PART 2: "My Arm isn't Sore, It's Just a Little Stiff

Spring Training is a time where veterans work on rounding into shape (no puns intended) and young players to try to impress in hopes of making the team. That's what occurs on an established team, but not on an expansion team like the '69 Pilots. Everyone in training camp is looking to win a job. Veterans are either trying to recapture lighting in a bottle, come back from injury or finally break free from being a career minor leaguer or backup. In essence the younger players have a better chance, since they are viewed as the future of the franchise, while the vet is considered a place holder or trade bait to some contender in July or August.

In Bouton's case he falls under many categories: trying to come back from injury and hoping to be a place holder until some contender trades for him. In fact his dream of all dreams is to work his way from short reliever, to middle relief, then spot starter then to be traded to the Detroit Tigers for the pennant run and to pitch in Yankee Stadium vs his old team and shut them out. Who said the pros don't have the same type of sports oriented fantasies that we do ?

We learned that Joe Schultz (Pilots Manager) is one heck of a "wordsmith". Seems like Joe has a nutty quote of the day. "Guys in order to win we've got to touch all the bases". Geez, I wonder if the Harvard think tank was consulted on that one !

Bouton reveals the truth about coaches. At best most are useless. At worst they are rats who live to second guess every move their "charges" make. Sal "The Barber" Maglie, the famed ex-Giant is the piching coach here. He stops at no end to throw his players under the bus. One pitcher threw a 3-2 change up that flared into RF for a game winning hit. Maglie was all over him for doing that. Bouton afterwards said, "Sal didn't you get out many a hitter with a 3-2 change?" Maglie was proud enough to admit that he even got the great Musial out that way. Bouton then said, "so a 3-2 change is a good pitch then". Maglie begrudgingly admitted he was correct. The ever so sarcastic Bouton then said, "But not by Steve Barber on this day". Got to love Bouton's wit !

When a player "dies" in Spring Training he is either "released" or "sent down" to the minors. He usually packs his bags while the others are out on the field. Lou Piniella "died" in the spring of 1969. Seattle brass just didn't like his attitute. Piniella, even then was exceptionally intense individual, which rubbed the brass the wrong way. He only hit .400 in Spring training, so he got shipped off to KC (the other expansion team). Bouton's bud Steve Hovley was sent down to Vancouver (SEA's farm team).

Our hero made the cut ! And so begins the journey through the 1969 baseball season.