Dallas Green carries heavy heart to Phillies camp

Share

Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Posted: 6:25 p.m.

By Jim Salisbury
CSNPhilly.com

CLEARWATER, Fla.This is Dallas Greens 55th year in pro baseball. He made his reputation as one of the sports most hard-nosed characters, working in some of the most demanding towns in the game, places like Philadelphia, Chicago and New York.

As manager of the Phillies in 1980, Green stood up to some of the biggest stars in the game, whipped them into shape, and led them to the first World Series title in franchise history. Over the years, the hulking man with the thick shock of gray hair took on all comersumpires, media members, sometimes his bosses.

No one could make Dallas Green melt.

Except a certain 9-year-old girl from Tucson, Ariz.

Im supposed to be a tough sucker, but Im not very tough when it comes to this, Green said Wednesday.

He was standing outside the Phillies spring-training offices. And though a pair of dark sunglasses hid the eyes that have shed too many tears recently, Greens voice told the story of a man, of a family, that is still feeling a lot of pain.

I hope no one has to go through this, he said.

Green was referring to the Jan. 8 shooting outside a Tucson supermarket that left his granddaughter, Christina Taylor Green, and five others dead. Thirteen others were wounded, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz). Christina, a third-grader with big brown eyes, a beautiful smile and an interest in politics, had gone to the supermarket with a neighbor to hear Giffords speak.

Dallas Green, 76, hadnt spoken publicly since the tragedy. He chose to do so Wednesday, three days after returning to work as senior adviser with the Phillies.

Green thanked his friends in the baseball world for their outpouring of support. He said he was eager to get back to the game.

Baseball helps me, he said. You sink yourself into your work and you dont see a little girl with a hole in her chest as much.

Christinas father, John Green, is also a baseball man, a scout with Dodgers. He is heading back to work this week, too.

Dallas and Sylvia Greens hearts suffered two fractures that January day. One for their granddaughter. One for their son and his wife, Roxanna, and their son, Dallas, 11.

This isnt about me, Green said. Its about my son, John, and his family. They are hurting desperately. Its a terrible thing on John, Roxanna and Little D. I can get through it, but theyre going to hurt like the devil for a long time.

Christina was shot by 22-year-old Jared Loughner, who had come to the event to target Giffords.

There was no bitterness in Greens voice Wednesday, just sadness.

This is still the best country in the world to live in, he said. You would hope there would be some understanding that there are crazies in the world.

The thing I cant get through my mind is even though I hunt and I love to shoot and have my guns, I dont have a Glock handgun or whatever it is, and I dont have a magazine that has 33 bullets in it. That doesnt make sense to me to be able to sell those kinds of things. I never thought about it until this happened. What reason is there to have those kinds of guns other than to kill people?

In December, the Green family had been together for a joyous Christmas celebration in the Caribbean, where Christina loved to swim. Just a couple of weeks later, Dallas and Sylvia Green were on their way to Tucson for a funeral.

The more the nation learned about Christina, the more it grieved with the Green family. She was mature beyond her years. She made sure her brother, who has autism, got on the bus every day. She played a mean second base for her Little League team.

I dont think Sylvia nor I in our wildest dreams realized how this would hit the nation and the community as hard as it did, Green said. That little girl woke an awful lot of people up. Well just miss the hell out of her.

E-mail Jim Salisbury at jsalisbury@comcastsportsnet.com

Contact Us