Leskanic not big fan of cousin's music

The phone rang in Curtis Leskanic's hotel room in Los Angeles early one moring in 1994. He did not recognize the woman's voice on the other end of the line.

'Congratulations, I've been watching your career,' she said.

At the time, Leskanic was a reliever for the Colorado Rockies.

Leskanic, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, mumbled a thank you. Then, he asked who she was and why was she calling at 8:30 in the morning.

She said her name was Katrina Leskanich - Leskanic's cousin, who lived in a part of Illinois where his father was born. Leskanic's father later moved the family to Homestead and Leskanic graduated from Steel Valley High School.

That solved the mystery of who she was. But as for why she was calling ...

'She said she was putting on a concert that night, and if I wanted to come, she'd leave me a lot of tickets, some for my teammates, too,' Leskanic said. 'I said, 'Uh, OK.''

It turned out his cousin was the lead singer of the pop group Katrina and the Waves, which had a one-hit wonder in 1985 with the song 'Walking on Sunshine.'

Leskanic missed the concert. He's not exactly a huge fan of his cousin's music.

'I like that one song,' he said, grinning.

'We have a family reunion every summer, and my mom will send me clippings (from the family newsletter),' Leskanic said. 'And every year, the article says that there were two people who couldn't make it - Katrina and Curtis.'

HOLDING A GRUDGE

You would think Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden would be locks to make the New York Mets hall of fame. But it appears that the duo will be enshrined in Cooperstown, N.Y., long before they are honored in Flushing, N.Y.

The organization never has held a day at Shea Stadium to honor the 1986 team that won the World Series. Neither Strawberry nor Gooden, two of the heroes from that squad, is pictured in the media guide.

Insiders say owner Fred Wilpon holds a grudge against Straw and Doc for comments they made in a 1995 Sports Illustrated story. In the article, the two former Mets claimed the front office turned a blind eye to players who were abusing drugs and alcohol.

Last week, the Mets inducted Gary Carter - a good, but not great, member of Mets history - into their hall of fame. Gooden now works for the Yankees and claims he is not upset by the slight from his old club. And yet ...

'I think I belong in the (Mets') hall of fame,' Gooden said. 'Look at the numbers. It's me and (Tom) Seaver.'

Strawberry is the Mets' all-time leader in home runs, RBI and runs scored. Gooden is second to Tom Seaver in wins and is second in strikeouts.

Carter doesn't turn up on the Mets' all-time leader lists. But at least he's in their hall of fame.

SABERHAGEN'S SAD FINALE

Bret Saberhagen spent two years healing and getting back into playing shape. He made a solid debut for the Red Sox on July 27 but was hit hard in his next two outings.

He has not pitched since Aug. 7, when he left a game against Oakland with stiffness in his surgically reconstructed right shoulder. Later, Saberhagen sounded as if he's reached the end of the line.

'I'm kind of worn out and frustrated by my shoulder,' Saberhagen said. 'It's fun when I'm competing, but there's a lot of aches and pains and headaches and all of the mental crap. So, enough's enough.'

Saberhagen's 15-year-old son, Drew, was in Oakland for the game. Later, Drew made what he thought was an innocent request.

'My son said, 'Dad, I want to come out to wherever and see the last game you pitch,'' Saberhagen said. 'I had to tell him, 'You just might have.''

WHAT A COUNTRY

Even though Eric Davis no longer plays for the Cincinnati Reds, he maintains strong ties to the organization. He is a strong supporter of former teammate Pete Rose, who was booted from the game in disgrace more than a decade ago.

Davis does not believe that Rose should remain banned from baseball.

'Let it go,' Davis said. 'Put the guy in the Hall of Fame and move on. There are guys in the Hall of Fame who have done a whole lot of bad things.'

But what about the rules against betting on baseball•

'There are laws against murder,' Davis said. 'But you pay your debt to society. You do 25 years, or whatever you do, and you come out and get an opportunity to lead a productive life. To me, the Hall of Fame isn't bigger than life.

'In this country, they talk about second chances and forgiveness. That's what this country's all about.'

SHARING THE WEALTH

Alex Rodriguez struck it rich when he signed with the Texas Rangers. Now, with the team foundering in the cellar, he is willing to lend a hand to help turn things around.

The All-Star shortstop is willing to defer more of his $252 contract and give the Rangers some cash to sign free agents this season.

'If it's going to help the ballclub and help us build something special here, I'm all for it,' Rodriguez said. 'I don't want to be the reason why we don't win. The last thing I want to is handicap (general manager Doug Melvin) from getting an extra pitcher or player. I'm here for a long time, and I want to be a part of a winner.'

If that's all he wants, why doesn't A-Rod just buy out George Steinbrenner and own the Yankees•

YANKS FEUD WITH ESPN

It's tough at the top. Just ask Yankees manager Joe Torre.

The Yanks' game against the Red Sox on Sept. 2 has been rescheduled for an 8 p.m. start to accomodate ESPN's Sunday schedule. It's a hassle for Torre and his players, who play a 1 p.m. game the next day in Toronto.

'I'm afraid to say anything bad about ESPN because they may decide to have us play somewhere else, maybe three games a day,' Torre said. 'So, I've got to be careful.'

ESPN has chosen the Yankees four times this season for its Sunday night telecasts. The network likes the ratings that New York can draw. But the Yankees hate the travel and scheduling snafus that often result.

New York GM Brian Cashman complained about the situation to the commissioner's office, but to no avail.

HI, MOM!

Twins reliever Todd Jones recently took advantage of an ESPN telecast to deliver a message to his mom.

When the camera zoomed in on Jones as he strode to the mound, the word 'MOM' was visible on the front of his cap. It was a greeting to his mother, who was hospitalized after undergoing vertebrae-fusion surgery for a degenerative condition in her upper spine.

'She was watching the game, and I wanted her to know I was thinking about her,' Jones said. 'I don't normally do cheesy stuff like that, but I knew she would see it.'

Power Poll

1. Seattle MarinersMike Cameron struck out in 25 consecutive games, the longest whiff streak in the AL in a quarter-centry.

2. Arizona DiamondbacksWould Mike Defelice still be such a tough guy if he wasn't teammates with Randy Johnson, who can buzz opponents with 98 mph heat•

3. New York YankeesRoger Clemens is just the sixth pitcher since 1900 to open a season 16-1, and the first since Baltimore's Dave McNally in 1969.

4. Chicago CubsJohn Lieber is seven strikeouts shy of reaching 1,000 in his career. He has allowed zero walks in nine of 25 starts.

5. Houston AstrosCraig Biggio has 29 leadoff homers in his career, one shy of Bobby Bonds' NL record.

6. San Francisco GiantsOf the 18 homers to splash into McCovey Cove, 13 were hit by Barry Bonds. Tuesday, he launched the first grand slam ball into the water.

7. Oakland AthleticsJohnny Damon's resurgance at the plate (he's really utilizing his speed) makes A's the front-runner for wild-card berth.

8. Boston Red SoxThanks for keeping us in the race, Jimy, while Nomar, Pedro and everyone else was on the DL. Now, go away. You're fired.

9. Cleveland IndiansTribe is pulling away, but still does not have enough pitching in rotation or pen to go very far in postseason.

10. Philadelphia PhilliesAfter being publicly dissed by the GM, Scott Rolen went on 12-for-27 batting tear and was NL's Player of the Week.

11. St. Louis CardinalsPitcher Matt Morris is 11-2 at Busch Stadium this season.

12. Minnesota TwinsNow that RF Chad Allen is out for the season, trading away Matt Lawton really looks like most boneheaded deal of the year.

13. Atlanta BravesIt could be just a matter of time before manager Bobby Cox officially anoints John Smoltz as the new closer.

14. Chicago White SoxMagglio Ordonez has not gotten much hype, but he has carried this team offensively without much protection in the lineup.

15. Los Angeles DodgersTerry Mulholland celebrated 11th anniversary of his only no-hitter by tossing two scoreless innings Wendesday against Montreal.

16. Florida MarlinsThey have little patience at the plate and own second-lowest walk total in NL, but still can score in bunches.

17. San Diego PadresJunior Herndon, Adam Easton, Brian Lawrence and Brian Tollberg are a good nucleus of starting pitchers for the future.

18. Toronto Blue JaysSince being switched from reliever to starter, Kelvim Escobar is 2-1 with a 2.20 ERA.

19. New York MetsRey Ordonez's nonchalant play in the field tells me that he, and probably many of his mates, have given up on this season.

20. Anaheim AngelsCloser Troy Percival has been hit hard since All-Star break (0.84 ERA before, 7.43 after), but still is getting saves.

21. Montreal ExposPitcher Graeme Lloyd Lloyd recently got a postgame visit from actress Elizabeth Hurley. Ah, the life of a big-leaguer.

22. Texas RangersRick Helling has allowed 29 home runs, the highest total in the American League.

23. Milwaukee BrewersRichie Sexson notched the team's 1,000th strikeout Tuesday. The major-league record is 1,268.

24. Detroit TigersIf he is not fired over the winter, manager Phil Garner will not survive the 2002 season.

25. Cincinnati RedsRookie OF Adam Dunn has scored at least one run in 21 of his first 24 games.

26. Colorado RockiesHis pitching stats stink, but at least Mike Hampton is within two of the NL record of nine homers by a pitcher.

27. Baltimore OriolesCal Ripken Jr. did not hit his first homer at Camden Yards this season until the middle of last week.

28. Kansas City RoyalsMike Sweeney erased his wimpy image by charging mound, but paid the price by missing a week's worth of games with a sore wrist.

29. Pittsburgh Pirates Forget rumors about Bucs making a bid for free agent Barry Bonds. Kevin McClatchy is trying to reduce payroll for next season.

30. Tampa Bay Devil RaysThe 'For sale' is about to go up, but who would want to buy this hapless franchise?

Rob Biertempfel covers major league baseball for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.