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Mr. Ronald "Gator, Louisiana Lightning" Guidry

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Articles, photos, and other information surrounding Ron Guidry’s profile can be found in Archived News in both the October, 2015 and November, 2015 pages.
To view, click on any story at www.athleticnetwork.net – Archived News link in upper left, then both the month/year you wish to view. Ron’s profile was updated by Ed Dugas on Jan. 1, 2016, as it had become too extensive to be placed here. Also, being placed in the Archived News allows for the retention of photos, whereas profiles do no allow photos.

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Table of Contents to the Footnote Section of Ron Guidry’s profile.
1. Louisiana Legend, Ron Guidry – 2008 Baseball Media Guide
2. Guidry tournament a who’swho of baseball – Dan McDonald, Daily Advertiser – Nov. 14, 2006
3. Guidry continues annual golf tourney – Dan McDonald, Daily Advertiser – Nov.7, 2007
4. ‘Gator’ intimidated? Yeah, right – CajunBlog by Dan McDonald, Daily Advertiser
5. Guidry back in Big Apple – Dan McDonald, Daily Advertiser, Nov. 6, 2005
6. Guidry to coach Yankee pitchers – Bruce Brown, Daily Advertiser – Nov. 5, 2005
7. January/February 2004 issue of SLEMCO Power, two stories – George Fawcett, Don Allen, Mary Laurent
The Cajun Yankee: The Legacy of Ron Guidry
Lessons For Life From The Field of Dreams
8. Yankees retire number of Louisiana Lightning – Daily Advertiser – Aug. 24, 2003
9. Louisiana Lightning Still Casts A Long Shadow – Don Allen – Times of Acadiana
10. Prides of Acadiana by Bruce Brown, 1980. (The hard-back book is copyrighted and contains a chapter on each of fourteen athletes who were a member of an athletic team at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette).

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Courtesy Chris Yandle, Sports Information, 2008 Baseball Media Guide

Louisiana Legend, Ron Guidry

Ron Guidry made his major league debut in 1975 with the New York Yankees. His first full season came in 1977, when the Lafayette native finished the season with a 16-7 record and 2.82 ERA, while striking out 176 batters. Guidry is perhaps remembered most for his magical season of 1978. That year, ï¿½Gatorï¿½, as he was known to fans and teammates, delivered one of the best pitching records in major league history. Guidry compiled a 25-3 record with a 1.74 earned run average. He set a then-Yankee record with 248 strikeouts and also pitched nine shutouts. Guidry started all 35 games in which he appeared. That season, the New York Yankees won their 22nd world championship when they defeated the Los Angeles Dodges 4-2.

Guidry received many honors and awards for that season, most notably the Cy Young Award. He finished second in the American League MVP voting behind Boston Red Sox outfielder Jim Rice. Guidry was voted Sporting News Player of the Year, Sporting News Man of the Year, AP Male Athlete of the Year and was selected to the AP, UPI and Sporting News All-Star teams.

ï¿½Gatorï¿½ would go on to enjoy two more 20-win seasons in 1983 (21) and 1985 (22). He would only surpass the 200K mark one more time in his career (1979). During his 14-year major league career, Guidry won five consecutive Gold Glove awards from 1982-86. He led the American League in ERA in 1978 and 1979. On June 17, 1978, Guidry set the then-American League record for strikeouts with 18. From 1977 to 1985, Guidry compiled nine-straight double-digit win seasons. In 1983, Guidry pitched a career high 21 complete games.

On July 13, 1988, Ron Guidry announced his retirement from the Yankees and Major League Baseball. Guidry finished his stellar career with a 170-91 overall record and 3.29 ERA and 1,778 strikeouts.

RON GUIDRY ON HISTORIC YANKEE STADIUM

ï¿½Twenty-seven years ago, I walked into the stadium for the first time and I remember looking at this field and seeing how beautiful this place was…I feel fortunate not only that I got to play pro ball, but I got to play it with the only team I ever wanted to play pro ball for. ï¿½

RON GUIDRY DAY

On August 23, 2003, Guidry was honored at Yankee Stadium before the Yankees played the Baltimore Orioles. Guidryï¿½s uniform number was retired and was presented with a plague in Monument Park, which includes some of greatest players to ever don a Yankees uniform like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio. He became the 16th player in team history–and the second pitcher–to have his number
retired in the 101-year history of the Yankees. Whitey Ford is the only other pitcher in team history to have his number retired. Former teammates Goose Gossage and Don Mattingly were among those in attendance to honor Guidry. Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra and Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Tony Robichaux were also in attendance for ï¿½Ron Guidry Dayï¿½ in New York City.

COLLEGIATE CAREER

In 1969, Ron Guidry led then-Southwestern Louisiana to a fourth-place finish in the Gulf States Conference with a 12-12 conference record and a 14-16 overall mark. Guidry finished the season 5-1 en route to second team All-Gulf State Conference honors. Guidry finished his freshman
campaign with a 1.57 ERA, allowing just 10 earned runs on 36 hits in 56.1 innings. Guidry struck out 50 batters. In 1970, Guidry led the Cajuns
to a runner-up finish in the Gulf States Conference. Then-USL, under head coach Bob Banna, compiled a 26-15 overall record with a 15-9
mark in conference play. ï¿½The Raginï¿½ Cajunï¿½, as he would later be known as with the New York Yankees, earned a 7-4 overall record with a 2.37 ERA and 87 strikeouts. Although Guidryï¿½s name is not dotted all over the record books, his1969 freshman season has been noted as one of the bestperformances by a pitcher in Gulf States Conference history. Guidry finished his two-year college stint with a 12-5 record with a 2.03 ERA. He finished with 137 career strikeouts.

RON GUIDRY, THE PITCHING COACH

Prior to the 2006 season, Guidry joined the New York Yankess coaching staff as the Pitching Coach. In 2006, he led the Yankees pitching staff to a Major League-best 97-65 record in his debut season. Prior to joining the staff, Guidry served as a spring training instructor since 1990 with the Yankees organization.

Athletic Network Footnote: Guidry also served as the pitching coach for the 2007 season and returned to the Yankees in 2008 as a spring training pitching instructor. (Conversation with Ron Guidry on February 26, 2008).

CAREER STATISTICS

Year Team G-GS W-L SV ERA CG IP H R-ER BB SO

1975 NYY 10-1 0-1 0 3.45 0 15.2 15 6-6 9 15

1976 NYY 7-0 0-0 0 5.63 0 16.0 20 12-10 4 12

1977 NYY 31-25 16-7 1 2.82 9 210.2 174 72-66 65 176

1978 NYY 35-35 25-3 0 1.74 16 273.2 187 61-53 72 248

1979 NYY 33-30 18-8 2 2.78 15 236.1 203 83-73 71 201

1980 NYY 37-29 17-10 1 3.56 5 219.2 215 97-87 80 166

1981 NYY 23-21 11-5 0 2.76 0 127.0100 41-39 26 104

1982 NYY 34-33 14-8 0 3.81 6 222.0 216 104-94 69 162

1983 NYY 31-31 21-9 0 3.42 21 250.1 232 99-95 60 156

1984 NYY 29-28 10-11 0 4.51 5 195.2 223 102-98 44 127

1985 NYY 34-33 22-6 0 3.27 11 259.0 243 104-94 42 143

1986 NYY 30-30 9-12 0 3.98 5 192.1 202 94-85 38 140

1987 NYY 22-17 5-8 0 3.67 2 117.2 111 50-48 38 96

1988 NYY 12-10 2-3 0 4.18 0 56.0 57 28-26 15 32

Career 368-323 170-91 4 3.29 95 2392.02198953-874 6331778

Courtesy Chris Yandle, Sports Information, 2008 Baseball Media Guide

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Guidry tournament a who’s who of baseball

Former Yankees Bauer, Skowron steal show at Oakbourne course

Dan McDonald, Daily Advertiser –

Hank Bauer and Moose Skowron are walking New York Yankee legends, still in demand for their time and appearance at baseball events. But they set aside two days every fall to come to Acadiana.
Why?

“For Ronnie,” Skowron said. “When he calls, I’m honored to come.”

“Everybody that’s here is here because of Ron Guidry,” Bauer said. “That’s what kind of guy he is. People in Louisiana love him, and we love him, too.”
Bauer and Skowron were among more than two dozen current and former baseball players and personalities assembled this weekend for two days of activities, not the least of which was Monday’s golf tournament at Oakbourne that benefited Guidry’s Winning Pitch Foundation.

The tournament and related activities, including a Sunday night player party at the sponsoring Cypress Bayou Casino, helps the Winning Pitch Foundation support local charities on a year-round basis. Special Olympics and the ALS Foundation, as well as local charities such as the Acadiana Outreach Center and the Miles Perret Center have benefited from past events.

For Guidry, though, it’s a labor of love, and a chance to span several generations of baseball people.

“Going back to when we started,” Guidry said, “the whole idea was to get baseball people together. We’ve got a lot of the guys from the ’50s and ’60s here, we’ve got some guys from the ’70s and ’80s, and we’ve got some guys that are playing today. We’ve got a good mix. That’s what makes it so popular.”

Bauer, Skowron, Bob Turley and Jake Gibbs represent that first group, guys that are part of the Yankee lore that is so close to Guidry, even before he took a position as the club’s pitching coach this season.

“Some of them are getting up in age and really can’t play golf much any more,” Guidry said, “but that really doesn’t matter. Just to have them riding along and listening to them tell the stories, that’s priceless to the guys that play with them.

“Those guys know that spending time with them and listening to their stories makes these people’s day, so they come every year and they have a great time.”

Several of Guidry’s peers also took part, as well as current major leaguers with local ties. Players like Gil Meche of the Seattle Mariners – now a free agent – , Ryan Theriot and Todd Walker of the Chicago Clubs, and Paul Bako and Scott Dohmann of the Kansas City Royals got the chance to either meet or renew acquaintances with several legends of the past.

“When you have a guy like Ron, it brings people out to play,” Meche said. “With the history he’s had with the Yankees, a lot of them are always here. It’s kind of like once you’re in the Yankee organization, you’re part of the history with all of them. It’s a close-knit group.

“It’s a great for me, to see guys who were so much a part of the history of the game, and who know my name because I happen to be pitching. To meet them, it gives you a sense of how important this is.”

Guidry himself wasn’t sure early in the year if it would all happen.

“Now that I’m back with the club, your goal is to still be playing baseball into late October,” he said. “Usually we’ve had this in late October, and that might have been pushing things a little because a lot of guys are still playing. We were able to get a November date, but then you’re always worried about weather and about who can come that far after the season.”

But Guidry said his return to the Yankees is also a benefit to the event, and in turn to the charitable causes.

“I’ll have a greater opportunity to get some of our current players involved,” he said. “We plan on making it even better every year.”

For some of the Yankee legends, it’s a good time just as it is.”

“Ron wants to keep the Yankee history alive,” said Skowron, who was wearing one of his nine World Series rings – eight with the Yankees, and one from the Chicago White Sox where he currently works in community relations. “We always kid him that we could have used him when we were playing.”

“We had a pretty good group of pitchers then, but we’d have still loved to have him,” Bauer said. “His stuff was really good, but he had that mentality of pitching and a fierce desire to win. He would fit into any era.”

By the time Monday’s tournament ended, Skowron and Bauer had told a day’s worth of stories and were just getting warmed up. Every time they took a seat and tried to get a bite to eat, people migrated over to hear more. The same scene unfolded at several other tables around Oakbourne’s clubhouse.

“This is pretty special,” said Dr. John Hendry, one of the tournament organizers. And he was right.

Originally published November 14, 2006

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Guidry continues annual golf tourney

November 07, 2006 – More baseball greats headed to Lafayette

When Ron Guidry was named pitching coach for the New York Yankees early this year, it gave “Louisiana Lightning” a chance to be an even bigger part of the franchise that has been most of his adult life.
But it also could have put an established Acadiana tradition in jeopardy. Would Gator have time for “Ron Guidry and Friends,” his annual gathering of baseball greats for a weekend of golf and related events to raise money for area charities?

Not a problem, said Dr. John Hendry, who has helped with the organization of the event since the start of its now-10-year run.

“This is very important to Ron,” Hendry said. “It lets him keep in touch with his friends and bring them to town, and as it’s progressed we’ve got people that want to come back and plan on coming every year.
Hendry said the event is also important to Guidry’s Winning Pitch Foundation, which aids local charities on a year-round basis. Special Olympics and the ALS Foundation are the major benefactors of the event, and locally the Acadiana Outreach Center and the Miles Perret Center have benefited from past events.

More than two dozen baseball figures will be taking part in the tournament next Monday at Oakbourne. The tournament has a noon shotgun start, and the field is already sold out.

“That’s a good problem to have,” Hendry said. “People who have played in the past call really early because they’ve enjoyed themselves.”

The members of Guidry’s extended baseball family that are scheduled to participate include former Yankee greats Hank Bauer, Moose Skowron, Graig Nettles, Jake Gibbs, Tom Tresh, Andy Sheets and Bob Turley, as well as Guidry’s coaching mates Larry Bowa, Don Mattingly, Robby Thompson and Rich Monteleone. Former major leaguers Randy Bush, Gene Freese and Mike Pagliarulo will also take part.

Several current major leaguers taking part have local ties, including Paul Bako of the Kansas City Royals, Gil Meche of the Seattle Mariners and Ryan Theriot and Todd Walker of the Chicago Cubs. New LSU coach Paul Mainieri and Tiger assistant Blair Barbier will also participate.

The celebrity players will rotate among teams. The tournament format allows each player to hit drives, and players all play their own ball from the point of the best drive. The best two scores on each hole count toward overall score with players using 50 percent of their handicap. Gross and net champions will be crowned.

A putting contest is also scheduled, with both a team and celebrity winner crowned.

“We’ve got enough baseball people to let our celebrity players switch on several holes,” Hendry said. “That lets our players interact with a lot more people.”

The weekend also includes a pre-tournament social Sunday evening at Cypress Bayou Casino, which is the presenting sponsor for the overall event. Home Bank and Coca-Cola also serve as sponsors.

The Cypress Bayou Casino event and the golf tournament are the public activities over the weekend, but Guidry also has other events lined up for his baseball friends.

“You talk to some of these guys, like Hank Bauer and Moose Skowron, and they look forward to being here,” Hendry said. “They’re already asking if Ron’s cooking quail at his house again. That’s the great thing, that these guys can all get together and spend some time.”

Dan McDonald, Daily Advertiser
(Dan McDonald’s local golf column appears each Tuesday. Clubs, courses and individuals wishing to submit items for inclusion may call 337-289-6318, FAX to 371-3341, e-mail dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com or mail to 1100 Bertrand Drive, Lafayette, LA 70506. Please include a return phone number.)

Originally published November 8, 2006

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CajunBlog by Dan McDonald

‘Gator’ intimidated? Yeah, right

Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

One of the television talking heads working this weekï¿½s Major League Baseball Division Series was waxing poetic about the experience of the New York Yankee pitching staff.
The comment was made that, because of all the well-known arms on the Yankee staff, pitching coach Ron Guidry might be ï¿½intimidatedï¿½ in trying to work with or change their mechanics or philosophies.

His justification was that first-year pitching coaches often struggle with getting control of their staffs.

That may be true, but Iï¿½d doubt it in this case. And as far as being ï¿½intimidated,ï¿½ whoever made that comment must not know ï¿½Louisiana Lightningï¿½ very well. At a minimum, theyï¿½ve never been on the receiving end of one of Guidryï¿½s stares.

Itï¿½s always been my theory that ï¿½Gatorï¿½ retired a lot of the American League batters that faced him just with a look that could go through sheet metal. The left arm took care of the rest.

All the did after five years of labor in the Yankee farm system was play in four All-Star Games, win five Gold Gloves and the 1978 Cy Young Award. The Yankees won two world titles in his 14-year career, and he pitched complete-game wins in both World Series.

His most impressive number? Of his 261 career decisions (a 170-91 record), he pitched 95 complete games. In his 25-3 Cy Young Award season in 1978, he threw 16 complete games and gave up 53 earned runs all season (a 1.74 ERA).

Sound like somebody whoï¿½s going to be intimidated about calling for the slider on three-and-two?

Baseball: Guidry back in Big Apple

November 06, 2005 –

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Wish him luck.

Ron Guidry is returning to the land of media overdrive and 3,000-watt spotlights to serve as pitching coach for the New York Yankees.

Joe Torre can tell you what a stroll in Central Park the Big Apple can be, but Guidry’s loyalty drew him back.

“It’s just being part of the picture again, part of the Yankees franchise again,” Guidry said. “I had several opportunities to leave as a free agent when I played, and I saw no reason to go elsewhere.”

Guidry, a spring training instructor since 1990 and a former assistant with Lafayette’s minor league Bayou Bullfrogs, knows the game is different than when he left the mound in 1989.

“I’m sure the whole game has changed,” Guidry said. “I’m sure the way you look at pitching staffs has changed, too. Now when you look at the way the bullpen is used, it goes to the complexity of the game.

“It’s not a secret that not many pitch a complete game anymore. While I was there, we had five starters and five in the bullpen, and the bullpen was guys who couldn’t crack the starting lineup, one closer and guys to fill in in between.

“Now you have long relief, short relief, a setup and a closer. You rely on a lot of computer statistics now. We didn’t have that. That will be another step.”

Computers aside, Guidry knows about the art of pitching. How else could such a slender Cajun be such a sly yet overpowering pitcher in his day?

“I’ve probably talked more about pitching mechanics than anything in spring training,” Guidry said. “I’d ask (departing pitching coach) Mel (Stottlemyre), ‘If I see something, can I say it?’ and he’d say ‘That’s what you’re here for.’

“When you’re tired, your arm angle can flatten. That’s something you have to be aware of. I look forward to making sure they stay within themselves and pitch the way they have all their life. If you’re having success, stay that way.”

Guidry’s low-key style should make for a good rapport with today’s pitchers. There will be rough spots, to be sure. There always are, working for George Steinbrenner. But, then, Guidry’s been there before.

One thing “Gator” has going for him is the ongoing admiration of appreciative fans who recall his 1978 Cy Young Award and the back-to-back World Series titles New York won in 1977 and 1978.

Louisiana Ragin’ Cajun coach Tony Robichaux was with Guidry when his No. 49 was honored at Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park, and he saw the unique chemistry at work.

“When I was there, I saw how those fans reacted to him – how much they cared about him, and he cared about them,” Robichaux said. “It’s a great honor for the University to have someone in a position like that in an organization like that.”

Robichaux coached Baltimore Orioles reliever B.J. Ryan, whose name is on this year’s free agent lists. Could there be two Cajuns in the Yankees clubhouse soon?

“I met B.J. a few times when he was in school here, but I haven’t spoken to him since he left,” Guidry said. “He would be a great addition. Maybe I could offer him a couple of bowls of gumbo, I don’t know.”

Guidry has a lot more to offer the Yankees than a bowl of gumbo. With a little luck,

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Guidry to coach Yankee pitchers

November 05, 2005 – Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

Ron Guidry won 170 games, the 1978 Cy Young Award and a pair of World Series titles with the New York Yankees, and his No. 49 is immortalized in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium.

Now, the Northside High product and former University of Louisiana star will try to help New York’s return to prominence as the team’s new pitching coach.

“What intrigues me is the chance to be there and maybe lend some insight and some help,” said Guidry, who has helped Yankees pitchers in spring training since 1990.

“I’ve spoken to my family, and they’re thrilled about it. It’s an honor. I said maybe I should go give it a shot before I get too old. You need to do that kind of stuff when you’re young. I’ve felt if the time was right, maybe it was something I should look at in the future.

“Fortunately for me, it came to pass.”

Guidry, who will replace Mel Stottlemyre as the pitching coach for manager Joe Torre, was named to the post Friday along with Joe Kerrigan as the bullpen coach.

“I’ll probably have to lean on a lot of people a great deal,” Guidry said. “There are a lot of guys in the organization I can look to for help. I’ve got some ideas that I think will be useful.”

“I know that he’ll do well,” said UL baseball coach Tony Robichaux. “I like the fact that he’s old-school, and I hope he brings that approach back there with him. He has such a good understanding of how to pitch.”

Although short on coaching experience, Guidry will rely on a wealth of experiences in the Big Apple and his familiarity with the intense spotlight that shines on anyone in a Yankees uniform.

“My strength is having to pitch my whole career in New York and to be a success there,” Guidry said. “I’ll take it with me and go from there. I have to go and find out.”

Originally published November 5, 2005

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Ron Guidry was pictured on the cover of
the January/February 2004 issue of SLEMCO Power. Two articles in that issue featured The Cajun Yankee: The legacy of Ron Guidry and the lessons he learned playing the game he loved.

Our thanks to Ron, George Fawcett, Don Allen and Mary Laurent for their assistance in providing the two enclosed articles.

LESSONS FOR LIFE FROM THE FIELD OF DREAMS
An interview with Ron Guidry
By Mary Laurent

You can learn a lot about life by playing baseball. At least Ron Guidry did. Making choices, then living with them. Staying focused. Doing what you love. Developing confidence and self-discipline. These are all essential to the makeup of the man known to baseball fans everywhere as ï¿½Louisiana Lightning,ï¿½ the two-time World Series winning pitcher who hails from the Lafayette/Carencro/Scott area. (In keeping with his character, thatï¿½s just how Guidry describes it to avoid slighting any one community.)
For some, years of therapy are required to uncover what this down to earth, humble man learned merely by doing what he lovedï¿½playing baseball.
Maybe the real roots of his sports career came from keeping himself occupied and out of his motherï¿½s way during childhood. Life Lesson One: Learn how to entertain yourself. Donï¿½t wait for things to happen, make them happen for yourself.
ï¿½Iï¿½d throw a tennis ball on the side of the house and play solitaire baseball. We didnï¿½t have computers or electronic games. We had to find our own fun.ï¿½
ï¿½Iï¿½d make up all sorts of games to pass the time. Iï¿½d throw the ball on the house and try to get it to land near my feet. Whether or not I caught the ball would determine whether or not I made an out or if the runner got to base.ï¿½
All the while, Guidry was building up his arm, his reflexes and his strength. He grew to be an excellent fielder, which is uncommon among pitchers. But at first, he wasnï¿½t interested in pitching.
ï¿½I began playing organized ball [City League] at eight years old. My coach, Chuck Crowley, wanted me to pitch,ï¿½ Guidry recalled. ï¿½I didnï¿½t want to. I kept throwing the ball over the backstop.ï¿½ Lesson Two: Listen to adults. They may know what theyï¿½re talking about.
Like thousands of other kids every year, he moved up through the schoolboy ranks as he got older. He dreamed of being a major league pitcher, but didnï¿½t realize his true potential until much later.
ï¿½As I got older, I realized there are things you have to learn if youï¿½re going to get better,ï¿½ he explained. ï¿½But it was never easy. I loved the game and wanted to play. I loved to compete. But I never really thought that I was excelling. Through all the All-Star games, I just figured all the kids were playing in them.ï¿½ Lessons Three and Four: Hard work is good for you, and humility is always a virtue.
He never played baseball for his alma mater, Northside, because Lafayette Parish at that time was one of the few in the state that didnï¿½t offer baseball in public schools. Instead, he played American Legion baseball.
ï¿½I always wanted to play football in high school,ï¿½ Guidry said. ï¿½But I didnï¿½t want to get hurt. I was better at baseball, so I had to make a choice.ï¿½ Even in high school, he realized he couldnï¿½t have it all. Lesson Five: Life is all about choices.
Then in 1968, when the University of Southwest Louisiana (now University of Louisiana at Lafayette) was reorganizing its team, Guidryï¿½s life was pulled in that direction. ï¿½Lafayette had some solid baseball backers at the timeï¿½Tigue Moore, the Roys and the Michotsï¿½who had all seen me play American Legion ball,ï¿½ he said. ï¿½I ended up getting a scholarship to play ball for USL.ï¿½
During his freshman year, Guidry recalls he had to earn the respect of the upper classmen. In 1969, the USL baseball team had the first successful year in a long time, mostly because of his freshman class. Lesson Six: Respect is earned.
After both his freshman and sophomore years, he played semi-pro ball, pitching well and beginning to make his mark. ï¿½During those summers, I got to play with guys who were really great ball players,ï¿½ Guidry recalls. ï¿½Iï¿½m still friends with some of them today. But I also learned they were really just like meï¿½[individuals] who wanted to play baseball. I thought they were great and, come to find out, I was just as good as they were.ï¿½ Lesson Seven: Believe in yourself.
But during Guidryï¿½s second semi-pro summer, he developed tendonitis. Doctors said he could either take shots or rest his arm and let it heal naturally. Guidry chose the latter. Soon after, his coach at USL told him he had a decision to make. He could stay in school andï¿½because of NCAA rules, not turn pro until the following yearï¿½or he could leave school and get drafted by a team immediately.
So he left school in 1971, and the New York Yankees drafted him in the third round.
ï¿½When trying to get to the major league [from the minors], mentally you donï¿½t have a lot of help from other players because theyï¿½re all trying to do what youï¿½re doing,ï¿½ Guidry explained. ï¿½But once you get there, the guys are great. They help you because they know no one can take their place until they are ready for that to happen.ï¿½
Guidry never stopped learning. Heï¿½d ask questions, learn new pitches and do whatever it took to improve his game. He also developed a valuable philosophy for self-improvement.
ï¿½You donï¿½t accomplish anything by playing people you can always beat,ï¿½ said Guidry. ï¿½If you want to see what youï¿½re really capable of, always play someone just as goodï¿½or betterï¿½than yourself. Even when you lose, playing with other good players helps you build up your self-confidence.ï¿½ Lessons Eight and Nine: Winners donï¿½t always win and you should never stop learning and striving to improve.
Baseball also taught Guidry a lot about making decisions.
ï¿½In a baseball game, you can see all sorts of potential problems ahead,ï¿½ explained Guidry. ï¿½You have to learn to make many individual decisions throughout a game that will help the overall outcome. Some problems youï¿½ll be able to avoid and some you wonï¿½t. Regardless, you have to live with the decisions you make, just like you do in life.ï¿½
Lesson Ten: Develop patience. This was something Guidry learned the hard way. He wanted to be a closer, the pitcher who wraps up a game, but spent his time in the bull pen as a relief pitcher. He was sent down and called up a few times to the farm team. At 26 years old, he was frustrated.
ï¿½I wanted to know if I was going to get a chance or not,ï¿½ explained Guidry. ï¿½That way Iï¿½d know whether or not I needed to just go home and get a job doing something else. But my wife Bonnie encouraged me to stick it out.ï¿½
Then one day he ended up pitching a game after another pitcher had been traded. Heï¿½d been struggling to earn the respect of management to prove that he could play well. He knew this was his chance and he rose to the occasion, pitching the full nine innings.
A week later, he pitched again, going another nine innings. Another week passed and the same thing happened again. By this time, Guidry had the coachesï¿½ attention.
ï¿½I became a different person in my head,ï¿½ said Guidry. ï¿½I moved up in the rotation and got stuck there. I never did get to be a closer,ï¿½ he chuckled.
Baseball history was in the making. Dubbed ï¿½Louisiana Lightningï¿½ by Phil Rissuto because his pitches were in the mid-90 mph range, Guidry played in four World Series and was winning pitcher in two with the Yankees.
But it was not all accolades and glory. During the 14 years he played in Yankee pinstripes, Guidry also had to deal with passionate baseball fans who hated the New York Yankees and werenï¿½t shy about venting their feelings, at the ballpark or on the street.
ï¿½Weï¿½d often have to sit and listen to these really irate people who just hated us,ï¿½ recalls Guidry. ï¿½Theyï¿½d call us names, theyï¿½d start talking about our families and even our dogs! Sometimes youï¿½d get to where youï¿½d had enough. But you still couldnï¿½t do anything about it. You had to just sit there and take it or risk getting into something a whole lot worse than name calling.ï¿½
Thus came Lesson Eleven: The importance of self-restraint, self-discipline and self-control.
ï¿½You know, it really does take a bigger person to walk away than to be an idiot who lets himself get into fights. And Iï¿½m no less of a man for walking away from fights or degrading name-calling.ï¿½
Now that Guidry is not playing anymore he still gets recognized, thankfully without such problems from rabid opposing fans. Itï¿½s more of an ï¿½Iï¿½m glad I never had to play against youï¿½ reaction.
Guidry explains how he could handle the pressure cooker of pro sports. ï¿½I never really felt pressure to play well,ï¿½ reflects Guidry. ï¿½I love baseball, so it was fun, and I even got paid to do something I loved.ï¿½ Lesson Twelve: Love what you do and the rest is easy.
ï¿½I believe that young people should develop self-esteem, to have confidence in what they do,ï¿½ Guidry says. ï¿½The only person they really need to worry about keeping happy and proud is themselves, not the fans, not the rivalsï¿½just the person in the mirror. They also need to know that if they can accept winning, they have to accept losing, too. Learning to accept both says a lot about how you feel about yourself.ï¿½
He also never let the celebrity and fame unbalance him, remaining low-key and private despite considerable publicity work each year. Still approached for autographs on a regular basis, he usually doesnï¿½t mind, except when an overzealous fan interrupts dinner in a restaurant.
Guidry is still a part of the Yankee organization. He is invited and attends spring training every year, mentoring young pitchers. He also received a special honor from the Yankees earlier this year.
The Yankees have an area at the stadium called Monument Park, which recognizes some of the outstanding players in the history of the teamï¿½their own personal Hall of Fame. Only 16 players are honored there, including baseball giants Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig. And the latest addition is Ron Guidry, one of only two pitchers so honored. His jersey, number 49, was officially retired there August 23 in a special ceremony where the Yankees also presented Guidry with a small John Deere lawn tractor, complete with everything he needs to work his property at home.
ï¿½It is an honor to be in there when you consider who else is in there,ï¿½ said Guidry. ï¿½And as an individual, the retirement of my number was the highest compliment the organization could award me. It is a thrill in itself to know that my number will never be used again.ï¿½
Guidry and his wife Bonnie have three children, Jamie, Brandon and Danielle. He still travels frequently throughout the year and considers himself part of the Yankees, but the friends and family who have loved and supported him throughout his career are happy heï¿½s close by where they can now share regular hunting trips.
After hunting or squeezing in a round of golf between business appointments, Guidry is happy at the end of the day to head home to his estate in northwest Lafayette Parish, passing through a wrought iron gateway proudly enscribed with the words ï¿½Maison Dï¿½Eclaire (House of Lightning).ï¿½

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Yankees retire number of Louisiana Lightning

8/24/03

NEW YORK – Ron Guidry wiped tears from his eyes as his framed No. 49 jersey was carried onto the field at Yankee Stadium.

After 14 fantastic seasons in pinstripes, “Louisiana Lightning” was simply overwhelmed by the cheers this time.

The New York Yankees retired Guidry’s number Saturday and gave him a plaque in Monument Park alongside the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle.

“This will probably be my toughest game, to tell you how much I appreciate today,” Guidry said from the podium at home plate.

Hall of Famers Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson, Phil Rizzuto and Dave Winfield were on hand to honor Guidry – plus former teammates such as Goose Gossage, Don Mattingly and Graig Nettles.

The No. 49 was painted along the baselines, and fans received a commemorative Ron Guidry Day pin. He became the 16th player – and second pitcher (along with Ford) – to have his number retired in the 101-year history of the Yankees.

Jackson carried Guidry’s framed jersey out to the podium, and public address announcer Bob Sheppard read the inscription on Guidry’s plaque, which listed both of his nicknames – “Gator” and “Louisiana Lightning.”

Part of it read: “A dominating pitcher and a respected leader of the pitching staff for three American League pennants and two world championships. A true Yankee.”

The slender lefty with the biting slider spent his entire 14-year career with New York, winning 170 games from 1975-88 – which ranks fourth on the team’s career list. He helped the Yankees win World Series titles in 1977 and ’78.

“Twenty-seven years ago I walked into the stadium for the first time and I remember looking at this field and seeing how beautiful this place was,” Guidry said. “Every little boy’s dream is to play major-league ball. I feel fortunate not only that I got to play pro ball, I got to play it with the only team I ever wanted to play pro ball for.”

A four-time All-Star, Guidry had one of the greatest seasons ever for a pitcher in 1978, when he went 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA, nine shutouts and 248 strikeouts en route to the AL Cy Young Award.

Published August 24, 2003.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

LOUISIANA LIGHTNING
STILL CASTS A LONG SHADOW
By Don Allen

Hank Bauer, the starting right fielder for the New York Yankees in the 1950s, was once asked why he always makes a point to play in Ron Guidryï¿½s Celebrity Golf Tournament in Lafayette every year. While Bauer and other celebrities have their travel expenses covered by the tournament, thereï¿½s no appearance fee. But former Yankee stars like Bauer, Bill Skowron, Bob Turley and Rick Cerone are always on hand to tee it up for Guidryï¿½s favorite charity.
ï¿½When we played in the Oldtimerï¿½s Game at Yankee Stadium back then,ï¿½ says Bauer, ï¿½[Ron] was the only one of the current players who would always sit in the dugout with us. All the other guys, theyï¿½d stay in the locker room, like it was beneath them. But Ron was always there visiting, talking to us.
ï¿½If he asked us to go to Timbuktu, weï¿½d go.ï¿½
Itï¿½s one thing to impress the local folks, but itï¿½s something else when you can impress New Yorkers. Ron Guidry didnï¿½t just impress, he captivated. In an age where sports heroes are revered above all others, the slight left-hander from Cajun Country stole the show in a town where excellence is not only expected, itï¿½s demanded.
Guidry didnï¿½t disappoint. He won the American League Cy Young award in 1978 with numbers that have been seldom approached since: a 25ï¿½3 record, 1.74 ERA, 248 strikeouts in 278 innings and 16 complete games as the Yankees won their second straight World Series championship. He was 21ï¿½9 in 1983 with 21 complete games and 22ï¿½6 two years later. A four-time All Star and five-time Gold Glover, Guidry became the 16th Yankee in franchise history to have his number retired this past season.
To his teammates during his 14-year career, he was ï¿½Gator,ï¿½ and to the New York media, he became known as Louisiana Lightning. A young woman in the Yankee front office actually wrote and recorded a song by that name, while a Lafayette radio station (KPEL-AM) asked for and received permission from the team to broadcast only the games that Guidry started. I know, because I was the one who asked. Iï¿½ve often wondered which of us was the most surprised ï¿½ the station, because the mighty Yankees were more than happy to grant the request at no charge? Or the New York front office, that a small outlet in Louisiana would request such a bizarre arrangement?
I figure that had it been anybody but Ron Guidry, the broadcasts would never have happened. But the Yankees and most of the Big Apple were so in love with their Cajun lefty, they probably didnï¿½t even think of saying no. New Yorkers may be harsh at times, but they know class when they see it and Guidry was, above all else, as classy and well-liked a pinstripe representative as the franchise ever had.
Still is. Guidryï¿½s celebrity golf tournament just completed its seventh year, with monies going to charities like the Special Olympics, ALS research, the Miles Perret Center and Acadiana Outreach.
ï¿½Heï¿½s really a great guy,ï¿½ says John Hendry, a Louisiana Open board member in charge of the organizationï¿½s charity events. ï¿½Ronï¿½s so supportive of the older guys who were important to the Yankees, and heï¿½ll participate in a lot of fantasy baseball camps with them so they can pick up money they need just to survive.ï¿½
When the Yankees retired Guidryï¿½s number this summer, itï¿½s worth noting that neither team stayed in the locker room when the presentation was made. They were in their respective dugouts to get a glimpse of the man that not one, but two cities, adored.
Itï¿½s a legacy worth noting.
Editorï¿½s note: Don Allen is sports editor of The Times of Acadiana.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Prides of Acadiana by Bruce Brown, 1980, is a copyrighted enterprise.

Editorï¿½s Note: Following is a chapter in the 1980 book Prides of Acadiana by
Bruce Brown about UL Raginï¿½ Cajun product Ron Guidry of the New York
Yankees.
At the time of the book, Guidry was just beginning to make his mark as the
best left-handed pitcher in the game, earning a Cy Young Award for his
masterful 1978 season and winning back-to-back World Series titles with the
Yankees.
An update on Guidryï¿½s stellar career follows the chapter.

Ron Guidry: Louisiana Lightning

It took a while for Southwestern Louisianaï¿½s Ron Guidry to make it to the
Major Leagues with the New York Yankees, but once he made it, fan were left
wondering what took the Yanks so long to bring him up to the parent club.
For some six years, Guidry worked in minor league obscurity, while the
Yankees tried to decide whether the slender southpaw with the rocket arm was
destined to be a starter or a reliever in the clubï¿½s pitching future.
The length of service in the minors was almost enough for the
usually-patient Cajun to pack it in and return to the swamps to hunt.
But once he made the big leagues, Ronnie Guidry quickly become baseballï¿½s
best pitcher.
Since late in 1975, when he was tagged for a loss in a relief effort, Guidry
gradually settled into the starting rotation for New York. He recorded a
16-7 won-loss record in 1977, going 10-2 after the All-Star break and
proving to be the chief stopper in the Yankeesï¿½ march to a world title.
Anyone who thought the 160-pounder would cool off was dead wrong. In 1978,
ï¿½Louisiana Lightningï¿½ (as he came to be called) fashioned one of the most
remarkable seasons of any pitcher in the modern history of his sport.
Guidry posted a 25-3 regular season standard, owning a phenomenal 1.74
earned run average for the best ERA since famed Sandy Koufax had a 1.73 mark
in 1966.
His final game of the campaign was a one-game playoff with the Boston Red
Sox for the American League Eastern Division pennant, which he won, and he
went on to post a win in both the AL playoffs against Kansas City and in the
World Series rematch with Los Angeles as New York was crowned champion
again.
His World Series win came in the third game, after LA has taken a 2-0 lead
in games in the best-of-seven series, as he once again proved to be the
stopper of Yankee losing streaks.
The Yankees did not make the playoffs in 1979, because injuries to key
personnel and front office friction left the team far behing the AL Champion
Baltimore Orioles.
But Guidry was still the same. His earned run average was a stingy 2.78,
even better than his 1977 figure of 2.82, as he posted an 18-8 mark despite
missing some seven starts with a bad back and voluntarity helping the team
in the bullpen as relief pitcher.
He had an 11-1 streak after the All-Star break in 1979, which went nicely
with his 10-2 and 12-2 second-half streaks the previous two seasons.
A 59-19 record since making it in the big time has Guidry marked for
continued greatness into a new decade of the 1980ï¿½s, but there were times
when the going was rough.
The long wait suffered in the minors was an uncomfortable delay for a
natural athlete who had met success at every step of the game while growing
up in Lafayette.
An athlete swift enough to be a sprinter his high school track team at
Northside High School, Guidry found baseball to be easy and enjoyable from
the time he began the game at age nine.
ï¿½I had played since I was nine,ï¿½ he affirmed, ï¿½But it was around 1965 when I
realized that I could play the game. Before that it had always been a
tradition – just a sport to play instead of getting a job.
ï¿½I had no major league intentions at all. I played with the same players for
six or seven years, and they grew up quicker than I did. It got to be where
it was not any fun, though. Not a challenge, because I continued to prevail
over my opposition.
ï¿½Then in my senior year of high school, my second-to-last year of American
Legion ball, I had lunch with Sonnyt Roy of USL and Mr. Lartigue Moore, and
they wanted to sign me to play for USL.
ï¿½Well, I never liked school and I wasnï¿½t sure I wanted to go to college for
four years. This was 1968, and I figured I would at least go and see what
kind of ball was played in college.ï¿½
>From American Legion programs, where he dazzled foes with strikeout
artistry, Guidry moved from being among the best in the city to competing
against the best in a number of states while at USL. All that, of course,
set the stage for later success against former childhood idols among the
nationï¿½s best.
In 1970, Guidryï¿½s sophomore year at USL, Cajun Coach Bobby Banna told Ronnie
and teammates Charles Bordes and Al Torregano about a semi-pro league in
Kansas, one that would find jobs for the players over the summer in order
that they could play and still maintain their amateur status.
Guidry and the other two went, and once again the jump in competition proved
no major obstacle to the hard-throwing Cajun.
ï¿½I started thinking that maybe it wouldnï¿½t be that hard to make it in pro
ball,ï¿½ Guidry recalled.
But then came elbow tendonitis, and instead of hurling the ball 90
m.p.h.Guidry had trouble negotiating five feet of air space.
ï¿½They wanted to give me contizone shots,ï¿½ Guidry recalled. But I wasnï¿½t too
enthused over that. I preferred to let Mother Nature take her course.ï¿½
The nagging injury wiped out that fallï¿½s scheduled preseason work for
Ronnie, and matters were looking bleak.
Then in February of 1971, another talk with Banna was a turning point in
Guidryï¿½s life and career. Banna, knowledgeable in the working of major
league baseball and its scouts, reminded Guidry of the June draft of major
league talent.
ï¿½He told me that if I was in school I couldnï¿½t go because my twenty-first
birthday wouldnï¿½t be until after the draft,ï¿½ said Guidry. ï¿½Also, they
wouldnï¿½t know for sure my arm didnï¿½t work unless I went to school and played
and it really went bad.
ï¿½Then I would have no chance in the draft. So I resigned from school in
February and began working out in March with the team. In five to seven
weeks I had no pain, and all I needed was the fine tuning.
ï¿½I played every weekend in a semi-pro league in New Orleans. Coach Banna
told me I could always come back to school, but I might not get another
chance to play pro ball.
Considering Guidryï¿½s blooming abilities, Bannaï¿½s move was an unselfish one
cercerned mainly with the future career success of Guidry, rather than the
temporary wins and loses of the team.
ï¿½So by the first of May the scouts had been coming around more and more,ï¿½
Guidry noted. ï¿½By the draft, I was throwing better than ever. But the two
teams I was interested in most < Cincinnati and the Yankees < never called.
Not even a OEhelloï¿½.
ï¿½But on the day of the draft my mother and I were sitting there watching TV
and we saw the announcement that I had been drafted in the third round by
the New York Yankees. Five minutes later they reached me by phone to tell me
what to do next.
ï¿½Nextï¿½ for Guidry was the Yankeesï¿½ rookie league team in Johnson City,
Tennessee. Fighting through the tough travel on buses to games, Guidry went
2-2 and was impressive enough to make it to the next stage in 1972 at Ft.
Lauderdale, Florida.
While there, Guidry developed shoulder problems that limited his
effectiveness, but he still stayed.
ï¿½There was one guy there with a 14-5 record, but I kept moving up, which was
a good sign,ï¿½ Guidry said. ï¿½Each time, about four or five of the 25 players
on the roster would make it to the next step.ï¿½
In 1973 Guidry was in Kinston, North Carolina, where he went 7-6 and had a
strikeout per inning and an ERA over three.
A jump up to Class AA ball followed in 1974, in West Haven, Connecticut.
At that point, Guidryï¿½s career switched to being that of a reliever. It was
felt he could handle both starting and relieving, whereas others on the
staff were limited to being just starters.
ï¿½It took me a long time to figure out you canï¿½t just blow guys away in
relief,ï¿½ Guidry admitted. ï¿½You have to pitch to them. It was a nighmare. I
was still trying to figure out the job of relieving. My strikeouts were the
only thing working.ï¿½
Yet in 1975 Class AAA ball beconed, so Guidry continued to get the
impression he was doing something right. Some two weeks before heading up
to the Syracuse club in AAA from training, though, Guidry broke a finger.
ï¿½Bobby Cox was our coach, and he told me he wanted to take me up north, but
that he couldnï¿½t if I couldnï¿½t pitch,ï¿½ Ronnie recalled. ï¿½I taped up the
finger and worked three innings against Baltimore. Scott McGregor started
and Tippy Martinez (now both with Baltimore) was next, and I came in and got
six strikeouts and got two guys on fly balls.ï¿½
He had made the Syracuse club, and he thought he had begun to understand the
job of reliever. But he got into a rut at Syracuse where nothing seemed to
go right in crucial situations.
Then in a doubleheaders on the road against a Pittsburgh Piratesï¿½ farm team,
in a matchup for first place, Guidry was called on with a 7-6 lead and the
bases loaded. ï¿½I asked myself OEWhy me?ï¿½ he said.
Omar Moreno was first up, and Cox told Guidry, ï¿½Itï¿½s a tough job. Just try
and get out of it as best you can.ï¿½ Guidry, deciding to just rare back and
throw, got Moreno to take the first pitch for a strike. Moreno swung and
missed late on the next one, and went down when Guidry unfurled a slider on
the outside.
The next man up was then the AAA leagueï¿½s top hitter, but he went down
without a swing at three Guidry fastballs. The third man was then scared of
the smoke-throwing lefty, and it was not contest as Ron had his third ï¿½Kï¿½ of
the inning.
ï¿½The difference was like night and day,ï¿½ he said. ï¿½I had come in and shut
the door on a rally. I wanted to get in the second game then. I got another
save, and all of a sudden I had five saves – which was a lot.
ï¿½It was no contest after that. I divided my season up into two halves. I
went from 2-3 to 6-5, from five to 15 saves, and from four to two in ERA.ï¿½
The Yankees were noticing, also. Almost before Guidry could turn around, he
was summoned to the parent club, told to pack his bags. His dream was coming
true.
He caught a 10 a.m. plane to New York, and suddenly was in the bullpen with
the likes of Sparky Lyle, Dick Tidrow, Tippy Martinez, Rudy May and bullpen
catcher Rick Dempsey.
And even more miraculous, he was called to pitch in the seventh inning
against the Boston Red Sox before 55,000 fans in Shea Stadium. He allowed no
runs in three innings, working out of one jam by catching slugger Jim Rice
looking on four pitches for a big strikout.
Then he started the final game of the year against Boston, and was charged
with a loss when a reliever failed to hold a lead. But the groundwork was
seeming laid firmly for future success.
In 1976 he was slated to be Lyleï¿½s major backup as a reliever, and he began
to ask Lyle and Todrow all the tricks of success that a veteran would know.
Both helped , and progress was made.
But just before the season, Guidry was sent down to Syracuse in AAA again,
and it took a long talk with his wife Bonnie for him to stick with the game.
He spent most of the year being shuffled from parent club to AAA and back up
again, as manager Billy Martin tried to decide which way to use the coming
talent.
Despite a dismal spring training in 1977, Guidry made the Yankees club. It
took him some time to find Martinï¿½s favor as a reliable relief man, but he
did so and got a chance to start when newly-acquired pitcher Mike Torrez
missed a turn against Seattle.
ï¿½Billy told me to give him five good innings,ï¿½ Guidry noted. ï¿½I had the
bases loaded with two out in one inning, and the batter hit a ball that was
inches foul, or three runs would have scored. I got him out, and instead of
five good innings I gave him eight and one third great ones.ï¿½
Lyle finished up the shutout, and Martin sent Guidry back to the bullpen
again. Two weeks went by, and Jim ï¿½Catfishï¿½ Hunter missed a turn. Guidry
started and went eight and one third innings again against Oakland and Vida
Blue in a game the Yanks won in fifteen innings.
A few more chances came, and Guidry was pitching well < but not finishing
games. He seemed stuck on the eight-inning figure until hurling a
nine-inning shutout against Kansas City in which he retired 18 straight
batters.
That put him over the hump, and he went from 6-5 to 10-2 over the last half
to close with a 16-7 mark. In 211 innings he fanned 180 batters < 7.7 per
nine innings < and he walked just 60 while compiling a 2.82 ERA.
The American League has never been the same since.
Guidry defeated Kansas City 6-2 in a playoff game, and Los Angeles 4-2 in
the third game of the World Series, as the Yanks became champions.
In 1978 it took all 25 of Guidryï¿½s wins to pull New York past feisty Boston
in the AL East. But he had the wins when they were needed, and he was
untouchable as a stopper of losing ways on the team.
In 273 2/3 innings he struck out 248 batters (8.15 per nine innings). He had
16 complete games in 35 starts, while giving up 72 walks, and surrendering
187 hits. His nine shutouts led the league, and he raced off to a 13-0
start for a new Yankee mark.
His .893 winning percentage was the best ever for a 20-game winner, and he
easily won the AL Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in the league. He had
three two-hit games < two against Boston < and he fanned 18 California
Angels June 17 for yet another club standard.
Second in the leagueï¿½s MVP voting to Rice, Guidry was the Associated Press
Male Athlete of the Year, and was on the All-Star Game roster, won the Joe
Cronin Award, was twice Player of the Month and twice AL Player of the Week.
He hurled an eight-inning 7-1 win over Kansas City in the playoffs, then
held down Los Angeles before 56,447 in Yankee Stadium by a 5-1 margin. His
win lifted the club to a great comeback for its second crown in as many
seasons.
The tragic death of catcher Thurman Munson, injuries to Guidry and others,
and front-office misunderstandings lead to a downfall in 1979. But Guidry
remained remarkable. He even volunteered for bullpen duty when the reliever
corps were hurt, on the theory that he could help the team more often there.
Lack of offense helped plummet his record to 6-7, and a hurt back cuased him
to miss several turns. But his ERA remained among the leagueï¿½s lowest, and
his strikeouts (eventually 201 in 1979) were still there.
He streaked to 18-8, and barely missed a chance at another 20-win season
while finishing fourth in wins in the AL and second in strikeouts.
ï¿½There was a time I was almost unhittable,ï¿½ he freely admitted. ï¿½But my
stats werenï¿½t the same in 1979 and I didnï¿½t want them to be. I was working
on more things. I can win just as much throwing at 85 miles an hour as 95,
and I may play 12 years instead of eight. (Sandy) Koufax had two years where
he won 53 games over that span, but then he was through.
ï¿½I only work on things if I have a big lead. If it doesnï¿½t work and they
score a few runs, I can still shut them down. Only myself, Tom Seaver and
Mike Flanagan can win consistently day in and day out.ï¿½
Somehone once said itï¿½s not bragging if you can do it, and Guidry can do it
time and time again. But his personality is not that of a braggart <
something the New York press had found almost amazing these days.
Guidry is quiet, thoughtful, and sure when he does say something that is is
what he wants to say. Amid a locker room of flamboyant characters, Guidry is
a breath of fresh air with his quietness.
Back home in the Lafayette area, Guidry can just as easily be found hunting,
playing golf, or playing touch football with friends as in glittering
commercials. Itï¿½s his way, and heï¿½s not likely to change to suit someone
else.
Ron Guidry, USLï¿½s Louisiana Lightning gift to the Yankees, is the genuine
article.
<<<<<<<
UPDATE ON FEB.28,2008 BY BRUCE BROWN BEGINS HERE
<<<<<<<
Guidry and the Yankees never won another World Series, but he still
fashioned a career that earned him a retired jersey and a plaque in the
hallowed Monument Park beyond the left field wall in Yankee Stadium.
UL baseball coach Tony Robichaux was on hand for the Monument Park
ceremonies in 2003, and he appreciated the adoration shown by Yankees fans.
ï¿½When I was there,ï¿½ Robichaux said, ï¿½I saw how those fans reacted to him ,
how much they cared about him, and he cared about them. Itï¿½s a great honor
for the University to have someone in a position like that in an
organization like that.ï¿½
Gator retired in 1989 with a 170-91 record, the third-most victories in
Yankees history, with 1,778 strikeouts and a 3.28 earned run average.
He posted double-digit win totals from 1980-85, going 17-10, 11-5, 14-8,
21-9, 10-11 and 22-6 (95-49) in that six-year span.
That 1985 campaign was the best of his later years, with 34 starts, 11
complete games, 259 innings pitched (second only to his 273 2/3 of 1978) and
a 3.27 ERA.
By then he had become a crafty veteran, striking out just 143 batters but
still notching 22 victories.
To no oneï¿½s surprise, Guidry was an overwhelming selection for the Louisiana
Sports Hall of Fame as soon as he became eligible for the stateï¿½s highest
honor in 1992.
Years after that honor, Guidry felt the pull of serving the Yankees once
again. He began serving as a spring training assistant coach in 1990,
keeping in touch with the team that needed him in order to win World Series
titles.
Then in 2006, Guidry was named to replace Mel Stottlemyre as the Yankeesï¿½
pitching coach.
ï¿½Itï¿½s an honor,ï¿½ Guidry said at the time. ï¿½I said maybe I should go give it
a shot before I get too old. You need to do that kind of stuff when youï¿½re
young.ï¿½
The Yankees made the playoffs in 2006 and 2007 under manager Joe Torre, but
failed to win a World Series title in either campaign. That ended Guidryï¿½s
brief stint in that post.
Nothing, however, could dim his place in history with the most storied
franchise in baseball. Ron Guidry always was the genuine article.

Deep appreciation is extended to Bruce Brown for not only allowing the Athletic Network to include Ron Guidry's chapter from "Prides of Acadiana," but for writing the update to the 1980 book.
Note: Prides of Acadiana is copyrighted.