9

THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 2021 Page 9 He defined the role of closer By The Old Sachem, Bill Stewart R oland Glen “Rollie” Fingers was a pitcher for the Oakland Athletics (1968-1976), San Diego Padres (1977-1980) and the Milwaukee Brewers (19811985) who played 17 years in the major leagues. He was a pitcher who defined the value of reliever for baseball, acknowledged as one of the finest closers of all time. Rollie was born in Steubenville, Ohio, on August 25, 1946. His father, George, played minor league baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals and roomed with Stan Musial and was working in a steel mill in Steubenville. He decided one day to move the family to California, sold the house, bought a car and off they went. Not able to afford hotels, the family slept in sleeping bags off the highway, and George eventually found a job in a local steel mill. Fingers was a student at the Upland High School in Upland, California, and later attended one semester at Chaffey College. He attracted a host of scouts during his school years of pitching and also as a hitter. Finger was offered a signing bonus of $20,000 by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but turned them down; the Dodgers had one of the best pitching staffs in the majors, and Rollie figured that the options with the team were minimal. The Dodgers had Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale as starters and a number of talented relievers that together won the team pennants. He signed for less money, $13,000, with the Kansas City Athletics on Christmas Eve, 1964. He had both pitched and played the outfield for the schools, and the A’s were not sure in which position to place him. They eventually decided on pitching and assigned Fingers to the Leesburg A’s of the Class A Florida State League for the 1965 season. He moved up to the Modesto Reds of the Class A California League in 1966 and 1967. The next two seasons, 1968-1969, were spent with the Birmingham A’s of the Class AA Southern League. ~ LETTER TO THE EDITOR ~ Police officers are held to the same justice as all citizens T o the brave members of the Massachusetts law enforcement community: The trial and conviction on all counts of former police officer Derick Chauvin in Minnesota conclusively demonstrates that officers can be, and in fact are held to the same justice as all other citizens in our nation, as they should be. At the most basic, a man needlessly lost his life to a police officer. At the same time, the assertions of so many who wish to demonize all police officers because of the actions of one police officer have been shown to be hollow. Due process rights do not prevent the investigation, charging, trial, and conviction of a police officer. Neither does qualified immunity. Neither do police unions, associations, or legal defense plans. Police officers, and all citizens, are entitled to their day in court and to have an impartial judge and jury weigh the evidence against them. They are entitled to have their side of the issue heard and considered. And all of us must respect the decisions of the court system when these fundamental rules of due process are applied. Police officers serve the American criminal justice system, sometimes at the cost of their very own lives. We should respect the verdict of the justice system in this case, and we should continue to stand for the proposition that respecting the fundamental Constitutional rights of all persons of committing an offense, even when that person is a police officer, is no obstacle to the attaining of justice. In fact, it is the very foundation upon which justice can be obtained. To all the officers who continue to defend us with quiet dignity, there are those of us who proclaim loudly our appreciation for the acts of service you perform as part of your daily routine. Even when some protest you, you protect them. This is a time to come together as a community regardless of whether you are black or white, whether you are rich or poor, whether you are a police officer or someone they protect and serve. We are at our best when we recognize our common humanity, and come together to make a better and safer community! Respectfuly, Skyllar Mullvaney The Horses & Heroes Foundation He was hit on opening day of 1967 by a batted ball to his face, breaking his cheekbone and jaw and knocking out some teeth. He had his jaw wired shut for five weeks, and when he returned to action, jumped every time a pitch was hit, and he really didn’t recover until the second half of the season. In his minor league games, Rollie was a starter – 19 games in the 1970 season. In his last outing in the minors, he gave up four hits and one run in five innings then was called up to the A’s and had his first trial – against the Kansas City Royals. The A’s starter, Blue Moon Odom, gave up three runs and three walks after facing only eight batters. Fingers allowed three hits and two runs over five and one-third innings. Manager Dick Williams decided that Fingers would be his late inning closer in May of 1971. In the 1972 season, Fingers entered the game in the fifth inning four times, but it was mostly in the sixth inning or later that he took the mound. He started two games in the 1973 season, and May seventh against the Baltimore Orioles was his last starting role. From then on, he mostly came in in late innings. He was a regular closer for the Athletics during their three consecutive World Series championships of 1972, 73 and 74, and in the 1974 series was selected as the World Series Most Valuable Player as he had two saves and one win during the games. The baseball reserve clause ended after the 1976 season: All players not under a multiyear contract became free agents. The team’s owner, Charley Finley, decided that he could not afford three of his most valuable players; Fingers and Joe Rudi were sold to the Red Sox, and Vida Blue was sold to the Yankees. The Commissioner, Bowie Kuhn, killed the sales, deciding that they were not in the best interests of baseball. Finley sued Kuhn and benched the three, saying they belonged to other teams. He lost as the remaining players threatened to strike if the three were not available to play. The three returned to the lineup. After the season ended, Fingers signed with the San Diego Padres as a free agent. The Rolaids Relief Man of the Year went to Fingers for the 1977, 1978, and 1980 seasons with the Padres. After the 1980 season ended, Fingers was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, then a few days later was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. Fingers had a great season in 1981 where he was awarded the Rolaids Relief Man of the Year for the fourth time, the American League Most Valuable Player Award and the American League Cy Young Award as the outstanding pitcher that season. He pitched in pain for most of the 1982 season, saving 29 games and missing the only trip by the Brewers to the World Series, where they were beaten by the Cardinals in seven games. He missed the 1983 season with an injury and had a herniated disk removed in August 1984. His last major league appearance was on September 17, 1985, where he faced two batters in the eighth inning, giving up a home run to Gary Roenicke, then striking out Rick Dempsey to end the inning. Manager Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds wanted to sign Fingers for the 1986 season, but the owner, Marge Schott, had a policy that all her players were to be clean-shaven, and the moustache of Fingers would violate this mandate. Fingers replied, “Well, you tell Marge Schott to shave her St. Bernard, and I’ll shave my moustache.” She would not and he declined. The designated hitter in the American League in 1973 changed the role of starting pitchers. Before that pitchers used to complete the game although they tended to tire and gave up runs. The idea was that relievers could stop the opponents from scrambling against the tiring starter and saving the game. Fingers finished with 341 saves over his career, which remained the record until passed by Jeff Reardon in 1992. Fingers was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as only the second reliever to accomplish this goal; Hoyt Wilhelm was the first. Bruce Sutter, Rich Gossage and Dennis Eckersley joined them later. In 1999 Sporting News ranked Fingers as Number 96 as their list of the greatest players in the game. He was selected as an All-Star seven times, three times a World Series pitcher and once an MVP of the series. He was the American League MVP in 1981 and collected the Cy Young Award that year. Fingers was four times the Rolaids Relief Man Award and three times the Major League Baseball saves leader. His number 34 was retired by both the Oakland Athletics and the Milwaukee Brewers, and he was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame. Like many players, he advanced to radio and TV after baseball. One of the greatest, he will be remembered as the second-best closer of all time in my book. He will never overtake Dennis Eckersley in my eyes.

10 Publizr Home