Forgotten Stories: Disney All Star Extravaganza

Yesterday's post discussed the simplicity of baseball coverage during the regular season of 1980 and how that elevated the prominence of the All Star Game every summer. However, with the game in Los Angeles in 1980, the Hollywood crowd in southern California certainly had a presence although it was much more subdued than it is today.

Then as is now, Disney was represented mainly, I suppose, because of Disneyland's proximity to Dodger Stadium. However, this was not the same Disney juggernaut that runs the world today. It was a company in transition. Creatively, things were beginning to stall but that did not stop the folks at the Magic Kingdom from trying to put on a good show.

The cast of characters took the field prior to the start of the game in a series of short songs designed for the viewing audience at home. It culminated in a rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" that was led by Mickey Mouse, in full Dodger regalia:

As the ABC cameras panned the action on the field, there were several curious observations to be made as apparently all the Disney characters were wearing MLB caps. Some of these characters may not be as immediately recognizable to some younger readers but were stars of some of Disney's most recent efforts. 

There were Bernard and Miss Bianca from "The Rescuers" (1977), in St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirate caps. 

Also shown were Little John and Prince John from 1973's Robin Hood. Little John is featured in a Philadelphia Phillies cap and Prince John is dressed in the emperor's garb from "The Emperor's New Clothes." To accentuate the royal garb they put him in.....a Cleveland Indians cap.

Also shown were Captain Hook (no, not Sparky Anderson) and Mr. Smee, from the 1953 film "Peter Pan." Not sure when the last time Mr. Smee has been seen at any of the theme parks since as a supporting character such as him likely has been retired. Appropriately, they are wearing Pittsburgh Pirates caps. 

Several other characters appeared on the field, in difficult to determine caps. King Louie and Baloo from "The Jungle Book" appear, but from a distance, it's hard to make out their caps. Same with the Seven Dwarfs and Three Little Pigs. Some, such as Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland and Snow White do not appear with a MLB hat at all. 

One last screen shot encapsulates Disney during this period. Having characters in MLB hats is really, really cool. Yet opportunities are missed. Take for example this shot of Chip. Or Dale. Either way, both were rocking a sweet Montreal Expos hat. And yes, I am glad to revel in its splendor glory. But really you have two chipmunk characters that essentially look alike and don't make them the Minnesota Twins?? Nonetheless, a minor complaint to what was a combined totally awesome and horrendous pregame at the same time. 

Forgotten Stories: 1980 Baseball Coverage

The All Star Game is quite possibly my favorite part of the baseball season. As the first half of the 2016 baseball season comes to a close today, I was thinking about All Star Games past, specifically, the 1980 edition that was held at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. It was special because it was the first one that I was able to stay up and watch complete. I was nine years old.

In those days, there was no Futures Game, no Home Run Derby. It was the game and the game itself. It marked the halfway point for most of us during the summer and at least in my neighborhood it was an truly an event. It was marked by promotions during the spring and summer (via Pitch, Hit and Run and the All Star Ballots) and was a marked event in TV guides (remember those)?

The 1980 game was broadcast on ABC, then in their fifth season of televising Major League Baseball. It was their third ASG broadcast (the others coming in 1976 and 1978). All the heavy hitters were present: Keith Jackson, Al Michaels, Don Drysdale, Bob Uecker and the irrepressible Howard Cosell. Cosell, of course, was the polarizing figure and voice of Monday Night Football. His impact is largely forgotten today, but his presence at a sporting event definitely made it "must see."

In the years that have passed since, I have often wondered about how things have changed. The All Star Game has become niche programming, available really for those who want to see it (and judging by the ratings that's debatable).

I wonder if back then the All Star Game was more special because of the mystery that surrounded it. For clarification, many of these players I did not see regularly, if at all on television. Of course, the technology is almost archaic by comparison, but consider what a baseball fan had as options in 1980:

NBC carried the Saturday afternoon "Game of the Week"

ABC carried "Monday Night Baseball" during the summer months and periodically carried "Sunday Afternoon Baseball" in the fall to go head-to-head against the NFL and highlight in-demand pennant race games.

That's pretty much it. ESPN was not in every home as of yet as it was still new and most folks didn't have cable TV back in 1980. At least I didn't. The extent of our technology was making up games/stats/leagues using this:

For example, I lived in Detroit. Here is advertisement in the 1980 Tigers Yearbook. I loved this ad with the Tiger eating the logo of the other teams in the American League:

And this was pretty much their coverage: 

No replays from a hundred angles. No over-analysis. No screen clutter with multiple graphics. 

Today, we are accustomed to seeing every game televised live. If we miss it, we can still see it on-demand, or several other forms of media. In 1980, there were 52 games available and that's it. And we were happy to get that many. If you notice, most were road games, so there was very little coming directly from Tiger Stadium.

But back to the All Star Game and it's sense of mystery. We saw the stars of the American League, but the National League was foreign territory. We were NL starved. Consider that they won the darn game every year and it made it that much more intriguing. Yes, we read about them and even saw clips on "This Week in Baseball" but that was just about it. 

So while I settle in this week to get my fill and enjoy all of All Star coverage both televised and on the web, there is part of me that will recall another, simpler time that made me appreciate the game as much as I do today.

Happy Fourth of July

Enjoy the holiday everyone! As a special treat from your friends at 1980 Topps, here is our country's national anthem from that summer 36 years ago. 

This is prior to an August 15, 1980 game between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.

Bridging The Generations

Disclaimer: This post has nothing to do with the 1980 Topps set, rather a remembrance of my father, who was the original inspiration for this blog. Periodically, I will break away from the 1980 set, to include these entries as a tribute to the man who started my card collection and my interest in the game.

It was one year ago today that Justin Verlander pitched his second career no-hitter.

Verlander had one of those seasons last year; he was the best pitcher in baseball in 2011. Locally, the no-hitter was a nice story because he was a Detroit Tiger.

History will show that was the day that Verlander pitched his second career no-hitter and was an unofficial turning point in the Tigers' season. Most don't recall that Verlander was 2-3 going into this game and the Tigers were under the .500 mark. It has been recognized that his performance in this game sparked the team and lead them to the American League playoffs.

But no matter what happens with Verlander for the remainder of his career, his May 7, 2011 no-hitter gave me memories that will last the rest of my life for reasons that have nothing to do with baseball.

At the time, my father was dying of emphysema at St. John's hospital in Detroit. He was in the middle of a three-week hospital stay and at this point was all but confined to his bed. I was visiting him that Saturday afternoon and talk eventually turned to his mortality. We mutually and silently decided that the break from such heavy talk would be the Tigers game. It was just starting and even though I knew different, it was almost as if I was nine years old again, watching the game on TV with my Dad; talking about baseball and him giving me guidance on life in general as he always did.

Verlander, meanwhile, was in the middle of a masterful performance, retiring every single batter he faced. We knew that it was bad luck to say the words "no-hitter" but it was still early in the game. Dad tired around the sixth inning despite what was transpiring and said he wanted to take a nap. I knew that my Mom would be coming soon, so we said our goodbyes for another day.

When I got home, Verlander was still at it. I told my son what was happening and we turned on the TV. The irony was not lost on me as now the roles were switched. Our excitement built as we got closer to the final out, but my mind couldn't help but think of my dual roles as father and son and how this great American pastime bridged three generations. It served as our common interest as well as our distractions, gave us something to rally around as well as serve as our reason to spend time with each other. After the game, Grandson talked to Grandpa on the phone about the game and they compared notes. In my heart, I knew instantly that it was one of those moments I should make note of. I smile even now recalling it.

Dad died ten days later on May 17, 2011.

Yes, Verlander's no-hitter was baseball history. Yes, it was one of the seminal moments of the Tigers 2011 season. But to me it will always mean so much more. For one afternoon, Justin Verlander gave me something special that had really, little to do with baseball. He will always simultaneously remind me of my Dad and my son and how important our relationships are.

Dwight Gooden, 7-11 and the Fourth

Disclaimer: This post has nothing to do with the 1980 Topps set, rather a remeberence of my father, who was the original inspiration for this blog. Periodically, I will break away from the 1980 set, to include these entries as a tribute to the man who started my card collection and my interest in the game.

The Fourth of July was one of my Dad's days. I guess that we all like certain holidays over others, but this one was one of his favorites. Like most, he liked to grill and he liked having family over. He always made a mention somehow of our service men/women and the sacrifices that they make. Year after year, pretty much the same thing. You knew what you would be doing on the Fourth. It was set.

Today was the first one without him. We did the same things, we had family over. Except this time, my brother-in-law did the grilling. I could see how tired the whole affair made my Mom, but she did it primarily to keep the tradition going, keep memories alive.

So what does this have in common with a 1986 7-11 Slurpee coin?

I found this today when I was going through an old shoe box of stuff. Slurpees also remind me of summer. I can remember sitting on the curb being impressed with the stats on the back. A 2.00 career ERA? It's hard to explain how huge Dwight Gooden was in those days. He was the man. A Strikeout Machine. A lock for the Hall of Fame.

Now I was no Mets' fan, but as baseball coverage and cards began to really escalate in the mid-1980s, Dwight Gooden was The Next Big Thing. It was a great summer to be a fan with several new products out (granted some were junk) and games all over cable TV. For a baseball-hungry boy, there was plenty to choose from.

Of course, my Dad was not as impressed with only two seasons. "Let's see what happens," is what he probably said, a reminder that its the body of work that counts, not just the highlights. He told me about Herb Score and how his flame was snuffed and reminded me about Steve Carlton and Nolan Ryan and how teams gave up on them and how, over time, they established themselves as the greatest pitchers in the game.

I begrudingly agreed. When Gooden's star fell, my Dad didn't gloat or "told me so." He did point out when guys like Ryan or Carlton did well or were elected to the Hall of Fame.

Which brings me back to today.

I can see why my Dad didn't gravitate towards Gooden as I had. Why it didn't excite him as much as it did me. For him, it was about consistency, working hard. Reliability. Knowing what to expect and counting on it. Year after year, pretty much the same thing.

And all this time, I thought that he was talking about pitching.

Koufax & Drysdale: Beaten on the Same Day

Disclaimer: This post has nothing to do with the 1980 Topps set, rather a small baseball tale that my father talked about for much of my life. Periodically, I will include these as a tribute to the man who started my card collection and my interest in the game.

In the history of baseball, there may have been no greater pitching twosome than Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. These two future Hall of Famers dominated the much of the 1960s en route to three World Championships in seven seasons and accolades too numerous to mention.

However, my Dad insisted that he saw both of them get beat in the same day. And not early in their careers, mind you, but in their prime. Occasionally, I would press him for details about the game or what year this may have happened, but they were sketchy. Some facts did remain constant. The Pittsburgh Pirates won both games at Forbes Field. One of the games went long. Vern Law pitched. But most importantly, both Koufax and Drysdale were the losing pitchers of record and they were in their prime.

For years, this event remained a mystery to me. A mystery, until Retrosheet came out. Through the magic of this incredible site, I was able to fill in the blanks.

The date was Wednesday, September 1, 1965. The place was Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. My Dad was 24 years old at the time and was visiting his family in Clairton, PA. He had left the state and come to Michigan only three years before. But on this day, he was one of the 26,394 to witness this historic event.

In the first game, Koufax started for the Dodgers against Tommie Sisk. Koufax was in the midst of a unanimous Cy Young season while Sisk would make only twelve starts for the Pirates. Despite giving up two early runs, Sisk buckled down and the Pirates managed to scratch across a pair to tie the game. Sisk turned things over to Joe Gibbon in the sixth and he matched Koufax pitch-for-pitch. The game stretched on to the 11th inning, when with two outs, Willie Stargell walked. Pirate catcher Jim Pagliaroni doubled to score Stargell and win the game for Pittsburgh.

Despite the loss, Koufax was still the star of the game. He struck out 10 Bucs and in the process, broke his own single-season National League strikeout mark. He would go on to set the major league record later that year with 382.

In the second game, the Dodgers again jumped out to an early 1-0 lead. Pirate ace Vern Law settled down after that and shut Los Angeles out for the remainder of the game. Bill Virdon tied the contest with a homer in the sixth and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth when Maury Wills bobbled Manny Mota's grounder (yes, Mota was with the Pirates).

Virdon and Roberto Clemente each had three hits in the game as Law went the distance to earn his 16th win of the season.

While I haven't done the research, just seeing two Hall of Famers of this caliber on the same day is something special. Thanks for sharing the memory, Dad.

Happy Father's Day

A bit of explanation is probably in order.....

This blog has not been updated in almost a year. Along the way, there were many friends made and several folks who offered well wishes. I probably should have come on here sooner to update and it is amazing how quickly time can get away from you.

Last July, I had a computer crash and had to by a new one. My father, who is the inspiration for this blog, reminded me at the time that "there are more important things in life." It stuck me then, to take his words to heart. I'm glad that I did.

See, my Dad was living with cancer and emphysema. Over 50 years of smoking had taken its toll and in December 2008, he had a cancerous tumor removed from his lung. Fortunately, it did not return. However, effects of chemo and radiation exacerbated the emphysema and his breathing got worse.

He died on Tuesday, May 17, 2011.

Something told me last year to take a step back and focus on spending more time with him and my family. I am glad that I did.

Not knowing it at the time, there were alot of good memories along the way. He got to see his third grandchild born last July. He lived to his 70th birthday and got to tease his son when he turned 40. He watched his team, the Steelers, play in the Super Bowl one last time and didn't get mad when his grandson showed up wearing a cheesehead. We had one last Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. We talked about sports, politics, entertainment and life in general. He shared with me things that I had never known about him before. And he died with his family around him the way he would have liked.

So on Father's Day, I return to this blog to begin again. I hope to be more frequent with my posts....life sometimes takes funny turns. If you don't mind, I will occasionally throw in a baseball-themed story or two that don't have much to do with 1980, but everything to do about my Dad.

Happy Father's Day Dad, we do miss you.