From mound to green, Sid could putt on show

BY ANTHONY RIEBER | Newsday Staff Writer

August 17, 2006

Picture Sid Fernandez on a pitcher's mound. You can't help it, right? You see that body, that doughy frame, that ample backside. And that fastball that seemed to defy physics and rise as it came to the plate.

Now picture Sid Fernandez on a golf course. He might look exactly like a few of you, or your buddies. Now picture the golf ball, rising, but this is no illusion: Sid Fernandez is a pretty good golfer.

How good? Good enough to be a regular on the Celebrity Players Tour, good enough to finish tied for seventh in last month's Ahmad Rashad Classic at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn.

Playing with former Yankee Hank Bauer, Fernandez shot a 66 and a 70 in the two-day event for a 6-under-par total of 136. He was five shots behind the winning team of Rashad and former Met Vince Coleman.

When he's not meeting and greeting at the CPT's corporate events, Fernandez is home in his native Hawaii. He doesn't hear a lot about the 1986 Mets when he's tooling around Honolulu, but he did hear about it when he was in Connecticut, parts of which are pure Red Sox country.

"I got some boos up there," Fernandez, who went 16-6 with a 3.52 ERA in 1986, said recently in a telephone interview. "I wear my World Series ring often. It's something that I'm proud of. Whatever happens, that will always be with me, and I can always say I was a World Series champion."

Fernandez's contribution to the Mets' title is easy to overlook. In Game 7 of the World Series, he relieved an ineffective Ron Darling and threw 2 1/3 innings of shutout ball, giving the Mets time to come back from an early 3-0 deficit.

Today, lining up putts is as much pressure as Fernandez has to deal with. Back then, it was pitching in Game 7 of the World Series.

"I was nervous to start, warming up in the bullpen," he said. "I was nervous when I got to the mound, but for some reason, this calm came over me and a peace came over me. I really wasn't nervous when I was on the mound and pitching. It was weird."

KEVIN MITCHELL
1986 stats: .277, 12 HRs, 43 RBIs.

What he did then: As a rookie, played every position except second base and catcher. Would start at shortstop when manager Davey Johnson wanted more offense. Was the second batter to single with two outs in the 10th inning of Game 6 of the World Series and scored the tying run on the wild pitch with Mookie Wilson batting.

What he does now: Batting coach for Potros de Tijuana (Mexican League).

His best memory: "The great memory that I have is we won it - and the way we won it. We had to come back and do it."

On being an '86 Met: "I don't hardly see anybody because I'm half-Mexican now. They ask me about it sometimes. As a rookie, when I played on that team it was probably the best team I've ever played on in my whole career."

ROGER MCDOWELL
1986 stats: 14-9, 3.02 ERA, 22 saves.

What he did then: Pitched 128 regular-season innings out of the bullpen. Pitched five shutout innings in Game 6 of the NLCS, allowing only one hit. Win- ning pitcher in Game 7 of the Series.

What he does now: Pitching coach for the Atlanta Braves.

His best memory: "It would probably have to be Game 6 against the Astros. We would be faced with Mike Scott if there was a Game 7 and for us to be down 3-0 in the ninth inning and come back and tie it up and win the game in the 16th inning ...''