Leyland Sounds Off At Critics

Jim Leyland had enough.

He’d read in the papers that World Series TV ratings were down, and took it as criticism that the Florida Marlins and Cleveland Indians were in it.

“It’s making me puke,” the manager of the Marlins said Thursday before Game 5. “I’m sick and tired of hearing about New York and Atlanta and Baltimore. (Indians manager) Mike Hargrove said it best: ‘They had the same chance that we did.’ We won it.”

Leyland was asked about acting commissioner Bud Selig’s criticism of the slow pace of the games, which Selig thinks may be part of the reason for the ratings decline. Leyland chose to let out the anger that was bubbling inside.

“Aren’t our fans entitled - 67,000 fans, the second-largest since the White Sox played in ‘59? I’m sick of hearing the weak comments about the pitchers and everybody crying because Atlanta, Baltimore and New York aren’t here,” he said. “We beat them. And the Indians beat everybody they had to beat.”

Leyland’s voice was filled with emotion. It was clear a sore spot had been touched.

“I get tired of having to apologize because the Florida Marlins and the Cleveland Indians are in the World Series,” he said. “It’s great for baseball.”

Hargrove said he understood Leyland’s anger.

“I think we felt kind of under-appreciated all year long, but we didn’t let it deter us,” Hargrove said. “If people have a problem with us being here, then that’s their problem. We beat good teams to get here. I don’t remember last year - when we won 99 games - saying the best team in baseball wasn’t in the World Series last year. So, yeah, it’s upsetting.”

Bauer’s record intact

Long before the streak was officially declared dead, Hank Bauer turned off the lights in his Overland Park, Kan., home, closed his eyes, drifted off into an untroubled slumber. There was nothing Bauer could do to stop Marquis Grissom from breaking his World Series hitting streak, not from his living room, not if he were sitting and shivering at Jacobs Field.

So he went to bed.

And when he awoke Thursday morning Bauer learned that his streak, which has survived 39 years, would reach a 40th after all. Grissom had gone 0 for 4 in a 10-3 Indians win. His World Series hitting streak would stop at 15, two shy of Bauer’s mark.

“I knew what he was doing,” Bauer said. “I’ve had that record for 40 years. Maybe I can keep it for another 40. To tell you the truth, I’m glad he didn’t break it.”

Ratings come tumbling down

While the Marlins and Indians keep alternating wins, World Series television ratings have been consistent - all of them are way down.

Cleveland’s 10-3 victory over Florida in Game 4 Wednesday night got a 15.5 rating and 26 share on NBC, Nielsen Media research said. The rating was the second-lowest ever for a Game 4 in prime time, ahead of only the 14.7 for the final game of the earthquake-interrupted World Series between Oakland and San Francisco in 1989.

Hargrove wary of Nagy

If the World Series gets to a Game 7, Indians manager Mike Hargrove doesn’t sound crazy about Charles Nagy starting it.

“Officially right now, it’s Charles Nagy in Game 7 if we go that far,” Hargrove said. “There’s a lot of things that we’re going to look at going into that. How Jaret Wright can bounce back factors into it.”

Hargrove has been frustrated with Nagy’s reluctance to pitch aggressively, saying he’s talked with him “thousands of times” about it.

He was roughed up for five runs and six hits in six innings in Game 3 against Florida. In four postseason starts, Nagy is 0-1 with a 5.16 ERA. The most telling stat? Fifteen walks in 22 innings for a “control pitcher.”

Fernandez schedules surgery

Marlins right-hander Alex Fernandez has scheduled surgery for Tuesday to repair his torn rotator cuff. The operation will be performed by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: SERIES SCHEDULE Saturday: Florida 7, Cleveland 4 Sunday: Cleveland 6, Florida 1 Tuesday: Florida 14, Cleveland 11 Wednesday: Cleveland 10, Florida 3 Thursday: Florida 8, Cleveland 7 Saturday: at Florida, 5 p.m. Sunday: at Florida, 4:35* *-if necessary.