May 15, 1964 - Cincinnati pitcher Joey Jay said today: “This is my last year.”
A two-time 21-game winner, Jay complained he could not get along with the Reds’ front office. a $30,000 a year player, the big righthander was quoted as saying, “They want to get rid of me so bad they can taste it.”
Jay has had arguments with owner Bill Dewitt, who is reported to be trying to swing a deal offering “one of the club’s seven starting pitchers.”
After an off year in 1963, when he was 7-18, Jay worked hard in spring training and was obviously miffed when rookie Sammy Ellis was moved into the starting position. “They let a kid take my job,” he declared. Jay is 1-2 this year.
“If I went to a club like San Francisco, I probably wouldn’t quit, but that’ll never happen. I know I’ll go to a club that doesn’t have a chance to win, where I’ll just waste away.”
Then Jay added: “If they traded me to the Giants, I’d win 20 games. I’d beat this club six times. That’s how I feel about the management.”
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