Then he told me a third story, from his earlier years with the Mets. Again, he was pitching in the later innings with runners on base. Before the catcher threw the ball back to him, Tom crouched like a quarterback in the huddle, propped his elbows on his knees and stared at the dirt. His pitching coach, Rube Walker, came hustling out to the mound. Rube said, "Tom. Tom, you all right? You hurt? Maybe you should come out." Tom looked up at him, as if he had no idea why Rube was there. He said, "What the hell you doing here? This is my mound, get the fuck off it." Rube said, "But Gil [Hodges] thought you may be in trouble." Tom said, "Trouble? I was fucking thinking. Now get the fuck out of here." [fimg=240]https://s-media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/bf/ac/75/bfac75bbcdbca4e71cc53dbe565cd33e.jpg[/fimg]