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Twins 9 ‘good humor man 9
is now the manager
By MILTON RICHMAN
UPI Sports Writer
NEW YORK (UPl)—Natural
ly, the first thing Frank Quilici
did was call his wife.
“Hon, I can’t say anything
other than I’m sitting here in
Calvin Griffith’s office and he
just offered me the manager’s
job with the Minnesota Twins.”
Frank Quilici got no response.
His wife, Penny, had dropped
the phone.
Eventually she picked it up
again.
“I don’t believe it,” she said.
By now she does. So does
everyone else because Calvin
Griffith, the President of the
Twins, called a news confer
ence in Bloomington, Minn.,
Thursday afternoon and an
nounced Bill Rigney was out
and Frank Quilici, one of his
coaches, was in.
To most people, the conge
nial, always happy 33-year-old
Quilici is the Twins’ court
jester and Good Humor Man
because every time you run
into him he is full of fun and
full of laughs.
See Frank
If you need a favor, any kind
of favor, you don’t go to The
Godfather, you go see Frank; if
you need the name of a guy
who can get it for you
wholesale, you go see Frank; if
you want to hear the latest
funny story, and you want to
hear it told right, you go see
Frank.
But Calvin Griffith sees a lot
of other things in Frank Quilici,
his one-time back-up second
baseman.
He sees in this slender, black
haired young man who some-
Pirates celebrate
17-inning victory
By STEVE WILSTEIN
UPI Sports Writer
Laughter comes easily to a
first-place team and the Pit
tsburgh Pirates, a bit ragged
after a 17-inning 7-3 triumph
over the Houston Astros, were
in the mood Thursday night to
let the good times roll.
Their good humor was the
result of left-handed relief
pitcher Ramon Hernandez’ nth
inning line drive double off the
left field wall which ignited a
four-run rally and ended the
exhausting 4M>-hour struggle.
That hit was just a bonus,
you see, because Hernandez, in
his entire major league career,
never got a hit before. Not one.
Thursday night he pitched
four shutout innings and gave
up only one hit after he was
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Frank Quilici
times looks like a loose-leaf
Rudoiph Valentino a good,
quick mind. He also sees an
excellent personality. He sees
in gregarious Frank Quilici a
man almost as well known in
Minnesota as Hubert Hum
phrey, a natural salesman for
summoned to relieve Dave
Giusti, who had pitched six
innings of three-hit shutout ball.
New York dropped a nervous
decision to the San Diego
Padres, 1-0, and the loss left
the Mets 2Vi games behind
Pittsburgh.
10-Inning Pitching Duel
For 10 innings San Diego’s
Steve Arlin and the Mets’ Jerry
Koosman were locked in a
magnificent pitching duel, with
Arlin giving up just one hit and
striking out eight and Koosman
giving up five hits and striking
out 12. In the 11th inning New
York brought in Tug McGraw
and San Diego brought in Gary
Ross. Ross shut out the Mets on
one hit for four innings and for
three innings McGraw allowed
on three hits.
the ball club. Calvin Griffith
sees an individual who can
possibly stimulate the Twins.
All this crystallized in Calvin
Griffith’s mind as he drove the
22 miles from his home in
Wayzanta, Minn., to the ball
park in Bloomington Thursday
In the 14th inning Derrel
Thomas singled for the Padres,
Dave Roberts sacrificed and
both runners were safe on a
fielder’s choice and Leron Lee
bunted a single. One out later
McGraw walked Jerry Morales
forcing in Roberts. Bud Harrel
son tried to score on a wild
pitch for the Mets in the
bottom of the inning but was
tagged out at the plate.
The Los Angeles Dodgers,
paced by shortstop Bill Rus
sell’s four RBIs and third
baseman Jim Lefebvre’s three
run homer, continued their
hitting explosion against Mon
treal as they drubbed the
Expos, 11-3, with a 13-hit
attack.
The Other Side
On the other side of the won
loss coin, the streaking San
Francisco Giants stopped the
Philadelphia Phillies, 6-4, in 10
innings on Tito Fuentes’ two
out, two-run triple. Jerry
Johnson, the third San Francis
co pitcher, picked up the
victory.
Dusty Baker’s two-run homer
highlighted a four-run third
inning and provided the winning
margin as the Atlanta Braves
held off a ninth-inning Chicago
rally to beat the Cubs, 4-3.
Only the St. Louis Cardinals
and the Cincinnati Reds were
not scheduled among the NL
teams.
In the American League
Baltimore passed Chicago, 2-1,
Detroit wiped out Kansas City,
7-0, Cleveland swept a double
header from Texas, 4-3 and 6-5,
New York defeated Oakland, 6-
2, and Milwaukee sneaked by
California, 6-5, in the only
games scheduled.
morning.
“I hadn’t been sleeping the
last two nights thinking about
the club,” said Griffith.
“Watching our games, I felt
there was something we lacked.
I realize Bill Rigney had taken
over a situation that wasn’t too
healthy in 1970 after we let go
Billy Martin. But this has been
one of those years though when
everything has gone wrong.
Team Goes Downhill
“We won the Grapefruit
League ‘title’ in Florida with
the best record. Then after the
season started we were 16 and
and 34. The irony of the whole
thing is Tony Oliva. He had a
knee operation yesterday and
the doctors took some particles
of calcium out. If he had been
healthy, we most likely would
be in contention right now.”
In any case, Griffith made up
his mind to change managers
as he drove to work on the
freeway Thursday morning.
A man can do a lot of
thinking driving to work and
Calvin Griffith was thinking.
“I went back to 1965 for one
thing,” he says. “Remember
when Bernie Allen got hurt?
Quilici came up to us from
Denver and was one of the
greatest inspirational forces
I’ve ever seen in all the years
I’ve been in baseball. He
inspired everybody. He even
inspired Versalles to become
MVP that year and in the
World Series he hit Koufax like
he owned him.”
Having made up his mind to
make the change Thursday,
which was an off day for the
Twins, he now had to imple
ment his thinking.
The players had come to the
ballpark for a workout but that
was called off because of rain.
Griffith first called Rigney into
his office and told him he was
making a change. Rigney has
been managing ball clubs 18
years but he took this firing
hard.
Griffith informed Rigney he
intended to talk with Quilici
about the job and Rigney said
“You’re the boss.”
Quilici is Summoned
Quilici was summoned to
Griffith’s office and he was still
wearing his uniform when he
arrived.
“Would you like to become a
manager?” Griffith asked
him.
Quilici thought Griffith was
talking about one of the Twins’
minor league clubs and he
replied that managing had
always been one of his
ambitions and he felt he could
do the job after learning a few
things.
“Now, Frank,” said Griffith,
“I’m not talking about any
minor league job. I’m talking
about the Twins.”
Quilici looked dumbfounded.
“Actually, he never said
‘yes,’ the Twins’ owner reveals,
“but later on we shook hands at
the press conference so I guess
he accepted. Youngest manager
in the majors? I guess he is at
that. It shouldn’t make that
much difference. My uncle
(Clark Griffith) named Bucky
Harris manager when he was
only 27 in 1924 and he turned
out to be the ‘Boy Wonder.’ He
won the world championship
that year. I remember. I was
the batboy.”
Frank Quilici promises he
won’t turn into an entirely
different individual now that
he’s a big league manager.
“The only thing I don’t want
to lose,” he says, “is my
personality.”
It would be a shame if he did.
Leaders |
By United Press International
Leading Batters
National League
g. ab r. h. pct.
Cdeno, Hou 69 275 54 95 .345
Snguiln, Pit 68 265 31 89 .336
Brock, St.L 72 309 37 99 .320
Mota, LA 56 175 28 56 .320
Oliver, Pit 70 288 43 92 .319
Garr, AU 72 296 48 94 .318
Wilms, Chi 73 291 46 92 .316
Lee.SD 63 235 29 74 .315
Clmente, Pit
59 242 46 76 .314
Alou.St.L 65 249 29 78 .313
American League
g. ab r. h. pct.
Shblm, KC 57 186 25 62 .333
Pniela, KC 69 264 39 83 .314
Rudi,Oak 68 276 46 86 .312
Fisk, Bos 53 178 35 55 .309
May, Chi 70 250 44 77 .308
Otis, KC 68 258 27 77 .298
Mabery, KC
70 229 24 68 .297
Rojas,KC 68 248 30 73 .294
Alen.Chi 72 253 46 74 .292
Epstn.Oak 70 229 36 66 .288
Home Runs
National League: Bench, Cin
21; Kingman, SF 20; Aaron, Atl
17; Williams, Chi, Stargell, Pitt
and Colbert, SD 16.
American League: Allen, Chi
16; Jackson, Oak 15; Cash, Det
14; Epstein, Oak 13; Briggs,
Mil and Killebrew, Minn 11.
Runs Batted In
National League: Bench, Cin
61; Stargell, Pitt and Kingman,
SF 53; Oliver, Pitt 51; Rader
and Watson, Hou 50.
American League: Allen, Chi
55; Mayberry, KC 45; Oliver,
Cal and May, Chi 44; Bando,
Oak 43.
Pitching
National League: Nolan, Cin
11-2; Seaver, NY 11-4; Carlton,
Phil 10-6; Jenkins, Chi 10-7;
five tied with 9 victories.
American League: Lolich,
Det 13-6; Perry, Clev 13-7;
Wood, Chi 12-9; Palmer, Balt
11-4; Holtzman, Oak 11-6.
Tourneys resume Monday
The Griffin Recreation
Department today reminded
baseball and softball teams in
its programs that tournaments
will resume Monday and
Tuesday.
The Tee League, 9-Year-Old-
League and Church Softball
League tournament will resume
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Bunky Henry steals
Arnie’s thunder
By DICK USIAK
FORT ERIE, Ont. (UPI)—
"Arnie’s Army” was geared for
a fullscale attack Thursday as
the opening round of the
$150,000 Canadian Open Golf
Classic got under way, but
somebody stole the arsenal. His
name was Bunky Henry.
The 28-year-old Henry, once a
place-kicker on the Georgia
Tech football team, shot a
blazing six-under par 65 to take
a one-stroke lead over Tom
Sanderson, who fired five-under
66.
Sam Snead, Sam Adams, Gay
Brewer, and Lou Graham were
all two shots off the pace with
67’s. Bruce Crampton and Bob
Smith came in with 68’s while
defending champion Lee Trevi
no was grouped with four
others at 69, two under par.
Arnold Palmer, whose
“Army” was in full-force some
700 strong early Thursday when
he teed off, shot an even-par 71.
Henry eagled the 12th hole
when he sank a 60-footer out of
the rough, along with five
birdies in his hot first round, by
the time he got to the 12th,
however, he was well on his
way to a new course record.
Henry, who captured the
Canadian Amateur title in 1965,
said he believed an “eight or
nine under par” would be good
enough to take the title and the
$30,000 top prize.
“This is a really great golf
course,” he said, “in fact it’s
by far the best course I’ve
played in Canada.”
Palmer, who said his “Army”
behaved “very well,” was not
impressed with the low scores
being registered in the first
round. “The fact that one man
shot a 65 doesn’t mean a
thing,” he said, and he added
Monday.
The Commercial Softball
league tournament will begin
Tuesday.
Managers may pick up
tournament schedules Tuesday
morning at the recreation of
fice.
Griffin Daily News Friday, July 7,1972
Page 9
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that a 275 would be “a good
score” in the tournament.
Bob Panasiuk, of Tecumseh,
Ont., was the only Canadian to
break par as he fired a one
under 70 on the first 18 holes.
Trevino attracted somewhat
of an army of his own during
the afternoon. He rated the
course as “very tough” and
warned “if it doesn’t rain the
scores will be a lot higher.”
Ageless Sam Snead, who won
his first Canadian Open in 1938,
six years before Henry was
born, joked with newsman after
finishing the opening round in
fine fashion.
“Well, here comes the sun,”
he said as sunshine broke
through usually cloudy skies.
“Trevino just teed off, didn’t
he?”
Bunky Henry
A crowd of 14,200 attended
the first-round activities.
LOAN
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BY PHONE
227-7213
Personal
FINANCE CO.
118 North Hill St.
Griffin, Georgia
Mrs. Norma Lenhart, Mgr.