Tudor Also Throws In a Few Remarks

Yes, John Tudor said, I do think Jeffrey Leonard is a jerk.

No, he said, I do not think you should throw things at him.

Yes, John Tudor said, I do think they should mix in a little rock-and-roll with all that organ music.

No, he said, I did not intend to insult the Busch Stadium organist. Yes, John Tudor said, I do think Whitey Herzog knew what he was doing when he put pitcher Todd Worrell in right field.

No, he said, I do not think it was wrong to risk a 1-0 lead in the ninth inning of the sixth game of the National League playoffs, even if the only run of the game did score on a couple of balls misplayed in right field.

Yes, John Tudor said, I do think the St. Louis Cardinals are still alive. I do not think the Redbirds are dead birds.

“These birds haven’t gone South yet,” John Tudor said.

Yes, that’s our old friend, chatterbox John Tudor, gabby and gregarious and quotable as always, talking a red streak after pitching St. Louis into a seventh and final game of this championship series with the San Francisco Giants, to be played tonight, right here in Cow Town, U.S.A.

What’s that you say? Naw. This can’t be the same sarcastic John Tudor who clammed up during the 1985 playoffs with the Dodgers, told people to get out of his face, then duked it out with an electric fan in the dugout after losing Game 7 of the World Series to the Kansas City Royals.

Can it?

Sure, it can.

You must have recognized him. Look, look at this left-hander mowing down the hitters, maintaining his poise, pitching a shutout with the entire season on the line. Beautiful. Beautiful stuff in a beautiful game--a classic game of National League baseball, in which managers are required to do nervy things like pinch-hit for their pitchers, or put their pitchers in the outfield.

John Tudor sure did look good out there.

OK, brace yourself. Here he comes now to talk about it. Be prepared for anything.

Remember, this is the same John Tudor who, just the day before, was quoted as saying of opponent Dave Dravecky: “If he pitches the way he did last time, we might as well not even play the game.”

This is the same John Tudor who was quoted as saying that what Busch Stadium needed was a little more hot rock-and-roll and a little less Ernie Hays organ music.

This is the same John Tudor who was described in Tuesday morning’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch as a “pessimist,” a “negativist,” and a gentleman guilty of “defeatism.”

Well, he showed them. Old optimist, positive, upbeat John went right out there and negatived the Giants, 1-0, as the customers of Busch Stadium did their best to show their support by throwing baseballs, cowbells and the King of Beers at poor old Penitentiary Face Leonard.

(Who would have ever guessed that, among the four cities involved in this year’s major league playoffs, the best-behaved fans would be the ones from Detroit?)

Well, Mr. T, what did you think of all that?

“I don’t approve of throwing things,” Tudor said. “It’s fine to yell at him and tease him, because he’s still a jerk and all, but you shouldn’t throw stuff at anybody. That’s not Cardinal baseball. They acted like San Francisco fans, not St. Louis fans. The people here are too good for that.”

Busch behavior, eh, John?

“Hey, I love the fans here. They’ve been good to me for as long as I’ve been here,” Tudor said. “When we came back from Los Angeles in the ’85 playoffs, two games down, the people here were saying: ‘They’ll be back. Don’t worry. They’ll be back.’ I pitched in Boston, and it’s not that way there. With the people in Boston, if you came back two games down, they’d be saying: ‘We’ve just been waiting for them to choke.’ ”

And about that music, John. A little boring listening to the Budweiser theme and “Alley Cat” and “The Baby Elephant Walk” all night, huh?

“Let me clear that up right now,” Tudor said. “I didn’t take any shots at Ernie Hays. I never have and I never will. All I said was, the music in San Francisco was real good, and sometimes it would be nice if we threw in a little variety. Sometimes a little rock-and-roll and get things going, you know?”

We can dig it, John. Guess it didn’t come out the way you meant it, right?

“Every time I say something, someone wants to blow it up. Someone’s always trying to twist it. I never said anything bad about Ernie Hays. Why would I do something like that?”

What can we say, John? When you’re right, you’re right. And you’re right. You would never say anything bad about anybody. You’d never call anybody a jerk, for instance. Or insult another town’s fans. Naw. Not you.

Besides, what’s a little booing and boozing in the bleachers?

“Should make the Giants feel right at home,” Tudor said.

Well, enough of this stuff, John. Too good a game to fuss over that junk. Say, what did you think about Herzog throwing Worrell out there in the ninth inning?

“Out where?” Tudor said.

Why, in the outfield.

“You haven’t been here all year, have you?”

Gosh, no, John, we haven’t.

“He can make the plays.”

Oh, heck, John, we’re sure Todd can shag flies pretty well. But how about using him in right field, when Candy Maldonado’s already lost a ball out there in the lights? And in the ninth inning, yet, with St. Louis leading by one run and a man on first base and a fast man at the plate who might slice a ball down the right-field line and make poor old Todd chase it into the corner?

“He’s a good outfielder. He knows what he’s doing,” Tudor said. “He’s always taking flies away from Willie in practice.”

Well, that sure explains it, John. Thanks for clearing that up.

Let’s mosey over here to Worrell’s locker for a minute and see what the big relief outfielder has to say, shall we?

“I wasn’t worried. Well, maybe just a little,” Worrell said. “I had a few fantasies about a shoestring catch, yeah. You think in that situation, I might be out there saying: ‘Please! Don’t let the ball come to me!’ Because you think you’re gonna end up screwin’ it up. But that wasn’t how I was. You start thinking positive like I did, and next thing you know, you’ll catch the dumb thing!”

Attaboy, Todd. Be positive. None of that negative stuff.

So, John, back to you. Think the Cardinals have a good chance now? After all, the team’s not scoring many runs.

“I know. I’d hate to think Danny Cox would have to throw a shutout to win the game,” Tudor said. “But he’s a big-game pitcher. I think he’ll do a good job.”

How about those Giants? This loss must have frustrated them, don’t you think?

“I really don’t care how frustrating it was for the Giants. I really don’t care anything about the Giants. Just about the Cardinals.”

Good point, John. And maybe that previous playoff experience will help. It must have helped you, being in the World Series in 1985 and all. You must have learned something there.

“I learned dugout fans can be hazardous to your health,” John Tudor said.

Nice talking with you, John. As always.