Reading Eagle - October 24, 1980

SportopicS: World Series Quotebook

By John W. Smith

What they were saying as the World Series reached its conclusion:

“I’d prefer not to come back as manager; I’m not a career manager. I know one thing: I don’t to go through another year like this one. My wife is the only one who knows what I had to go through. But I’ll do whatever Paul and Ruly want.” – Manager Dallas Green.

“This is the greatest thing that ever happened to me, other than the birth of my three children. I can’t thank everybody enough for the job they did for us.” – Owner Ruly Carpenter.

“I threw the pitch just about where I wanted to up and in. It was not a bad pitch at all. I’ll take my chances with that pitch every time. Give Schmidt credit.” – Seventh(sic)-game loser Rich Gale, about the pitch in the third inning on which Mike Schmidt go the game-winning single.

“I’m a bad loser. If you want to go ahead and say that I lost the thing, go ahead, but what it boild down to is we lost as a team. I didn’t get on base, but I wasn’t the reason we stranded guys or blew leads in three games.” – K.C. outfielder Willie Wilson.

“If the guys who usually get on base for us had contributed the way they’re supposed to, we never would have lost this thing.” – First baseman Willie Aikens.

“I think everybody is a little shocked at what happened. We still feel we had a better team.” – K.C. catcher Darrell Porter.

“I screwed it up. We changed the play on 3-1, but I was more concerned with following through and throwing a strike than covering the bunt.” – Gale, on his failure to move for Pete Rose’s bunt which loaded the bases for Schmidt in the third. Prior to that pitch, the Royals had been working the rotation play, with Brett charging from third.

“I can’t remember the last time I struck out 12 times in six starts. It wasn’t the pitching, it wasn’t the pressure, it was just me. I let it get to me, and put pressure on myself. Everybody was asking me negative things. That can get to you after awhile.” – Wilson, who struck out just twice in the league playoffs and averaged one strikeout every two games in league play.

“This team learned a lot in the last two months. It matured, and learned how to approach a big series. And they learned to believe in themselves. We backed ourselves into a corner, but when you are backed into a corner, it separates the men from the boys.” – Pete Rose.

“I learned that from watching Lemaster and Bergey.” – Rose, on his catch of the pop foul Bob Boone muffed in the ninth inning Tuesday.

“The thing that I thought about when he made the catch was that I didn’t have to throw any more pitched to that guy, and maybe I could get through the inning.” – Tug McGraw.

“New York has had lots of world championships in all sports. Philadelphia has never had a world championship in the National League. To be a part of that is No. 10. You just can’t top it. I’m so proud to be a part of this club. And the way we won it was just typical Philadelphia.” – McGraw.

“Whatever Dallas did was right. However he did it, he did the right thing.” – Mike Schmidt.

“The manager’s program paid off, and I have to five him a lot of credit for that. I might not agree with a lot of the things he did, but I have to respect what he did. He didn’t feel he had to tell us anything he wanted us to do; we would maybe have to read about it. But that’s just a small thing among many things that happened.” – Garry Maddox.

“The boos he got the last week fired him up. They brought him out of his shell. When we went to Montreal, we started booing him from the bench to keep him on edge.” – Coach Bobby Wine, about Larry Bowa’s resurgence.

“I’m flying in the pennants, busing them in, any way I can get them. We’ve had several fistfights between vendors over getting them.” – Charley Harris, owner of a novelty company.

“When the Pope was here, I was saying that sales were bigger than they’d be for a World Series here, but this is bigger than the Pope.” – Joe Weiser, owner of another novelty company.

“My wife and I both had a couple of tears in our eyes of happiness. It was all very interesting and very exciting, and yet I was down because I wasn’t there. Dallas used his players about the same way I did. But I can’t be bitter. The things that were said back then are water under the bridge.” – Danny Ozark.