Lancaster Intelligencer Journal - January 1980
January 9, 1980
Phils Pick 4 Pitchers
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies chose four pitchers in Tuesday's two phases of the annual January free agent draft.
Righthander Tony Ghelfi of LaCrosse, Wise., was the first round selection, of the regular phase, when the League club got the 14th pick.
Scout Don Williams reported Ghelfi, who attends Iowa Western Junior College, "has a good strong arm with very good velocity." But he said the 18-year-old needs more pitching experience, especially on his breaking ball.
Another righthander, Ron Richardson, 18. of Albany, Ore. and Lin-Benton Community College was taken on the second round.
In the secondary phase, the Phillies drafted lefthanders Jim Harris, a 20-yearold sophomore at Ranger (Texas) Junior College, and Steve True, 19, of Seminole (Okla.) Junior College.
January 15, 1980
Odds & Ends (excerpt)
Phillies first baseman Pete Rose has been chosen Outstanding Athlete of the 70s Decade by the Philadelphia Sports Writers' Association. The award will be presented Jan. 28 at the Hyatt House in Cherry Hill, N.J. Three dozen others will be honored at the organization’s 76th annual awards dinner.
January 22, 1980
Even As A Reserve, He’d Rather Be A Phillie
By Randy Montgomery
The decision Greg Gross had to make was a tough one, like coming off the bench cold to pinch hit is tough.
He could stay with the Phillies and, barring any trades, fulfill the role of a fourth outfielder, pinch hitter and defensive replacement, a job he performed so adequately in 1979.
Or he could opt for one of those offers from another club. Some of those offers were quite interesting.
The temptation was strong for Greg Gross to leave Philadelphia. The 27-year-old York native with the .298 lifetime National League batting average still believes he can play be an everyday player in the big leagues. He realizes it's not likely he'll get that chance with the Phillies.
Montreal pushed hardest for the outfielder's services. The Expos offered a multi-year pact, decent bucks, and they indicated to Gross he'd get the opportunity to play every day.
The New York Mets and the Cleveland Indians also were interested in Gross as an everyday outfielder. But the Met owners were involved in negotiations to sell the club and Cleveland and the American League didn't really interest Gross.
Negotiations with those two clubs never got off the ground.
It came down to either staying with the Phillies or taking the Expos up on their offer.
He considered Montreal's offer a long time.
"At the time we were negotiating they were talking five years, at a considerable amount more than what I eventually signed for with the Phillies," Gross recalled over the telephone the other day. "But I turned them down. I just wasn't ready to make the move.”
Gross decided — W.C. Fields not withstanding — that he would really rather be in Philadelphia. He signed a five-year contract with the Phillies in mid-December.
The outfielder insists he didn't enter the free agent market because he wanted out of Philadelphia.
"I was hung up on finding out what my value was," he said. "I thought people (other teams) would be looking at me as a fourth outfielder."
As it turned out, teams like the Expos, Mets and Indians considered the veteran a candidate for a regular role.
Gross decided that Philadelphia was where he wanted to stay. He turned down the Expos' offer before the winter baseball meetings began so the Expos' acquisition of Ron LeFlore from the Detroit Tigers and later signing of Rowland Office as a free agent didn't influence his decision not to sign with the Expos.
Still, the toughest part about deciding to stay in Philadelphia was knowing that he's only the club's fourth outfielder. He knows, unless the Phillies make some moves, his role will be essentially the same as it's been the past several years. It's a parttime role that Gross has never completely gotten accustomed to.
But even knowing what his role will be with the Phillies, he decided staying close to home was what he wanted most.
"When I started out (declared his free agency) I said I wasn't going anywhere just for the money," Gross said.
And Gross said he hasn't had any second thoughts over signing with the Phillies.
"No,” Gross said, he's had no such thoughts. "I thought about it a long time. I made up my mind and now I'm not going to worry about it."
Gross keeps on rooting for some kind of trade that will free him for additional playing time. Much rumored has been a deal sending right-fielder Bake McBride to another club for some pitching help. With McBride out of the way, Gross and righthanded hitting Lonnie Smith would probably divide the right-field chores.
That's the course Gross would like to see the Phillies take.
"They (the Phillies) are looking for an established reliever," Gross said. "To get a reliever, someone like Sparky Lyle, they'd have to give up one of their front-line players." Bake McBride is considered a frontline player.
"If they just make a minor deal then there's a possibility I could be traded," Gross said, acknowledging he does not have a no-trade clause in his new pact.
Even if no trades are made Gross is confident he will see more action in 1980 than he did in 1979. A big reason for that, he believes, is Dallas Green, the new manager.
"I talked to him before the draft, to try and get an idea how he was planning to use me, said Gross. "He said he couldn't promise me I'd play in so many games but I think he'll use me a whole lot more than Danny (Ozark) did.
"I just think he'll use me on more of a regular basis. My number of games might not change that much but I think the number of starts and the number of at bats could change."
The part-time role is one Gross has never really adjusted to mentally though he did an excellent job last year for the Phillies and the year before for the Chicago Cubs. He especially dislikes pinch-hitting.
"There's a lot of pressure, batting once a day or once every five days," Gross said. "It's a tough situation. I just decided to go out and say the hell with it; just go at it.”
Greg Gross hopes to be going at it for the Phillies for the next five years. And on a more regular basis than once a game or once every three or four or five games.
Gross To Attend Banquet
Greg Gross has accepted an invitation to the Lancaster Sportswriters and Sportscasters Banquet Jan. 31 at the Host Farm.
Last week, Phillies manager Dallas Green and ex-Phillie Tim McCarver also accepted invitations. Others slated to attend the banquet include Baltimore Colts Sanders Shiver and Joe Ehrmann, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil, Baltimore PA announcer Rex Barney and Baltimore Orioles outfielder Pat Kelly and Associated Press Maryland Sports Editor Gordon Beard.
More names will be released later.
January 23, 1980
A Time Of Reflection (excerpt)
By Jim Hersh, Sports Editor
…That brings us to baseball, and the season is arriving quicker than you may imagine. In early February, several Phillies' players will make a publicity swing through the eastern part of the state, with stops in York and Lebanon.
On Friday, the Baltimore Orioles will give the press a look at the World Series film, something that will no doubt make some of the Baltimore players cringe as they watch a world championship slip from their grasps. It may also whet their appetites to get to Miami and begin work toward another American League championship and another chance at the world title.
On Tuesday night a picture came over the wire showing the Los Angeles Dodgers doing calisthenics at Dodger Stadium. The caption under the picture read: "It Can't Be Spring Already.”
For baseball fans, it almost is.
January 26, 1980
Johnson, Campfield To Attend Banquet
Two Philadelphia Eagles players and two members of the Hershey Bears have been added to the list of speakers at the Lancaster Sportswriters and Broadcasters Banquet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Host Farm.
Noseguard Charlie Johnson and halfback Billy Campfield will join coach Dick Vermeil at the banquet. Johnson played well enough to earn a berth in the National Football League's Pro Bowl on Sunday and Campfield was used in key passing situations for the Eagles.
Doug Gibson, coach of the Bears since November, will also attend the banquet. Gibson is a two-time American Hockey League most valuable player. At 26, Gibson was the youngest coach in the AHL's history.
The Bears will also be represented by center Claude Noel, the team's most valuable player last season.
Other recent additions to the speakers' platform are Penn State defensive lineman Matt Millen, Hempfield graduate Tom Herr of the St. Louis Cardinals and Birch Davidson, a well-known local swimmer who won eight medals and earned All-America seniors status in the National Masters championships last summer.
Speakers who had already been scheduled to appear include Phillies Manager Dallas Green, ex-Phillies catcher Tim McCarver, Baltimore Colts Joe Ehrmann and Sanders Shiver, Orioles outfielder Pat Kelly, former major-league pitcher Rex Barney and Maryland Associated Press Sports Editor Gordon Beard.
Tickets to the banquet have been sold out.
January 29, 1980
Flyers’ Clarke Named Most Courageous Athlete
CHERRY HILL, N.J. (AP) - Bobby Clarke, who once was told he would be blind by the age of 25 because of diabetes if he tried to skate for a living, was honored Monday night as "'The Most Courageous Athlete of the Decade" by the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association.
In addition to Clarke of the National Hockey League's Philadelphia Flyers, the writers at their 76th annual banquet feted the Philadelphia Phillies' Pete Rose as "The Athlete of the Decade.”
Also honored were the Pittsburgh Steelers as "'The Team of the Year" (1979), the Philadelphia Eagles' Wilbert Montgomery the area's outstanding professional athlete, and Villanova runner Don Paige as Philadelphia's top amateur athlete of last year.
Eagles' quarterback Ron Jaworski was presented an award as "The Good Guy" among Philadelphia athletes, one who cooperated with the media and involved himself in community activities.
The highlight of the night, however, was the presentation of Clarke as the most courageous. The 30-year-old Flyers' center, now also an assistant coach, is living proof of what modern medicine has done for diabetics.
"I don't know whether I should be the most courageous or not," said Clarke modestly. "You don't have to be courageous to play hockey," he observed.
"I never really considered that I overcoming anything. It (the diabetes) was just part of my life. After all, I was 14 when I found out," Clarke said.
Clarke was asked why during his first days in the NHL he became so upset when his affliction was discussed.
"I just think it was a sign of immaturity. I obviously didn't want to be different. I didn't want to be picked out as different," Clarke said.
Doctors told Clarke when he was a youngster that because of his diabetes he never could stand the rigors of a profession al athlete's life.
But he refused to believe it. He adheres to a strict diet, takes insulin injections every day, and plays hockey like the All-Star Game performer he has been in 10 of his 11 years in the NHL.
Clarke also became the first in the history of the writers' banquet to win both of: their major awards. In 1974 he was honored as the nation's Outstanding Athlete by the association. He had been the NHL's Most Valuable Player three times.
In addition to being the Flyers' all-time scorer, Clarke was captain of the team until becoming a coaching assistant this year, and is recognized as the leader of the game's most successful expansion team. He led the Flyers to two Stanley Cup titles.
Despite his affliction and dire predictions of the doctors and others, Clarke in 11 years has missed just 15 games because of injury.
Flyers' general manager Keith Allen said of Clarke, "He has overcome a serious handicap after being put on the shelf before he got started. He has played a major part in everything we've accomplished in the last decade. Bobby is truly an amazing individual.”
Angry Aaron Snubs Kuhn At Award Ceremony
NEW YORK (AP) - An angry Hank Aaron snubbed Bowie Kuhn Monday, refusing to accept an award from the commissioner in recognition of his 715th home run and charging that baseball's treatment of retired black players continues to leave much to be desired.
Aaron, the all-time home run king with 755, was scheduled to be honored by Baseball Magazine for the greatest moment of the decade of the '70s with Kuhn scheduled to make the presentation. At the same time, Pete Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies was honored as player of the decade and Don Baylor of the California Angels and Keith Hernandez of the St. Louis Cardinals were recognized as the outstanding performers of 1979.
Rose, Baylor and Hernandez appeared at the function but Aaron stayed away, sending a telegram which was read by his agent, Bob Flamm. It said in part:
"Because of the inadequacies in the ballot selection, retirement for black players from baseball, and with the commissioner of baseball I feel I cannot support this activity.
"I understand that Mr. Kuhn requested that he present me the award for the outstanding moment of the 1970s, in honor and recognition of the new all-time home run record set on the eighth of April 1974. However, looking back on that time I remember the commissioner did not see the need to attend."
Aaron went on to say that his absence from the presentation did not reflect on Baseball Magazine, "but rather something much deeper than that."
Reached later at the office of the Atlanta Braves, Aaron explained his telegram.
"With the balloting among the writers as far as player of the decade ... I think the things I achieved overshadowed anything anyone else did in that period," he said.
Aaron said he continues to be bothered by the shortage of retired black players in front office and managerial or coaching jobs in baseball.
"Baseball should live up to its responsibilities," he said. "It's supposed to be the national pastime."
Aaron said he felt slighted when Kuhn was not on hand in Atlanta for home run No.715 which broke Babe Ruth's all-time record.
"I have no animosity toward him," the retired slugger said. "But I just think it would have compounded the situation to stand up and accept an award from him for the greatest moment in baseball and he wasn't even there. It was a slap at me when he didn't show up."
Kuhn appeared shocked and surprised when Flamm read the telegram from Aaron.
"I will continue to admire Henry's achievements as among the greatest in the history of baseball and I have no comment beyond that," Kuhn said.
The commissioner was in Cincinnati when Aaron tied Ruth's record of 714 home runs on April 4, 1974.
When the Braves returned to Atlanta, the commissioner dispatched Hall of Famer Monte Irvin, a - member of his staff, to represent him.
"I still consider as one of my greatest - personal thrills being present for No. 714 in Cincinnati," the commissioner said.
When Aaron hit No. 715, Kuhn was addressing the Cleveland Sports Fans Club, fulfilling a long standing obligation.
"That has nothing to do with today," Aaron said.
"I've talked to Henry at various functions and I've never heard a any of that from Henry," the commissioner said after listening to the telegram. "Quite the contrary.”
January 30, 1980
No Bragging, But Aaron Was The Best
ATLANTA (AP) — All-time home run king Henry Aaron, who snubbed an award commemorating his record 715th homer as "The Greatest Moment of the Decade," added fire to the controversy Tuesday by claiming he, and not Pete Rose, should have been selected as "Player of the Decade."
"I don't want this to sound like I have anything against Pete Rose or his accomplishments, because I don't," Aaron said. "I just feel like what I did in the '70s was in no way second best to any accomplishment of anybody, no matter what they did.
"I know I only played the first six years of the decade, but I think what I did i in those six years should be enough. This would be easier to take if the vote had been by the fans, but it was by sports writers — people who know a little about baseball," he said.
Sports broadcasters and writers and baseball executives participated in the voting. Rose received 109 points, including 24 first place votes. Rod Carew of the California Angels was second with 103 points and 20 firsts. Aaron was next with 86 points, including 20 firsts.
Aaron blamed New York sportswriters.
"I just think there were some people in the press who didn't want to vote me this award. I don't want to get into a racial thing, but I was never the ideal person for the New York press," said Aaron, now 45 and a vice president with the Atlanta Braves.
"Rose has a tremendous record, but so has Henry Aaron. Just look at the records and compare the stats. I'm sure Rose being the player of the decade was just a matter of him being more of the sports writers' favorite," he said.
Aaron said Rose probably had a better relationship with the press than himself because "I just went about my business and played baseball the way I thought it should be played.”
He said he has no reason to create problems. "But I feel I have to speak the truth," he said. "That is something no one can take from me. I will speak my mind until the day I die."
Rose of the Philadelphia Phillies, Keith Hernandez of the St. Louis Cardinals and Don Baylor of the California Angeles, chosen the top performers of 1979.
Instead, Aaron, upset over what he considered a six-year snub by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, refused to show up or accept the award, because, he said, Kuhn failed to appear at Atlanta Stadium on April 8, 1974 when he set the record
"I've been carrying that around for six years. I wasn't bent on revenge, but I did want to Aaron was to have been honored Monday in wait until the right time to clear my mind, and New York by Baseball Magazine, along with this was it," said Aaron.
Sports Digest (excerpt)
Baseball:
Paul "Daffy" Dean, St. Louis Cardinal pitching star of the early 1930s, remained in serious condition Tuesday after a heart attack. Dean, 65, is in the intensive care unit at Memorial Hospital in Springdale where he lives. Dean and his brother, Jerome "Dizzy" Dean, made sports headlines as a colorful brother pitching tandem for the Cardinals…. Chris Short, who pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies during a 15-year major league baseball career, will join the Cincinnati Reds as a special instructor in spring training. Short, now an insurance executive in Wilmington, Del., will spend two weeks at the Reds' training camp.
January 31, 1980
Sportswriters’ Banquet Tonight At Host Farm
The 34th annual Lancaster Sportswriters and Broadcasters Banquet will be held at 6:30 tonight at the Host Farm.
Guests include Philadelphia Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil, Philadelphia Phillies manager Dallas Green, outfielder Greg Gross, ex-Phillie Tim McCarver, Eagles Billy Campfield and Charlie Johnson, Penn State football star Matt shey Bears player-coach Doug Gibson and Bears center Claude Noel.
Also attending will be Baltimore Colts Joe Ehrmann and Sanders Shiver, Maryland Association Press Sports Editor Gordon n Beard, former major league pitcher Rex Barney, Baltimore Oriole Pat Kelly, St. Louis Cardinal infielder Tom Herr and local senior-division swimmer Birch Davidson.
Marvin Miller will be the toastmaster.