Gorman Has Had His One Once in a Lifetime

Lou Gorman, general manager of the Boston Red Sox and former director of baseball operations for the New York Mets, told Steve Jacobson of Newsday, “It would be a dream come true if the two teams met in the World Series. It would be the most exciting thing of my career, to think I had a hand in both teams.”

Gorman’s biggest thrill so far has come not in baseball, but during an eight-year tour in the Navy.

Jacobson: “Gorman spent one tour of duty with the cruiser Salem tied up at Villefranche for 16 months amid the sunshine and tanning bodies of the French Riviera. Gorman and two other young bachelor ensigns rented a villa with a butler, groundskeeper and cook for $1,000 a month.”

Gorman: “It was a life many dream and few ever live.”

Trivia Time: Of the major league players who have hit four home runs in a game, which one had the most total bases? (Answer below.)

Now-it-can-be-told dept.: Eleven years ago at Dodger Stadium, some young rowdies got thrown in jail for causing a disturbance in the stands. Maybe they should have thrown away the key.

Among them was Bob Walk, a graduate of Hart High in Newhall, who is still giving the Dodgers headaches. Last Saturday night, he pitched Pittsburgh to a 5-0 win at Dodger Stadium.

Of the 1975 incident, Walk said later: “They hauled me off for throwing stuff. We always sat out in left field. That’s where the rowdies sit.”

Add Forgettable Quotes: Said Paul McNamee of Australia after extending Boris Becker to four sets in the third round at Wimbledon: “He is going to be his own worst enemy, because he’s putting so much pressure on himself. As soon as the match got close, he started freaking out. I really think someone is going to exploit that. His serve just disappeared.”

Apparently it was found.

Note: When Becker earned the name Boom Boom last year his serve was clocked at 130 m.p.h. This year according to his coach, Gunther Bosch, it has been clocked at 156 m.p.h.

Add Wimbledon: From UPI: “Martina Navratilova celebrated her singles victory with a big Chinese dinner, joined by friends, family and business associates. The feast included bang bang chicken, prawn balls, ginger lobster, Peking duck, fried scallops, crispy shredded beef, sliced fish, sizzled lamb, pork, tossed noodles and banana with sorbet.”

What, no fortune cookies?

63 Years Ago Today: On July 7, 1923, Lefty O’Doul, pitching for the Boston Red Sox, allowed 13 runs in the sixth inning to the Cleveland Indians, who won 27-3. In 1928 he was to return to the majors as a great hitting outfielder, winning two National League batting titles and finishing with a career average of .349.

Joe Niekro of the New York Yankees said he couldn’t wait to see the clips on the evening news of the fight between the Oakland A’s and Cleveland Indians last week.

“I wanted to see who my brother was pounding,” he said referring to 47-year-old Phil Niekro. “I didn’t see him. I think the only thing he was pounding on was a Budweiser.”

Trivia Answer: Joe Adcock of the Milwaukee Braves with 18. On July 31, 1954, he had four home runs and a double.

Quotebook

Sparky Anderson, manager of the Detroit Tigers, on why he liked the recent Topps baseball cards: “They’ve taken my playing record off and put my managerial record on.”