Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-04-08

hard to win in any game that his extreme tautness
may hurt him When the Piersall Donovan Green trade
was announced, Mike Ryba, faithful old employe Of
the Boston Red Sox in a variety Of roles, said:
Il was Jims first manager. This was in 1913 at
Scranton. never saw kid so high-strung nor one
liked better" Yet Piefsa voluntarily will recall
time when an unnamed manager Of an unidentified
major league club POSSIBLY Joe Gordon when he was
managing the Indians) singled him out In q clubhouse
meeting.
He said was the one guy on the entire club that
didn't think we could win the pennant!" Jim RACES.
Piersalls battles on the field are Legendary, al
though undistinguished for any classic displays of
sticuffs. Il never won fight until those two goons
jumped out of the bleachers in Yankee Stadium last
summer" Jim admits Il took out all my vengeance
saved up the years for all fans-on those two
printables"
He's matched fists with quite a few players, in
GLIDING Billy Martin and Clint Courtney He torments
umpires and sailor surpassed his shortorder
vocabulary Yet the same time he
He hates most sportswriters but he is q contribut
ing author and reputedly an investor in new maya
zine, Baseball Monthly which hires sportswriters
you get dose ofsome ofthose Boston and Cleve-
land baseball writers and you'd learn to hate your
kind" Jim once said How'd you like it, being ball
player to have couple of sportswrters tell that
you finished all done in city? That's what
happened in mid-season in Cleveland.
WnaLS more, tnOSe guys were T1Bnu WAS
through had the best season Of my career and got
traded. In Cleveland you don't have to please the
manager and the front office You've got to be popular
with sportswrters. too! Well, me. never!"
When he had nervous breakdown nearly 10 years
ago and was hosptalized it occurred to Al Hirsch-
berg, q competent author, to collaborate with Jim,
upon his recovery, the story of his life Thus
born the book, Fear Strikes Out" It made into
movie Book movie and Piersall sold well thereafter
ua a Iho.o ,NoeW aka Nouv
the Red Sox signed him and gave him to Ryba Scran
ton to develop He was like watch that was wound
too tight" Mike recalls Hes still that way But he's
so wonderfully talented you handle him right and he's
pretty close to being the most exciting athlete Of
the era"
Back in 50 the Red Sox came into Griffith Stadium
for the traditional opener in Washington Piersall,
awOndrous outelder played at shortstop. To this
day, he vows that he doesn't remember ever playing
that position yet he performed the intricacies (cung
offreays, etc) with mastery that would have befted
a Phil Rizzuto.
twas short season. 81 for Piersall He played
in only So games for Boston and then sent to Biz
mingham "a $50 average thereD before he underwent
psychiatric treatment
Piersall emerged as slightly heroic figure. some
thing but not quite like boxer Barney Ross when he
got the monkey off his back His book almost painfully
frank won admirers The movie was manned up by
Hollywood, Just like the movies having to do with
Ruth Gehrig Thorpe and other sports immortas, but
it still managed to tell the story of boy who
troubled.
.;n from Wofo rhnr hae