Fernando Valenzuela

PHILADELPHIA -- By all rights, this should be strictly about Fernando Valenzuela, the brilliant left-hander the Los Angeles Dodgers reluctantly released three years and four months ago.Pitching against his old team for the second time in two weeks, Valenzuela was positively brilliant yesterday at the Vet. He mixed in his rediscovered screwball with a variety of other pitches and had the Dodgers blanked on four singles going into the ninth."

SAN FRANCISCO - From the slums of Caracas, Francisco Rodriguez will tell you he comes from a dangerous place. Drugs and guns and the criminals who ruled the mean streets of his birthplace often sent Rodriguez running for cover. So how could facing Barry Bonds in a baseball game - even ones as big as these in the 98th World Series - necessarily scare him? The young man and father of two little girls has already proved fearless, making it to baseball's promised land from such a gritty beginning.

Economists can't distinguish between a late winter and a recession relapse, so why expect that Bill can?Federal sleuths say that what looked like a drug cartel execution on the Baltimore waterfront was really a drug cartel execution on the Baltimore waterfront.Fernando Valenzuela is OK. The team he's with is bad luck.Cheer up. "Knot's Landing" is over.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- They held a news conference for Hideo Nomo before the All-Star Game workout yesterday. It was less than illuminating.Why did you come to the United States after experiencing such success in Japan?"

BASEBALL (AL) * California Angels -- Released Fernando Valenzuela (pitcher) from his minor-league contract with Edmonton of the Pacific Coast League.* Cleveland Indians -- Placed Chris James (outfielder) on the 60-day disabled list. Purchased the contract of Wayne Kirby (outfielder) from Colorado Springs of the Pacific Coast League.

Fernando Valenzuela, waived last Friday by the California Angels, has agreed to a minor-league contract with California. Valenzuela's agent, Tony DeMarco, his attorney, Dick Moss, and Angels senior vice president Dan O'Brien came to terms Wednesday on a deal that will send the left-hander to the minors for at least 30 days.DeMarco said Valenzuela's first pitching assignment will be tonight for Midland of the Class AA Texas League. The left-hander is expected to pitch several games before reporting to Class AAA Edmonton in the Pacific Coast League.

BaseballBaltimore Orioles -- Placed C Ernie Whitt (.242, 0 HRs, 3 RBI) on waivers for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release. Purchased the contract of OF Chito Martinez (.322, 20 HRs, 50 RBI at Class AAA Rochester). Placed 3B Craig Worthington (right hamstring) on the minor-league DL. Signed IF Mark McLemore (.148, 2 RBI in 21 games for Houston Astros before being released June 25) to a Class AAA contract.California Angels -- Placed P Fernando Valenzuela (0-2, 12.15 ERA) on waivers for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release.

Fernando Valenzuela, signed last week by the Philadelphia Phillies, has agreed (reluctantly, according to one source) to participate in a hastily arranged pre-game ceremony tonight at Dodger Stadium.Valenzuela, 141-116 as a Dodger from 1980 to 1990, never was honored after being released by Los Angeles in the spring of 1991.Bitterness over the parting, which included a grievance filed against the club and later dropped, was believed to be the reason Valenzuela was not acknowledged in the same manner as other former Dodgers.

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- As the news conference announcing the signing of Fernando Valenzuela was under way upstairs last evening, California Angels pitcher Scott Lewis sat in the Anaheim Stadium clubhouse and pondered his future.Neither Angels manager Doug Rader nor pitching coach Marcel Lachemann had told him how the acquisition would affect Lewis, the fifth starter in the rotation, but the rookie righthander did not need an explanation."They don't have to tell me anything," said Lewis, who is 1-4 with a 6.21 earned run average.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Apparently at an impasse with Fernando Valenzuela over the time he needed to pitch himself back into shape, the California Angels placed him on waivers yesterday for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release.However, they did invite him to pitch for the Class AAA Edmonton Trappers if he clears waivers and doesn't sign with another club.Valenzuela was placed on the disabled list June 13 after a heart abnormality was detected in two tests. The condition was later diagnosed as "crimping" in an artery leading to his heart, and medication was prescribed to alleviate the problem.

It had to be the most exciting 20 minutes of baseball in the San Francisco Bay area in several years. Two sites. Two of baseball's biggest stars. Two heart-stopping comebacks.The Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants don't usually play at home at the same time, but they each opened a home series Friday night in dramatic fashion. Barry Bonds hit a sudden-death three-run homer to carry the Giants to a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres. Twenty minutes later and a few miles across the bay, Oakland first baseman Mark McGwire hit a game-ending grand slam off former Orioles closer Lee Smith to carry the A's to an 8-5 victory over the California Angels.

PHILADELPHIA -- By all rights, this should be strictly about Fernando Valenzuela, the brilliant left-hander the Los Angeles Dodgers reluctantly released three years and four months ago.Pitching against his old team for the second time in two weeks, Valenzuela was positively brilliant yesterday at the Vet. He mixed in his rediscovered screwball with a variety of other pitches and had the Dodgers blanked on four singles going into the ninth."

Fernando Valenzuela, signed last week by the Philadelphia Phillies, has agreed (reluctantly, according to one source) to participate in a hastily arranged pre-game ceremony tonight at Dodger Stadium.Valenzuela, 141-116 as a Dodger from 1980 to 1990, never was honored after being released by Los Angeles in the spring of 1991.Bitterness over the parting, which included a grievance filed against the club and later dropped, was believed to be the reason Valenzuela was not acknowledged in the same manner as other former Dodgers.

PHILADELPHIA -- Fernando Valenzuela arrived at Veterans Stadium yesterday, an Orioles equipment bag over his shoulder and his major-league career back under way.The Philadelphia Phillies needed a starting pitcher, just as the Orioles did in the spring of 1993, and they found one pitching effectively in Mexico, just as the Orioles did. The only question is whether they will get the Fernando Valenzuela who was American League Pitcher of the Month last July...

The deadline for major-league clubs to offer salary arbitration to their free agents looms today, but it probably will not have a significant effect on the fortunes of the Orioles.The club has only one player who is affected by the deadline -- veteran pitcher Fernando Valenzuela -- and it doesn't appear he will be offered the chance to go to arbitration.The Orioles already declined to offer arbitration to pitcher Rick Sutcliffe, outfielder Lonnie Smith and second baseman Harold Reynolds, and signed free agents Tim Hulett and Harold Baines last week.

CLEVELAND -- The Orioles embarked on this nine-game road trip with all the leading indicators pointing to a down-to-the-wire finish in American League East, but the prospects for a division title have diminished at every stop.The situation is now bordering on hopeless after a 6-4 loss in the opener of a three-game series against the Indians at Cleveland Stadium. The Orioles are 5 1/2 games out of first place with 12 games to play, and the '64 Phillies are not in their division.This was a series the Orioles had to sweep, but the Indians rallied from a three-run deficit with a middle-inning rush and sent the Orioles to their fifth loss in seven games on the trip.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- He seemed like a prohibitive long shot when he arrived at Twin Lakes Park a month ago. But Fernando Valenzuela's dream of returning to the major leagues is about to become a reality.The Orioles have not officially announced that he has made the 25-man major-league roster, but the roster cuts that were made yesterday left no doubt that Valenzuela will open the season as the club's fifth starter."Right now, we are down to nine pitchers, and we're looking for one more," said manager Johnny Oates.

Oakland Athletics shortstop Walt Weiss ruptured ligaments in his left ankle while running to first base in yesterday's game with the Milwaukee Brewers and underwent surgery to repair the damage.Athletics doctor Allan Pont said Weiss did not suffer any compound fractures. He did not speculate on how long Weiss will be out of action.Weiss was injured in the third inning and removed from the field by stretcher. He appeared to catch his left spike in the dirt about six feet from first base. He flipped face-forward as he slid across the bag and lay on his stomach as A's trainer Barry Weinberg and manager Tony La Russa rushed to his aid.Meanwhile, Athletics pitcher Joe Klink, who broke his right foot when hit by Dante Bichette's line drive Wednesday night, is expected to miss at least six weeks.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Orioles may very well have left the American League's Eastern Division race here last night.If so, they did it with a bang. Make that five bangs.Led by Juan Gonzalez, the Rangers' homer-happy left fielder who hit three out of the park, Texas blasted five home runs and handed the Orioles a humiliating 11-1 defeat before a delighted audience of 37,008.Fernando Valenzuela (6-9), winless in his past seven starts, was charged with the loss, but it was reliever Kevin McGehee who took the brunt of the Rangers' long-ball attack.

It has reached the point where the only surprise about Fernando Valenzuela comes when he allows the opposition to score.That happened in the second inning yesterday, when the Twins ended a streak of 24 2/3 scoreless innings by the veteran left-hander. But after that it was back to a string of zeros.Valenzuela limited the Twins to six hits, only two after the second inning, as the Orioles cruised to a 7-2 victory that kept them within a half-game of the lead in the American League East. The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees, tied for first, both won.It was the third complete game of the year for Valenzuela (5-7)