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The end of Rube Walker's stay with the Mets coincided with the dismissal of Joe Torre as manager in 1981, yet in the Last Days of Torre, Joe apparently had it up to here (his hand was under his chin). So, I think, did Jack Lang. From The Sporting News of October 17, 1981:
| For the first time in his managerial career, Torre suspended two of his players. Dyar Miller and Ron Hodges were discovered having a beer in the hotel bar, in violation of club rules. Torre himself was in the bar at the time. Both players were suspended without pay for three days. They were appealing the suspensions. ... Joel Youngblood's days as a Met may be numbered. The utilityman did not play after mid-August, preferring instead to rest a strained knee ligament. Some cynics thought he was intent on protecting his .350 average, for whatever that was worth. ... Right fielder Ellis Valentine continued to miss cutoff men. It probably cost him although Torre never mentioned fines. ... Further evidence of Torre's strong hand: He fined Neil Allen several hundred dollars for reporting late to the park in Chicago. Rookies Mike Howard and Brian Giles were assessed smaller amounts for the same violation. |
Loose ship. Where was Billy Wagner when we needed him?
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