George Foster

If baseball gave an award for optimist of the year, George Foster surely would be a leading candidate. Said Foster, 37, after hitting a homer for the Chicago White Sox Friday: "I'm only 53 home runs away from 400. From then on, the goal will be 500." Told that it might take some time considering his age, he said, "I can average 30 home runs for the next five years."

George Foster, the last National League player to hit more than 50 home runs in a season and a former most valuable player, has joined the coaching staff at Fairfield as hitting instructor.

In an era when it is often hard to tell the good guys from the bad, baseball slugger George Foster straddled the line in the eyes of the fans and media. Foster fell out of favor, to the point of vilification, after he was traded from the Cincinnati Reds, where he had his glory days, to the New York Mets and came under the microscope of the New York City media. But the man who hit 348 career home runs says the Big Apple never saw the real George Foster and never knew the man behind the bat.

In an era when it is often hard to tell the good guys from the bad, baseball slugger George Foster straddled the line in the eyes of the fans and media. Foster fell out of favor, to the point of vilification, after he was traded from the Cincinnati Reds, where he had his glory days, to the New York Mets and came under the microscope of the New York City media. But the man who hit 348 career home runs says the Big Apple never saw the real George Foster and never knew the man behind the bat.

George Foster, the last National League player to hit more than 50 home runs in a season and a former most valuable player, has joined the coaching staff at Fairfield as hitting instructor.

The New York Mets will ask waivers on George Foster today for the purpose of giving the outfielder his unconditional release, the team announced Wednesday. Foster, 37, who has hit 347 home runs in his career, was batting only .228 this season and had recently lost his starting left-field position to rookie Kevin Mitchell. Earlier, Foster said he thought his benching was racially motivated.

Met Manager Davey Johnson has to wonder why George Foster has started to hit home runs. He's not going to ask too many questions, though. The 37-year-old Foster hit two home runs, giving him nine for the season, and drove in four runs as the New York Mets routed the San Diego Padres, 11-2, Monday night at New York. Dwight Gooden pitched a four-hitter, and Danny Heep also homered for the Mets, who had lost two in a row. Heep scored three runs and drove in three.

Now, at 37 and in his 17th major league season, George Foster plays some, sits some and works toward recapturing the consistency of his younger years, confident it is still possible. The New York Mets' diplomatic posture is that they share Foster's confidence. The truth seems to be that they no longer know what to expect other than that Foster can be expected at the bank twice a month. He is guaranteed $1.8 million this year, $1.

It will be interesting to see what sort of stink George Foster raises about the Chicago White Sox if they do not invite him back for next season. Maybe he will complain to the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Maybe he will wonder if the team should consider changing its name. When Foster and the New York Mets parted company earlier this month, the outfielder questioned the club's ulterior motives, intimating that the Mets were more interested in headlining white ballplayers than black ones.

If baseball gave an award for optimist of the year, George Foster surely would be a leading candidate. Said Foster, 37, after hitting a homer for the Chicago White Sox Friday: "I'm only 53 home runs away from 400. From then on, the goal will be 500." Told that it might take some time considering his age, he said, "I can average 30 home runs for the next five years."

The New York Mets will ask waivers on George Foster today for the purpose of giving the outfielder his unconditional release, the team announced Wednesday. Foster, 37, who has hit 347 home runs in his career, was batting only .228 this season and had recently lost his starting left-field position to rookie Kevin Mitchell. Earlier, Foster said he thought his benching was racially motivated.

Met Manager Davey Johnson has to wonder why George Foster has started to hit home runs. He's not going to ask too many questions, though. The 37-year-old Foster hit two home runs, giving him nine for the season, and drove in four runs as the New York Mets routed the San Diego Padres, 11-2, Monday night at New York. Dwight Gooden pitched a four-hitter, and Danny Heep also homered for the Mets, who had lost two in a row. Heep scored three runs and drove in three.

It will be interesting to see what sort of stink George Foster raises about the Chicago White Sox if they do not invite him back for next season. Maybe he will complain to the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Maybe he will wonder if the team should consider changing its name. When Foster and the New York Mets parted company earlier this month, the outfielder questioned the club's ulterior motives, intimating that the Mets were more interested in headlining white ballplayers than black ones.

Now, at 37 and in his 17th major league season, George Foster plays some, sits some and works toward recapturing the consistency of his younger years, confident it is still possible. The New York Mets' diplomatic posture is that they share Foster's confidence. The truth seems to be that they no longer know what to expect other than that Foster can be expected at the bank twice a month. He is guaranteed $1.8 million this year, $1.