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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Glavine, The Younger, Blooms

Associated Press

There’s another Glavine playing baseball in Georgia, and he’s beginning to make a name for himself, too.

Michael Glavine, younger brother of Atlanta Braves pitcher Tom Glavine, is a power-hitting first baseman with the Columbus RedStixx, a Class A farm club of the Cleveland Indians.

He is 24 years old, seven years younger than his brother, and is used to being called “Tommy’s kid brother.”

“I get a lot of that,” he said. “Of course, I’d rather be known for what I’m doing, but it doesn’t bother me.”

Glavine, a 6-foot-3 left-handed hitter, was drafted in the 22nd round in 1995. Injuries kept him from playing much of the past two seasons.

This season, he has blossomed. He was selected to the South Atlantic League All-Star team after leading the league with 18 home runs in 55 games. Going into Monday, he was hitting .261 with 20 homers.

“Now that I’m doing well, they recognize my name,” he said. “It’s kind like ‘Yeah, that’s his brother, but, hey, he’s leading the league in home runs and having a good year. He’s pretty good.”’

If his brother happens to be in the batter’s box, Tom knows just how he’d pitch him.

“I would try to keep the ball away from him,” he said. “If he took a good swing off me, I would drill him.”

Impossible Pirates

Move over, Miracle Mets. Take a back seat, worst-to-first Braves and Twins. Here come the Impossible Pirates.

The New York Mets were the most improbable World Series champions of all time, shrugging off seven consecutive last-place or near last-place finishes to beat the Baltimore Orioles in 1969. The Braves and Twins went from last place in 1990 to the World Series a year later.

But as implausible as their stories were, they may not be as compelling as the one being written by the division-leading Pittsburgh Pirates.

With a payroll smaller than Albert Belle’s paycheck and a roster dotted with names unfamiliar to all but the most addicted of Fantasy League geeks, the Pirates swept into the All-Star break with a seven-game winning streak and a one-game lead in the National League Central.

They took three in a row from manager Gene Lamont’s old team, the White Sox, then swept the defending division champion Cardinals four straight in St. Louis.

Now, the Pirates have history on their side. This is the eighth time since division play began in 1969 they have led at the All-Star break. They won the division each of the seven previous times.

Morgan, Knight feuding

Cincinnati Reds manager Ray Knight ordered pitcher Mike Morgan out of the clubhouse before Sunday’s game, leaving Morgan’s future with the team in doubt.

“I’ve lost respect for that guy,” Morgan said of Knight. “I think our whole club has. That should be the writing on the wall right there, I think.”

Morgan has been irked by what he perceives as Knight’s tendency to quickly replace him in games Morgan has started.

“You’re talking about a guy that struggled all year long,” Knight said. “You’re talking about a guy who was hanging on by a thread, and we’re the only team that wanted him last year. Here’s a guy who’s frustrated because he’s near the end of his career. When players start to fail, they begin to look for excuses.”