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PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Tug McGraw,
the colorful relief pitcher who coined the phrase "You Gotta Believe"
with the New
York Mets and later closed out the Philadelphia
Phillies' only World Series championship, died Monday. He was 59. McGraw died of brain cancer at the home of his son, country
music star Tim McGraw, outside of "He epitomized what McGraw's illness came as a shock to fans and friends alike
last spring. He was at Phillies' training camp in "We lost a piece of Mets history tonight," Mets
owner Fred Wilpon said. "Tug was a battler on and off the field. We know
how hard he fought this disease. He'll be sorely missed by all." Especially former Phillies teammate and Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt. "He put up a gallant fight," Schmidt said.
"Publicly, he never let on that he had gotten a raw deal. He was Tug
through the entire thing. As he always said, 'I front-loaded my life, just like
my contract.' His passing is hard to take because his presence meant so much to
people around him." Bob Boone,
the Phillies' catcher from 1972-81, remained a close friend, too. "I know he got more living out of his 59 years than
anybody," Boone said from his home in California. "What you saw was
what Tug was. There was no phoniness at all. He loved people and loved
life." McGraw participated in the closing ceremonies for Veterans
Stadium, which will be demolished next month. During the program, he re-enacted
his final pitch of the 1980 World Series, striking out Kansas City's Willie Wilson
for the title.
"It's a very sad day," baseball commissioner Bud
Selig said in Milwaukee. "He was really a marvelous pitcher and a great
baseball personality." McGraw popularized the phrase "You Gotta Believe"
during the Mets' 1973 NL championship season and carried the slogan through his
illness, vowing he'd be on hand next month to push the button to bring down the
Vet. "Tug McGraw was one of the great characters of the game
of baseball," said Hall of Famer Tom Seaver,
McGraw's teammate with the Mets' 1969 championship team. "He just had a joy for life and living. But what people
sometimes overlook because he was always happy-go-lucky was what kind of
competitor he was on the mound. No one competed with more intensity than he
did." McGraw was known for charging off the mound, slapping his
glove on his thigh and tapping his chest after a close call. "Patting his hand on his heart after a guy hits a home
run foul, who would do that in the heat of the battle?" Bowa said.
"But it showed he had no fear. He was loose. That's how he played the
game." A left-hander who threw a screwball, McGraw could be a bit
of screwball himself. Once asked whether he preferred to play on a grass field or
an artificial surface, he said, "I don't know. I never smoked any
AstroTurf." McGraw's playful personality often overshadowed his talent.
He played on three World Series teams and was an outstanding big-game pitcher
during his 19-year career. In 26 postseason games, he was 3-3 with eight saves and a
2.23 ERA. A two-time All-Star, McGraw went 96-92 in his career with a
3.14 ERA and 180 saves. He made his major league debut with the Mets in 1965 at
age 20 and finished with the Phillies in 1984. After the 1974 season, McGraw was traded by the Mets to "The guy was a consummate professional on the mound but
he relaxed in his own way," said Tim McCarver,
a backup catcher for the Phillies and McGraw's teammate for five seasons.
"He had his own way of doing things. There are more than one way to do
things and Tug certainly had his own way." After fanning "That's the freeze frame when you look at that
series," Bowa said. It worked just the way Tug and Schmitty had planned it, too. "Tug and I drove to the ballpark together before that
final game and I made him promise that if he was on the mound for that final
out to wait for me," Schmidt later recalled. "Both of us knew whoever was on or near that mound for
the final out would probably be on the cover of Sports Illustrated," he
said. "Sure enough, it worked. Tug struck out In addition to his son Tim, McGraw is survived by sons Mark
and Matthew McGraw; a daughter, Cari Velardo, and four grandchildren. His
daughter-in-law is country music star Faith Hill, the wife of Tim. Funeral arrangements were not immediately available. Jen -- |
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