Pitching, Attitude-Mire Sox in Ninth

Then I was young and foolish, to think that the hoary maxim, "pitching is 75 per cent of the game," was a bunch of . After all, what makes a like a few .300 hitters and muscle-men who can belt a every other game?

I came to Boston and how true the old adage is , in fact, that hitting seems irrelevant to a team's consider, for example the the 1965 Boston Red Sox. Carl Yastrzemski leads in hitting with a .340 . All-star second baseman Felix Mantilla is batting 227. Three other Sox regulars are hitting 23 or better. Twenty-year old out-fielder Tony Conigliaro has bit 16 home runs third best in the league; Yastrzemski, Mantilla and Lee Thomas all have hit more than 10.

And what has all this done for Boston? Absolutely nothing. The team is wallowing in ninth place in the American League, 13 1/2 behind the leaders, and things are going to get worse before they get better.

The condition is nothing new for the Red Sox, of course and what can you except with a pitching staff consisting of Earl Wilson. Bill Majorette, Dave Morehead, and Jim Lonborg. For the past two years at least, the Sox have had the best relief pitcher in baseball. If a Red Sox starter got knicked for a scratch single in the third inning. Fenway Park would be filled with a chorus of "We want Radatz." This year the "Monster" has looked remarkable mortal; his mediocre showing has made the 1965 season more painful than most.

Other teams manage to perform respectively with an amount of talent comparable to that which the Red Sox have, but a peculiar malaise strikes the tenants of Fenway Park every year. Desire and hustle are not just cliches tossed around by sportswriters and Little League managers; they are qualities which can turn an average team into a good one--witness last year's Philadelphia Phillies. But the Red Sox collect their paychecks every month whether they win or lose--and they don't seem to care.

The case of Tony Conigliaro is a sad example of how the indifference of the Red Sox can affect a good ballplayer. Conigliaro was a rookie last season, and local spots writers weren't being hyperbolic when they compared him to Ted Williams. Despite missing a number of games because of injuries, he hit .290 and belted 25 home runs. He always seemed to give that little bit of extra effort. This season he has become a sloppy ballplayer; every time he goes to the plate he tries to hit a home run, and as a consequence his average has tumbled into the 260's, and his strikeouts have soared.

Fans who merely wish to see major league baseball will find Fenway ark an enjoyable place to spend a hot summer afternoon. The Sox' next home stand begins July 21 against Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Kansas City. But becoming a confirmed Red Sox fan is something to be avoided. It's too painful to watch what could be a fairly good baseball team bumbling its way into ninth place.

I came to Boston and how true the old adage is , in fact, that hitting seems irrelevant to a team's consider, for example the the 1965 Boston Red Sox. Carl Yastrzemski leads in hitting with a .340 . All-star second baseman Felix Mantilla is batting 227. Three other Sox regulars are hitting 23 or better. Twenty-year old out-fielder Tony Conigliaro has bit 16 home runs third best in the league; Yastrzemski, Mantilla and Lee Thomas all have hit more than 10.

And what has all this done for Boston? Absolutely nothing. The team is wallowing in ninth place in the American League, 13 1/2 behind the leaders, and things are going to get worse before they get better.

The condition is nothing new for the Red Sox, of course and what can you except with a pitching staff consisting of Earl Wilson. Bill Majorette, Dave Morehead, and Jim Lonborg. For the past two years at least, the Sox have had the best relief pitcher in baseball. If a Red Sox starter got knicked for a scratch single in the third inning. Fenway Park would be filled with a chorus of "We want Radatz." This year the "Monster" has looked remarkable mortal; his mediocre showing has made the 1965 season more painful than most.

Other teams manage to perform respectively with an amount of talent comparable to that which the Red Sox have, but a peculiar malaise strikes the tenants of Fenway Park every year. Desire and hustle are not just cliches tossed around by sportswriters and Little League managers; they are qualities which can turn an average team into a good one--witness last year's Philadelphia Phillies. But the Red Sox collect their paychecks every month whether they win or lose--and they don't seem to care.

The case of Tony Conigliaro is a sad example of how the indifference of the Red Sox can affect a good ballplayer. Conigliaro was a rookie last season, and local spots writers weren't being hyperbolic when they compared him to Ted Williams. Despite missing a number of games because of injuries, he hit .290 and belted 25 home runs. He always seemed to give that little bit of extra effort. This season he has become a sloppy ballplayer; every time he goes to the plate he tries to hit a home run, and as a consequence his average has tumbled into the 260's, and his strikeouts have soared.

Fans who merely wish to see major league baseball will find Fenway ark an enjoyable place to spend a hot summer afternoon. The Sox' next home stand begins July 21 against Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Kansas City. But becoming a confirmed Red Sox fan is something to be avoided. It's too painful to watch what could be a fairly good baseball team bumbling its way into ninth place.

And what has all this done for Boston? Absolutely nothing. The team is wallowing in ninth place in the American League, 13 1/2 behind the leaders, and things are going to get worse before they get better.

The condition is nothing new for the Red Sox, of course and what can you except with a pitching staff consisting of Earl Wilson. Bill Majorette, Dave Morehead, and Jim Lonborg. For the past two years at least, the Sox have had the best relief pitcher in baseball. If a Red Sox starter got knicked for a scratch single in the third inning. Fenway Park would be filled with a chorus of "We want Radatz." This year the "Monster" has looked remarkable mortal; his mediocre showing has made the 1965 season more painful than most.

Other teams manage to perform respectively with an amount of talent comparable to that which the Red Sox have, but a peculiar malaise strikes the tenants of Fenway Park every year. Desire and hustle are not just cliches tossed around by sportswriters and Little League managers; they are qualities which can turn an average team into a good one--witness last year's Philadelphia Phillies. But the Red Sox collect their paychecks every month whether they win or lose--and they don't seem to care.

The case of Tony Conigliaro is a sad example of how the indifference of the Red Sox can affect a good ballplayer. Conigliaro was a rookie last season, and local spots writers weren't being hyperbolic when they compared him to Ted Williams. Despite missing a number of games because of injuries, he hit .290 and belted 25 home runs. He always seemed to give that little bit of extra effort. This season he has become a sloppy ballplayer; every time he goes to the plate he tries to hit a home run, and as a consequence his average has tumbled into the 260's, and his strikeouts have soared.

Fans who merely wish to see major league baseball will find Fenway ark an enjoyable place to spend a hot summer afternoon. The Sox' next home stand begins July 21 against Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Kansas City. But becoming a confirmed Red Sox fan is something to be avoided. It's too painful to watch what could be a fairly good baseball team bumbling its way into ninth place.