- Robin Roberts
The door to the restaurant swung open and Steve Carlton walked in. He was wearing yellow slacks, a green Izod shirt and a tan that made it evident he hadn't gone too many days lately without getting in at least 18 holes.
His handshake was firm and genuine, his smile warm. For a guy who had been out of work for more than two months and who had to be coaxed by his wife to be interviewed, he was surprisingly at ease.
This was the way Steve Carlton used to be when he first arrived in Philadelphia in 1972. Open, engaging, gregarious. Back then, he obliged every interviewer, signed every autograph, accepted every banquet invitation. Then he went 13-20 the next season and decided to re-evaluate his priorities.
Now, with his playing career probably over, he is re-evaluating them again. ''My wife convinced me that if I want to find a job after I'm through (playing), having my name in the paper doesn't hurt," he said.
Carlton, who will turn 44 in December, still is holding out a glimmer of hope that he will be pitching again soon. But only a glimmer. Two weeks ago, he became pessimistic enough to stop throwing.
"I just got tired of going over to Jack Russell (Stadium, where the Class A Clearwater Phillies play)," he said. "Nobody would get there until about 2:30 in the afternoon. So I'd go over and play long toss. I was going to start throwing to a catcher. But then they went on the road for a week. Nobody was calling. So, I said the hell with it.
"If I was assured that there might be a job out there, I'd continue to
throw. Because I love it. It's what I'm good at. It's what I like to do. But nobody's really calling.
"(St. Louis Cardinals general manager) Dal Maxvill called a few weeks ago and asked if I'd be interested in going to Triple A and pitching. But I wouldn't go to the minors. That'd be tough. That's for the young guys.
