Monday, April 1, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
Las Vegas has seen its share of high-profile sporting events in the past, but the city hits the big time tonight when Cashman Field hosts the Oakland Athletics and the Toronto Blue Jays.
A regular-season Major League Baseball game -- opening night, at that -- in Las Vegas was only a pipe dream until two weeks ago, when officials from the A's approached the Las Vegas Stars about playing their first six games at Cashman because of ongoing renovations to the Oakland Coliseum.
The A's will play Toronto tonight and Wednesday and host the Detroit Tigers for four games Thursday through Sunday.
On the eve of tonight's historic and unusual season opener, the reality of the situation still hadn't hit some of the participants.
"I figure perhaps (today) it will probably dawn on us that these games count," said Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston. "It's going to seem a little weird, that's for sure, because the last three days, it didn't seem like spring training.
"I think the one thing we have to keep in mind is the bell really rings (today)."
A's manager Art Howe was looking forward to playing in front of a full house on opening night -- even if it is the 9,370-seat Cashman Field and not the 40,000-seat Oakland Coliseum.
"It will be exciting," Howe said. "We will have this place full and the fans will enjoy it. Maybe it will sound like we have 50,000 in here. It will be different, but it should be fun."
A crowd in excess of 9,000 is expected for tonight's 8:05 opener, but Stars officials are prepared to accommodate 12,000 fans with seating on the grass berms, in temporary bleachers and standing room.
The irony of the situation wasn't lost on at least one player, Oakland's Ernie Young.
"You work so hard to get to this point in your career, and it's ironic I'm back in a triple-A ballpark," said Oakland outfielder Young, who is on the A's opening-day roster for the first time after spending parts of the past two seasons in the Pacific Coast League.
The A's organization has taken much criticism in the Bay Area for moving its first homestand to Las Vegas, but both Howe and Gaston are attempting to make the best of a less-than-ideal situation.
"I know it's not a major-league ballpark, but I know the Oakland organization and certainly our organization is grateful that they're letting us play here," Gaston said. "It's hard to criticize people when they're trying to help you out."
Howe downplayed the contention by many -- including Milwaukee Brewers manager Phil Garner -- that Cashman Field's cozy dimensions and high altitude will result in ridiculously high-scoring games. "Balls are going to fly out of here this week. And just wait until the wind starts blowing -- then they will rocket out of here," Garner said after the Brewers' 10-3 victory Sunday over the Blue Jays.
"We had a low-scoring game here and a high-scoring game here, the two (exhibition) games we played," Howe countered. "I think if you get good pitching, they can pitch in a bandbox and still get people out."
Blue Jays slugger Joe Carter agreed with Howe.
The park is going to play small, but there's nothing that you can do about it -- it's going to work for you and against you, really," Carter said. "You can't go up there thinking about home runs. I don't care what kind of ballpark it is, you should never go up there and think about trying to hit the home run (because) it never happens.
"You just want to go up there and get some good at-bats and make contact and hit the ball where you're capable of hitting it."
Added Gaston, "Sure the ball jumps out of here, but both teams have to hit. I'm sure the pitchers would like to see it a little bit bigger, but I guess because the ball travels so well that they figure it's not a fair park."
Oakland pitching coach Bob Cluck, who managed the Stars in 1984 and 1985, said a good pitcher will use a hitter's park such as Cashman Field to his advantage.
"Hitters are more aggressive in this ballpark because they can see themselves having a big day," Cluck said. "If a pitcher can get ahead in the count, you don't have to throw any strikes the next couple of pitches.
"You use that aggressiveness that the hitter has in an offensive ballpark against him by teasing him with pitches out of the strike zone, making him chase pitches -- but you have to get ahead in the count to do that."
The A's will send right-hander Carlos Reyes to the mound tonight to face Toronto right-hander Erik Hanson in the first regular-season major-league game to be played in a minor-league ballpark in 39 years. It is believed to be the first time two major league teams have played a season opener in a minor-league facility in nearly 80 years.
"It may be a little tough at first because it will still seem like spring training," Carter said of the novelty of tonight's game. "But you've got to tell yourself that the season starts (today) and no matter where you play, these games are going to count, so you want to come out and get off to a good start."
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