Bad Weather Partly To Blame For Crowded Disabled List

Darren Daulton said he was “hurting the team.” Ramon Martinez “felt a pop” and Gregg Jefferies tried but couldn’t fix his thumb.

Gentlemen, welcome to the disabled list, a place that’s become quite crowded. Oakland’s Mark McGwire, Minnesota’s Kirby Puckett and Rich Aguilera, Colorado’s Bret Saberhagen, Cincinnati’s Jose Rijo, California’s Lee Smith, Houston’s John Hudek and the New York Yankees’ Tony Fernandez and Tim Raines head the roll call of players nursing ailments incurred last season or during spring training. Why so many injuries?

Bad weather. Unusually cold temperatures froze players and fans during the season’s first week. Snow and rain forced seven postponements.

Bad karma. Injuries keep finding McGwire. Problems with his left foot shelved hin in 1994 and 1995, and now a right foot injury has him out.