New Jersey Newspapers - March 13, 1980
Camden Courier-Post
Ruthven, Wright pass tests
By Rusty Pray of the Courier-Post
CLEARWATER, Fla. – It was merely an intra-squad game and, as such, was indistinguishable from the many other rites of spring major league baseball teams perform.
But for pitchers Dick Ruthven and Jim Wright, the Phillies' first intra-squad game yesterday was something more than a ritual undertaking. It was a significant step toward returning from the limbo world of injury.
Indeed, Ruthven and Wright were the reason why the Phillies staged the game on their final day of workouts at Carpenter Complex. Today the club begins a new phase in Manager Dallas Green's spring training regimen at Jack Russell Stadium.
WITH THE competitive part of spring training beginning tomorrow with the Phillies' first exhibition game against the Detroit Tigers, the club wanted an opportunity to observe Ruthven and Wright pitch under controlled conditions.
"We put them in this game because we knew the adrenalin wouldn't be running like it would if they pitched against Toronto or Cincinnati," said pitching Coach Herm Starrette. "We didn't want them to feel they had to throw everything hard. We just wanted them to get their feet on the ground."
While the results were not nearly as decisive as those obtained by a couple of other noted slingers in Tuesday's Florida primary, the Phillies nevertheless were heartened by what they saw.
“RUTHVEN THREW free," said Starrette. "There was nothing in his delivery to indicate arm problems. With Wright, the real test is yet to come, but it's nice to see him smiling once in awhile."
Ruthven and Wright each worked two innings, allowing two hits between them. The Phillies purposely made them work with men on base, an innovation of sorts in a sport so governed by tradition.
True to his nature, Ruthven didn't think much of walking out to the mound and staring at base runners. "If they wanted to keep the adrenalin from running, why'd they put men on base?" he grumbled good-naturedly. "I walked out there and there were guys on first and third and I hadn't even messed up yet.”
STILL, RUTHVEN couldn't help but be pleased with the 17 pitches he threw, because they came without the pain that served as foreshadowing for a frustrating season in 1979. The only hit the righthander relinquished was a single by Del Unser. And, only John Vukovich was able to get the ball in the air off Ruthven.
It was, ironically, this time a year ago that Ruthven's right elbow began showing signs that there was something seriously wrong.
"Last year I threw batting practice here (at the Complex), then we moved back to Jack Russell Stadium," Ruthven recalled. "I remember going to the ballpark with my elbow the size of a grapefruit It bothered me for about a week and a half, then it didn't bother me again until May."
RUTHVEN WON his first six decisions and appeared destined to at last establish himself as one of the top righthanders in the National League. But the pain returned and Ruthven would win only one more time the rest of the season. Doctors later removed six bone chips from the joint and Ruthven embarked on a lengthy recovery program.
"Everything," he said, "is better than it was (a year ago). "I felt accurate. I didn't feel like I was throwing hard, but nothing hurt. The curve ball felt uncomfortable, but nothing like last year. I didn't throw too many of them anyway. My arm just isn't in good enough shape for that yet."
Wright's work was equally free of pain, which must be something of a new experience for the 6-6 righthander. Wright was one of the club's brightest pitching prospects until a series of arm troubles sidelined him for the better part of the last two seasons.
THE DIFFICULTTES began in 1977, when a tumor was discovered on his right forearm. It was removed during the 1978 season after he had pitched only 20 innings for Oklahoma City. Last March, while be was pitching in a "B" game at the Complex, Wright threw a fastball and broke the same forearm. That was the last time be bad faced a batter until yesterday.
"I’m not saying it wasn't on my mind, because it is," Wright said. "But I gave it (his arm) a good test. I’ll tell you, (being on a pitcher's mound) is like coming back from a vacation – it's always good to come home."
The intra-squad game was just the first in a series of steps Ruthven and Wright must take. But it was encouraging for the Phillies, a team that had more than its share of discouragement last year, to see two of their pitchers returned to the mound, back from their respective vacations.
PHIL UPS – The trade that will bring utility infielder Billy Smith to the Phillies from Baltimore may be consumated this weekend… The Phils are offering the Orioles outfielder Orlando Isales and, reportedly, non-roster pitchers Paul Thormodsgard and Dan Larson... Detroit pitchers for tomorrow’s exhibition game are Steve Baker, Dave Rozema and, Jeff Holly... Phillies play Toronto Saturday at Dunedin and Sunday in Jack Russell Stadium... Randy Lerch, Bob Walk, Thormodsgard and Tug McGraw are scheduled to hurl Saturday while Larry Christenson, Carlos Arroyo, Jose Martinez and Lerrin LaGrow are to work Sunday's game.... Blue Jays have scheduled Jess Jefferson, Balor Moore, Ron Willis and Steve Grilli to work Saturday.
Klein, Yawkey are named to ‘Hall’
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – The late Chuck Klein, who batted .320 in 17 years in the National League, and Tom Yawkey, the late owner of the Boston Red Sox, were named to the Hall of Fame today by the Veterans Committee.
They will be inducted in the Hall Aug. 3 with Duke Snider and Al Kaline, who were elected earlier by members of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Johnny Mize, former St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants and New York Yankees slugger, was the closest of the finalists failing to be named by the Oldtimers Committee. Other finalists were Charlie Grimm, Jimmy Dykes, Glen Wright, Walter Alston and Vic Willis, who pitched at the turn of the century.
Klein, who died at of age 54, won the National League's Triple Crown in 1933 when he hit .368, had 28 home runs and batted in 120 runs with the Phillies. He aso batted .356 in 1929 and .386 in 1930 with the Phillies.
He also was the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1932 when he hit .348, with 38 homers and 137 RBI for the Phillies, with whom he spent most of his career. He also played two seasons and part of another with the Chicago Cubs and part of one season with Pittsburgh. He ended his career with the Philllies in 1944.
Yawkey, who died in July of 1976 in Boston at age of 73, was one of the orginal big spenders in baseball.
In Feb 1933, four days after his 30th birthday, he bought the Red Sox for $l million. In the previous 11 years, the club had finished last nine times and never higher than sixth. Yawkee immediately started to rebuild Fenway Park and strengthen his team with such additions as Lefty Grove, Jimmy Foxx, Joe Cronin and Rick Ferrell.
With Cronin as player-manager, the Red Sox finished second to the Yankees four times in the five-year stretch between 1938 and 1942. But it wasn't until 1946 that Yawkee gained his first pennant.
He had to wait until 1967 for his second and got a third in 1975. The Red Sox lost the World Series in seven games on three occasions.
Yawkee served as vice president of the American League from 1956 through 1973 and was the league's representative on the ix Executive Council from 1951 through 1957.
The Press of Atlantic City
Green Won’t Toy With Carlton
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — "First, there is no Carlton situation,” said Philadelphia Phillies' manager Dallas Green.
Green talked frankly about his relationship with, and thoughts about Steve Carlton, the lefthand pitcher who is tied for fifth among active major league pitchers in career victories (225).
The natural question is what kind of problem can you have with a winner of that stature. And the natural answer is none. But much has been made bv some of the media over Carlton’s different philosophy in preparing himself physically for his job.
Maybe the attempt to create a controversy over Carlton's approach is because the 35-year-oId pitcher refuses to talk with the media. Why? You'd have to ask Carlton, and he won't say.
The center of the artificial storm is Carlton's aversion to the standard running conditioning practiced by most pitchers. If you want to get corny, the question of "why won't Stevie run” apparently has become more important than "how many games will Stevie win.”
It's ridiculous, and nobody agrees more than Green, whose responsibility it is to get a pitching staff ready for the 162-game National League season.
"I think a lot of people are more hung up on this running bit than I am,” Green began in a discussion before his daily team meeting. "I have come to know Steve Carlton a little better as a result of some one-on-one conversations… I know he is vehemently opposed to the running idea of getting into condition for baseball.”
Green, a former major league pitcher and a manager at the minor league level, admits that he is “old school” enough to want to have a running program for his people.
“At the same time I think I'm progressive enough and open minded enough to take the good parts of any program and incorporate it into a program that I think is best for the Phillies," Green said.
"Steve and I have had a conversation in spring training I think he understands the position I'm in as a new manager who has to run a program for 40 people. At the same time, I respect what he has done in making himself what I think is now the best lefthand pitcher in the business.”
Green says Carlton has achieved stardom with the help of the pitcher's conditioning ideas.
“He’s done it through self discipline, physical and mental. It is not a program that probably any other pitcher could go through physically. And I challenge anybody that thinks Carlton is not in shape or does not do his work. I tried Carlton's program during the winter… And I'll tell you, it’s is grueling.”
Green douses more water on what he considers a media-created cause celebre when the manager suggests looking at the statistics, which show that in the last 10 years Carlton never pitched less than 247 innings in a season, posted a 178-98 record and an ERA of 3.08.
"So something works for Steve Carlton,” Green noted. "It can’t work for the other pitchers I've got on my staff… I know that 90 percent of our guys couldn’t go through (the conditioning program) Steve goes through and still pitch… ”
Green said he told Carlton that he wants the pitcher to go through the manager’s program. that the club policy won’t be dictated by the press or the fans/
"We’re going to run our program,” Green emphasized. “And if he goes through the rest of our program I'm convinced he’ll get enough running and he'll get enough work on fundamentals that he’ll even be a better pitcher… and as I said before I think he's one of the best lefthanders I’ve ever seen in the game.”
Green made one more point, and that was that Carlton comes early to the ball park every day during training and does run within the flexibility program the pitcher has adapted.
“There is only so much you can push a guy or ask a guy to do,” Green observed.
For Phillies’ Schmidt, Often It’s All Or Nothing
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) – Someone asked the Philadelphia Phillies’ Mike Schmidt how he can lead the National League in game winning hits, smash 45 home runs, drive in 114 runs walk 120 times and hit just .253.
“I've just never had a natural baseball swing that lends itself to consistent line hitting day-in and day-out,” Schmidt replied. “I’m not the type of guy who has been known to get a hit every game, to break any hitting streak."
The 30-year-old Schmidt is known as a streak hitter. He can go three weeks and it appears no pitcher ever will get him out. Then he turns cold, and it looks as if he'll never get another hit.
Schmidt, who also won a Gold Glove for his defensive play at third base, said his batting style does not lend itself to hitting for high average.
“I give up a lot of time on pitches that if I just took a nice. smooth swing I’d probably hit for a high average. When I see a pitch that’s in a zone, a lot of times I’ll' try and crank up on it, do too much with it… In trying to produce too much power I pop the ball up, or foul it back, or swing and miss it,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt noted that he doesn't get a lot of cheap hits, broken bat types, flares to right field. He said his batting average goes down as a result of not getting this type of hit, but his power production is higher.
The 203-pound Schmidt claims that every year that he plays the game he has less of a desire to hit .350.
"Every year I realize more and more that that really is not me,” Schmidt said. “I think I’m more of a .270 or .280 hitter if I have a lucky year, maybe .290 I just walk too much, get pitched around too much, see too many breaking balls to be a .320, .330 hitter.”
Schmidt said if he hits for a high average, it's something that's just going to happen, but that he never is going to start a season off again saving his goal is to hit .350.
"I think I can be of greater help to the team hitting around .270, .280, if I'm going to walk 120 times, ‘ Schmidt said. "I was on base (in 1979) as much as Keith Hernandez last year and I hit .253, so what’s the difference?”
Hernandez of the St Louis Cardinals won the National League batting title, and shared his league’s MVP award with Pittsburgh’s Willie Stargell.
Schmidt adds, however, that he has as much capability as anyone who plays the game to hit for a high average. He says he just places his style of hitting first, a power style he hasn't actually developed, just naturally acquired.
"I have a couple of things I do naturally that puts the ball in the air instead of on the ground. Pete Rose is more often on the ground and less in the air, so he hits for a higher average and I hit for a lower one,” Schmidt said as he dressed for a spring training workout.
"If someone paid me not to hit home runs, I bet you I’d hit .300,” Schmidt said. “If 'someone said, ‘I don't care if you never hit another home run,’ I'd be willing to say I’d choke up on the bat and hit .300.”
Klein And Yawkey Get in Hall of Fame
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Charles "Chuck" Klein, a slugging outfielder, and Tom Yawkey, whose millions of dollars converted the Boston Red Sox into an American League pennant contender, were named posthumously yesterday to baseball's Hall of Fame.
The Veterans Committee provides a second chance for those personalities who are not honored by the writers.
Players become eligible for the Hall of Fame five years after retirement and remain eligible for selection by the writers for 20 years afterward.
Wednesday’s vote was a tremendous disappointment for Johnny Mize, four-time home run king in the National League, who had been ignored by the writers.
Mize compiled a .312 average and hit 359 home runs in his major league career. He was the third finisher in the voting which is restricted to the picking of two men.
Klein was one of the game's most powerful hitters from 1928 through 1944. In his first six seasons, he averaged between .337 and .386, hitting between 28 and 43 home runs ana driving in 121 to 170 runs.
Klein spent his 17-year-career in the National League with the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Yawkey, as a youth, inherited the Detroit baseball franchise but was never allowed to run it. After graduating from Yale, where he was a third-string tackle in football, he went into the family lumber and mining business, becoming a millionaire.
In February, 1933, four days after his 30th birthday, he bought the Red Sox, including all debts, for $1 million. Then he preceded to spend millions in rebuilding Fenway Park and acquiring talent to move the club out of the cellar, where it had finished nine consecutive years.