Remembering Moon Man Minton

From the desk of Pigpen  Price

Back in the 1990s when I was a sportswriter in the Phoenix area , I wrote the following article entitled: GILBERT RESIDENT REMEMBERS LIFE IN THE BIG LEAGUES. For those old, old Giants fans out there, take a look at the following (which is cut down a bit to save some space).

Baseball fans will curl up on the sofa or ease into their favorite chair this week, press the button on the remote control and witness -- yet another World Series. A true die-hard fan dreams of playing in the Major Leagues. But the fantasy fades quickly and we are content setting comfortably ten feet away from the "tube" and watching our heroes do battle.

For local Gilbert resident, Greg Minton, the dream did come true. Minton made it to the "show" as a rookie relief pitcher in 1975 and before he was done -- hurled his way through fifteen major league seasons. Looking back on his career, Minton remembers, "I was a lucky man. I just happened to throw a 94 MPH fastball and most of the time, I didn't know where it was going. But, fortunately, the opposing batters weren't sure either."

Minton, now 42, and a Gilbert resident since 1987, spent six years in the minor leagues and at the age of 24, the young righthander finally got his call -- Candlestick Park and the San Francisco Giants. Greg played for the Giants till 1987 and finished his career with the California Angels, before retiring in 1990.

"I still remember the day I retired," said Minton. "I walked up to Angel manager Doug Rader in the dugout and told him I was through. I packed my belongings, got in my car and headed for Gilbert."

So on that day in 1990, it ended. Minton had thrown 1,130 innings, pitched in 710 games and had recorded 150 saves (good enough to place him 27th on the all-time saves list). The long seasons had taken its toll on Minton's 6'1", 180 lb. frame. The hard-throwing reliever suffered through three elbow, three shoulder and four knee operations. Minton's best season was 1982. Greg recorded 30 saves (one more than Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers), pitched 123 innings and finished fourth in the coveted Cy Young voting -- the prestigious award honoring the top pitcher of the year. His efforts placed him on the 1982 National League All-Star roster. The game was held in Montreal and the first All-Star game to be played outside the United States.

"I remember Tommy Lasorda (the Dodgers great manager) telling me to take the mound in the 8th inning. It was a thrill. I pitched to three batters before being pulled in the 9th inning," said Minton. "I was so pumped up with excitement, I hardly remember being out there."

(Actually, the National League won 4-1 and Minton came away unscathed after facing All-Star's Lance Parrish, Ben Oglivie and Rickey Henderson.)

The years in the majors has left Minton with many stories to tell. One of his favorite flashbacks occurred during his early days with the Giants, and it centered around the great Hall of Famer Wille McCovey (521 home runs, tied for 10th all-time). "I had the pleasure of playing with a lot of great players over the years and McCovey was one classy individual," states Minton.

Still a nervous rookie, Minton was sorting through his gear in the Giant lockerroom and discovered he had two pair of black baseball shoes. The young pitcher had a problem. Minton found out rather quickly that the Giants only took the field in white shoes.

The next day Minton found two pair of white shoes in his locker. Willie had taken it on himself to drive to town, purchase the much-needed items, return to the stadium and place the shoes inside Greg's locker. Minton opened his locker and found his new shoes -- correct size and all. McCovey walked by, looked down at the youngster and said, "Now you're ready to play ball."

The stories are endless. Minton recalls his first pitching assignment in Yankee stadium. "That put a lump in my throat," said Minton. "Mickey Mantle was my favorite player growing up and I was in awe of the surroundings."

Six years have gone by since Minton stepped foot onto Yankee Stadium. Three years have past since he handed his last baseball to the Angel manager in Anaheim. But the memories, they will linger for a long time to come.

Minton is now content -- giving back all the baseball knowledge he has accumulated over the years to the kids in the Gilbert area. Greg coaches Little League and works constantly in other children-orientated events in the area. Minton, now 69, is now a successful real estate agent and his wife, Kari  Granville Minton, is a Phoenix attorney and an All-American archer in 1987-88 at Arizona State University and a former member of the USA Archery team.

Photo: Minton, back in the day. Minton is now 69.