Major League Clubs Forced To Go To Swap Mart

On a mid-June night in 1976, Bud Selig took a telephone call.

“Finley’s Meat Market,” the voice on the other end of the line growled.

It was Oakland owner Charles O. Finley, and he wanted to dump players who were sure to leave when free agency arrived after the season. Selig, the Brewers’ owner, passed.

Finley, quicker than his peers to recognize coming changes, wanted to get something for his players rather than lose them with no compensation as free agents after the season.

Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, using the hazily defined “best interest of the game” provision, stopped some of Finley’s future deals.

Fast forward to this summer.

Selig still owns the Brewers, but he also is acting commissioner. What was his response when Minnesota unloaded veteran pitchers Scott Erickson (to Baltimore) and Rick Aguilera (to Boston)?

Let it happen.

“How can you fault a club that says, ‘We have to get top prospects?”’ Selig said.

“They’re trying to do what other clubs have done to build themselves into contenders. “This is one of the reasons we feel we have to get a new (labor) agreement. “They’re not the first club to do this. But when you see seven, eight and nine clubs doing it, you have to be concerned.”

Until the owners solve their own small market vs. big market revenue-sharing problems - the biggest obstacle to a new labor agreement - many teams will have to follow the Minnesota pattern.

Tick-tock, tick-tock …

For all those fans disillusioned with baseball, the sport’s moguls have an offer: We’ll shorten the games. (Though they’re taking their time doing it.)

Rules that confine batters to an area three feet from the batter’s box, limit the pitcher to 12 seconds once the hitter is set, and shorten the time between innings by 40 seconds were supposed to take effect after the All-Star break, but implementation has been delayed until July 28.

And while there has been agreement to enforce the new guidelines among the Players Association, the umpires’ union and the leagues, don’t be surprised if things don’t proceed smoothly.

Ironically, in Saturday night’s contest between St. Louis and Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh, Cardinals’ leadoff hitter Ramon Caraballo was in the batter’s box to start the game and the Pirates’ Denny Neagle was ready to pitch.

However, plate umpire Jerry Layne had to tell both to back off until he got the cue from the TV producers. The game was delayed a few minutes while the Baseball Network set the scene and provided the Cardinals’ lineup.

Around the major leagues

Perhaps Diane Munson said it best.

“This will be a nice legacy for the Yankees, having Thurman’s son play for them.”

Munson, widow of the late Yankees catcher Thurman Munson, was talking about her son Michael, who Saturday signed with the team his father played for his entire major-league career.

Michael Munson, who will turn 20 later this month, is a catcher-outfielder who will report to New York’s Class A Tampa farm team in the Gulf Coast League Monday.

Thurman Munson played for the Yankees from 1969 until his death in an airplane crash near Akron-Canton Regional Airport on Aug. 2, 1979.

Seattle manager Lou Piniella accused the Cleveland grounds crew of gamesmanship for soaking the basepaths at Jacobs Field during the Mariners’ series. Forced to run more because of Ken Griffey Jr.’s wrist injury, Seattle was second in the league with 60 steals at the All-Star break.

“We’ve see a lot of teams wet down the basepaths,” Piniella said. “The one thing they can’t do is wet down the (artificial) turf in Seattle.”

Now with the triple-A Columbus Clippers, Darryl Strawberry, still technically under house arrest for income-tax evasion and rehabilitating from substance abuse, is being provided some unusual security by the Yankees.

A security guard roams the floor on which Strawberry’s room is located. Yankees vice president Arthur Richman has a room just across the hall. Yankees scout Dick Williams, serving as the player’s batting instructor, has the room next door. A probation officer phones every night. A drug test is administered every day.