Piazza, Belle only AP all-star team repeaters

Wednesday, Oct. 30, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

John Wetteland and Andy Pettitte once again are part of a winning team.

Wetteland and Pettitte, who helped pitch the New York Yankees to the World Series championship, were part of The Associated Press major league all-star team announced Tuesday.

Wetteland, the World Series MVP, was chosen as the reliever for the combined team and Pettitte, the AL win leader with 21, was picked as the left-handed starter.

Los Angeles catcher Mike Piazza, selected for the fourth straight season, and Cleveland outfielder Albert Belle were the only players to repeat from 1995.

Alex Rodriguez, who led the majors in hitting at .358 in his first full season, won selection by the widest margin. In voting by a nationwide panel of 175 sports writers and broadcasters, 151 chose the 21-year Seattle shortstop.

"This whole year has been a learning experience," Rodriguez said this week. "There are still a lot of areas in which I think I can improve."

The closest vote was at second base, where Chuck Knoblauch of Minnesota beat out Roberto Alomar of Baltimore, 76-75. In another close race, Juan Gonzalez of Texas finished ahead of Ellis Burks of Colorado 75-73 for the third outfield spot.

The American League dominated the voting, which was completed before the playoffs began. Piazza, San Diego third baseman Ken Caminiti and right-handed starter John Smoltz of Atlanta were the only NL players selected.

Paul Molitor was chosen for the fourth time in 10 seasons as the designated hitter.

The AP manager of the year will be announced later today. The AP player of the year will be named on Thursday.

* MARINERS GET FESSARO: After Moises Alou and Mel Rojas filed for free agency, Montreal lost another top player when it dealt Jeff Fassero to the Seattle Mariners as part of a five-player trade. Seattle made the deal Tuesday after agreeing to a $13.5 million, three-year contract with Fassero, 15-11 last season with a 3.30 ERA. The Mariners, who also received reliever Alex Pacheco, sent Montreal pitchers Matt Wagner and Trey Moore and catcher Chris Widger. Fassero, 33, has a 58-48 career record and was NL pitcher of the month in June and July.

* FRANCONA SNUBS RED SOX: Terry Francona worried about turning down an interview for the vacant Boston Red Sox manager's job while he was still under consideration for the same post with the Philadelphia Phillies. "I might have talked myself right back into the third base job in Detroit with this, but it just felt like the right thing to do," Francona told the Philadelphia Inquirer after declining to meet with the Red Sox. Francona, 37, won't have to worry about returning to his old job as third-base coach for the woeful Tigers next season. Instead, he will manage the Phillies, who don't figure to be a whole lot better. Although Thomas refused to confirm it Tuesday night, sources told The Associated Press that Francona would be named the Phillies' new manager today.

* RIPKEN FOR ZEILE: The Baltimore Orioles plan to move shortstop Cal Ripken to third base next season, according to the team's current third baseman, Todd Zeile. Zeile said general manager Pat Gillick told him the club was leaning against bringing Zeile back next season so it can make room for Ripken at third. Gillick said earlier this week that moving Ripken is a possibility. Ripken has played almost his entire 15-year career at shortstop.

* HOFFMAN ABLUQUERQUE MANAGER: Glenn Hoffman, who admits he wants to manage or coach in the major leagues, will get some upper-level minor league grooming next year as manager of the Albuquerque Dukes. The former major league infielder was named Tuesday to head the AAA farm team of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He succeeds Phil Regan, the team's 1996 manager who is returning to his former job of major league special assignment and advance scout for the Dodgers. Hoffman, 38, played from 1980 through most of 1987 with the Boston Red Sox. He was traded to the Dodgers in August of 1987 and finished his major league career with the California Angels in 1988. In 1990, Hoffman was a player-coach with the Dukes.

* CUBANS BANNED: Three Cuban baseball players -- including two highly regarded amateurs -- were suspended for life by their country's sports authority Tuesday and a Cuban-American was arrested on charges of trying to help players defect. Banned were shortstop German Mesa, pitcher Orlando "Duke" Hernandez and catcher Alberto Hernandez. They were accused of putting at least one agent in contact with players he wanted to lure from the island. All three players were on Cuba's world championship national team. Mesa is a national idol in Cuba. He and Alberto Hernandez were among the top players on the world's best amateur team and considered potential big leaguers. Orlando Hernandez is the brother of Florida Marlins pitcher Livan Hernandez, who defected from Cuba in 1995.

* LOW RATINGS: While the World Series gave Fox record ratings for the network, it sank to near-record lows for baseball. The New York Yankees' six-game victory over the Atlanta Braves received a 17.4 rating and 29 share on Fox, Nielsen Media Research said Tuesday. The rating -- the percentage of television households watching a program -- was the third lowest, above only Oakland's earthquake-delayed Series sweep of San Francisco in 1989 (16.4) and Toronto's six-game victory over Philadelphia in 1993 (17.3). This year's rating was 11 percent below the 19.5 for last year's Series between Atlanta and Cleveland.