OSCAR AZOCAR DEAD

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)—Former major leaguer Oscar Azocar, a free-swinging outfielder when he debuted for the New York Yankees in 1990, died Monday. He was 45.

The native Venezuelan died at a hospital in Valencia, said Diogenes Nazar, press spokesman for one of Azocar’s former teams, the Navegantes del Magallanes.

Azocar hit .226 with five home runs and 36 RBIs in a three-year career. Promoted from the minors by the Yankees in July 1990, he got a pinch-hit single in his first big league at-bat, then homered, doubled and singled in his next game.

Azocar was hitting .350 with four home runs after his first 20 games, and was part of the last-place Yankees’ youth movement, along with fellow rookies Deion Sanders, Jim Leyritz, Mike Blowers and Kevin Maas.

But the Yankees grew impatient over Azocar’s impatience at the plate—it took 130 times up before he drew his first walk. The Yankees traded him to San Diego (for MIKE HUMPHREYS) after his rookie season and he spent two years with San Diego.

Azocar finished up in the Mexican league, playing his last season in 2001.

Azocar started his career as a pitcher before switching to the outfield. He played for several teams in Venezuela.

During the Caribbean Series played in Venezuela last February, Azocar was inducted into the Caribbean region’s baseball hall of fame.

HOOKER RING!

FROM THE NY POST:

The pitching coach for the Staten Island (class-A) Yankees reportedly had his 2009 World Series ring and two cellphones stolen after he cavorted with two prostitutes in a Tampa motel room.

Patrick Daneker, 34, was boozing it up with fellow Yankee minor league instructor Carlos Chantres Sunday at the Blue Martini Bar -- where Tiger Woods has been known to prowl -- when they met up with two young ladies of the night that Chantres allegedly knew, CBS/Channel 10 of Tampa reported yesterday.

Daneker left the watering hole and got into a cab with the two women -- described by the motel clerk as wearing "short mini-skirts" -- and headed back to his room at the Holiday Inn Express at around 3 a.m., the station said.

About 15 minutes later, the two women left the motel and Daneker stayed in his room, the clerk told police.

(wait...2 women...only 15 minutes? Little quick on the trigger, Cowboy?)

The Post story continues......

At around 4 a.m., Daneker told the clerk he had been robbed.

Daneker acknowledged to authorities that he was "extremely intoxicated" and that he "messed around" with the two women, the station said.

But he also insisted he had a "lapse in memory" and couldn't tell cops any more.

He also said he had no recollection of going to the ATM.

Both Daneker and his wife, Bree Maddocks, refused to speak to The Post last night.

Chantres, also a pitching coach for the Yankees, told The Post: "I have no idea who those women were at all, I don't know how I got brought into this."

In addition to the ring, valued at $10,000, the two women also swiped his two cellphones -- one issued by the Yankees -- and $120 in cash.

Tampa police are searching for the women, identified by the TV station as hookers. They face grand larceny charges.

Daneker, who joined the Yankees organization in 2008, had a blink-and-you'd-miss-it career in the majors.

He appeared in just three games for a total of 15 innings with the Chicago White Sox in 1999, according to baseball-reference.com.



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