clarinews@clarinet.com (MIKE TULLY, UPI National Baseball Writer) (09/22/89)
_u_p_d_a_t_i_n_g_ _w_i_t_h_ _s_e_c_o_n_d_ _g_a_m_e NEW YORK (UPI) -- A thousand or so customers showed up at Yankee Stadium Thursday, proving that baseball's attraction can overwhelm judgment and any scruples about one's reputation. The fans defied a certain view these days in favor of boycotting George Steinbrenner and his version of Yankee tradition. They did so on a day that brought clouds as well as a double-header. One scout used his Bible lessons to describe the weather. ``This morning at the hotel I was going to send out two doves,'' he said, ``and see if they returned with an olive branch.'' If any olive branch surfaced this day, neither the Yankees nor Brewers grasped it. The benches cleared in the sixth inning of the first game when Milwaukee's Mark Knudson hit Luis Polonia with a pitch. New York's Kevin Mmahat was ejected in the seventh for nicking Charlie O'Brien. Brewer reliever Chuck Crim hit Jesse Barfield in the nightcap. New York's Steve Sax jawed with third base umpire Dale Ford. And all the while, some of the 1,000 exercised free speech and their lungs. ``You always hear interesting things here,'' said Milwaukee's Robin Yount, who plays within hearing distance of the bleachers. Milwaukee won the first game 14-1, their reward for spending four days to play two games. They arrived in New York Monday and were rained out Tuesday and Wednesday. With all this time, Brewers Manager Tom Trebelhorn took a road trip of his own. He visited the American and New York stock exchanges, and viewed some lithographs at a gallery. He never mentioned the crowds, but the New York Stock Exchange may have outdrawn the Yankees this week. Someone counted the house about 10 minutes before gametime, and found 126 consumers. Brewers left-hander Jerry Reuss poked his head out the runway and said, ``Thank you for coming.'' Security men swept through the lower stands, inviting fans to sit closer to the field. The way the first game turned out, you could call that just plain mean. Phil Evans, assistant manager at a car dealership, preferred to keep some distance between himself and the turf. He sat alone, in the grandstand behind third. A visitor asked him what brought him to the game. ``Is there a game going on? It's more like batting practice,'' he answered. At that moment, Milwaukee's Rob Deer doubled down the left-field line. ``See what I mean?'' Evans said. ``I came here because I had a rainout from yesterday. That's why I'm here. I imagine that's why most of `em are here.'' Whatever the reason, the 1,000 saw Steve Balboni pinch run. Balboni owned one stolen base in 833 previous games but, when Polonia was ejected for charging the mound, someone had to replace him. It was Balboni, who never even got the chance to test Charlie O'Brien's arm. The crowd also got to see Don Mattingly called out on strikes. This rarity appealed to neither the fans nor to Mattingly, who thought the ball was outside and indicated the same to Ford. Remember, this was no night for olive branches. The 1,000 souls, who had grown to perhaps 2,000, finally cheered in the nightcap. New York scored three runs in the sixth, two on a single by Roberto Kelly. They cheered even louder when Mattingly belted a two-run home run in the bottom of the 10th to give New York a split with a 5-4 victory. The attendance was announced at 11,230, because the American League counts tickets sold and not people in the seats. Even so, it was the smallest Yankee Stadium crowd in six years. Say this about the New York Stock Exchange. Sometimes it outdraws the Yankees, but you'll never see Steve Balboni pinch run down there.