First Basemen

EDDIE MURRAY has come home to the Baltimore Orioles. From the rapturous applause he received on July 22 when he came to bat in an Orioles uniform for the first time since 1988, Baltimore fans seem to love having him back. And Murray was even seen to smile as he tipped his hat following his 492nd home run in the sixth inning. Two nights later, he hit 493, tying Lou Gehrig for 15th on the all-time homer list, and another homer on Thursday put him in front of Gehrig.Murray's return to the team for which he performed so marvelously for 12 years provides a good time to take an in-depth look at his remarkable career.

Two more free agent first basemen dropped off the board Wednesday when Paul Konerko , as expected, re-upped with the Chicago White Sox for three years and $37.5 million and former Tampa Bay Ray Carlos Pena signed a one-year $10 million deal with the Chicago Cubs. Konerko and Pena were reportedly high on the Orioles' wish list to fill their void at first, but Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said he never made either one a contract offer, despite reports to the contrary.

BATTING LINE OF THE DAY Larry Walker, Cardinals DH AB R H RBI HR 4 2 3 4 2 PITCHING LINE OF THE DAY Chris Carpenter, Cardinals IP H R BB SO 9 1 0 1 10 WHO'S HOT Travis Lee of the Devil Rays has gone 168 straight games without an error, 10 shy of the AL record for first basemen. WHO'S NOT Rockies pitchers lead the National League in walks, wild pitches and hit batters.

The Orioles committed an error yesterday before they took the field for warm-ups. The lineup card posted outside the coaches office listed Jay Payton and Scott Moore at first base, with no right fielder. Payton was supposed to have the number 9 beside his name instead of a 3. He hasn't played first since his Triple-A days, when he spent half a season there while recovering from his second "Tommy John" surgery. Payton had a little fun with the miscue, asking utility man Mike Costanzo if he had an extra first baseman's mitt.

Dear Mr. Baseball:Why are there no left-handed infielders besides first basemen in major-league baseball?Charles GlazerCockeysvilleDear Charles Glazer:Many thanks for raising this intriguing question, which I have mulled over many times, most recently during a dinner with Mr. Baseball confidants Fritz Connally and Benny Ayala. This was a very pleasant meal, except for a minor embarrassment when one of my companions bobbled the check, enabling all diners to move up one table.The answer to your question is simple: Lefties make rotten infielders.

The Orioles committed an error yesterday before they took the field for warm-ups. The lineup card posted outside the coaches office listed Jay Payton and Scott Moore at first base, with no right fielder. Payton was supposed to have the number 9 beside his name instead of a 3. He hasn't played first since his Triple-A days, when he spent half a season there while recovering from his second "Tommy John" surgery. Payton had a little fun with the miscue, asking utility man Mike Costanzo if he had an extra first baseman's mitt.

American League First basemen 1, Mark McGwire, Oakland, 912,052. 2, Cecil Fielder, Detroit, 3, Wally Joyner, California, 650,100. 4, Don Mattingly, New York, 568,457. 5, George Brett, Kansas City, 522,955.Second basemen 1, Roberto Alomar, Toronto, 1,661,039. 2, Julio Franco, Texas, 3, Steve Sax, New York, 683,563. 4, Mike Gallego, Oakland, 530,087. 5, Billy Ripken, Baltimore, 407,066.Third basemen 1, Wade Boggs, Boston, 1,651,716. 2, Kelly Gruber, Toronto, 3, Edgar Martinez, Seattle, 562,914.

What if nobody wants Glenn Davis?Crazy as it sounds, that's the Orioles' dream scenario. First Davis fails to receive a significant offer on the open market. Then he re-signs for one year to retain his free agency.The strategy worked last winter with Mickey Tettleton, a player the Orioles stared down in negotiations, only to lose the upper hand by making a poor trade for Detroit pitcher Jeff Robinson.It might not work with Davis.Not that this is a lost cause. There is every indication the Orioles are preparing a serious offer to Davis, perhaps even beyond one year.

In about four weeks, we'll be drafting. So it's time to jump into the nitty-gritty of analyzing the talent at each position. I don't have space to do top 10 or 20 rankings for each, so during the next few weeks, I'll list guys I particularly like and don't like at each spot. Let's hit it. Catchers The pool of hitting talent will never be deep at this most demanding of positions, but it's not at an ebb either. Russell Martin is a rare five-category talent, and fellow twenty-somethings Joe Mauer, Brian McCann and Victor Martinez are all good enough hitters to help at any spot.

FINAL AL VOTINGFirst basemen1, Frank Thomas, Chicago, 895,576. 2, Eddie Murray, Cleveland, 729,027. 3, Will Clark, Texas, 505,103. 4, Rafael Palmeiro, Orioles, 355,791. 5, Mo Vaughn, Boston, 350,918. 6, Cecil Fielder, Detroit, 332,550. 7, Mark McGwire, Oakland, 316,076. 8, Don Mattingly, New York, 315,527. 9, Dave McCarty, Minnesota, 290,361. 10, J.T. Snow, California, 285,128.Second basemen1, Carlos Baerga, Cleveland, 1,152,652. 2, Roberto Alomar, Toronto, 1,003,550. 3, Chuck Knoblauch, Minnesota, 583,195.

In about four weeks, we'll be drafting. So it's time to jump into the nitty-gritty of analyzing the talent at each position. I don't have space to do top 10 or 20 rankings for each, so during the next few weeks, I'll list guys I particularly like and don't like at each spot. Let's hit it. Catchers The pool of hitting talent will never be deep at this most demanding of positions, but it's not at an ebb either. Russell Martin is a rare five-category talent, and fellow twenty-somethings Joe Mauer, Brian McCann and Victor Martinez are all good enough hitters to help at any spot.

BATTING LINE OF THE DAY Larry Walker, Cardinals DH AB R H RBI HR 4 2 3 4 2 PITCHING LINE OF THE DAY Chris Carpenter, Cardinals IP H R BB SO 9 1 0 1 10 WHO'S HOT Travis Lee of the Devil Rays has gone 168 straight games without an error, 10 shy of the AL record for first basemen. WHO'S NOT Rockies pitchers lead the National League in walks, wild pitches and hit batters.

Late Orioles game: Last night's game between the Orioles and Mariners in Seattle ended too late to be included in this edition. A complete report can be found in later editions or on the Internet at http://www.sunspot.net. SEATTLE -- Orioles first baseman Jeff Conine has been through this countless times before, with trade talk swirling around him, making him wonder where he's going to finish the season. At least this time, the talk involves the Florida Marlins, the team that plays a short drive from his family's offseason home in Weston, Fla. Conine is still known as "Mr. Marlin" in those parts after being named the 1995 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player.

DALLAS - Mark Grace wanted to retire a Chicago Cub. He even had Wrigley Field ivy painted on his motorcycle. It's rare for any player to remain in one organization, however, and Grace didn't prove to be an exception. He also didn't seem to mind. Grace signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks yesterday, ending his tenure with the Cubs after 13 seasons. The deal includes a mutual option for $3 million. "It's going to be excitement," Grace said about the first time he slips on a Diamondbacks uniform.

He was "Hammerin' Hank," a 6-foot, 4-inch New Yorker who ran with all the grace of a train wreck and, on a swinging strike, looked about as bad as a ballplayer could look. But when he connected -- which was often -- the ball jumped off his bat with the force of a howitzer, often not stopping until it had cleared the outfield fence. Hank Greenberg was one heckuva ballplayer, a two-time American League MVP who led the Detroit Tigers to two World Series titles in the 1930s and 1940s. For several years, he and the Yankees' Lou Gehrig were the game's dominant first basemen -- and not everyone agreed who was better.

The Cincinnati Reds went down so hard in their three-game, season-opening series against the San Francisco Giants that it may not be too soon to start thinking about what they're going to do with big-money veterans Greg Vaughn and Denny Neagle if they're out of the playoff picture at midseason.OK, it's way too soon, but somebody recently asked Reds general manager Jim Bowden about it, anyway."We'll deal with that at that time," Bowden said. "Right now, after what I've watched this spring, I think if our pitching staff and our team stay healthy, we have the capability of contending in our division.

DALLAS - Mark Grace wanted to retire a Chicago Cub. He even had Wrigley Field ivy painted on his motorcycle. It's rare for any player to remain in one organization, however, and Grace didn't prove to be an exception. He also didn't seem to mind. Grace signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks yesterday, ending his tenure with the Cubs after 13 seasons. The deal includes a mutual option for $3 million. "It's going to be excitement," Grace said about the first time he slips on a Diamondbacks uniform.

This is almost too much: The first two visiting first basemen in the new downtown ballpark could be former Orioles Eddie Murray and Jim Traber.Murray will return with the New York Mets for the exhibition walk-through on April 3. Traber could return with Cleveland for the official opener three days later."

Timing is everything. The great hitters have it. How else to send a 98-mph fastball into the stratosphere? The great performers depend on it. That's why they always seem to step into the spotlight.Rafael Palmeiro wants this to be his time.The Orioles head for Seattle tonight to prepare for the opening of the Division Series against the American League West champion Seattle Mariners. They could not have hoped to get there without the big-swinging first baseman who has led the club in RBIs the past four seasons, but Palmeiro never has gotten the national recognition that some of his contemporaries take for granted.

EDDIE MURRAY has come home to the Baltimore Orioles. From the rapturous applause he received on July 22 when he came to bat in an Orioles uniform for the first time since 1988, Baltimore fans seem to love having him back. And Murray was even seen to smile as he tipped his hat following his 492nd home run in the sixth inning. Two nights later, he hit 493, tying Lou Gehrig for 15th on the all-time homer list, and another homer on Thursday put him in front of Gehrig.Murray's return to the team for which he performed so marvelously for 12 years provides a good time to take an in-depth look at his remarkable career.