Reading Eagle - February 1980

‘Carlton Will Run’ – Green

By John W. Smith, Asst. Sports Editor

POTTSVILLE – Dallas Green has become more definite on one point and more confident on another regarding his pitching staff.

“Steve Carlton will run,” Green stated flatly at Wednesday’s stop of the Phillies press caravan which is touring eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey this week (it comes to Reading in alternate years).

“I don’t know where some people got the idea that I’m evading the issue,” said the rookie manager. “The media made a bigger thing of it than it is. I guess it gives them something controversial to write about.

“Steve Carlton will have a different training program than the others, because he’s always followed a different one and because he’s had great success with it. (Carlton’s program is more rigorous than the one other pitchers follow, but it has not included running.)

“But Steve Carlton will run, because he’s part of the team and we’re stressing ‘we’ this year,” Green continued.

Translated, Carlton will run more than last year, but not as much as the rest of the staff. “Yes, you could call it a compromise,” Green agreed.

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to Steve about this, but I don’t expect any trouble. He’s the leader of the staff, and he wants to be the leader. I’m sure he’ll see it that way. Now if he doesn’t, then I’ve got a problem.”

Green may be blaming the controversy on the media, but it was his own pitcher which raised it first here. “If Steve Carlton don’t run, I ain’t running,” said Randy Lerch to the diners at a combined service-club luncheon.

Lerch was trying to be funny, which is difficult for Randy, but you can bet it wasn’t all in fun.

The one new facet of the Phillies staff since Green’s visit to Reading last week for the Hot Stovers banquet has been the signing of veteran reliever Lerrin LaGrow as a free agent.

“I’m tickled to death to get him,” said Green. “We hope he can fill the bill in Brusstar’s spot.”

“He’s a good worker with good experience,” said G.M. Paul Owens. “We might be darn glad we got him. He’s got a good fast ball, slider, sinker. You know, we tried to get him from the Tigers back when we sent them Woody Fryman, and they wouldn’t give him up.”

LaGrow, 31, managed to lose 19 games for the Tigers back in 1974, which takes some doing. The right-hander traveled to the Cards and then the White Sox. He had a fine year in Chicago in 1977, going 7-3, 2.45, allowing just 81 hits in 99 innings.

But in ’78 he fell to 6-5, 4.40, and was 0-3, 9.00 last year before moving on to the Dodgers. “He had problems with a bone spur in his foot in July and August,” Owens reported, “but he had a helluva September.”

Indeed, LaGrow ended up 5-1, 3.41 for the Dodgers with four saves in 37 inning in 31 games. He tried free agency, was picked only by the Red Sox, and was free to negotiate with anybody.

“There were several clubs in our league which wanted him, but he wanted to come with us,” said Owens.

Paul, like Green the week before, played down the possibility of a major deal before the season opens. He’d like to get a good pitcher, but so would almost everyone else.

Seeking RH Hitter

More likely would be a deal for a right-handed hitting reserve, either a veteran outfielder (“an Ollie-Brown type”) or an infielder who could play three positions and hit more than Buddy Harrelson.

“I wouldn’t want to have to go with Buddy three weeks at a time, said Owens. “Keith Moreland is going to help us with right-handed pinch-hitting, but if we carry only two catchers, you can’t use him too early in a game.”

The other right-handed swingers on the bench, as of now, would be rookie Lonnie Smith and veteran Mike Anderson.

Owens admits he wouldn’t mind getting switch-hitting Billy Smith from the Orioles. Smith, 26, hit .249 in 68 games after .260 in 85 the year before, with a total of 11 homers in the two years. He started the first two games of last year’s World Series at second base.

In return, the Orioles would like to get Lonnie Smith, whom Green does not want to let go.

“I’m not disappointed we didn’t make a major deal,” said Owens. If our pitchers just get healthy, we’re all right there, and I’ll match the rest of the team with anybody. (Owens thus echoed Green’s statements of the week before.) I never considered at any point breaking up this club."

Luzinski:  Last Year’s Scapegoat Is Back

One on One By John W. Smith, Asst. Sports Editor

Greg Luzinski, the Philadelphia Phillies' cleanup hitter, became one of the major scapegoats for the team's tumble from first place to fourth place in the National League East last year.

Luzinski went into the season with a career lifetime batting average of .289 (.300 or better three of the previous four years) and an average of 32 home runs and 112 RBI in the previous four seasons. He hit .252 with 18 homers and 81 RBI. And he became the No. 1 target of the Philly boo birds.

There were many who felt that Luzinski, still only 29 years old, would be traded before the 1980 season began. But he's back with the team, and ready for another run for the National League title.

The Bull, who starred for the Reading Phillies in the Eastern League in 1970, was interviewed on a recent visit to Reading by John W. Smith, assistant sports editor. Here is what Luzinski had to say:

Eagle: What did you think about all the trade rumors?

Luzinski: I've been there before, so it didn't bother me. There were other years when they had me traded.

Eagle: What about last year?

Luzinski: It was a year in which I learned a lot. You learn something every year. That thigh injury I had was a lot worse than anybody realized. That hurt my stroke; I looked at the films and I could tell it was longer. I've been working on it with Billy DeMars, and it's gotten shorter. I feel comfortable for the first time in a long time.

Eagle: You've taken a lot of criticism about your weight.

Luzinski: I had all those good years at 235, and last year I weighed 238. so I don't think that was the reason. But the general manager made a comment, and everybody picked up on it. I decided on my own to lose weight because people felt I didn't care. I guess my nature makes them think that. So I lost 15 pounds. How? Both diet and exercise. We'll see how much of a difference it makes.

Eagle: You hit over .300 on the road and .188 at home. Was this psychological?

Luzinski: It has to be. Seventy-five percent of this game is mental. You know, the fans here support their teams, but so much was said nationally that I think the people in Philadelphia thought they had to live up to their reputation. It bothered me a lot. But I also. had so many people say and write that they were behind me, that I don't know who was doing the booing.

I read where Pete Rose made a statement the other day that the fans shouldn't boo Mike Schmidt and Greg Luzinski because they can't handle the boos. I don't think that was a proper statement. You have to be able to cope with the boos. If I get off to a good start, the fans will be right back with me. They have short memories — both ways.

Eagle: On the caravan the other day, one of your teammates criticized Danny Ozark soundly and another one defended him. Where do you stand?

Luzinski: Danny and I are close friends, and he was behind me 100 percent. I didn't like the way I was treated at times last year (lifted for pinch-hitters and benched), but I couldn't say anything against him. We've always been very open with each other.

Eagle: Do you expect to be lifted for a defensive replacement as often with Dallas Green?

Luzinski: If you put the pencil to it, there are more times in late innings when come to bat with a chance to win the game, than I'll have a chance to lose it in the field. Maybe in certain situations I should be lifted, but it doesn't make sense in a lot of them. I haven't had much communication with Dallas, so I don't know what he's thinking.

Eagle: What kind of manager will Dallas be?

Luzinski: He's been misunderstood; people have the wrong idea about him. He's not gonna step on people, and spring training isn't basic training. There's a lot of standing around in spring training, and he's gonna make use of it. It's not necessary for him to be real strict. I think his discipline will be more verbal.

Eagle: How important will spring training be?

Luzinski: It's important that we bust our tail right from the start, and become reunited as a team. We didn't play too much together because of our injuries. I'm going down early to start hitting off live pitching.

Eagle: The Phillies haven't made any major trades. Can they improve without changes?

Luzinski: There's no question but that we have some pitching problems; why hide it? Compare our eight with any other eight and we're in the top three. But it's no secret that pitching is the name of the game. Lerch, Ruthven and Christenson have all had successful years, but they've also all been sidelined. As long as they perform to their abilities, we're fine. Our pitching staff could be super... or the other way.

I think the bullpen will be all right. Danny had the theory that you go with the reliever who is hot. Dallas will show faith in guys who might have a bad game or two.