The Tar Heel Thursday. July 10, 198611
Touching all the bases: Fe vie wing the season so far
By EDDY LAMDRETH
Sports Editor
July 4 marks the birth of our
nation and the traditional midway
point of the major-league season, and
now seems the appropriate time to
assess the action to date.
Once again, last year's winners are
proving success is indeed a difficult
thing with which to live.
The World Champion Kansas City
Royals are the nearest to first place
of any of the previous year's division
winners and they are playing below
500.
Royal pitcher Bret Saberhagen
won the American League Cy Young
award as the league's top pitcher last
year after winning 20 games. This
year, he has four wins and 10 losses,
a much larger contract and a steady
stream of hate mail.
Toronto, last year's American
League East winner, is the only
UNC pitcher drafted by Mets
By RUTH DAVIS
Staff Writer
Bill Robinson III spent the past
four years pitching for the Carolina
baseball team, with the ultimate goal
of being drafted by a major-league
team.
In June, the 6-foot-5-inch 200
pounder was drafted by the New
York Mets as an outfielder.
Why is he playing the outfield
instead of pitching?
"When 1 went to try out, my arm
was hurt, so I tried out as an
outfielder," he explained. "Also, I felt
I could show my ability better in the
outfield than on the mound."
He added, "Since my dad is the
Mets' outfield coach and hitting
instructor, he could help me with my
fielding and hitting."
Robinson admitted that after four
years of only pitching in games,
batting again would be strange.
"I had been taking batting practice
on my own and outfielding on my
own, but it will be weird because I
haven't faced pitching in an organ
ized game since high school," he said.
In high school Robinson pitched
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reigning division champion with a
winning record, yet they are further
out of first place than the Los Angeles
Dodgers, who lie wallowing in last
place in the National League West.
Such are the rewards for being a
member of baseball's toughest
division.
The battered and bruised Dodgers
could still make a comeback, but they
would have to do it from a wheel
chair: all but two of their original
starting fielders are on the disabled
list. Manager Tom Lasorda is fond
of saying he would go to war with
his team they appear as if he did.
The most surprising collapse may
be that of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cardinals arguably had the best
team in baseball for the better part
of last year, regardless of the World
Series loss. This year they have taken
a mental hike. This crowd appears
to have lost all conception of how
and played the outfield.
"I first started playing intensely my
freshman year in high school," he
said. "But my main sport was
basketball, until I hurt my knee. Then
1 concentrated on baseball."
He admitted, "I didnt know about
the Carolina baseball program until
coach Mike Roberts got in touch
with me. Then, on a recruiting trip,
I fell in love with the school."
With his long, lean build, Robin
son could have been easily mistaken
for a Carolina basketball player.
"Once when B.J. Surhoff and I
were playing basketball in Carmi
chael," he said, "the assistant coach
for the J.V. team asked us to play
on the team." Robinson declined the
offer because he thought it would
take too much of his time, and he
wanted to concentrate on baseball.
The weekend before the draft, May
30-June 1, Robinson drove from
Chapel Hill to Shea Stadium in New
York City for his tryout.
"My father is an influential
member in the Mets organization and
he arranged a tryout with the scout
ing director," he said. "It was a
'special-case' tryout. I wasn't drafted
725 HEARTBURN
NICHOLSON & STREEP
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the game is played. It is difficult to
understand how such a team could
totally disintegrate.
So much for past glory and present
misery.
The Boston Red Sox and the New
York Mets continue their methodic
march to October.
The Red Sox still lead the league
in Earned Run Average, which is a
minor miracle playing in Fenway
Park. They added a reknown arm to
their staff with the acquisition of
future-hall-of-famer Tom Seaver.
Red Sox third baseman Wade
Boggs is having what would be a
career season for most players, but
it is just another year at the office
for Boggs.
Met pitcher Dwight Gooden has
been repeatedly questioned as to
what his problem is this year, yet he
has won ten games and lost only
for it. I was invited to try out before
the draft."
For the tryout Robinson had to
run a 60-yard dash, take batting
practice, and face a "live-pitcher,"
which is batting against the pitchers
who are trying out in a game
situation.
He said, "The coaches were
impressed because in the 60-yard
dash I made the best time of anyone
there."
Of the 45 players who tried out
for the team, only two or three were
picked, he said.
On June 28, two days before his
22nd birthday, Robinson went to
Little Falls, N.Y., to play in the New
York-Pennsylvania Baseball League,
which is a minor league.
During the first session of summer
school, Robinson took his last class
for his bachelor's degree in physical
education.
"If baseball doesn't work out," he
said, "111 go into sports medicine as
a trainer. To do that, I would have
to get eight months of practical
experience to go along with my
degree."
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three, with an ERA of 2.58. Most
pitchers in baseball wish they had
such problems.
The surprising Texas Rangers are
still leading the American League
West. It appears these guys are for
real. They have had a lot of injuries,
yet they keep on winning. The second
half of the season will tell the story
for the Rangers; just a couple of years
ago, they found themselves in this
position and proceeded to wilt in the
late summer sun.
, The National League West is
conducting a summer-long celebra
tion of mediocrity. There is an old
baseball cliche that says the team
leading the division on July 4 will
be the eventual champion. In this
division all bets are off.
The San Franciso Giants and the
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Houston Astros have taken turns in
the number one spot all year, but only
eight games separate first and last
place. Even the last place Dodgers
could make a run for the crown.
The team to watch just may be
"America's Team," the Atlanta
Braves. But, for the Braves to win
they are going to have to score runs
by the truckload or learn to pitch.
Manager Chuck Tanner has done an
excellent job keeping the Braves in
the hunt, in spite of their pitching
and an off year by Dale Murphy.
The Braves traded for Doyle
Alexander and Jim Acker from the
Toronto Blue Jays in two separate
trades in the last week. Maybe this
will solve their great pitching
dilemma; maybe not, remember Len
Barker? '
Stay tuned for the second half . . .
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