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A fond\ By Joe Scalers Special to th? Gamecock j I d like to share with you my < tribute to a man I've admired for his loyalty, his devotion, and his competitive spirit since 1969. The man is number 15, the captain of the New York Yankees for as long as I'll live, Thurman Munson. If there is one statement that can describe what Munson meant to the Yankees and the fans, it is what appeared on the scoreboard at Yankee Stadium this nast Fridav It read: "Our captain and leader has not left us--today, tomorrow, this year, next...Our endeavors will reflect our love and admiration for him." Following the announcement, Yankee fans reflected Thurman's competitive spirit by not crying or giving him the traditional moment of silence, but rather bv eivine him a nine-minute standing ovation. This is the love we had for this man. I remember Thurman Munson in 1969 very well. He came up from the minor leagues late in the season and at the time the Yankees were losers. I remember I laughed at him and wondered how the Yankees were ever going to be winners again with a pudgy catcher named Thurman. Munson said he would show us and we laughed. Never did I dream then, that years later I would be stuffing close to 1,000 votes in the all-star ballot box for that pudgy catcher. You see, Thurman did show us, and it didn't take long. In 1970, Thurman was the American T oqctiio Pnolrio^f.tho.Voar f-lo JLJVU l^wniv VI V11V A V/U A . A tv showed us with his cat-like speed when he would beat the batter out of the box on a bunt. He showed us with his quick release that picked runners off first and second base like flies and gunned down runners trying to steal. He showed us with his clutch hitting, especially to the opposite field. Most of all, he showed us with the desire and hustle th?.t made up for the grace that he lacKed. To us bleacher bums, the poor fan who pays a dollar to sit on a wooden seat, Munson became a symbol for the little man, just as Billy Martin is. Thurman always wanted to be the best and he was very sensitive about this. During his whole career he was constantly fighting for recognition against Johnny Bench and Carlton Fisk. Bench played on a winner while Munson played on a loser. Fisk had three advantages over Munson. Fisk was attractive, played on a winner and had a short left field in Fenway Park to hit against. When Thurman finally did win, he had to compete with his own teammate, Reggie Jackson, for recognition. The rivalry between Fisk and Munson will be forever remembered in baseball history. It was not that they hated each other but that each wanted to prove he was better than the other. This made the feud between the Yankees, the Red Sox and the fans more intense. H a 1W' H W'-*' 1 Farewell A Clemson-Carolina game is nothing if you've ever been to a Yankee-Red Sox game and watched the competition between Thurman and Fisk. This fierce competition spread from the field into the stands with the fans backing their favorite catcher with their fists in the grandstand or their pencil at the ballot box. This was baseball at its very best. Thurman was the best and a tribute to him comes from the baseball arguments. It was always who was better, Munson or Bench or Fisk. Never once in my life have I heard Bench being compared to Fisk. It was always Thurman vs. them. SPORT magazine this year rated Munson tops in most of the categories for catchers. It's a shamp thp pntirp rniintrv HiHn't realize Munson's great talents. Munson was a sensitive man and refused to talk to the press. This fact depicted him as being unsociable. Ask the fans if this was the Munson they knew. He always went out of his way to talk to the fans and sign autographs. He refused to talk to reporters because if he was going to win any awards, it would be because he earned them on the field. LOW UL I at i 16 PACK - 16 OZ. CANS MILLER 6 PACK - 12 OZ. CANS I BUSCH 16 PACK - 12 OZ. CANS BUDWEISER 12 PACK - 12 OZ. CANS BUDWEISER 6 PACK - 12 OZ. CANS RED, WHITE 6 PACK - 12 OZ. CANS MICHELOB 6 PACK - 12 OZ. CANS PABST BLUE 6 PACK - 12 OZ. CANS MILLER LITE WE WOU j BACK TC I TO SHOP A" 131C 231: 290 WES a 4 aa I to Thu Thurman was a loyal man, both to his family and to the Yankees. In the end, his loyalty cost him his life. He asked to be traded several times so that he could be close to his family. If he had been traded he might still be alive today, but I doubt if he would have been happy in anything but Yankee pinstripes. Thurman belonged nowhere else but Yankee Stadium. In fact, when his knpps trnnhlpH him this vpnr hp said that he would play any other position in order to remain a Yankee. Many now feel that the Yankees will fold for the rest of the season. I doubt that very much because that is not the Yankee way and it is not the way Thurman would have wanted it. If the Yankees go down, it will t>e like tne world champions they are. We will all miss that grumpy looking man with the little kid inside him. We will always be grateful to Thurman for keeping up the winning tradition of the New York Yankees. If there is one thing I regret not doing while you were alive, Thurm, it's not stuffing the ballot box more. 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