Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
For Nettles, rivals are now friends
 |
| New York Yankees guest instructor Graig Nettles looks out from the dugout before the start of the Yankees spring baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Legends Field in Tampa, Fla., Saturday, March 22, 2008. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens) |
| Share This Story: |
  
|
BY SCOTT WALSH
STAFF WRITER
As the ball floated down from the sky, only one thought crossed Graig Nettles’ mind: Don’t drop it.
It was the bottom of the ninth inning of the American League East Division playoff game between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Oct. 2, 1978. The Yankees held a one-run lead, but the Red Sox had the tying run at third base, the winning run at first and Carl Yastrezemski at the plate with two outs.
However, Yankees pitcher Rich “Goose” Gossage got the future Hall of Famer to pop up the first pitch. The ball was headed Nettles’ way at third base.
“That one-game playoff against the Red Sox was probably about as intense as you can get,” Nettles said. “I was fortunate enough that it wasn’t a real, real high popup and I didn’t have any problems with it. If I’d have dropped that ball, I’d have been a goat forever.”
Instead, Nettles squeezed the ball in his glove for the final out. The Yankees won, 5-4, completing a comeback from a 14-game deficit as late as July 19 to catch the Red Sox and win the division.
Many of the players who were in that game, including Nettles, will be at PNC Field today for the Legends Reunion, a five-inning exhibition baseball game between a team of former Yankees against a team of ex-Red Sox. The event, which is co-sponsored by the Times-Tribune newspapers and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, begins at 1:30 p.m. Gates open at noon.
Others scheduled to appear for the Yankees are Gossage, Ron Blomberg, Chris Chambliss, Bucky Dent, Oscar Gamble, Jay Johnstone, Mickey Rivers and Roy White. The Red Sox lineup is scheduled to include Bill Campbell, Dick
Drago, Bill Lee, Fred Lynn, Dick McAuliffe, Rico Petrocelli, Jim Rice, Mike Torrez and Luis Tiant.
Some tickets remain and are available at the gate. Cost is $30 for lower-level green seats; $25 for lower-level orange seats; and $12 for upper level seats.
After defeating the Red Sox in the one-game playoff, the Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals in the American League Championship Series to advance to the World Series for the second straight year against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers won the first two games, but in Game Three at Yankee Stadium, Nettles helped turn the momentum of the series with his defense. Every time the Dodgers mounted a threat, Nettles would make an acrobatic play or diving catch to squash the rally.
The Yankees wound up winning, 5-1, and took the next three games to capture their second straight championship.
“I think about that now. I look at them and say, How did I make those plays?,” Nettles said. “At the time, it didn’t surprise me. I played pretty good defense. It wasn’t something that came out of the blue. I expected to make those plays.”
A two-time Gold Glove winner (1977, 1978), Nettles was pretty good with the bat, too. In his 22 seasons, he slugged 390 home runs and drove in 1,314 runs. He led the American League in homers in 1976 with 36 and was a six-time all-star.
His career began in 1967 with the Minnesota Twins, who traded him to the Cleveland Indians in 1969. He was acquired by the Yankees on Nov. 27, 1972 along with Jerry Moses for John Ellis, Jerry Kenney, Rusty Torres and Charlie Spikes. It is considered one of the greatest trades in team history.
“I was thrilled. I was getting out of a last-place team in Cleveland and the Yankees were on the rise,” Nettles said. “I wanted to play for (manager) Ralph Houk more than anything. He’s the one who made the deal that got me over there. I wish I could have played more than one year for him.
“But the owner put a lot of pressure on him and he ended up quitting after that first year, so I was kind of disappointed with that. But I look back at my career and feel very fortunate to have had an 11-year career with the Yankees.”
Coming to New York, Nettles was surprised at how intense the rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox was.
“It was great, like a playoff atmosphere every time we played,” he said. “They were very important games for the fans and for the players. The fans got a little more excited when the Red Sox were in town.”
Sometimes, the players did, too. May 20, 1976, for example. A collision at home plate between the Yankees’ Lou Piniella and Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk triggered a benches-clearing brawl, during which Nettles and Lee got into it and Lee wound up with a separated shoulder.
“It’s something that happens when guys are out on the field,” Nettles said. “Tempers get hot and things happen. I’m sorry he got hurt, but things happen when there’s 50 guys out there fighting.
“That’s not something that lingers, at least from my standpoint. When we get together we never talk about that. I see a lot of my old teammates at Old Timer’s Day and spring training, but I enjoy seeing the Red Sox guys, too. I actually became friends with a lot of the Red Sox guys; they’re good people. I expect to have a lot of fun (today).”
Four months ago, Nettles took on a much tougher opponent than the Red Sox. He underwent surgery for prostate cancer.
“All that’s been resolved,” he said. “They tell me I’m cancer-free. I’m looking forward to having a healthy rest of my life. It’s been four months now and I feel great.”
Aside from attending spring training as a Yankees coach and making appearances, Nettles, who will turn 64 on Wednesday, is retired and lives outside Knoxville, Tenn. That allows him to follow the career of his son Jeff, who is at Double-A Bowie in the Baltimore Orioles system.
Contact the writer: swalsh@timesshamrock.com swalsh@timesshamrock.com
It was the bottom of the ninth inning of the American League East Division playoff game between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Oct. 2, 1978. The Yankees held a one-run lead, but the Red Sox had the tying run at third base, the winning run at first and Carl Yastrezemski at the plate with two outs.
However, Yankees pitcher Rich “Goose” Gossage got the future Hall of Famer to pop up the first pitch. The ball was headed Nettles’ way at third base.
“That one-game playoff against the Red Sox was probably about as intense as you can get,” Nettles said. “I was fortunate enough that it wasn’t a real, real high popup and I didn’t have any problems with it. If I’d have dropped that ball, I’d have been a goat forever.”
Instead, Nettles squeezed the ball in his glove for the final out. The Yankees won, 5-4, completing a comeback from a 14-game deficit as late as July 19 to catch the Red Sox and win the division.
Many of the players who were in that game, including Nettles, will be at PNC Field today for the Legends Reunion, a five-inning exhibition baseball game between a team of former Yankees against a team of ex-Red Sox. The event, which is co-sponsored by the Times-Tribune newspapers and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, begins at 1:30 p.m. Gates open at noon.
Others scheduled to appear for the Yankees are Gossage, Ron Blomberg, Chris Chambliss, Bucky Dent, Oscar Gamble, Jay Johnstone, Mickey Rivers and Roy White. The Red Sox lineup is scheduled to include Bill Campbell, Dick
Drago, Bill Lee, Fred Lynn, Dick McAuliffe, Rico Petrocelli, Jim Rice, Mike Torrez and Luis Tiant.
Some tickets remain and are available at the gate. Cost is $30 for lower-level green seats; $25 for lower-level orange seats; and $12 for upper level seats.
After defeating the Red Sox in the one-game playoff, the Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals in the American League Championship Series to advance to the World Series for the second straight year against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers won the first two games, but in Game Three at Yankee Stadium, Nettles helped turn the momentum of the series with his defense. Every time the Dodgers mounted a threat, Nettles would make an acrobatic play or diving catch to squash the rally.
The Yankees wound up winning, 5-1, and took the next three games to capture their second straight championship.
“I think about that now. I look at them and say, How did I make those plays?,” Nettles said. “At the time, it didn’t surprise me. I played pretty good defense. It wasn’t something that came out of the blue. I expected to make those plays.”
A two-time Gold Glove winner (1977, 1978), Nettles was pretty good with the bat, too. In his 22 seasons, he slugged 390 home runs and drove in 1,314 runs. He led the American League in homers in 1976 with 36 and was a six-time all-star.
His career began in 1967 with the Minnesota Twins, who traded him to the Cleveland Indians in 1969. He was acquired by the Yankees on Nov. 27, 1972 along with Jerry Moses for John Ellis, Jerry Kenney, Rusty Torres and Charlie Spikes. It is considered one of the greatest trades in team history.
“I was thrilled. I was getting out of a last-place team in Cleveland and the Yankees were on the rise,” Nettles said. “I wanted to play for (manager) Ralph Houk more than anything. He’s the one who made the deal that got me over there. I wish I could have played more than one year for him.
“But the owner put a lot of pressure on him and he ended up quitting after that first year, so I was kind of disappointed with that. But I look back at my career and feel very fortunate to have had an 11-year career with the Yankees.”
Coming to New York, Nettles was surprised at how intense the rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox was.
“It was great, like a playoff atmosphere every time we played,” he said. “They were very important games for the fans and for the players. The fans got a little more excited when the Red Sox were in town.”
Sometimes, the players did, too. May 20, 1976, for example. A collision at home plate between the Yankees’ Lou Piniella and Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk triggered a benches-clearing brawl, during which Nettles and Lee got into it and Lee wound up with a separated shoulder.
“It’s something that happens when guys are out on the field,” Nettles said. “Tempers get hot and things happen. I’m sorry he got hurt, but things happen when there’s 50 guys out there fighting.
“That’s not something that lingers, at least from my standpoint. When we get together we never talk about that. I see a lot of my old teammates at Old Timer’s Day and spring training, but I enjoy seeing the Red Sox guys, too. I actually became friends with a lot of the Red Sox guys; they’re good people. I expect to have a lot of fun (today).”
Four months ago, Nettles took on a much tougher opponent than the Red Sox. He underwent surgery for prostate cancer.
“All that’s been resolved,” he said. “They tell me I’m cancer-free. I’m looking forward to having a healthy rest of my life. It’s been four months now and I feel great.”
Aside from attending spring training as a Yankees coach and making appearances, Nettles, who will turn 64 on Wednesday, is retired and lives outside Knoxville, Tenn. That allows him to follow the career of his son Jeff, who is at Double-A Bowie in the Baltimore Orioles system.
Contact the writer: swalsh@timesshamrock.com swalsh@timesshamrock.com
 |
||
| Montrose grad gives IronPigs win over Yankees |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of thetimes-tribune.com.
CJ wrote on Aug 16, 2008 10:37 PM:
" Where was Mr. Nettles on the field today? How about as the game continued and less and less players were coming out of the dugout. Wow - what a great event - Roy White and Ron Bloomberg leaning against the wall in right field just talking and letting the subs play! Wait, where was Luis Tiant - on the bench and third base coach. Even Fred Lynn and Jim Rice (2 childhood favorites of mine) could not even go out into the field for the last innings. If it werent for Jay Johnstone, Bill Lee, Goose, Gamble (with the wig), Torrez (changing uniforms) it would have been a disgrace. Gotta give credit to McAuliffe, Chamblis, Rivers, Rico, Cambel and Chamblis for playing and not like the others - yes, all of you gave me great memories as a young boy in the late 70's but today you showed me what type of men you truly are! As far as the sponsors of this game - gotta say you got ripped! "
