McGann; “ Lets go way back to the years at Swissvale High School, where your athletic career began. Were you a golfer, baseball player and basketball player all at once then?"
Groat: “ Baseball and basketball was my whole life in those days. I never really played any organized baseball. There was no such thing as Little League or Pony League back then. You played on the play grounds in summer, you never had anything organized. But, you always had a game; Something you don’t see today Mike, which I’m very unhappy about. You can drive by all kinds of fields and playgrounds and never see a “pick up game.” It seem that unless the kids have a uniform and an umpire they don’t play baseball anymore. You see kids playing basketball on playgrounds, but the philosophy when we grew up was we learned to play the game because of our peers. If you didn’t do the job (on the field) they didn’t pick you the next time, when we were young.”
We both laughed at this point because it was true, the worst player/kid was always chosen last and was always assigned to right field where the ball was hit the least. I say that only because when there weren’t enough players to put nine on the field for each side, the was a kid rule imposed-no right field hitting-or its an out, because no one was there.
Groat: “That’s the way it was when we were growing up, everybody wanted to play ( his voice growing more emphatic) you could not wait to get out there and play the baseball or softball game that evening. We played all day and then we wanted to play with the big guys in the evening and thats how we learned to play the game. The fear of being left out taught us or motivated us to learn how to play the game. That’s why we were better educated about the game than kids coming out of Little League. Now everybody has to play and let’s face it, they are not all good enough to go on and play high school and college ball, let alone professional sports.
It’s a different philosophy now. Everybody gets a trophy whether they are first or last-I don’t think thats good for young athletes growing up.”
McGann; “When I was a kid, growing up in East Liberty (a section of Pittsburgh) we walked to Mellon park’s field and played baseball from 8AMuntil 5 PM and after dinner most days we would go back and play and evening game.”
Groat: “That’s exactly the way it was all over western Pennsylvania and I think thats one of the reasons we always had great athletes coming out of this region. You’re talking about a long time before organized Little League and Pony League. My first organized baseball experience was when I was a sophomore in high school and then I played American legion baseball one summer and that was the beginning or my organized sports experience. I always said I was the luckiest guy in the world, to have grown up in this area. Everything seemed to fall into place for me Mike, that’s how fortunate I was. For example I have two older sisters, the youngest is 11 years older than me. two older brothers who were 19 and 18 years older. I was the baby in the family. They always watched over me and I remember as a junior in high school I was chosen to play in the first All-Star Game for high school athletes at Forbes Field-Wow, me a junior in high school (with youthful awe in his voice)-I mean this was a big deal. My sister who really worked on my head (psyche) as I remember so vividly, kept saying ‘you are going to go down there and have a good time, but you don’t want to win that trophy and that trip to New York, you’re only a junior in high school. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself going into your senior year, just go have
fun.’ She had sold me, lock stock and barrel, that I did not want to win that award (as best player). I respected her so much that I really did not want to win the award. Don’t you know I got into the game in the middle innings and got a single. Nobody paid any special attention. I came up in the ninth inning, runners are on first and second. We were two runs down and to add to the pressure, the guy who won the award the previous year and represented Pittsburgh the year before in New York, Joe Zugay, was the opposing pitcher. I fouled off a bunch of pitches, then, I hit a triple to the iron gate in right center field. I knew I had won the trip right then and there and didn’t want it. Im standing on third base and thinking , oh my God, I won the trip and I don’t want to win this trip. I’m not supposed to do this as a junior in high school. It was the beginning of my exposure to the national news media as I represented Pittsburgh. I went to new York, and then won it again the following year. After that game I read an article in a sports magazine that said they played ‘big league baseball’ at Duke University. Recruiting wasn’t like it is today and I had a couple scholarship offers to play college basketball. My brother made a call to a friend of his who was a sports writer and asked who he knew at Duke University. He told my brother, ‘you you know John Michelosen, who is with the Steelers. I learned four or five years later that Dr. (Jock) Sutherland and Michelosen used to help with the spring football program at Duke then come back and run their own program at Pitt. So Michelosen called and told the athletic director at Duke, ' we have a heck of a good baseball player here can you give him a baseball scholarship?’ He was told we don’t have baseball scholarships. Michelosen said, ‘He’s a heck of a basketball player too.’ So they invited me to Duke, I scrimmaged against the varsity for two days and they gave me a full basketball scholarship to Duke! That’s why I say, how lucky can I be, everything seemed to fall in place. Something that’s never been told is that after my junior year at Duke, during the summer, I was playing some baseball. One day this guy comes up to me and says “Dick, Im Rex Bowen, I’m a scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates ‘Are you coming back to Pittsburgh before you return to Duke?’
In 1951 you didn’t start college until late September, so I said, yes for two or three weeks I’ll be there.’
Bowen said, ‘Mr (Branch) Rickey would like you to come and work out with the Pirates and Forbes Field.’
I’m thinking, wow I’m a junior in college and I said, ‘I’d love to’
So I called the number he gave me and I went down and worked out the first morning and then the next day Mr Rickey was there and came to all of these workouts. He came up to me after practice and said.’ young man why don’t you come to the game tonight and dress with the Pirates and take batting practice with the extra men?’
I was thrilled to death!
He said’ Do your parents like baseball?’
I said ‘They love baseball’
He said, ‘I’d like them to come to the game after you’ve worked out and sit in my booth with me for the evening’
Remember, I’m 20 years of age, so my father has to be part of anything I do. I’ll never forget this as long as I live, I can still hear his voice, as we were watching the game with my mother and father sitting right behind us, Mr Rickey said, ‘If you’ll sign a contract tonight, I’ll start you
gainst the Cincinnati Reds tomorrow night.’
I told him, ‘Mr Rickey that’s not fair you know I want to to play Major League Baseball but I’m a junior in college and I owe my senior year to Duke University, I’m going back to play basketball and baseball. But I want you to know, that if you make the same offer to me I promise you I will sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates when I finish my eligibility.’
He reached over and shook my hand and said “You have a deal young man’
I never heard from him again. I worked out with the Pirates that summer and then went back to Duke. I played my senior year at Duke and won the Teague Award as Best Athlete in the Carolinas. At the awards banquet, Mr Rickey came down and made the speech. Now we were going to the College World Series and Mr Rickey never brought up anything we had discussed. We lost in the series, I flew home and attended the Swissvale Dick Groat Day celebration and Mr Rickey was the speaker at the banquet again that night. I went to Forbes Field with two friends who were working out with the Pirates while staying at my house, we were all finishing senior year, we went to the game and I was keeping a low profile. I was sitting in the stands and Mr Rickey’s secretary found me in the stands, because we had team tickets and said, ' Mr Rickey wants to see you in his office tonight’. I walked in there with my father, I signed a bonus contract, they shipped me to New York the next day. I watched the game, pinch hit the second game and started the next day for the rest of the season and was fortunate enough to lead the Pirates in hitting. It was 1952 my rookie year and I’m thinking how lucky could I be, Mr Rickey had never contacted me after that first night when I was a junior. But he lived by his word and signed me. I ended up being a rookie, he shipped me to New York and what was in my mind was
I wanted to play Major league Baseball, because I knew I had to go in the Army, we all went into the Army or armed services in those days. I had that chance to play that summer without going into the Army because I had one more semester to graduate from Duke. My grades were good enough, I was deferred and was able to graduate from college. I wanted to prove to myself that I could play in the major leagues or even start in the minor leagues if I had to. I was fortunate enough to lead the Pirates in hitting, so I was convinced I could play in the majors. So I go back
and I love basketball, it’s always been my first love, and I was a much better basketball player than I was a baseball player, I mean sincerely, it it’s true (laughing). I have my own team traveling all around North Carolina (exhibition games) and I get a call from the Pistons. They fly me to Fort Wayne for two exhibition games. First night I play three or four minutes and the second night they are playing their final exhibition game in the new coliseum. So one guy fouls out and they put me in. We are losing and I come up with eleven or twelve points in the last four or five minutes and we win the game. They signed me to a contract right then, that night. I was only going to play on weekends, so I fly in to play. In those days you are only allowed three cuts (of a class) at Duke; Fourth one you cut yourself out of school. I had cut once to finish the season with the Pirates. On my third weekend in the NBA, I get grounded in Detroit due to weather. That was my second cut. I had only played six games and I called the Pistons and said that I was sorry but I had to quit. My father would have kill me if I hadn’t graduated from Duke.
I had good grades and was only carrying the last nine credits I needed and a week later I got a call from the Pistons saying we have to have you back! I told them I couldn’t afford to cut another class and they said don’t worry Dick, we got you a private plane that will fly you back and forth.
For details on the book, contact Mike at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/profile.php?id=1098762286
For details on the book, contact Mike at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/profile.php?id=1098762286
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