Grissom Could Be Difference For Atlanta

If one man can make a difference, it’s Marquis Grissom. He is half of the Atlanta Braves’ wish list.

The better half.

The Braves don’t need much to regain their status as the power barons of the National League. After all, from 1991-93, they won three straight division titles and twice advanced to the World Series.

But they have never won it all, and that’s where Grissom comes in.

Atlanta had nothing against Roberto Kelly, the incumbent in center field who was dispatched to Montreal along with Tony Tarasco for Grissom. Kelly hit .286 in 68 games after being obtained from Cincinnati for Deion Sanders. But Grissom, who turns 28 Monday, is three years younger, a better defensive outfielder and an Atlanta-born talent who has waited all his life to be a winner.

A year ago, Grissom played for a Montreal club that had the best record in baseball (70-40). But his dreams of a playoff and World Series were crushed in the baseball strike. With the Expos needing money, no one was surprised that Grissom wound up in Atlanta. Least of all Grissom.

“On one hand, it was very sad,” he said. “I played with all those guys. We all came up through the minors together. To reach where we reached last year and then see it go to waste was bad.

“But I recognize this is a business, and you’ve got to move on. I found out about the business part of baseball when I went to arbitration last year.”

Grissom has a lot of reasons for remaining on an emotional high. The trade has brought him home.

The Braves make no secret of the fact they want Grissom to be the leadoff man. With Jeff Blauser, David Justice, Fred McGriff and Ryan Klesko coming after him in the batting order, Grissom will not be lacking for support to help him navigate the bases. The Braves look for him to steal 50-70 bases.

Tettleton, Rangers agree

At Arlington, Texas, designated hitter/catcher Mickey Tettleton and the Texas Rangers agreed to a one-year contract worth about $550,000.

Tettleton, who made $1.5 million last year, probably will be a DH for the Rangers. The 34-year-old native of Oklahoma City, Okla., was expected to work out for the first time today.

Tettleton, a switch-hitter, hit 30 or more homers in each of the last three seasons.

Last year, Tettleton hit .248 with 17 homers and 51 RBIs in 107 games.

Money not everything

Money isn’t everything to everybody. Just ask Randy Velarde.

Despite a $775,000 pay cut, Velarde was a happy man when he joined the New York Yankees on Wednesday, a day after agreeing to a minor-league contract.

Velarde won a $1,125,000 salary last year in arbitration, then was let go in February. He said he put the team’s tradition and the opportunity to win ahead of his paycheck.

“Nothing would please me more than to don a ring with ‘NY’ with diamonds,” said Velarde, 32, who will be entering his fifth full season with the Yankees.

He hit .279 in 77 games last year with nine home runs and 34 RBIs.

Labor meeting on hold

Baseball’s executive council decided to have at least one more meeting in Milwaukee before it resumes negotiations with players.

“We had long discussions about a lot of issues,” acting commissioner Bud Selig said yesterday after the twoday meeting ended. “Labor, revenuesharing - just about everything that has to do with baseball was discussed.”

Selig, owner of the Milwaukee Brewers, did not say when owners wanted to resume bargaining. The last session was March 30.

Owners are appealing the decision of U.S. District Judge Sonia Sotomayor, which restored the rules of the expired bargaining agreement. The owners’ brief is due Friday and the expedited appeal before the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will take place sometime next month.

Despite the strike, which cost owners more than $700 million in revenue and players about $350 million in salary, there still is no collective bargaining agreement in place and no increased revenue-sharing to alleviate the financial pressure on small-market teams.

A revenue-sharing plan agreed to in January 1994 originally was contingent on a salary cap. After owners dropped their imposed cap in February, the revenue-sharing plan was made contingent on a deal with the players. But that hasn’t happened, either.