BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : Sabo Says He Was Unaware of Cork

Chris Sabo said he’s never knowingly used a corked bat in the big leagues, and he figures he has the stats to prove it.

“I’ve got two home runs and 10 RBIs; it’s sure not an endorsement of the cork industry,” the Reds’ third baseman said Tuesday, one day after his bat broke in a game against Houston and showered the field with pieces of cork.

Actually, he’s got three homers and 16 RBIs.

Sabo was ejected, and the bat is being sent to the National League office for president Len Coleman to determine Sabo’s punishment. The league office in New York said Tuesday it had not received the bat.

Spokesman Glenn Wilburn said there is no prescribed fine or term of suspension for a player found to be using a corked bat, and he did not know when NL president Len Coleman would rule.

Sabo declined to identify the player’s name on the bat, but said it was a former Reds player who was “pretty well known, but not like a Pete Rose.”

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A day before the trading deadline, playoff contenders Seattle, Montreal and Cincinnati tried to position themselves for the stretch Tuesday, with the Reds welcoming back slugger Kevin Mitchell. The Reds, four games behind St. Louis and Houston, got Mitchell from the Boston Red Sox for minor-league infielder Roberto Mejia and minor-league right-hander Brad Tweedlie. The Reds also sold Eric Anthony to Colorado. . . . Montreal and Seattle tried to bolster their rotations. The Expos, leading National League teams in the race for the wild card, acquired pitcher Mark Leiter from San Francisco for pitchers Tim Scott and Kirk Rueter. . . . The Mariners, trailing Texas by two games in the AL West, acquired left-hander Jamie Moyer from the Red Sox for outfielder Darren Bragg. . . .The White Sox activated first baseman Frank Thomas from the disabled list Tuesday. . . . The Common Council voted Tuesday to clear the way for a $15 million city loan to help the Milwaukee Brewers build a new retractable-roof stadium, which council members said was necessary to keep the team from abandoning Milwaukee. The 12-5 vote approved a half dozen major conditions for the loan, which the council is expected to formally approve later as part of the regular budget process. . . . Bill Jackowski, a NL umpire for 16 years, died Monday in Springfield Hospital at age 81. He was behind the plate in the seventh game of the 1960 World Series when Bill Mazeroski of Pittsburgh hit the series-winning home run against the Yankees. Thousands of fans mobbed the field, but Jackowski held his ground and made sure Mazeroski touched home plate.