Spring straining

Sporting News, The, Feb 27, 1995 by Steve Marantz

The questionnaire asks for basic information - hometown, education, family, baseball experience - and a little more. For example, it asks for nicknames. A 28-year-old Cuban-born catcher from Miami, Juan Velazquez, lists his nickname as "The Godfather." Butcher chuckles. "I don't want to know why," he says.

Public-relations directors are in general agreement, after several conference calls, about the task at hand.

"We've got to humanize these players," the Mets'Jay Horwitz says. "We can't deceive the public. We have guys off of Main Street. Fans can identify with these guys. These are the best players out there who want to play. We're not trying to pawn them off as anything they're not."

The night before the Mets' camp opens, at the team motel, Horwitz convenes a meeting of 28 potential replacement players, presided over by G.M. Joe McIlvaine. The players introduce themselves and give brief descriptions of backgrounds and goals. One player explains his presence: "I'm tired of living from paycheck to paycheck." Another player says, "I've been in the minor leagues for 11 years. This is my last chance."

Horwitz provides a brief instructional on dealing with media.

"Tell your story," he advises the players. "Be honest. Humanize yourselves."

On opening day, Horwitz releases a book containing biographical and career profiles of the 28 players. The profiles required a month of preparation.

"It was a hard book to do," Horwitz says." A lot of these guys don't remember details. A lot haven't played in a while. The Howe (statistical) people were helpful, but their information only goes back to 1984. We used the Minor League Digest. We had to track down a lot of information."

Horwitz says he is reminded of his years 1972-80) as sports information director at Fairleigh Dickinson University. "I had to really work at getting something in the papers," he says.

But newspapers may not take the bait. Several major dailies are indicating intentions to withdraw reporters after a week or two. The major wire service, The Associated Press, which feeds information to hundreds of newspapers, may not file replacement box scores.

Baseball writers are tom between two impulses. On the one hand, they are disgusted and cynical. On the other, they are touched by the earnestness and sincerity of replacement players.

One columnist, Harvey Araton of The New York Times, apologized in print after writing sympathetically about a replacement player: "My journalist comrades probably won't be happy with this I Have a Dream' replacement material we've taken blood oaths not to write. Couldn't help it. ."

Striking players gather for a witch burning at a hotel in Orlando, Fla. About 260 players are on hand - the most gathered at a players association meeting in 20 years - to hear out Phillies outfielder Len Dykstra. Dykstra's comments in a televised interview - suggesting that a few stars may act independently of the union - are deemed heresy. "He set us back two or three weeks," says Brett Butler of the Dodgers.