Steve Buechele

Steve Buechele, Texas Ranger third baseman, was enjoying his first breakfast in the Dallas suburb he hopes to call his summertime home. The 23-year-old Fullerton resident had polished off a Texan-sized order of steak, eggs and wheat toast, with a cinnamon roll on the side. Now it was time to digest both newspapers--or at least the pertinent matters in each sports section. In the first paper, he came across a column about him, and read aloud: Steve Buechele is in a hard spot.

Tabbing Steve Buechele as one of the National League's best third basemen, in a class with Florida's Gary Sheffield, San Francisco's Matt Williams and Atlanta's Terry Pendleton, would be a reach. But Steve Buechele, journeyman? Get outta here! This is one of the game's best defensive infielders, a guy who has prospered in relative obscurity (Texas) and toiled in the shadows of some of the game's biggest names (Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, Andy Van Slyke).

The Pittsburgh Pirates offered salary arbitration to free agents Steve Buechele and Mike LaValliere, allowing them to continue negotiations through Jan. 8. Teams can't negotiate with their free agents beyond Saturday without offering arbitration.

The Pittsburgh Pirates offered salary arbitration to free agents Steve Buechele and Mike LaValliere, allowing them to continue negotiations through Jan. 8. Teams can't negotiate with their free agents beyond Saturday without offering arbitration.

The Pirates, hoping to solidify their infield for the postseason, acquired Texas third baseman Steve Buechele in a three-player trade for minor league pitcher Kurt Miller and a player to be named. Buechele was to become a free agent after the season. The Pirates have been playing rookie John Wehner, batting .340 and fielding well, at third base but wanted to add a veteran.

Texas Rangers third baseman Steve Buechele was suspended for three days for his part in a melee Aug. 17 with the Chicago White Sox at Arlington Stadium. Buechele charged the mound, prompting both benches to clear, after he was hit by a pitch from Greg Hibbard. Buechele was ejected from the game and missed four of the next five games with a back injury and a sore left rib cage. Rangers General Manager Tom Grieve said the American League office informed the team of the suspension Thursday night.

Texas Ranger third baseman Steve Buechele was suspended for three days for his part in a melee Aug. 17 during a game against the Chicago White Sox at Arlington Stadium. Buechele charged the mound, prompting both benches to clear, after he was hit by a pitch from Greg Hibbard. Buechele was ejected and missed four of the next five games because of a back injury and a sore left rib cage.

The Pittsburgh Pirates can afford to be patient. They can wait longer for a new player to produce than other teams not so fortunate. Such is the case of third baseman Steve Buechele. After losing two third basemen, Jeff King and John Wehner because of injuries, the Pirates obtained Buechele from the Texas Rangers last month. After 10 games Buechele, who had been hitting .267 at Texas, was batting .170. All was forgiven Friday night at Philadelphia.

Steve Buechele is a good old boy with a passion for country music. His buddies call him "Boo." On a drizzly Thursday night beside three Pennsylvania rivers, while his world did not exactly come undone, Boo did go home as blue as a country tune, having left the largest audience in the history of Pittsburgh baseball with his nickname on their lips.

The Pittsburgh Pirates can afford to be patient. They can wait longer for a new player to produce than other teams not so fortunate. Such is the case of third baseman Steve Buechele. After losing two third basemen, Jeff King and John Wehner because of injuries, the Pirates obtained Buechele from the Texas Rangers last month. After 10 games Buechele, who had been hitting .267 at Texas, was batting .170. All was forgiven Friday night at Philadelphia.

The Pirates, hoping to solidify their infield for the postseason, acquired Texas third baseman Steve Buechele in a three-player trade for minor league pitcher Kurt Miller and a player to be named. Buechele was to become a free agent after the season. The Pirates have been playing rookie John Wehner, batting .340 and fielding well, at third base but wanted to add a veteran.

Texas Ranger third baseman Steve Buechele was suspended for three days for his part in a melee Aug. 17 during a game against the Chicago White Sox at Arlington Stadium. Buechele charged the mound, prompting both benches to clear, after he was hit by a pitch from Greg Hibbard. Buechele was ejected and missed four of the next five games because of a back injury and a sore left rib cage.

Texas Rangers third baseman Steve Buechele was suspended for three days for his part in a melee Aug. 17 with the Chicago White Sox at Arlington Stadium. Buechele charged the mound, prompting both benches to clear, after he was hit by a pitch from Greg Hibbard. Buechele was ejected from the game and missed four of the next five games with a back injury and a sore left rib cage. Rangers General Manager Tom Grieve said the American League office informed the team of the suspension Thursday night.

Let me just say this: If someone had just told us, if someone had just taken the time to say, "Kids, this guy you'll be hitting against today is Mike Witt. He will someday pitch a perfect game in the major leagues. He knows what he's doing when he throws a curveball. He won't hurt you," everything would have been fine. Our front legs would have remained attached to our bodies. But, as is many times the case in our society, the children were the last to know, and we were made to pay the price for our ignorance.

Tabbing Steve Buechele as one of the National League's best third basemen, in a class with Florida's Gary Sheffield, San Francisco's Matt Williams and Atlanta's Terry Pendleton, would be a reach. But Steve Buechele, journeyman? Get outta here! This is one of the game's best defensive infielders, a guy who has prospered in relative obscurity (Texas) and toiled in the shadows of some of the game's biggest names (Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, Andy Van Slyke).

For almost two weeks the Texas Rangers had been suffering through a power outage. During that 10-game span they had not hit a home run. Steve Buechele might have killed for a streak of only that length. What punch there was in Buechele's bat had vanished. He had not hit a homer since May 20, a streak covering 41 games. Ten games? Big deal.

Let me just say this: If someone had just told us, if someone had just taken the time to say, "Kids, this guy you'll be hitting against today is Mike Witt. He will someday pitch a perfect game in the major leagues. He knows what he's doing when he throws a curveball. He won't hurt you," everything would have been fine. Our front legs would have remained attached to our bodies. But, as is many times the case in our society, the children were the last to know, and we were made to pay the price for our ignorance.