Pete Ward, the onetime White Sox slugger who has been there and done it–or rather, had it done to him–has three words of advice to the 0-10 Cubs: “Just keep swinging.”
Ward, 59, who operates a travel agency in Portland, Ore., was a member of the 1968 White Sox who also lost their first 10 games.
“It was miserable,” Ward recalled Monday. “What I remember is it finally ended. It was tough going through.”
What made it worse, Ward said, is the team had high expectations. The Sox went into the season with what was expected to be the American League’s best pitching staff. Their Big Three was Joel Horlen, Gary Peters and Tommy John. The season before, the Sox led the league with a 2.45 earned-run average. Peters and Horlen were 1-2 in the ERA tables. Horlen had gone 19-7, pitched a no-hitter and finished second in the Cy Young Award voting.
Still, there was nothing but woe.
Horlen and Peters each lost their first three starts. Francisco Carlos, the No. 4 starter, was 0-2. John had no decision in two starts. The other two losses were charged to relievers Bob Locker and Wilbur Wood.
“It was pretty sad,” Peters said. “I know I lost my first three starts. I don’t remember much more after that.”
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Then Peters added:
“(Sox manager Eddie) Stanky was tough to play for even when you were going pretty good. It was hard to play for anybody, no matter who’s managing, when you have a losing streak like that.”
Stanky took most of the heat. The last four games in the streak were at Comiskey Park. Instead of returning to the clubhouse and facing the press, Stanky picked up a leaded bat and jogged along the outfield fence, sometimes for as long as 20 to 30 minutes.
Then he would bang on the clubhouse door, which was locked from the inside.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Clubhouse man Larry Licklieder, realizing it was Stanky, would hurry and open the door.
And Stanky would go into the trainer’s room, get on the table and close his eyes, faking sleep.
The press conferences were brief. The questions were always the same.
“What are you going to do, Eddie?”
“I’m not going to quit, if that’s what you mean,” Stanky replied after an April 21 double-header loss to the Tigers, the eighth and ninth defeats.
That night Ed Stone, covering for Chicago’s American, called White Sox owner Arthur Allyn at his winter home in Sarasota, Fla.
“I suppose you expect me to say I’m going to fire him,” Allyn barked. “He has a four-year contract. You’re nuts to even call me. I’m completely happy with Stanky.
“We’ve only played nine games. That doesn’t mean a thing. Why do you fellows panic? The only people who panic are you newspaper people. And I wish you would quote me on that.”
The streak ended five days later, with 3-2 victory over the Twins in Minneapolis. John went 5 2/3 innings and got the victory with bullpen help from Locker and Wood.
The Sox won nine of their next 13 games but, nonetheless, never recovered. The closest they came to .500 was two games under on May 19 and May 21. They finished 67-95, tied for eighth place, 36 games out.
Stanky was fired July 12, when the club was 34-45, 18 1/2 back. Allyn and General Manager Ed Short persuaded Al Lopez to return. Even the Senor was afflicted and in late July underwent an emergency appendectomy. Les Moss managed during Lopez’s absence. The club was 21-26 under Lopez, 12-24 with Moss.
Center-fielder Ken Berry, who now manages minor-league teams for the New York Mets, insists the Sox were handicapped by a series of trades.
“Stanky went for old guys, guys who used to be big hitters, and they all flopped,” Berry said. “He got Tommy Davis and Rocky Colavito and Ken Boyer. They killed our defense and running game.”
Thus, there is nothing new under the Chicago baseball sun. Unless the Cubs make it 11 in a row.