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Tug McGraw Remembered

Aired January 06, 2004 - 15:16   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Reliever Tug McGraw tossed a lively screwball. And those who knew him considered that fitting of one of baseball's liveliest characters.
Matt Morrison begins his look at sports with the loss of a true original.

Hello, Matt.

MATT MORRISON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hello, Martin.

The fact of the matter is, many left-handed pitchers in baseball are looked on as a little bit goofy and Tug McGraw is one big reason why. He was one of the game's great characters, with the goods to back it up. He lost his battle with brain cancer Monday at the age of 59. Tug McGraw pitched 20 seasons in the big leagues. That's no small feat. He won two pennants with the Mets. And he was on the mound to finish the Phillies' 1981 World Series championship, known as much for his fun-loving approach to the game as for his excellence as a relief pitcher, Tug McGraw familiar to a new generation as well as the father of country music star Tim McGraw.

So he will be lost, a player that certainly proved it for two decades and certainly showed us how to love the game of baseball. And it was very sad when he was diagnosed with brain cancer last summer. And, sadly, he was taken Monday at the age of 59.

SAVIDGE: And then you mentioned the Phillies, which means he was a teammate of the next man we're talking about, Pete Rose.

MORRISON: Exactly. It makes it for an altogether tough week for Pete Rose, whose own difficulties have been well documented.

And now that he has that admission that he did, indeed, bet on baseball, Rose is getting a little bit of a backlash from the Hall of Fame voters. Rose had 15 write-in votes for the Hall of Fame this year. And that is three less than he had last year. So people are weighing in a little bit. Rose is not listed on the Hall of Fame ballot, of course, Martin, because he is on baseball's permanently ineligible list. But that doesn't keep some writers from at least writing his name in the category.

SAVIDGE: And speaking of the Hall of Fame, two new names out there?

MORRISON: We do. We have two new inductees that will be on the stage in Cooperstown in 2004, August, to be exact. Paul Molitor, who was a fantastic hitter for 21 seasons, mostly with the Milwaukee Brewers, and went on Toronto and finished up his career with the Minnesota Twins. Molitor, what a terrific stat line this guy has had, .306 batting average over a 21-year career, 3,300- plus hits along the way. He was a seven-time All-Star and the MVP of the 1993 World Series with Toronto.

And Dennis Eckersley, who dominated the American League as a relief ace for Oakland in the early 1990s. He was an MVP himself, a Cy Young winner. Eckersley is just the third player to reach the Hall of Fame primarily as a relief pitcher. But he's got a lot more than that on his resume. As a starter earlier in his career, he won nearly 200 games. He threw a no-hitter for Cleveland and was a 20-game winner with the Red Sox early on.

And Dennis Eckersley, Paul Molitor, both elected on the first ballot of the Hall of Fame this year. So they're going in, in August of 2004, making their speeches in Cooperstown.

SAVIDGE: All right, so that is just a preamble. Now we come to the really nitty-gritty, top headline of sports, a roof in Wimbledon.

MORRISON: Boy, they're just bucking tradition all over the place, aren't they?

(CROSSTALK)

MORRISON: Yes, the world's most traditional tennis tournament is getting a face-lift. The All England Club is adding a retractable roof on the center court, where rain-outs have been as traditional as the strawberries and cream. Now you just don't have to eat them full of water.

Now, those that run the championship say there's no reason not to step into the 21st century. It will just take a while to do it. The planning and permits are still in the approval stage. So construction on the roof won't begin for two years. And it won't be in use until two 2009.

And, Marty, I've to show you this, finally, from Helsinki, Finland. The USA World Junior hockey team rallied for three scores to overcome Canada and take the gold medal for the first time ever. Patrick O'Sullivan is credited with two third-period goals. And credited, you'll find out, means when the Canadian goalie flicks the game winner off his own defenseman and into his own net, 4-3 the final score. USA takes the world junior gold medal in hockey for the first time ever.

That's significant. That's a big win over the Canadians, who have dominated that tournament since its inception.

SAVIDGE: Well, I'm a little torn being -- I was born in Canada, but, obviously, American. But still, it's a tough one to take.

(LAUGHTER)

MORRISON: The Canucks have done rather well on ice, but the USA has done something unprecedented.

SAVIDGE: Happy new year to you, Matt. Good to see you.

MORRISON: You, too. Thanks, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired January 6, 2004 - 15:16   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Reliever Tug McGraw tossed a lively screwball. And those who knew him considered that fitting of one of baseball's liveliest characters.
Matt Morrison begins his look at sports with the loss of a true original.

Hello, Matt.

MATT MORRISON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hello, Martin.

The fact of the matter is, many left-handed pitchers in baseball are looked on as a little bit goofy and Tug McGraw is one big reason why. He was one of the game's great characters, with the goods to back it up. He lost his battle with brain cancer Monday at the age of 59. Tug McGraw pitched 20 seasons in the big leagues. That's no small feat. He won two pennants with the Mets. And he was on the mound to finish the Phillies' 1981 World Series championship, known as much for his fun-loving approach to the game as for his excellence as a relief pitcher, Tug McGraw familiar to a new generation as well as the father of country music star Tim McGraw.

So he will be lost, a player that certainly proved it for two decades and certainly showed us how to love the game of baseball. And it was very sad when he was diagnosed with brain cancer last summer. And, sadly, he was taken Monday at the age of 59.

SAVIDGE: And then you mentioned the Phillies, which means he was a teammate of the next man we're talking about, Pete Rose.

MORRISON: Exactly. It makes it for an altogether tough week for Pete Rose, whose own difficulties have been well documented.

And now that he has that admission that he did, indeed, bet on baseball, Rose is getting a little bit of a backlash from the Hall of Fame voters. Rose had 15 write-in votes for the Hall of Fame this year. And that is three less than he had last year. So people are weighing in a little bit. Rose is not listed on the Hall of Fame ballot, of course, Martin, because he is on baseball's permanently ineligible list. But that doesn't keep some writers from at least writing his name in the category.

SAVIDGE: And speaking of the Hall of Fame, two new names out there?

MORRISON: We do. We have two new inductees that will be on the stage in Cooperstown in 2004, August, to be exact. Paul Molitor, who was a fantastic hitter for 21 seasons, mostly with the Milwaukee Brewers, and went on Toronto and finished up his career with the Minnesota Twins. Molitor, what a terrific stat line this guy has had, .306 batting average over a 21-year career, 3,300- plus hits along the way. He was a seven-time All-Star and the MVP of the 1993 World Series with Toronto.

And Dennis Eckersley, who dominated the American League as a relief ace for Oakland in the early 1990s. He was an MVP himself, a Cy Young winner. Eckersley is just the third player to reach the Hall of Fame primarily as a relief pitcher. But he's got a lot more than that on his resume. As a starter earlier in his career, he won nearly 200 games. He threw a no-hitter for Cleveland and was a 20-game winner with the Red Sox early on.

And Dennis Eckersley, Paul Molitor, both elected on the first ballot of the Hall of Fame this year. So they're going in, in August of 2004, making their speeches in Cooperstown.

SAVIDGE: All right, so that is just a preamble. Now we come to the really nitty-gritty, top headline of sports, a roof in Wimbledon.

MORRISON: Boy, they're just bucking tradition all over the place, aren't they?

(CROSSTALK)

MORRISON: Yes, the world's most traditional tennis tournament is getting a face-lift. The All England Club is adding a retractable roof on the center court, where rain-outs have been as traditional as the strawberries and cream. Now you just don't have to eat them full of water.

Now, those that run the championship say there's no reason not to step into the 21st century. It will just take a while to do it. The planning and permits are still in the approval stage. So construction on the roof won't begin for two years. And it won't be in use until two 2009.

And, Marty, I've to show you this, finally, from Helsinki, Finland. The USA World Junior hockey team rallied for three scores to overcome Canada and take the gold medal for the first time ever. Patrick O'Sullivan is credited with two third-period goals. And credited, you'll find out, means when the Canadian goalie flicks the game winner off his own defenseman and into his own net, 4-3 the final score. USA takes the world junior gold medal in hockey for the first time ever.

That's significant. That's a big win over the Canadians, who have dominated that tournament since its inception.

SAVIDGE: Well, I'm a little torn being -- I was born in Canada, but, obviously, American. But still, it's a tough one to take.

(LAUGHTER)

MORRISON: The Canucks have done rather well on ice, but the USA has done something unprecedented.

SAVIDGE: Happy new year to you, Matt. Good to see you.

MORRISON: You, too. Thanks, Martin.

SAVIDGE: Thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com