Columnist Dean Juipe: Knoblauch adds name to zany list

Dean Juipe

Wednesday, June 21, 2000 | 10:04 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or 259-4084.

What in the name of Steve Sax is happening to Chuck Knoblauch?

Maybe you've seen the film clips: Knoblauch, a major-league veteran with 10 years experience, is, once again, having a difficult time making a routine throw to first base. Being that he's only throwing it from the second baseman's position, it's not that far of a toss.

But Knoblauch is rifling the ball around the yard and has 13 throwing errors, including three that flew into the stands last Thursday and one last Saturday that plunked a woman in the face. While he didn't have an error Tuesday night in the New York Yankees' 3-0 win at Boston, he was ejected from the game for winging his helmet in protest after being called out in the sixth inning for interference.

It was his only "error" of the game, which had to come as some relief to the fans stationed behind first base who may have seen him as something of a potential menace.

He's also seeing fans holding placards designed as targets, trying to lure him into a wild throw.

But Knoblauch isn't laughing and just this week admitted he would seek psychological help for his affliction. His throwing also appears to be impacting his hitting, as he's at .280 with a mere three home runs and 10 RBIs after hitting .292 with 18 homers and 68 RBIs (in spite of a league-leading 26 errors) a year ago for the world champion Yankees.

Knoblauch is at least the fifth player since the 1970s to mysteriously acquire a throwing problem while in the midst of a major-league career. The unfortunate others include another second baseman, Sax, a pitcher, Steve Blass, and two catchers, Mike Ivie and Mackey Sasser.

Ominously for Knoblauch, each of his predecessors was virtually driven from the game by this malady.

Sax, who played for the Dodgers and the Yankees in the 1980s, was the best known of the group. While he remained a decent hitter, his throwing became so erratic that a teammate who was not a skilled fielder, Pedro Guerrero, once made this comment: "The first thing I think of when a ball is hit is 'I hope it's not to me.' Then I think, 'I hope it's not to Sax.' "

Blass was beset by control troubles near the end of his 10-year career with Pittsburgh and in 1974 tried psychotherapy, transcendental meditation and various mechanical experiments without finding relief. He retired a beaten man.

Ivie, a No. 1 draft pick in 1970, was "born to catch," according to former San Diego manager John McNamara. Yet shortly after reaching the majors Ivie had it written into his contract that he wouldn't have to catch, as his inability to find the pitcher on a return throw from behind the plate was both funny and sad. Fellow major leaguer Rick Monday once described Ivie as "a $40 million airport with a $30 control tower."

Likewise, Sasser, of the Mets, was also tormented by this curiosity and left baseball ridiculed and disheartened.

For Knoblauch, the fact that he isn't the first man with an inexplicable streak of wildness is hardly soothing. It has to be driving him crazy.

It also has fans reading the fine print on the back of their ticket stubs. As they say in boxing, "protect yourself at all times."