Black College Sports RevlewaBB
Blue Thundei
By CRAIG T. GREENLEE
Review Staff Writer
AFTER THE San Francisco Giants
conclude pre-game warmups, pitcher
Vida Blue is ultra-busy. Sandwiching
media interviews, picture-taking with ,
fans and signing autographs on
baseballs, game programs, scratch
pads and baseball gloves. Blue is just as
much of a fan favorite now as he was
baclfin the early '70s with the Oakland
A's. ^ *
Small wonder. The 37-year-old
flamethrower is as affable as ever. To
day, tie's instructing one of the bat
boys on how to correctly field fly balls.
"You've got to hold your glove and
hands this way,'* Blue explains, as the
wide-eyed youngster takes in every
word.
Then there's the admiring fan who
shows Blue her personal scrapbook of
his accomplishments as a majorleaguer
dating back to his rookie year.
Blue is one of the reasons the Giants
are a National League contender this
iBf & V .
3fiL I
season, in *85, they lost 100 games, but
this year it's a different tune. San Francisco
is locked in a battle for first place
in the NL West with the Houston
Astros, two weeks from All-Star
break.
The former Southern University
standout is also well-equipped in the
wit-and-humor department. An anx
ious writer waits for him to finish
autographs and TV interviews. Blue
... pulls up a chair next to the dugout.
"OK, fella," he says, trying to hide a
grin. "Let's get this interview done
now. Please step into my office."
As the writer starts his tape recorder,
Page 6-July, 1986 55S5555555SS5
-V . < V % V*
*' ? t * t t t f
r still reigns n<
the Giants lefty announces, "Vida I
Blue, take two. 5-4-3-2-1, roll 9em."
Vida Blue once was what Dwight I
Gooden is today: a young fireballer I
whose future seemed unlimited. He I
also was a has-been before his time,
onoe wondering if he would ever throw I
another pitch in the big leagues.
He was released by the Kansas City I
Royals in August 1983 amid a drug I
scandal that included teammates Willie I
Wilson, Willie Mays Aikens and Jerry
Martin. He was suspended from playing
in the league by the commissioner,
convicted of cocaine possession and
sentenced to a term in a Texas prison.
Blue didn't play at all in 1984.
Two seasons later, though, Blue is J
vibrant, as always, and throwing sizzl- ,H
ing fast balls, as he always has during
his 14 years in the big time. He was in
vited to the Giants' camp in *85 as a
non-roster player and made the team. I
At first, he was slotted as a reliever,
but by late July, he had worked himself
into the starting rotation and finished
the year 8-8. t
m?
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Unlike many lefties, who fall prey to soi
years old (photos by Craig T. Greenlee
Approaching mid-season this year, h
Blue was 5-4 with a 3.14 ERA. But the V
stats that tell the true story are the ones lc
ka ~" ?*-in nil-J * ? * 1
w awuiuuiaicu m junc, wnen ne won
four of five games, struck out 22 and B
posted a 1.69 ERA. He started that n
month with a 1-3 slate. a
Careerwise, Blue got his 2,000th *!
strikeout in '85 and won his 200th I'
game this past April. As of this
writing, his win-loss record is 204-155 h
with a 3.26 ERA in 483 lifetime games, ti
re arms, Blue still throws fire at 37 settii
h. "ani
Befc
is career strikeout total, 2,113. abili
that's more, Blue has only had three gooc
>sing seasons as a pitcher'.'? " stnk
"I feel really good about myself," powi
lue says, "and I'm pitching better it1
ow than I have during my entire tola
areer. I'm working on a sinker, and enoi
lat's been a key factor in the success 9q.r
ve had so far this year." me|]<
The difference, Blue adds, is that
e's making every pitch count and isn't hair.
ying to strike out everybody. "I'm
. * % ? , ? *
t ^? t f I f *1 , . . g. . .
4 . '*
llllllllllllllll^ '
:lsco Bay
1*1 I
ig up my pitches now," he says,
i by that I mean that I'm trying to
e every pitch serve a purpose,
re, I was just throwing on natural
tv and u^-,1
/ wa?l MUVVTUI^ UOlUt OU1 U 9
I to know that I can still get the
eout when I need to, so more
er to me."
s uncommon for a power pitcher
st as long as Blue has. There's still
igh zip in his fastball to register
iph readings on a radar gun. He's
owed a bit, gained some weight
there's a faint sprinkle of gray
But he's still Vida Blue with the
v%i ? - -
rlease see rage //
-V A??. - k ?? ??*** \