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PAGE 14 PRESSREPUBLICAN TUESDAY, ^il j§9 TUESDAY, I MiE^il j§9 DON WADE Evansville (Ind.) Courier What now for Don Mattingly? In Kansas City last July, when Don Mattingly was still stinging from the George Steinbrenner- orchestrated criticism in the New York media, he talked about the Yankees, and he talked about freedom. Mattingly's five-year contract was coming to a close. Freedom, it seemed he was saying then, had everything to do with leaving Steinbrenner for a new start. \I have the choice,\ he said, emphasizing the first and last words. \I can do what I want.\ What 34-year-old Don Mat- tingly apparently chooses to do now is play no more. For anyone. For now. Though Mattingly has yet to confirm or deny that he is going to at least try retirement, as was reported by The New York Times, this has the look of much more than rumor. Contacted Monday, Mattingly agent Ray Schulte said the Yan- kees' first baseman was vaca- tioning with his family and an announcement would be made through the Yankees Tuesday morning. Conclude what you like, but suffice to say if he were re-sign- ing with the Yankees for 1996, or signing with another team, this probably is not how it would be handled. In recent days, speculation grew that the Yankees would ac- quire another first baseman, such as Seattle's Tino Martinez, Atlanta's Fred McGriff or Oakland's Mark McGwire. And perhaps Mattingly saw his \choice as it were, slipping away. To remain unsigned after the Yankees acquire another first baseman would be to feel as though he had been uncondi- tionally released. - He didn't need that, even if he has little or no desire to play elsewhere — something Mat- tingly may not have yet com- pletely resolved in his own mind. So what's going on? A good possibility is a sabbatical. Hey, it's all the rage in pro sports. And it would make some sense. Mat- tingly has a painful back and wrist, and because of those hurts, an aching frustration. Ten years ago, Mattingly was the American League's Most Valuable Player as he hit 35 home runs and drove in 145 runs and batted .324. Only his technical talents allowed him to coax a .288 batting average and to continue to rain doubles last season. The game is much harder than it once was, and that takes a mental toll as well. During this last and lengthy baseball strike, Mattingly discovered how much he enjoyed being at home with his family. And at the end of this season, he met a previously unmet goal as the Yankees made the playoffs. All these things — and some- where in the mix is Ryne Sand- berg's retirement and return (a mental safety net, if nothing else) — may be conspiring to create an exit stage left from No. 23's fa- miliar and golden place at first base in the Bronx. Which brings up something Mattingly told me in September 1994, when he should have been driving the Yankees to the AL East Division title, but was in- stead in Evansville, Ind., steering a golf cart. \I've enjoyed being home, to tell you the truth,\ he said during the season-ending players' strike. \There's a good side to it.\ • A few months later, as the delayed '95 spring training was about to begin, Mattingly dropped more clues: \I learned a lot about how I'll feel when I'm done playing. Out- side of the pure baseball end of it — I missed the competition — I've been having fun. I know I don't have to keep playing. I don't think I'll spend a lot of time looking back. But, in the same breath, I still feel strong about playing and my training.\ Now, as both his team and the game remain as confused as ever — Steinbrenner has more com- passion and, apparently use, for ex-Mets Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden than the Yankee Captain — perhaps Mattingly is Continued Page 17 Early out? Yanks' Mattingly to give retirement try Yankees get Girardi in deal with Rockies By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer NEW YORK - Don Mat- tingly's baseball career is over — at least for now. All that remains is his final announce- ment. A person who has been in contact with Mattingly's ad- visers said Monday the free agent first baseman will issue a statement saying he won't be playing at the start of next season. He said the announce- ment could come as early as Tuesday. The source, who spoke on the condition he not be identified, confirmed the account first reported Saturday by The New York Times. Mattingly's agent, Jim Krivacs, did not return telephone messages. New York Yankees manager Joe Torre said during a conference call he had no idea of the team captain's plans. Mattingly, who will be 35 on April 20, wants to see how he likes retirement. He hit .288 last season with just seven homers and 49 RBIs in 458 Don Mattingly at-bats, getting a $4.02 million salary in the final season of a $19.3 million, five-year contract he agreed to in April 1990, about three months before severe back pain struck. He filed for free agency following the World Series. Mattingly, who came up to the Yankees for good in 1983, has been at times outwardly unhappy about the team and owner George Steinbrenner. Mattingly was an All-Star for six straight years through 1989, but the back pain took much of his power away and he hasn't broken 20 homers or 90 RBIs this decade. The back pain disabled him July 25 to Sept. 11 in 1990, and he finished the season with a .256 average, five homers and 42 RBIs. He had 86 RBIs in both 1992 and 1993, then dropped to 51 in the strike-shortened 1994 season. He has a .307 career average, 2,153 hits, 222 homers and 1,099 RBIs. Without Mattingly, Yankees general manager Bob Watson has several options. He said last week that his first goal was to re-sign pitchers David Cone and Jack McDowell. Depending on whether Watson succeeds, he may have enough money to chase Fred McGriff or Mark Grace. He already has spoken' about his interest in second basemen Craig Biggio and Roberto Alomar. By RONALD BLUM AP Sports Writer NEW YORK - In the first move by the Yan- kees' new management team, New York ac- quired catcher Joe Girardi from the Col- orado Rockies on Mon- day for minor league pitcher Mike DeJean and a player to be determined. The trade signals the end of Mike Stanley's career with the Yankees and enabled Colorado general manager Bob Gebhard to sign shortstop Walt Weiss to a $4.1 million, two-year contract. Gebhard needed to move Girar- di's $2.25 million salary before he agreed to Weiss' deal. \Maybe because I was a catch- er at one time myself, I know how important a catcher is to a pitching staff,\ said Joe Torre, the Yankees' new manager. \To Jo* Giradi Reeves running for cover ByTOMCANAVAN AP Sports Writer * EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Although Dan Reeves in- tends to fulfill the final two years of his contract as coach of the New York Giants, a rift with the front office has raised questions whether he'll be able to do that. Reeves spent almost the en- tire 35-minute of his Monday news conference working on damage control in the wake of a New York Daily News report Sunday quoting him as saying he would not return after the 1997 season unless their were changes in how the organiza- tion was run. The 51-year-old Reeves em- phatically said he was not try- ing to get into a power struggle with general manager George Young, and even said he hoped to coach the Giants beyond 1997. However, the man who led the Denver Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances ad- mitted he and Young have phil- osophical differences on how teams should be run in the sal- ary-cap era, and those have to be resolved. Reeves discussed the crisis with Young and team co-owner Wellington Mara on Monday before later in the afternoon addressing a team already reeling after losing three straight games to fall out of playoff contention with a 3-8 record. \All I can do is say I made a mistake,\ Reeves said at his news conference. \I can't dwell on it. I can't change it. It's done. All I said was is if things stayed the same I. would not want to re-do my contract. OK? \That do,esn'fe mean I wouldn't like to see it worked out to where I could stay. But that's not saying, 'Hey, you bet- ter get rid of George Young or I'm gone.' That's totally wrong. That's not anything close to it. \I'd like to have more say and to be able to control a little bit of my destiny. And by my destiny, it's the ability to go out and get things done.\ AP Photo Embattled Dan Reeves on sideline Sunday during Giants' latest loss. Reeves would not specify the areas where he wanted more control, although he has hinted that he would like more say in draft choices, free agents and even how much players are paid. He also wouldn't mind a say in the Giants' vote on the NFL competition committee, where he favors instant replay. Young, about to sign a new two-year contract, is against it. \George and I have dif- ferences of opinions on a lot of things,\ Reeves said. \But the one thing that's been great is Continued Page 17 me, Joe Girardi is one of the best catchers in the game. He has the philosophy. As he says: his job is to catch and any offense would be a bonus.\ Girardi, 31, hit .262 last season with eight homers and 55 RBIs. He has a career average of .269. \My wife and I heard the rumor about a week ago,\ Girardi said. \I think it's a great oppor- tunity for us and a great place to go. There's a lot of mystique and a lot of history behind the Yankees, and I would like to be a part of it.\ Stanley, who became following the World Series, hit .268 last season with 18 homers and 83 RBIs. \On the defensive part, I think we've improved a little bit with Joe Girardi,\ Torre said. 49ers steal Dan's show By STEVEN WINE AP Sports Writer MIAMI - Elvis Grbac and the San Francisco 49ers upstaged Dan Marino. Grbac threw for 382 yards and four scores, negating two touchdown passes by Marino that tied Fran Tarkenton's career NFL record, and San Francisco produced another blowout at Joe Robbie Stadium by beating Miami 44-20 Monday night. Even more lopsided than the 49ers' 49-26 rout of San Diego in last season's Super Bowl at Miami, the victory was especially impressive on the heels of their 38-20 romp past Dallas eight days earlier. San Francisco (7-4) again won without injured quarterback Steve Young, who warmed up be- fore the game but watched from the sideline while Grbac com- pleted 31 of 41 passes. He im- proved to 3-2 as a starter this season. The 49ers sacked Marino on the first three plays, and then it got worse for the Dolphins (6-5). Before Marino could match the career record he coveted most — Tarkenton's 342 touchdown passes — San Francisco led 38- 13. The record-tying pass was a 4-yarder to O.J. McDuffie late in the third quarter. Marino earlier threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Gary Clark. Marino, who broke Tarken- ton's records for passing yardage and completions earlier this year in games Miami lost, completed 23 of 38 passes for 255 yards. The reeling Dolphins, who have lost five of their past seven games, fell two games behind AFC East leader Buffalo. The 49ers pulled into a first-place tie with Atlanta in the NFC West. Grinkov played his role to perfection By WENDY E. LANE AP Sports Writer They were a shy pair of teen-agers when they won their first gold medal at the Calgary Olympics. Their connection on the ice grew into romance off it. Together, Sergei Grinkov and Ekaterina Gordeeva skated the perfect love story, embodying the classical elegance of Russian pairs skating. Grinkov's shocking death Monday ended both the love story and the storybook career of one of figure skating's greatest pairs ever. \History will have to decide, but what they com- bined was artistry and power,\ said Peter Op- pegard, who with Jill Watson finished third to the Soviet pair in the 1988 Olympics. \They had the best of the best skaters and the best of the best styles.\ By all accounts, it was the off-ice relationship between Grinkov and Gordeeva that took their skating from the powerful agility they showed in Calgary to something more emotional, polished and lyrical. \Through all of those changes, they maintained a wonderful standard,\ said John Nicks, a longtime coach of top U.S. pairs skaters, including current national champs Todd Sand and Jenni Meno. Gordeeva and Grinkov had known one another since early childhood. In 1982, coaches at a Moscow skating club paired the doll-like Gordeeva with the handsome, muscular Grinkov. In 1986, they won the world championship, wowing judges with their spectacular throws and lifts. At Calgary, the 16-year-old ponytailed Gordeeva lit up the Saddledome with her innocent smile as her partner, five years her senior, tossed her around effortlessly. Despite 10 inches difference in height, the couple skated in almost perfect unison, a mirror image on the ice. \In Calgary, they were almost flawless,\ Op- pegard said. \When they first came out, they were very, very strong and athletic, but in '88 I saw them do a ballet on ice that was unlike anything I had ever seen. They seemed unbeatable.\ They were also just beginning to fall in love. Turning pro in 1990, they became as dedicated to each other as they were to their training, mar- rying in 1991. Their bond allowed them to develop their romantic style as the love between them grew. \They were extremely well-disciplined and trained hard,\ Nicks said. \They had an almost un- canny sense of where the other one was on the ice. 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