Hargrove Stands Behind Crucial Game 1 Decision

Even though it was only Game 1, Cleveland Manager Mike Hargrove was already being second-guessed. At issue was his decision in the seventh inning to leave his infield back with the bases loaded, nobody out and the Indians tied with the Braves, 1-1.

By setting the infield for a double play, Hargrove was, in effect, conceding a run on a ground ball. Atlanta pinch-hitter Luis Polonia chopped a grounder to the normally sure-handed Omar Vizquel, who bobbled the ball and got a controversial call on a force play when he stepped on second as a run scored. The Braves went on to score again in the inning on Rafael Belliard’s suicide-squeeze bunt.

“It’s the seventh inning,” Hargrove said. “We’ve got two more at-bats. Maddux is obviously being Greg Maddux. With the bases loaded and Polonia at the plate, even though he is tough to double up, he can be doubled up.

“I felt with the power that we do have in our lineup, it would be easier to give up one run and come back from that, than possibly getting two or more. So we played the infield back trying to get the ground-ball double play. We got it, but we didn’t turn two. Had we done that, it might have been a different story.”

Avery or Maddux for Game 4?

Atlanta Manager Bobby Cox won’t announce his Game 4 starter until today, but he seemed to be leaning toward left-hander Steve Avery over Game 1 winner Greg Maddux.

Starting Maddux Wednesday in Cleveland would give Cox the option of pitching his ace right-hander three times in the series - including Game 7 - on three days’ rest.

But Avery’s performance in the postseason - he has given up one earned run and struck out seven in 6 innings and was the winner in the Braves’ Game 4, National League Championship Seriesclinching victory - is weighing heavily on Cox’s mind.

“I’ll talk to Greg, but I have all the confidence in the world in Avery,” Cox said. “It’s sort of hard to bypass him. He’s pitched well for us lately and has been throwing great on the sidelines.”

For tickets, dial 1-800-SMOLTZ

Atlanta Game 3 starter John Smoltz is not bothered by all the distractions that come with playing in the World Series. This is the third Series since 1991 for the right-hander, so he’s accustomed to the media horde, the demands on his time and the seemingly endless requests for tickets.

But he can empathize with teammates and Indian players who are getting their first taste of the World Series experience.

“You gain more and more friends each year, and it’s like each player’s house is a Ticketmaster,” Smoltz said. “I remember my first time, and it was absolutely crazy.

Don’t worry about Maddux

While the baseball world continued to marvel at Maddux’s performance Saturday night, his teammates were the only ones who were unimpressed.

“The only thing we worried about was how he’d react to the pressure,” outfielder Dwight Smith said. “When I saw him putting golf balls in the clubhouse before the game, and saw how relaxed he was, I said, ‘Boys, Maddux will carry us tonight.’

Memories of Municipal

Bobby Cox was looking forward to seeing the new Jacobs Field in Cleveland for the first time today.

“When I think of Cleveland, I think of that big old stadium, which I liked, but there were never any people there.”

Responding to a question about a proposal for a new retractable-roof stadium in Seattle, he said: “Those people out there want to be outdoors. They made a big mistake in the first place building a dome. They’ve already proven they’ll support a winner up there. They could have pulled a Houston and not supported the team when it was in a pennant race.”

Oh-two or two-oh

The last team to lose the first two games of the World Series and come back to win the title was the 1986 New York Mets, who eventually beat Boston in seven games. This is the 43rd time a team has taken a 2-0 lead, and of the 42 previous occasions, the team with the 2-0 lead has gone on to win 32 times.

Indians futility remnants of ‘83

Cleveland’s eight hits in the two games are the fewest since 1983 when Philadelphia also managed just eight in the first two games against Baltimore. Kenny Lofton is the only member of the Indians with hits in both games. Marquis Grissom and Mark Lemke are the only two Atlanta players with hits in both games.