Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
By Compiled from Times wires
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 14, 2000
NEW YORK -- Xaverian High in Brooklyn soon will resemble a Joe DiMaggio museum.
A vast collection of DiMaggio memorabilia was donated by Morris Engelberg, the late Hall of Fame outfielder's lawyer.
"It's astounding," school president Sal Ferrera said Wednesday of the collection, which includes autographed bats and uniform jerseys, photos and an oil portrait of DiMaggio.
"The painting is one of the prizes, in my opinion," Ferrera said. "That, and a DiMaggio uniform shirt which Joe signed on the back, on his No. 5."
Ferrera is getting advice from a museum curator on how the memorabilia should be displayed.
Some of the items will be auctioned at the Catholic school's annual fund-raising dinner in January. Most will be on display for at least two years, then auctioned.
The proceeds will go into the Engelberg Family Scholarship fund at the school.
"That's Brooklyn," said Engelberg, who went to an Orthodox Jewish high school not too far from Xaverian. "An Engelberg scholarship in a Catholic school."
Engelberg said he chose Xaverian because many of its students have Italian backgrounds.
"He was very proud of his Italian heritage," Engelberg said, "and he would have liked the idea of reminding the students of an Italian-American who made good."
ATHLETICS: Manager Art Howe announced he was going to flip Tim Hudson and Barry Zito in the rotation so Hudson will pitch against the Mariners next weekend.
INDIANS: Right-hander Charles Nagy (bone chips in elbow) makes his first start since May tonight. "It turned into a four-month bear," said Nagy, who still has pain. "You know when it rains and when it's going to be cold."
ORIOLES: Third baseman Cal Ripken, on the possibility of playing next season: "There are two weeks left. If I had to make a decision right now, I'd say it's a go. I have something to build on. I'd like to continue to play and by the end of the season I'll have a better idea where I am physically." ... Outfielder Albert Belle (right hip inflammation) missed his ninth straight game.
RANGERS: Catcher Bill Haselman (partly torn rotator cuff) will play through the weekend but have arthroscopic surgery Monday. Randy Knorr and B.J. Waszgis will take over.
RED SOX: Pedro Martinez revealed that as he prepared to pitch in relief during Game 5 of the playoffs at Jacobs Field in October, he was showered with racial slurs by some fans and received one death threat. "I remember being told when I was warming up, "You're going to be shot,' " Martinez told Boston reporters. "They were calling me "beaner' and saying, "Go back to your country -- you don't belong in this country.' That came from fans who probably just wanted me to get out of there. They said so (much) discriminating stuff to me, it would sound unreal. It was the first time I ever heard such things and I heard them in Cleveland."
WHITE SOX: Baseball America named right-hander Jon Rauch its minor-league player of the year.
YANKEES: Centerfielder Bernie Williams, who has missed seven of eight games after straining his right rib cage, could be back in the lineup today or Friday. He's bothered now by a slight calf strain.
BRAVES: Leftfielder B.J. Surhoff (right thigh) missed his fifth straight game and is not expected back before the weekend.
BREWERS: Marquis Grissom became the 65th player to reach 400 stolen bases.
METS: Mike Hampton is 1-2 with a 1.41 ERA in his past four starts. ... New York has 15 wins when trailing after six innings, most in the majors. ... Mike Piazza, in a 5-for-34 slide, struck out all four times he batted for the second four-strikeout game of his career: "Hopefully I hit rock bottom today and will bounce back."
PIRATES: Kevin Young (groin strain) pronounced himself ready to play after missing 15 games. He might play this weekend.
REDS: The team physician will watch Scott Williamson (two broken toes) throw Friday to see if he can return next week. ... Owners of the club have bought the limited partnership shares held by Chicago bookstore magnate Carl A. Kroch, who died in March 1999.