While interviewing relief pitcher Scott Radinsky in the visitors’ clubhouse Monday night at Wrigley Field, it became clear he could have been the inspiration for the popular “I love you, man” television commercials.
It’s unlikely any ballplayer has been as well-liked–loved, is more appropriate–as Radinsky. Two years ago, when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, his White Sox teammates were dumbstruck:
“Of all guys, why did it have to be Rad?” they all thought.
“It wasn’t so bad,” Radinsky revealed, recalling six months of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation.
And with it, a happy ending. Now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, his 94 m.p.h. heater has returned, possibly better than ever.
“I can tell,” he explained. “I’m getting the same movement. And I know because of the reaction of the hitters. I’m not being waxed.”
Radinsky is a left-hander and almost always summoned in pressure situations to face strong left-handed batters such as Barry Bonds, Fred McGriff or Mark Grace.
Radinsky has made seven appearances, embracing 18 innings, out of the bullpen. He has yielded only one earned run–giving him a near-perfect 0.50 earned-run average.
“You can’t do much better than that,” observed Tom Lasorda, the Dodgers’ longtime manager. “You can’t help but love him. He’s a super-super guy to have on the team.”
Then Lasorda asked, “Did I tell you the manager of the White Sox, Terry Bevington, called me in spring training? He wanted to know how he was doing. I told him, `Great, he has a very good fastball.’ “
Lasorda acknowledged it was unusual for a manager to inquire about the health and well-being of one of his former players.
But Radinsky is an extraordinary person. For a combination of reasons, he inspires friendship.
When he went down during the first week of the 1994 spring training season, his teammates and the entire White Sox organization rallied to his support.
“My teammates, the coaches, fans, people in the organization were constantly sending me cards, posters, all kinds of things,” Radinsky said. “They just went out of their way to let me know they were thinking about me.
“When the guys were on the road, five or six of them would be in the same room. They’d call me. In the beginning I thought it was nice, but I never expected it to continue through the whole season.”
Radinsky rejoined the White Sox last spring at their Sarasota, Fla., training camp. He believed he was fully recovered, but now concedes his arm didn’t return to full strength until mid-August. He appeared in 46 games, posted one save and had a 5.45 ERA for 38 innings.
After the season, White Sox management gave him his release, convinced his days as an effective late-inning reliever were behind him.
“It was tough to take,” Radinsky said. “I still miss being with the White Sox. I love those guys. When you’re brought up in an organization, it’s not easy to go to another club, make a new connection.”
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Radinsky was with the Sox for 10 years, four years in the minors, six at Comiskey Park.
It is the Dodgers’ second and last 1996 visit to Chicago, but the first here for Radinsky since he was with the White Sox. He didn’t make the first trip because he was on the disabled list.
“I had a sick feeling in my stomach when I got up this morning–like this is where I belong,” Radinsky said. “I went to Clark Street and just started walking around. Book stores, record stores, my usual thing. I had lunch at a Mexican restaurant. I love it here. It’s the best city in baseball.”