Roseboro Let His Game Do Talking

Former Dodger catcher John Roseboro was nicknamed “Gabby” because he was anything but. Catching, not conversation, was his forte.

But Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, the conversation in both dugouts was about Roseboro, who died last Friday at 69.

Florida Marlin Manager Jeff Torborg, who played with Roseboro, marveled at his low-key demeanor.

“We’d be celebrating a World Series win or a pennant win,” Torborg said. “Guys would be shaking up the champagne and Rosey would be in the trainer’s room having a Coke.”

Said Dodger vice-president Tom Lasorda, “I never heard him raise his voice. He would never take credit for a win.

“I hate to see all some people remember is the [Juan] Marichal incident [when Roseboro was hit over the head with a bat by the San Francisco Giant pitcher]. They forget the great years Roseboro had. When you talk about blocking the plate, he was as good as anybody I’d ever seen before [Mike] Scioscia got here. When Roseboro was here, we had what I think was the best pitching staff this team ever had and he handled it like a general.”

Roseboro followed Hall of Famer Roy Campanella in 1958, but, said announcer Vin Scully, because the Dodgers chose to go with older players at the end of their careers, it was easier for Roseboro to settle in behind the plate.

“What pressure was there,” Scully said, “in catching for a seventh-place team?”

Torborg, on the other hand, felt a good deal of pressure in following Roseboro.

“He might be one of the toughest guys I’ve ever seen,” Torborg said. “I once told him, ‘Man, you are a tough act to follow. You get hit by foul tip, you’ve got to let people know you are hurting.’ But he said, ‘No, no, you don’t let anybody know you’re hurting.’

“He was so strong and so special to me, I find it hard to believe he’s gone. I sit in this dugout and feel like crying.”

*

Marlin second baseman Luis Castillo was penciled in at the top of the lineup but was scratched before the first pitch because of a sore right hand. Homer Bush took his place.

TONIGHT

DODGERS’ OMAR DAAL

(10-8, 3.72 ERA)

vs.

MARLINS’ MICHAEL TEJERA

(8-5, 3.88)

Dodger Stadium, 7

TV--Fox Sports Net 2.

Radio--KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330).

Update--With Kevin Brown in the Dodger bullpen looking for an opening in the starting rotation, Daal is doing his best to make sure his spot is secure. In his last five starts, Daal is 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA. In his last outing, Daal pitched seven innings of shutout ball against the Montreal Expos, not allowing a runner past second base. This is Tejera’s fourth career road start. He has lost the other three.