Lew Burdette and Alan Pesin

In the 1957 World Series, Lew Burdette pitched the Milwaukee Braves to victory over the New York Yankees with three complete game wins. At the 1973 San Diego Padres' Old-Timers' Day, he was the most exciting interview around. Following a verbatim transcript of a young reporter being eaten alive by an overweight ballplayer.

Young Reporter: "Mr. Burdette, you had a reputation for being a fun guy, and the thing that sticks most clearly in my mind is one time at the Polo Grounds, my sister, who had worked for two days making a banner, threw it down to you in right field during batting practice. You were shagging flies, catching them behind your back — they were bouncing off your back into your glove — and she asked you to autograph it. You took the banner, spiked it to death, then tied it up into little knots."

Lew Burdette: "You sure that wasn't Spahn."

Y.R.: "No, he wasn't there then."

L.B: Well, I wasn't out there either, because Spahn and me was always together."

Y.R.: "Are you going to help Mr. Spahn with his Hall of Fame acceptance speech next month?"

L.B.: Yep, I'm helping him out. When are you going to ask me a question?"

Y.R.: "If you were hired as a coach would you teach your pitchers how to throw the spitball?"

L.B.:"Never! You know better than that. Are you asking me real questions? You never say a thing like a regular question. All you been doing is making statements and wanting me to make something else."

Y.R.: "What you think of legalized gambling in sports events?"

L.B.: "Oh, Christ. Forget it. You never asked me a civil question yet. Not a civil one yet. You got something to ask me, fine. I'll answer it. But, Jesus, the stuff you were asking me, that's a bunch of crap."

Y.R.:"Well, I asked you ex-manager Fred Haney what it was like taking out Warren Spahn in the seventh game of the 1958 Series, and..."

L.B.: "Didn't take him out because I was the son of a gun that was pitching."

Y.R.: "You pitched the seventh game in '57."

L.B.: "Well, I was pitching the seventh one in '58 too. I know exactly who was out there. Cause I lost it! And I know how I lost it too. Bad pitches!"

Y.R.: "Mr. Haney told me the story about how he was taking you out of a game on night and he said, 'Give me the ball, Lew. I'm going to change pitchers. And you said, 'Who you got any better?'"

L.B.: "And I thought that was a very good question?"

Y.R.: "And Mr. Haney said, 'Well, I may not have anyone better, but I could maybe have someone just a bit luckier than you, so give me that ball and get out of here."

L.B.: "That's true."

Y.R.: "You never were able to change his mind?"

L.B.: "Nope. He took me out."

Y.R.: "Did you ever gain the upper hand on any manager?"

L.B.: "Nope. Who in the hell would want an upper hand on a manager anyway when you're a player. That's a lousy question too. I don't mean to disrupt you now. Fall back and regroup and come back and ask me a decent question."

Y.R.: "Did you not use to catch balls backhand while shagging flies?"

L.B.: "I used to catch them behind me, but they didn't hit my back."

Y.R.: "I was scared. It hit your back and I said wait a second."

L.B.: "You said they were bouncing off my back when I caught them. They never bounced off my back."

Y.R.: "You caught them this way in your glove [the reporter places his arm behind his back in a graphic example] but one of them bounced off your back and I felt really bad for you."

L.B.: "No they didn't!"

Y.R.: "I swear, I saw it!"

L.B.: "I've never been hit in the back. Never have been. Been hit in the front with a few. From out there." [Burdette points towards the pitching mound.]

Y.R.:"That's amazing. I'd like to ask you something civil, but I'm lost right now."

L.B.: "Well, fall back and regroup and think of something civil to ask me and I'll be more than happy to answer you."

Y.R.: "You've been my best interview ever. Except for one I had with Duane Thomas. Thank you."

This is just one of 15 fun-filled baseball interviews with baseball old-timers now available on 60-minute cassette tapes from the San Diego Reader.