THE LONG GOOD-BYES

Herm Weiskopf

August 01, 1983

Cincinnati's Johnny Bench and Boston's Carl Yastrzemski have taken opposite postures about the fanfare surrounding their impending retirements. Bench has consented to brief ball park ceremonies in his honor as he makes his final visits as a player to National League cities. In Philadelphia, Bench was given diamond-studded cuff links, a commemorative scorecard and a seven-foot replica of the Veterans Stadium foul pole, off which he hit a homer against Steve Carlton in 1973. Yaz has declined all such festivities and presentations in the American League.