[GrimmyDee]

When the league announced its new Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program in January, their main purpose was to eliminate the use of any and all illegal substances from the game of baseball - specifically marijuana. With the surprising approval of the Players Association, five random players from each team will give a urine sample for analyzing. If a positive result does occur, a ten game suspension would be given. Repeated offenses will result in larger suspensions and/or fines.

But according to former Rangers second baseman Len Randle, he is being used as a scapegoat by the league.

"I am being used as a martyr, plain and simple." an aggrivated Randle said during a press conference held today. "I think the league had it in for me from the time I got into with (Texas manager Frank) Lucchesi. The next day they said I failed a drug test for marijuana and that I am suspended for ten games. I bet 90% of the players on the field have smoked pot in the last week."

When questioned about the allegations, MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn chuckled.

"While we do take these accusations seriously, we made it a point back in January to all of the teams - not only in the major league level, but the minors as well - that there would be no tolerance for marijuana in baseball. Hell, we even put the word 'Joint' in the program name. I guess Mr. Randle was too busy getting high to read the memo. Over 250 players have been randomly tested since March, and Mr. Randle is the only one to deliver a positive test."

Whatever the case, Randle, now playing for the Rangers Triple-A club in Tuscon, is ready to blow the lid off what he calls 'a major conspiracy'.

"I was quiet, passive and Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes for a month now hoping this little issue would get resolved on its own." Randle continued. "There is no reason I should not be at the major league level right now."

"Len Randle is still in Triple-A because he's hitting .235 there." Manager Lucchesi says. "Yeah, I had issues with him during Spring Training, but that is water under the bridge - I'm a big boy, I don't hold grudges."

Since Randle's demotion however, the Rangers have acquired middle infielder Jimmy Sexton from Seattle.

And you can believe Randle is aware of it.

"Yeah I saw that. It just goes to show how I got singled out. If the league suspended all of the people they supposedly tested and failed, there wouldn't be much of a league."


American League News
Seattle scores two runs in the top of the ninth on back-to-back, two out, RBI singles by Bill Stein (.241, 13 RBI) and pinch hitter Tommy Helms (.167, 1 RBI) off of Bill Campbell (0-1, 1 BS, 1.93 ERA) to give the Mariners a win over Boston at Fenway Park. Seattle manages just four hits - two by Stein - but five Red Sox walks help those base hits count. Carl Yastrzemski (.397, 7 HR, 18 RBI) is showing to be a valid Triple Threat contender.

Backup catcher Buck Martinez (.600, 1 HR, 2 RBI) scores two runs and drives in two more on three hits to lead Kansas City to a win over the White Sox. Marty Pattin (3-2, 3.28 ERA) scatters seven hits and strikes out five in 7.2 innings. Amos Otis (.316, 11 RBI) and Bob Molinaro (.288, 6 RBI) each drive in a pair of runs in the win. With the win Kansas City moved within three games of the AL West lead.

American League Scores


National League News
Ken Forsch (3-1, 2.14 ERA) throws eight innings of five-hit baseball while striking out seven and Enos Cabell (.311) delivers three hits as Houston gets by the Cubs. Rick Reuschel (3-3, 3.89 ERA) goes the distance in the 2-1 loss, giving up nine hits and one earned run. Bob Watson (.298) knocks in his 20th run of the season for the go-ahead run in the sixth inning. Greg Gross of the Cubs is hitting just .133 (4-20) over the last eight games.

Led by three RBI from Bill Madlock (.322, 2 HR, 12 RBI) and two more on a double in the sixth inning from Rob Andrews (.315, 4 RBI), the Giants beat Montreal 8-3 to sweep the series, but lose starter Bob Knepper (5.03 ERA) in the process after the second inning to what team officials are calling a back strain. Larry Parrish (.241, 11 RBI) has two hits and drives in a pair in the loss.

National League Scores


Injuries

SP Bob Knepper (2-1, 5.03 ERA) is day-to-day for about 2 weeks with a strained back muscle. The schedule favors the Giants and they will go to a 4-man rotation until Knepper returns.

2B Steve Staggs (.231, 1 HR, 8 RBI) is day-to-day for about 1 week with a damaged meniscus. Staggs is a real man so look for him not to miss any games.

Short Season Single A Update
NYP All-Star Game

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E East/West 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 5 11 1 North/South 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 12 0 WP: Anthony O'Higgins (Chula Vista) LP: Tommy Campbell (Jamestown) SV: Chung Lou (Portland) POG: Keith Long (Virginia Beach) 2-4, R, 2 RBI, HR Attendance: 9,866 Morgan & Davenport (E/W) each have three hits in the loss. East/West All-Stars SP - Miguel Cuevas (4-0, 1.74 ERA) Oneonta SP - Billy Goodman (3-1, 1.70 ERA) Virginia Beach SP - Young-lau Tien (5-0, 3.04 ERA) St. Louis SP - Jorge Montanio (4-2, 2.55 ERA) Rockledge SP - Rafael Cisneros (3-0, 2.28 ERA) St. Louis CL - Gulussa Alami (1-0, 7 SV, 0.82 ERA) Virginia Beach CL - Matt Dalton (0-0, 9 SV, 3.12 ERA) St. Louis CL - Markus Ward (0-0, 8 SV, 1.04 ERA) Newark MR - Tommy Campbell (3-0, 1 SV, 2.25 ERA) Jamestown CL - Steven Garland (1-1, 6 SV, 2.25 ERA) Niagara Falls CL - John Crocker (0-1, 6 SV, 1.04 ERA) Orlando MR - Jeffrey Lewis (1-1, 1 SV, 3.10 ERA) Little Falls 2B - Michael Davenport (.376, 1 HR, 14 RBI) St. Louis SS - Milo Dyer (.362, 1 HR, 17 RBI) Orlando RF - Will Goff (.344, 4 HR, 18 RBI) Oneonta CF - Andres Rodriguez (.337, 2 HR, 19 RBI) St. Louis (LF) C - Ed Powell (.346, 1 HR, 22 RBI) Auburn LF - Carlos Castro (.330, 3 HR, 14 RBI) Batavia C - Carl LaPlante (.333, 1 HR, 15) Niagara Falls 3B - Donovan Morgan (.299, 2 HR, 17 RBI) Oneonta 1B - Jose Rios (.313, 3 HR, 16 RBI) Orlando SS - Keith Long (.376, 2 HR, 6 RBI) Virginia Beach SS - Tomas Rojas (.353, 1 HR, 14 RBI) Elmira (C) RF - Wibert Ackerman (.355, 1 HR, 18 RBI) Rockledge CF - Dexter Wolfe (.310, 1 HR, 14 RBI) Little Falls 2B - Phil Brandon (.444, 0 HR, 5 RBI) Elmira CF - Jon Norton (.421, 0 HR, 10 RBI) Orlando 1B - Koto Fujihara (.322, 1 HR, 15 RBI) Little Falls Denotes starting player

Not only does Jamestown get screwed out of multiple All-Stars, but our lone representative Tommy Campbell gives up a one-out, RBI double in the ninth inning to give the East/West All-Stars the lead and the win. I feel bad for Tommy as he did deserve the invite (among others) and its a shame his appearance had to go this way. Home Runs: E/W: Keith Long (Virginia Beach) N/S: None North/South All-Stars SP - Luis Martinez (4-2, 1.29 ERA) Victoriaville SP - Pedro Silva (3-0, 1.28 ERA) Paradise SP - Danny Anthony (5-1, 1.99 ERA) Victoriaville SP - Takiji Oike (5-1, 2.70 ERA) Walla Walla SP - Casey Morrison (4-0, 2.20 ERA) Grays Harbor CL - Luis Manuel Manuel (4-0, 7 SV, 1.69 ERA) Eugene CL - Fernando Maldonado (3-0, 2 SV, 0.00 ERA) Salem MR - Claudio Tamayo (0-0, 2 SV, 0.00 ERA) Bellingham MR - Chung Lou (0-0, 3 SV, 0.79 ERA) Portland CL - Anthony O'Higgins (0-1, 7 SV, 1.35 ERA) Chula Vista MR - Bill Ray (1-1, 3 SV, 2.61 ERA) Salem MR - Juan Lucero (0-1, 1 SV, 1.69 ERA) Paradise CF - Timothy Brady (.432, 4 HR, 23 RBI) Victoriaville RF - Michael Olson (.510, 0 HR, 12 RBI) Salem 1B - Albert Gutierrez (.343, 4 HR, 16 RBI) Grays Harbor 3B - Vicente Rodriguez (.351, 0 HR, 11 RBI) Teeswater LF - Pedro Rodriguez (.340, 2 HR, 16 RBI) Eugene 2B - Jose Lopez (.404, 1 HR, 14 RBI) Eugene C - Darrell Ryan (.298, 2 HR, 13 RBI) Bellingham C - Chad Mitchell (.303, 0 HR, 11 RBI) Eugene SS - Steve Willis (.300, 1 HR, 18 RBI) Paradise CF - Tony Madrid (.363, 2 HR, 9 RBI) Salem 1B - Ramon Garza (.327, 2 HR, 21 RBI) Portland (DH) 1B - Augusto Perez (.328, 2 HR, 26) Eugene LF - Kent Trent (.326, 1 HR, 20 RBI) Salem CF - Brian Taylor (.314, 1 HR, 12 RBI) Honolulu (RF) 1B - Shinobu Takeuchi (.341, 1 HR, 12 RBI) Bellingham CF - Stan MacCririe (.308, 1 HR, 10 RBI) Honolulu