European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 18, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse An Ace departs saturday june 18, 1977 the stars and stripes Poge 23 by Milton Rich Manuti sports editor As Best he could Tom Seaver pushed the past All behind him and left the country not to run away but to join his new Ball club the world Champion Cincinnati reds in Montreal. No longer depressed or As emotionally overwrought As he was thursday morning at Shea stadium where he broke Down struggling to put into words his the new York mets Seaver seemed almost reborn with a fresh Supply of optimism and enthusiasm. He even managed a smile Over a remark made to him by his 6-year-old daughter at All the new friends we re Gonna meet she said to her father before he left their Home in Greenwich Conn. The 32-year-old right hander took the Affer emotional Farewell from Mefs Seaver goes of join reds in Montreal same View. I m going to join the Best team in base Ball said Seaver who had been with the mets since 1967 and was easily their out standing player for most of that time. I feel everything happens for the beat. The worst is behind me. From now on it la Only got it was a trying time thursday for Seaver when he sat for what probably was the last time in the same chair he had Forso Many years before whenever answering newsmen s questions in the mets club House at Shea stadium. Traumatic As thursday s relatively Brief news conference was for Seaver it was t nearly As emotional an experience for him As saying goodbye to his team mates wednesday night in Atlanta before the game with the braves was buddy Harrelson like a kid brother to Seaverr hugged him and was ashamed to Tell him he loved him. Seaver told Harrelson he Felt the same Way about him and when the mets pitching Ace tried to say Farewell to Pitcher Jerry Koosman neither could find the proper Good baseball Man will Tell you the worst possible thing he can do is make a Trade in anger and that s precisely what happened in the Lith hour Deal before the trading deadline which sent Seaver to the reds for Pitcher Pat Zachry infielder Doug Flynn and outfielders Steve Hender son and Dan mets followed up that one by Send ing big Dave Kingman to san Diego for in fill Der Bobby Valentine and Pitcher Paul Sickert and in this one too resentment played an important part. Before dealing Kingman general manager Joe Mcdonald renewed tie mets offer to him Call sex re leg Henderson sparkles As mourning mets trip astros 4-3 sports writer while his new teammates mourned the loss of an old Friend newly acquired Steve Henderson did his Best to help ease the , a 24-year-old outfielder who was one of the principal figures obtained from Cincinnati wednesday night in the Trade for Tom Seaver made his major league debut with the new York met thursday night and flashed his base run Ning ability to spark a 4-3 Triumph Over the Houston speedy Henderson was inserted into the game in the seventh inning As a Pinch runner for de Kranepool and took second on a two out single by Felix Millan. A moment later he and Millan dashed Home when shortstop Joe Gonzalez threw Mike Vail s grounder wildly into right held after trying to get a Force out at was very excited at the Opportunity to help said Henderson who was the Only one of the players the mels acquired wednesday night to arrive for thursday night s contest. I m glad to be Here. I was kind of value. But the future is the future. It s Justa in other National league games los Angeles edged Pittsburgh 3-2 in 11 innings san Diego topped Chicago 8-6 and san Francisco downed St. Louis 5-1.giants 5, cardinals i Jim Barr scattered seven hits to win his eighth game and Darrell Evans drove in a pair of runs to highlight the giants Triumph Over the cardinals. Terry Whit held had three hits including a Homer for san Francisco. Dodgers 3, pirates 2 Bill Russell whose error enabled Pitts Burgh to tie the score in the ninth inning doubled in the Ullh inning and scored the winning run on Dusty Baker s sacrifice Fly to give the dodgers a Victory. Charlie Hough worked three witless innings i Relief to rain the Triumph. Reggie Smith hit a two run Homer his 15th, for the dodgers. Padres 8, cubs 6 George Hendrick and Gene Mcnace each drilled Solo homers and the padres benefited from four Chicago errors to defeat the cubs. The cubs committed three errors inthe first inning including two by shortstop Ivan Dejesus when the padres scored three times. Chicago s Manny Trillo. The league s leading hitter had three hits to boost his average to .382. No Roundup nervous Early this evening but once the manager Joe Torre put me in the game 1 Felt struck out in his Only at Bat in the eighth inning but Torre said he would Start the youngster in left Field Friday mets traded away their two biggest Gate attractions in Seaver and slugger Dave Kingman wednesday night but Torre feels the new players will help keep things exciting at Shea will take Dave Kingman s place and Pat Zachry will take Seaver spot in the starting rotation. Doug Flynn is a backup shortstop and second baseman. Bobby Valentine and Joel Youngbloo dare All purpose Utility players said Torre in explaining the roles of his new acquisitions. We have a new mobility on the club and i m Happy with new players May help but Many of the mels veterans were saddened by the loss of the Man some have described As the Best Pitcher in Seaver was the Symbol of the mets of the past the new players arc the mets of the said shortstop Bud Harrelson. "1 and the other veterans were All hoping it would t happen. Tom was hoping to stay with his friends but it just did t work nut As far As i m concerned the Cincinnati hods players should All be out tonight kissing the Blarney Stone for the Lucky break they i first heard they were trying to Trade him i could t think of anyone they could possibly get who would be of equal St. Louis Cardinal outfielder Lou Brock tries a Solo performance on the skate Board after lessons from Lou or. Brock getting the hang of it could set an All time base stealing record this season being Only 18 smar Kolsum. Aping for $200.000 a year. Kingman playing for $72,000 now said no again and that did it. He was was t any major Force that implemented the Deal but rather a Straw that digit the final Straw As far As Seaver was con was a paragraph in a column written by Dick Young sports editor and columnist for the new York daily news saying Seaver was jealous of Nolan Ryan because Ryan was making More Money than he. Young also alluded to Ryan s wife Ruth being Friendly with Seaver s wife Nancy saying Seaver Long has treated Nolan Ryan like a Little brother and now Little brother was making More than big Broth is a former teammate of Seaver s and they Are still close friends. So Are their , who did t really want to leave the mets. Had come up with some suggestions How he could stay and had passed them along to Mcdonald tuesday , in turn had relayed them to the mets owners and directors and they we reconsidering the suggestions favourably. But when Seaver read Young s refer ence to him and Ryan and to his wife and Ryan s wife in Atlanta wednesday morn ing he became incensed particularly since he Felt Young always sided against Liim in his salary differences with the called Arthur Richman the mets Public relations director and said that the end Tell them to forget whatever we talked about last night. 1 Wanna get the hell out of Strong Friendship after in had cooled off Seaver told me that nothing that was Ever written could destroy his Friendship with Ryan or the warm family feeling existing Between his wife and Ryan like Nolan said Seaver. When my family is brought into it i think that s hit Ting below the now Seaver is gone from the mets and it could be a Brand new race in the nation Al league West because the reds have themselves the Best Pitcher in the mets got everybody seems to think the mets got nothing in return for Seaver. That in quite True. Zachry has been struggling lately but was co Rookie of the year Las season. He s Only 25 and could come Back. Flynn is the Best defensive second base Man in the National 1-eague. And Hender son and Norman both Are outstanding Young t it be ironic if the mets beat out the reds for the no Pennant on the strength of a Trade made in a moment of anger it does t figure to happen but stranger things have in baseball. Shea fans show signs of dissent in Trade s Wake new York a ooh. The me shave no lineup Sloane Siler a 10-year-old Wisp of a girl from Forest Hills pouted and threw up her hands while a crowd of nearby new Yorkmen fans giggled. What i mean Sloane continued i that they traded away Tom of course is Tom Seaver. And his following in new York included Small heartthrob like Sloane Siler and bigger ones like Ann were among those at Shea stadium thursday night who were distressed by Seaver s Trade to the Cincinnati rods wednesday la sure miss said mrs. Penner a matronly woman from manhat Tan. And i la Tell you some think they should have gotten More for him than they did. I know he was t Happy with the mets continued on Poge 21
