BRIDGEWATER, NJ – Don Zimmer has seen it all in baseball. In his 60th year affiliated with the game, he has served as a player, coach, manager and now an advisor.

But nothing compares to his first championship he won in Brooklyn during that faithful 1955 season. And Zimmer takes full responsibility for his role.

“I remember the first time the Dodgers beat the Yankees in 1955,” recalled the 77 year-old Zimmer, who was in town to be an honorary manager in the Atlantic League All-Star game. “Johnny Podres got a lot of credit for that, but I think I should have a lot of credit myself.

“I started the game at second base, which means Junior Gilliam would be in left field. We were leading 1-0 in the sixth inning with a man on third and one out and Casey Stengel took out the left hander and sent up a right hander to pitch against me. Walter Alston took me out and sent up George Shuba to pinch hit for me.

“That meant Junior Gilliam came in to play second and Sandy Amoros went into to play left. He was a lefthanded thrower with a glove on his right hand. No other outfielder could have caught the ball Yogi Berra hit down the left field line to make a double play off of first base. That’s why I think I should get as much credit as Johnny Podres for me being taken out of the game. That’s how we won.”

Zimmer was only kidding with his story, but he is dead series about his current team, the Tampa Bay Rays. One of the biggest surprises in 2008, the youthful club has 55-39 record and only a half game back of the Red Sox in the American League East, despite losing seven straight games.

“I knew coming out of Spring Training we would be a much improved club,” Zimmer said. “There was talk about winning the most games in their history… There was talk about playing .500 baseball. We were winning without too many runs. We pitch good with a good defense. We went into a little bad spell. Now we are a half game in front of the Red Sox. We will see if we can come back on Friday.”

Now as a special advisor to the club, Zimmer takes no credit for their success. He sees the Rays as a young club on the rise, which can compete with the Yankees and Red Sox for the division title. Built on pitching and defense, the Rays may need another bat to accomplish their worst to first feat, but if it means emptying the farm system, Tampa will probably pass.

“We would like to get some help somehow,” he said. “But the Rays are not going to get rid of young players to get someone. If we can make a deal to get someone in the farm system, I think the organization will do something like that. It’s easy to say that, but not easy to do.”

Even if they stand pat, Zimmer – a former manager of the Red Sox and former bench coach of the Yankees – is rooting hard for his club to make it to the playoffs, the same way he pulled for Brooklyn as a 24 year-old second baseman.

“We’re a half game out of first place,” he said. I am sure everyone picked us last, but we are a half a game out of first place. We have Toronto. We have the Yankees. We have the Red Sox. I am not a mind reader. I know who I hope is going to win - that’s the Rays.”

  E-mail this story |  Printer-friendly |  Discuss