShields said. "I'm just saying, base hit or walk, just get the big guy up to the plate."
Last April. DeShields batted 200.
"I can't remember ever hitting .300 in April," DeShields said. "But nobody's going to remember April in July and August when we're coming down the stretch, so I'm just taking it in stride."
tied for first in doubles.
with four triples, all in the last six games. He leads the Cardinals in hits and steals and is tied, for sure.
This April he leads the league
In the last seven games, he has 13-for-24 with five runs scored and
four RBIs. In short, he's been an ideal table-setter for McGwire, who has 10 home runs and was second in the league with 32 RBIs.
"They don't want to walk me, but a lot of times I'm just thinking 'Get my pitch to hit,' DeShields said. "I'm in a good spot, and I'm just trying to make the most of it."
DeShields is so good offensively that manager Tony La Russa rates him the best in the league.
"Who's better?" La Russa said.
"I've got him to ups. He's really got a live bat, an extra-base bat and great legs. He's showing his
Expos manager Felipe Alou,
who managed DeShields in 1992
and 1993, doesn't disagree with
La Russa.
smarts, taking advantage of hitting in front of the big fellow."
"He's become a very good offensive player," Alou said. "Most people look at Craig Biggio as the premier second baseman, but there's room at the top for Delino as well."
DeShields was the leadoff hitter last year but has switched places with Royce Clayton. The only possible downside to this is that his steals could go down. He stole 55 last year and has seven thus far in 11 attempts.
"Yeah, this is going to be a different year as far as stolen bases go," DeShields said. "Like I'm telling Royce, stolen bases are not really the most important thing with McGwire and Ray (Lankford) coming up."
Doing his homework has helped DeShields at the plate. His three-run triple against Montreal Expos ace Carlos Perez in the seventh inning of Monday's game, a hit that broke
open a 1-0 game, was a case in point.
"You have to know that a guy is trying to do to you out there." DeShields said. "I've got a book myself, and he pitches me the same way pretty much every time."
The book is still a work in progress on defense, where DeShields has been inconsistent at best. At times, like the occasion where he fielded a possible double play ball but hesitated and then threw late to first, costing the Cardinals a game against the Padres, indecisiveness has hurt him. Other times, his glove has been at fault.
DeShields knows he has to work a lot harder on that area of his game, although he says he feels comfortable fielding.
"That's the part of the game I feel like I can help this team the most, if I turn it up defensively," DeShields said. "I feel I'm going to get my hits.
"If I can take a hit away here and there and make a big play, it's going to help us in the long run."
Swimmer fights charges of drug test tampering
DUBLIN, Ireland — Triple Olympic gold medalist Michelle Smith, again the focus of drug accusations, defiantly denied tampering with a urine sample that may have shown signs of a banned substance.
The Associated Press
The Irish swimmer, whose success at the Atlanta Games was tainted by rumors of drug-taking although she has never tested positive, vowed yesterday to fight the latest charges.
"I have no intention of taking this lying down and I have no intention of being bullied by any organization — national or international," Smith said during a news conference yesterday.
"I am innocent of these charges, I am appalled at the manner in which they have been leaked into the public domain and I intend to fully defend them, if necessary,
all to the way to the International Sports Court in Switzerland," she said.
After reading her statement she declined to answer questions.
FINA, the international swimming federation, said Smith was being investigated for possible manipulation of an out-of-competition drug test taken at her home in Kilkenny, Ireland, on Jan. 10. The world championships were held in Perth, Australia, at that time, but Smith skipped them, citing injuries.
FINA honorary secretary Gunner Werner said in Sydney, Australia, no drugs were found in the sample, although it did contain "something special." He did not elaborate.
Werner said Smith had 14 days to respond and could request a test on the B sample, taken at the same time as the disputed A sample.
He would not elaborate on the manner of the alleged tampering but said it was the first such case he knew of in international swimming.
If found guilty of tampering, Smith could face a suspension or even a lifetime ban.
At the Atlanta Olympics, Smith won gold medals in the 400-meter freestyle, 200 individual medley and 400 individual medley, and a bronze in the 200 butterfly. Swimmers from other nations, including American star Janet Evans, raised suspicions about Smith, who rose to prominence despite coming from a country that does not have an Olympic-sized pool.
Last August, Smith captured two gold and two silver medals at the European Swimming Championships in Seville, Spain.
Although FINA made no mention of any drugs being found in the sample, Smith said the labora
tory analysis mentioned the presence of "some metabolic precursor of testosterone."
Smith was flanked at the news conference by her lawyer, Peter Lennon, and her husband, Erik De Bruin. A former discus thrower and shot putter, De Bruin served a four-year ban after testing positive for testosterone.
She said the results of the lab test showed a considerable drop in specific gravity, a measure of density, compared to when the sample was tested before it left her home. FINA said that suggested tampering.
Lennon said if the sample had been tampered with, it must have been after it had been taken from Smith's home.
"We want to know how the test was carried out, in what temperature and what happened to the sample after it left her home," he said.
Nomo finds stride first career homer
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — The stoic look didn't stand a chance. Hideo Nomo, a 128 hitter, broke into a grin as he rounded third base. Finally, he had a home run
in the major leagues.
"That's the first time I've seen him smile on the field in a long time," said Dodgers caterer Mike Piazza.
Nomo: Glad for sola home run, but concentrating on arm
in the left-field bullpen. The solo homer capped a six-run rally in the seventh inning that gave Los Angeles a 6-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers.
"He never hit it that far," Dodgers outfielder Raul Mondesi said. "Everybody was surprised."
Added manager Bill Russell:
"He always said he wanted to hit a home run in the major leagues. He kept his bat, took it out of the bat rack. It was nice to see a smile on his face."
Nomo liked his work with the bat, but knows full well that it is his arm that is important.
"I was very happy about the home run," he said through an interpreter. "But my goal is every game to go out and throw nine innings. As a pitcher, all I can do is go out and hold the team down, and that's what I did tonight."
Nomo has come back from the shortest outing of his big-league career with two complete games. He wasn't smiling 10 days earlier after lasting only two-thirds of an inning at Chicago and allowing three hits, five walks and eight runs.
"What happened in Chicago, I don't know what that was,"
Piazza said. "He's put that behind him."
He sure has. Nomo (2-3) pitched a three-hitter at Milwaukee last Thursday but lost to Mercedes and the Brewers 2-1. He was even better Tuesday night, pitching another three-hitter while walking two and striking out 11.
"He made the adjustments after that start in Chicago," Russell said. "He's throwing strikes, he's getting that split-finger over."
The complete games are the only two recorded by Los Angeles pitchers this year.
Russell said the home run was no fluke. However, he added, Nomo just happened to swing right where Mercedes threw the fastball.
"He does it in batting practice all the time, he can hit it that far," Russell said. "He was bailing and whaling. (Mercedes) threw it there, right in his swing."
Nomo has 28 hits in 219 big-league at-bats. He was hitless in eight at-bats this season before connecting with Mercedes' pitch.
His homer knocked out Mercedes (2-1) and came two batters after rookie Matt Luke hit a three-run homer — the second of his career — to give the Dodgers a 5-1 lead.
"It wasn't a lucky hit," Mercedes said. "He swung hard, he got it and there's nothing we can do about it. You don't think a pitcher can hit the ball like that."
Jeromy Burnitz, the only Milwaukee baserunner in the first six innings, led off the second by hitting his eighth homer to give the Brewers a 1-1 lead.
Nomo then retired 15 straight batters before Jeff Cirillo singled to start the seventh. Fernando Vina then walked on four pitches before Nomo struck out Burnitz, Marquis Grissom and Geoff Jenkins to end the inning.
"That was the turning point of the game," Piazza said. "Nomo) threw some very impressive pitches in that inning."
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