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.