European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 13, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse Saturday july 1985 the stars and stripes Page 23 commentary Ryan expresses greatness with the Arm the first thing to be established someday wherever baseball fans gather to talk Over the Good old Days is that there really was a Nolan the Houston Pitcher who broke the bar Rier thursday that he want a character in a Robert Redford he want a Guy who sold his soul to the Devil in a Broadway or something out of the pages of a Burt Standish even though he was As improbable As any of As Bill once i think Nolan Ryan is a figment of his own first of there was the its a baseball baseball had never seen anything like it be at least since Walter it delivered a fastball to a Catcher so fast on some nights that it want even never mind hitting Nolan ryans fastball is like eating Coffee with a Reggie Jackson once no one taught him How to throw he showed up at a Ballpark with it one Day and struck out the you hit Nolan ryans the Nice thing about it you didst have Nolan would walk the Nolan could throw the Ball through a Brick the late Gil Hodges once provided he could hit the almost the first game in which he Ever in the Carolina he struck out and lost the when Nolan lets go of a its like drop Ping a note in a bottle no telling where it will end his pitching coach once baseball has never known what to do with a work of baseball would paint glasses on the Mona Lisa or wallpaper the sistine when Nolan Ryan first showed up in the big leagues with one of the most devastating pitches the game had Ever the coaches gathered in grave his mechanics Are All they assured them How about if we drop his Arm Down More maybe if we get him to pitch off his front foot it was like six clerks rewriting Ryan himself almost bought the poor self image that was thrust upon he almost quit the grand old game once when he was in new York used mainly in Relief and once when he reported to the Angels and the game went on he was the Only Guy in the history of the game where they were still talking about his potential after he had thrown several no hit won a Cou ple of Hundred others and was breaking Al time out to say nothing of hitters his composite stats read As if its two Jekyll Ryan won 239 Hyde Ryan lost he struck out More than anyone who Ever making him the first Pitcher to Peak the strikeout but he walked More than anyone who Ever he struck out More men in a season 383 in 1973 than any Pitcher in the but Only Bob Feller 208 Ever walked More men than Ryan did in a sea son Hes the Best Pitcher who has never won the by Young which he didst even win the year he pitched two won 21 games and broke the single season record for he got in Only two innings of a world series be cause the mets thought he was a Relief Pitcher in those they later concluded he want even because when they traded him for infielder Jim they threw a minor league Pitcher Don an out fielder Lee Stanton and a Catcher named Francisco a photo Nolan Ryan hears cheers for the natural against his old mets Estrada in the its the Only recorded instance of a franchise sweetening the pot for a team to take a sure Hall of Famor off its As if the mets haunt gotten the Ryan used them to vault the Fence when the Angels let Ryan go in the free agent draft in the general manager All we have to do is sign up two eight game Ryan was 1614 that recording these baffled historians May someday be moved to did you play in a mask or under an assumed name i How else could a Nolan Ryan be a thrown on a Francisco Estrada and Don Rose Deal or How else could a front office watch a four no hit Pitcher walk off with a shrug part of the problem was Nolan he didst play the Ryan was the least superstar acting of any superstar you Ever when other hotshots bought Mercedes or Gold Ryan bought when they went to he married his childhood when they went on talk he went Home on the Ryan didst form second guess or refuse to sign he showed up in a locker room like a Guy who had come to fix the no one sent Nolie made the team when Winter Ryan was not on a he was on a his idea of an audience was a Herd of his feats will grow in legend when he not that five nine 18 two hitters and 26 three hitters need much Nei ther do 54 Ryan makes Lardner Elmer the great look like a Nolan the great sat in a dugout the other Day and reflected on a career that has gone on not Only longer than the mets coaches had thought possible but also longer than he had dreamed he was had it gone on so Long was Winter on a ranch in Texas instead of a Golf course in Florida the answer was it better to be mending a Fence than returning a serve Ryan was not All my i had this he 1 could throw a baseball but people made me think something was missing i should have come up in some organization that would have channelled in not so Ive in not a numbers so strikeouts and shutouts dont mean that much to but id like to make 20 that my contract runs out i must have done something How Many Power pitchers do you know that last 20 years How Many Guys do you know have had the career Ive had the of is hardly come to think of it make a great movie for they could Call it the loj Angeles times Sandberg join Allstar reserves new York a Pete Willie Mcgee and Ryne Sandberg were added As reserves to the National league Allstar team perennial choices Reggie Jackson and Rod Carew were left off the american league squad and Mike Schmidt missed out in the id loved to have made but the fans picked some deserving said Jack who has been selected to 14 Allstar including the last with 15 Home runs and 44 finished fourth in the fan voting for starting Outfield a teammate of Jackson with the California failed to make the team for the first time since Eddie Murray of Baltimore will Start at first in not said hitting Murray is having a great year and he deserves to be Schmidt is having a Tough Bat Ting just with 10 homers and 37 Bis for Detroit manager Sparky who will guide the Al in tuesday nights game in the Minneapolis added out fielders Harold Baines of Phil Bradley of Gary Ward of Texas and Tom Brunansky of Minnesota infield ers Wade Boggs of Cecil Cooper and Paul Molitor of Damaso Garcia of Don Mattingly of new York and Alan Trammell of Detroit and catchers Carlton Fisk of Chicago and Ernie Whitt of san Diego manager Dick who will handle the filled out his roster by naming 10 including a Louis outfielder who is leading the league with a average Cincinnati player manager who will be making his 16th Allstar appearance and second baseman last years most valuable play also picked by Williams were outfielders Pedro Guerrero of los who is Bat Ting and tied for the no Home run Lead with Tim Raines of Dave Parker of Cincinnati and Jose Cruz of Houston infielders Jack Clark of Garry Templeton of san Tim Wal Lach of Montreal and catchers Tony Pena of Pittsburgh and Ozzie Virgil of Phila its about dont you think Cruz said after being who has Hilt Over five times in his was named to play in his second Allstar he was also selected in but was the Only one of the 20 no no pitchers not to play in the in pleased to be its an said batting among those also left off this years Al team were outfielder George Bell of Toron batting with 18 homers and 57 Bis Oakland Dave a designated hitter with 21 Home runs and new York Pitcher Ron who is Gui dry requested to be left off the Al team because he was scheduled to Start for the Yankees in the those passed Over included Philadelphia outfielder Glenn fourth in the league with 60 Bis and pitchers Andy Hawkins of san who is and Atlanta Rick i Felt i had a legitimate but i suppose a lot of Guys Mahler i m but i realize it was a Tough decision to i dont have any the elected no starters Are Catcher Gary Carter of new first baseman Steve Garvey of san second baseman Tom Herr of shortstop Ozzie Smith of third baseman Graig Nettles of san and outfielders Tony Gwynn of san Diego and Darryl Strawberry of new the Al starters Are Catcher Lance Par Rish of first baseman Sec Ond baseman Lou Whitaker of shortstop Cal Ripken of third baseman George Brett of Kansas and outfielders Dave Winfield and Rickey Hen both of new and Jim Anderson gets his Chance tuesday to be come the first manager to win an Allstar game in both i would like to do says has Eye on the Hall of those Are the kind of things they look one of Andersons gripes is leaving a player off the Allstar after you dont pick a then he beats he i can write the script of what Hes going to Hes going to say How he did it because he wanted to show me How he deserved to be on the Allstar that like every time Whitt does Well against us he brings up How Detroit Gener Al manager Bill Lajoie didst like him when he scouted
