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Baseball briefs

By Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 30, 2000

Pulitzer-winning photographer dies at age 86

WESTWOOD, N.J. -- Nat Fein, who won the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for news photography for his famous photograph of a dying Babe Ruth at Yankee Stadium, died Tuesday. He was 86.

His photo was taken June 13, 1948, two months before Ruth died of cancer. The rearview picture shows Ruth in his old uniform, leaning on a bat, and other players lined up in the background with their hats off.

Fein recalled that he had gone behind Ruth because he wanted to show the number on his uniform -- No. 3 -- that was being retired.

"There was his figure, his thin legs compared to his bulky body, and his No. 3 showing," he said. "So I made the picture from his back."

Fein, at the New York Herald for about 30 years until it closed in 1966, didn't think it was a great shot but did think it "got the feeling" of the moment.

Fein is survived by a son.

BREWERS: Olympic hero Ben Sheets got such a thrill from his standing ovation during the fifth inning of the last game at County Stadium Thursday that he wanted to take a curtain call. "It was exciting. I wanted to do it again in the seventh and the ninth innings," Sheets said Friday. But Sheets will get to hear the applause again -- and soon. Milwaukee confirmed that its top minor-league pitching prospect will be in the five-man rotation next season.

CARDINALS: Catcher Mike Matheny is out for the season after slicing his right ring finger with a hunting knife Friday, hampering St. Louis' playoff hopes. Matheny cut himself with the knife, a birthday gift he had just opened, and was in surgery as shocked teammates learned the news in a team meeting about 31/2 hours before a game against Cincinnati. Matheny was putting the knife in its sheath and it went right through, severing two flexor tendons and a nerve, Cardinals spokesman Brian Bartow said. The team anticipates he'll make a full recovery for next season.

CUBS: Relief pitcher Tim Worrell agreed on a contract extension through the 2002 season with a club option for 2003. Worrell, 32, was 3-4 with three saves and a 2.51 ERA in 61 relief appearances since joining the Cubs on May 27.

EXPOS: Dave Van Horne, play-by-play broadcaster since the Expos began play in 1969, is giving up on the team and the city. "It's time for me to move on," Van Horne said in the Montreal Gazette. "There's nothing for me to stay here for with the radio and television situation the way it is." The Expos were without English radio or TV contracts this season. Van Horne was reduced to calling games over the Expos' Internet site.

RANGERS: Pitching coach Dick Bosman was fired after the defending American League Western Division champions fell to last place. The pitching staff has posted a 5.41 earned-run average, the third worst in the American League. Rangers pitchers have given up a league-high 1,634 hits and 935 runs while being the only staff in the league without a shutout.

PIRATES: Pittsburgh asked manager Gene Lamont to delay talking about his dismissal until Monday, the day after the final home game in Three Rivers Stadium. Lamont will talk to reporters at 11 a.m., an hour before owner Kevin McClatchy and general manager Cam Bonifay formally announce Lamont's firing. The Pirates don't want Lamont discussing his firing Sunday, the last day of the season, so as not to distract from ceremonies.

TIGERS: Juan Gonzalez cleaned out his locker and packed his belongings in preparation for going back home to Puerto Rico. Before he left, Gonzalez met with trainer Russ Miller to talk about what he can do over the next month to improve the condition caused by a herniated disc that ended his season. "At this point he's feeling much better; I'm happy with what I've seen, so I'm very optimistic," Miller said. "It's like most of the time with these backs, you need time.

WHITE SOX: Chicago, still uncertain about its first-round playoff opponent, also doesn't know if projected Game 1 starter Mike Sirotka will be ready. The left-hander hyperextended his left elbow Thursday, and received a cortisone shot Friday. An MRI exam showed no ligament damage, although Sirotka said only one of the many photos taken was clear. He might have another MRI exam. "Right now we're on a day-to-day thing," Sirotka said.

PROUD LASORDA: If you want to upset Tommy Lasorda, all you have to do is tell him that the United States' recent victory over Cuba in the gold-medal baseball game of the Olympics in Australia didn't mean much. "I felt that winning (an Olympic gold medal) is bigger than the World Series, and I kept preaching that ever since (I was named manager)," said Lasorda, who was honored Thursday night during the Los Angeles Dodgers' game against the Giants. "Baseball in the Olympics has never received the popularity that it should have. But this year, people are comparing this accomplishment to when the U.S. hockey team beat the Russians (in 1980). To do something for your country and to win for your country is something special. It's bigger than the World Series." Dodger Stadium fans showed their love for Lasorda and his latest accomplishment when a crowd of 44,513 gave him a two-minute standing ovation during a tribute in the middle of the third inning.

NEW UNIFORMS: Umpires will be wearing new uniforms when the playoffs start next week, featuring black Windbreakers and either black or cream-colored shirts. The uniforms were jointly commissioned by the commissioner's office and the World Umpires Association, the union that began representing umpires this year. Umps will have black caps with Major League Baseball's logo and sage gray trousers. The outfits replace the ones used since the start of the 1996 season, which included navy or red polo shirts and turtlenecks. Those designs were modified this year.

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