St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 98

2 March 5, 1972 ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH Stan Williams A Welcome Relief In Too Interview, 6 Bob Broeg Post-Dispatch Sports Editor ST. PETERSBURG, March 4-Ask Stan (Big Daddy) Williams his biggest baseball thrill and he'll tell you, dryly, "The day I stop aching in spring training." At 35, witty and wise, Williams is a sizable (6-5, 230-pound) reason the Cardinals think thev will have a Sports Comment Greg Luzinski hit off you in Philadelphia. It landed In Montreal." Williams is a professional who does extremely well In the off-season now as an investment advisor and sales representative in Lakewood, Calif. He learned the hard way how hard baseball can be.

Beginning in 1960, his third season in the majors, he was troubled by his pitching arm. As far back as 196S, he quit the game, but was talked into a comeback. "Suddenly, one day," he recalled, "I threw a ball and something popped as it had with searing pain. This time it brought relief, and I could zing it in there again." Once more he threw as he had when he starred in relief for the Dodgers, winning the second game of the 1959 pennant playoff with the Braves at Los Angeles. The same year, he pitched two scoreless innings in relief of a young fella named Sandy Koufax.

Fact is, if you'll look it up as I did, to my embarrassment, Williams has a remarkable record in blue-ribbon competition. In two brief World Series appearances, totaling five innings, six innings of championship series play and two in All-Star competition, the big guy still hasn't allowed a run. But he is remembered best by too many of us for having walked across the winning run in the ninth inning of the third game of the 1962 playoff in which the San Francisco Giants defeated their fading California neighbors, the Dodgers. LA led into the ninth, 4-2, but the Giants rallied and had run in, the bases loaded and only one out when manager Walter Alston beckoned for Big Daddy Williams. As Williams started from the bullpen to face righthanded-hit-ting Oriando Cepeda, southpaw specialist Ron Perranoski patted him on the back.

A pity, too, because the world needs amusing people. Invited, for instance, to talk about his background, Williams said that he was born in Enfield, N.H., but that his family moved from New England to the Rockies when he was 18 months old. "I faced a paternity charge." he said. His father was a carpenter, and Stan said he had two brothers. And what, pray tell, do they do? "One is a cop," was the rapid reply, "and the other a robber." The audience laughed.

"He's not really a robber," said Williams, with the slightest trace of a smile. "He's just mean a construction worker." Stan was All-Denver in three sports in high school an end in football, a center in basketball and a pitcher in baseball. A year before the Brooklyn Dodgers had hinted that his signature on a contract would be worth $50,000, but a bonus ruie just had been written. He passed up college for $4000. Beginning at Shawnee, in 1954, Williams had an overpowering 18-7 record in 1955 at Newport News, striking out 301 batters in 242 innings.

Three years later he was called up by the Dodgers, the first season (1958) they were based in Los Angeles. "I broke In at St. Louis in relief," he said, "and Joe Cunningham hit a home run off me. That Cunningham Did Joe hit him good? "No, great," retorted Stan, the retaliatory man. "I think he hit .565 one year and then some the next." Reggie Cleveland, seated at the next locker, laughed.

"Don't," warned Williams, good-humoredly, "I saw the one i "You get Cepeda, and I'll take care of (Ed) Bailey," said Perranoski, expecting to face the iefthanded-hitting Frisco catcher. The powerful Cepeda hit a game-tying sacrifice fly on which the runners all tagged up and advanced. Williams, still on the scene, preferred to pitch to Bailey because, for one thing, control wasn't Stan's strong suit. "Even when we'd begun the intentional walk on orders from the bench, I called (John) Roseboro to the mound and we looked into the dugout for Alston, but we couldn't locate him," the pitcher recalled. So he not only walked Bailey intentionally, but then also passed righthanded-hitting Jim Davenport, forcing home the deciding run.

An infield error gave the Giants an Insurance run in their 6-4 pennant victory. "I think Alston stayed with me because he had a hunch," said Williams. "I'd been lucky for him in the '59 playoff and Series. But after I failed in '62, I was traded to the Yankees for Moose Skowron. I felt I'd been singled out as the goat." Since that big Ball Four in '62, Williams has bounced from Los Angeles to New York to Cleveland to Seattle to Spokane to Portland to Cleveland to Minnesota and now to St.

Louis. In his 18-season professional career, he has acquired a lovely wife, the former Elaine Milender, whom he met when he was pitching at St. Paul in 1957, and two children Stan-ley Wilson Williams 13, and daughter Shawn LaRae, 12. He acquired, also, or at least refined that delightful sense of humor and balance. "Even though I'll always be remembered as the Ralph Branca of 1962, I have no regrets," he said, "because I gave it my best shot.

Which is what I'll give it for the Cardinals now." better bullpen going into the 1972 season than they did a year ago. Williams not only pitched brilliantly for the Redbirds in 10 relief appearances after they acquired him last Sept. 1, scoring three victories and posting a 1.38 earned-run average, but he also has done it before in a checkered yet most interesting career. Two seasons ago the giant righthander with the quick quip and fast ball to match had a handsome 10-1 record with 15 saves and a 1.99 ERA for Minnesota as the Twins won the Western Division championship of the American League. If you wonder whether there was a factor other than less impressive pitching which prompted the Twins to unload him Broeg last year "for two players to be named later," Williams would guess that Minnesota was trying to unload part of its heavy payroll.

Chances are, too, that either club president Calvin Griffith or manager Bill Rigney or both got in the path of one of Big Daddy's cracks and didn't find the remark funny. Big Red Get 'Aggressive' Guard By Jeff Meyers The football Cardinals went after Walt Patulskl and wound up with Joe O'Donnell. Well, not exactly, but Before last month's National Football League draft of college players, the Big Red contacted the Buffalo Bills, who had the rights to the No. 1 pick. The Cardinals tried to work out a trade so they could get Patulski, the Notre Dame defensive end.

The Bills, however, wouldn't make a deal and they drafted Patulski themselves. But they did drop the hint that they needed a player who could play the offensive line and snap on punts and field goals. On Friday, the Bills got that player in Irv Goode, the 10-year Big Red veteran. To obtain Goode, the Bills gave the Cardinals O'Donnell, their starting right guard and co-captain. In coming to the Cardinals, O'Donnell rejoins Big Red coach Bob Hollway, who was an assistant at Michigan when O'Donnell captained the Wolverines in 1963.

"Joe is an aggressive type or hit-out blocker," said Hollway. "Irv had been used to position step-blocking and we'd like to get more aggressive blockers here. We feel we've obtained a player more suited to our system." There are other qualities Hollway likes about O'Donnell, qualities that perhaps Goode lacked. Said Hollway, "Joe is a great leader a dedicated football player." Goode, the Big Red's No. 1 draft choice 1962, never quite reached the potential expected of him, although he was named the Cardinals' most improved player after the 1970 season, and he played in the Pro Bowl in 1965 and '68.

"Irv did a fine job for us," said Hollway, "and a trade like this is difficult because of the job he's done here during his career." Goode, an imposing physical speciman at 6-foot-5, 255 pounds, will be 32 years old next season, while the 6-2 252-pound O'Donnell will be 31. Both Goode and O'Donnell have enjoyed relatively injury-free playing careers. "Most seasons I never missed a game," said O'Donnell. "Last year, though, I ripped the ligaments in my ankle (in a game against the Cardinals) and didn't play after that. But the ankle gives me no trouble now." O'Donnell, who attended Michigan on an academic scholarship and then made academic all-America, has had a long relationship with Hollway.

"That's one reason I like the trade," he said. "I've known Bob ever since I was in high school." Goode Joe O'Donnell irv lBI i 'v mm 1 way. "I probably hustled as much as anyone in training camp," Irv said. "I kept my mouth shut most of the time. I did disagree with things we did offensively, but that was just between me and (former offensive line coach) Joe Spencer." Goode indicated he might not report to Buffalo "I don't know if I'm going to play anymore," he said.

"I don't particularly want to go up there. But I still have to talk to the Bills." Two Drag Strips Open Two St. Louis area drag strips will open their seasons Sunday. The opener at Alton Drag Raceway will feature a "Ford-Chevy showdown." The gates will open at 9 a.m. and eliminations will start at 1:30 p.m.

The strip is on Fosterburg Road, one mile north of Illinois Route 140. At St. Louis International Raceway, located at Interstate 70 and Illinois Route 203 near East St. Louis, a funny car duel will match Arnie (The Farmer) Beswick and Charles Therwan-ger. Gates will open at 10 a.m.

with eliminations at 2 p.m. Mifmydhj 1 KEEP THOSE KNEES DOWN. Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson exercises with the help of rookie Hurler Don Durham at the St. training camp. The Red- birds, who open exhibition play next weekend, still have four holdouts, including Joe Torre, the National League's Most Valuable Player of last season.

(UPI Telephoto) Exhibition Baseball 1 Chisox Pound Seaver; Pirates Outslug Red Sox FRANK BOMMARITO OLDSMOBILE PROUDLY ANNOUNCES THE APPOINTMENT OF O'Donnell was a third-round future draft pick of the Green Bay Packers in 1963, but he chose the Bills the following year, and played on their title teams in 1964-65-66, and made ail-American Football League in '65. Talking long-distance from Buffalo Saturday, O'Donnell gave an insight into Hollway's feelings about the Big Red. "Coach Hollway called me and he was real optimistic about the team's chances," said O'Donnell. "He said the draft brought help where he needed it the most on defense." Contacted in Las Vegas, Goode said he was "greatly disappointed you don't play 10 years for an organization and not feel that way when you're not needed any longer." not feel that way when you're not needed any longer." SATTRDAVS KKSI I.TS MRATKS 8. SOX 7 AT BRADENTON, FLA.

ROSTOV () ((() 7 1 PITTSBURGH 000 003 105 8 13 2 Patlin. Tiant Lee (7i ami Jo-aephson, Montgomery (6); Blass, Walker 14), Johnson (71 and Taylor (6i. WP Johnson. Ll HR Boston, R. Miller.

8 I I I 'f I I WHITE SOX fl. YAXKF.US 1 AT SARASOTA. FLA. Goode said he didn't feel there was any conflict with Holl- Goode said he didn't feel there was any conflict with Holl- I fCjT yiil I X.TORK (M.I 0010)11)0110 1 (S3 III) AI.O A 1. 1 CMIIMMIx 8 10 0 Heaver.

McHraw i3. Mutlack (7 From l'fit-IMspii( Wire1 ServlcM SARASOTA, March 4 -Of course, exhibiton games don't count, but Tom Seaver looked more like a batting practice hurler Saturday than the highest-paid pitcher in New York's baseball history. The Mets' righthander, who will receive $120,000 this season, made his spring training debut against the Chicago White Sox and was tagged for eight hits and six runs before being removed in the third inning. The White Sox, who won the game, 6-1, rapped Seaver for a two-run homer by Chuck Brink-man and doubles by Walt Wil- and Grote, Nolan Palmer 14), Kooert.son i7 and Hrmuman. WP Bahnsen.

LP Seaver. HR Chicago, Brinkman. TWINS TDiKHS 4 AT LACKLAND. IT.A. M1NXKSOTA 201 Oil I 010 fi 11 111 I KOI I 000 001 OI 1 4 1 Blyieven.

Norton I7 and Dempsey; Coleman. Ware 7i and Haller. WP LP Coleman. HR liams, Tony Muser and Luis AI-varado. Two new White Sox pitchers Stan Bahnsen, obtained from the Yankees, and Lowell Palmer, acquired from the Phillies each turned in three perfect innings.

The world champion Pittsburgh Pirates rallied for five runs in the ninth inning to defeat the Boston Red Sox, 8-7, at Bradenton, Fla. After five consecutive singles produced three runs, the tying and winning tallies scored on a throwing error by Juan i Red Sox rookie shortstop. The Texa.s Rangers, who were shut out by the New York Yankees Friday, turned the tables at Fort Lauderdale, and beat the Yanks, 3-0, in a game stopped after 5'2 innings by rain. The Rangers' runs were unearned on by Rick McKinney and Roy White. TP jVSV mtSC GT 50 111 "TO SMES STAFF" I Jl most 11 invite all his friends and customers to come in and I OVER SIZED PREMIUM tZS cars I say hello." I Minnesota.

Darwin: Detroit, G. Brown. RANftKIIS YANKKES AT FORT LAUDKRDALB. FLA. (5ia innings, rain) TEXAS 01'J OO 3 4 LIKINGS INSTALLED flClSJJSL.

41 E3S ftmr I NEW YORK (Al.) OIK) OOII 8 3 GoKolewskl. Hand 14) aim King; Keklch. Hlnton (4 1 and Munson. CHEVROLET eAM.eAifH.""- tl I JfeftAIiffM I WP Gogolewskl. LP -Kekioh.

SUNDAY'S GAMES New York iaNLi vs. Pittsburgh Brndenton. Ha. Boston vs. Texas at Pompano Bench, Ha.

New York I AL) vs. Chicago (AL) at A MOSTCOMPACTS i 1 DO" 30 MJ If A ITr. j' ITT'm'T TTVa I "ST. LOUIS COUNTY'S NEWEST OLDS DEALER" I '1 I I I 3 3 1 I lion MAUPUCCTER Pit 10 Mill. WCCT tit l.9it III El I ICUII I I I'ort Lauoerdnie.

pia. Del roil vs. Minnesota at Orlando, Fla. Pan Diego at Mexico City Only games scheduled Torre Rejects Pact FROM PAGE ONE tacular .36.1 season in which he had 230 hits and drove in 137 runs. Although club president August A.

Busch Jr. said the Cardinals wou'd stick to the spirit if not the letter of the 5.5 gulde'inps sft down hv the government's wae and price boards, Devine acknowledged that Torre had been offered a two-year contract. "Sinre Stan M'ial signed a three-year contract with Sam Breadon in 1943, I believe Stan, Ken Boyer, Steve Carlton and now Joe have been the only Cardinal players offered contracts for more than one year." Devine said. The general manager, who had talked to Torre Friday and thought the batting champion would agree to terms Saturday, was disappointed when Torre called back and declined to sign. Devine said he probably would call Reuss Monday in St.

Louis, but he said he wasn't certain when he'd talk to Simmons because the catcher might head here after fulfilling a service commitment over the weekend. The general manager talked to BurHa Friday. Devine emphasized that he had no additional money to offer. Simmons and Reuss, paid about $17,500 each for their first full major league seasons, reportedly want $35,000. The Cardinals are believed to have offered the catcher $25,000 and "4 1 l.

e.mi Jali jaMIMU aaakMMiffeifcaaaaaaaaaa' IB emnmiuim LfS2 mi KMaW COMM.ET! RRAKi JOB Rebuild All Whel Cylindori Pm Front whal BMrlnn Inwtt Muter Cylinder Repliee All Brake Sheet 095 Turn All Brake Drumi tD BANNER TIRE CO. S704 NATURAL BRIDGE 11202 MANCHESTER 3800 LEMAY FERRY RD. S7 SO. Hv. 140 ii fl YOU KNOW VU 3AN BUV A iH jr -t av i -CP lal-v ONLY L-VftWtS4 (Less Big Discount!) says 1 "ALL EXCLUSIVE DIAMOND GLOSS COLORS- 4 'ALIVE' WITH GENERAL ELECTRIC SILICONES" I VlP BODY FETiDE I HVErTpaInT JOB GUARANTEED fOR 5 YEARS AGAINST FADING.

IF ANY PAINT JOB FADES WITHIN i YEARS WE WILL REPAINT YOUR CArlMSOLUmYJFREE. A0 SALE IBUICtCS OPELS! the pitcher about $23,000. Simmons batted .304, Reuss had a 14-14 record. Burda, a 15-year veteran with only four and a half seasons in the majors, batted ,25 as a pinch-hitter, but has been offered only $500 to $22,000 when he presumably sought $25,000. Devine acknowledged that Simmons recently had demanded additional compensation for having passed up some $3000 in winter-league salary.

"But he never formally requested permission to play in the Caribhean and. if he had, we would have refused." said Devine. "Reggie Cleveland passed up winter ball and, after catching regularly, Ted would have been playing too much. I thought he wanted to go back to college in the off-season. I never told him or even implied we would make any salary concession to make up for any winter income." Devine said it was true, as published, that Reuss had Inquired about the possibility of his wife accompanying the Cardinals on chartered flights, contrary to the club's policy.

"But it's unfair to Jerry to suggest that this has been a factor in our contract differences," said Devine. "It's entirely a matter of money." The Cardinal command is concerned most about the absence of Reuss because pitchers can. not rush their conditioning or catch up in their work as other players can. Devine asked when the Cardinals would invoke the renewal clause in the players' contracts, said the device would not be exercised before Tuesday, at the earliest. It's entirely a legal technicality by which, through cer-.

tified mail, we must notify the player. or players before March 10 that the contract has been renewed," said Devine It p-: guarantee that he or they will respond." ART HAACK NEEDS USED CARS, SO HE'S TRADING HIGH! COME ONE AND ALL! BRING THE WIFE AND FAMILY TO HOURS: MON-FRI. 7:30 AM TO 4 PMVSAT. TO 1 NOON ST. LOUIS, 4578 MANCHESTER "(AT.

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