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Show Page HERALD, Provo, Utah. Tuesday, May 27, 1980 10-- THE Wefs' Torre Believes Team Can Pull Off Another Miracle - Less than two NEW YORK (UPI) weeks ago, with his club dead last and showing only little life signs, Mets Manager Joe Torre closed the door and tcld his players something which might've made most people wonder whether he still had a full grip on all his marbles. clubhouse He told them they could win the pen- nant or 1962, but this year. "We've got the kind of pitching that can win a pennant," Torre said to the Not in 1961 Mets. He made his little talk to them before a game in Cincinnati on May 13 and he got the Mets so fired up by what he said, they immediately went out and got murdered 15-- 4 by the Reds. Since then, the Mets turned themselves around enough so that they've won seven out of 10 and their last three in a row. They climbed out of the cellar in the National League East, with Craig Swan blanking the Atlanta Braves 0 on three hits Sunday and Mike Jorgensen contributing a two-ou- t, two-ruhomer in the eighth inning, they moved within six games of the first-plac- e Pittsburgh Pirates. and n basement again. One of the most frequent criticisms of the Mets is aimed at Torre himself. He's too permissive, it is said. He's not tough enough with the players. in front of the other players and he doesn't do it in front of writers. It's just you and him alone. He knows what it is. He has played the game." he said. say, 'Hey, we can win this game.' Yes, I think it's possible to win the pennant but our more immediate goal should be to win every day." Youngblood had been fined. Torre hadn't been too happy over the way he had handled Chris Chambliss' two-ou- t double to right-centin the eighth er A perfect example of what Flynn was talking about took place before Sunday's game with the Braves. Torre was talking with a newsman in his office when outfielder Joel Youngblood walked in after having been told the manager wanted to see him. of Saturday's "Not tough enough?" Torre says, mulling over the charge against him a moment or so. "Well.. I don't whip "1 still think we can win the pennant," Torre says. "What makes me anybody. People don't know if I'm say that? Pitching and defense. I admit tough enough. They don't hear a lot of we could use more hitting help. things and that's the way I like it. I'm Especially from the left side. We've hit not one to make a show about anything. "Would you excuse us?" Torre sakl It isn't my nature." only eight home runs so far this season. to the writer. "And would you please That isn't nearly enough. But I'm That shouldn't necessarily be taken close the door on your way out?" becoming very excited about our to mean Torre sits back idly The meeting between Torre and smoking Craig Swan ... Ray Burns ... those big cigars he likes so much when ?itching. Youngblood lasted leu than five ete Falcone ... and now Pat Zachry he feels one of his players needs minutes. After Youngblood came out of looks as if he's coming around." straightening out. Torre gives his the office, he sat staring into his locker, Under Torre, the Mets have finished players plenty of rope but he'll yank it shaking his head a few times. last the past three years and with on them every now and then. "Did you fine Youngblood for "If the man has a beef with you, it's something?" the newsman asked Torre almost two months of the present offers second upon going back into the office. season gone: the majority of baseball strictly "I don't announce things like that," people still see them winding up in the baseman Doug Flynn. "He doesn't do it John Stearns, the Mets' catcher, claims losing was "acceptable" too ballgame. Chambliss then scored on Gary thews' base hit. Mat- long. The most significant part of the whole episode was that Youngblood didn't brood or sulk over Torre's action. Soon after it was over, he went out on the field and gave it all he had against the Braves. "If we can change our attitude, we can change everything around here," he said. "With the pitching staff we have, we can win 80, 90 games. Let's get competitive. This club has the ability to play .500 ball, and let's do it now. If not, then let's dump everybody and start all over again." "Everything with us is a lot different this year," says infielder-outfieldElliott Maddox. "We'd getto the late inBy beating the Braves Sunday, the nings with the score tied the last few and a years and we'd say to ourselves, 'Let's Mets boosted their record to see, how are we gonna lose it today? Is .432 percentage, which isn't that far someone gonna make an error or is from .500, the barrier any ballclub somebody on the other side gonna chink must hurdle first before it can even one in?' We don't do that anymore. We think in terms of winning a pennant. 16-2- 1 Jim Murray tKt HUT 3 Cubs' Buckner ' hi 1M t-I- Si SP0ITIU SOLD IN C00DS Always Moving (c) ISM, Las Angles Timet To interview the Cubs' Billy Buckner, you have to get ready for it like running the Olympic mile. What Is needed is a new of Adidas, enlarged lungs, a like a man leaving the scene of a crime and trying not to run, looking like one of those speeded-u- p reels of Chaplin movies. This young man in a hurry even gulps his food. He doesn't play first base, he paces it. He reminds you of a caged animal tied to the bag on a snort chain. Kir pulse rate and a finishing kick. It helps if you sleep with your clothes on and slide down a pole to get to your interview quicker. Bill Buckner is never still. He makes even Pete Rose look like a A dozen years ago Billy Buck was a star member of that famous group of L.A. Dodger youngsters the press called "Kiddie Korps." Baseball's Class of '68 was like a Harvard group of baccalaureates that would produce a secretary of state, two congressmen, a senator or a President, and a justice of the Supreme Court. It was the group of Garvey, Cey, Russell, Lopes, cigar store Indian. Buckner swoops into a dressing room like a flight of doves. He immediately looks for things to do. If the phone is not engaged, he charges to it, picks it up and calls somebody, Lord knows who. Maybe the White House. He snatches open mail and reads it on a dead run. 'He checks the comp tickets he has left, then rushes to the trainer's room where he goes through more rituals than a doctor scrubbing up for major surgery. He doesn't walk, he darts. It is like interviewing the drum major of a parade. He talks like something coming from a jammed shortwave radio from a spy in the Battens whose transmission keeps being interrupted. "Why, uh, did Herman Franks say he, uh, disliked me? Well (excuse me, I got to see this thing, there! That's OK!) Now, what was your question again? Oh, yes, Herman Franks ... Well, Herman said he thought I was jealous of Dave Kingman ... Excuse me, could we finish this later? You see I gotta ... What? Telephone for me? Wait a minute...Oh, I think Herman was disappointed about a lot of things ... We got along OK ... Was I jealous of Kingman? Naw, I didn't know whether to laugh or be sorry for Herman ... Look, can I come right back? You see, I have to ... I don't hold anything against Herman ... Look, would you mind? I gotta take batting practice ..." At the batting cage Buckner hastily wipes a bat handle with a resined rag, flops to the ground, begins exercises, jumps up, runs into the cage. "Oh, yes, I'm having a good year (smack!), I'm seeing the ball good (smack! ), sure this could be the best Chicago team ever (smack!), I like Chicago (smack), I have a condominium downtown (Smack!), and a ranch in Idaho, (Smack!), my brothers run it in season (Smack!)" The conversation is like a Ted All-St- ar ie was Ted Williams. "Bill Buckner," the great man intoned, "has a chance to become the next .400 hitter. He's got the best swing of any young hitter I've ever seen." Sixty colleges wanted Buckner vben he was in high school for football. A dozen major league teams wanted him for baseball. The Dodgers got him. Buckner batted .344 for Ogden, .307 for Albuquerque, and .335 for Spokane. Then he batted .319 and .314 for the Dodgers and led them to the 74 pennant and World Series where, characteristically in a hurry, he got thrown out at third on the pivotal play of that tournament. Then, Buckner got a severely sprained ankle. Typically impatient, he ran it into a serious injury that all but immobilized the foot and ultimately required surgery. Then he was traded to the cubs for Rick Monday. Once one of the best runners in the game (he stole 31 bases in 1974) Billy Buckner stopped getting leg hits. So he never did get to hit.400, but he was batting .394 as the season moved through the second week of May this year when Dodger pitching threw a couple at nim. This is not of , knee-bendi- in Billy Grabarkewitz, Billy Buckner with one or two exceptions, a team. National League team. And Certainly an many people considered Buckner the best of the lot. Among these fast-steppi- interview Sizemore, .340 against L.A. last year and usually rips them up. If Billy Buck does win the bat- ting championship or hits .400 this year, to interview him the networks may have to bring in barricades, bullhorns, remote crew and bloodhounds, rope off the area where he is holed up and communicate with him like on radio. They'll need at least 10 camera locations. 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