Jack Morris

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Nolan Ryan won his first game 23 years ago when he beat Larry Dierker and the Astros, and in the ensuing seasons he has won 304 more games -- including seven no-hitters -- and defeated 206 other pitchers. But he never beat Jack Morris.And he still hasn't.A duel between two pitchers with 507 major league victories between them didn't last long last night. Morris more than did his job against the Rangers, but the Twins drove the legendary Ryan from the mound by the fifth inning in Minnesota's 9-1 victory at Arlington Stadium.

Andrew J. "Jack" Morris, president of Crown Central Petroleum Corp. in the 1970s, died of congestive heart failure April 14 at a retirement community in Lancaster, Pa. He was 88 and had lived in Baltimore's Homeland neighborhood for many years. Born in Alabama, he was raised in Waynesburg, Pa. He earned a degree from Waynesburg College, and was later a trustee and established a scholarship fund there. He also attended the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Morris spent 42 years in the energy industry, and from 1975 to 1980 was president and chief operating officer of Baltimore-based Crown Central Petroleum.

MINNEAPOLIS -- This is not 43-year-old Steve Carlton shuffling through one more town with a tired slider and a Code of Silence. And this is not 43-year-old Joe Niekro showing how to get by with emery boards.Jack Morris still can pitch. What's more important, he can pitch a lot of innings.The Twins, who yesterday signed free agent Morris to a one-year contract worth $3 million with options for 1992 and 1993 at $2 million a season, haven't had a pitcher throw 200 innings since Frank Viola won the Cy Young Award.

Be prepared to go home and hug your dog. Based on the memoirs of author Willie Morris (who died last August), "My Dog Skip" is an unapologetic weeper about a runt of a boy and the Jack Russell terrier who loves him. Filled with heart-tugging moments both timely (what it was like growing up in the 1940s) and timeless (ruminations on hero worship and how man's best friend earned the title), it's a charming family picture that would seem destined for classic status, if not for some unnecessary narration that only serves to make obvious sentiments the film has already made plain.

The most earned runs allowed by a single pitcher in a nine-inning World Series game:Yr .. ..Pitcher .. .. .. ..Club .. .. ..ER'97 .. .Orel Hershiser .. .Cle. .. .. ...7'96 .. .Andy Pettitte .. ..NYY .. .. .. .7'92 .. .Jack Morris .. .. .Tor. .. .. ...7'87 .. .Danny Cox .. .. ...StL. .. .. ...7'10 .. .Mordecai Brown .. .ChC .. .. .. .7Pub Date: 10/19/97

ManagerSparky Anderson (974-860 in 12 seasons with the Tigers; 1,837-1,446 in 21 seasons)1990 record79-83, 3rd place, 9 games behind.1990 offensive leadersBA: Alan Trammell ... ... ... ... .304HR: Cecil Fielder ... ... ... ... ..51RBI: Cecil Fielder... ... ... ... 132SB: Tony Phillips ... ... ... ... ..191990 pitching leadersWins: Jack Morris* ... ... ... ... .15ERA: Edwin Nunez* ... ... ... ...2.24

"They come and they go, Hobbs; they come and they go." Robert Duvall to Robert Redford in "The Natural"DETROIT -- I always loved that line, but I never realized how true it was in sports until last week. While vacationing out West, I went to a jazz concert in a small California nightclub. Not long after I sat down, a man and his wife sat next to me. The man smiled and said, "How you doing, Mitch?"I froze. For the life of me, I couldn't recall his name. I fumbled; I apologized. I knew he was an athlete, but I could only stammer "Oh, hi . . . uh . . . " When he finally said, "You don't remember me?"

CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Minnesota Twins won their team-record 13th straight game last night, beating the Cleveland Indians, 7-0, on Shane Mack's grand slam and five RBI.The Indians were shut out for the third straight game, matching a club mark and one shy of the major-league record.Jack Morris (8-5) won his fifth consecutive start as the Twins surpassed their previous record streak of 12 straight wins in 1980. Morris pitched three-hit ball for seven innings and improved to 29-9 lifetime against Cleveland.

Andrew J. "Jack" Morris, president of Crown Central Petroleum Corp. in the 1970s, died of congestive heart failure April 14 at a retirement community in Lancaster, Pa. He was 88 and had lived in Baltimore's Homeland neighborhood for many years. Born in Alabama, he was raised in Waynesburg, Pa. He earned a degree from Waynesburg College, and was later a trustee and established a scholarship fund there. He also attended the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Morris spent 42 years in the energy industry, and from 1975 to 1980 was president and chief operating officer of Baltimore-based Crown Central Petroleum.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Someday, they'll exhale. Someday, days or weeks from now, the players and fans and everyone else who was there in the MonstroDome will recover from this hold-your-breath Series and break into a winter-warming smile.It was that good. It was that wonderful. It was that dramatic.It was hero Gene Larkin's bases-loaded single that won the 10-inning game, 1-0. It was Jack Morris come Commentaryhome simply refusing to lose, refusing even to give up a run.It was a third extra-inning game in the Energizer-battery Series, and the first time since 1924 any seventh game had gone past nine.

The most earned runs allowed by a single pitcher in a nine-inning World Series game:Yr .. ..Pitcher .. .. .. ..Club .. .. ..ER'97 .. .Orel Hershiser .. .Cle. .. .. ...7'96 .. .Andy Pettitte .. ..NYY .. .. .. .7'92 .. .Jack Morris .. .. .Tor. .. .. ...7'87 .. .Danny Cox .. .. ...StL. .. .. ...7'10 .. .Mordecai Brown .. .ChC .. .. .. .7Pub Date: 10/19/97

TORONTO -- Jack Morris, 10-6 with a 5.60 ERA, was released unconditionally yesterday by the Cleveland Indians.The Indians said they cut Morris, 39, loose because he pitched poorly during his past five starts -- 2-1 with an 8.67 ERA.Perhaps coincidentally, five starts ago Morris became a commuter, joining the team between visits to Montana only to pitch.After his last start Sunday in Boston, Morris caught a 7 p.m. plane out of Logan International Airport and returned to his 10,000-acre wheat farm.

Here we go again.As a result of last night's rainout at Camden Yards, the Orioles and Cleveland Indians tonight are forced to play their second doubleheader in three days at Oriole Park.Unlike Tuesday's day-night pairing, tonight's games are in the form of the traditional twi-night affair. Barring extra innings, the matchups should not take as long to complete as Tuesday's 10-hour marathon.But that may not bar the second game from becoming a marathon for the Indians' Jason Grimsley (2-1, 4.80)

In the age of almost automatic sellouts at Camden Yards, it takes almost as much time to postpone a game as it does to play one.That new fact of baseball life was demonstrated again yesterday, when the Orioles tried to out-wait persistent rain before calling off their game against the Cleveland Indians.It wasn't until 2 1/2 hours after the scheduled 1:35 start that the decision was made. Within an hour the long-awaited break in the weather arrived, too late to salvage a long and unproductive afternoon at the ballpark.

PHILADELPHIA -- Ed Rendell, the mayor of Philadelphia, didn't show much respect for Todd Stottlemyre, who will pitch Game 4 of the World Series for the Toronto Blue Jays here tonight.During a visit to Toronto, Rendell was critical of the Blue Jays' pitching staff, particularly Stottlemyre. "I could envision them [the Phillies] getting swept by a combination of the White Sox's pitching and the Blue Jays' hitting," said Rendell."But not this pitching staff. If Frank Thomas could hit a ball 430 feet off Stottlemyre, I could hit one 270. I'd like to bat against him."

Healthy team puts spring in Oates' stepClub is deepest in his tenureDUNEDIN, Fla. -- Manager Johnny Oates could find little to complain about as the Orioles broke camp in Florida yesterday. The club he brings back to Baltimore for today's exhibition game at Camden Yards is healthier and deeper than any of the other Orioles teams he has been associated with since he joined the organization in 1988."That's probably the best part of spring," he said before yesterday's 10-9 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Explaining the Orioles this year is easier than it was last season, when nobody quite understood how a team could go from 107 losses to second place.It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why they are wallowing near the bottom of the standings. There is a very academic reason -- they can't beat the teams within their own division.As a matter of fact, there is a distinct possibility they will conclude the year without a winning record against any Eastern Division team. If the Tigers win at Memorial Stadium either tonight (7:35, WBAL, HTS)

Jack Morris can expect a mixed reaction tomorrow when he stands on the mound at Tiger Stadium.There will be the die-hard Tigers fans who still haven't forgiven the 36-year-old for leaving Detroit after 13 seasons to sign with the Minnesota Twins two winters ago. Others will greet him with a sentimental cheer, remembering his two victories over the San Diego Padres in Detroit's 1984 World Series victory.Then there will be the always-boisterous Toronto Blue Jays contingent from southwestern Ontario, welcoming their new addition with open arms.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Three times the Toronto Blue Jays have won the AL East, only to stumble in the league championship series. It's not going to happen this year. The Jays are too good, and they're facing an Oakland team gasping in its final hour.Close as this series has been -- Toronto has outscored Oakland only 13-10 -- not even the resourceful Tony La Russa can pull it out. Get ready for the first World Series in Canada. Get ready for the Blow Jays to purge their demons for good.Yesterday's 7-5 defeat left the A's trailing two games to one. To win the series, they need to take both remaining games at the Oakland Coliseum, then split in Toronto.

TORONTO -- Dave Stewart wanted it bad. He wanted to defeat Jack Morris and the Toronto Blue Jays. He wanted to show the world that the best money pitcher of the past decade was not the pitcher who has gone from city to city to collect the best money. It had become almost personal.He wanted to prove it the way he proved it against Roger Clemens in 1990. He wanted to prove it all night, but he didn't get the chance.The Oakland Athletics opened the American League Championship Series with a 4-3 triumph over the Blue Jays last night at SkyDome, but Stewart had to settle for the collective gratification of a team victory.