Sports: Eventually, Neagle picked to start

Eventually, Neagle picked to start

By MARC TOPKIN

NEW YORK -- Yankees manager Joe Torre needed until late Monday afternoon to decide he would start Denny Neagle rather than David Cone in tonight's fourth game.

Neagle, though respectful of Cone, didn't see what took so long. "I felt like I at least warranted the Game 4 start," Neagle said. "I felt like I did do my job well enough that I thought Joe would name me the fourth-game starter. That being said, I totally understand why David was being considered for the Game 4 start also."

Cone pitched miserably during most of his 4-14 season, but Torre seemed to be suggesting that with extra rest, the former Mets star would find some magic in returning to the scene of his prime. Plus, Torre thought Cone's experience at Shea Stadium would be a benefit. (There also was some thought to having Cone in reserve in case Tuesday starter Orlando Hernandez was weakened by the flu.)

But he was concerned that Cone, who has pitched one inning in the post-season, wouldn't be able to take the Yankees deep into the game.

"When it was between (Neagle and Cone), things on (Neagle's) side of the ledger were basically that our left-handers have done well so far against the Mets and that he could probably give us more length than Cone," Torre said.

Cone, who hadn't pitched at Shea Stadium since 1992, insisted he was not crushed by the decision. "I can't allow myself to be disappointed because I still have to be ready," he said. "Joe assured me I am still part of the plans and I still have a chance to pitch."

Torre said last week he didn't think Neagle, 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in two ALCS starts, was aggressive enough in his Game 5 outing against Seattle, but he said Tuesday he was confident Neagle would do fine if he makes a point to throw strikes.

PROUD ORANGE: Mets reliever John Franco always wears an orange New York City Department of Sanitation T-shirt under his jersey in tribute to his father, Jim, a longtime sanitation department worker who died on the job.

The department decided to raise money for charity by selling similar T-shirts, with Franco's name and No. 45 on the back. "I think it's great," Franco said. "It touches my heart.

ON A ROLL: Winning 14 straight World Series games, as the Yankees did, is an impressive accomplishment. Especially compared with the other major sports.

The next-longest streak in championship series play is 11 by the Montreal Canadians, from Game 6 of the 1973 Stanley Cup final to Game 2 of the 1978 series. The Houston Rockets won six straight games in the 1994-95 NBA Finals and the Green Bay Packers won the 1965 NFL championship and the first two Super Bowls.

"Obviously, if you allow yourself to think about it, it's a remarkable feat, especially considering if you go back and replay them all in your head and all the deficits we had to overcome," Torre said. "And, for obvious reasons, against the best teams in all of baseball."

CHUCK DOWN: Chuck Knoblauch didn't take the news that he wouldn't start at second for the DH-less games too badly. Though he bristled at suggestions he couldn't handle it, he sounded kind of relieved. "It's really the right thing to do," Knoblauch said. "I haven't played (there) in three weeks. It's not like it's a spring training game. It's the World Series."

BATTLEGROUND: The Roger Clemens-Mike Piazza confrontation isn't the only controversy. MLB officials say they are looking into an apparently friendly discussion in the adjoining bullpens between Cone and Franco. "There's technically a rule regarding fraternization," executive vice president Sandy Alderson said.

RED, WHITE AND BLUE: Members of the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic softball and baseball teams, including Devil Rays minor-leaguers Bobby Seay and Brent Abernathy, were honored before the game. Softball star Lisa Fernandez and baseball manager Tommy Lasorda threw out the ceremonial first pitches. ... Before tonight's games, there will be a tribute to Navy members of the USS Cole.

RATINGS DROP: National ratings for Fox's broadcasts of the first two games were down 18 percent from last season. The telecasts were watched by an average of 12 percent of U.S. homes with televisions and 21 percent of homes with their TVs turned on, according to Nielsen Media Research Inc.

- MARC TOPKIN, TIMES WIRES