It’s August 2, 1996, and the O’s brief moment of fun following a sweep of the Twins came to a crashing end as Kenny Lofton dazzled, Orel Hershiser dominated, and Cleveland trounced Baltimore 11-1.

The seven innings of 2-hit, 1-run ball was sweet revenge for Hershiser, who got roughed up by the O’s his last time out. 

“We didn’t do much in any aspect,” said O’s starter Scott Erickson to the Sun’s Buster Olney. “The pitching was terrible — mine, anyway — and we didn’t score a whole lot.” (Baltimore Sun, p. 1C, August 3, 1996)

Erickson’s assessment was accurate, as he gave up six runs in just four-plus innings. 

Lofton had four hits including a triple and a home run. He also stole his 51st base of the season. Albert Belle, Jeromy Burnitz, and Mark Carreon all homered for Cleveland in the rout.

Here’s the box score with the not-so-lovely totals.

In other news, the O’s designated outfielder Luis Polonia for assignment, ending his time with the team. Per Olney, Polonia took a shot at the team on his way out the door.

“This team can win, but there are a lot of things going on,” he said. “There are too many players worried about themselves. I hear a lot of people criticizing you when you do something wrong, instead of picking you up.” (Baltimore Sun, p. 5C, August 3, 1996)

Polonia wasn’t the only guy DFA’d, as utility man Jeff Huson also got the axe. Polonia’s legendary stint with the team lasted about six weeks where he hit .240 with eight steals. Huson, who has been injured and at the end of the bench all year when healthy, has just 28 at bats. The two were cut to make room for relievers Arthur Rhodes and Roger McDowell as they return from the injured list.

For the last week, Mike Mussina has had the names of the 16 members of the high school French club from his hometown who were killed in the TWA Flight 800 explosion written on the inside of his cap. Mussina, who grew up in the 5,000-person town of Montoursville, knew several of the victims personally and it has been weighing heavily on him.

“It’s my way of being there,” Mussina said of writing the names in his hat. “Even when I can’t be. It’s a way to keep those people, even if I never met them, remembered.” (Baltimore Sun, p. 4C, August 3, 1996) 

No homers today because this game sucked.

Orioles (54-53) at Cleveland, (66-43), 1:05 p.m.

Starting Pitchers
BAL – LHP Rick Krivda (2-4, 5.01 ERA)
CLE – RHP Chad Ogea (5-2, 5.89 ERA)

The number one movie in America for the second weekend in a row is “A Time to Kill.” With just over $13 million brought it, it again narrowly edged out “Independence Day.” In third was the top new movie of the weekend, the film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “Matilda.” Enjoy!

So one thing that has been going on all summer that we haven’t discussed here much because it wouldn’t even be newsworthy today is the Whitewater trial. 

After months of investigations and trials and grandstanding and just generally cool behavior, a federal jury acquitted two Arkansas bankers of four felonies, including charges that they worked to conceal large cash withdrawals by Clinton’s 1990 gubernatorial campaign.

The jury in the trial of Herby Branscum Jr. and Robert M. Hill — two names completely lost to history — also deadlocked on seven other charges.

“The president is happy to learn the news that a jury has acquitted Herby Branscum Jr. and Robert Hill of significant portions of the independent counsel’s case against them,” the White House said in a milquetoast statement. “Today’s not-guilty verdicts on all of the so-colled ‘CTR counts’ confirm what we already knew: Bruce Lindsey acted properly.”

Lindsey was the campaign’s treasurer.

Anyway, such base corruption and graft seems quaint compared to today, but the story is too convoluted and boring to talk about much here, so you’ll just have to look it up if you want to relive that one.

Welcome to a recurring segment where I find fun things in today’s (in 1996) Baltimore Sun!

Michael Johnson completes one of the greatest Olympic feats of all time.