{"id":165,"date":"2018-07-28T17:39:48","date_gmt":"2018-07-28T22:39:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/?page_id=165"},"modified":"2023-06-02T11:25:38","modified_gmt":"2023-06-02T16:25:38","slug":"george-culver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/?p=165","title":{"rendered":"George Culver"},"content":{"rendered":"

A no-hitter and so much more<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Fifty years ago \u2013 July 29, 1968 \u2013 Reds pitcher George Culver<\/span> threw a no-hitter against \"Culverthe Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium. (See the story about the game here.<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u201cNolan Ryan did that seven times; maybe it got boring to him. But it was exciting to me,\u201d Culver said in a recent interview.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s proud of the no-hitter, but it was not the biggest thrill of his career; and he wants to be remembered for more than one glorious night in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

Culver pitched nine seasons in the major leagues (1966-1974), and he had a 30-year career in baseball after his playing days as a pitching coach, manager, and minor-league coordinator. He has also worked tirelessly to help others in the Bakersfield, California area, raising large sums of money for various baseball programs and to help children.<\/p>\n

“I played in a great era.”<\/strong> — George Culver<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cSeeing your name on that locker every day for nine years \u2013 that<\/em> was a thrill!\u201d he exclaimed. \u201cJust to make it is an incredible feat. Anything that happened after that was gravy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI played in a great era,\u201d he continued. \u201cI played with or against something like 50 Hall of Fame players. Every day at the ballpark, you might be pitching against two or three future Hall of Famers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Culver was signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent at age 19, May 9, 1963. He was 7-6 with a 2.07 ERA in 22 appearances (19 starts, three shutouts) covering 139 innings in A-ball.<\/p>\n

But after that promising rookie season, he was selected by Cleveland in the first-year player draft December 2, 1963. During the next three seasons in AA and AAA, he was a combined 39-29 in 100 games, of which 86 were starts.<\/p>\n

He was called up to Cleveland in September 1966, where a big surprise awaited the \"Culverlongtime starting pitcher:<\/p>\n

\u201cThey got the idea that I was a closer-type guy,\u201d he said. \u201cI had no experience at that. It was a mistake on their part.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 1967 with Cleveland, he set a then-rookie-record for appearances with 53 \u2013 all but one of which were in relief.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t like relief,\u201d he said. \u201cBut you do what you have to do to stay in the big leagues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Culver was on the move again after the 1967 season, when he was traded with Bob Raudman and Fred Whitfield to Cincinnati for Tommy Harper.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I got to Cincinnati, [manager] Dave Bristol had seen me start in the minors,<\/p>\n

\"Culver
Spring training 1968<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

and he said, \u2018you\u2019re a starter.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut at the start of the 1968 season, we were short of pitchers because of injuries, so I had to pitch relief and <\/em>start,\u201d he said. Culver pitched a career-high 226 innings that season, making 35 starts and pitching in relief seven times.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy 226 innings was 35th<\/sup> in baseball that year,\u201d he said, laughing. \u201cIt shows you how much the game has\u00a0 changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

But there was a price to be paid for such a heavy workload.<\/p>\n

\u201c[1968] took a lot out of me. Next year I was still doing both [starting and relief] and I got hepatitis, so I sat out about half the year. Came back late in the year, and I was still weak.\u201d<\/p>\n

Culver pitched in 32 games in 1969, only 13 of which were starts. He was 5-7 with a 4.26 ERA and four saves.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen Sparky Anderson got the manager\u2019s job, and he traded me to the Cardinals [for Ray Washburn],\u201d Culver said. \u201cThe Cardinals made me a starter, and I was doing fine until I hurt my arm, so they put me in the bullpen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Culver was, in fact, the Cardinals\u2019 Opening Day starter in 1970, \u201cand I was a hero. But then I started having arm problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, Culver never started a major-league game after the 1970 season.<\/p>\n

“You do what you have to do to stay in the big leagues.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

— George Culver<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThen the Cardinals traded me to Houston, and Houston never gave me a chance to start,\u201d he remembers. \u201cThey just put me in the bullpen. I was a reliever from then on, even though I asked to start and wanted to start.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just never worked out. Houston had a really good starting staff in those days: Larry Dierker, Don Wilson, Denny Lemaster, and some young kids who were good.\u201d<\/p>\n

His chances to be a starter didn\u2019t improve when the Dodgers purchased his contract at the end of spring training in 1973.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went to the Dodgers in 1973, and they had Don Sutton and Tommy John and Claude Osteen.\u00a0 No chance to start there, either,\u201d he said. He made 28 relief appearances for the Dodgers, and the Phillies claimed Culver off waivers in August of that season. He was 3-1\/4.82 for Philadelphia, and Culver split the 1974 season between AAA and the majors.<\/p>\n

1974 was his final major-league season. He pitched in AAA and in Japan before retiring.<\/p>\n

What was it like to pitch for so many organizations? And did it bother him to be traded so often?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you get traded that many times, you\u2019re kind of hurt because you lose your friends,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s like changing schools. I changed schools a lot when I was a kid, and that kind of prepared me.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt hurts because you think you\u2019re not wanted, but then you think about it and realize someone else does<\/em> want you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Culver sees his somewhat-nomadic playing career in positive terms.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m glad it happened that way, because I was kind of a mediocre player — the only thing I missed was being on a championship team \u2013 but I got the chance to play with a lot of great players and managers.<\/p>\n

\u201cRed Schoendienst, Leo Durocher, Walt Alston, Tommy Lasorda when he was a coach — I was able to brush up against a lot of Hall of Fame guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has a special place for his manager in Cincinnati, though.<\/p>\n

\"Dave-Bristol-Reds-photo\"
Dave Bristol<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cDave Bristol was like one of the guys. We had so much fun with him,\u201d Culver said with a laugh. \u201cHe was a players\u2019 manager, but he could be tough when he had to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was so enthusiastic, and a great guy to play for. My favorite manager, ever.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

— George Culver, on Cincinnati manager Dave Bristol<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Culver noted the self-reliance players had to have during his MLB playing days.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t remember a coach ever helping me with anything,\u201d he said. \u201cBut that\u2019s not a knock on the coaches. Coaches were a bridge to the manager; they didn\u2019t do a lot of instruction. You had to do it on your own.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI once lost a game in Cleveland, and I was in the shower when the pitching coach told me I should have thrown a curve ball to get a certain hitter out, instead of what I threw him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t even have<\/em> a curve ball then.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what to do?<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned from other hitters and veteran pitchers. I learned a lot from [Dodgers pitcher] Claude Osteen. They would find things pitching coaches never did,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Dodgers were the first team I played for who used video,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI would go in at 1:00 and watch video. I studied it religiously. Now, they study video over and over.\u201d<\/p>\n

After he retired as a player, Culver \u201cworked locally with some kids in Bakersfield,\u201d he said. He also met his future wife, Rosie, whose son was a local high-school player.<\/p>\n

A second career in baseball was just beginning.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 1978, the guy who owned the Bakersfield team in the Cal League called and asked me to be the pitching coach. I said, \u2018No, but I will<\/em> be the manager.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe guy said, \u2018That\u2019s better yet. You\u2019re the manager.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI got excited about managing,\u201d Culver said. \u00a0\u201cIt was fun. But after a year, they changed ownership\/management.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen in 1981, Ron Clark — a buddy who worked for the Phillies as their AA manager \u2013 asked if I wanted to be his pitching coach. I said, \u2018when do we start?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Culver was eventually made the Phillies\u2019 roving pitching coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to go to AAA with Clark, but they had a veteran pitching coach. And halfway through the year, [Clark] got fired,\u201d Culver said. Not getting that AAA job ended up being a break for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI probably would have been fired with Clark,\u201d he said. \u201cInstead, Tony Taylor became manager, and I was his pitching coach at AAA for three years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Culver was then named manager of AA Reading, and they finished first in the \"Culverregular season but lost in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

He worked for the Phillies for 20 years in various roles. He\u2019s particularly fond of the time he spent as minor-league pitching coordinator:<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved the pitching-coordinator job, because you\u2019re in charge of all the pitchers and where they play. Who gets sent down, what moves you want to make.<\/p>\n

Still \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a great job, but my real love was managing,\u201d Culver confessed. \u201cEver since I was a little kid, I loved the nuances of the game and the strategy. I really loved managing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, some of the players would say I was a better pitching coach than manager,\u201d he laughed. \u201cBut I knew pitching and I knew defense and how to position guys; how to get pitchers ready, and when to take them out. And I was my own pitching coach.\u201d<\/p>\n

How did he develop his managerial style?<\/p>\n

\u201cI learned a lot from everybody,\u201d Culver said. \u201cBut Don Blasingame, field coordinator for Phillies, would sit in the stands with me and talk strategy, and I learned a lot from him.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, after 20 years with the Phillies and ten years with the Dodgers, Culver realized it was time to end this phase of his baseball career. He had married Rosie, and \u201cmy wife, I didn\u2019t want to leave her alone; travel was getting harder,\u201d he said. He was working for the Dodgers, in charge of extended spring training, and he gave each of the system\u2019s pitching coaches a one-week break during the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut in 2010, I woke up one day and said, \u2018I\u2019m not gonna do this anymore.\u2019 I told the farm director of the Dodgers August 1, so they would have time to get a replacement for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy last game was in early September against Bakersfield. It was very special, because I grew up in that ballpark as a batboy and shagging balls. I was a baseball rat when I was a little kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Culver wasn\u2019t through with baseball, however. His charity work and fundraising \u2013 much of it to benefit the Bakersfield area \u2013 was ongoing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the late 1980s, we started The Light Brigade, like Paul Revere,\u201d he said. \u201cThe goal was to put lights in stadiums.\u201d Eventually, a number of high schools and colleges got new lights and\/or scoreboards as a result, and funds were also raised to help supply needy kids with baseball equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of fun, and really rewarding,\u201d he said. \u201cI can bring guys I know \u2013 guys I played with \u2013 here to town for different events, and they are all good to me. They don\u2019t ask for anything. They are here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough my contacts in baseball, I can do things that benefit the community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s proud of Bakersfield, and he\u2019s grateful for what the area gave to him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI owe this area a lot. This area did a lot for me. If it wasn\u2019t for this area and the coaches I had here, I never would have been what I was as a baseball player for as long as I was,\u201d Culver said.<\/p>\n

Culver is especially grateful to his wife of 40+ years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had poor off-field habits,\u201d Culver said. \u201cIf I had taken better care of myself, and met Rosie earlier, I would have probably payed another four or five years in the big leagues.<\/p>\n

What happened?<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter I got back from Japan, I was on a big downhill spiral,\u201d he said with a trace of sadness in his voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was totally lost. No contracts; my name wasn\u2019t in the paper anymore. I didn\u2019t know what to do with myself. I had no education; the only thing I knew was baseball. I met her, and that started the ball rolling to get back in baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRosie saved my life.\u201d <\/strong>— George Culver, about his wife of 40+ years<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How does he view his career in baseball now?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m satisfied more with the coaching part than as a player,\u201d he said. \u201cYou always have regrets as a player. I tell players now, \u2018Don’t look back and have regrets. Give everything you have, and you won’t have to say, I could have done better.'”<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I enjoy what I\u2019m doing now,\u201d he said. \u201cI enjoy my retirement. I play a lot of golf, and I shoot my age on occasion. I still coach a travel team called the Bakersfield Dodgers, and do private pitching lessons.”<\/p>\n

George Culver is rightfully proud of what he has accomplished, on and off the field.<\/p>\n

\u201cClemente, McCovey — those guys, it was \u2018their\u2019 day every day. I tricked \u2019em,\u201d he laughed. \u201cI had a great career, even though I was mediocre. I was lucky to play nine years in the big leagues.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an honor to be on the field with those guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanks to George Culver for generously giving his time for this interview<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A no-hitter and so much more Fifty years ago \u2013 July 29, 1968 \u2013 Reds pitcher George Culver threw a no-hitter against the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium. (See the story about the game here.) […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-165","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-interviews"},"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=165"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4446,"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165\/revisions\/4446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haughtcorner.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}