Baseball Chronicle on Steve Garvey

[1905 Giants]

In Baseball Chronicles, there's a small bit about Steve Garvey where it says he was seen as a politician and phony by many. I've never heard that any place else, so are they just personal grudging or what?

[9RoyHobbsRF]

very common description of garvey

he was going to go into politics until he turned his life into three babies and a man

In Baseball Chronicles, there's a small bit about Steve Garvey where it says he was seen as a politician and phony by many. I've never heard that any place else, so are they just personal grudging or what?

[Bothrops Atrox]

very common description of garvey

he was going to go into politics until he turned his life into three babies and a man

A lot of men have three babies. Of course Garvey did so with three different women (not to mention another one or two adulteresses in which he miraculously did not manage to impregnate). One of those pregnant women was arrested for not allowing Garvey to see his daughter; a daughter that talked about how much she hated him.

The "phony" angle comes from his previous image. His nickname was "Mr. Clean" and Lasorda once said of him: "If he ever came to date my daughter, I'd lock the door and not let him out." What Lasorda didn't know was that Garvey probably was dating his daughter.

[Steven Gallanter]

In Baseball Chronicles, there's a small bit about Steve Garvey where it says he was seen as a politician and phony by many. I've never heard that any place else, so are they just personal grudging or what?

Don Sutton made very public comments along those lines about Garvey in 1977 following a physical fight with Garvey. Steve Garvey was a very good player at his peak producing 200 hits and 100 RBIs with metronomic consistency. With his square jaw, ready smile and willingness to be interviewed he came to be seen as the antidote to the side burned, Afro ed and Latino players of the 1970's N.L. At one point there was a Jr. High named after him.

Garvey's Teflon wore off after an article in Inside Sports by Pat Jordan TROUBLE IN PARADISE revealed his marital discord wife with his wife Cyndi, an L.A. talk show hostess. Shortly thereafter Garvey's children out of wedlock came to ligth.

For whatever it's worth Dick Williams' NO MORE MR. NICE GUY speaks well of the professionalism that Garvey bought to the pennant winning 1984 Padres.

stevegallanter.wordpress.com

[Captain Cold Nose]

In Baseball Chronicles, there's a small bit about Steve Garvey where it says he was seen as a politician and phony by many. I've never heard that any place else, so are they just personal grudging or what?

Jay Johnstone, in his first book, said Garvey would probably be a Senator some day. But he meant it in a respectful manner. Garvey carried himself as a leader and superstar, some liked it, some did not. Johnstone apparently was in the former category.

One thing that has always stood out in my mind about him was he was the sole former teammate who came to Alan Wiggins's funeral.