Gene Mauch Vs. Dick Stuart

May 4, 1965 - The ballplayer they call Dr. Strangeglove is an entertaining fellow. If he isn’t hitting home runs and making errors, Dick Stuart is fighting prolonged batting slumps, still making errors, and warring with his manager.

Right now, it’s Philadelphia manager Gene Mauch who has Stuart stunned — but not speechless. It used to be Johnny Pesky and before him Danny Murtaugh.

Mauch has the notion that Stuart can use a rest — this after 15 games in which Stuart hit two homers, kicked five balls, and was struggling at .220. Stuart sat out the doubleheader in Milwaukee Sunday.

You get two versions of the benching. Stuart’s, of course, is more entertaining.

“He’s a bad manager,” Stuart said while dropping a throw warming up for today’s game against the Mets. “I play 15 games. All of a sudden, he finds out I can’t hit and can’t field. The team’s going bad, so he’s looking for a guy to blame — me.”

Mauch, who can’t find a zipper to fit Stuart’s big glove or his mouth, would prefer to keep the feud a clubhouse matter.

“He’s not playing because he isn’t hitting the way I know he can,” Mauch said today, “and he isn’t fielding the way I think he should.”

Actually, Mauch has made it his business to be extremely protective of Stuart ever since the first baseman was acquired from the Red Sox in a trade Nov. 29. Two things make you unwelcome with Mauch: Questions about the last 12 days of last season and that Stuart isn’t all home runs and good times.

A visitor to the Phillies’ clubhouse earlier this season, who had observed Stuart play in Boston, entered and give Dick the traditional greeting, which is Stonefingers. He said it too loud. Mauch heard the intruder and ushered him out of the clubhouse. 

Gene Mauch will live through his troubles with Stuart. Eventually, the first baseman will move on and hit home runs and create problems for some other manager. Then — and not until then — Mauch might really say what he’s thinking.

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