Daulton

BRYN MAWR, Pa. -- Darren Daulton left a hospital yesterday,two days after a car accident injured the Philadelphia Phillies catcher and teammate Lenny Dykstra.Daulton, his left eye bruised but unbandaged, left Bryn Mawr Hospital at midday wearing green hospital garb and accompanied by his wife, Lynne. Daulton, 29, thanked people for their prayers and support and got into his car, buckling the seat belt, with his wife at the steering wheel.Daulton's left cornea was scratched, and he fractured his left eye socket in the accident early Monday.

I have spent my entire professional life in sports journalism, and I couldn't be prouder of that profession than I was when ESPN's SportsCenter beat HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel to a story that transcends the mere mortal aspects of sports coverage. And when I say that the Darren Daulton interviews on the two programs - first on ESPN on Sunday night and then on HBO on Tuesday night - were transcendental, I'm not exaggerating. Daulton, you might recall, was a pretty good player for the Philadelphia Phillies until his career was cut short by injuries and his life temporarily spun out of control.

The Orioles need a left-handed hitter. Darren Daulton is a left-handed hitter. And the Philadelphia Phillies finally are ready to pick up a sizable chunk of his $5 million salary to trade him.Philadelphia general manager Lee Thomas called the Orioles' Pat Gillick with that news yesterday, adding that he is now prepared to shop Daulton to other clubs if the Orioles aren't interested.Well, the Orioles are interested, have been since spring training. They've simply been waiting the Phillies out, believing that owner Bill Giles would relent and make the trade more financially enticing.

Cardinals: St. Louis has been successful on 15 straight stolen base attempts.Padres: San Diego hasn't won a season series against the Astros since 1992, when it had an 11-7 edge. Tony Gwynn, in an 11-for-60 slide, didn't start for the second time in five games.Phillies: Darren Daulton received the Major League Baseball Players Association 1997 NL Comeback Player award before the game.Pub Date: 7/27/98

The agent for Orioles free-agent catcher Mickey Tettleton wa unavailable to comment yesterday on the three-year, $6.75 million contract signed by Philadelphia catcher Darren Daulton.Too bad.No doubt Tony Attanasio would have had some interestinthings to say about the value of his client as compared to Daulton, a .206 lifetime hitter before last season.Orioles president Larry Lucchino could barely restrain his angeover the Daulton signing, which almost certainly will have an impact on the club's negotiations with Tettleton.

PHILADELPHIA -- If yesterday's car crash involving Len Dykstra and Darren Daulton proves to be the result of drunken driving, the Philadelphia Phillies might not be obliged to pay their two injured players.Whether the club tries to cut off their salaries is another matter.Major-league player contracts vary widely, but almost all include a list of prohibited activities. Driving under the influence of alcohol is a standard no-no, along with hobbies such as sky diving and bobsledding.A player who participates in a barred activity faces a tremendous risk: If he is injured, the team is not required to pay his salary while he recovers.

PHILADELPHIA -- Wearing a Stormin' Norman T-shirt and a week's growth of beard, Philadelphia Phillies catcher Darren Daulton was back at Veterans Stadium yesterday, working out lightly for the first time since last week's car wreck.He took batting practice beneath the stands, threw easily to Tug McGraw from about 90 feet, and spoke for the first time about the early morning events of May 6, when he and Len Dykstra were injured after Dykstra's new red Mercedes skidded into two trees in suburban Radnor Township.

Finally, Darren Daulton had arrived at Camden Yards. He was in the starting lineup as the designated hitter last night, batting third and taking aim at the warehouse.But he still was wearing the uniform of the Philadelphia Phillies.Daulton has heard the trade rumors since spring training, but the Orioles' acquisition of Geronimo Berroa from Oakland assured that Daulton would remain with the Phillies -- at least for now. The Orioles still are in the market for another hitter, and Daulton remains a possibility.

PHILADELPHIA -- On a May evening at Veterans Stadium, Bobby Bonilla, the runner at second for the New York Mets, paces off his lead in short, calculated steps. Tommy Greene, the pitcher for the Phillies, peers in at catcher Darren Daulton for his signal and nods. The batter is Howard Johnson. Greene checks Bonilla at second -- once, then again -- and then stares in at his target.Johnson cocks his bat.Here comes the pitch . . .HoJo drives it to right field. When Bonilla sees the ball drop in safely, he breaks for third.

Cardinals: St. Louis has been successful on 15 straight stolen base attempts.Padres: San Diego hasn't won a season series against the Astros since 1992, when it had an 11-7 edge. Tony Gwynn, in an 11-for-60 slide, didn't start for the second time in five games.Phillies: Darren Daulton received the Major League Baseball Players Association 1997 NL Comeback Player award before the game.Pub Date: 7/27/98

Finally, Darren Daulton had arrived at Camden Yards. He was in the starting lineup as the designated hitter last night, batting third and taking aim at the warehouse.But he still was wearing the uniform of the Philadelphia Phillies.Daulton has heard the trade rumors since spring training, but the Orioles' acquisition of Geronimo Berroa from Oakland assured that Daulton would remain with the Phillies -- at least for now. The Orioles still are in the market for another hitter, and Daulton remains a possibility.

TORONTO -- Proclaiming that real progress had been made over the weekend, Orioles general manager Pat Gillick said yesterday that a deal that would bolster the Orioles' depleted lineup with a significant hitter may be only days away.Gillick stopped short of naming a favorite, but he confirmed that San Diego Padres left fielder Rickey Henderson is "in the mix" along with Oakland Athletics hard-handed right fielder Geronimo Berroa and Montreal Expos first baseman David Segui.Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Darren Daulton remains a candidate, but because of financial complications he appears to be a second-tier possibility.

ATLANTA -- After spending most of the past week looking at alternatives, the Orioles have stepped up their search for a replacement for outfielder Eric Davis and appear to be leaning more toward a designated hitter.General manager Pat Gillick said before yesterday's game against Atlanta that he has approached a number of teams about a trade possibility but that many teams are reluctant to discuss major deals while still seeing themselves as playoff contenders.The Oakland Athletics and Philadelphia Phillies have no such thoughts, however, and Gillick and assistant GM Kevin Malone have focused attention on A's right fielder Geronimo Berroa and Phillies outfielder Darren Daulton.

By listening to manager Davey Johnson yesterday, it's obvious the Orioles have more than just a passing interest in Philadelphia slugger Darren Daulton, whom the Phillies are looking to trade. Johnson spoke at length of the benefits of having the left-handed hitter in the lineup or on the bench, bad knees and all."If you look at the mashing clubs in this league, the power potential of Seattle, Cleveland, Boston, New York, those guys can maul you," he said. "They've usually got a mauler sitting on the bench and they can dictate matchups late.

The Orioles need a left-handed hitter. Darren Daulton is a left-handed hitter. And the Philadelphia Phillies finally are ready to pick up a sizable chunk of his $5 million salary to trade him.Philadelphia general manager Lee Thomas called the Orioles' Pat Gillick with that news yesterday, adding that he is now prepared to shop Daulton to other clubs if the Orioles aren't interested.Well, the Orioles are interested, have been since spring training. They've simply been waiting the Phillies out, believing that owner Bill Giles would relent and make the trade more financially enticing.

Has Lenny Dykstra played his last big-league game?Dykstra, whose trade to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1989 came to symbolize the mismanagement of the post-'86 New York Mets, announced Thursday that he will have season-ending back surgery to correct a condition called spinal stenosis.And then what? At 33, Lenny's no kid anymore. The back surgery, which will entail a shaving of the spinal column, is said to require 12-16 months recovery time. That could wipe out the '97 season.And while Dykstra said, "I'm definitely not thinking about retirement," he made it clear this is no simple surgery.

If you haven't already, it's time to start thinking seriously about a going-away gift for Mickey Tettleton. It looks as if the Mick and Toucan Sam are about to leave the nest.The price of doing business has gone up, and you know how the fiscally responsible Orioles are about rising prices, especially when they're the ones paying them.If the Orioles intended to re-sign Tettleton, their catcher-turned-free agent, they probably would have already completed the deal because -- and this is a dead giveaway -- signing him now would almost certainly cost them more than it would have yesterday.

Has Lenny Dykstra played his last big-league game?Dykstra, whose trade to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1989 came to symbolize the mismanagement of the post-'86 New York Mets, announced Thursday that he will have season-ending back surgery to correct a condition called spinal stenosis.And then what? At 33, Lenny's no kid anymore. The back surgery, which will entail a shaving of the spinal column, is said to require 12-16 months recovery time. That could wipe out the '97 season.And while Dykstra said, "I'm definitely not thinking about retirement," he made it clear this is no simple surgery.

PHILADELPHIA -- They've had to do without their leadoff batter, their third baseman, their first baseman, their shortstop, their opening-day starter, their No. 1 setup man and a guy who once pitched a no-hitter.But the Phillies can't survive this. Can they?How can they get along without Darren Daulton -- iron man, cleanup hitter, zookeeper?This is a man who is more than just an all-star catcher and run-production machine. He is the Phillies' Lion King. He doesn't just lead. He rules."Losing all those other guys -- that was like having tornado warnings," Larry Andersen said Wednesday.

PHILADELPHIA -- Aw, no fair. Pitchers duel, boo. What fun is that?Routine outs, good defense, double plays, even. Not to mention dry weather and games ending before midnight.World Series baseball the way it was meant to be played instead of the Bad News Bears meet Abbott and Costello. How anticlimactic. Boring. How dull.Unless you are a Phillies fan, that is. Unless you were standing in front of your seat in the ninth inning last night when Curt Schilling was blowing away the heart of Toronto's batting order.