Banner Graphic, Volume 9, Number 281, Greencastle, Putnam County, 3 August 1979 — Page 7
No matter how he looked, Munson was a winner
By DAVE ANDERSON c. 1979 N.Y. Times News Service NEW YORK Baseball always was easy for Thurman Munson, but life never was. And now, after only 31 years, that life has ended horribly, tragically. Munson also seemed tormented by what he was not, rather than being content with what he was. He was not tall and slim and handsome; he was short and chubby and soft looking. He was not smooth and polished and a con man; he was witty and clever and dead honest. He was not a home run hitter and a matinee idol; he was the Yankees’ captain and perhaps their most dependable player But even playing for the Yankees, baseball’s most glamorous team, he was not completely happy. He always talks about wanting to be traded to the Cleveland Indians so that he could be within driving distance of his wife Diane and their three children at their Canton, Ohio, home. But the \ankees, understandably, would not trade the man they considered the best catcher in baseball. And Thursday, going home to visit his family on an off-day in the Yankees’ schedule. Munson was killed while piloting his twin-engine jet, NYIS, that crashed short of the runway at the Canton Airport. If he had been traded, Munson probably would still be alive. If that word seemed to rule his life. If he had not been so grumpy and stubborn. Munson might have been the most popular Yankee of all. But too often he sulked instead of smiled. Gabe Paul, then the Yankees’ president, once said, “Thurman Munson is a nice guy who doesn t want anybody to know it." When that definition was repeated to Thurman Munson early last season, he snapped, "That's right, that’s right.” At the time he had isolated himself from newsmen with notebooks or microphones. And the day he was asked about it.
Family tie was death instrument
AKRON, Ohio (AP) a rare day off for Thurman Munson, one of those special, private times he could spend with his family in the midst of a long and exhausting baseball season. So the New York Yankee star came back to Ohio to see his wife and three children and to spend a relaxing afternoon Thursday flying his private jet. Then it happened, the plane plunging into the ground, flames lighting up the airfield and Munson dead. “I saw an aircraft totally involved in flames,” said Jeff Kashburn, a sheriff’s deputy
Volleyball to organize New Greencastle High School volleyball coach Valarie Jones will hold an organization meeting Aug. 14 at 10 a.m. in McAnally Center for any girl planning to participate in the sport this fall. Girls should bring IHSAA physical forms, as well as insurance forms, completely filled out, at this time. GHS runners to meet Any Greencastle High School student interested in running cross country this fall should report for a team meeting Aug. 6 at 4 p.m. behind McAnally Center at Door 12. Physical and insurance forms should be completed by this time and ready to be turned in to coach Charlie Dobson. For ms are available in the high school principal’s office. S.P. runners meet Any South Putnam High School student that wants to run cross country this fall for the Eagles is to report, ready to run, at 6 p.m., Aug. 6 on the football field. Coach Dan Puckett will begin working the team out that night for the first meet of the season. All prospective runners are reminded to have physical and insurance forms completed.
Laßussa promoted to manager
Kessinger didn't have an answer
CHICAGO (AP) Less than 24 hours after he said he didn’t know how to stop his team’s slide, Don Kessinger resigned in his first season as playermanager of the Chicago White Sox. The job held until Thursday by the former All-Star shortstop was turned over to Tony Laßussa, a fringe major-league infielder who appeared in just 132 games with four teams over six seasons. Laßussa had been managing the White Sox’ top farm club, the lowa Oaks of the American Association, and was to be at the helm when Chicago opened a three-game series tonight in Toronto. “I think the Sox fans would love for me to say I have a miracle with me that I brought from lowa but I know that’s not going to be the case. I think sometimes a change of faces is helpful,” said Laßussa, a more fiery personality than Kessinger. White Sox President Bill Veeck said Kessinger, in his 15th major-league season, shocked him during lunch Thursday by suggesting the resignation. “I just wanted to sit down
who rushed to the scene at the Canton-Akron airport. “I tried, but couldn’t come closer than 30 feet because of the intensity of the flames. The body was burned beyond recognition.” Officials said the 32-year-old Yankee captain and team leader was killed at 4:02 p.m. EDT while practicing take-offs and landings in his Cessna Citation, a twin-engine jet. Two other men aboard the plane, David Hall, 32, and Jerry D. Anderson, 31, were injured, but neither was seriously hurt. A spokesman at Children’s Hospital in Akron said Hall, Munson’s flight instructor from
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DON KESSINGER May play again with him for a good heart-to-heart talk and share my feelings,” said Kessinger. “When he sort of agreed a change would be a good move, I had no alternative. “I asked a question and said I’m willing to do this if it would be best. And the consensus of opinion was that it wasn’t a bad idea.” Kessinger, 37, also was removed from the team’s player roster and planned to go home to Memphis, Tenn., and ponder his future. He said he has no desire to manage any more but did not rule out returning as a
THURMAN MUNSON Really cared
he was singing “You Can Change Your Mind, But You Can’t Change Me” when he arrived in the Yankee clubhouse. “This might be a silly question,” he was asked, “but why aren’t you talking to newsmen?” He was sitting at a table, glancing at a newspaper sports section, and he never even looked up. "That’s a silly question,” he said. “Do you think the fans think it’s a silly question?” he was asked. He never answered. "Hi, Buddy,” he said now, glancing up at a visitor who told him that a mutual friend’s wife had given birth to a girl. Where s he at? I’d like to call him, he’s a very nice person.” Then he resumed singing, but this time the words were, "...
Canton, was in fair condition with burns on his hands. Anderson, of Canton, a close friend of the 11-year Yankee catcher, was in fair condition at Canton Timken Mercy Hospital with burns on his face, neck and forearms. An employee tor the Federal Aviation Administration at the Akron-Canton airport said of the tragedy; “There is an embankment at the end of the the runway, and he (Munson) was was at least 40 feet low there.” According to an FAA spokesman in the Chicago office, which covers the Canton-Akron area, Munson’s jet had “been
Seeds planted for record invitational
By STEVE FIELDS Banner-Graphic Sports Editor Records are set to be broken and if the seeding times are any indication, several records will fall in the annual South Putnam Invitational swimming meet Saturday morning. The five-team meet gets under way at 9 a.m. after two hours of practice, which begins at 7. Starter Steve Holsapple will begin with the medley relay and follow with freestyle heats. The individual medley will be a mixture of finals and heats, according to the number of entries in each age group. The backstroke will follow the IM, again mixing finals with heats according to the entry number. The breaststroke will be all heats and the butterfly another mixed event. The medley relay and the freestyle
player with another team. “I just said to him that I felt maybe a change could help,” Kessinger said. “Bill agreed that a change might help us at this time. I don’t really blame myself for what’s happened, nor do I think Bill Veeck blames me for what’s happened.” “It was his decision,” said Veeck, who added, “I’ve been associated with a great many people but never with a man of more class or integrity.” The White Sox are in fifth place in the American League West with a 46-60 record. They have dropped their last seven games, their longest losing streak of the season. After their latest loss, a 9-1 rout Wednesday night by the New York Yankees, Kessinger said, “I wish I had the answer. If I did we’d do something about it. I don’t have the answer.” Veeck said Kessinger apparently felt “it required some kind of a shock to shake some of the athletes from the lethargy into which they apparently had fallen.” Kessinger is soft-spoken, while Laßussa is “quite the opposite,” Veeck said. “I hope to bring some enthusiasm and I’m going to kind
engaged in some touch-and-go practice, takeoffs and landings” when the crash occurred. The spokesman, Neal Callahan, said the cause of the crash was not immediately known, and would be investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, but added; “weather does not appear to be a factor.” Green Township Fire Chief Mike Calderone said: “The plane peeled three trees, hit a stump and spun around. It touched down approximately 300 feet north of where it (finally) came to rest.”
relay will be finals, no heats. Finals are scheduled to get underway at 2 p.m., however, meet officials have said that if things are running ahead, the finals will begin sooner. ACCORDING TO submitted seeding times, about 19 records are in jeopardy. However, it should be noted that Rockville’s times were clocked in a metric pool instead of a pool measured in yards. Greencastle’s nine and 10-year-old girls’ medley relay team entered a seeding time of 1:14.4, which tops the record of 1:15, set by a Greencastle squad. At the same time Greencastle’s nine and 10 relay boys’ team is only four-tenths of a second under the record. Rockville enters a 13-14 girls’ medley relay team at 2:15.24, which is better than the Green-
of challenge my players to see if they can do some positive things,” said Laßussa, who has never managed in the majors. In Kessinger, the White Sox had the only player-manager in the majors. In the 34-year-old Laßussa, they have the youngest. “I was shocked” to be offered the job Thursday, Laßussa said. “I didn’t expect that a move was going to be made. I thought if a move was made I probably would be considered.” In 1978, he was manager of Chicago’s Class AA team at Knoxville and later joined the parent club as a first-base coach. He is the fourth manager for the White Sox in two seasons. Bob Lemon was replaced in the middle of last season by Larry Doby and Kessinger was appointed in the off-season. “We’ve been very wellpleased with Tony’s performance at Knoxville and Des Moines,” Veeck said. “The Des Moines club has stayed close despite the fact we took all their pitching staff.” Veeck added that Laßussa “has a certain familiarity with some of the players” since he was a coach last year.
like the fool I am and will always be.” “But it’s not natural,” it was suggested, “for you not to talk baseball.” “I don’t care about that,” he snorted. “I don’t care if it’s natural or not.” But he did care. By not talking to newsmen, he merely was showing how much he really cared. He had always been sensitive. In his early years he resented how Carlton Fisk of the Boston Red Sox always would receive more votes from the fans in the All Star Game balloting than he did. But in 1975 he was chosen as the American League’s starting catcher. The only problem was that Fisk had been injured that season. And now Thurman Munson was tormented by doubt. “I don’t know if the fans voted for me because Fisk was hurt or not, he said at the time. “If he hadn’t been hurt, he probably would have got it.” Not that Munson believed that Carlton Fisk was the better catcher. But he understood how image influences the fans in the All Star voting. ‘I m little, I’m pudgy, I don’t look good doing things,” he said. “Those big tall guys look super. But nobody plays harder than me. I would think that would have helped my image but it
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castle held record of 2:17.6. Danville and Rockville will try to outstretch one another in the 15-18 girls, Danville entering with a top seed time of 2:12.0 and Rockville at 2:12.5. M. Curtis of Rockville is challenging Amanda Myers’ eight and under 25-yard freestyle record. Curtis has closed a 14.95 and the record stands at 17.6 seconds. LISA ALLEN and Jill Kelly are headed for a showdown and Sherri Hume will try to get ahead of the two county girls. Allen, of Greencastle, earned top seed with a record-tying time of 1:00.2 and South Putnam’s Kelly is right behind at 1:01.0. Hume has a 1:02.1 seeding time. Rose Newgent of Greencastle and Kelly Stites of Rockville are in shooting distance of the meet
As a player, Laßussa saw limited action with the Kansas City and Oakland A’s, the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs. He had just 35 hits in 176 at bats and a .199 career batting average. Kessinger was much more successful. He spent 11 seasons with the Chicago Cubs and IV2 with the St. Louis Cardinals before being traded to the White Sox on Aug. 20,1977. He won two Golden Gloves as the National League’s leading shortstop and played in six AllStar games. He began the season with a .253 career batting average but was hitting just .200 in 110 official at bats this season. Veeck gave Kessinger an opportunity to stay on as a player, but Kessinger refused. “It would be a rather uncomfortable situation for him” to continue playing with the White Sox, said Veeck. “I know it will be less comfortable without him playing shortstop. He’s a very fine defensive shortstop. ” Veeck said shortstop Harry Chappas, who played with the White Sox at the end of the 1978 season, was called up to replace Kessinger on the roster.
record for the eight and under girls’ backstroke. Amanda Myers holds the record at 21.2 seconds. Newgent is entered at 21.7 seconds and Stites at 22.0. Tina Alex earned lane three and clocked a faster time than the existing record. The Greencastle nine and 10-year-old swimmer enters with an 18.5 seeding time, one second faster than N. Newlin of Rockville. The record is currently 19.3 seconds. Brian Meek already owns three meet records and might get another Saturday. Meek, swimming nine and 10 for South Putnam, is within six-tenths of a second of the record.
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August 3,1979, The Putnam County Banner Graphic
hasn’t. Pete Rose plays that way Mr. Hustle, they call him He gets more recognition for hustling than he does for playing the game andhe’s a good player. I’ve always played hard. I thought that’s the way you were supposed to play. My dad made me want to play hard. ” But no matter how he looked, Munson was a winner. And he wanted to play on a winner. When the Yankees were involved in the Catfish Hunter auction, Munson phoned the big right-hander and suggested he accept the Yankees’ offer. And when George Steinbrenner was wondering if the Yankees should pursue Reggie Jackson the following year, Munson told the principal owner to sign the slugger. “Reggie,” he told Steinbrenner, “can carry a club for a month ata time.” And about a year ago it was suggested that it was too bad that Munson was in his shell, that he was missing much of the fun that baseball should be. At the time Munson’s grumpy manner was similar to that of Bob Muesel, once a Yankee left-fielder who prompted Frank Graham, the great sports columnist of another era, to write, “He didn’t learn how to say hello until it was time to say goodbye.” Thurman Munson never had a chance to say goodbye.
JIM KENYON OF Greencastle could get the 11-12 year old boys’ breaststroke record. Kenyon has clocked a 37.1 and the record is 36.5. Rockville has five record challengers in the butterfly, four in the 11-12 age bracket. G. Curtis enters with a 21.4 fly time and S. Scott at 20.0, swimming in opposite heats of the girls’ race. J. Barrett and teammate Jody Dowd both well under the record of 33.75 for 11-12 boys. Ann Frederick will represent Greencastle in the 11-12 butterfly record race. Frederick enters with a 34.9 time and the record stands at 33.72. M. Curtis is about two full
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John Bridgewater, left, and Tony Lewis represent the South Putnam 11-12 year old age group. Bridgewater will swim in the freestyle and backstroke and Lewis the freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke during the South Putnam Invitational Saturday at the school. The five team meet gets underway at 9 a.m. and finals at 2 p.m. (Banner-Graphic photo by Steve Fields).
seconds under the eight and under girls’ butterfly record of 22.1. The Rockville swimmer will be challenged by Rose Newgent of Greencastle who has clocked a 22.3 time. —■ * ONLY ONE freestyle relay record is in trouble. Green**"' castle’s nine and 10-year-old girls enter with a 1:02.5 seed and the Linton record is 1:06.6. The 13 and 14-year-old recordbook will start from scratch this year. Only the butterfly will ;> remain at 50 yards, the freestyle, backstroke and.breaststroke all go up to 100-,.-yards. The individual medley: and the two relays remain the same.
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