Baseball's Dutch Treat

"I open the bidding at $200. Do we have $225? We do. I bid $250. Do I hear $275? O.K., I bid $300."

Blyleven raises every bid, and, finally, he says, "Sold to me. For $675."

He has lines around his eyes and a scar on the inside of his right elbow, testimony to the strain and pain of 15 years in the major leagues. But Blyleven is still a big kid at heart. His wife, Patty, has a sneaking suspicion that he wanted the panda for himself as much as for their four children, Todd, 12, Kimberly, 10, Timothy, 3, and Thomas, 17 months.

Blyleven married Patricia Ann Whitehead, a friend from high school, during his second season in the majors, and they have raised a happy family. In fact, the Blylevens feel so strongly about family living that they, and Anthony, have helped several baseball players and their wives to adopt children.

On a recent afternoon Blyleven went to see Todd play basketball for his seventh-grade team. Dad was made the timekeeper, and with a little creative use of the stopwatch he saw to it that his son's team got off the last shot at the end of each quarter, which was only fair because the referee was the father of a player on the opposing team. Blyleven mingled easily with the other parents. He took quiet pride in Todd's 10-point game, a performance that reminded one of a young Jack Sikma.

Blyleven and his Villa Park neighbors could probably win the American League West. "Doug DeCinces lives over here," says Blyleven. "Bob Boone is building a house over there, Enos Cabell lives in those hills." The Blyleven abode, one of many handsome houses on his street, should bear a plaque commemorating one of the best baseball lines of this decade. Two years ago, when brush fires swept through the surrounding hills, Blyleven ascended to his roof, to water it down lest a flying spark set it afire, and fell off, breaking his left elbow. Afterward he issued these immortal words: "I knew I'd never win the Cy Young Award, so I was trying to be Fireman of the Year."

The house has lots of toys, some for the kids, some for Bert. His miniature car is a favorite. He keeps a collection of baseball memorabilia in his study. Blyleven has a ball for every one of his regular-season major league victories, as well as for his win in the 1979 National League Championship Series for the Pirates and his '79 World Series victory over the Orioles. Blyleven's display includes his one no-hitter (win No. 122), his five one-hitters, his eight two-hitters and his five three-hitters. He also has balls from his 14 complete-game 1-0 victories, which put him third on the alltime list, tied with Christy Mathewson, behind Walter Johnson (an uncatchable 38) and Grover Cleveland Alexander (17).

Ball No. 48 is from a one-hitter Blyleven threw against the Kansas City Royals on May 24, 1973. The lone hit in that game was a bunt single by slow-footed Ed Kirkpatrick in the fifth inning. "I told our third baseman, Steve Braun, to watch for a bunt," says Blyleven, "but Spanky laid a perfect one down. I still kid him about it."

Kirkpatrick, 40, is sitting in the back of the dining room with his wife, Judy. A little more than three years ago he was in an automobile accident that put him in a wheelchair for life and left him unable to speak clearly. But because Kirkpatrick can see and hear, he watches and listens as Blyleven moves into the final part of the evening's program.

"We've got some baseball memorabilia donated to us by the players," Blyleven says, "and the money will go to help Ed Kirkpatrick back there. What have we got here? A Tom Murphy autographed glove. Not many of these around.... Sold for $200.