SERIES NOTES
Brian Jordan loved playing for Joe Torre as a young Cardinal and would have loved to play with the Yankees, who went down to the wire with the Braves for Jordan’s free-agent services.
Jordan then related this story about Torre after the Cardinals sent him down during his rookie season in 1992.
“Joe is great and respects you as a player,” Jordan said yesterday at Turner Field. “I remember the experience when he had to send me down. I’m a big football player, I can go back and play football. He calls me in his office. I knew it was trouble when he called Chris Chambliss in too for protection. He said we’ve got to send you out. I only had 35 at-bats and said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding. After 35 at-bats you’re sending me down?’ He hands me the paper and the pen to sign the release. I just grabbed the pen, stuck it in the paper on the desk and walked out.”
Jordan said this World Series will be a great matchup.
“This is the way the decade should end,” he said. *Bobby Cox chose Tom Glavine as his Game 1 starter and said he will follow him up with Greg Maddux for Game 2 at Turner Field. Scheduled starters for the games at the Stadium are Kevin Millwood in Game 3, John Smoltz in Game 4 and Glavine in Game 5.
Because so much time will have passed since Smoltz’ last start against the Mets, Cox said Smoltz not only will be available to relieve in Game 1, the manager would prefer that a situation would arise for him to use Smoltz out of the bullpen.
“By the time he starts Game 4 it will have been 10 days since his last start and about seven days since he pitched that one inning out of the bullpen,” Cox said. “I think it would be a good thing if he pitched in Game 1.” *Torre’s National League roots run very deep and he isn’t shy about voicing his displeasure with the designated hitter that is strictly an AL toy.
“No question, to me it’s a much better game without the DH,” said Torre, who, if the World Series goes seven games, will have to manage without the DH in the four games played at Turner Field. “You have to make managerial changes like walking somebody intentionally and getting the pitcher out. To me, baseball is second guessing. Not only in the media, but the fans.”
As for who Torre tabs for his DH in Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary), his choices will be Strawberry, Chili Davis and Jim Leyritz. Strawberry has had the most success this postseason, batting .333 (4-for-12) with two homers and four RBIs. However, lefty Glavine would start Game 5 and that would make Torre decide between the switch-hitting Davis and the right-handed hitting Leyritz.
Davis is batting .143 (2-for-14) with an RBI. Leyritz, who was dropped from the roster for the ALCS against the Red Sox and put back on yesterday, was 0-for-2 with an RBI in the ALDS against the Rangers. *
Without the DH being used this weekend in Atlanta, Strawberry was asked if he could help in left field?
“You would have to talk to Joe (Torre) about that,” said Strawberry, who hasn’t played left since Aug. 21 for Columbus (Triple-A). “If it’s an emergency and he felt like he needed me to play, I would be available.”
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Luis Sojo, who will play the role of Chuck Knoblauch’s defensive caddy in the late innings of World Series games, was excused from yesterday’s Yankee Stadium workout in order to be with is father who was being transferred from one New York area hospital to another yesterday. Sojo’s father was stricken with a heart ailment last week.
Sojo is expected to fly with the Yankees to Atlanta this morning.
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Chambliss expects to meet with Indians GM John Hart sometime this weekend in Atlanta to discuss The Tribe’s managerial opening.
Willie Randolph and Chambliss will also meet with Brewers GM Dean Taylor in the middle of next week when the Series comes to Yankee Stadium.