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Thursday, July 16, 1998
Houston Astros' Bell and Everett quietly pursue
battling title
By CARLTON THOMPSON / Houston Chronicle
PHOENIX -- Derek Bell and Carl Everett say they're not thinking
about it.
Hitting instructor Tom McCraw said he wasn't even aware of
it.
They'd all love to see it happen, but it's early. Way early.
Nevertheless, the Houston Astros have two players in the thick
of the National League batting race, and it doesn't appear to
be a fluke.
Bell is hovering among the top five league's hitters in the
.330-plus neighborhood, and outfield mate Carl Everett is right
with him.
"To be honest with you, I don't get into that, and I really
don't want my hitters getting into it, either," McCraw said.
"The minute you start getting wrapped up in that, you tend
to put pressure on yourself. You go up to the plate thinking,
'OK, I need to do such-and-such to have this average.' I'd rather
the guys not even think about that."
So far, that doesn't seem to be a problem. If the production
of Bell and Everett is the result of pressure, every player should
succumb. Bell's average hasn't dipped below .311 at any point
during the season, and Everett hasn't been a sub-.300 hitter since
April 11. That's the type of consistency any hitter who contends
for the batting crown must exhibit.
"I know where I am in the race but only because I saw
it on ESPN the other day," Bell said. "All of that is
nice, but I'm really not worried about it. If I just concentrate
on being consistent, everything else will take care of itself.
"I might have thought about that kind of stuff earlier
in my career, but ever since (McCraw) came here, he's taught me
that you don't have to be hitting .330 to be happy. The main thing
is just doing whatever it's going to take to help us win.
"It would be nice to win the batting title, but I would
sacrifice that in a minute for a chance to help Craig Biggio and
Jeff Bagwell get past the first round of the playoffs and have
a chance to go to the World Series. That's what it's all about."
"Bell hit .334 in 1995 and finished fourth in the NL batting
race, although his season ended early because of an injury. But
this is new territory for Everett, who was a career .245 hitter
entering this season. His high-water mark is .260 in 79 games
for the Mets in 1995.
"If it happens, it happens," said Everett, who like
Bell is a native of Tampa, Fla. "I don't go to the plate
thinking about my batting average. Half the time, I don't even
know what it is until someone tells me. I've always thought of
myself as a good hitter. But whether I'm hitting .330 or .280,
none of it matters if I'm not helping the team, and I think I've
done that. I'm most proud of that, not my batting average."
Perhaps they're being modest, or maybe just realistic. But
the Tampa Twosome aren't giving themselves much of a chance to
win the NL batting crown. Both players predict eight-time batting
champion Tony Gwynn will be No. 1 at the end, although he has
slumped lately.
Everett believes the race will come down to Gwynn and New York's
John Olerud, while Bell's bet is Gwynn and Dante Bichette of the
Colorado Rockies.
"Don't get me wrong," Bell said. "It's not that
I don't have confidence in myself or Carl. But you've got to look
at some of the other factors involved. Tony Gwynn goes right down
to the wire every year, so why wouldn't he be there this year,
too?
"Playing half of his games at Coors Field definitely gives
Dante an advantage. He's going to get a lot of balls to drop in
for singles that might be outs in some other parks. The only chance
I have is to catch a hot streak and ride it all the way. I guess
that's possible, but I'm more concerned with being consistent
and doing the same things I've been doing all year."
If Bell and Everett can do just that, they might both have
a better chance at the batting title than they think.
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