Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Cubs of '69 Recollections of the Team That Should Have Been by Rick Talley `INCIDENT` DOESN`T HAUNT FORMER CUB. There is always another side to the story. For almost 20 years, I was convinced, along with many others, that Don Young had gone into hiding, his life irretrievably broken after he had misplayed two fly balls during the Cubs` fateful 1969 season. Also, that Young was still angry with Ron Santo, who had criticized him for lackadaiscal play. I was wrong on both counts. I saw Young at a reunion Saturday of the `69 Cubs. He looked fine to me, sartorially elegant, trim, as healthy and spirited as any of his former teammates. And he has no grudge against Santo. Just the opposite. He insisted he has always been grateful to Santo, whom, he said, was constantly helping him, especially in spring training when the Cubs brought him up from the low minors. ''If it wasn`t for Santo, I might not have made the club,'' Young recalled. ''He was always telling me about the different pitchers, what to expect. He was very supportive.'' A fierce competitor, Santo was the captain of the `69 Cubs and wasn`t always able to control his emotions. It was never much of a problem except on July 8, after a day game against the Mets at Shea Stadium. The Cubs, with Ferguson Jenkins pitching, led 3-1 going into the ninth. Young misjudged Ken Boswell`s fly ball. Instead of coming in, he broke back and was unable to recover. Boswell turned it into a double. One out later, Young raced into left-center for Donn Clendenon`s drive, had the ball in his glove but dropped it a step before he crashed into the wall. Although Boswell stopped at third, Clendenon was credited with a double. What has been forgotten is Jenkins still had his 3-1 lead. Jenkins then gave up more hits. The Mets won 4-3 on Ed Kranepool`s single. After the game, manager Leo Durocher blamed Young for the loss. Among other things, Durocher said, ''My 3-year-old could have caught those balls.'' It`s permissible for a manager to criticize one of his players, but not for a teammate. Santo was equally critical: ''He was just thinking about himself. He had a bad day at the plate, so he`s got his head down. He`s worrying about his batting average, not the team.'' Angry because Young had hastily dressed and left the clubhouse, Santo added, ''He can keep going out of sight for all I care.'' Within hours, Santo realized his mistake. He apologized to Young personally, and at noon the next day called a press conference and made a public apology. That was the end of Young as the Cubs` center-fielder. If Durocher hadn`t benched Young, the next night Tom Seaver may have pitched a perfect game. Jimmy Qualls, Young`s replacement, destroyed Seaver`s bid with a single with one out in the ninth. It was Young`s last season in the majors. He finished in the minors and retired a month into the `72 season, when he was with the Des Moines club in the Triple-A American Association. What has happened to him since has a mythic quality and could be made into a baseball novel. For many years, the general belief was Young had purposely buried himself in anonymity, an assumption supported by Rick Talley in his book, ''The Cubs of `69: Recollections of the Team That Should Have Been.'' Talley contacted virtually all of the members of the `69 club with the exception of Young. Wrote Talley: ''Donald Wayne Young, age 43, Social Security Number 523-56-7717, 6-feet-2 inches, brown hair, glasses, lacking in self-esteem, has been known to wear disguises.'' ''Talley`s book is the biggest collection of baloney,'' Young said Saturday at Donnelley Hall while signing autographs during the team reunion. ''He said I ran around in disguises, which wasn`t true at all.'' Young conceded a lady friend had given him a long-haired wig he wore two or three times when they went dancing. A bachelor, Young moved often, but insisted his name always was in the phone book. ''In his book, Talley makes it come out like I`m a poor slob, cleaning golf clubs for $2 an hour,'' Young said. ''I did clean golf clubs, but I did a lot more than that. And I was making $5 an hour. At that time, I was a full-time student at Scottsdale Junior College. I worked at the golf club only on weekends.'' I remembered Yosh Kawano, the Cubs` long-time equipment manager, told me he had seen Young and that he was a mailman and living in Phoenix. Young said he never was a mailman but that Yosh probably was confused because in 1980 or `81, he went to the Cubs` clubhouse in Scottsdale to get a Cubs cap for a neighbor who was a mailman. ''He wanted a cap for his son,'' Young recalled. ''When I was in the clubhouse, the only player I recognized was Randy Hundley. I remember Randy came over and said hello.'' A free spirit, unencumbered by material possessions, Young moves with the seasons. ''I go from the warm weather to the mountains, and when it`s cold in the mountains, I go back to the desert,'' he explained. ''Basically, I`ve been all over.'' He ran a milling machine in Phoenix, ran a lathe in Houston making valves for the oil fields, was a groundskeeper in Reno, Nev., as well as for the Paradise Valley (Ariz.) School District. He drove a truck, delivering ice and dairy products in the Phoenix area. Young now is living in Colorado, a few miles out of Ft. Collins. He is between jobs. Finding work has never been a problem. ''I`m a good employee. I always do a good job. I have a stack of references.'' I asked what happened after that game in which he didn`t catch those two fly balls, what has lived in Cubs lore as ''The Don Young Incident.'' ''I was so ashamed, I ran into the clubhouse,'' Young said. ''I took a shower in eight seconds. I got lost outside of Shea Stadium. I wandered into drugstore and called a cab. You have a hard time looking your teammates in the face after screwing up like that. ''I don`t know what effect that had on my life. Who knows? But I probably wouldn`t have played in the major leagues again. I couldn`t throw any more. My arm wasn`t good enough.'' The ''Don Young Incident'' occurred in the 84th game of the season. One month later, on the morning of Aug. 8, the Cubs were in first place, 8 1/2 games ahead. Cubs of '69: Recollections of the Team That Should Have Been. 1. The Cubs of '69: Recollections of the Team That Should Have Been. Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # BBB_newA_0809241560. 2. The Cubs of '69: Recollections of the Team That Should Have Been. Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Brand New!. Seller Inventory # VIB0809241560. 3. The Cubs of '69: Recollections of the Team That Should Have Been Talley, Rick. Book Description Condition: New. New. Seller Inventory # Q-0809241560. 4. The Cubs of '69: Recollections of the Team That Should Have Been. Book Description Condition: New. A+ Customer service! Satisfaction Guaranteed! Book is in NEW condition. Seller Inventory # 0809241560- 2-1. Shop With Us. Sell With Us. About Us. Find Help. Other AbeBooks Companies. Follow AbeBooks. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. Copyright © 1996 - 2021 AbeBooks Inc. & AbeBooks Europe GmbH. All Rights Reserved. 1969 Chicago Cubs. The 1969 Chicago Cubs appeared to be headed for the postseason for the first time in over 20 years. Their lineup was led by three future Hall of Famers, first baseman Ernie Banks, third baseman Ron Santo and outfielder Billy Williams. Santo clubbed 29 homers and drove in 123 runs, and All-Star catcher Randy Hundley provided experience behind the plate. The pitching staff was led by a pair of 20-game winners, Bill Hands and another future Hall of Famer, Ferguson Jenkins. In the first year of divisional play, the Cubs jumped to an early advantage in the NL East, leading by two games going into May. By June 15th, the lead had extended to 9 games, before dipping to 3.5 on July 9th. But the Cubbies would go on a tear, winning 22 of their next 33 games which gave the Cubs a nine-game lead on the New York Mets on August 16th. But by September 8th, the lead was down to just 2 1/2 games, going into a two-game series against New York in Shea Stadium. The Mets won both games and took over the division lead on September 10th, never surrendering it, as the Cubs dropped 12 out of their last 20 games to finish eight games behind the Mets. One of the turning points of the season was manager Leo Durocher's handling of his centerfielders. The incumbent, Adolfo Phillips, who, like many others, had slumped during the "Year of the Pitcher" in 1968, was hurt in spring training. It took him a month to return to action, and Durocher questioned his willingness to play. In the meantime he anointed rookie Don Young, promoted straight from Class A, as his centerfielder, and in mid-June ensured that Phillips was traded away.