Hollins

The baseball wits have dubbed it Left Side Story. The Dave Hollins audition continued yesterday at third base. The incumbent at the hot corner, Charlie Hayes, rode the bench again. Manager Jim Fregosi wants to see how Hayes handles the demotion. "There are two things you can do in this game," he said the other day. "You either sit and mope, or you work hard to get yourself back in the lineup. " Hayes, asked about Hollins, had this reaction: "I'm sure he'll play. I hope he'll do well.

In the general despond that followed yesterday's snatching-defeat-from-the- jaws-of-victory loss to the Padres, Phillies manager Jim Fregosi could still find one thing to smile about. "That Dave Hollins sure is strong, isn't he?" Fregosi said. "He may be on an adrenalin rush because he was called up, but I hope it lasts. And I'll tell you what: He seems to have a pretty good idea of what he's doing up there. " The Phillies had only five hits against Padres lefthander Bruce Hurst yesterday.

If Dave Hollins has a severe case of arachnophobia, it's understandable. For the second time in six weeks, the Phillies' reserve infielder has been sidelined by the venomous bite of the brown recluse spider. Though Hollins initially was bitten on the left shin during the first weekend in March inside his Clearwater, Fla. condominium, infectious lesions from the three bites have spread to other parts of Hollins' leg. One formed most recently near his kneecap, causing fluid that made it uncomfortable for Hollins to bend his knee.

Jim Fregosi speaks cautiously, measuring what he says against the controversy he might create. Hitters don't slump; they endure "little mix- ups. " Pitchers don't struggle; they get the ball "up in the zone. " So when the Phillies manager concedes something is bad, you can be sure it's dreadful. Yesterday, Fregosi was upset that his third baseman had nearly hurt himself the night before. So he suggested that it was time baseball took a long look at the Mile High Stadium field.

Darren Daulton, the defending champion, was back atop the National League in RBIs yesterday. How does a guy hitting just .234 with runners in scoring position accomplish that? "Home runs," explained Daulton, second in the league with 12. "And in the last few weeks, when the bases were juiced (full), I cleaned them a couple of times. " His two RBIs yesterday gave the Phillies' catcher six in this series and tied him with San Francisco's Matt Williams for the NL lead with 43. They also pushed him ahead of his pace in 1992, when his 109 made him just the fourth catcher to lead a league in RBIs.

This was from the heart. For all the right reasons. Maybe at the perfect time. This was Chris Webber, momentarily pushing aside the heat of the Sacramento Kings' stretch run, reaching out to someone who had suffered through an unspeakable experience. That is why Patrick Ireland and his family were Webber's guests for what became a 117-95 wipeout of the 76ers at Arco Arena. That is why Ireland was a Kings' ballboy for a day. Ireland was one of several students wounded April 20 of last year during a shooting rampage that left 14 students, including two teenage killers, and one teacher dead at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo.

Greg Maddux shot par. Seven innings pitched, two runs allowed, five hits, to lead his team back to a comfortable position. Except this time was different. Maddux had help, lots of it, almost as much help in this one game as he received in all 10 of his regular-season losses. That's right. Greg Maddux received 15 runs of support in his 10 losses this season. Last night, in winning his first-ever playoff game, he won by a 14-3 count. "As a pitcher, you really enjoy that," he said.

Let us start by saying it was not exactly the All-Star experience our local boys were looking for. Jim Fregosi took one on the arm for his club in the first. John Kruk struck out twice and was 0-for-3 in the cleanup spot. Darren Daulton also took the collar in three at-bats, and spent a portion of his sixth inning rolling around the dirt chasing the pitches of John Smoltz, the 8-7 pitcher selected by National League manager Bobby Cox. Terry Mulholland described his two innings of starting pitching as "below par. " Only Dave Hollins, inserted after the NL climbed to within 5-3 in the sixth, had a hit. He doubled to right in the eighth.

When Dave Hollins and Will Clark faced off yesterday and their teammates hurried off the benches to join them, Jeff Grotewold got an opportunity to revive a lost ambition. "I always wanted to be a policeman," said Grotewold. "So I just went out there to police things. " The Phillies' reserve catcher was the first player off the bench and the first to arrive in defense of Hollins, his teammate and best friend. "I'd do anything for that guy," said Grotewold, who has played with Hollins in the minors.

IT'S LIONEL HOLLINS' fault. It must be. Hollins is the coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, and he won't put Allen Iverson in the starting lineup. It's Michael Heisley's fault. It must be. He's the owner of the Grizzlies, and he won't override Hollins' decision. The trouble is, it's always somebody's fault. I covered Iverson for more than a decade with the 76ers. I was dazzled by his talent, his tenacity, his ability to play long, hard minutes, his willingness to play through injuries.

IT'S LIONEL HOLLINS' fault. It must be. Hollins is the coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, and he won't put Allen Iverson in the starting lineup. It's Michael Heisley's fault. It must be. He's the owner of the Grizzlies, and he won't override Hollins' decision. The trouble is, it's always somebody's fault. I covered Iverson for more than a decade with the 76ers. I was dazzled by his talent, his tenacity, his ability to play long, hard minutes, his willingness to play through injuries.

Lionel Hollins is working on a contract with the Memphis Grizzlies to serve as their head coach for the third time - the first time without the interim label. Memphis general manager Chris Wallace confirmed last night that he hoped to reach an agreement with the Milwaukee Bucks assistant by the end of the weekend to replace the fired Marc Iavaroni, according to Bloomberg News. The Memphis Commercial Appeal, citing a source with knowledge of the team's plans, reported yesterday that the Grizzlies would hire Hollins.

Lionel Hollins is working on a contract with the Grizzlies to serve as their head coach for the third time, but the first time without the "interim" label. Memphis general manager Chris Wallace confirmed last night that he hoped to reach an agreement with the Milwaukee Bucks assistant by the end of the weekend to replace the fired Marc Iavaroni. Wallace said before the Grizzlies' game against Knicks in Madison Square Garden that he wanted Hollins to be able to run some practices before Tuesday's game with Denver.

First baseman Dave Hollins, one of the scruffy members of Macho Row who helped the Phillies win an improbable pennant in 1993, retired yesterday - four days shy of his 37th birthday. Hollins, upset that he didn't get a call-up from triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, left the minor-league team last week with a .204 average, two home runs and 12 RBIs. He hit .118 in just 17 at-bats with the Phillies last year after suffering an infection from spider bites in spring training. "I feel bad for him, because it probably didn't end up like he wanted it, but he's been playing for more than 10 years and I have tremendous respect for what he's done," Phillies leftfielder Pat Burrell said.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons defeated the Louisville Bats, 6-3, last night in the International League. Eric Junge got his first league victory after allowing one run on six hits and striking out six in five innings. Greg Kubes picked up his second save. Dave Hollins slammed a three-run homer for the Barons in the fifth inning off starter Lance Davis (2-3), scoring Chase Utley and Juan Sosa. Wilmington 3, Salem 2 WILMINGTON - The Blue Rocks scored all of their runs in the third inning, highlighted by Chris Fallon's fifth homer of the season, to beat the Avalanche in the Carolina League.

The Memphis Grizzlies rehired Lionel Hollins, a former assistant and interim head coach with the team, as an assistant coach. Hollins, 49, was the Grizzlies' interim head coach for the last 60 games of the 1999-2000 season, finishing with an 18-42 record, when the team was based in Vancouver. The former 76ers guard had been the Grizzlies' lead assistant coach beginning in 1995-96, their inaugural season, until getting the interim job. After leaving the Grizzlies, Hollins served briefly as a head coach in the United States Basketball League and the International Basketball League and as an assistant with the Harlem Globetrotters.

Dave Hollins was a key contributor to the 1993 Phillies, a rollicking team that won the National League pennant and wore its emotions on its sleeves. Nine years later, Hollins is on a Phillies team that has a much different personality. Hollins doesn't care for it. The players are too laid-back, Hollins said before the last-place Phils opened a three-game series with the first-place New York Mets last night at Veterans Stadium. Most of the starters have a low-key approach, he said.

If Dave Hollins has a severe case of arachnophobia, it's understandable. For the second time in six weeks, the Phillies' reserve infielder has been sidelined by the venomous bite of the brown recluse spider. Though Hollins initially was bitten on the left shin during the first weekend in March inside his Clearwater, Fla. condominium, infectious lesions from the three bites have spread to other parts of Hollins' leg. One formed most recently near his kneecap, causing fluid that made it uncomfortable for Hollins to bend his knee.

In what was a typical and difficult convergence of emotions, the Phillies made their final roster cuts yesterday after their 4-3 exhibition loss to the New York Yankees at Jack Russell Stadium. To say the least, those cuts were a bit unusual. Dave Hollins and his .143 batting average made the club. Kevin Jordan and his guaranteed $700,000 salary did not. Nick Punto made a team he seemed to have no chance of making when this week started. Carlos Silva is on the 25-man roster today, but he probably will not be by the time the season begins Monday in Atlanta.

Only the Phillies' clubhouse crew remained late yesterday afternoon as Dave Hollins dressed and prepared for his short drive back to his Island Estates condo. All of his teammates were gone. Hollins, a veteran trying to win a bench job, chose the moment to speak on behalf of third baseman Scott Rolen and the rest of his Phillies teammates. "We need that guy," Hollins said. "He's an important part of this team and he doesn't need any pressure from the city of Philadelphia.