This Ogea Sounds More Like A Winner

Quicker than you can say Chad Ogea, the World Series that nobody cares about is as level as the Florida horizon. And this is how you say Chad Ogea:

Chad. O.J.

These are the two most infamous syllables in sports as well as the criminal justice system, but with only a euphonic coincidence.

More importantly, there is absolutely no resemblance at all to Cy Young, which appears to be the chief qualification for beating the Florida Marlins.

The Marlins digest Cy Young Award winners without swallowing - Maddux, Smoltz, Glavine and Hershiser, to name four - and along comes the fourth pitcher on a bad Cleveland staff pitching against the best pitcher on a better Florida staff and the Marlins play bleak ball.

“We’re very appreciative of what Chad did,” said Indians manager Mike Hargrove.

Ogea is two months back from rehabbing a strained elbow ligament, the injury the most dramatic thing that has happened in an uneventful career. Until Sunday night’s 6-2/3 innings of more or less effective baseball.

“Ogea pitched a great game,” conceded Marlins manager Jim Leyland. “It isn’t like Kevin Brown didn’t. The other guys are on scholarship. too.”

Marlins pick DH

Leyland indicated that he has three candidates for designated hitter in the three games in Cleveland this week - Jim Eisenreich, Cliff Floyd and Darren Daulton. All are left-handed hitters who have spent most of the post-season on the bench.

Sticky little Leyland

Leyland’s wife Katie ordered eight extra beds to accommodate friends coming from out of town for the World Series. The Leylands’ two young children are staying in their parents’ bedroom for a few days, and Jim Leyland is grumbling about the situation - with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek.

“I think there’s 14 bunks now,” Leyland said. “My wife went to the party in the tent and I took my son home. And on the way home, my son fell asleep chewing Big Red gum, and when I woke up this morning he had it in his hair and on his neck, and he’s in severe pain. His head might be stuck to the pillow - he might be wearing the pillow tonight. But other than that, things are going great.”

Ratings down

The preliminary overnight rating for Saturday night’s Game 1 on NBC was a 14.1, down 17 percent from a 17.0 last year, when the first game of the series was on a Sunday night on Fox.

The overnight ratings represent viewership in urban markets totaling about half the country. The Cleveland market produced a 47.5 rating. The Miami market generated a 39.8 rating.

Justice remembers

Cleveland outfielder David Justice said Sunday the biggest moment of his career was his Game 6 homer for Atlanta that beat the Indians in the 1995 World Series.

“I knew I was walking into a stadium where everybody wanted me to fail because of what I said,” said Justice, who had commented during that series about the lack of noise generated by fans in Atlanta.

Justice said playing the Braves in the World Series would be no better than playing the Marlins.

“If the Braves were here, they wouldn’t even be saying anything about me,” Justice said.

A good sign

Cleveland won its first road World Series game since 1948, the last year the Indians won it all. Cleveland had lost six consecutive World Series road games.

This ‘n’ that

Gary Sheffield has at least one walk in each of Florida’s 11 postseason games and his total of 15 is a postseason record, topping the 14 by Albert Belle for Cleveland in 1995… . Cleveland got a road win in the World Series for the first time since Game 6 in 1948. The Indians had lost six straight Series road games… . Cleveland’s 14 hits were a team record for a postseason game… . Marquis Grissom has hit safely in all 14 World Series games he’s played, tying Roberto Clemente for the second-longest hitting streak in the Series, three behind Hank Bauer… . Florida’s Charles Johnson has thrown out five of eight runners attempting to steal in the postseason… . Four Hall of Famers attended the game: Lou Brock, Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller and Joe Morgan.