Patience Rewarded

Ninety minutes before game time, the sturdy figure in pinstripes patiently signed autographs for the youngsters crowded five-deep at the front of the first-base boxes. The signature of number 45, Jim Beattie, Dartmouth '76, was not as desirable as a Reggie Jackson or a Catfish Hunter. But Beattie had beaten Jim Palmer in his debut as a starting pitcher with the worldchampion Yankees, and he was undefeated after five starts. On this evening the talk around the dugout was that Beattie, 23, needs only polish and consistency. Beattie "has great spring," Billy Martin said. "I like him." Citing the pressure on the rookie and his policy of not discussing players with the press, the manager refused to elaborate in a brief interview with the ALUMNI MAGAZINE. Besides, Martin said, Beattie has "enough pressure on him right now." But Fran Healy, a Yankee backup catcher until a mid-season move to the broad cast booth, said "there's no reason in the world Jim Beattie can't win 20 games." Healy, himself a college graduate, said Beattie's Dartmouth experience should help. "From sitting down and studying," Healy said, "you become patient."

Rookie standout Jim Beattie '76 was calledup from the minors to pitch for the Yankees.