Cincinnati Reds star Bobby Tolan ruptures his Achilles tendon while playing basketball

Injury

On January 7, 1971, Cincinnati Reds star Bobby Tolan ruptures his Achilles tendon while playing basketball. Tolan will miss the entire season and will never regain the form that he displayed in 1970, when he batted .316 and stole a league-leading 57 bases.

Tolan will not be streak­ing along the paths until June 1 at the earliest. The centerfielder. who helped the Reds to the National League pennant, ruptured the achiles tendon in his right leg Wednes­day night during a Reds’ bas­ketball game in Frankfort, Ky., and underwent surgery here Thursday at Christ Hospital. The operation was termed a success, but he will be out until at least June 1.  Manager Sparky Ander­son, reached at his home in Cal­ifornia. said. “It’s a dying shame. This is a jolt, I know how the players feel about this. They’re sick about it.

“We can’t lose that much bat I I’ll just have to juggle around and compensate somewhat.”

Besides the impressive figure in stolen bases—57, Tolan hatted .31 ft in 1970 and rapped 34 dou­bles, six triples and 16 home runs. He hit .305 in 1969 after being acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals in a trade in which the Reds gave up out­fielder Vada Pinson.

Tnlan’s injury Is similar to that which sidelined former Cin­cinnati pitching ace Jim Malo­ney much of the 1970 season. To­lan’* will remain in a cast up to his waist for four weeks Tnen a shorter “walking cast” will be put on for another four I

Anderson said that the possi­bility of a player getting hurt in a basketball game is “the rea­son I couldn’t give my okay to the team. I feel the worst for Bobby.”

The team has nine contests left on its schedule hut general manager Bob Howsam said. “I don’t know if they’ll continue playing. I just can’t say I road an article earlier in the winter where I said I was against the team. It made a lot more sense
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