Allentown Morning Call - April 27, 1980
A good $2 investment
By Jack McCallum, Call Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA – The 1980 Phillies' yearbook came along in the nick of time. Just when I thought I couldn't go another day without knowing John Vukovich's favorite color, the yearbook arrived and told me it is beige (John Vukovieh's major league batting average of .161. by the way. is beige also.)
Seriously, folks, if you have $2 that isn't doing anything, you might pick up a copy of the recently-issued publication, which lists the likes and dislikes of the Phillie players. Without being facetious, it is interesting and, more importantly, it could easily take you through the first six innings of any game against the Atlanta Braves.
The reason it's interesting, I theorize, is that people have trouble realizing ballplayers have a life off the field: that, in fact, just yesterday Greg Luzinski's wife asked him, "Bull, honey, go next door and borrow a cup of sugar." But. as the book tells us. these guys actually have favorite TV shows, favorite people, favorite hobbies and favorite books.
Pete Rose's favorite book is "none." which puts him in a tie with Greg Luzinski, Dickie Noles, Kevin Saucier and Lonnie Smith. And don't expect their elders to holler at them for not reading. Phillie coaches Billy DeMars. Lee Elia. Herm Starrette and Mike Ryan are all avowed nonreaders, while Bobby Wine likes to curl up with a copy of "The Baseball Rule Book." That guy's got to be a manager someday.
Of the Phillie readers on the pitching staff, Nino Espinosa goes for the Bible, while Scott Munriinghoff favors "The Exorcist." Let's see who has a better season. Two of the more personal readers are Larry Christenson and Mike Schmidt. L.C.'s favorite is "my address book," while Schmitty goes for "Offensive Baseball" by Mike Schmidt. For your autographed copy, send $8.95 and a self-addressed stamped envelope to…
My favorite is Randy Lerch who lists his top book as "The Exodus." Most of us read, simply. "Exodus." which isn't half as interesting.
The book, which Phillies' publicist Larry Shenk says will sell about 90,000 copies, also reaffirms the accepted notion that baseball players come home at the end of September, take off their spikes, put on their red coats and caps and go hunting until spring training. At least 10 of the Phillies list their favorite hobby as hunting and/or fishing.
But there is time to listen to country music tapes. Kenny Rogers is the favorite of Luzinski, Dick Ruthven and Greg Gross and Willie Nelson is No. 1 with Keith Moreland and minor leaguer Jim Wright. They can fight it out in the locker room with Donna Summer fans Espinosa and John Vukovich.
Montreal pitcher Bill Lee, baseball's designated flake, once complained about the lack of hard rock freaks in baseball. Perhaps, the Phillies could trade for him since he could dress next to Munninghoff (Molly Hatchet), Warren Brusstar (Led Zeppelin) and George Vukovich (R.E.O. Speed wagon). That group, in turn, could argue with the more toned-down Manny Trillo (Johnny Mathis and Frank Sinatra), Del Unser (Simon and Garfunkel) and Boone and Christenson (Neil Diamond).
Then. EVERYBODY could argue with Steve Carlton. Steve Carlton, you see, is the Phils' DS – Designated Sophisticate. Silent Steve's favorite "groups" are Yasha Heifitz and Jean Pierre Ranpol, neither of whom, needless to say, play pedal steel with Willie Nelson. His favorite subject in school was graphic design. His "biggest turn-on" was "a wine tour I recently took through the Burgundy region of Eastern France." His favorite book is "Philosophical Works." And the people he'd most like to meet include Einstein, Socrates and Jesus Christ. Well, excuse us, Steve. We thought you were just a big, antisocial southpaw.
If Steve seems unusually wordy in his space, he has nothing on reliever Ron Reed who was quite obviously lying in wait for his chance to talk about himself. His most memorable moment, for example: "The first time I stepped on the basketball court at Notre Dame and the crowd sang the Notre Dame victory march." Or his favorite TV show: Real People, (because) it shows how delightfully dumb we can be in everyday life. Gosh, Ron, that's so true.
Speaking of being dumb, Lerrin LaGrow's "person you most admire" is Richard Nixon. And his favorite city is Cleveland. And his favorite TV show is "The Gong Show." And his hobby is baseball. Sounds like a great guy to have at a party.
There's a whole lot more in this book but I suggest you buy a copy. In fact, to make sure you do, I'm going to leave you with this fact. The person Mike Schmidt most admires is Wendell Kempton. The answer is inside.
Carlton becomes the king of one-hitters
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Lefthander Steve Carlton set a modem National League record by pitching his sixth career one-hitter and Del Unser broke up a scoreless duel with a two-run pinch triple as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 7-0 last night.
The only hit off Carlton, 3-1, was a clean single to left field by Ted Simmons leading off the St. Louis second. Carlton struck out five and walked one in a duel with John Fulgham, 1-2, who allowed only three hits before Unser's seventh-inning triple.
Carlton shared the modern NL record for one-hitters with five other pitchers: including Cincinnati's Tom Seaver and Don Sutton of Los Angeles. The all-time NL record is seven one-hitters by Charles Radbourne in the 1880s. Cleveland's Bob Feller holds the major league record of 12 one-hitters between 1938 and 1955.
Batting for Luis Aguayo after Greg Luzinski's double and a walk to Bob Boone, Unser tripled to the wall in right-center for his third consecutive pinch hit and the Phillies' eighth in their last 10 pinch-hitting appearances.
The relay from second baseman Tom Herr skipped past third and Unser jogged home as the ball bounced into the St. Louis dugout. Garry Maddox singled two more runs home in the eighth inning, driving in Pete Rose and Greg Gross, who singled, and Boone added a two-run homer.
Simmons was the only player to reach first base through the first three innings. He singled to left to lead off the second, but failed to advance as Bobby Bonds struck out, George Hendrick flied to center and Ken Reitz to right.
Carlton's strike out of Bonds was the 2.700th of his career, making him only the 10th pitcher in baseball to reach that plateau.
The Phillies got their first base runner in the fourth, when Gross walked. Maddox followed with a single to center for the Phillies' first hit.
Mike Schmidt popped out, but Luzinski beat out an infield single. Boone then grounded to Garry Templeton for a force-out at second.
Phillies shortstop Larry Bowa grabbed Templeton's sailing liner on Carlton's first pitch of the game for one of several outstanding defensive plays by the Phillies.
In the third, Maddox made a fine running catch of Simmons' long drive, and in the ninth right fielder Gross made an excellent catch of Templeton's long fly.