Gant

California Angels closer Lee Smith has been doing it in California and now Ron Gant is doing it in Cincinnati.Doing what? Making the Orioles front office look bad. That's what.Gant, who was coveted by Orioles owner Peter Angelos last year but ended up signing with the Cincinnati Reds while he was recovering from a badly broken leg, has six home runs -- including one yesterday against the Braves -- and 17 RBIs, numbers that would lead the Orioles in both departments.Of course, Gant isn't the only one in Cincinnati who has enjoyed a change of fortune.

DOVER, Del. -- The battle between Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt for the Winston Cup championship will be the big story at today's SplitFire Spark Plug 500.Wallace, who trails Earnhardt by 232 points, needs to start gaining ground if he intends to catch the six-time champion and prevent him from tying Richard Petty's record of seven Winston Cup titles.Wallace is seeking his second title. He appears to be starting the race with an advantage. Wallace is in the 10th position, and Earnhardt is near the bottom at 37th.

When the Cincinnati Reds signed injured outfielder Ron Gant, Orioles owner Peter Angelos left the distinct impression that he was upset with the "baseball people" in his front office.Apparently, he has since come to grips with the fact that baseball isn't always played on a level field. Just as the foul lines are often tilted toward fair territory, the action away from the action is sometimes unbalanced.Angelos has admitted to some frustration over not being able to sign Gant, whose career remains in jeopardy after a winter dirt-bike accident.

Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston stopped short of saying all is forgiven, but he said yesterday that last year's feud with Orioles right-hander Mike Mussina would have no bearing on the selection of pitchers for this year's American League All-Star team."

The minor leagues are full of players clamoring to get to the major leagues. The Orioles have a major-league player clamoring to get to the minors.The Chris Sabo saga grows stranger by the minute.Sabo, benched in favor of Leo Gomez, said yesterday that he requested a week ago that the Orioles send him to the minor leagues, where he could play on a daily basis."It would be a good test to see if I can play anymore," Sabo said. "Playing two weeks straight would be a good test for my back. Obviously, the way Leo is playing, I'm not going to play every day here."

If the Orioles are serious about pursuing free agent outfielder Ron Gant and San Diego right-hander Andy Benes, there's a word of advice that should be heeded.Caution.Whether or not the Orioles can get either or both players depends on two things: How deep does owner Peter Angelos want to go into his already lightened wallet and how deep into the minor-league system can the organization go hocking the future?But the biggest question of all is how much of a dividend, even on a short-term investment, could the Orioles expect?

Ever wonder what Christmas is like in the Angelos household?"So you've got three cars," Peter Piper might say. "Here's a fourth!"Take the Orioles.They've got three starting outfielders.And now Angelos is proposing a fourth.Ron Gant is coming off a broken right leg. He probably would cost $3 million for half a season. And he likely would force the benching of Mike Devereaux -- the Orioles' $3.375 million center fielder -- against right-handed pitching.Angelos wants him anyway.The Orioles are 21-10 for the first time since 1970, and Angelos wants him. Jeffrey Hammonds likely will be sidelined for only seven to 10 days, and Angelos wants him. Camden Yards will be packed regardless, and Angelos wants him.What an owner.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Orioles general manager Roland Hemond expressed interest in Ron Gant to Eric Goldschmidt, the injured outfielder's agent, but Hemond said he does not expect to speak again with Goldschmidt for several weeks.Gant, released in spring training by the Atlanta Braves, suffered a fractured right leg in a February motocross accident two days after he signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract. By releasing Gant, the Braves were responsible for $945,000 of the contract."We just made contact to let them know we are interested in being kept posted on his progress," Hemond said.

ATLANTA -- You keep waiting for them to walk out of the steak fry. The Miami Hurricanes did, and the Dallas Cowboys would, too. They don't care about their opponent. They don't care about their image. They just want to show off their brilliance, then celebrate in your face.Is this the '87 Fiesta Bowl or the '94 Super Bowl? The coach is Jimmy Johnson. The mind-set is identical. The players are the fastest and best, flashiest and loudest. Six of the 53 Cowboys went to Miami. The rest deserve honorary degrees, not that they'd be interested.

PITTSBURGH -- No administrative official is talking about Paul Evans' contract status at the University of Pittsburgh, and Evans said last night, "the only thing I can do is keep on going and see what happens."The former Navy coach is in the final year of a multi-year pact at Pitt, where he has compiled a 140-86 record since leaving Annapolis after the 1985-86 season.A spokesman for Pitt athletic director Oval Jaynes said Jaynes "is not discussing that situation with anybody publicly."Evans said there have not been any talks with him either and "I'm not sure what we're doing."