Episode 267
1962 Mets 1B Jim Marshall, 1969 World Series champ Ron Swoboda
Show Summary:
Host Bill Donohue welcomes Jim Marshall, the oldest living player from the 1962 New York Mets, who shares anecdotes from his storied career, including his time in Japan and his significance to Ichiro Suzuki’s family. Marshall, who played first base for the Mets and later managed teams in Major League Baseball, recounts his experiences and the evolution of the game. Later, Ron Swoboda, another illustrious former Met and a pivotal figure in the 1969 World Series championship team, joins the discussion. The episode delves into the rich history of the Mets, highlighting their struggles and triumphs, while also reflecting on the personal journeys of these baseball legends. Through their narratives, we gain insight into the enduring legacy of the Mets and the players who shaped the franchise's identity.
Show Details:
In a compelling episode of Sports Talk New York, host Bill Donohue engages in a rich dialogue with Jim Marshall and Ron Swoboda, two former Mets who played significant roles in the franchise's early history. Jim Marshall, the oldest living Mets player, opens up about his experiences during the team's inaugural season in 1962, illuminating the early struggles and triumphs of the franchise. His journey highlights the transition from minor league baseball to the major leagues, as well as his successful tenure in Japan, where he became a pivotal figure for the Oryx Blue Wave and influenced future stars like Ichiro Suzuki. Jim's anecdotes provide a heartfelt glimpse into the challenges players faced during those formative years and the camaraderie that defined their experiences. The conversation seamlessly transitions to Ron Swoboda, a key member of the 1969 World Series championship team. Ron shares vivid memories of that historic season, his iconic catch, and the dynamic team spirit that propelled the Mets to their first championship. His insights into the blend of talent and determination among the players offer listeners a profound appreciation for the significance of that era. This episode not only serves as a nostalgic reflection on Mets history but also underscores the impact these players had on the sport, making it an essential listen for baseball enthusiasts.
Takeaways:
- The radio show features Jim Marshall, the oldest living Mets player, discussing his career and experiences.
- Jim Marshall reminisces about his time playing for the Mets in 1962 and his subsequent success in Japan.
- Ron Swoboda, a key member of the 1969 World Series championship team, joins to share his insights.
- Both guests reflect on the challenges and triumphs of early Mets history, emphasizing their contributions to the franchise.
- Jim Marshall recalls personal anecdotes, including his connection to Ichiro Suzuki through his father.
- Ron Swoboda recounts memorable moments from his career, including iconic plays and interactions with legendary players.
Transcript
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Speaker A:And if you miss a show, don't worry because they're all out on the website the next day at www.sportstalknewyork.com.
Speaker A:you can catch up anytime.
Speaker A: r, including a stint with the: Speaker A:Then he played in Japan from 63 to 65.
Speaker A:After his playing career, he managed the Cubs and the Athletics.
Speaker A:I welcome to Sports Talk New York.
Speaker A:Tonight, Jim Marshall.
Speaker A:Jim, good evening.
Speaker B:Good evening.
Speaker B:It's a pleasure to talk to someone in New York.
Speaker A:Wonderful, Jim.
Speaker A:We got the time straightened out, so we're good to go.
Speaker B:I told you I'd be here.
Speaker A:There you go.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Now, Jim, you were born in Illinois, raised in Long Beach.
Speaker A:Who are your teams and your heroes as a youngster?
Speaker B:Well, all my heroes in the youngster, which probably not too many New York people know.
Speaker B:It was the Pacific Coast League.
Speaker B:It was the Triple A teams and the first basemans were my idols growing up that played in the Pacific League.
Speaker B:Nick Etman was one of them.
Speaker B:And there was Billy Barton was one.
Speaker B:And then there was one more.
Speaker B:I can't remember right now.
Speaker B:It's been too long ago.
Speaker A:Yeah, I hear you, Jim.
Speaker A:Now, you played for Long Beach State, and that was before the dirt bag days of Long Beach State, right?
Speaker B:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:I wouldn't be a dirt bag.
Speaker A:No, no, no.
Speaker A:For those folks who may not know the, the baseball team at Long Beach State, they are called the dirt bags now.
Speaker A:So we're not saying Jim was one, but that's what they're called now.
Speaker A:Now, I want to check with you on one thing, Jim.
Speaker A:You were recruited by the great John Wooden.
Speaker B:That's correct.
Speaker B:I went to, I played basketball at Compton and Woodley came down after one of our games and told me he'd like to have me play on his team.
Speaker B:And obviously it was a full scholarship.
Speaker B:And I was honored and very excited in the moment because I had made up my mind whether I'm going to play baseball or basketball.
Speaker B:So the longevity says I made the right choice.
Speaker A:Yeah, I would say that, Jim.
Speaker A:Now, every major league team was interested in you, though, at one point.
Speaker B:Well, it seemed like quite a few.
Speaker B:It was kind of a, you know, I'm just in high school, one year into junior college when I signed, so you can imagine all of the thoughts and somewhat confusing.
Speaker B:My dad got me through some of those times.
Speaker B:There were a lot of teams.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Now, I had read, Jim, that you and your dad met with Branch Rickey and George Sisler at a Cocha School in St. Louis Obispo.
Speaker A:That's pretty good company.
Speaker B:That is absolutely correct.
Speaker B:My father followed Ricky a long time and really liked him.
Speaker B:And those two were the nicest people that I probably ever met and didn't realize the value till later on in my life.
Speaker A:Yeah, that must have been some meeting.
Speaker A:I'll tell you.
Speaker A:Now, you started out at the Polo Grounds.
Speaker A:Before you ever played with the Mets, you played in the Hearst Sandlot Classic in the Polo Grounds.
Speaker B:No, sir.
Speaker B:I played in Yankee Stadium.
Speaker A:Oh, okay.
Speaker A:Sabre was wrong then.
Speaker B: All right,: Speaker A:Yeah, I stand corrected, Jim.
Speaker A:Okay, I'll have to make.
Speaker B:Well, I hated to do that to you, but.
Speaker A:No, go right ahead.
Speaker A:No, that's.
Speaker A:That's how we learn, Jim.
Speaker A:That's how we learn.
Speaker A:Now, you were guests after that game of the great Tom Yorkey, the owner of the Boston Red Sox.
Speaker B:Yes, I did meet him and talked a little bit about the Red Sox.
Speaker B:And I didn't actually work out for him, though.
Speaker B:It was just at the event you're talking about is when I saw him.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Now, you.
Speaker A:You signed a contract for an undisclosed amount with the Oakland Oaks in the Pacific Coast League.
Speaker A:Now, you had a pretty good career in the Pacific Coast League.
Speaker B:You know, to be honest with you, I want to hurt anybody's feelings, but we live on the Coast.
Speaker B:The Coast League was the big league.
Speaker B:Yeah, we loved it.
Speaker B:We loved the players.
Speaker B:And, you know, a week at a time in a town and, you know, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Seattle, all.
Speaker B:Just all fun places to be.
Speaker A:We're speaking with Jim Marshall tonight on the program.
Speaker A:Now, the manager of the Oakland Oaks was a guy of some renowned by the name of Chuck Dressen.
Speaker B:Yes, he's one of my two favorite managers, and believe me, I played for a lot of them.
Speaker B:And Charlie Dressen was very direct, very.
Speaker B:He knew the baseball game very well.
Speaker B:And one of his assistants, Cookie Lavajetto, is the one that helped me along the way to be successful in the Coastal League.
Speaker A:Now, you met up with Cookie later on with the Mets.
Speaker B:Yes, he was a lifesaver for me.
Speaker B:He was my communication.
Speaker B:He was my friend, and I always appreciate what he did for me.
Speaker A:A great baseball man, Cookie Lava.
Speaker A:Jetto, folks.
Speaker A:Google him, you'll see a very distinguished career.
Speaker A:Now, at one point, you were mentioned with Jackie Jensen or Billy Martin that you may be a bigger name than those guys.
Speaker A:What did you think of that, Jim?
Speaker B:I didn't ever know that.
Speaker B:I will not Make a comment because it didn't come true.
Speaker A:No, that's true.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But still to be mentioned and in the same breath as those guys, pretty good.
Speaker B: s in: Speaker B: the manager who was there in: Speaker A:He took over.
Speaker B:We'll leave it at that.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:Yeah, I understand.
Speaker A:Yeah, we get you there, Jim.
Speaker A:Now, in your first season as a pro, Jim, three 36, 19 doubles, 17 triples, 15 homers.
Speaker A:You slugged at a clip of.631.
Speaker A:The Dukes finished second and four games to go for the West Texas New Mexico League championship.
Speaker A:Pretty good season.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:It was just a little over half a season because when I signed, I couldn't go till school was over.
Speaker B:But I had a great manager in Herschel Martin, who played for the Yankees two or three years during the war in center field and a man's man.
Speaker B:And, you know, I never dreamed that I could hit a home run in Albuquerque.
Speaker B:And then you go directly to the fence and fence starts you off with $5.
Speaker B:And you really hope they hit a home run when there weren't two outs so you could make the whole lineup.
Speaker B:Okay, so that was a special time for me.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:What a bonus that proved to be.
Speaker A:Now in 51, Jim, you're promoted from Class C all the way up to aaa.
Speaker A:Pretty good jump.
Speaker B:Yes, it was a jump that was pretty good to me as far as the.
Speaker B:But the curveball I hadn't seen too much of in my life, and I think I was sent out in the middle of the year.
Speaker B:But I enjoyed the time and the players while I was there.
Speaker A:Yeah, and as I said, pretty good movement in the minor leagues there.
Speaker A:Now, you went to spring training in 52 with the Oakland Oaks, but in March, your option to Nashville and the AA Southern Association.
Speaker A:That's one of my favorite minor league teams, Jim, the Nashville sounds.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Well, they were the Nashville Vols when I played.
Speaker A:Oh, okay, Tennessee.
Speaker B:And they played in Sulphur Dell.
Speaker B:Have you ever heard of.
Speaker B:That was the name of the field.
Speaker B:It was down.
Speaker B:It was down, way down on the ground.
Speaker B:And it was hotter than you can believe.
Speaker A:Oh, I can imagine.
Speaker B:It was a great season with some very great players.
Speaker B:It was a farm team for the Giants.
Speaker A:And any guys along the way you mentioned Cookie Lavajetto.
Speaker A:Any other guys along the way, maybe we would know that really had an impact on your career when you were in the minors?
Speaker B:Oh, boy.
Speaker B:Oh, a lot of guys helped me in the minors.
Speaker B:I wouldn't be fair to mention one and not the other.
Speaker B:I'll just tell you that I had a lot of great managers who became big league managers later on also.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Names.
Speaker C:I'm sorry, I haven't gotten.
Speaker A:That's fine.
Speaker A:That's fine.
Speaker A:Now, in 53, you're the regular first baseman for Oakland.
Speaker A:You played 151 games, hit.273, 24 homers, 99 ribbies.
Speaker A:And then in 54, you hit.285, 31 homers and 123 RBIs.
Speaker A:And that's in 166 games, folks.
Speaker A:That's a pretty good clip right there.
Speaker A:And after that, the Oaks invested in you, selling you and pitcher Don Ferries to the White Sox for Ferrezzi.
Speaker A:Yeah, I missed that one, Jim.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:For 50 grand.
Speaker A:That's a lot of money back then.
Speaker B:Yes, it was.
Speaker B:And my contract called for part of the sales money would go to me.
Speaker B:So I was very happy to have that happen.
Speaker A:Yeah, I believe you on that one.
Speaker A:Now, the White Sox, you played for Marty Marion there.
Speaker A:And Marty Marion, folks, you can Google his name.
Speaker A:There's another great baseball man.
Speaker A:How is Marty Marion as a skipper, Jim?
Speaker B:Well, I didn't get to know him as well as I'd like to because there was a fellow named Walt Dropo playing first base.
Speaker B:And there was really no room in the end for me.
Speaker B:I could never realize why they took me in the first place.
Speaker A:Yeah, Walt Dropo, folks, was a first baseman.
Speaker A:He later won Rookie of the Year with the Boston Red Sox.
Speaker A:I forget what year it was.
Speaker A:And Marty Marion, who we're speaking of as the manager of the White Sox, was a great infielder, a great shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Speaker A:And you could Google those gentlemen's name and see what great careers they had.
Speaker A:And as you say, Jim, they used Walt at first base and they sent you back to Oakland.
Speaker B:Yes, they did.
Speaker B:And here we go again.
Speaker A:Yeah, but you had another good year for the Oaks.
Speaker B:I love playing there, loved playing in Oakland.
Speaker B:It was.
Speaker B:It just seemed like where I belonged.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:I guess is best way to say it now.
Speaker A:Can you believe the trouble that they're having to keep a team in Oakland now, Jim?
Speaker A:So many years they had a very successful club out in Oakland with the world championships that they won in the 70s.
Speaker A:Now they can't keep the team there.
Speaker B:I think it has to do with the lease on the stadium, and that was kicked around for 10 or 15 years.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And still no.
Speaker A:No resolve.
Speaker B:Well, they're building a beautiful Ballpark in Las Vegas for them.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:So two more years after this one and they'll be playing first class place.
Speaker A:I wonder how Rob Manfred feels though, to have two of his franchise playing in minor league parks.
Speaker A:That can't be too pleasing to a guy like Rob Manfred, right, Jim?
Speaker B:I wouldn't think so.
Speaker B:That's not good to talk about.
Speaker A:Yeah, I know.
Speaker A:Yeah, I crossed the line there a little bit, but that's another topic for another day.
Speaker A:We're speaking with Jim Marshall tonight.
Speaker A:1962, Met now in 56, Jim, you go to spring training again with the Chicago White Sox.
Speaker A:You played the Cardinals in an exhibition game in Memphis.
Speaker A:Memphis was a good baseball town.
Speaker B:It was great there.
Speaker B:I had the fortune of hitting a home run and got eleven hundred dollars for was the Memphis team laundry.
Speaker B:In dead center field there was a sign, if you hit it, that's what you won.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker B:And I was a lucky guy.
Speaker B:It was great because two great players, Aaron and Matthews, both just missed it.
Speaker A:Oh, they missed the sign.
Speaker C:That's my claim to fame.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Not too shabby there, Jim.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So you're saying that Eddie Matthews and Hank Aaron missed the sign?
Speaker B:Yeah, they didn't hit it.
Speaker B:They didn't.
Speaker B:You know, they hit him probably over the.
Speaker A:Yeah, right.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's true.
Speaker A:But folks can Google also the Memphis Chicks, a great baseball franchise, minor league franchise down in Memphis, Tennessee, I believe they play or they played last in a ballpark named after Tim McCarver who was a Memphis chick for a while.
Speaker A:And you can check that out, folks.
Speaker B:Now again, Russell Stadium was the name when I played there in 56.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Yeah, with the famous sign.
Speaker A:We'll remember that one, Jim.
Speaker B:Now good.
Speaker B:I'm still sending my clothes out.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:You get.
Speaker A:Are you getting them back though, Jim?
Speaker A:That's the thing.
Speaker B:Well, you know, a little here, a little there.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:I do have a couple of funny things I want to tell you.
Speaker A:Go ahead.
Speaker B:About the original Mets.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker B:Opening day at the Polar Grounds.
Speaker B:I was the first baseman because Gil Hodges was hurt.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:So I'm playing and the first ground ball is hit to Don Zimmer at third base.
Speaker B:And he field and throw to me at first and he threw it all the way into the stands and it never got any better.
Speaker A:Oh, no.
Speaker A:Yeah, I can imagine, Jim.
Speaker A:Yeah, this is him.
Speaker B:And we had a catcher named Choo Choo Coleman.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:And he was.
Speaker B:He was playing one and we were really getting shells.
Speaker B:So Choo Choo comes into the dugout and says.
Speaker B:Casey said to him, what are you calling.
Speaker B:What are those pitches?
Speaker B:And he said, oh, I don't know.
Speaker B:And Casey said, when you go out next inning, I want you to be able to tell me every pitch you called for when you come back in the dugout.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Well, Choo Choo gets in the crouch.
Speaker C:Position to ready to catch.
Speaker B:And when he puts his finger down between his legs, he looks at it like the only way he's going to remember it is if you see he.
Speaker C:Looks at the sign.
Speaker B:He knew when the curve and the fastball.
Speaker B:So he had it all ready for Casey when he came out.
Speaker A:I thought you were going to say he yelled over to Casey before every pitch what it was that would have been equal to that task.
Speaker B:Now, he should have done it that way.
Speaker A:Yeah, it might have been better.
Speaker A:Now I'll tell you a story about Choo Choo Coleman.
Speaker A:He was on the air with Ralph Kiner, who is of course the Mets broadcaster and had been since day one.
Speaker A:And he gets Choo Choo and he says, Choo Choo, what's your wife's name and what's she like?
Speaker A:And Choo Choo says, her name is Mrs. Coleman and she likes me.
Speaker B:That's it.
Speaker B:We got him figured out.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Great response, folks, from the great Choo Choo Coleman right there.
Speaker B:He's a great kid.
Speaker A:And now what we were saying about the Mets, Jim, was that Gil was hurt during the home opener or he was hurt before the home opener.
Speaker B:The home opener for us was in St. Louis and Gil played a.
Speaker B:Played partial game or so, but he had a bad knee.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:So when we came back to Polo Grounds, I was it.
Speaker B:And I might add, I might be one of the only all time guys who got booed when they named me and I ran out on the field.
Speaker B:So it was Mayor Wagner and me.
Speaker B:And they were mad because Gil wasn't playing and they didn't like Wagner.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, they took it out on you guys.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Oh, boy.
Speaker B:I can understand that.
Speaker B:Phil Hodges was obviously a great feral and a great man.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:And a fan favorite.
Speaker A:All those guys that they brought over from Brooklyn, Zimmer, Charlie Neal, Duke Snyder later on.
Speaker A:And all those guys were fan favorites and they did that for the fans to bring those guys in.
Speaker A:Good public relations.
Speaker B:Snyder went to Compton.
Speaker B:He went to the same schools that I went to.
Speaker A:Oh, I didn't know.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah, he was.
Speaker B:He was four years ahead of me.
Speaker B:But after his success, nobody ever heard of me in Compton either.
Speaker B:It was not much fun.
Speaker A:Yeah, he erased you from the record books, Jim?
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:All the way.
Speaker B:Some of my batting averages, I was.
Speaker C:Glad they did no good.
Speaker A:Now, December 57th, the White Sox turn around and trade you and Larry Doby and Russ Heman to the Orioles for Ray Moore and Billy Goodman and a guy by the name of Tito Francona, who is the father of Terry Francona, who's managing the Cincinnati Reds now.
Speaker A:So you go over to, to the Baltimore Orioles then?
Speaker B:Well, I actually, my first major league career was with the Baltimore Orioles.
Speaker B:So all of those names, I'm not sure they were.
Speaker B:I was involved in all of them because I stayed at Baltimore and enjoyed my first year playing for Paul Richards.
Speaker A:Paul Richards?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:There's another big baseball name.
Speaker A:How, how is he as a skipper, Jim?
Speaker B:He was a very good communicator and loved to concentrate on pitching and teaching a pitcher a new pitch.
Speaker B:The rest of the time he was rather quiet and very direct.
Speaker B:And I got to know him after I was through as a player.
Speaker B:And I think he liked me more then than he did when I played for him.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And there's another story I read about, Jim, where you walk into the Cubs locker room when you're with Chicago.
Speaker A:Bob Cheffing, who later was the GM of the Mets, asked you, are you ready to play?
Speaker A:And what did you say?
Speaker B:I said, absolutely.
Speaker A:Yeah, right.
Speaker A:Bob Cheffing, he was another great baseball name.
Speaker A:And as I said, folks, you'll see he was a met.
Speaker A:He was a GM of the New York Mets in the 70s.
Speaker B:Now he was my neighbor.
Speaker B:I spent a lot of time with him in the off season.
Speaker B:He was a very nice man.
Speaker B:Loved to build up.
Speaker B:A guy to never give up on the baseball deal.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Special guy.
Speaker A:How was it playing in Wrigley Field back during your tenure, Jim?
Speaker B:Well, the first day I joined the Cubs, I hit three home runs and I thought it was great.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And then the next day they had some wild left hander pitching and I didn't even see the ball.
Speaker B:I couldn't figure out why I was up there.
Speaker A:Oh, boy.
Speaker B:But I love the Cubs.
Speaker B:The Cubs fans are great.
Speaker B:Now when I played, the back background was white shirts because there was no blanked off for hitters to be able to see the ball.
Speaker B:No batter's eye, find that ball.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's tough.
Speaker B:Yeah, that's why, that's why he hit the home runs.
Speaker B:I couldn't see him.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker A: u also went to the Indians in: Speaker B:Now, this is a little confusing.
Speaker B:I was traded to the Cubs and the Cubs traded me to Boston.
Speaker A:To Boston.
Speaker B:Now I go into Boston and in spring training, and I was there about a week, and the general manager said, we've traded you to Cleveland.
Speaker B:I said, okay.
Speaker B:And they traded for a catcher named Sammy White, who was excellent, big name.
Speaker B:So I go down there to Tucson, where they are, and Sammy White retires.
Speaker B:So they had to send me back and to Boston.
Speaker B:And the general manager said, you stay here.
Speaker B:My apartment's right there behind Wright Field.
Speaker B:There's a beautiful swimming pool.
Speaker B:Go swim and relax.
Speaker B:And when the day's over, I'll call you, let you know.
Speaker B:And that's when.
Speaker B:Traded to the Giants was a big break for me.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:But the thing is, Jim, when you get to the Giants, there's a kid at first base by the name of Willie McCovey.
Speaker B:Seemed to be something blocking my career, right.
Speaker B:And then McAvy got hurt for a day or so, and I'm looking forward.
Speaker B:I'm ready.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And they brought Cepeda in from left field to play first base.
Speaker A:Oh, boy.
Speaker B:So that's.
Speaker B:That's the way it goes.
Speaker B:But it's very interesting because I got to go to Japan on a trip, a goodwill trip with the Giants, and I played pretty good over there.
Speaker B:The Japanese became interested in me, and.
Speaker A:That set the stage.
Speaker A:Your career in Japan.
Speaker A:Now, what were you telling me?
Speaker A:Your connection to the great Ichiro Suzuki?
Speaker B:Well, later in my career as a scout, I took a job with the Oryx Blue Wave, which was Ichiro's team.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:And they wanted very much to go to America.
Speaker B:So we had dinner at least twice.
Speaker B:Twice.
Speaker B:A road trip.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:And he was.
Speaker B:He's just a great kid, and his desire was deeper, and he was willing to sacrifice anything in the world to get to the major leagues.
Speaker B:And the opportunity came, and as you know, he ended up in Seattle.
Speaker B:I tell you, I had a few tears in my eyes when I heard his delivery.
Speaker B:Hall of Fame, and quite proud.
Speaker B:And he's a wonderful kid.
Speaker B:He's such a good guy.
Speaker B:I'll tell you what he did.
Speaker B:In Japan, gaijin means foreigner.
Speaker B:So obviously they're calling me a guy Gene all the time.
Speaker B:Now when he comes to Seattle, I can't wait to get over in the clubhouse and say, hi, guy Jean, how you doing?
Speaker B:Now heat the floor.
Speaker B:Okay, right?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Very quick answer.
Speaker B:He said, thank you, Grandfather.
Speaker B:So it only.
Speaker B:Only hurts for a little while.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Now.
Speaker A:Now.
Speaker A:He gave a great speech in Cooperstown the other day.
Speaker B:It just brought tears to my eyes and happiness and remembering the past.
Speaker A:If there's one guy who deserves to be enshrined in the hallowed portals of Cooperstown.
Speaker A:It's Ichiro.
Speaker A:What a great career.
Speaker A:And you knew his dad?
Speaker B:Yes, his dad was a fan of mine because their home was near Nagoya, Japan and that was the Chunichi of Arragance.
Speaker B:That's the team I played for in Nagoya and he had my picture on his wall and I was his guy and so I felt really good about hearing that.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:How about that folks?
Speaker A:Jim Marshall is with us tonight.
Speaker A:The favorite ball player of the father of Ichiro Suzuki.
Speaker A:Not too bad, not too bad Jim.
Speaker B:Well, it was a great experience Japan, you know, I ended up spending seven years in Japan.
Speaker B:First, first time was around as a player and the second time around was co manager of the Chunichi Dragons.
Speaker A:Now you, you were involved in a home run derby with Sadaharu.
Speaker B:Oh, I wasn't involved in derby, it was just.
Speaker B:I wanted to catch him.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I wanted, I was only 10 or 11 my first year and then every year it became 20 and you know, I could, could not keep up with him.
Speaker B:He was a great guy.
Speaker B:But I did teach him how to play first base.
Speaker A:Very interesting, help him and it was.
Speaker B:A lot of fun.
Speaker B:I've been around a long time, met a lot of people and by the way I would like for the people in a Mets management, I would like to thank them.
Speaker B:They came out to Arizona and presented a Mets uniform top for me at a ceremony before the game and I really appreciate it and I want them to know and I'm sure you will let them know for me.
Speaker A:Okay, I will Jim.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'll tell Jay Horowitz and he'll pass the, the information on to Steve Cohen.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:Who is the new.
Speaker B:That would be perfect.
Speaker B:I really appreciate it.
Speaker A:I will do that Jim.
Speaker A:Now I just want to ask you quick, any good Casey Stengel story for us?
Speaker C:Well.
Speaker B:I'm going to tell you the story but not to knock Casey.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:He was a nice guy.
Speaker B:He was one of the greatest of all time.
Speaker B:But by the time he got there he wasn't sure of some of the names so he called me Blanchard who was the left hand hitting catcher for the Yankees.
Speaker B:Who was really a good player.
Speaker A:Johnny Blanchard.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And so.
Speaker B:Well I didn't let him, I didn't change him.
Speaker B:I just said if he thinks I'm Blanchard, I'll be here a while.
Speaker B:This looks good.
Speaker B:Unfortunately that didn't work either.
Speaker B:They traded me to Pittsburgh for Vinegar Ben Moiselle and Jim Duffalo, two pitchers.
Speaker A:There's a great baseball name.
Speaker A:Another one for you folks, Vinegar Bend Meisel, whose nickname comes from the town that he hailed from by the name of Vinegar Bend.
Speaker A:A journeyman pitcher, but a great baseball name.
Speaker A:Now, Jim, I'll be sure to pass that message from you onto the Mets.
Speaker A:It's been an honor and a pleasure having you on the show tonight.
Speaker A:I thank you for taking time out of your Sunday night to spend it with us here in New York.
Speaker A:And thanks again.
Speaker B:It's my pleasure.
Speaker B:And the Mets were a big part of my life, even though last very long.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:That's the great Jim Marshall, ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker A:Take care, Jim.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Thanks, man.
Speaker A:Up next on Sports Talk New York, we will talk to another former met from a legendary time period, Ron Swoboda.
Speaker A:He will join us.
Speaker A:So stick around, folks.
Speaker A:And now back to the show.
Speaker A:All right, folks, we are back.
Speaker A:We're back with Sports Talk New York on WGB AM FM radio, live from beautiful downtown Merrick, Long Island, New York.
Speaker A: the pomp and ceremony of the: Speaker A:Some great speeches by the inductees, and we'll speak further about Cooperstown on an upcoming program.
Speaker A: ok at who's on the ballot for: Speaker A:Always love to talk hall of Fame on the program, but I would be remiss in not mentioning the passing of a member of the hall of Fame fraternity, the great Ryan Sandberg, whom we lost on Monday.
Speaker A:I'd like to send our deepest condolences to his family, friends, teammates and fans.
Speaker A:All of Cubs Nation took a big loss with the passing of Ryne Sandberg.
Speaker A:So we will continue on Sports Talk New York.
Speaker A:Having trouble getting a hold of Ron Swoboda.
Speaker A:So what we'll do is we'll talk a little bit about the career of Ron Swobodo.
Speaker A:Trevor will keep trying to get him on the line.
Speaker A: -: Speaker A:That's the studio line.
Speaker A:And we'll chat until we can get a hold of Ron Swoboda.
Speaker A:But as I said, he's a cherished piece of Mets lore, really.
Speaker A: memory for that catch in the: Speaker A:Just an example, kids, of the longevity of that particular memory.
Speaker A:The next time you guys are at Citi Field and if you happen to enter through the bullpen gate, there is in the metal design of the silhouette of a player outstretched reaching for a baseball.
Speaker A:And that's meant to remember Ron Swoboda and the tremendous catch he made in the 69 series.
Speaker A:And I'll go to a little bit of saber information about Ron.
Speaker A:Let me just flip over here.
Speaker A:Hang on, folks.
Speaker A:I'm still with you.
Speaker A:I'm taking a little time here because we're switching gears because of the absence of Ron.
Speaker A:We'll talk a little bit about his career.
Speaker A:Let me go to Sabre and hang on, hang on.
Speaker A:Here we go.
Speaker A:I'll read you his Sabre entry.
Speaker A: Swoboda for the catch in the: Speaker A:Now, if he can only learn to catch a fly ball, the true fan of the man will also know Ron Swoboda for his wit, his heart, his humility and for his drive to become the best outfielder he could be.
Speaker A: ,: Speaker A:His father was a waste gunner In World War II, a mechanic, salesman and teacher.
Speaker A:His mother was a secretary, case manager and supervisor in social services at Sparrows Point High school.
Speaker A:He played three sports.
Speaker A:Ron's baseball coach was.
Speaker A:Andy McDonald was his name.
Speaker A:In addition to baseball, Swoboda played basketball and helped take his team to the state title.
Speaker A:And he also played soccer where he was the goalkeeper and captain of the team.
Speaker A:He played goalkeeper for the freshman soccer team at the University of Maryland as well.
Speaker A:But of course, baseball was his game and Ron started playing at the age of nine.
Speaker A:He played 15 to 17 year old amateur baseball for Sterling Sheriff Falbel.
Speaker A:According to Baltimore City, coach and scout for the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets.
Speaker A:When he was 18, Swoboda played on the Dolphin Club.
Speaker A:At 19, he played on Leone's Boys Club.
Speaker A:Whereas co op.
Speaker A:The phone is ringing, folks.
Speaker A:Let's see.
Speaker B:Hold on.
Speaker A:Trevor's on the phone.
Speaker A:How are we making out, Trev?
Speaker A:Hold on, folks.
Speaker A:Sorry for the dead air.
Speaker A:Okay, let me just switch over again, folks.
Speaker A:I'm having a tough night, folks.
Speaker A:All right, thank you, Trevor.
Speaker A:Well, our next guest as I said, a cherished piece of Met's lore, part of the first golden age of Mets baseball.
Speaker A: course, for the catch in the: Speaker A:And as I told the kids, next time you're at Citi Field and you enter through that bullpen gate in the back, there's a silhouette of a player outstretched, reaching for a baseball.
Speaker A:And that is meant to remember this great gentleman.
Speaker A:So let's welcome back to Sports Talk, New York, the great Ron Swoboda.
Speaker A:Ron, good evening, how are you?
Speaker C:I'm sorry we disconnected a bit there, but I'm glad I caught up with you.
Speaker A:Yeah, no, great to have you with us.
Speaker A:Glad things worked out, Ron.
Speaker A:Now I want to go to switch back to Sabre and I want to talk to you about the two home runs that you hit off Steve Carlton.
Speaker A:Tell us a little bit about that night.
Speaker C: ere in the hunt, obviously in: Speaker C:So we went in to play the Cardinals in a game that wasn't on tv, only on radio.
Speaker C:And we came in to play one game and it was interesting because I was struggling a little then.
Speaker C:I had had a pretty good run and I felt like I kind of lost a little something.
Speaker C:And in St. Louis Stadium they had a batting cage that you could go to.
Speaker C: mmon in baseball back then in: Speaker C:And I asked the coaches if it'd be all right for me and Ralph Kiner to go down before the game.
Speaker C:And they had these pitching machines, you know, with the inner troop, you know, with the wheels on them, you know, and you fed a ball through the wheel and.
Speaker C:And it was the early, it was the early evolution of that particular machinery.
Speaker C:But he went down there and fed me a bunch of balls.
Speaker C:And I took some batting practice with Ralph Kiner looking at me, something I had never done before, and just talked about, you know, how did it feel?
Speaker C:How does that look?
Speaker C:What do you think?
Speaker C:You know, wasn't high end analytics.
Speaker C:Just look at it, see how it feels, see how it looked.
Speaker C:And I got comfortable and went into a ball game against Steve Carlton when he probably had some of the better stuff he ever had in his life.
Speaker C:And, you know, he was on his way to striking out 19 guys, including me twice and, you know, setting a record then as major league strikeout record in a nine inning game.
Speaker C:But we went down one nothing.
Speaker C:He had struck me out once, had two strikes on me with a runner on Base.
Speaker C:I banged him for a home run and we went up 2 to 1.
Speaker C:The Cardinals went up 3 to 2.
Speaker C:He struck me out again and had two strikes on me again with a runner on base.
Speaker C:And I banged him again on a slider over the left field Fencing in St. Louis, which was, you know, was a pretty good poke.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:And we end up beating him 4 to 3.
Speaker C:And he had, like I said, the best stuff he could imagine having.
Speaker C:And the crazy thing was Harry Carey, who was the Cardinals broadcaster then had me on the post game radio show and I went up to do the interview after the game and who's sitting in there but Steve Carlton?
Speaker C:You know, I walk in the room and here's Keep coming.
Speaker C:And I went, jesus.
Speaker C:He looked like somebody who had just been told that his dog got run over by a car.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:I mean, it was very.
Speaker C:It was uncomfortable, but that's what happened after that game.
Speaker A:He was demoralized, Ron.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker C:Well, I mean, he had his great stuff.
Speaker C:He challenged me and, you know, and, you know, crazy things happen, you know.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:And I, you know, I didn't hit him.
Speaker C:You know who.
Speaker C:Nobody wore him out.
Speaker C:I didn't hit him hard, but I.
Speaker C:But I got him twice in a game and beating 4 to 3 in a game that he probably never had better stuff in.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Steve Carlton strikes out 19 Mets runs from a boat at twice, But Ron beats him with two.
Speaker A:Two run homers.
Speaker A:Folks, you can't write a better script than that.
Speaker A:That is beautiful.
Speaker C:That's 19.
Speaker C:You know, there were so many elements in that season.
Speaker C:It spoiled us, it amazed us.
Speaker C:And we, you know, from mid season on, we felt like we were surfing up on a wave and things were sort of preordained.
Speaker A:One thing people may not realize is that the 69 season went on in parallel with the Apollo 11 moon launch.
Speaker A:And from what I remember, you guys were stuck in the airport in Montreal and you all got to watch the moon landing together now, having an American and a human being walk on the moon and then the Mets win the World Series.
Speaker A:As you say, Ron.
Speaker A:1969.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker C:Well, you know, it was interesting.
Speaker C:That was right at the halfway mark in the season, Right.
Speaker C:We had a good series in Montreal, Went to our charter flight out of Montreal heading back to New York.
Speaker C:We knew that Neil Armstrong and the boys were up there on the moon and we would probably miss the live landing, the live TV coverage of Neo stepping out of the capsule onto the surface of the moon.
Speaker C:But we had a mechanical problem in our airplane and so we weren't going anywhere.
Speaker C:So we repaired to the.
Speaker C:To the cocktail lounge in the Montreal airport.
Speaker C:And I'm standing there with Eddie Krampool, and we had a couple of cocktails in front of us.
Speaker C:It was at the All Star break, so we were kind of relaxing a little bit, and we realized this mechanical problem in our airplane allowed us to, you know, watch the moon landing.
Speaker C:And I was a huge fan of that whole program.
Speaker C:I loved rocketry.
Speaker C:I followed everything about the astronauts and the equipment, and I just loved it.
Speaker C:My mom had given me a book by a guy named Willy Ley L E?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And he actually.
Speaker C:Willy ley lived in New York.
Speaker C:He was an expatriate German.
Speaker C:He knew Wernher von Braun, who was a rocket guy with the Nazis during World War II, who came after the war to us.
Speaker C:And if we don't, you know, if he was going to connect himself with the Americans.
Speaker C:But his knowledge of multiengine boosters and rockets was the difference in us getting to the moon, period.
Speaker C:You know, the Titan 5 was his baby, and it was the booster for the moon launches, and it never failed.
Speaker C:And so our little Nazi, you know, he was full on Nazi scientists, you know, I mean, there's no doubt about that.
Speaker C:But we had him, and he was in charge of that.
Speaker C:And so these guys are, you know, poised to step out of the lunar capsule onto the face of the moon.
Speaker C:And, you know, me and Eddie Krainpoe were standing there going, can you believe this, man?
Speaker C:I mean, it was so amazing to us.
Speaker C:It was so incredible.
Speaker C:And here we are with our little thing going on.
Speaker C:But this seemed.
Speaker C:The lunar landings, Apollo 11, seem so much more significant and incredible.
Speaker C:And we watched it and got amazed, and they fixed our aircraft and we flew out of Montreal.
Speaker C:But the irony was not lost on us that here, here we can't get from Montreal back to New York, for crying out loud.
Speaker C:And we have Americans walking on the moon.
Speaker C:It was crying out loud.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Quite ironic, as you say.
Speaker A:Ron.
Speaker A:Ron Swoboda with us tonight on Sports Talk New York.
Speaker A:Now, a guy who didn't make it, really, to the youth movement of the Mets, when all these guys, Buddy and Cleon and yourself and Tug, Kenny, Boswell, Seaver and Koozman is Casey Stengel.
Speaker A:You got any good Casey Stengel stories for us, Ron?
Speaker C: Casey Stengel as a rookie in: Speaker C:Okay?
Speaker C:That was his.
Speaker C:I played for him the first half of 65.
Speaker C:He injured himself, broke his hip and that was the end of his storied and incredible major league career as a player, as a manager, you know, as a manager of the Yankees when they were great through the late 40s, early and all through the 50s and you know, they had, Yankees had fired Yankees, they had fired Stengel, you know, and they were quite clear about the fact that they didn't think a 70 year old man could manage a major league team.
Speaker C:And Stengel, you know, was immediately hired by George Weiss, who was a former Yankee guy, Yankee general manager, but he was the general manager of the Mets.
Speaker C:He hired Stengel right away after the Yankees had fired him.
Speaker C: And he was the manager in: Speaker C:And when he walked up to the microphone after taking the mess job, he said, you know, in that sting the leads kind of thing, you know, because Casey always talks like this, he said, all right, the Yankees fired me for being 70 years old.
Speaker C:He said, but I'm here to tell you I won't make that mistake again.
Speaker C:And it was beautiful.
Speaker C:You know, this is the kind of amazing character he was.
Speaker C:And he was perfect for the Mets.
Speaker C: , you know, I wasn't there in: Speaker C:Eddie Creampool was right, but the Mets were hopeless and they were going to lose 120 games.
Speaker C:And Stengel, according to Richie Aspirin after the season, said that was the major league record for futility in the big leagues.
Speaker C:And Ricky Asburn said, Casey, excuse me.
Speaker A:Bless you.
Speaker B:Sorry.
Speaker A:That's okay.
Speaker C:Casey said.
Speaker C:Casey said, all right guys.
Speaker C:He got the team together after they lost 120 games.
Speaker C:And he said, I don't want any of you guys to take any of this personally.
Speaker C:He said, I want you all to remember it was a team effort.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:Oh man, you know, if that's apocryphal, it's still a great story.
Speaker A:Yeah, he came up with some beauties.
Speaker A:He really did well.
Speaker C:He was a bright man.
Speaker C:He really was a very bright man and he had done everything in baseball.
Speaker C:You know, when he got, you know, when he got one of his, I think it was a big league job.
Speaker C:When he got his, he was hired to manage in the minor leagues, I think.
Speaker C:I'm trying to remember, my memory's a little rickety here, but I think it was in Kansas City or somewhere.
Speaker C:But he was in the minor league.
Speaker C:He was the minor league field manager and the general manager and he got offered a big league job, but he had a contract at the time and like what he did was he resigned as field manager and fired himself as general manager so he could take this job, you know, to advance his career in major league Baseball.
Speaker C:You know, Casey Stengel was, you know, he probably tarnished his reputation with the comedy that came with the New York Mets while he helped the franchise move along through those early and unsuccessful years.
Speaker C:You know, you forget that he was really a brilliant guy and knew exactly what he was doing.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, he knew what he was saying and he knew how to handle the press.
Speaker A:He was a master at that.
Speaker A:And kids, you google Casey Stengel, you google him as a rookie.
Speaker A:He looks the same as he does when he managed the mets.
Speaker A:He looked 70 when he was 20.
Speaker C:And you know, and he was an old right fielder.
Speaker C:I always identified with him because he was an old right fielder.
Speaker C:And you know, and I listened to everything he said.
Speaker C:I always listened when he was talking to the media.
Speaker C:I would kind of hover, you know, around when the media were looking for a couple of quotes and a little story or something because that's what he helped the Mets do in the early going when you knew the baseball wasn't going to be very successful.
Speaker C:But he kept the stories flowing and the writers in New York, he fed them stories and they had things to write about other than the abject failure of the franchise in free agency.
Speaker C: You know, back in: Speaker A:Ron, we spoke about the catch.
Speaker A:You've cemented your place in baseball history, but people may not realize how close you came to being the first designated hitter in baseball history.
Speaker C:Yeah, I was with the Yankees and the first year of the dh and we were in Boston with the Yankees and they started a right handed pitcher and our right handed DH was Ron Bloomberg who was a pretty good left handed hitter.
Speaker C:And because if they started a left hander the next day and I was the dh, but Ron Bloomberg, you know, took that honor as he should have.
Speaker C:He was a pretty good, he was a perfect player for the dh.
Speaker C:He really was.
Speaker C:I mean, we used to joke that he, you know, he was like Michael Jackson, you know, he wore a glove on his hand for no particular reason.
Speaker C:Bloomberg, you know, Bloomberg was no kind of defensive player, but boy, was he a good left handed hitter.
Speaker C:Yes, and he was perfect for that role because he really didn't have a defensive position.
Speaker C:And that whole DH thing worked for him.
Speaker C:He was comfortable in that position.
Speaker C:I was a former player who, you know, took some pride in defense and I, I Couldn't handle it.
Speaker C:I couldn't.
Speaker C:You know, DH is really peculiar as a physician.
Speaker C:Back then, you didn't know how to psychologically handle it.
Speaker C:And one of the things you had to learn to do was you had a.
Speaker C:You had to figure out what to do with all this time after your first at bat.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker C:You know, you couldn't dwell on your first at bat when you're playing a position, which I always did.
Speaker C:You ran out in the outfield and you played the position that distracted you.
Speaker C:When I got a chance at the dh, all I could think about was that last at bat, and I couldn't separate myself from that.
Speaker C:And you'd go in and take swings in the clubhouse and you did all this stuff because you thought, all I.
Speaker B:Am is the hitter.
Speaker C:And you're trying to get yourself loose and ready for the next at bat, but you're dwelling on the last at bat in a way that, you know, as the D8.
Speaker C:For me, it didn't work.
Speaker C:I couldn't do it.
Speaker C:I had no chance at being any use for the Yankees as a dh.
Speaker C:But Ron Bloomberg was excellent at it.
Speaker A:Yeah, the thing is, folks, the Red Sox started Louis Teon, a right hander.
Speaker A:So Ron Bloomberg became the first designated hitter.
Speaker C:Oh, first dh.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:We opened that season, you know, and, and, and he was in so many ways perfect for the position.
Speaker A:And people may not realize, Ron, that the DH for the Red Sox that day was hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda.
Speaker C:Oh, boy, have I forgotten that one.
Speaker A:That's a good piece of trivia.
Speaker C: I'm going to take you back to: Speaker C: Yeah, in: Speaker C:All right.
Speaker C:Before anything happened for us or anybody else, the Braves and the Mets were talking trade.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah, I remember.
Speaker C:And they were hot and heavy because the, the Braves wanted to move Joe Tory, who was a, who was a really good hitter and could play first base.
Speaker C:I don't know if he was as much a catcher then, but, but the Braves.
Speaker C:The Braves wanted to trade Tori to the Mets and they wanted to pick up a couple of us, our younger pitchers, you know, our good arms, you know, whether it was McAndrew or.
Speaker B:You.
Speaker C:Know, I don't know if Nolan Ryan, I'm sure they would love a Nolan Ryan or Gary Gentry especially, but they were trying to grab some pitching out of a Mets organization that was flush with good young arms.
Speaker C:And Johnny Murphy, who was the general manager of the Mets, you know, was like not buying Any of this from Paul Richards, the GM of, of the, of the Braves back then.
Speaker C:And Johnny turned down every idea that Richards had.
Speaker C:Richards said, you know, all these players, you know, that Murphy is saying are untouchable.
Speaker C:Paul Richards said, you sound like you won the World Series last year or something like that, you know, but it's interesting because the Mets never made a move with them.
Speaker C:No, the Braves never got the pitching they were looking for.
Speaker C:And they traded Joe Torre to the Cardinals straight up for Orlando Cepeda.
Speaker C:He gave them a pretty substantial lineup.
Speaker A:Okay, yeah, he won the batting time.
Speaker C:And Rico Carty, but they never got the pitching.
Speaker C:And that was the team that we met in the first ever National League playoff series.
Speaker C:And our left handed platoon with the Mets because Hodges was platooning straight up with a lot of positions back then, straight up, they took care of the.
Speaker A:Right handers on the Braves.
Speaker C:They beat our left handed platoon, beat the heck out of the Braves pitching because they didn't get the pitching they wanted to get in spring training with that deal.
Speaker C:They talked with the Mets and I think that's uber significant and not talked about very much.
Speaker A:It sure is.
Speaker A:Ron, we gotta run.
Speaker A:We'll get you back again.
Speaker A:It's always a pleasure.
Speaker A:Thanks for taking time out of your Sunday night to spend it with us here.
Speaker A:All the best to you and your lovely wife and I'll be in touch with you and have a good night.
Speaker C:Ron, same for you.
Speaker C:Thank you, enjoyed it.
Speaker A:That is Ron Swoboda, ladies and gentlemen.
Speaker A:That'll do it for me tonight on Sports Talk New York.
Speaker A:Like to thank my guests Jim Marshall and Ron Swoboda, my engineer Trevor Vassall, and of course you guys for joining us.
Speaker A:I'll see you Next on Sunday, August 17 for more sports Talk New York.
Speaker A:Till then, be safe, be well.
Speaker A:Bill Donahue, wishing you a good evening, folks.
