22 July, 2004

Richardson recalls Blast from the Past

     New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is disappointed. 

     No, it's not because he's worried about traffic congestion or security at next week's Democratic National Convention in Boston. 

     And it's not that his favorite baseball team - the Red Sox - is foundering too many games for comfort behind the dreaded Yankees. 

     No, it's because he won't be able to throw out the first ball at Saturday's Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star game in Orleans. 

     "I was looking forward to it, but circumstances will prevent it," he said in a telephone interview Tuesday, citing logistics with security and the demands of the convention, of which he is chairman. 

     He does plan to watch the playoffs the second week of August while staying in Harwich Port with former Lt. Gov. Tom O'Neill. 

     Richardson has fond memories of 1967, his one season in the Cape League, and retains ties to it. A sophomore at Tufts University at the time, he was a middle reliever "with a pretty good ERA and strikeout ratio. But I wasn't destined to go to the majors." 

     He recalls rooming with the Savery family in Cotuit while playing for the Kettleers. "I used to do landscaping to pay for the room and board. We had to work pretty hard," he said. 

     One of Richardson's memories (maybe not a fond one, but one he talks about) is the home run Hall of Famer Thurman Munson hit off him while with the Chatham A's. "Munson was one of the best hitters in the league. I served him one of my best fastballs and I think it's still going," he laughed. 

     According to Kettleers general manager Bruce Murphy, Richardson has been a fan and supporter of Cotuit for many years, and attends games most summers. "He has attended as a senator, as secretary of energy under Bill Clinton and last year as governor of New Mexico," says Murphy in an e-mail. 

     "He comes with his security people and sits behind home plate," Murphy says. "I had him speak to the team in the past about his playing days. He's very personable and we enjoy his visits each year." 

     The year following his Cape League stint, Richardson's major league aspirations faded when he developed a serious elbow injury. "I threw too many curveballs and my arm was gone. That's when I decided to go into politics," he quipped. 

     He graduated from Tufts' Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1971 and went on to serve as a congressman for 15 years, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and secretary of the Department of Energy before becoming governor of New Mexico in 2002. 

     "I was proud to be [mentioned] in one of the books written on the Cape League a couple of years ago. And I'm a yearly contributor to the Kettleers; I always watch them at Brewster; I like to park myself on one of my favorite hills [at Cape Tech] with my cigars and security [people]." 

     Cape League Hall of Famer Arnold Mycock, who Richardson still stays in touch with, remembers him as "a good reliever for the Kettleers in 1967. He pitched in 11 games, 17 1/3 innings, gave up 10 hits, six runs, had a 1.04 earned run average, lost his only decision and 20 had strikeouts. He was a national selection of Mexico for the Pan-Am Games in 1966 and was drafted by Kansas City that year. 

     "He was a very even-tempered young man, much like he is in later life where he shows great patience," Mycock says. 

     Four times nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize (1995, 1997, 2000 and 2001), and talked about as a possible vice presidential running mate before John Kerry selected John Edwards, Richardson's experience in diplomacy will be tested next week in Boston and the weeks to come during the election campaign.