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Thursday, June 13, 2002

By Rich Emert

Father's Day is Sunday and it would be hard to find a prouder papa than John Richard Schofield ... or a prouder grandfather. Pirates' fans remember him as Dick Schofield, the utility infielder nicknamed "Ducky" who filled in at shortstop for National League MVP Dick Groat after Groat's wrist was fractured Sept. 6, 1960.

Schofield started 19 games during the 1960 stretch drive and hit .368 during that time, driving in seven runs as the Pirates won the pennant and then beat the New York Yankees in the World Series. Schofield was with the Pirates from midway through the 1958 season until 1965, when he was traded to San Francisco for Jose Pagan. He played 19 years in the major leagues and was known for his slick fielding. These days he is best known as the father of former major-leaguer Dick Schofield, who played 14 years in the big time, mostly with the Angels. Schofield's grandson, Jayson Werth, is an outfielder with the Syracuse SkyChiefs, the Class AAA affiliate of the Blue Jays, and an outstanding prospect. Schofield, 67, lives in of Springfield, Ill. He and his wife, Donna, have three children, eight grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Q: How did you get the nickname Ducky?

A: That was my dad's nickname. He grew up in Marcus Hook, near Chester, Pennsylvania, and that's what everybody called him. Some of the players heard me call him that and they started calling me Ducky.

Q: So, former Pirates' announcer Bob Prince didn't give it to you?

A: No, but it fit in with all the animal nicknames he gave everybody else on the team. Bob Skinner was "The Dog" and Bill Virdon was "The Quail."

Q: Got any good Bob Prince stories?

A: A lot of them you couldn't print. The craziest one was when he jumped out of the balcony of his room and into the pool at a hotel.

Q: What's the most memorable moment you had in baseball?

A: Gosh, I don't know. I can tell you the proudest was being in Chicago when my son played in his first major-league game. The Angels played the White Sox and I got to see that and I was there when he got his first hit.

Q: Did you give your son pointers on how to play the game when he was growing up?

A: We spent a lot of time together, but he also wanted to do it and work hard to make himself into a good player. He was a better hitter than I was and an excellent fielder with great hands.

Q: What is he doing now?

A: He's the manager of the South Bend, Ind., Silver Hawks of the Midwest League. They are affiliated with the Diamondbacks.

Q: Didn't you make a couple of great plays when Harvey Haddix pitched the 12 perfect innings?

A: I don't know how great they were and we didn't have to make very many tough plays that game. I know I made a play on a ball hit by Johnny Logan and I think Eddie Mathews hit a ball that Virdon caught at the wall.

Q: How about being the first batter in the history of Shea Stadium?

A: I was and it's funny because the Mets invited myself, Jessie Gonder, who was the catcher that day; Jack Fisher, who was the Mets pitcher; and umpire Tom Gorman, who was behind the plate, back to Shea for a reunion in 1984. I had a great time. You never think you're making history when you're involved in something like that.

Q: Speaking of history, where were you when Bill Mazeroski hit the homer to win the 1960 World Series?

A: I don't know. That all happened so fast that most of the guys on the team never saw him do it. I guess I was in the dugout getting ready to do something.

Q: What was it like going from a reserve to an every-day-player in a pennant race?

A: It was exciting, but that entire season was like that in '60. When Dick Groat got hurt I pretty much knew it was going to be up to me to fill in until he came back. I just happened to get hot with the bat at the right time.

Q: Do you consider yourself a Pirates player even though you played for other teams?

A: I do. I enjoyed playing in Pittsburgh. We had a lot of good guys on those teams. I still try to follow the Pirates as much as I can, although I can see the Cubs on TV just about any time.

Q: Which manager did you like playing for?

A: I liked [Pirates manager] Danny Murtaugh and another guy I liked was [Dodgers manager] Walter Alston. They were similar in that they were guys you could sit down and talk to ... down-to-earth people. I also played for Dick Williams in Boston and got along with him. The guy I didn't enjoy playing for was Harry Walker in Pittsburgh.

Q: Was there a pitcher you had great success hitting?

A: Well, I didn't mind hitting against Don Drysdale, so I must have had some success. I can name you a lot of pitchers I didn't have much success against. One of them was Chris Short of Philadelphia. He was always tough on me.

Game On! E-mail Rich Emert at emert196@attbi.com