Pete Rose Answers Sparky's Help-Wanted Ad (May 3, 1975)

[LINEDRIVER]

MAY 3, 1975...Veteran Reds' pitcher Gary Nolan wins his first game since October of 1972 by beating the Atlanta Braves, 6-1, at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium.

Nolan underwent surgery on May 13 of last year to remove a one-inch long calcium spur from his right shoulder. The onetime hard-thrower has become a bona fide finesse pitcher since losing his blazing fastball to shoulder problems. Nolan has missed most of the last two seasons due to shoulder pain and post-operative rehabilitation.

Reds' manager Sparky Anderson makes an unexpected move before the game when he asks left fielder Pete Rose if he would be interested in becoming the team's third baseman. Rose responds by immediately taking groundballs at third base.

Anderson inserts George Foster and his bat into the starting line-up and moves Rose to third base as a replacement for the weak-hitting John Vukovich. Tonight's starting line-up includes Dan Driessen in LF with Foster in RF. Foster is placed in the eighth slot of the Reds’ line-up just behind center fielder Cesar Geronimo.

Foster goes 2-for-3 with a 2-run bomb in the sixth-inning.

*

[Johnny Footstool]

And the rest is History.

[Heath]

And that, as they say, is that.....

If Fawn doesn't get a new softball glove, Pete Rose never plays third.

[westofyou]

Reds' manager Sparky Anderson makes an unexpected move before the game when he asks left fielder Pete Rose if he would be interested in becoming the team's third baseman. Rose responds by immediately taking groundballs at third base.

Meanwhile the exact same thing failed 9 nine years ago underneath Pete's protests.

Isn't it funny how the same move can be part of the blame for a failing season (1965) and a managers firing and a decade later be the key to magic room of baseball happiness?

THIRD BASE
YEAR TEAM         AGE  G     PO    A    E   DP  PCT   RANGE
1966 Reds         25   16    24   30    4    4  .931   3.38 
1975 Reds         34  137   106  230   13   21  .963   2.45 
1976 Reds         35  159   115  293   13   25  .969   2.57 
1977 Reds         36  161    98  268   16   18  .958   2.27 
1978 Reds         37  156   117  256   15   23  .961   2.39 
1979 Phillies     38    5     4    6    2    0  .833   2.00 
     TOTALS           634   464 1083   63   91  .961   2.44

[cumberlandreds]

I can remember listening to that game. The first batter,IIRC Ralph Garr, hit a grounder to Rose and fielded it flawlessly. I wonder were Griffey was? He was the usual right fielder.
BTW can we forward this to Junior and Dunn. Maybe one them will get the hint and volunteer to move to first.

[KoryMac5]

I do like the way Rich is playing first base and having Scott H on the bench to spell him is working out. I do however feel it could lengthen JR's career and would be in his best interest to spend some time over there seeing if he likes the feel of first base. But I see no changes in the forseeable future for a winning ball club.

[IslandRed]

I wonder were Griffey was? He was the usual right fielder.

I checked Retrosheet, looks like Griffey was out for roughly the first week of May.

[MartyFan]

I checked Retrosheet, looks like Griffey was out for roughly the first week of May.

Thanks...I didn't think Griffey became a regular until the middle of the 1975 season...before that I thought he was in Indianapolis....thanks for th info.

[LINEDRIVER]

Meanwhile the exact same thing failed 9 nine years ago underneath Pete's protests.

Isn't it funny how the same move can be part of the blame for a failing season (1965) and a managers firing and a decade later be the key to magic room of baseball happiness?

Rose thought that Tommy Helms should of been asked to play 3B. Rose felt he wasnt helping the team by moving to 3B. Helms, a minor-league All-Star shortstop, was more experienced on that side of the infield. Helms eventually did move from 2B to 3B in the '66 season with Rose moving back to 2B from 3B. Helms went on to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

Heffner was fired at the '66 All-Star break for a multitude of reasons. RedsZoners would of lambasted Reds mgr Don Heffner on a daily basis in that first half of the '66 season. Most of his moves backfired, especially those in extra-inning games. He would run out of pinch-hitters too early, etc, etc. I seem to recall a game where possibly it was poor hitting relief pitcher Billy McCool who had to bat in the bottom of the 11th or 12th inning with runners on base.

[westofyou]

Rose thought that Tommy Helms should of been asked to play 3B. Rose felt he wasnt helping the team by moving to 3B. Helms, a minor-league All-Star shortstop, was more experienced on that side of the infield. Helms eventually did move from 2B to 3B in the '66 season with Rose moving back to 2B from 3B. Helms went on to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award.

Heffner was fired at the '66 All-Star break for a multitude of reasons. RedsZoners would of lambasted Reds mgr Don Heffner on a daily basis in that first half of the '66 season. Most of his moves backfired, especially those in extra-inning games. He would run out of pinch-hitters too early, etc, etc. I seem to recall a game where possibly it was poor hitting relief pitcher Billy McCool who had to bat in the bottom of the 11th or 12th inning with runners on base.

Sparky tryed to move Lou Whitaker to third in 1985 so Chris Pittaro could play 2nd base, Lou wasn't pleased.

[Big Klu]

I seem to remember reading in Pete Rose: My Story, by Rose and Roger Kahn, that Pete had been told by Heffner that he would be moving from 2B to 3B in 1966, and he bristled at that. He commented in the book that he (and many other star players) responded better when he was asked to do things. Dave Bristol asked him to move from 2B to LF in 1967 (and then from LF to RF in 1968), Sparky Anderson asked him to move from RF to LF to make room for Cesar Geronimo in 1972, and then Sparky asked him to move from LF to 3B to make room for George Foster in 1975. Rose didn't always like the move, but he said that he appreciated being asked instead of being told, and that he also appreciated the manager explaining to him how this move would improve the club. He said that most players usually respond better to a position change when those two things take place.

[BoomerSoonerRed]

Sparky tryed to move Lou Whitaker to third in 1985 so Chris Pittaro could play 2nd base, Lou wasn't pleased.

Ahhh, my life is complete. Dropping Chris Pittaro's name on a message board.

[westofyou]

Ahhh, my life is complete. Dropping Chris Pittaro's name on a message board.

More Chris here