Sports: Big break for Abbott

Big break for Abbott

Former Dixie Hollins star is pleased about getting his chance after a season of uncertainty.

By MARC TOPKIN

NEW YORK -- No, Kurt Abbott wasn't surprised to be the starting shortstop for the Mets' biggest game of the season Thursday because Mike Bordick was struggling offensively.

But, yes, Kurt Abbott was surprised to be the starting shortstop for the Mets' biggest game of the season Thursday because, well, because that's the kind of year it's been for the Dixie Hollins High and St. Petersburg Junior College product.

"I don't think one person out here thought Kurt Abbott would start a game in the World Series at shortstop," Abbott said to a large group of writers before Game 5. "I'd bet my a-- on that."

Abbott came to the Mets this season coming off one of his most productive performances in years with Colorado, but it hasn't necessarily been the best fit.

After his strong showing with the Rockies (.273, 8 homers, 41 RBI in 96 games), Abbott figured he'd get an offer from some team to play somewhere on a somewhat regular basis.

He was hoping the Devil Rays would be interested, but said he never got a call. "I talked to Larry Rothschild during the season and he said, "You should have called me,' " Abbott said. "But the way I look at it is if you've got to call somewhere, they don't want you. If they want you, they contact you."

There turned out to be plenty of other interest, including some from the Yankees. But no one offered even the promise of platoon work at shortstop or second base.

"So I said, "If I'm not going to play, I'm going to be on a winning team.' That's basically how I looked at it," he said.

Given that the Mets had stars at second base (Edgardo Alfonzo) and shortstop (Rey Ordonez) it may not have been the best decision. But Ordonez broke his left arm May 29, giving Abbott a chance to play regularly.

Abbott then hurt his back and, after trying for weeks to play through the pain, went on the disabled list for a month. The day after he was activated, July 28, the Mets acquired slick-fielding Bordick from Baltimore.

Abbott played in 79 games, hitting a career-worst .217. "This year has been really tough," he said. "It's really been a struggle mentally. And as bad as it's been mentally, it's been just as bad physically."

Starting one game in the NL Championship Series and coming off the bench in the first four World Series games helped. Starting in the World Series, after reserve duty in the 1997 Series with Florida, was even better.

"It's an exciting feeling," he said.

Shattered bat II

When a shattered bat head spun toward Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, he knew exactly what to do: anything but throw it.

In Game 5 of the World Series on Thursday night, Abbott broke his bat when he fouled off a pitch from Yankees starter Andy Pettitte in the fourth inning.

Making light of the Roger Clemens-Mike Piazza bat-throwing controversy from Game 2, Jeter fielded the broken bat as if it were a ball. The ball actually went into the stands along the first-base line.

Jeter, with a wry smile, scooped up the bat head with his glove and slowly handed it to the Mets' batboy. The crowd roared, recalling the play from Game 2.

Fans then began chanting "Roger, Roger" as Clemens sat stone-faced in the Yankees dugout. Piazza smiled in his team's dugout.

At Yankee Stadium on Sunday night, Piazza broke his bat hitting a pitch from Clemens and a chunk of wood shot out toward the mound. Clemens picked it up and threw it toward Piazza.

Both benches emptied, but no punches were thrown in what could end up being the memorable moment of the Subway Series.

Pettitte senses that some excitement among fans over having their first Subway Series in 44 years has been lost because of the attention given to Clemens and Piazza.

"All the stuff that's happened has taken away from the atmosphere and the World Series," he said. "It's really been kind of discouraging to me, just the way everything's panned out and stuff. It's almost like the focus is not even on the teams anymore, it's on the individual players. I think with everything that's happened, it's kind of lost a little bit of its luster, as far as us playing the Mets."

Clemens never had to worry about batting in the World Series because his starts were scheduled at home, when a designated hitter is used. That prohibited Mets pitchers from retaliating.

"I think that's why he doesn't want to pitch in the National League," Mets reliever Turk Wendell said. "I know he wouldn't be able to do a lot of the stuff that he does."

- Information from Times wires was used in this report.