Sept. 23, 1963 - Phillies outfielder Wes Covington admitted today he had to restrain his temper after his $125 suit was sprayed by flying chicken and spare ribs during a postgame tirade by Philadelphia manager Gene Mauch (pictured) in Houston last night. “I’m just proud I controlled myself in a different way,” said Covington today. “What the hell do you expect, you wouldn’t want grease on your suit, would you? Sure I was disturbed. But I feel better about it today.” Following the Phillies’ 2-1 loss to the Houston Colts, Mauch stormed into the visitor’s clubhouse and upset a 15-foot table laden with spare ribs, barbecued chicken, cantaloupes, cucumbers, corn, and a dozen other delicacies. Hanging nearby were suits belonging to Covington and outfielder Tony Gonzalez. The flying food smeared the clothes with grease. “It’s one of those things,” said Covington. “Gene was disturbed by the way in which we lost the game. It’s natural for a manager to act that way. It was a temperamental thing done on quick reaction. We’ve got a chance to finish in the first division if we can beat two or three clubs out. He wanted the game badly and so did the players. Every bit of food was demolished.” Norm Gardeman, whose 25-item spreads in the Houston visitor’s clubhouse are famous throughout the National League, said he had always expected that some manager would upset the food table. “Al Dark nearly did it earlier this year after the Giants lost a tough one here. He paced up and down alongisde the table but then drew back. I think he must have counted to ten. But I’ve never seen anything like this. After Gene upset the table, he came over to me and apologized. I’ll say one thing, the Phillies are the best club in the league as far as tips go.” Before the Phils left for San Francisco, where they open a three-game series with the Giants tomorrow night, Mauch promised to buy Covington and Gonzalez new suits. Covington said he thought Mauch’s gesture was a “gentleman’s act.” Mauch was unavailable for comment in San Francisco. He said: “What happens in my clubhouse is nobody’s business.”
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