Dodgers teammates fondly recall Podres

By STAFF and WIRE REPORTS

Last update: January 15, 2008 - 12:13 AM

As soon as he heard Johnny Podres had died, Don Newcombe recalled that famous moment more than a half-century ago.

"My mind went back to Yankee Stadium, 1955, the seventh game of the World Series," said Newcombe, also a member of that Brooklyn Dodgers championship team. "I thank God for Johnny Podres. I remember how confident he was in the clubhouse before Game 7.

"[Manager] Walter Alston called a meeting and Johnny said, 'Just give me one run.' Well, they gave him two, and we were champs. He was a man of his word."

Podres, who became a storied figure in Dodgers lore for pitching Brooklyn to its only World Series title before the team moved west, died Sunday in Glens Falls, N.Y. He was 75. His wife, Joan, said he was being treated for heart and kidney problems and a leg infection.

"I lost a dear friend and a former teammate who excelled in big games," Dodgers Hall of Fame outfielder Duke Snider said.

Podres, a portly lefthander who went on to serve as Twins pitching coach in the 1980s, was picked for four All-Star games and was the first MVP in World Series history, becoming a hero to every baseball fan in Brooklyn when the Dodgers ended decades of frustration by beating the Yankees to win the 1955 World Series -- the Dodgers' first championship in eight Series trips, including five consecutive losses to the Yankees.

"He represented the Dodgers to the highest degree of class, dignity and character," said Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda, who roomed with Podres. "He was a great roomie, a great teammate, and a great friend."

Glaus-Rolen trade done

Scott Rolen was traded from the St. Louis Cardinals to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday for Troy Glaus in a swap of All-Star third basemen that was finalized after both players passed physicals.

Rolen, 32, hit a total of 35 home runs the past three years while being hindered by a left shoulder injury that has required three operations. He and Tony La Russa have clashed since the 2006 postseason, when the manager benched Rolen.

Glaus, 31, was hampered by a bad left foot last year while hitting 20 homers in 115 games. He totaled 75 homers in 2005-06 and has two 40-homer seasons.

Etc.

• Bud Selig and Donald Fehr return to Capitol Hill today, three years after a theatrical hearing where the baseball commissioner and players' union head were chastised for what lawmakers called a lax steroids policy. Also appearing before the House Oversight Committee today will be former Senate majority leader George Mitchell, who filed baseball's report on the steroids era last month.

• Atlanta has its replacement for center fielder Andruw Jones, competing a trade that brought Mark Kotsay from Oakland. The Braves sent reliever Joey Devine and a minor league pitcher to the rebuilding Athletics, who were expected to pick up about $5 million of Kotsay's $7.35 million salary.

• Mike Cameron and the Brewers completed a $7 million, one-year contract after reaching an agreement last week pending a physical.

• Don Cardwell, who pitched a no-hitter and helped the Mets win the 1969 World Series, died at age 72. He pitched for five teams from 1957 to '70.

• Chris Shelton was cut by the Rangers, a little more than a month after they acquired him in a trade with the Tigers.

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