Burden of Proof

What does a young man do when he stands 6 ft. 3 in. and weighs 215 Ibs., can run the 100-yd. dash in 9.8 sec., catch footballs like Del Shofner, and belt a baseball out of sight? He could, of course, become an orthopedic surgeon like his old man. But there are easier ways to make a lot of money. Just by signing his name to a contract with the Los Angeles Angels last week, Fred ("Rick") Reichardt of Stevens Point, Wis., picked up a cool $175,000 --which may be the biggest bonus ever paid to a baseball rookie.

He could have had more. A junior at the University of Wisconsin, Reichardt, 21, batted .472 for the Badgers this spring, winning the Big Ten batting championship for the second straight year (last year's average: .429). As if that weren't enough, he was a star flanker back in football, and one pro scout called him "a sure No. 1 draft choice" if he played out his senior year. Reichardt is also a psychology major, and he must have stayed wide awake in some of his classes.

At least 18 big-league clubs begged for his services, and Reichardt played them off against each other with clinical calm. The bidding, he announced, would start at $100,000. This was too much of "a business and financial risk" for the home-state Milwaukee Braves. But the other teams barely blinked. Kansas City Owner Charles Finley made two trips to Stevens Point in a week. The Angels flew Rick to Palm Springs in Owner Gene Autry's private plane, gave him a tour of Hollywood, brunch in Bel Air, and dinner in Studio City. The New York Mets offered him everything but the seats in Shea Stadium, and the Yankees retaliated with a reported bid of $250,000.

But Reichardt picked the Angels. "I felt my best opportunity for advancement was with a young club," he said. "Now the burden of proof is on me." Whereupon he stepped into the batting cage at Chavez Ravine and clouted three balls out of the park--one of them over the 410-ft. sign in center field.

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