Another pretty good Pudge/Nolan story that Pudge told me........
Pudge had been in the Big League's a couple/three years by now and it was spring training time. One afternoon they were having an intersquad game, and Nolan was pitching, but Pudge happened to be on the opposing team so he was at the plate. He said by some act of God he swung at a fastball out over the plate and launched one out of the park to right center field. He couldn't believe it either. The next time at he was at the plate Nolan drilled him in the left thigh with a "toned down" 90mph fastball. Pudge said it was a more glancing blow thank goodness. In typical Nolan fashion he was about half way to home plate after the incident, and Pudge by than had dropped his bat and started towards first base. He says to Nolan "hey man, what are you doing, I'ts SPRING TRAINING.....I'm still your every day catcher"! Nolan had a grin on his face and replied, "you know I can't let you or anyone else get away with that don't you"? Pudge told me........."That's why I love Nolan, and that's exactly the kind of guy I want on my team"!
I thought that was just an awesome story.
Heard a story once that the Cardinals had a father/son game for fun in spring training and Bob Gibson knocked his son down for crowding the Plate
