Therefore, the only way I ever got a ballot during those years was through the Gillette display at my local grocery store. The store was called Great Scott!! (yes the exclamation points were part of the store's name). Interestingly, the display was usually located in the isle somewhere, but if you wanted a ballot, you had to ask for one at the welcome desk.
That was sometimes tricky. There was a really crabby lady who usually manned the desk and she wasn't to fond of kids coming in the store and getting something for free. Many times she would say something like "we're out" or pretended that she didn't know what we were talking about.
Thankfully, there was a bagger named Greg, about 19 years old that everybody knew and liked. He knew everybody by their name and greeted you as soon as you came into the store. He would talk to us when we drove our bikes in the parking lot and he would collect the carts. Often times, it was Greg who would get the ballots for us and he didn't mind when we came back a few days later to get another.
Without further ado, here is one of those 1980 ballots:
Sometimes we would punch them and bring them back, other times we would keep and argue about them. Where was Tony Perez? Why was Mike Hargrove in the outfield? People really voted for Jerry Royster? (no offense intended). And it was cool that Jose Cruz got to have his whole name on the ballot.
Who did you vote for? Who would you vote for now?
This is probably what my ballot looked like in 1980:
ReplyDeleteNL AL
1B Rose Carew
2B Trillo Grich
SS Concepcion Yount
3B Schmidt Brett
C Bench Fisk
OF Clark Rice
Maddox Baylor
Parker Oliver
I'm surprised there are only 9 players per position listed. I thought every team's starters were on the ballot.
ReplyDeleteI was going to say what Jim said above...they sort of narrowed down the all-stars for you back then.
ReplyDeleteHaving worked in grocery stores in the past, unless there was some kind of refund from the sponsor (like a coupon), I doubt these ballots ever really got counted anyway. That crabby lady at the service desk probably threw them away.
I could be wrong...but I only see 4 Tigers on the whole ballot...Trammell, Whitaker, Parrish and Kemp. I am sure they would've all got my vote in 1980. I was 6 then, and probably the only players I really knew growing up in the Detroit area at that point Except for maybe a player like Reggie Jackson, who like ARod now, sort of transcended being just a sports celebrity.
ReplyDelete