Base

CHICAGO - It's officially called the Department of Defense, but to many politicians, the label misstates its function. Judging from their reaction to proposed base closures, they'd like to rename it the Department of Jobs, Pork, Community Uplift and Incumbent Protection. That way, no one would get distracted by the petty business of protecting America. Recently, the Pentagon released a list of proposed realignments in U.S. military facilities. The plan calls for shutting 33 major installations and shrinking 29 others, which would streamline operations and save nearly $50 billion over 20 years.

NEW YORK - The Orioles suddenly find themselves with a logjam at second base after they reactivated Robert Andino from the disabled list on Tuesday. Andino, the starter for most of the season, now will compete with Omar Quintanilla for time at the position. And that leaves Ryan Flaherty in limbo. Quintanilla, who got the start at second base Tuesday, has been red hot since joining the club in Andino's absence. In his first 10 games with the Orioles, he batted .429, and he delivered a two-run single with two outs in Tuesday's second inning.

LAS VEGAS -- Microsoft Corp. introduced its long-awaited Access data base management program here last week, filling one of the last major gaps in the software giant's product line.In a bold attempt to pre-empt its probable main rival (the Windows version of Borland International Inc.'s popular Paradox program, not expected until early next year), Microsoft will sell Access for $99 until Jan. 31, 1993, when the list price of $695 will take effect.As a relative newcomer to the data base arena, Microsoft is essentially giving away Access in order to gain a share of the market now in the possession of Borland's Paradox and other more expensive data base programs, like Oracle.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- If the Orioles are going to make a run at the American League East title, they are going to have to go back to school on the base paths.That is the gospel according to manager John Oates, who lured former teammate and two-time National League base-stealing champion Davey Lopes to the Orioles to give the club a refresher course on base running."That's one of the three areas that are going to receive the most attention this spring," said Oates, who will turn the team over to Lopes for a lengthy lecture on the subject today.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- If the Orioles are going to make a run at the American League East title, they are going to have to go back to school on the base paths.That is the gospel according to manager John Oates, who lured former teammate and two-time National League base-stealing champion Davey Lopes to the Orioles to give the club a refresher course on base running."That's one of the three areas that are going to receive the most attention this spring," said Oates, who will turn the team over to Lopes for a lengthy lecture on the subject today.

WASHINGTON -- President Clinton, everyone is being told, is now considering a "compromise" in the controversy over the closing of a large military base in California. What is really happening, of course, is that the president is playing the crudest kind of politics with a process that was intended to avoid just that.The Base Realignment and Closure Commission was established by Congress to provide a system for reducing the size of the military in the post-Cold War era in a way that would insulate senators and congressmen from political blame for losses in jobs in their districts.

An enormous explosion lighted up the sky and set off a fire at a naval munitions base in Charles County, causing damage but no injuries, authorities said.The incident occurred about 10:25 p.m. in one of 1,600 buildings at the Indian Head Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center -- many of which are used for the storage of explosive materials, said Chris Adams, a spokeswoman for the base.Details were sketchy about the size of the explosion and how it was caused, she said."It appears to be limited to one storage facility.

MARINA, Calif. -- Here on the front line of the struggle to cut U.S. military spending, Chuck Williams' hardware store is losing a war of attrition.Sales are down. His payroll is less than half of what it used to be. And as he stands by a silent cash register, the moan of a train whistle two blocks away tells him that more customers from nearby Fort Ord are headed north, gone for good.That's because Fort Ord is closing, and this week the Army began an exodus that will eventually result in the departure of more than 31,000 soldiers and family members.

YEARS AGO, MY husband was coaching his first T-ball game when one of his 5-year-old players whacked the ball off the tee and started to run. To third base. The coach was as startled as the parents at this sports blooper, until he realized what had happened. "I guess I should have told them which base was first base," he said. "I guess you aren't born knowing that kind of stuff." Never has there been a more apt anecdote to introduce this discussion about sex, since baseball has long been its working analogy: We talk of "getting to first base, second base or third base" and "scoring."

It was 10 years ago that Johnny Oates nailed Rickey Henderson for the last time, but the Orioles' first base coach and former catcher remembers it as if it were yesterday.In his final major-league season, Oates, then with the Yankees, threw out Henderson not once but twice. The first came with Tommy John on the mound at Yankee Stadium. The second was the second game of a doubleheader in Oakland when Henderson tried to steal third."He argued," Oates said, smiling. "It was close. A catcher gets that guy twice in one season and it feels pretty good.