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Sunday, June 17, 2001

Remember the buzz in April when an image of the Virgin Mary mysteriously appeared on a bedroom door in Brookline?

Once word got out, hundreds came knocking. Wanting to see. Wanting to gawk. Some probably wanting an autograph. (Imagine the price that would have fetched on eBay.) And the image didn't even do anything. Not even one batting practice swing. It just hung there, although some scouts claimed it moved well over time through space.

The Guy In The Stands can only imagine, then, the lines that should stretch across the Clemente Bridge hours before first pitch Thursday night at PNC Park in order to glimpse a bona fide flesh-and-blood miracle. And The Guy isn't talking about Derek Bell's batting average seeing .200.

Omar Daal, otherwise known in classified church missives and fantasy leagues as Omar The Miracle, is scheduled to pitch the finale of Philadelphia's three-game series with the Pirates.

His numbers should be evidence enough to make Bud Selig request a team of bishops be assembled to investigate.

Only eight months ago, the same Daal put the finishing touches on a 4-19 season that included a semi-apocalyptic run at becoming the first pitcher since Oakland's Brian Kingman in 1980 to lose 20 games. He was 2-10 with Arizona, 2-9 with the Phillies after coming over in the four-for-one deal that sent Curt Schilling to the Diamondbacks. No major-league pitcher with as many innings as Daal (167) won fewer games in 2000.

Conversely, despite his roughest outing of the season Friday against Baltimore (42/3 IP, 7 R, 9 H, no decision), only 14 pitchers in 2001 have won more than Daal (7-1). And, on a pace to finish 18-3, he stands to become the first pitcher since Rick Wise in 1978-79 to lose as many as 19 games (9-19) and come back to win in double figures (15-10) the next season.

As miraculous, his earned run average (4.09) is down two runs a game from the 6.14 of a year ago. And if the equally surprising NL East-leading Phillies (38-27) had to name an MVP for the first third of the season, it would be Daal. Yet that notion could not be any more shocking than the day in spring training when Manager Larry Bowa named Daal to start opening day.

"My mind is fresh," Daal said.

Touched by hands is more like it. After two shaky no-decisions, he has won seven of 12 starts while posting an ERA of 3.80.

"Omar has got a lot of pride," Bowa told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "What he went through last year tells you what kind of human being he is. ... I might be prejudiced, but I think he deserves to pitch in the All-Star Game."

"He's our ace right now," said Phillies catcher Mike Lieberthal after Daal beat the Rockies, 7-1, May 1, a game in which he allowed Colorado's big-hitting lineup only a run and four hits in eight innings after taking a no-hitter into the seventh.

Just last Saturday, he beat Pedro Martinez and the Red Sox, 5-2, in Fenway Park, throwing seven shutout innings.

"He's our Pedro," exclaimed Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins.

Our Pedro? Holy Moses! Could The Guy feel any closer to the divine light if Ernest Angley came up to his computer at the very moment and smacked him on the forehead?

From "Our Brian Kingman" to "Our Pedro" in 260 days.

Go ahead. Now tell The Guy that the pope, with his connections, doesn't have Daal pitching for JP II's Original Padres in the Vatican fantasy league. Just try.

ESP-Never

Joe Torre said two weeks ago he would juggle his starting rotation so that Roger Clemens would not have to pitch -- and bat -- at Shea Stadium tonight (8 p.m., ESPN) when the Yankees and Mets conclude their three-game interleague reprisal of last fall's World Series. But there's more to the story than just a fear that a Mets pitcher would throw at Clemens, who hit Mike Piazza in the head with a pitch last July and then threw the broken end of a bat in Piazza's direction during Game 2 of the Series.

Torre was afraid, according to a report by Bob Klapisch in The (Bergen, N.J.) Record, that ESPN -- in tendem with a hostile Shea crowd -- would turn the game into "Ali-Frazier."

Torre, in fact, is so angry at ESPN for what he claims was exploitive coverage of the bat-throwing incident that this week he refused the network an interview as part of a SportsCenter "Sunday Night Conversation" with Derek Jeter.

Inside the number

His two home runs Friday night off Oakland's Mark Mulder gave Barry Bonds 36 going into the Giants' game yesterday vs. the A's. How prodigious is that number? Consider: It's June 17, the Giants have 94 games yet to play and he has already surpassed or equaled the following home run champions from the past 30 years (excluding the strike seasons of 1981 and 1994):

The 'other' chase

While most fans and media are captivated by Bonds' pursuit of 70 home runs, a second home run chase has caught The Guy's attention. Colorado pitcher Mike Hampton went into his start against the Reds last night with three home runs in his past five at-bats, including two in one game June 5 off Houston's Wade Miller. More impressively, he has five for the season, the most by a pitcher since Bob Gibson hit five for St. Louis in 1972. It also puts him well within striking distance of the record for a pitcher -- nine by Cleveland's Wes Ferrell in 1931. The twist to the story: In seven previous seasons and 372 at-bats ... Hampton had not hit a single home run.

Series of the week

Mariners (51-14 before last night) at Athletics (32-33), Tomorrow-Thursday. ... If the A's -- 19 games behind Seattle in the AL West and 8 1/2 back of the Indians in the wild card -- cling to any hope of making the second half even remotely interesting, they must think sweep. ... Mariners are 5-1 vs. A's. ...Bret Boone (.328, 16 HRs, 69 RBIs) is hitting .412 with six homers and 19 RBIs in June for Seattle. ... Mariners sensation Ichiro Suzuki collected his 100th hit Tuesday and is on a pace for 259. George Sisler holds the major-league record with 257 in 1920.

This 'n' that

Former Pirates favorite Turner Ward has surfaced. The Phillies called him up from Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Thursday night, which means he'll be in uniform when the team visits PNC Park this week. ... On the subject of former Pirates, Mark Johnson is 7 for 19 with two homers and seven RBIs with the Mets since his recall from AAA Norfolk June 6. ... When an accidentally tripped fire alarm sounded recently at Tropicana Field informing Devil Rays employees to report to their assigned emergency stations, hitting coach Dave Engle said he was going to his -- the batting cage. ...

If the reports are true, the Pirates and the rest of the NL Central will play the AL West in interleague play next season. ... From the Everything's-Relative Dept.: The Giants drew the smallest crowd in the short history of Pac Bell Park for their 3-2 win vs. Anaheim Tuesday -- 36,422. ...When Randy Johnson struck out 11 Cubs Thursday to move into 10th place on the all-time strikeout list, he threw 126 pitches. Twenty, or one in every six, were clocked at 98 mph or better. ... Houston, which this week was named to play host to the 2004 All-Star Game, will also play host to the Super Bowl that year.

Shot and a jeer

Shot: Methinks Mariners fans have gotten a bit too carried away with their 51-13 start. Al Martin (.183, 2 HRs, 12 RBIs) was 15th in AL All-Star voting among outfielders.

Jeer: With an NL-worst 7.10 ERA, where does Pirates pitcher Omar Olivares get away demanding anything?

Box score lines of the week:

By itself, three hits off Curt Schilling this season is noteworthy. But his performance helped extend a hitting streak that eventually went to 17 games before it ended Thursday. He hit .439 (29 for 66) with nine homers during the streak.

A rather pedestrian pitching line doesn't begin to tell the tale of a delicious first inning in which he threw 49 pitches ... yet did not allow a hit nor a run. What's more, he struck out the side ... and left the bases loaded? "That should have told us what kind of night it was going to be," said Cubs Manager Don Baylor.

Hand it to Manager Tony Muser for trying to find the silver lining: "He did a good job of getting ahead in the count."