Albuquerque Dukes Baseball Team

The Dodgers, who a year ago asked Todd Worrell whether he wanted to be traded, Thursday signed the all-star closer for the 1996 season. Worrell signed a one-year contract for $4 million with an option for 1997 for $3.75 million or a $400,000 buyout. "We wanted to make sure that Todd stayed with us," said Fred Claire, executive vice president. "He's certainly on top of his game." Worrell, 36, saved a franchise-record 32 games in 36 opportunities and had a 4-1 record and a 2.02 earned-run average.

It is the only piece of artwork on the walls of Bill Russell's tiny office, which is otherwise dominated by a 30-year-old flowered couch that could collapse at any minute. The painting is of a cowboy with gaunt, grizzled cheeks and a hardened stare. Underneath him is this sentence: "There was a helluva lot of things they didn't tell me when I hired on with this outfit." After his first six weeks as manager of the triple-A Albuquerque Dukes, Russell has memorized those words.

The Dodgers promoted Rick Dempsey from their Class-A Bakersfield club to manage triple-A Albuquerque, replacing Bill Russell, who has joined the Dodgers as a bench coach. Former Dodger John Shelby was hired to manage Bakersfield; Tom Beyers will manage double-A San Antonio, Jon Debus at Class-A Vero Beach and Joe Vavra at Yakima, a rookie club.

Terry Collins, manager of the Dodgers' Albuquerque farm team in the Pacific Coast League, was selected minor league manager of the year by The Sporting News. Collins, 38, led the Dukes to an overall record of 77-65. They swept a three-game series from Las Vegas for the Southern Division championship and defeated Calgary, three games to one, for the PCL pennant.

From home plate here, above the 35 advertisements tacked to the outfield fence, John Shelby can see something he didn't see much with the Dodgers. It is the sky, against the backdrop of the Sandia Mountains, dwarfing Albuquerque Sports Stadium. Here, the players on the triple-A Dukes can see farther than they will ever be able to hit or throw. The open spaces are just what Shelby has been looking for.

The Dodgers signed Mickey Hatcher to a coaching contract Wednesday with their triple-A club in Albuquerque, N.M. Hatcher, 36, was waived March 24 after a 12-year major league career. He had hopes of signing somewhere as a pinch-hitter, but his Dodger contract stipulates he is a non-playing coach. He will join the Dukes Monday in Tucson.

Spring has sprung its share of heartache and bitterness for Mariano Duncan. For the last three seasons, one could find Duncan playing shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers, either awing people with his speed or perplexing them with his propensity to bobble grounders. Regardless, he was young, talented and loaded with potential.

In the eyes of the Albuquerque Dukes, fan and media criticism of that once-revered Class AAA Pacific Coast League team is no more than an exercise in itchy-finger pointing. With the parent Los Angeles Dodgers struggling, people are calling sports-talk shows, searching for answers, and some are focusing on the Dukes, suggesting that the club's primary farm club is not doing its job. According to Duke manager Terry Collins, that's a spin-the-bottle game of accusations.

The Dodgers' player development system received another blow Wednesday when Manager Kevin Kennedy resigned because he was not going to be reassigned to triple-A Albuquerque, sources said. Kennedy, who was named minor league manager of the year in 1990 by Baseball America, had completed his fourth season at Albuquerque. He was reportedly at odds with farm director Charlie Blaney because Kennedy wanted to develop players while Blaney emphasized winning.

It is the only piece of artwork on the walls of Bill Russell's tiny office, which is otherwise dominated by a 30-year-old flowered couch that could collapse at any minute. The painting is of a cowboy with gaunt, grizzled cheeks and a hardened stare. Underneath him is this sentence: "There was a helluva lot of things they didn't tell me when I hired on with this outfit." After his first six weeks as manager of the triple-A Albuquerque Dukes, Russell has memorized those words.

The Dodgers' player development system received another blow Wednesday when Manager Kevin Kennedy resigned because he was not going to be reassigned to triple-A Albuquerque, sources said. Kennedy, who was named minor league manager of the year in 1990 by Baseball America, had completed his fourth season at Albuquerque. He was reportedly at odds with farm director Charlie Blaney because Kennedy wanted to develop players while Blaney emphasized winning.

The Dodgers signed Mickey Hatcher to a coaching contract Wednesday with their triple-A club in Albuquerque, N.M. Hatcher, 36, was waived March 24 after a 12-year major league career. He had hopes of signing somewhere as a pinch-hitter, but his Dodger contract stipulates he is a non-playing coach. He will join the Dukes Monday in Tucson.

From home plate here, above the 35 advertisements tacked to the outfield fence, John Shelby can see something he didn't see much with the Dodgers. It is the sky, against the backdrop of the Sandia Mountains, dwarfing Albuquerque Sports Stadium. Here, the players on the triple-A Dukes can see farther than they will ever be able to hit or throw. The open spaces are just what Shelby has been looking for.

Spring has sprung its share of heartache and bitterness for Mariano Duncan. For the last three seasons, one could find Duncan playing shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers, either awing people with his speed or perplexing them with his propensity to bobble grounders. Regardless, he was young, talented and loaded with potential.

The Dodgers promoted Rick Dempsey from their Class-A Bakersfield club to manage triple-A Albuquerque, replacing Bill Russell, who has joined the Dodgers as a bench coach. Former Dodger John Shelby was hired to manage Bakersfield; Tom Beyers will manage double-A San Antonio, Jon Debus at Class-A Vero Beach and Joe Vavra at Yakima, a rookie club.

The Dodgers, who a year ago asked Todd Worrell whether he wanted to be traded, Thursday signed the all-star closer for the 1996 season. Worrell signed a one-year contract for $4 million with an option for 1997 for $3.75 million or a $400,000 buyout. "We wanted to make sure that Todd stayed with us," said Fred Claire, executive vice president. "He's certainly on top of his game." Worrell, 36, saved a franchise-record 32 games in 36 opportunities and had a 4-1 record and a 2.02 earned-run average.

Terry Collins, manager of the Dodgers' Albuquerque farm team in the Pacific Coast League, was selected minor league manager of the year by The Sporting News. Collins, 38, led the Dukes to an overall record of 77-65. They swept a three-game series from Las Vegas for the Southern Division championship and defeated Calgary, three games to one, for the PCL pennant.

In the eyes of the Albuquerque Dukes, fan and media criticism of that once-revered Class AAA Pacific Coast League team is no more than an exercise in itchy-finger pointing. With the parent Los Angeles Dodgers struggling, people are calling sports-talk shows, searching for answers, and some are focusing on the Dukes, suggesting that the club's primary farm club is not doing its job. According to Duke manager Terry Collins, that's a spin-the-bottle game of accusations.