Latest / Retro Sports Radio: Classic Games from History / 1952 • Baseball Clip • Leo Durocher and Pee Wee Reese - Radio Interview

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1952 • Baseball Clip • Leo Durocher and Pee Wee Reese - Radio Interview · Retro Sports Radio: Classic Games from History

• 0:00
  This is Retro Sports Radio. Visit RetroSeasons.com for more sports history.
• 0:12
  From day to the Rocher de Rees, it's double play with De Rocher and Day.
• 0:17
  With their guest Pee Wee Rees, here's another chapter of double play with De Rocher and Day.
• 0:22
  Welcome to another visit with baseball's most exciting and controversial couple, Lorraine Day and Leo De Rocher, with their guest for today, Pee Wee Rees. Let's listen.
• 0:34
  Well, the funny you sort of the Paul is saying.
• 0:37
  Well, well, well, if it isn't like old times on the Brooklyn Dodgers, with our guest, the famous shortstop of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Pee Wee Rees.
• 0:46
  And I'm sure all of you fans like Pee Wee just as much as we do, although Leo and I happen to be on the opposite side of the fence right now.
• 0:54
  Tell me what were you fellas laughing at?
• 0:56
  Well, we were telling a few umpire stories.
• 0:58
  Well, let me in on them. I like umpire stories.
• 1:00
  Yes, from umpire stories to hidden ball tricks, we're going to run the gamut on double play today.
• 1:06
  But now, time out. Let's hold everything for an important message.
• 1:10
  And now back to Leo, Lorraine, and their guest for today, Pee Wee Rees, the famous shortstop of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
• 1:20
  And Chris De Rocher, Leo and Lorraine's little four-year-old, who's been awaiting this visit anxiously because he too has a very important problem.
• 1:29
  You want to hear what we were talking about, really?
• 1:31
  Yeah.
• 1:32
  Pee Wee, we may have to change a few of the words, but well, I think so.
• 1:35
  Well, you don't have to change them for me. Just say them, uh, say blinkity-blank.
• 1:39
  Oh, we used a few different words when we talked to those umpires after.
• 1:43
  Oh, well, you know, I never have any trouble with umpires, Pee Wee. I just go up there and stop my calcium.
• 1:48
  Well, I tell you, you're a changed man.
• 1:49
  Oh, sure.
• 1:50
  You used to have trouble when I was with you.
• 1:52
  You know, Pee Wee, Jimmy Dyke told me that this happened to him on the ball club.
• 1:55
  I don't see how a fellow could think this fast, but it seemed as though he was juiced.
• 1:59
  His leadoff hitter was at the plate, and he took a close pitch when the count was three and two, and the umpire called him out.
• 2:07
  He's at three and he's out. And there was the biggest rhubarb real quick, and the juiced dropped a bet, and he jumped at that umpire, and he was all over it.
• 2:14
  By the time Dyke got there, he lost his shortstop and everything, and he run up to him and he said,
• 2:19
  What did you put him out of the game for? He said, My shortstop's on the best ball player. What did you put him out for?
• 2:25
  The umpire proceeded to tell Dyke what Juiced had said.
• 2:29
  It seems as though Juiced had called him a number of things and called him a blind blankity-blank.
• 2:36
  He dykes and turns to him and he says, Well, if you leave out the blind part, how wrong is he?
• 2:41
  And of course you know what happened to Dyke. He got thrown out too.
• 2:46
  Well, I'll tell you one that happened to me when I threw you out of the back when I first came up to the Dodgers.
• 2:51
  Oh, excuse me, what dear?
• 2:52
  Now?
• 2:53
  No, no Chris, not now. Come back a little later, okay?
• 2:56
  What was you all saying?
• 2:58
  Getting back to my baseball story, Leo, when I first came up to the Dodgers, I was kind of a quiet sort of boy, not like you, you know.
• 3:06
  Just a minute now.
• 3:07
  Anyway, I was hitting this particular day and I didn't know the umpire code, so the guy, the umpire was Phil Clamp.
• 3:13
  He called a strike call me and I turned around and looked at him like this and you know, that's, that's, you should never do that with Clamp.
• 3:19
  Oh, that's murder with Clamp.
• 3:20
  So he said, Son, don't be looking around here. He says, That guy out there is fooling you, not me.
• 3:25
  From here on out, buddy, I never turn around and look at those umpires anymore.
• 3:30
  Oh, there's a lot of those guys.
• 3:31
  Before you tell that story, can I ask you, if this is true, you had played the Yankees in spring training and they had beaten you, I guess, about four straight.
• 3:38
  You never happened.
• 3:39
  Oh, all right, three straight.
• 3:42
  Well, anyway, the way the story goes, you were in this little southern town playing an exhibition game.
• 3:47
  Well, and the fans were giving you a terrific sighting thing. Hey, hey, what about what the Yankees do to you? What the Yankees do to you?
• 3:55
  And if Larry gets it, Jake, Jake, why don't you turn around and yell, what did the Yankees do to you?
• 4:01
  And then we'll all run. Did that really happen?
• 4:04
  Yes, certainly did. And they weren't calling. What did the Yankees do to us?
• 4:07
  What were they calling?
• 4:08
  What did the Giants do? Oh, we were lucky.
• 4:11
  We certainly were.
• 4:13
  Oh, we were lucky. I mean, we had talent. Come on.
• 4:17
  One swish of the bat, Pee-wee, and it was all over.
• 4:19
  Well, we had to make it close. We played a little too close.
• 4:22
  I guarantee you, you know, some of my players told me, they said, we had them, you know that old expression, Pee-wee?
• 4:27
  We had them all the way.
• 4:28
  We had them all the way. I said, I wish you'd let me know because it got awful tight. We couldn't have gone much further.
• 4:33
  What about Bill Clem's story?
• 4:34
  There's a Clem story, and this happened to me when I was playing. I was with the St. Louis Cardinals and Bill Clem was on the farm behind the plate.
• 4:41
  And I was saying that if you ever hollered at Bill Clem and said, hey, Catfish, and he heard you, and you were a player, right now you were out of the game.
• 4:50
  It was just something that you couldn't call Mr. Clem.
• 4:52
  This day there was some fan off behind home plate, and he kept hollering at Clem, hey, Catfish, Catfish, and Clem couldn't spot him.
• 5:00
  So I was at the plate, going to take my turn at bat, and Clem brushed off the plate and he said to me, will you point that fellow out to me?
• 5:07
  See if you can spot that gentleman that is calling me that name.
• 5:11
  And as he stood up, brushed the plate off, I stood there and I looked and I said, he's right, and I noticed he wasn't starting to point.
• 5:17
  He said, don't point you, blankety-blank-blank.
• 5:21
  And I said, what are you getting on me for? He said, don't you numb skull.
• 5:25
  So naturally I stood at the plate, and I queued you, one, two, three, and he says, you're out.
• 5:29
  And I walked back to the bench, and as I get back to the bench I lift up, and he was walking over and had the police put that man out of the park.
• 5:36
  That's twice I know that since I've been in baseball that when Clem was an umpire that EFN put out him.
• 5:42
  You just couldn't call him.
• 5:44
  Oh, no.
• 5:45
  You were telling me a story once about Clem and McGraw. What was it? Was it McGraw?
• 5:49
  Yeah, that's what it was. I think McGraw was hitting, because I heard this story. Of course I wasn't there.
• 5:55
  But anyhow, McGraw had, Clem had called two strikes on McGraw, and the third when he called it a ball.
• 6:03
  So McGraw said, Clem says that was the same place the other two were. He said, well in that case you're out.
• 6:10
  Well I guess we better get to these questions, and we'll never get them answered, although I could go on forever listening to these wonderful umpire stories.
• 6:17
  This is from Bangor, Maine.
• 6:18
  Meryl, mother.
• 6:19
  No dear, come back a little later. Not now, Fritz.
• 6:22
  What does he want to do?
• 6:23
  Just a minute, dear. This one says, dear Lorraine, here's something I've always wondered.
• 6:27
  How does an infielder get possession of the ball without the baserunner knowing it on the hidden ball play? Bob Forsythe.
• 6:34
  Okay, you're an infielder.
• 6:36
  But I'm not too much of a trick artist with the ball, but I have done it. I've worked it one time since I've been in the major leagues.
• 6:42
  And I suppose it's against the Giants?
• 6:44
  No, it was. I wish it were. Oh, fine thing.
• 6:48
  The way I did it, I took the ball in and just act like I put the ball in the pitcher's glove.
• 6:53
  Well, I didn't. I just didn't talk to the ball and I slipped it in the back of my glove, in between my palm and my glove.
• 7:00
  And I walked back to my position and walked over to talk to the guy on second base until he started talking to me.
• 7:06
  All of a sudden I had the ball and I said, buddy, you're out.
• 7:09
  And the umpire called. Sometimes the umpire, you have to call the umpire's attention to it because even who the umpire is.
• 7:13
  Yes, the umpires don't know you have the ball and if they don't see it, naturally they're not going to call him out.
• 7:18
  I just don't remember, Pee Wee, who did it to us.
• 7:21
  Nonny Ryan.
• 7:22
  Nonny Ryan did it, but who was the player?
• 7:24
  Lockman.
• 7:25
  Was it Lockman? Yeah, and I know I was coaching too and they really gave it to me and I didn't know Ryan had the ball.
• 7:31
  A coach should watch it because if the pitcher gets anywhere near the rubber, that's a ball.
• 7:37
  He can't get up on that mound. He can't get in anywhere in the vicinity of the rubber.
• 7:41
  A lot of times around the mound the pitcher will go and get the.
• 7:44
  The rosin bag.
• 7:45
  The rosin bag. It's shaped a little bit like a ball, you know.
• 7:48
  He can put the rosin bag in his glove and you can fool a runner sometime like that.
• 7:52
  But it's usually probably the coach's fault.
• 7:54
  Sure, it's the coach's fault.
• 7:56
  He should have found the ball.
• 7:58
  I can remember a game where the fans told you and you were coaching it there and they kept yelling, the ball, the ball, the ball.
• 8:04
  I don't know which color was it.
• 8:05
  Well, I've had it happen. I've had it happen where the fans have powered.
• 8:07
  And finally you called time and you had to see where the ball was.
• 8:10
  There's a lot of times you don't know where the ball is.
• 8:11
  You'll be thinking of something else. Your mind's a million miles away.
• 8:14
  You're thinking of the, well, I've got to get this run. I'm going to bother. I'm going to hit and run.
• 8:17
  The first thing you're going to look up and your man's out.
• 8:19
  And I would say it's quite embarrassing if you are the manager and you are coaching.
• 8:23
  And the player.
• 8:24
  Well, let's say it's embarrassing all the way around.
• 8:27
  Yes, it is.
• 8:28
  Well, let's go on to our second question from Topeka, Kansas.
• 8:30
  Joe Rizdas, I think.
• 8:32
  Would you ask some players if the athlete must maintain a strict conditioning schedule the year round or is it just during the playing season?
• 8:40
  When I first came up with the Dodgers, Leo knows that I weighed about 150 pounds and I thought I would never get over 160.
• 8:46
  But now then I weigh about 175, 180 strips and I have to watch my weight.
• 8:51
  So I do. I ride a bicycle a lot in the wintertime and I work out with a basketball team and I live right across from the park.
• 8:58
  And I go over there and I have a bird dog and I work out with that quite a bit.
• 9:01
  So I do think that you have to watch your diet.
• 9:04
  You have to watch what you eat in the wintertime and you have to keep your legs in shape because you build your legs up in the summertime.
• 9:10
  You just completely let them go in the wintertime. Then you have to fill them back up again.
• 9:14
  I think it takes something out of them.
• 9:15
  You do play a lot of golf. You don't give a few weeks in the winter.
• 9:18
  Oh yes, by the way.
• 9:19
  You play a lot of golf and a real good golfer, by the way. What are you, a two-fee-wee or a three?
• 9:23
  No, no. I'm about a five.
• 9:25
  Oh, about a five. Well, that's one of those fives. A Louisville five.
• 9:28
  He's a five.
• 9:29
  Yes, he's really a two or a three. That's his correct handicap. But in Louisville, of course, they give him five and that makes it easy for him.
• 9:36
  Well, speaking of golf, how about letting our sponsor tee up right now?
• 9:40
  And now back to double play.
• 9:43
  Well, back to baseball. I have a couple of letters here. I don't know if we're going to have time to answer both of them.
• 9:48
  So keep your answers short, huh, Salas?
• 9:50
  Go ahead.
• 9:51
  All right. The first one says, dear double play, why is it that a manager, in order to be successful, apparently has to be unpopular with his players?
• 9:58
  Of course, there are exceptions, but I'm thinking of McGraw, Southworth, Vitz, McCarthy, and men like that.
• 10:03
  I don't think any manager can satisfy a 25-ball player.
• 10:07
  Well, you can't satisfy a – I mean, it's awfully hard for one person working in an office of 10 to satisfy everyone.
• 10:13
  That's right. I mean, the guy who's thinking he should be pitching and why aren't I pitching, why – he must not like me, and I'm a better player and this guy playing.
• 10:20
  I think it could happen on every club.
• 10:22
  It sure – it certainly does, Peewee. There's no way that a manager can satisfy everyone, and you have to change your mode of living, your tactics and everything else the minute you become a manager.
• 10:31
  You have to stop being real buddy-buddy with your players. You can be close to them and be very popular with them, I believe, but you just can't be as close to them as you were when you did play with them.
• 10:41
  That's true.
• 10:42
  You do the best you can, and you have to rub certain ones and kick certain ones to get the full amount out of everybody.
• 10:48
  What about this? I'm only 5 feet, 6 inches, and weigh 145 pounds, but want to play professional baseball. Please let me know if I have a chance or is my size against me.
• 10:56
  When Peewee first joined the Brooklyn Ball Club the first year that I was over there, he looked like he belonged in one of the high schools. He looked like a little bitty boy.
• 11:05
  Probably played like.
• 11:06
  No, and all I know is this, but I took one look at him and I said, that's all. I hit him a few ground balls and I knew that my glove was about to be hung up and left there.
• 11:14
  And I don't think you have to be a big fella or anything else. I don't think size enters into it.
• 11:21
  I know, Peewee, we can name some players for you that'll prove it.
• 11:26
  Well, I don't like to mention another league, but we can name a player with the Yankees that's not exactly a big strapping fella, but he does a fair job over there.
• 11:34
  Short stuff, I would say.
• 11:36
  But you usually try and have a very tall fella thing first, don't you?
• 11:39
  Well, not necessarily. It's better if you can.
• 11:42
  We had Camelli. He was many taller than I. Of course, he's a lot broader, but he was about 5'10".
• 11:47
  What about a catcher? Can a little guy catch?
• 11:50
  Well, I would say a big guy again because a catcher takes a lot of punishment back.
• 11:56
  And you want a nice big target too. I'd rather have big men behind the play.
• 12:00
  Can you please show me how to play marbles?
• 12:03
  Peewee, ever since Chris heard that you were coming over, I promised him that you would show him how to play marbles.
• 12:08
  I'd love to, Chris. You sit right over here and I'll show you.
• 12:12
  You know, this is how Peewee got his name. He used to be the champion marble player.
• 12:16
  Where's Chris? I want you to get this marble out so you can get it out. Can you get one of them out?
• 12:21
  Let's see how you hold it now.
• 12:24
  No, that's wrong.
• 12:26
  Well, I guess we're going to have to quit talking about baseball now.
• 12:28
  It looks like we have a marble lesson coming up.
• 12:30
  So see you next week, same time, same station. So long.