Tuesday, November 17, 2009

My Interview with Bob Locker


Bob Locker pitched in the pros from 1965 to 1975 for the Chicago White Sox, Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics and Chicago Cubs. At age 27, Locker made his debut for the Chisox, tossing two innings and giving up three runs. He settled down and made 10 appearances that season following that initial appearance and ended his rookie year with a respectable 3.15 ERA. In 1969, Locker was traded to the expansion Seattle Pilots, posting a 2.18 ERA for a team that finished last in the division. In 1970, Locker’s contract was purchased by the Oakland A’s. In 1972, he was a key member of the World Series champs, when he posted a 6-1 record with a 2.65 ERA. Locker frequently came into in the seventh or eighth inning to setup closer Rollie Fingers. Locker appeared in the AL Championship that year, giving up two runs in three innings. On October 21, Locker made his first and only appearance in the World Series, relieving Vida Blue in the sixth game of Game Six. He gave up a single to Tony Perez but got the final out of the inning. A month later, Locker was traded to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Billy North. Locker concluded his career with the Cubs, sitting out the 1974 season to undergo surgery to remove chips from his pitching elbow. In 1975, Locker made 22 appearances and posted an ERA near 5.00, thereby ending his baseball career. Locker and his wife currently live in Lafayette, California and he spends much of his free time fishing and hunting. He’s a graduate of Iowa State University and a member of the school’s Hall of Fame.



The Seattle Pilots: “I was traded from the White Sox to the Pilots for Gary Bell in June, 1969. Seattle certainly wasn’t the end of my career, but I spent a lot of time in Chicago trying to find my out pitch and I guess they got tired of waiting. The White Sox traded me after a couple of weeks pitching poorly, which turned out to be a mistake, because 2-3 bad weeks isn’t an entire career and they should have been more patient with me, in my opinion. I was upset and didn’t want to go to Seattle, but they don’t give you much of a choice—they trade you and you go. In Seattle, I found my out pitch, my sinker, and as a result I had a 2.18 ERA and gave up only eight runs in 30 appearances for the Pilots. Seattle lacked one thing--talent. It was a group containing many different personalities, let’s put it that way. Joe Schultz was the manager for the Pilots, and he was not a baseball strategist, but he was a very good manager because he knew his job, which was to get 24 guys on the same page. And with a bunch of players picked up from here and there, we were in third place going into the final one or two months of the season. I think we looked up at one point and said what are we doing here? So, we didn’t play to our capabilities after that. We had some real offbeat folks up there in Seattle, so I fit right in. Mike Marshal was a genius, especially about pitching, but he was basically a loner. Jim Bouton was scribbling stuff down in this notebook all the time, but I never thought twice about it. (Bouton wrote Ball Four, considered to be the best baseball book ever written.) He caught a lot of heat about it when his book came out and I heard Mickey Mantle never spoke to Bouton again. People felt like Bouton gave away inside secrets, but all he really wrote about was what actually happened. There was a lot of that type of behavior--chasing skirts and drinking to excess, simple rough housing most of the time--but I stayed clear of all that mischief. I’d rather fish or hunt than sit in a bar or in a nightclub any day.”


A Young Manager in His Formative Years: “Tony LaRussa sat on the bench with the A’s in the ‘70’s when we were playing together in Oakland and he absorbed all the information about the game that he could. The best managers are either catchers or guys who really aren’t talented but can figure out how to make the best of their situation, and Tony was one of those guys. He’s the best manager in baseball right now, because he’s the guy who understands the game well enough off--handling pitchers, utilizing each player’s best abilities and manipulating the mental side of the game to his team’s advantage.”


Charlie Finley: “Finley was a real character and a lot of people, maybe most of them, didn’t care for the man. But, I respected him because he did what he believed in and stood by it while everyone else called him a crazy coot and a bunch of other things I can’t repeat. Many of his players didn’t like Charlie or trusted him, but at least they recognized that he would do whatever he could to put a winning team on the field. Those A’s teams in the early ‘70’s are some of the best ever.”


Catfish Hunter: “An all-around prince—a real classy fellow. Everything you’d want on your team. Great pitcher, fielder, pretty decent hitter for a pitcher; he never said a bad word about anyone; a consummate competitor; the great competitor, and a great fisher and hunter—so he was my favorite guy on that team. When he got sick later in life, it was just terrible.”


Vida Blue’s Rookie Season: “1971 was his phenomenal year and I remember it very vividly. It was probably the most awesome performance by any pitcher I’ve ever seen. To watch what he was throwing up there was amazing. There are certain secrets to pitching—they’re guys who throw to the corners like Catfish did; guys like Drysdale or Ryan who can ride the ball and defy the rules of gravity or throw a curveball that falls off the table. But, Vida’s fastball was so unique; with it running in all four different directions. It would go anywhere except right out over the plate. It was a pleasure to watch. Vida attracted huge crowds on the road and there was a buzz throughout the stadium every time he pitched.”


Dick Williams: “Dick was the best manager I ever had, but I don’t think he liked me. If you asked him, he would say something not too kind about me, I imagine. I was a free spirit, or whatever you’d call it and Dick just didn’t dig my vibe. But, I respected him more than any manager I ever saw. He called me an “odd ball” and stuff like that. I pitched well for him in 1972 (6-1, 2.65 ERA) and he wouldn’t pitch me in the World Series except on a limited basis, but I can understand that. He had Vida Blue in the pen that Series and he used him in almost every one of those games, and his starters played well, so it just worked out that way--that was fine. It wasn’t personal. I was basically a setup guy for Rollie Fingers, who was a pretty decent closer (laughs.)But Williams wasn’t enamored with me, I imagine, because they traded me to the Chicago Cubs for Billy North one month later.”

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

[url=http://seghan.ru/go.php?sid=35][img]http://i066.radikal.ru/1001/38/f22daff34e6d.jpg[/img][/url]












[url=http://powjxun.wieder-mal.de/]cheap cigarettes online buy discount marlboro [/url]
buy cheap cigarettes online uk buy reservation cigarettes order doral cigarettes online
[url=http://vjzvmeu.il.gp/]buy electronic cigarettes [/url]
legal to buy cigarettes from europe buy panda cigarettes organic cigarettes buy
[url=http://botziho.485.at/sitemap.html]buy doral cigarettes online [/url]
lowering the age of buying cigarettes buying cigarette buying discount cigarettes online
[url=http://powjxun.wieder-mal.de/]buy cheap cigarettes in uk [/url]
buy cigarettes online illinois can i order cigarettes online online cigarette ordering
[url=http://vjzvmeu.il.gp/]cheapest cigarettes to buy [/url]
buy used cigarette boats where can i buy eucalyptus cigarettes buy marlboro light cigarettes online
[url=http://tyouhca.xn--geglckt-q2a.de/sitemap.html]buy merit cigarettes online [/url]
buying cigarette tobacoo buy cigarettes from europe buy dunhill cigarettes here
[url=http://deuaexj.naheliegend.de/]buy fantasia cigarettes [/url]
order cartons of cigarettes online buy cigarettes at buy parliament cigarettes online
[url=http://ubpscsn.pro.ac/sitemap.html]buying and cigarettes or tobacco [/url]
buy cigarette tips to buy cigarette cases cannabis cigarettes buy
[url=http://vjzvmeu.il.gp/]buy ultra buy premier cigarettes [/url]
carton cigarette marlboro order buy cigarettes in belgium buy herbal cigarettes in
[url=http://uvfaquc.akzentuiert.de/sitemap.html]buy russian cigarettes [/url]
buy camel cigarettes cigarette mail order wholesale cigarettes with a money order

Anonymous said...

Accede to pass the unintentional with two backs casinos? through this modish [url=http://www.realcazinoz.com]casino[/url] advisor and procrastinate online casino games like slots, blackjack, roulette, baccarat and more at www.realcazinoz.com .
you can also twitch our additional [url=http://freecasinogames2010.webs.com]casino[/url] mastery at http://freecasinogames2010.webs.com and be corporeal wearisome currency !
another late-model [url=http://www.ttittancasino.com]casino spiele[/url] purlieus is www.ttittancasino.com , perfectly than of german gamblers, christen unrestrained online casino bonus.

Anonymous said...

after exposed this gratis [url=http://www.casinoapart.com]casino[/url] perk at the employer [url=http://www.casinoapart.com]online casino[/url] instructions with 10's of late-model [url=http://www.casinoapart.com]online casinos[/url]. be occupied in [url=http://www.casinoapart.com/articles/play-roulette.html]roulette[/url], [url=http://www.casinoapart.com/articles/play-slots.html]slots[/url] and [url=http://www.casinoapart.com/articles/play-baccarat.html]baccarat[/url] at this [url=http://www.casinoapart.com/articles/no-deposit-casinos.html]no forbear casino[/url] , www.casinoapart.com
the finest [url=http://de.casinoapart.com]casino[/url] with a verify UK, german and all as a away with to a specific's bed the world. so to the insigne [url=http://es.casinoapart.com]casino en linea[/url] basket us now.

Anonymous said...

Hello i am kavin, its my first time to commenting anyplace, when i
read this paragraph i thought i could also make comment due
to this sensible piece of writing.
Take a look at my website - watch nfl games online

Anonymous said...

Thanks on your marvelous posting! I really enjoyed reading it, you may be a great
author. I will be sure to bookmark your blog and will come back
very soon. I want to encourage you to continue your great job, have a
nice weekend!
Here is my website ; piano lessons

Anonymous said...

Please let me know if you're looking for a article writer for your blog. You have some really great articles and I believe I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I'd really like to write some articles for your
blog in exchange for a link back to mine.
Please shoot me an e-mail if interested. Thanks!
Here is my weblog ; golden virginia tobacco

Anonymous said...

Greetings! I've been reading your site for a while now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Kingwood Texas! Just wanted to mention keep up the great job!
My web page - immobilien alanya

Anonymous said...

I know this if off topic but I'm looking into starting my own blog and was curious what all is required to get setup? I'm
assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny?
I'm not very internet smart so I'm not 100% positive. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Feel free to surf my web page : Wohnungen bodrum

Anonymous said...

Heya! I understand this is kind of off-topic but I had
to ask. Does running a well-established website like yours take
a massive amount work? I am completely new to blogging
but I do write in my diary every day. I'd like to start a blog so I can easily share my personal experience and views online. Please let me know if you have any recommendations or tips for brand new aspiring blog owners. Thankyou!
Feel free to surf my homepage - lägenheter till salu i oba Alanya

Anonymous said...

Usually I don't learn post on blogs, however I would like to say that this write-up very compelled me to check out and do it! Your writing style has been amazed me. Thank you, very great article.
Also see my web site: diablo 3 guide

Anonymous said...

Wow that was odd. I just wrote an very long comment but after
I clicked submit my comment didn't show up. Grrrr... well I'm not writing all that over
again. Anyhow, just wanted to say wonderful blog!
Feel free to visit my blog post :: tattoo removal before and after

Anonymous said...

If some one wishes to be updated with most recent technologies after
that he must be go to see this web page and be up to date daily.
Here is my webpage ... skin whitening

Anonymous said...

This site was... how do I say it? Relevant!

! Finally I have found something that helped me.
Cheers!
Feel free to surf my website ; how to lose man boobs

Anonymous said...

Great beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your site, how can i subscribe for a
blog website? The account aided me a acceptable deal. I had been tiny bit acquainted
of this your broadcast offered bright clear concept
My page :: amber leaf

Anonymous said...

It's going to be finish of mine day, however before end I am reading this wonderful article to improve my know-how.
Feel free to visit my web blog erinmore tobacco

Anonymous said...

For the reason that the admin of this website is working, no doubt very
shortly it will be well-known, due to its feature contents.
Here is my web blog ... samson tobacco

Anonymous said...

you are actually a just right webmaster. The website loading pace is amazing.
It kind of feels that you're doing any unique trick. Also, The contents are masterpiece. you have done a great task in this subject!
Visit my website acne overnight fast

Anonymous said...

Wow! At last I got a website from where I know how to actually get helpful data regarding my study and knowledge.
Feel free to visit my web blog :: tattoo removal

Anonymous said...

I have been surfing on-line more than 3 hours today, yet I by no means
discovered any attention-grabbing article like yours.
It is pretty value sufficient for me. Personally,
if all web owners and bloggers made good content material as you probably did, the internet will likely be a lot more helpful than ever before.
Review my web-site : bleaching skin

Anonymous said...

Hi there to every body, it's my first pay a quick visit of this web site; this web site carries remarkable and truly fine data in support of readers.
Here is my blog post ; skin whitening

Anonymous said...

It's a shame you don't have a donate button! I'd definitely donate to this outstanding blog! I guess for now i'll
settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account.
I look forward to new updates and will share
this blog with my Facebook group. Talk soon!
Also visit my web blog :: paid surveys

Anonymous said...

Nice blog here! Also your site loads up very fast! What web
host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host?

I wish my website loaded up as quickly as yours lol
Look at my blog :: whitening Products

Anonymous said...

[url=http://www.23planet.com]Online casinos[/url], also known as operative casinos or Internet casinos, are online versions of forefather ("chunk and mortar") casinos. Online casinos confirm gamblers to dissemble and wager on casino games with the traitorously the Internet.
Online casinos superficially contrive an ill-mannered up as a replacement during at one's fingertips odds and payback percentages that are comparable to land-based casinos. Some online casinos connect higher payback percentages as a palliate into standing by to account shindy games, and some along known payout wedge audits on their websites. Assuming that the online casino is using an fittingly programmed unspecific bouquet generator, eatables games like blackjack comprise an established borderline edge. The payout prominence as a replacement representing these games are established lifestyle the rules of the game.
Uncountable online casinos sublease or discern their software from companies like Microgaming, Realtime Gaming, Playtech, Overseas Nimbleness Technology and CryptoLogic Inc.

Anonymous said...

Remarkable things here. I'm very glad to see your post. Thank you a lot and I'm taking a look forward to touch you.
Will you kindly drop me a mail?
Also visit my site bostaditurkiet.net

Anonymous said...

Every weekend i used to go to see this web page, as i wish
for enjoyment, as this this website conations genuinely pleasant funny
data too.
Here is my blog : boligityrkia.net

Anonymous said...

It's going to be end of mine day, but before ending I am reading this wonderful article to increase my know-how.
My web site :: get rid of acne naturally

Anonymous said...

Superb, what a weblog it is! This webpage presents useful information to us, keep it up.


my site torontowineeducation.com

Anonymous said...

Here are some dating tips for men to find their damsels.

After explaining to a confused Melissa that he is not Waldo, but The Hon
Ludovick Watson, she agrees to go to England.
Stassi confronts the girl by asking her if she had sexual relations with Tom in the past.


Feel free to visit my web site The Tao of Badass Review

Anonymous said...

Cellulite is an unsightly dimpled appearance, especially around the thighs.
For a faster and reliable result, skin care professionals may recommend these therapies that are less-invasive to
the body. There may be a new and innovative cellulite treatment available
now: cryotherapy.

Also visit my page; does laser cellulite removal work

Anonymous said...

I think this is among the so much important info
for me. And i am satisfied reading your article.
But should statement on some general things, The site
style is perfect, the articles is in reality nice :
D. Just right process, cheers

Feel free to surf to my blog post - http://toptipstosavingmoney.com/benefits-of-shopping-for-clothing-online/

Anonymous said...

Hmm it appears like your site ate my first comment (it
was super long) so I guess I'll just sum it up what I submitted and say, I'm thoroughly enjoying your blog.

I as well am an aspiring blog writer but I'm still new to the whole thing. Do you have any suggestions for first-time blog writers? I'd genuinely appreciate it.


My blog post ... indian women

Anonymous said...

best e cigarette, e cigarette forum, electronic cigarette brands, ecig, electronic cigarette, ecigarette