LOCAL WATCH: PITT BOSS FETTERS BECOMES PIRATES' LEADER.

Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer

Mike Fetters refuses to embarrass himself as a baseball player. He said he'll retire as soon as his performance on the field is no longer something of which he can be proud.

Fetters was anything but proud last summer, when he was dealt a heavy dose of humiliation. But he wasn't ready to quit playing, so the former Pepperdine standout did his best to ensure he could remain a big-league pitcher while sticking to his vow not to be an embarrassment.

Since being traded at last year's trading deadline from the Dodgers, a team in the pennant race, to a Pittsburgh Pirates team that went on to lose 100 games, the 37-year-old Fetters began a workout program that has him in his best shape in years. He also took it upon himself to be a team leader who made the Pirates a group full of players not willing to accept anything but their best. The team that tied for the worst record in the majors last season is now in third place in the National League Central, just a hot streak away from being right back in the race.

``He's definitely serious about winning, and he want us to be that way, too,'' Pittsburgh second-year shortstop Jack Wilson said.

``It doesn't matter if I'm a new guy here,'' Fetters said. ``I'm a veteran player and I want to win. So it's my job to take the young guy, who maybe isn't doing what he should at the time, and hopefully teach him the right way. All I can do is lead by example and that's what I try to do.

``The main thing is I want the guys to have fun with the game. The best way to have fun is winning. Losing's no fun, so go out there and do the best you can and play hard for three hours. That's not too much to ask of somebody. As a veteran, I kind of demand that of my teammates. If you concentrate and work hard from inning one to inning nine, or whenever the game is over, there's nothing more you can ask for. If you lose, you lose, but we know we're giving our best effort.''

Fetters was far from his best when he arrived in Pittsburgh. He was battling a neck injury and admits he was out of shape, having ballooned to a career high of an estimated 250 pounds. He got tired so quickly, Fetters said he could tell bullpen coach Bruce Tanner was asking himself ``Why would we trade for this guy?'' each time Fetters warmed up.

``He was in some trouble physically,'' Tanner said.

Fetters had a clause in his contract that would have allowed him to demand a trade after last season, but he couldn't find any interested teams. That was just as much of a humbling wake-up call as being traded for an aging Terry Mulholland and a minor-league prospect. When the shock of being traded from the team he hoped to spend the rest of the career with wore off, and he realized he was going to be with Pittsburgh another season, Fetters set out to make sure he wasn't in for more disappointment.

He lost more than 20 pounds by spring training. And, he didn't hesitate to pull young teammates aside and tell them they needed to do more, too.

Not only have the Pirates improved, Fetters is his most effective in years. His 2.05 ERA through 26 1/3 innings is his lowest since 1992.

``Last season is in the past,'' he said. ``I'm not one to burn bridges. As much as I'd have like to have been there the rest of my career, I'm not a Dodger anymore. ... I've got nothing to prove to anybody. I've proved to myself and my teammates here that I still can play this game at a higher level. The hitters on the other teams will tell me when it's time to hang it up.

``I'd like to play as long as I can. The players on the other team will dictate to me when it's time to hang it up. If I'm getting beat up too bad, I'm not going to embarrass myself. I've had a pretty good career and I'll know when to walk away.''

FETTERS FILE

Name: Mike Fetters

Team: Pittsburgh Pirates

Position: Pitcher

Age: 37

Local tie: Pepperdine

Career highlights: Is one save away from 100 career saves. ... Allowed just one earned run in first 10 appearances last season with the Dodgers. After being traded to Pirates, earned saves in eight of nine chances. ... Ranked fifth in American League in save percentage (.842, 32 for 38) in 1996. ... Ranked fifth in AL with team-high 17 saves in 20 opportunities in 1994. ... Led Brewers' staff with a .185 opponents' batting average in 1992, the same season he had a career-best 1.87 ERA. ... Was the 27th overall selection in the 1986 draft by the Angels.

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photo, box

Photo:

Mike Fetters, a former Dodgers pitcher, has assumed a leadership role with the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team now very much in contention in the NL Central.

Fred Jewell/Associated Press

Box:

FETTERS FILE (see text)