Yankees legend kicks off Little League

By Nathan Mayberg
WEST MILFORD — It was a day for a legend at West Milford Little League opening ceremonies when Yankees great Ron Guidry held court for scores of youngsters, signing his autograph and throwing out the first pitch.

Guidry, who once struck out 18 batters and led the Yankees to two World Series championships, blew into his hands in the cold to sign off a complete game of baseballs, bats, cards and even a seat from the old Yankee Stadium.

The Louisiana Lightning that Guidry threw led the Yankees to world titles in 1977 and 1978, rescuing the Yankees from a drought dating back to the days of Maris and Mantle.

"It was like paradise," said one fan about the glory the "Gator" helped restore.

Guidry was a rookie in 1977 when his 2.82 earned run average (ERA) led the Yankees staff and his complete game win over the Dodgers in game 4 of the World Series, helped them win the series.

A "motley crew" having funHe is remembered in Yankees lore for his magical 1978 season when he won the Cy Young Award, pitched to a 1.74 season ERA, struck out 18 in a game and threw a complete game win over the Dodgers en route to another World Series title. It was one of the best pitching seasons of the postwar era.

David Savastano, who was with his grandson Jason Callahan Thursday, told Guidry he should have been the MVP that year instead of Red Sox slugger Jim Rice.

Rice edged out Guidry after leading the league in seven hitting categories.

Guidry called those World Series teams a "motley crew" who liked to have fun and rib each other.

He recalled putting rubber snakes in the lockers of players and telling teammates he might bring in water moccasins and alligators which he knew well from his native Louisiana.

"The guys that were there were quite comical, rowdy, but it was just so fun," he said about the teams that boasted all-stars like Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson and Graig Nettles.

"You have to have fun in this game or else it drives you crazy because the season is so long," he said.

"It was great," he said about the winning in those early years. "Unfortunately, we didn't do it the rest of the time so it made the rest of the time long."

The Yankees lost to the Kansas City Royals in the postseason in 1980. In 1981, they lost in the World Series to the Dodgers.

"That's the one you think of more than anything," he said.

It stung because he was dominant, winning the first game, before striking out nine batters in the fifth game in a 2-1 loss. He allowed only two hits and no runs until the seventh inning when he gave up two runs.

In 1985, Guidry, Don Mattingly, Rickey Henderson and Dave Winfield won 97 games but were kept out of the playoffs by a 99-win Blue Jays team.

He called the late 1970s Red Sox team "the toughest lineup I ever had to face."

Little League kicks offIt was a July 4 type celebration at the Hillcrest field as dozens of young baseball players assembled on the field in the uniforms of teams like the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Mudcats and Knights.

Mark Minadeo, vice president of the Little League, has brought former Yankees from the 1970s teams for the last five years.

"It's great to do something special for the kids and give them an extra memory," he said. "A lot of the parents remember these players personally."

Guidry was known for his overpowering fastball. He credits his legs, which "were very strong," and he added, "God blessed me with a good arm."

His only other pitch was a devastating slider, which he credits former Yankees closer Sparky Lyle for developing into a lethal weapon.

After pitching in 10 games in the big leagues in 1975, Guidry started the next year in Triple A Syracuse where he blew away AAA hitters with a .68 ERA and unfathomable 3.6 hits allowed per nine innings.

"It wasn't fair," Guidry said about allowing just 16 hits in 40 innings.

Guidry learned so much after being called up in 1975 that when he returned to the minors it was "like playing against little leaguers." He moved the ball around more and baited hitters.

Retirement from the gameAfter retiring, he took a break from baseball before returning to the Yankees as pitching coach under manager Joe Torre in 2006 and 2007.

He oversaw some of the era's greatest arms from Randy Johnson to Mariano Rivera, Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettite. He also saw the emergence of reliever Joba Chamberlain, who took the city by storm in 2007 with a .38 ERA

Guidry still serves as a spring training instructor to the team.

For years, he and Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra accompanied each other in Florida as instructors during spring training. "We became real good friends," he said.

A day before his appearance in West Milford, Guidry visited Berra in New Jersey and the two watched the Yankees lose a 13-inning game to the Tampa Bay Rays on television.

Their relationship was highlighted in the book "Driving Mr. Yogi," since Guidry picked up and drove Berra around during spring training and the two dined together.

"He's doing OK," Guidry said about Berra, the 10-time World Series champion players. Berra won three more as a coach for the Mets and Yankees.

Family firstGuidry is happy limiting his interactions with Yankees players to spring training.

"I'm not getting anymore involved," he said.

He enjoys watching his grandchildren grow up in Louisiana.

Coming to New York from Louisiana was "a cultural shock," Guidry said,

But, he said, "my job was to come and pitch here. My job wasn't to fall in love with the city."

Guidry is still a fan of the Yankees. He thinks this year's squad is good but could be better if hitters like Carlos Beltran start swinging the bat better. He isn't phased by an injury to the team's ace Masahiro Tanaka. It will give the team's younger pitchers an opportunity to emerge, he said.

With his World Series rings, 170 wins and four All-Star games, he has no doubt about his greatest moment in baseball.

"The first time I walked into Yankee Stadium."