By Marc Tobias
mtobias@dailystandard.com Local baseball fans that attended Friday night's Grand Lake Mariners game received a treat as they had the opportunity to meet Jim O'Toole, a former major league All-Star for the Cincinnati Reds.
In a brief interview O'Toole talked about his career and the current Reds, as well as his thoughts on Pete Rose.
He started by saying how much he enjoyed the opportunity to return to the area where he spent time with former Reds teammate and St. Henry native Wally Post.
"It's always nice to come up to St. Henry because of the great memories I had with Wally Post and his family," O'Toole said. "To be here with the Celina Insurance Group is unbelievable, and to see these young college players performing out here is going to be unbelievable because that's how I got my start back in 1956 when I was at the University of Wisconsin.
"This is where it all begins is this college ball, you play against he best at your age level and that's how you make your way up to the big league's, so it can be done," O'Toole said. O'Toole threw out the game's ceremonial first pitch and said it brought back memories of his college and major league career.
"I pitched against such guys (Bob) Gibson and Dick Radatz, (Ron) Perranoski and in fact the first year they said I was too wild and to go home, but I was too embarrassed to go home so I went down the road and the first game I pitched was against Gibson and I beat him 3-2," O'Toole said. "I said to myself then 'I'm better then him', and that's when I got to the big league's, and I got to the big league's before Gibson, but wouldn't you know the first win he gets was against me," he said with a chuckle.
"I think he struck out 12 in a nine inning game and walked 12, while I had 10 strikeouts and gave up one run and lost the game, but I said 'that's about as good as I can do," he added.
After winning 20 games on the Reds AA minor league club, O'Toole went on to have a fine career as he finished with a lifetime record of 98-84 with a 3.87 ERA and 1,039 strikeouts.
His finest season with the Reds came in 1961 when he finished 19-9 with a 3.10 ERA that helped the Reds win the National League pennant.
O'Toole also pitched in the 1963 All-Star game.
He entered the Reds Hall of Fame thanks to career that spanned between 1958 and 1967, and when asked if he could be commissioner for a day O'Toole said his first order of business would be getting Rose a plaque in Cooperstown.
"I think everyone in Cincinnati wants Pete in the Hall of Fame, and instead of making a decision from a baseball standpoint and the commissioners office they should let the fans make up their mind," O'Toole said. "I (Continued from page 6)
think he lost a lot of fans when he came out with that book (A Prison Without Bars) and took advantage of his situation. I think he belongs in the Hall of Fame, but the longer he put off that lie it hurt him more and more each time. I hope he gets in there some day, because I played with Pete and he's a great ball player and everyone is allowed to make a mistake or two and you have to forgive."
The former Reds star also spoke of how the game has changed since he played back in the 60s.
"The guys are bigger and stronger and they probably throw a little bit harder but not much," O'Toole said. "Why you don't go nine innings is beyond me, but I think it's just the way these managers have figured things out. But when you look at some of the games pitchers lose after they pitch seven innings and they blow it because of the bullpen, I mean they would have to fight to get the ball away from me. Only if I was tired would I give it up, but that wasn't too often especially if I had a one run lead, there's no way they'd get the ball," he said with a lighthearted laugh.
O'Toole's appearance also allowed him to meet Mariners skipper Mike Stafford, whose father Bill played with O'Toole in the minor league's.
"He was my dad's roommate in 1968, and I never knew that but I came up and introduced myself to him and it was with Seattle in the minor leagues," Stafford said. "He and my dad were roommates and it was kind of cool to talk to him and get a feel for part of my dad's past."
O'Toole still resides in Cincinnati and mentioned that all eleven of his children (five sons and six daughters) are married. |
