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Sunday, September 08, 2002

By Steve Ziants, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

As unlikely as it might seem, there's a scene in "The Big Chill" that might provide the only advice The Guy In The Stands can give in trying to get your mind around the recent exploits of the Oakland Athletics. Tom Berenger stumbles into the living room late at night to find William Hurt sitting in the dark watching the late show with a stare blanker than anything George Romero ever called from the grave.

"What's this?" Berenger asks.

"I don't know," Hurt replies, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"What's it about?" Berenger comes again.

"I'm not sure," says Hurt.

"Who's that?" asks Berenger.

"I think the guy in the hat did something terrible," Hurt says.

"Like what?" Berenger continues.

Exasperated, Hurt responds:

"You're so analytical. Sometimes you just have to let art flow over you."

The same can be said for 20-game winning streaks. You can't hope to explain them, you can only hope to maintain them.

"There's a point where you just don't have a lot to say about it," said Scott Hatteberg, who Wednesday took ownership of win No. 20 with an improbable pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the 10th ... that concluded an improbable 12-11 win against the Royals in which the A's had blown an 11-0 lead ... that concluded an improbable stretch of three games in which the A's won in their final at-bat.

Too stupid to be believed? What hasn't been about these A's?

"It's a fairytale, magic-type time in our careers. I know I'll look back on this night for years ... and still wonder how it happened," Hatteberg said.

The 20th consecutive win gave them the American League record. When they lost to the Minnesota Twins Friday night, they fell one win shy of tying the 1935 Cubs for the second-longest run since 1900. They were six wins short of the major-league record set by the 1916 New York Giants, although there are those who argue that the Giants' streak wasn't real because statisticians disregard a 1-1 tie with the Pirates between wins 12 and 13.

But the fact that anyone argued about a game played nearly 86 years ago should be at least Exhibit ZZ of the absurdity of what it means not to lose for 3 1/2 weeks. Three-and-a-half weeks! Most of ABC's new fall lineup won't survive that long.

"We're doing something special," third baseman Eric Chavez says. "We've been good the last couple of years, but this is borderline spectacular."

But then, like the view from the Clemente Bridge, the sweat on a beer just pulled from a washtub full of ice, Hank Williams Jr.'s "Are You Ready For Some Football?" and Susan Sarandon's legs, what good art isn't?

So let the art flow ...

Art appreciation

A study guide to the A's streak:

1: Team like this in A's history.

2.36: ERA of the starting rotation.

3: Teams since 1900 that have won 20 games in a row.

4: Teams entering play Thursday that had won 20 or fewer games overall since the All-Star break.

4.52: Millions of dollars combined paid to the starting foursome of Barry Zito, Mark Mulder, Tim Hudson and Corey Lidle ... or less than Jose Lima ($7.25) will earn by himself. You can look it up.

6: Position number of the shortstop whose MVP candidacy has been given the greatest boost by the streak -- Miguel Tejada (.310, 30 HRs, 116 RBIs).

8: Games they've improved in the standings, which might be the one downer. You'd think it would be more, but the Angels are 14-6 in the same span.

9: Doubleheaders the '16 Giants played during their streak.

10: Innings during the streak in which the A's trailed.

12: Consecutive games in which third baseman Eric Chavez has hit (.408). What, only 12?

15: Wins by the starting rotation.

17: Previous Athletics franchise-record winning streak (1931).

28: Where their $39.7 million payroll ranks, ahead of the Expos and behind the Twins.

2,053: Teams since 1900 that have not won 20 games in a row.

20,514: Walkup ticket sales for Wednesday's game.

34,035: Average attendance for the 10 home games.

And on into ...

Infinity: After wins 18, 19 and 20 came in their final ups, Manager Art Howe (Shaler) had to admit, "We're going to lose somewhere along the line." But then felt compelled to add: "Probably."

In the streak-o-sphere

Leftovers from the streak ... A's bench coach Ken Macha (Monroeville) is going to the Hall of Fame. Well, "his handwriting is going to Cooperstown," Manager Art Howe said. The hall requested Monday's lineup card and Macha writes out Howe's cards. ... Bucking today's socio-economic trends, the young fan who caught Scott Hatteberg's dramatic walk-off home run Wednesday gave the ball to Hatteberg for a bat and a handshake. ... The Hall of Fame wasn't done with the A's. Minutes after the record-setting win over the Royals Wednesday, hall officials had collected the bases and got Hatteberg to autograph them. ... Closer Billy Koch on the '16 Giants streak: "It's not a real 26." And "you know we're not going to tie -- unless we play an All-Star Game in the next week." Wow! Bud can't catch a break.

Grace under fire

In case you missed the pitching debut of Arizona first baseman Mark Grace in the ninth inning Monday, you missed an ESPY-Award-blooper-classic-in-the-making. To grasp its absurdity, know that Diamondbacks fans had just witnessed the worst tub-thumping in franchise history (19-1 to the Dodgers) ... and gave Grace a standing ovation.

Was it for the fact he got out three of the four batters he faced? Or was it for the big-heave, head-snapping impersonation of Mike Fetters that characterized his inning of comic relief?

Dodgers rookie David Ross even played straight man, hitting a 396-foot home run against Grace -- the one Dodger he didn't get out.

"I didn't have a scouting report on him," Grace said afterward. "He can obviously hit a 65-mph fastball."

Responded Ross: "I'm going to tell everyone, my kids and my grandkids, that I hit my first home run off a future Hall of Famer. I just won't tell them who it was."

A team for all seasons

It will go down as one of the more bizarre games of the season. Texas starter Aaron Myette was ejected from his start Tuesday after throwing just two pitches -- both behind Orioles batter Melvin Mora. Todd Van Poppel and Joaquin Benoit then came on and nearly no-hit the Orioles. Surprised? This is the enigma that is the Texas Rangers, after all, who've shelled out better than $200 million the past two seasons to play a combined 68 1/2 games behind the leaders in the AL West . "We've gone through some strange things," says first baseman Rafael Palmeiro. "Almost a perfect game [by Kenny Rogers in August] and a no-no [Tuesday], being swept by the [lowly] Detroit Tigers and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. ... We should get an award for doing it all." Except winning, of course.

Good, wild & ugly

Box score lines of the week:

Good: Salomon Torres, Pirates, Tuesday: 8 1/3 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 Ks in a 3-0 win vs. the Braves. Most starters in the majors go once every five days. Torres, apparently, goes once every five years. He hadn't pitched in the bigs since 1997 and hadn't won since '96.

Wild: Joaquin Benoit, Rangers, Tuesday: 7 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 Ks in a 7-1 win vs. the Orioles. His seven innings were in relief -- the longest a reliever has ever gone for a save. But all anyone wanted to talk about was the hit he gave up ... the only one the Orioles got ... leading off the ninth. Tough crowd.

Ugly: Eddie Oropesa, Diamondbacks, Monday: 1 2/3 IP, 9 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 3 BB, 1 K in a 19-1 loss vs. the Dodgers. To be fair, the only Arizona "pitcher" not roughed up in this one was Norman Devening, and that's only because he just turned 100 and threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Series of the week

Athletics at Angels, tomorrow-Thursday. ... Streak or no streak, the A's still only held a 2-game lead over the Angels going into last night. ... Tomorrow begins the home stretch in which AL West contenders play each other on 20 of the final 21 days of the season.

This 'n' that

Chicago's Sammy Sosa missed nine consecutive games (Aug. 25-Sept. 1), or only two less than he missed from 1997-2001. ... Did you catch Pirates 1994 No. 1 pick Mark Farris' performance in a Texas A&M uniform yesterday against Pitt? In case you don't remember, he was selected No. 11 overall -- immediately ahead of Nomar Garciaparra (12, Red Sox), Paul Konerko (13, Dodgers) and Jason Varitek (14, Mariners). ... Garciaparra collected his 1,000th hit with the Red Sox Monday in his 746th game. None of the great Red Sox before him did it faster. ... Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon makes his first error in 250 games Aug. 31 -- an AL record for a center fielder -- and it allows the Indians to beat Boston, 8-7. Ain't life funny? ...

Detroit's Jose Lima, 9-16 with a 5.87 ERA since joining the Tigers midway through last season, was somehow dumbfounded when he was bounced from the rotation in favor of rookie Andy Van Hekken. "It isn't the first time I've been slapped in the face. They can take my spot in the rotation, but not my pride." ... All Van Hekken did was become the first Tigers pitcher to throw a complete-game shutout in his big-league debut since Schoolboy Rowe in 1933. ... Going into the weekend, Cubs first baseman Fred McGriff needed two homers to become the first player in history to hit 30 homers in a season for five teams. ... The Calgary Cannons (the Pirates' Class AAA farm team from 1995-97) played the final game in franchise history Monday, a 14-13 win vs. the Edmonton Trappers. The Cannons will resurface in Albuquerque, N.M., in 2003. ... All major-league games Wednesday night (9/11) will pause at 9:11 p.m. for a moment of silence.

Shot and a jeer

Question Bud Selig's intelligence, question his choice in barbers, but do not question his luck. He didn't have to wait even a week this time for The A-mazin's feel-good story to come along and wipe the labor headlines off the nation's sports pages.