World Series Notebook : Herzog’s Criticism of Umpires May Be Costly

It’s anticipated that St. Louis Manager Whitey Herzog will be fined for his Saturday night criticism of the three American League umpires.

“Any response would have to come from the commissioner,” Dick Butler, the AL’s supervisor of umpires said before Sunday night’s game. “But knowing how he (Peter Ueberroth) reacts, I suspect he’ll take some action when the Series is over.”

Managerial Update:

--Toronto may file a tampering charge against Atlanta, admitting that the Braves asked permission to talk to Manager Bobby Cox regarding their general manager’s position but then did not ask permission to hire him. Atlanta officials say there is no difference. The Blue Jays, claiming Cox was forced to breach a contract that extended to Dec. 31, want two players as compensation.

--The Houston Astros are reportedly leaning toward either Jim Leyland, the third base coach of the White Sox, or Hal Lanier, his counterpart with St. Louis, as their next manager.

--Jim Fregosi, now managing in the Venezuelan Winter League, and Joe Torre, the former Mets and Braves manager who served as an analyst on Angel telecasts last year, have been interviewed for the Pittsburgh vacancy. Blake Cullen, public relations director of the National League, is said to be the front-runner for the GM vacancy.

--The decision by Tony LaRussa to remain as the White Sox manager, accepting a one-year contract, has not alleviated concern over his relationship with new General Manager Ken Harrelson, who will be more involved in the field operations than his predecessor, Roland Hemond. Harrelson, for instance, has already informed LaRussa that he will have two pitching coaches--one for starting pitchers and one for relief pitches.

“Harrelson and I are going to butt heads on things, there’s no way around it,” LaRussa told the Chicago Tribune. “But as long as I remember that his job is to put people in uniform, and as long as he remembers my job is to decide where the people should play and how, then we can have a successful relationship, though I still have some reservations.”

Did the Kansas City Royals pitching shut down St. Louis, or did the Cardinal offense self-destruct?

Royal Manager Dick Howser proclaimed his staff, which compiled an earned-run average of 1.89 during the Series, as the best in baseball.

“Thirteen runs in seven games--they (the Royal pitchers) really aren’t that good or they would have won more than 91 games,” Cardinal Manager Whitey Herzog said.

“We couldn’t hit anybody, and I know my players can hit.”

Ozzie Smith, most valuable player of the National League playoffs with a .435 average, batted .087 in the Series. Tommy Herr, who had driven in 110 runs during the regular season, did not have a single RBI in the World Series. He batted .154.

Jack Clark, whose ninth-inning home run eliminated the Dodgers from the National League playoffs, did not hit a home run in the World Series. He batted .240, and his only extra-base hits were two doubles.

Cesar Cedeno hit .133, as did Darrell Porter. Andy Van Slyke checked in at .091. Willie McGee, the league’s leading hitter, batted .259.

“We didn’t get into our game,” Herzog said. “I don’t think anybody in the world got to see the Cardinals.”

And they didn’t see the Cardinals, Herzog said, because they didn’t see base-stealer Vince Coleman, the man felled by the killer tarp before Game 4 of the NL playoffs.

The Braves’ Ted Turner has again infuriated his fellow owners. He did it by signing third baseman Ken Oberkfell, who drove in 35 runs last year, to a three-year, $4-million contract, then signed catcher Bruce Benedict, who had all of five extra-base hits last year, to a three-year, $1.8-million contract.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Todd Blackledge, intercepted six times by the Rams last Sunday and once by Denver Sunday, was picked off again before Game 7. Blackledge was at the batting cage with a credential issued to “Good Morning America” but in a name other than Blackledge’s. American League public relations director Phyllis Merhige took it from him and told him he would have to leave. The quarterback obliged.

President Reagan telephoned his congratulations to the Kansas City Royals minutes after their World Series victory Sunday night, saying he “just couldn’t resist making a call to say how great everybody played.”

“The proof is in the pudding and it must be pretty sweet tasting for you tonight,” Reagan told winning pitcher Bret Saberhagen, the Series’ Most Valuable Player.

Reagan, who customarily phones winning World Series and Super Bowl teams, said that while many talked of a possible Subway Series, “you and the Cardinals had a different transportation plan, an I-70 Series.”

The president applauded the team for coming back in the best-of-seven Series after being down 3 games to 1 to the cross-state rival St. Louis Cardinals.

“It was a big win for us and thank you for calling,” said Royals’ Manager Dick Howser, trying to speak above the locker room celebration.

In addition to Howser and Saberhagen, Reagan congratulated third baseman George Brett, who was 4 for 5 in Game 7, and Royals’ co-owner Ewing Kaufmann, who jokingly offered to help the president with the federal budget.

Said Reagan: “After that ball game, you can be on my team to handle the budget.”