He’d Be Better Off Waving White Flag

Whenever they talk about knockdown pitchers, the name of Don Drysdale is sure to surface, but Ralph Kiner doesn’t rate him No. 1.

“Ewell Blackwell of Cincinnati was easily the meanest I ever saw,” Kiner told Richie Ashburn of the Philadelphia Daily News. “He had this sidearm delivery, and he could throw the hell out of the ball. The greatest knockdown pitch I ever saw--if there is such a thing--was thrown by Blackwell in Pittsburgh.

“We had a kid the Pirates brought up from the Pacific Coast League, Dino Restelli, who tore up the National League the first couple of months. Nobody could get him out and he looked like a pretty good hitter. But he wore glasses and he had this habit of taking a big red handkerchief out of his pocket and cleaning his glasses before every pitch.

“He was facing Blackwell on a hot Sunday afternoon and just as Blackwell was starting his windup, Restelli raised his hand and called time. I was in the on-deck circle and I could see that Blackwell wasn’t too happy over the rookie interrupting his delivery.

“Restelli took out that big red handkerchief, wiped his glasses, put the handkerchief back in his pocket and waved to Blackwell that it was all right to pitch. I saw the veins pop out on Blackwell’s neck and I was almost afraid to look at the next pitch.

“Blackwell wound up and threw the ball and all you could see was Restelli’s arms, legs, cap and glasses flying through the air. Restelli was never the same after that. He didn’t even last the season.”

New York Mets pitcher David Cone, after taping a segment with David Letterman, told Newsday: “It was vintage Letterman. He asked me whether I’d rather have a career-ending injury or a Whitey Herzog haircut. I told him, ‘I’d rather blow out my knee.’ ”

Trivia Time: This one’s from Ted La Mothe of Long Beach: “Who was the Catawba Claw?” (Answer below.)

John Salley of the Detroit Pistons, calling Boston’s Kevin McHale his favorite adversary, told the Boston Globe:

“He really had me laughing in one game. We’re standing at the other end of the court and K. C. Jones calls down a play, and McHale tells me it’s for Danny Ainge. He says, ‘Can you believe that? I make four shots in a row and they’re calling for Danny. And I have you guarding me, Salley. Now, that’s not fair.’ ”

New York Giants Coach Bill Parcells, on why he doesn’t bleed Giant blue the way Tom Lasorda bleeds Dodger blue: “In this business you never know if you’ll be wearing red next year.”

Boxing analysts Ferdie Pacheco of NBC, Al Bernstein of ESPN, and Gil Clancy of CBS all are picking Mike Tyson over Michael Spinks next Monday night.”

Pacheco: “I don’t consider Spinks a heavyweight, and he’s beaten only used-up, burned-out fighters.”

Bernstein: “Spinks doesn’t move fast enough. Gerry Cooney would have beaten him if only he’d doubled left hooks to the body and the head.”

Clancy: “I watched them both work out and Spinks is a lot heavier than he was before. He might even weigh as much as Tyson. I don’t think that will do him any good.”

Trivia Answer: Bucky Pope, a wide receiver from Catawba College in South Carolina, who played for the Rams in 1964-67.

Quotebook

Richard L. Shook, of United Press International, on Gary Pettis of the Detroit Tigers: “Gary Pettis is a Punch-and-Judy hitter with too much Judy and not enough Punch.”