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Friday, October 20, 2000
Agbayani fifth Benny Agbayani is glad his New York Mets are playing the cross-town Yankees in the World Series, rather than the cross-continent Seattle Mariners.
in a Series
Braggs, Fernandez,
Lum and Sakata were all on
Fall Classic winning teamsBy Dave Reardon
Star-BulletinAnd it has nothing to do with a shot at Big Apple bragging rights. It's just that he's had enough of airplanes and hotels.
"I get to sleep in my own bed," Agbayani said. "I've been traveling for seven months and it's very tiring."
Tomorrow, the Mets' starting leftfielder from Aiea who went to St. Louis School and Hawaii Pacific University becomes the fifth player with Hawaii high school or college ties to play in a World Series.
The others are Sid Fernandez, Lenn Sakata, Mike Lum and Glenn Braggs.
HAWAII PLAYERS
IN THE WORLD SERIESGlenn Braggs (University of Hawaii), 1990 Reds: 2 games, 5 at-bats, 1 hit, .200 batting average.
"I'm pretty excited, and I'm pretty busy. There have been lots of distractions," Agbayani said.
There's no rest in the big city. He's appeared on "Live with Regis" and Howard Stern's radio show since the Mets completed their victory over the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series on Sunday.
Agbayani also has had time to tend to a tight hamstring muscle that bothers him occasionally.
"It's OK now, but it acts up a little bit now and then because of the cold weather," he said.
Agbayani, who hit safely in all nine of the Mets' playoff games, said his team is peaking at just the right time.
"Right now we're playing great. We struggled a bit early in the season, but we've hung together and stayed focused," Agbayani said. "We've executed in the clutch at the plate. We've had good pitching and defense. When you have those things going for you, you shouldn't lose."
He said he thinks the Mets will win in five or six games.
"Seven games would be very stressful," he said.
That's how many it took for the last Mets team in the Series to win it, in 1986.
And another Hawaii product, also wearing No. 50 in honor of his home state, was a key performer.
Keeping his team in it
Agbayani was a ninth-grader at St. Louis when Kaiser High School graduate Sid Fernandez pitched 2-1/3 innings of hitless relief so the Mets could come from behind to win Game Seven.Most fans remember that Series for the infamous error by Boston's Bill Buckner, but at least one youngster was impressed by something else.
"I remember watching the highlights, and seeing Sid in the parade. It amazed me to see that. It made me think that I could do that someday," Agbayani said.
Fernandez, who retired in 1997 and lives in Hawaii, said he will watch this Series closely, for obvious reasons.
"I always pay close attention to the World Series, but especially this year, since the team I played for is in it," Fernandez said."Now Benny gets to feel that feeling I felt. Not everyone gets that chance. You don't think about it at the time, but when all is said and done, you realize how special it was to have that chance."
Fernandez said the Mets will win because of their team chemistry.
"We had more power. But I think these Mets have a good team that plays well together," he said. "The names don't mean anything. In 1990 we were the best team on paper but came in last place."
Fernandez said he still backs the Mets, even though his former teammate from 1986, Dwight Gooden, is now on the Yankees.
"Every Series I root for the National League team," he said. "Especially this year."
Watching and waiting
Kalani High graduate Lenn Sakata did not do much in the Baltimore Orioles' five-game 1983 World Series victory over the Philadelphia Phillies.But he helped get his team there.
Sakata played 60 games at second base for the Orioles that season and batted .254. But he is best known for the one game he played at catcher, in which he hit a home run to key a pennant-drive win.
It was a game that typified the Orioles, a team that got contributions from the entire roster."At that time, it was the team with the second best winning percentage nationally in all of professional sports," Sakata said. "We were very proud of that."
Sakata appeared in only one World Series game.
"I remember it being a short series and spending most of my time anxiously waiting to get into the game," said Sakata, who lives in Honolulu when not managing for the Giants' organization. "It was frustrating not playing, but when all was said and done it was a great team, and my fondest memories as a player come from those years with the Orioles."
Sakata, who played in the majors from 1977 to 1987, is considered a top contender for the University of Hawaii head baseball coaching job that opens up next year.
Like Fernandez, Sakata sees the Mets as the favorites to win the Series (even though he is a former Yankee).
"I don't think the Mets are the underdogs. The Yankees have not been as strong the past two years. I think the Mets are the favorites because they play well together," Sakata said.
"And I coached Benny in winter league."
