I Hit

Quote: "The more I get caught up in long ball the less I hit it." -- Tony Clark of the Tigers, who hit 34 homers last year, after his first homer in 75 at-bats over 23 gamesIt's a fact: Blue Jays outfielder Shawn Green, a left-handed hitter, uses a black Louisville Slugger against left-handed pitchers and a tan Rawlings bat against right-handers. Both are 34 inches long and weigh 32 ounces, but Green says he can tell the difference.Who's hot: The Blue Jays' Tony Fernandez has hit safely in 10 of his past 11 games, going 20 of 42 during that stretch.

DETROIT -- His actions are all there. The wristy, lightning swing that manager Ray Miller says makes him "an electric player." The explosive first step that makes him a base-stealing threat and a reliable presence on defense. Yesterday against the Detroit Tigers, the return of Eric Davis continued.The Orioles caught a ride.Given an increasingly rare start in right field, Davis crushed two home runs worth three RBIs in what concluded as a 6-4 victory and a three-game sweep for the Orioles before 22,915 at Tiger Stadium.

Saying it's just part of baseball, Orioles designated hitter Harold Baines yesterday brushed off any concerns about a slump that had left him with five hits in his past 41 at-bats. Then he went out and got two hits -- including a home run -- to help the Orioles beat the New York Mets, 4-3.The cold spell had followed a seven-game hitting streak, during which Baines batted .364 (8-for-22). His 2-for-5 last night lifted his average to .285 overall and .200 since rejoining the Orioles on July 29 in a trade with the Chicago White Sox for minor-league shortstop Juan Bautista.

CLEVELAND -- Word was relayed to Brady Anderson yesterday that American League manager Joe Torre might need to play a couple of his outfielders for nine innings in tonight's All-Star Game. The response was a slight grin and predictable answer."I hope I can be one of them," Anderson said.It may not go that far, but at least Anderson is able to play, aches and all. He'll bat leadoff in a star-studded lineup that includes Orioles teammates Cal Ripken and Roberto Alomar. It will represent his first action since coming out of the second game of Friday's doubleheader in Detroit with a bruised left calf, the result of being hit twice by pitches.

Manager Davey Johnson is hoping that Eric Davis will be able to return to right field during the three-game series in Cleveland that begins Friday."He's a little bit better," Johnson said before last night's game. "We have an off day [tomorrow] and hopefully we'll get good weather the next couple days and he doesn't stress it out too much."Davis was the designated hitter last night for the eighth straight game as he continued to mend a strained hamstring. And while '' the time away from the outfield may be helping his leg, it's wreaking havoc with his mind.

Babe Ruth, who knew something about hitting home runs, once explained how."I swing as hard as I can," he said. "The harder you grip the bat, the more you can swing it through the ball and the farther the ball will go. I swing big, with everything I got. I hit big or I miss big."If The Babe was right, how did Eddie Murray hit 500 homers?Grip the bat hard? Murray cradles his bat like he would hold a cricket -- don't crush it, got to give it room to breathe.Swing big? Murray flicks his wrists at two-strike breaking balls to foul them off or to drop bloopers over the infield, flicks his wrists as a trout fisherman would cast his fly at a swirling pool.

Ravens coach Ted Marchibroda was all smiles after yesterday's practice, a day after he ripped the team for its casual approach to Wednesday's workout.The Ravens practiced in pads for more than two hours, the workout fast-paced and featuring some hard hitting."Today was a winning practice. They practiced extremely well," Marchibroda said. "This is what we expect when they hit the field."The intense practice may have provoked a fight between safety Bennie Thompson and running back Earnest Hunter.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- At the height of "Boss Madness" two days ago, Wade Boggs met George Steinbrenner for the first time."How are you, sir?" the third baseman asked when the New York Yankees owner broke away from his media entourage for a few seconds. Steinbrenner gave Boggs a quick welcome to life in pinstripes, then returned to the circus surrounding his return to baseball after a 2 1/2 -year absence.In the clubhouse later, Boggs said the commotion over Steinbrenner neither bothered nor surprised him. "It's baseball," he said with a shrug.

SAN DIEGO -- He hefted the trophy with both hands, surprised at its weight but graceful enough not to drop it."This thing is heavy," Ken Griffey Jr. said as photographers clamored for him to turn their way and display his prize for being voted the most valuable player in last night's All-Star Game.No burden seems unbearable for Griffey, who homered, singled and doubled in his three at-bats to lead the AL to its 13-6 victory.Burdened with carrying a marginally talented Seattle team, he is batting .285 with 15 home runs and 15 RBIs for the sixth-place Mariners despite being hampered by a sprained ligament in his right hand that forced him onto the disabled list last month.

HERSHEY, Pa. -- Laura Davies has a special interest in the Lady Keystone Open, this week's LPGA event at Hershey Country Club. She says she'll be able to put her driver back in the bag.Davies, a long-hitting Englishwoman who attracted attention in this country when she won a three-way playoff for the 1987 U.S. Women's Open championship, got off to a mediocre start in her fourth year on tour, but recent events have her in a positive mood.Not only has Hershey CC been one of her favorite courses since winning the 1989 LKO (when she birdied the last three holes)