Philadelphia Daily News - June 21, 1980

Noles Case Up in Air

 

By Bill Conlin

 

SAN FRANCISCO – The jury is out on Dickie Noles.

 

National League President Chub Feeney heard testimony from crew chief Billy Williams and umpire Joe West here before last night's Phillies-Giants game. Noles faces a possible fine and suspension after an incident in Los Angeles Tuesday night which ended with the righthander throwing a bat from the dugout in the direction of first-base umpire West. Noles was upset by a controversial two-out call by West which set up a three-run homer by Steve Garvey. Noles later said he merely rolled the bat toward West to get his attention.

 

Williams is believed to have told Feeney in written and oral reports that Noles deliberately threw the bat at West.

 

After Feeney met with his umpires, he convened a closed-door meeting with Noles, Dallas Green and Paul Owens.

 

After the meeting he said he was taking the matter under advisement.

 

Meanwhile, Green has already fined Noles $250 for "unprofessional conduct."

 

"I told Chub we had fined Dickie, that we didn't condone his behavior and that the Phillies ballclub felt they had taken firm steps to prevent a recurrence." Dallas said.

Phillies Blown Out By Giants

 

By Bill Conlin

 

SAN FRANCISCO – Dallas Green says Allen Ripley has proven he can beat the Phillies on rainy-night games that end at 3:11 a.m. and in Candlestick Park weather.

 

"Maybe someday well get him in 90-degree weather and see how he does there." Green said last night after Ripley and the Giants beat the windblown Phillies, 5-1. "So far he's proved he can pitch in the rain and the wind. I had forgotten since my playing days just how bad conditions here can be."

 

Last night they were average, which to a team coming off a sun-washed, windless afternoon game in San Diego is the most profound contrast that can be found in baseball. No matter how long a guy is around National League baseball, he never forgets that in Candlestick you contend with two enemies – the elements and the Giants.

 

“I’VE SAID MY whole career I hated playing in this park more than any other," Pete Rose said after even the Gold Glove of Garry Maddox was turned into a piece of wind-catching sailcloth. "I saw three straight balls hit to Garry tonight that did three different things. Jack Clark hit a homer to left-center that would have been in the upper deck at the Vet and by the time the wind got through with it, Garry actually thought it was gonna blow back in. The ball he got the error on took off on him at the last minute and the one Clark hit over him for the double just kept taking off like it had jets or something."

 

Green shook his head as he peeled off enough layers of protective garments to outfit a cross-country ski team at Lake Placid.

 

"I hate to bitch about conditions," the manager said after the Phils second straight loss. "But I honestly don't see how a team can play here 81 games and have people expect them to be a contender. And the infield's a rockpile, to make matters worse."

 

Day games can be even more brutal, according to Rose.

 

"We'll come out here tomorrow. the wind will be blowing like hell by the fifth inning, the infield will be terrible from all the dirt that gets blown off it and the sun will be a factor in every field. The only advantage the Giants have here is that they bat last. They hate it just as much as the visiting team. I was kidding (rookie first baseman) Rich Murray down at first. I told him when the season starts they ought to automatically give a Giants player 25 extra points on his batting average to make up for having to play 81 games here."

 

THE PHILLIES handed righthander Dan Larson a 1-0 lead with a first-inning run off Ripley, a promising righthander the pitching-destitute Red Sox somehow let get away. Ripley says Boston let the Giants steal him because he was a friend of Bill Lee and because he went home during the spring training mini-strike. His ERA is under 2.00 and he hasn't had his eye blackened yet by Dave Bristol, so Ripley must be doing something right.

 

Larson, who didn't pitch badly, no-hit the Giants until they strung together four straight singles with one out in the fourth. Clark made it 2-1 with his 13th homer in the fifth and the roof blew off on the Phillies in the sixth – literally. Larson walked Milt May to start the inning and Jim Wohlford stroked a seemingly routine ball to center. Maddox retreated several steps, had his glove up to make the catch, only to have the ball deflect off the fingertips.

 

"When you see that happen to the best defensive centerfielder in the game you know it's tough out there," Green said. "That's a ball Garry catches 96 times out of 100."

 

The manager meant to say it was a ball Maddox catches 100 times out of 100.

 

"A gust of wind actually blew my glove back as I was about to make the catch," Maddox said.

 

The ball rolled all the way to the fence. May scored and Wohlford wound up on third. He made it 4-1 on Murray's infield out.

 

HOW BAD WAS it? Lerrin LaGrow, who finished up behind Larson, said his fingers were so numb he had no feel at all for his breaking ball. Clark's windblown double started the seventh and Manny Trillo, who catches everything he can reach, booted a grounder by Darrell Evans. "They say they've improved the infield," Rose said. "If anything it's worse."

 

The Giants scored their final run when LaGrow bounced a wild pitch about five feet in front of the plate.

 

"I gave up on hating this place a long time ago," Rose said. "You just get frustrated. The only way to handle the conditions here is to go out and get a couple of base knocks and try to win the ballgame. That's all a team can do. The rest of it is out of your control, so why worry about it?"

3 Winners

 

There were three winners last night in the Daily News Home Run Payoff contest in the Phillies-Giants game.

 

Winners of four tickets each to a Phillies game were Alice Tucker of Franklinville, N. J., Virginia Filonardi and Carmen D'Angelo, both of Philadelphia.

 

Daily News has paid out $6,400. Today's coupon is on Page 33.