Thursday, March 6, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
SUN WIRE REPORTS
Rickey Henderson can't believe it's come to this. He knows he was baseball's greatest leadoff man ever, he believes he's still the best at 38, and he can't even find a home.
The San Diego Padres have relegated him to role-player status, and he has demanded a trade. A deal seems likely, probably with Cleveland, Texas or Seattle, and Henderson expects it to happen by early next week.
"I'm just wai ting in the weeds," he said Wednesday during the Padres' 3-1 victory over the A's in a split-squad game in Phoe nix. "It doesn't matter where I end up. Some teams want me, but it depends what (the Padres) want. They're not going to just give me away."
Henderson was always crackling with edgy energy, whether he was stealing bases on his way to the career record, now up to 1,186, or just mouthing off. He's always had a knack for sharp-minded, fresh remarks, and now that he's achieved elder-statesman status, his words demand attention.
* On fellow superstar Barry Bonds: "He's just got to take into consideration people on his team," Henderson told the San Diego Union-Tribune last week. "Sometimes you have to sacrifice yourself to win, and he's got to realize he's got to do some things differently to pull his team together.
"I think maybe in a way Barry is not making his teammates feel as comfortable as he should. He's not making his teammates feel they are on the same page. That's my observation of what winning is."
* On manager Tony La Russa's performance two years ago late in his final season with the A's, a year when the A's finished in last place: "He stopped managing," Henderson said Wednesday.
* On the A's lack of interest in having him come back one more time, to finish his career in the city where he was born: "I can't say whether it hurt or anything. I ain't going to beg nobody. . . . The only thing I care about is they say I'm a bad influence in the clubhouse. I laugh when I heard that. ... When it comes to chemistry, where I go, they win."
* On his future in the game: "It ain't the last year for me. I've got too much I want to achieve. ... I don't really see a young guy who can outplay me. (Cleveland outfielder) Kenny Lofton can't outplay me."
The A's are not going to deal for Henderson, so the only way he could return is if the Padres release him and the A's could claim him for almost nothing.
"We're trying to find him a home," Padres general manager Kevin Towers said Wednesday. "We'd have a hard time releasing him. . . . The big thing is, Rickey believes -- and I even believe -- he's better than a fourth outfielder. He's an everyday guy. It hurts me to know it. We're going to miss Rickey Henderson."
Henderson, fourth among active players with a .406 career on-base percentage, is in the second year of a two-year, $4 million contract, but he made $1.23 million in incentives last year based on plate appearances. This year, he's set to make $5,000 for every plate appearance from 300 to 600, potentially $1.5 million. The Padres are willing to pay some or all of the incentive money to make a trade easier for another club to swallow.
Seattle may end up with Henderson, although both the Mariners and Towers deny it. Henderson would love to go there -- and Seattle could use an experienced leadoff hitter in front of Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Jay Buhner. "They're missing a piece of the puzzle and I'm that piece," he said.
The Mariners say they'll use rookie outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. to lead off, but that's probably a bargaining ploy. Henderson fits too well for them not to consider him seriously. With him they become many people's choice to go to the World Series.
The Indians have shown the most interest and Henderson said he has no problem with the idea of hitting second, behind Lofton. "I've always dreamed of having a leadoff hitter in front of me who could run," he said.
* DODGERS: Tommy Lasorda always said he wanted to work for the Dodgers even after his death -- by having the team's schedule imprinted on his tombstone. After his election Wednesday to the Hall of Fame, the former Dodgers manager came up with a new money-maker. Told by owner Peter O'Malley that the main street through Dodgertown -- which intersects Jackie Robinson Avenue -- would be named Tommy Lasorda Lane, the former manager joked: "I'll ask Peter if we can put up a toll booth."
* PHILLIES: At Dunedin, Fla, Derrick May hit a towering fly ball that hugged the right field foul line all the way out of Grant Field. When first base ump Richie Garcia called it a foul ball, a voice in the press box was heard to say, "Richie got it right." Obviously, that was in reference to Garcia's decision to disdain a fan-interference call that became a decisive home run in a victory by the New York Yankees over the Baltimore Orioles in the AL playoffs last October.
* ORIOLES: Former Oriole Rick Dempsey, now a coach with the New York Mets, walked up to Baltimore outfielder Eric Davis with a smirk. "Man, they'll give my number to anybody," said Dempsey, rubbing the No. 24 on Davis' back. "I wanted to keep the legend going," Davis replied, a broad smile crossing his face.
Exhibition games
* MARLINS 6, BRAVES 5: At Melbourne, Fla., Alex Arias' run-scoring single in the seventh inning broke a tie, and Florida beat Atlanta to climb to 6-0 under Jim Leyland.
* BLUE JAYS 13, PHILLIES 9: At Dunedin, Fla., Joe Carter had two homers -- among 10 extra-base hits by Toronto. Carter's homers were his first hits of the spring.
* ORIOLES 3, METS 3: At Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Tony Tarasco's two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth tied the score. Baltimore third baseman Cal Ripken, returning after a two-game absence with a strained left groin, started and went 2-for-2 in five innings.
* WHITE SOX 8, ROYALS 4: At Haines City, Fla., Ron Karkovice had a three-run homer as Chicago broke the game open with a six-run sixth inning against reliever Mitch Williams.
* PIRATES 6, YANKEES 5: At Bradenton, Fla., rookie Lou Collier's two-run single in the eighth inning capped a six-run rally by Pittsburgh. Dwight Gooden pitched four scoreless innings for the Yankees.
* REDS 4, INDIANS 1: At Plant City, Fla., a strained hip forced Cincinnati starter Dave Burba out of the game after two innings, but reliever Kevin Jarvis pitched four scoreless innings and homered.
* TIGERS 5, ASTROS 4: At Lakeland, Fla., Curtis Pride's two-run double in the ninth inning won it for Detroit. Pride, who also tripled, hit a two-out liner off Alvin Morman that slammed off the left-field wall just beyond the reach of Thomas Howard.
* RED SOX 8, TWINS 4: At Fort Myers, Fla., Scott Hatteberg had two homers -- including a grand slam -- to carry Boston over shellshocked Greg Swindell. Hatteberg, battling for the third-string catcher's job, hit both of his shots off Swindell, trying to make the Twins after an injury-plagued 1996.
* RANGERS 5, CARDINALS 1: At Port Charlotte, Fla., Edwin Diaz drove in two runs with a homer and a double for Texas.
* DODGERS 11, EXPOS 4: At Vero Beach, Fla., Brett Butler and Raul Mondesi had three hits and scored three runs each, and Los Angeles beat Montreal as former manager Tommy Lasorda learned of his Hall of Fame selection.
* ROCKIES (ss) 5, PADRES (ss) 3: At Tucson, Ariz. Larry Walker had two doubles and an RBI, and Harvey Pulliam drove in two runs as Colorado beat San Diego in a split-squad game.
* PADRES (ss) 3, ATHLETICS (ss) 1: At Phoenix, Chris Jones had three hits, including an RBI single, and Ken Caminiti added a run-scoring single as the rest of the Padres defeated an Oakland split squad. Caminiti, coming back from reconstructive surgery on his left shoulder, went 1-for-4 as the designated hitter.
* BREWERS (ss) 8, ROCKIES (ss) 6: At Chandler, Ariz., Antone Williamson went 3-for-4 with three RBIs as a Milwaukee split squad rallied to beat the other Rockies' team. Jason Bates went 4-for-5 and starter John Thomson pitched three hitless innings for Colorado.,
* GIANTS 6, BREWERS (ss) 3: At Scottsdale, Ariz., Barry Bonds hit his second homer of the spring and Dax Jones had a three-run homer as San Francisco defeated Milwaukee.
* ATHLETICS (ss) 8, ANGELS 7: At Tempe, Ariz., Patrick Lennon hit his fifth homer in five games during a six-run fourth inning, leading an Athletics split-squad over winless Anaheim.
* MARINERS 6, CUBS 2: At Peoria, Ariz., Ken Griffey Jr. hit his first home run of the spring, and five Seattle pitchers limited Chicago to six hits.
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