Former Mets player Swoboda will speak at Southeast

Ron Swoboda

Ron Swoboda doesn't really think Bob Gibson should have been outlawed from baseball.

But that's the title of the talk the former major leaguer will give Monday night on the Southeast Missouri State campus.

Swoboda, one of the 1969 Miracle Mets, will present his recollections and anecdotes of the sport in "Why Bob Gibson Should Have Been Outlawed from Baseball."

The presentation will take place 7 p.m. in Dempster Hall's Glenn Auditorium. Admission is free, and the public is invited. Swoboda will also will meet with a number of classes and student groups during his visit to Southeast from Monday through Wednesday.

"The point is, whenever anybody asked me who was the toughest guys I faced, I'd say Bob Gibson. Who else?" Swoboda said during a telephone interview from his home in New Orleans. "I faced some real good pitchers, but he was head and shoulders above anybody in my book. He didn't want you to even hit a foul ball off him. He was a complete warrior."

Added Swoboda, continuing to emphasize the respect he had for the former Cardinals' star and a Hall of Famer: "What other pitcher in baseball got the mound lowered? He still makes me uncomfortable when I'm in a room with him."

Southeast English professor Bob Hamblin was largely responsible for bringing Swoboda to Cape Girardeau.

Hamblin was an English teacher and assistant baseball coach at a high school in Baltimore in the early 1960s -- and Swoboda was one of his players.

"I've stayed in touch with him over the years. He's been wanting to come to Cape, but we never have been able to work it out," Hamblin said. "I think people will really enjoy his presentation. I think he'll entertain us a little bit."

Of the presentation's title that refers to Gibson, Hamblin said with a laugh, "We wanted to get a catchy phrase that would attract Cardinals fans."

Hamblin said Swoboda, never known as all that naturally gifted, will talk to several Southeast classes about the psychology of sport.

"He was never considered the most talented player, but he got everything out of his ability," Hamblin said. "I think he's a very good person to talk about things like that."

Said Swoboda: "I'm coming there completely because of my relationship with Bob Hamblin. He was always an interesting guy and we've stayed in touch."

Swoboda was one of the stars of the 1969 World Series, in which the Mets defeated the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles. The outfielder made a diving catch to save Game 4 and then drove in the winning run as the Mets claimed the championship in Game 5. He batted .400 in the series, leading all players with six hits.

Swoboda played in the majors for nine seasons, six with the Mets, before ending his career with the New York Yankees in 1973. He had a .242 career batting average.

In addition to his big 1969 World Series -- his Game 4 catch is ranked by Baseball Weekly as one of the "10 Most Amazing Plays of All Time" -- Swoboda might be remembered by longtime Cardinals fans for hitting a pair of two-run homers off Steve Carlton on the night Carlton struck out a record-setting 19 batters.

Swoboda said the 1969 World Series was the highlight of his career, "and the two home runs off Carlton. That was my personal best as a player. Also, we clinched the division against the Cardinals at Shea Stadium."

Swoboda has been a radio and television sports reporter and announcer since his playing days ended, and he currently provides the analysis for the radio broadcasts of the New Orleans Zephyrs, a Class AAA team.

"Personally, we've been pretty lucky in terms of our house. It's virtually unscathed," Swoboda said of how he was directly affected by Hurricane Katrina. "But the town obviously took a major hit. It will be with us for a while."

In addition to his baseball announcing, Swoboda also writes feature columns for "New Orleans Magazine" and other publications. He said he doesn't generally give public presentations like the one he will perform Monday, but he's looking forward to it, and also to visiting with Hamblin.

"I'm a little intimidated by this whole proposition. I'm not really an academic person," Swoboda said, laughing. "I don't normally do this, but I think I'm a pretty interesting person.

"I'll tell a few stories, bring some pieces from New Orleans Magazine. I hope people will enjoy it, and I'm really looking forward to the visit, because I haven't seen Bob in a while."