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 Seasoning needed A shake of pepper is good for the game
Posted: Wednesday April 21, 1999 05:17 PM
Back in the old days, pepper was a fundamental part of baseball. But now it's not just a lost art, it's almost extinct. And that's a shame because it's a game that built up the skills of some of our greatest players. Former Red Sox second baseman Johnny Pesky remembers the days of pepper. "Ted Williams was great at that. We'd start out with Ted, he'd always take two or three guys. He'd start out hitting the ball nice and firm then about 10 minutes later he's knocking your head off. And that's just the way he was. He'd always get carried away with it -- but it's really a drill for reflexes -- for the hitter and for the fielder." "You'd be surprised how many guys can't play pepper now. You know you go out here and you get four guys and we're tossing the ball to one hitter and balls are going over your head, they're swinging and missing, they're foul tipping them," says Padres left fielder Tony Gwynn. But perhaps the lost art of pepper is a result of the times. "I don't think young kids today know what pepper is," says Brave shortstop Walt Weiss. When I was a kid, pepper was a baseball term first. I think pepper has disappeared because everybody wants to hit home runs now. Pepper teaches players how to put the ball in play, not swing for the fences. Of course, there are other theories for all those "no pepper" signs everywhere. Phillies manager Terry Francona says "You always see those signs behind home plate, and that's so fans wont get hit because guys that have bad control like me end up throwing one into the stands and hitting somebody" "I guess because you know, nets, bending fences, fence posts and stuff like tearing up the grass and stuff like that," ponders Gwynn. Dodgers pitcher Darren Dreifort has a different explanation. "I have no idea I guess they're trying to save their chain link fences or whatever, but that's the only thing I can think of." "I always thought it was because of the grass. They didn't want you to kill the grass," says Weiss. "I think its gotten to the point where these fields that we play on are so plush and so nice that the groundskeepers don't want you messing them up," says Braves third baseman Chipper Jones. Mets third baseman Robin Ventura says "They just really prohibit you from doing all those childish things you used to do like pepper and pickle. Burn out, you can't do burn out either. I'm not sure we need more burn out -- where you throw the ball as hard as you can at the guy playing catch with you. I've got a better idea -- let's put up "No burn out" signs and bring back pepper.
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