Sadaharu Oh

IT is four hours before the night's first pitch will be thrown and Sadaharu Oh is already in his temple, standing behind the batting cage simulating a hitter's swing, talking religion. Oh's house of worship is a ballpark -- any ballpark will do, but in this case it's the Fukuoka Dome in southern Japan where he is manager of the Softbank Hawks -- and his temporal faith follows the scripture on hitting a baseball.

IT is four hours before the night's first pitch will be thrown and Sadaharu Oh is already in his temple, standing behind the batting cage simulating a hitter's swing, talking religion. Oh's house of worship is a ballpark -- any ballpark will do, but in this case it's the Fukuoka Dome in southern Japan where he is manager of the Softbank Hawks -- and his temporal faith follows the scripture on hitting a baseball.

I am warming up at Rancho Park's driving range in July 2002 when the old instructor approaches. He is wearing a beige Gilligan's hat pulled down to his eyebrows and quietly observes me hitting balls off a faded green mat. "When did you start playing?" he asks. As a teenager, I reply. "How often do you practice?" Not enough. "What is your occupation?" Investigative reporter. He pauses a moment, then gently inquires, "Do you know Frank Deford?" Of course. "Are you familiar with his work?"

Sadaharu Oh, the Japanese home run champion, resigned as manager of the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants, who are in third place in Japan's Central League, 9 games behind the Chunichi Dragons. Oh, 48, said he felt responsible for his team's failure to win the league's championship.

Bob Horner hit three home runs Wednesday night to power the Yakult Swallows of the Central League to a 6-3 victory over the Hanshin Tigers. The 29-year-old former Atlanta Brave has hit four homers in his first two games with the Swallows. The season record in Japan is 55, held by current Yomiuri Giants Manager Sadaharu Oh. "I'm not in perfect condition yet, and I've just tried to hit the ball," Horner said. Estimated crowds of 45,000 and 52,000 have attended Horner's first two games.

Alex Cabrera hit his 55th home run Wednesday, tying the Japanese record set by Sadaharu Oh in 1964 and matched by Tuffy Rhodes last year. Cabrera, formerly of the Arizona Diamondbacks, hit a solo homer in the eighth inning of the Seibu Lions' 4-1 loss to the Kintetsu Buffaloes. He tied the record in the 135th game of the 140-game season. "I feel so happy," Cabrera said. "I'll try for the record, and I'll break it for all fans."

Tuffy Rhodes, a former major league outfielder, hit his 55th home run to tie the Japanese Baseball League's single-season mark set by Sadaharu Oh in 1964. Rhodes, in his sixth season with the Osaka/Kintetsu Buffaloes, has five games remaining in the 140-game regular season to break the record. The last time a foreign player approached Oh's record was in 1985, when Randy Bass hit 54 homers for the Hanshin Tigers.

Ten things that are certain to happen in 1992: 1. Wally Joyner will have his usual sub-par second half, but will blame it on the painful artificial turf in Kansas City. 2. Chris Gwynn will outhit his brother, but will credit it to the kind artificial turf in Kansas City. 3. Marcus Allen will make the same salary as in 1991. 4. Tom Webster will bring back the Gretzky-Kurri-Sandstrom line in the playoffs, popularizing the phrase, "The Great Line and pray for nine." 5. The USC sports information department will spend thousands to promote Deon Strother as the next great star at Tailback U., then Larry Smith will bench him. 6. Jerry Gray will leave the Rams via Plan B and become an all-pro safety.

While still focused on the acquisition of Richie Sexson or Derrek Lee to play first base in 2004, the Dodgers are weighing the possibility of signing Korean free agent Seung-Yeop Lee as insurance at the position, a club official said after Lee and his wife, along with agent John Kim, met with General Manager Dan Evans and other club officials Friday at Dodger Stadium.