Gary Darling

The Major League Umpires Assn. and Cincinnati Manager Lou Piniella settled a libel suit filed last summer on behalf of National League umpire Gary Darling.

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ty Wigginton began serving his suspension Monday night after Major League Baseball agreed to shorten his ban from three games to two. Wigginton was suspended for his actions in the seventh inning of the Orioles' 5-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. The veteran got in the face of first base umpire Gary Darling , who ruled that Wigginton had missed a tag, allowing J.J. Hardy to get back to first safely and causing Wigginton to erupt.

Tom Kelly, manager of the Minnesota Twins, said he will start Jack Morris in Game 1 of the American League playoffs, followed by Kevin Tapani and Scott Erickson. Tapani and Morris will pitch Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, at Chicago and Erickson will face Toronto on Friday. Morris will open the playoffs on four days' rest, while Tapani and Erickson will rest six days before their starts in Games 2 and 3.

The Major League Umpires Assn. and Cincinnati Manager Lou Piniella settled a libel suit filed last summer on behalf of National League umpire Gary Darling.

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ty Wigginton began serving his suspension Monday night after Major League Baseball agreed to shorten his ban from three games to two. Wigginton was suspended for his actions in the seventh inning of the Orioles' 5-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Thursday. The veteran got in the face of first base umpire Gary Darling , who ruled that Wigginton had missed a tag, allowing J.J. Hardy to get back to first safely and causing Wigginton to erupt.

Dad was a ballplayer, first for the old San Francisco Seals, then for the Cleveland Indians. Young Eddie grew up in the Bay Area, idolizing the "Big Boppers"--notably Willie Mays and Willie McCovey. Edward Montague Sr., as a scout, had signed Mays to his first contract, "and the first time I met him in the locker room, I walked right past (movie star) Jeff Chandler, didn't even see him, and Willie give me one of his gloves, brand new." The connection was strong, loyal, all-forgiving.

Manager Lou Piniella accused umpire Gary Darling of bias against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. After Darling overruled first base umpire Dutch Rennert and called Bill Doran's fly ball foul rather than a home run Saturday night, Piniella threw his hat, kicked dirt on home plate and first base, and argued at length after being ejected. The Reds went on to lose to the San Francisco Giants. The Reds have been involved in several arguments this season with Darling, a fourth-year umpire.

A federal judge ordered major league baseball to rehire nine of the 22 umpires who lost their jobs after a failed mass resignation two years ago. U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle III upheld most of the decision made by an arbitrator in May and also left open the possibility that three other umpires could get their jobs back, ordering that their cases be reheard by a different arbitrator.

Pam Postema's bid to become major league baseball's first female umpire was officially put off for at least another year Monday when the National League named two men to fill its vacancies. "At this point, I would say the chances of her working in the big leagues this year would be slim," said Randy Mobley, administrator of the American Assn., where the 33-year-old Postema will serve as a crew chief this season.

Colorado Manager Buddy Bell left spring training Thursday to return to Denver for tests on his back and left leg. Bell had surgery on Dec. 11 to repair a disk problem and has experienced discomfort in his left leg since then. He has been unable to take part in some of his usual spring-training duties, such as hitting fungoes and throwing batting practice. Bell expects to rejoin the Rockies in Arizona for Sunday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers in Phoenix.

Tom Kelly, manager of the Minnesota Twins, said he will start Jack Morris in Game 1 of the American League playoffs, followed by Kevin Tapani and Scott Erickson. Tapani and Morris will pitch Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, at Chicago and Erickson will face Toronto on Friday. Morris will open the playoffs on four days' rest, while Tapani and Erickson will rest six days before their starts in Games 2 and 3.

Dad was a ballplayer, first for the old San Francisco Seals, then for the Cleveland Indians. Young Eddie grew up in the Bay Area, idolizing the "Big Boppers"--notably Willie Mays and Willie McCovey. Edward Montague Sr., as a scout, had signed Mays to his first contract, "and the first time I met him in the locker room, I walked right past (movie star) Jeff Chandler, didn't even see him, and Willie give me one of his gloves, brand new." The connection was strong, loyal, all-forgiving.