Autry Backs His Offers for Ryan and Hurst With Personal Pleas

Gene Autry, charging at 81 as if he was still riding Champion, backed his financial offers with personal pleas to free-agent pitchers Nolan Ryan and Bruce Hurst Tuesday.

All of the involved clubs seem to expect a decision in these two long manhunts today, and the Angels believe they are alive in both, club spokesman Tim Mead said late Tuesday night.

Ryan and attorney Dick Moss flew to Atlanta from Alvin, Tex., Tuesday morning and held a series of meetings with executives of the Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers and Angels.

“A lot of people showed great respect for and desire to have Nolan Ryan next year,” Moss said. “There’s a good chance he will make his decision tomorrow morning.”

Would he prefer to remain in Texas with the Rangers or Astros if the financial considerations were comparable?

“That’s a dilemma at the moment,” Moss said after the midnight conclusion of his meeting with Autry and Angel General Manager Mike Port.

“Nolan and (wife) Ruth will be talking tonight and have a lot of things to sort out.”

Among them, Moss said, are a variety of contract offers: 1 year straight, 1 year with an option on a second and 2 years guaranteed.

The most lucrative are believed to have come from the Angels and Rangers, both guaranteeing about $1.8 million a year, with an unconfirmed report that the Angels have now guaranteed $2 million a year.

The Angels, of course, can’t do anything about the fact that there are no state taxes for Ryan should he remain in Texas with the Rangers or Astros, who increased their offer from $1.15 million to $1.3 after appearing to have been eliminated, but they are hoping that his acknowledged affection for Autry carries some weight.

“I told Nolan that I wanted him back,” Autry said of the pitcher who departed for Houston as a free agent after a contract hassle with then-Angel general manager Buzzie Bavasi after the 1979 season.

“I told him that I regretted he left and that I considered it a mistake,” Autry said. “He seemed to show interest in coming back.’

Autry had earlier talked by phone with Hurst, the Red Sox left-hander who was still in Boston Tuesday.

“I told him we’d love to have him pitch for us,” Autry said.

The Angels’ offer to Hurst remained at $5.5 million for 3 years, but the Red Sox, who had been offering $5 million guaranteed, matched it, and the San Diego Padres went from $4.7 million for 3 years to $5.2 in what each said were final proposals.