Kansas City Royals

Opponent: Kansas City RoyalsSite: Oriole ParkTime: 7: 35 p.m.TV/Radio: Chs. 13, 50/WBAL (1090 AM)Starters: Royals' Chris Haney (4-5, 4.23) vs. Orioles' Rocky Coppinger (2-0, 6.55)Tickets: 250 remain.Pub Date: 6/21/96

It took baseball's winningest active manager only three games to reveal how he planned on getting the Orioles into the playoffs for the first time in 13 years."

On the field: The Kansas City Royals could really struggle for runs this year. On Opening Day, manager Bob Boone felt compelled to hit for the Nos. 3, 4 and 5 hitters in his starting lineup. Yesterday, left fielder Pat Lennon hit third for the Royals -- with a total of 11 major-league at-bats under his belt. Joe Vitiello, who had seven homers in his rookie season last year, batted cleanup.In the dugout: Orioles manager Davey Johnson says it could be difficult getting regular work for his bench players.

Davey Johnson isn't much for nostalgia, he says. He isn't very emotional, he says. But the man who pushed the cold, hard reality of computer-generated baseball statistics on Earl Weaver was swamped with feelings on Opening Day, Johnson's first game as manager of the Orioles.After receiving the largest pre-game ovation for anyone not named Ripken, Johnson watched from the top step of the dugout yesterday as the Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals, 4-2, before a sellout crowd of 46,818.Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken drove in three runs with two singles, Mike Mussina pitched seven strong innings for the victory, and new closer Randy Myers buzzed through the Royals the ninth.

Anaheim, Calif. -- Kansas City Royals manager Bob Boone could have tiptoed into his first major-league managerial position. He could have stuck to the textbook moves and kept his head down and got himself established before standing conventional baseball wisdom on its ear, but necessity became the mother of reinvention.Boone opened his managerial career with a major gamble. Faced with the loss of premier starting pitcher David Cone this spring, ,, he filled the void with air. He entered the 1995 season with a four-man starting rotation, and not just because there were some convenient early-season days off to keep his pitching staff fresh.

The Orioles stayed on the sports pages last off-season by signing new talent -- Lee Smith, Rafael Palmeiro, Sid Fernandez, Steve Sabo. There was a press conference every couple of weeks.This off-season, even with the work stoppage, they're still holding frequent press conferences. This time the news is being generated by hirings among the front office, manager and coaches.Yesterday the media gathered on the sixth floor of the warehouse at Camden Yards to meet the Orioles' new director of player development, Syd Thrift.

The 1994 baseball season barely had been pronounced over when the Texas Rangers, reassigning general manager Tom Grieve, and the Kansas City Royals, firing manager Hal McRae, sprang into action.Meanwhile, all remains quiet on the Orioles front.For the moment."Major changes in the front office or on the field, if any are to be made, likely will be made the first week of November," said Orioles owner Peter Angelos, who is in Los Angeles today to meet with officials of the Los Angeles Rams.Off-season changes could involve Roland Hemond, Frank Robinson and Johnny Oates, but Angelos, sidetracked by baseball's labor problems the past couple of months, has not yet devoted his attention to 1995.

Brian McRae, Center fielder, Kansas City RoyalsMcRae went 5-for5 Tuesday with a double an RBI against the Boston Red Sox.AB.. .. .. ..R.. .. ..H.. .. ..HR.. ...RBI.. .. ..AVG.24.. .. .. ..5.. .. .13.. .. ...1.. .. ..2.. .. . .542Tony Gwynn, Right fielder, San Diego PadresGwynn drove in five runs Monday against the Pirates, with a home run and doubleAB.. .. .. ..R.. .. ..H.. .. ..HR.. ...RBI.. .. ..AVG.18.. .. ... .7.. .. ..8.. .. ...2.. ... .7.. .. .. 444

David Cone, pitcher, Kansas City Royals4AB .. .. .. R .. .. H .. .. HR .. .. RBI .. .. .Avg31 .. .. .. 5 .. .. 16 .. .. 0 .. .. 7 ... ... .5.16

Their 1994 season has not even begun, and the pressure already is on the Kansas City Royals. They can identify with the prevailing win-it-now attitude in Baltimore, because they also have made major improvements and they, too, play in a city that is hungry to recapture its past baseball glory.The similarities do not end there. Both teams enter their season-opening series today at Camden Yards hoping to break out cleanly after getting off slowly a year ago.The Royals, who brought back memories of the 1988 nightmare on 33rd Street with their 1-16 start in 1992, opened last season with nine losses in their first 11 games.