Lombardi Dies, Orr Flies, Marshall Cries by Brad Schultz

Author:Brad Schultz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2012-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

The Collision

By the first week of July, Cincinnati’s new Riverfront Stadium was less than a week old and there were still worries that it was not quite finished. The stadium was scheduled to host the annual baseball All-Star Game on July 14, and there was enough concern that commissioner Bowie Kuhn had a backup plan in place to move the game to Atlanta. On July 1, to the relief of everyone in Cincinnati, Kuhn decided that the game would take place in Riverfront after all. With that announcement, he set the stage for one of the most dramatic games in All-Star history.

At the time, baseball interest was peaking in the city. The Reds were running away with the National League’s Western Division, piling up a record of 62–26 by the All-Star break, and they led the league with five players on the National League squad. Catcher Johnny Bench and third baseman Tony Perez would start, while the reserves included pitchers Jim Merritt, Wayne Simpson, and a former infielder now playing outfield named Pete Rose.

The Reds could not quite figure out what to do with Rose when he reached the majors in 1963, starting him at second base, shifting him to third, and then moving him back to second. Built like a squat linebacker, Rose didn’t have the fluidity to play the infield and lacked the typical power or speed of an outfielder. He seemed like a man without a position.

But every time he was in the lineup, Rose hit, and by 1970 he was in the midst of a streak that would see him hit .300 or better for nine straight seasons. He moved to the outfield, playing well enough to win Gold Gloves for defensive play in 1969 and 1970, and while he never did hit for power, with just 16 homers in his best season, he made up for it with lots of singles and doubles. Rose told reporters he wanted to be the first singles hitter to make $100,000 in salary, and he reached that mark with the new contract he signed back in March. “It proves that an individual doesn’t necessarily require size or have to be a home run hitter to earn an outstanding salary,” said Reds’ general manager Bob Howsam, “although it takes a tremendous lot of work.”[23] In addition to the raise, the Reds rewarded Rose by naming him captain, the first for the team in 30 years.

Rose worked hard to overcome his physical shortcomings, but there was also a childlike enthusiasm for the game that endeared him to fans. He ran to first base after walks, slid headfirst into bases, and earned a new nickname from Yankees’ stars Whitey Ford and Mickey Mantle in 1963. “Ford saw Rose running around in spring training and asked Mickey Mantle who it was. Mantle answered ‘Pete Rose.’ Ford said, ‘Pete who? I got a name for that thing. That’s Charlie Hustle.’”[24]

The American League squad, which had lost seven straight in the All-Star series, was loaded with players from the Baltimore Orioles, a team on its way to 108 wins and the World Series.

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