Sully Baseball Salutes Mike Flanagan

Mike Flanagan was found dead yesterday.

That's all I know about his death. No doubt over the next few days we will find out more. And I truly hope none of the details will be lurid. But nothing will be more shocking than his being dead.

When I was just starting to understand baseball and the different teams and their players, Mike Flanagan was a major figure.

He was the Cy Young winner in 1979, the first year that I REALLY followed baseball. And there was a sense that he was quite simply THE MAN.

A left handed stud, he pitched in the 1979 World Series, the first one I remember watching. He was a member of the 1983 World Champion Orioles and, later in his career as a reliever, took part in the last no hitter in Orioles history.

The former All Star pitched with the Blue Jays in the 1989 ALCS but finished his career with Baltimore. He was so beloved by the fans that they chanted "WE WANT FLANAGAN!" during the final game at Memorial Stadium.

He did indeed come out to pitch in that game.

The former U. Mass product and native New Englander was a great basketball player, a husband and father whose daughter was an early test tube baby and the first to be born without a C-Section.

He was known for a fast wit and being loved by his former teammates. He was a Vice President of the Orioles, a coach and a broadcaster in Baltimore.

He had the success and respect and fame that most of can only dream of.

And now he is gone.

According to WBAL TV in Baltimore, Flanagan felt that he was perceived as failing the team during his front office days.

I hope this had nothing to do with his death. He was a real champion and one of the great faces of the last great Orioles team.

And as a child, made a hell of an impression on me.

Rest in peace, Mike Flanagan.

Your legacy is secure with every Baltimore fan.



Before the unpleasant details become known, let's look back at that 1983 team... the team that won it all and made Flanagan a champion then and forever.

Rest in peace Chuck Tanner

The Fam-A-Lee lost one of its great figures.
Notice I couldn't say its father figure. The 1979 Pirates had only one daddy... that would be Pops Stargell.

But Chuck Tanner was the manager of those 1979 Pirates and it was his enthusiasm and positivity that gave them a steady hand as they beat a powerful Orioles squad after trailing 3 games to 1.

He managed contenders for the White Sox and the end of the 1970s A's run where he finished second. Then was traded as a manager to the Pirates for Manny Sanguillen.

Sanguillen would return to the Pirates and help with a key pinch hit single in the 1979 World Series.

Tanner would later manage the Braves where he brought Stargell along to be on his coaching staff.

The Fam-A-Lee has a new Hall of Famer this year with Bert Blyleven and last year they lost Jim Bibby. Now Tanner is gone.

Anyone who knows me knows that the 1979 World Series holds a very special place in my heart. It was the first World Series I watched every game of and the first one I got emotional about.

I love that '79 Pirates team and as I wrote before, I thought everything about that World Series was great.

So cue up Sister Sledge and tip your star covered hat.

Rest in peace Chuck Tanner... you will always be part of the Fam-A-Lee.

10 thoughts about the 2011 Hall of Fame vote

Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar are Hall of Famers. The election results are in and this wonderful day on the baseball calendar will no doubt have the columnists and bloggers typing all night long.

So why not chime in my own self?

I predicted than only Blyleven and Alomar would get in despite many other worthy candidates. But I have some other thoughts on these matters.


1. ALOMAR SHOULD BECOME THE FIRST HALL OF FAMER WITH A BLUE JAYS HAT ON THE PLAQUE

Only Rickey Henderson, Phil Niekro, Paul Molitor and Dave Winfield even played in Toronto and got elected to Cooperstown. (And Molitor was the only one to stay for more than a year.)

Alomar was a Blue Jay for five seasons. Not exactly a lifer with any one team, he should have the sideways bird engraved for all time. (The Blue Jay... NOT the Oriole).



2. BLYLEVEN SCORES ONE FOR "THE FAM-A-LEE"

An interesting thing happens when a player plays as long as Bert Blyleven did and has to wait almost as long to get elected. You find yourself celebrating teams that played generations ago.

Bert Blyleven wasn't the biggest star on the 1979 Pirates (the late Willie Stargell was) but he now joins Pops in the Hall of Fame. And while Bert will probably go in as a Minnesota Twin, his time in Pittsburgh (where he threw the complete game win to clinch the NLCS and came out of the bullpen to win Game 5 of the World Series) should be saluted.

I have a mild obsession with the 1979 Pirates and hope that SOMEONE will cue up the Sister Sledge this summer in Cooperstown.



3. ALAS FELLOW "FAM-A-LEE" MEMBER DAVE PARKER WON'T BE JOINING HIM

On the 1979 Pirates, Dave Parker was a much more imposing figure than Blyleven. And I supported the Cobra's Hall of Fame candidacy. But after 15 attempts it didn't happen.

Maybe the Veterans Committee will take another look at him. Short of that, being the bad ass 1978 National League MVP and having two World Series rings might have to suffice.



4. HOW MANY PEOPLE WHO LEFT THEIR BALLOTS BLANK LAST YEAR VOTED FOR ALOMAR AND BLYLEVEN THIS YEAR?

Last year five writers left their ballots blank. And last year Blyleven and Alomar missed being elected by just a few votes. Those blank ballots could have been the difference.

If you left them blank last year and voted for Robbie and Bert this year, you should have your voting rights taken away.

Also if there were no Alomar nor Blyleven on the ballot, would there have been more support for Barry Larkin or other returning players? We'll never know.



5. GET TO WORK ON YOUR SPEECH, BARRY LARKIN

It is going to happen. People like Barry Larkin. There is no cloud of doubt hanging over Barry Larkin. AND he got 62.1% of the vote this year.

Next year the player with the best Hall of Fame resume being put on the ballot if Bernie Williams. Terrific player. Not a Hall of Famer. He'll get the votes next year to get in.






6. IT LOOKS LIKE THE 1984 TIGERS WON'T HAVE A HALL OF FAMER ON THEIR ROSTER

Sparky Anderson's passing recently shone attention back onto his wonderful 1984 World Champion Tiger team. It certainly FELT like a star studded super star team back then. But Kirk Gibson and Lance Parrish never got the Hall of Fame support and now it looks more and more like Jack Morris and Alan Trammell's vote tallies are not going to cut it.

Therefore the only Hall of Famer from the 1984 Tigers would be Sparky.



7. IT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD FOR MANY STARS OF THE 1980s

Don Mattingly's support is stagnant. Dale Murphy's isn't getting better. Lee Smith can't get over the hump after nine attempts. And poor Harold Baines is off the ballot after 5 tries. If Baines ONLY got those extra seven hits a year.

The 80s, the decade I grew up on, is struggling to put its superstars in the Hall!


8. WHY NO LOVE FOR TIM RAINES?

Staying with 1980s stars not getting love from the voters, the most perplexing is the lack of support for Tim Raines. In his fourth attempt he got less than 40% of the vote. It can't be just because he played in Montreal.

It can't be because of his drug problems.

I think people haven't looked at his stats. Well here they are. Read them and vote! (Jim Rice had less than 40% of the vote too at one point and he got in, so there is hope.)



9. UM... MARQUIS GRISSOM GOT 4 VOTES?

As I wrote in my Jay Bell - Hall of Famer post a few years ago, I get it when a guy gets a stray vote. A sports writer may want to throw a bone to a player they liked and make sure they didn't come and go without a single vote. It's when a player gets more than one sympathy vote that I start to wonder "Did I see the wrong player?"

I've got nothing against Marquis Grissom... a good solid baseball lifer. But FOUR voters used their ballot to say "He should be immortalized!" Imagine if 460 did. They'd be carving a plaque for him. As for B.J. Surhoff... this article kind of says it all.



10. THE NEXT 15 SOME ODD YEARS ARE NOT GOING TO FUN IN TERMS OF HALL OF FAME VOTING


Kevin Brown is mercifully off the ballot... but Juan Gonzalez somehow will stick around for next year. And Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro can't bust 20% of the vote but will be debated next winter as well.

The 'roids talk influenced the Jeff Bagwell vote and it isn't going to get prettier as the dreaded 2013 election looms... and Bonds and Clemens are eligible.

Be prepared for years and years of the tainted names on the ballot and lots of debate. Which is GREAT news for candidates like Barry Larkin and Rock Raines who will get more support from writers who don't want to send in blank ballots.

A Note To My Many Irate Pirate Fan Readers

I evidently hit a nerve when I needled the Pirates for firing Joe Kerrigan and Gary Varsho from the coaching staff. Anyone who questions the passion of Pirate fans should take a look at my comments and also my e mail in box.

Pirate passion is alive and well, even if their team isn’t.

Let me say this, my Pirate fan readers, and be as clear as I can be.

I LIKE THE PIRATES.

Besides the Red Sox (my childhood team) and the Giants (my dad’s team) the Pirates are the team I would want to see win the World Series most of all.

I have written about why I like the Pirates… from my memories of the 1979 World Series and their great history.

And I’ve also said that an argument can be made that current Pirate fans are the best and most loyal in baseball, as they have a franchise that has given them NOTHING back in nearly 2 decades.

But I also am tired of the excuses.

Yeah they don’t have deep pockets and they’ve had to shed payroll. And yes, Dave Littlefield was possibly the worst General Manager in baseball history as he traded big leaguer after big leaguer for pennies on the dollar and constantly drafted players based on cost rather than getting the best player into their system.

But guess what? Littlefield has been gone since the end of the 2007 season.

At one point you’ve got to stop blaming the previous administration and demand some results from Neal Huntington.

Yeah, he is doing better than Littlefield in that he has drafted players like Alvarez and McCutchen. Plus taking a chance on Lastings Milledge could pay off. And Ross Ohlendorf has had some nice games.

But he is also the General Manager for the team that as of this writing is the WORST TEAM IN BASEBALL. And the bounty for trades like Jason Bay, Nate McClouth and Freddy Sanchez are still all in the “potential” category a year or more after they were dealt.

And while each of those players have dealt with slumps and injuries since leaving the Pirates, they were PRIME TRADE CHIPS when they were sent on their way.

Who did they get in exchange for them?

Andy LaRoche is a spot starter at first base and hasn't been able to put up any numbers of note.

Charlie Morton... who has been a bust and will be 27 next year, or around the time a player ceases to be a prospect.

Craig Hansen was as much a bust in Pittsburgh as he was in Boston. His career is in danger as injuries has pushed him all the way down to the Florida State League.

Brandon Moss has had a decent year in AAA but at age 26, he is

Bryan Morris has been adequate at AA. He'll be 24 next year and needs to make the jump to AAA.

Jeff Locke has looked good in single A. Forgive me if I don't get excited about him until he sees a big league game.

Gorkys Hernandez is OK... at AA.

Tim Alderson has been a disaster in A and AA with a combined ERA over 6.00.

Why are small market teams like the A’s, the Padres, and the Rays able to get players who can contribute on the big league level when they deal off a player but this ability constantly eludes the Pirates?

Why are teams like Marlins able to consistently put a team above .500 on the team with a smaller payroll and a worse stadium situation?

I am not going to praise GM simply for being better than Littlefield, especially since that assessment is only made on reputation. GMs presiding over the team bound to get the first pick in the amateur draft shouldn’t have adulation showered on them. They should be wondering if they have a job next year.

As for the criticism of Kerrigan and Varsho being canned, I will take a little step back from my original criticism… but not THAT much.

I remember Kerrigan being Dan Duquette’s pick to replace Jimy Williams in 2001 and Derek Lowe saying something like “Now the whole team will see what a prick he is.” Then again, as much as I love Lowe, he seemed to have issues.

And evidently Gary Varsho wasn’t a popular guy in the clubhouse. But when you are the worst team in the game, are you really allowed to be picky on your coaches.

That being said, it seems like they were also undermining manager John Russell and the dumping of these two is a commitment to Russell as manager.

Alrighty… better get some results.

If the Pirates put a winning team on the field, I will be the FIRST person to praise them. The Pirates should be one of the proud franchises and Pittsburgh fans, who had a lot to cheer for recently with the Steelers and Penguins’ titles, should be loving the Pirates.

It’s going to be 18 years this year and it will probably be 19 years in 2011 since Sid Bream slid across homeplate.

Now things could be changing, especially next spring when they will have a top 3 pick in the Draft and maybe get the ace the pitching staff so desperately needs.

But once again, it all is potential.

As someone who likes the Pirates, I am tired of potential. I want to see results too.

There are other bad teams that I don’t care about.
The Diamondbacks can keep losing for all I care.
I have no love lost for the Orioles… or the Royals… or the Nats… or the Mets.

If those teams turn it around, fine. I can be intrigued by a comeback story.
But they don’t intrigue me.

The Pirates do.

Now I know it can suck to hear someone outside your fan base saying this and it isn’t anything you’ve haven’t thought yourself.

But I WANT a higher number in the Pirates W column… starting tonight against San Diego.

Now send your hate e mail to info@sullybaseball.com

The A's telecast last night was DY-NO-MITE!

I am guessing most of you didn't catch the A's - Pirates game last night. It's a shame, because while the game itself wasn't exactly suspenseful, the look and feel of the game was, let's face it, OUT OF SIGHT!


It was turn back the clock to the 1970s night in Oakland. And the Pirates and the A's both would love turn it back to that decade when (and brace yourself young fans, this is going to sound strange) BOTH teams were powerhouses and won multiple division titles and World Series Championships.

(Sounds strange now, doesn't it?)


The A's were decked out in their classic yellow bottoms and yellow tops from the 70s glory days.

Personally I preferred the green tops to the yellow tops but it doesn't matter.

They LOOKED like champs again!


And like it was in the 1970s, the manager and coaches wore the white hats.

Bob Geren might not be a Hall of Fame manager, but for at least a day he LOOKED like Dick Williams!

(Would it have KILLED Bob Geren to wear the correct warm up jacket?)

But the A's looked awesome. How about the other team?



Cue up Sister Sledge! The Pirates looked like the Family again!

Black tops... black bottoms... the flat top yellow hat.

Personally I prefer the black hats, but either way, they looked like Champs from the 1979 World Series... a personal obsession of mine.

There are not a lot of Stargell Stars on their hats, but if you've seen the Bucs play this year, not a lot have been earned!

The game itself was cool, but the Comcat Sportsnet broadcast for the A's made it even cooler.

They did not use any graphics that weren't around in the 1970s.

So in came the bright yellow chyron font. The score wasn't permanently in the corner, but flashed on the screen from time to time.



The information when the batters were up was also "Just the facts."

Name, what they did tonight.

No breaking down of how they hit against left handers or their OPS.

(The Yellow font against the yellow jersey was a bit rough.)


Also the count and the number of outs were not always on the screen but would pop up between some pitches.

I'm not saying it is better like this... but it gave everything a nice nostalgic feel.

And speaking of nostalgia...


The announcers for Comcast Sportsnet busted out the yello blazers and the logo on the breast pocket.

And kudos to A's broadcaster Glen Kuiper for the fake 1970s 'stache to make the outfit complete.

Color commentator (and former 1970s A's star) Ray Fosse didn't need a fake 1970s stache. He has the real McCoy!

(Nice touch for the engineer to be all hippied out as well. Chances are that's how the 1970s looked in the East Bay!)


So nice work A's and Pirates and nice "above and beyond the call" for Comcast Sports Net.

Two teams that might be going nowhere this year did something cool, funny and fan friendly (as a lot of people in the stands were dressed a la 70s.)

The Pirates don't come through Oakland each year, so a nostalgic look back to the 1970s isn't an annual tradition for these two teams.

Another fun wrinkle for Interleague Play.
Another thing to keep in mind when you hear people trash interleague play.

I say those people are talking jive!

Interleague Play begins... and morons dislike it

Interleague play begins today for the 14th consecutive season... and inevitably there are people who write the same tired crap about how interleague play has lost its luster.

It's now part of the summer... like cook outs on the 4th of July... someone will bitch and moan about Interleague Play. Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal is the most recent one to offer nothing and vomits up the same tired arguments.


"And remember: this is Major League Baseball's most compelling interleague series. Who's fired up for Rockies vs. Royals action tonight in Kansas City? Or wants to tailgate with us in June, when the Yankees host that carnival of life-altering thrills that is the NL Central's basement-dwelling Houston Astros?"

Oh blah blah blah blah! Nobody is excited to see the Astros play ANYONE!
Where's Jason Gay's article saying we shouldn't have the Astros play the Diamondbacks? Or the Royals play the Orioles?

Baseball is a long long season and the marathon analogy is apt. Everyone watches the beginning and end of the marathon, but few pay attention to the long middle part. People love opening day and the first match ups for big rivalries... and they love the September stretch.

But between Memorial Day and Labor Day there is a long period where only the lunatics like me are paying real close attention. So why not have a Cubs/White Sox match up or an A's/Giants game to break it up.

I ask you Jason Gay, will there be a lot of intrigue for an additional Mariners/Orioles series in July?

Yeah some of the Interleague Match Ups are duds... but isn't it worth the duds to see the Yankees come to Dodger Stadium this summer? Or a Phillies/Yankees World Series rematch? Or seeing Manny return to Fenway? Or the Twins and Braves to meet up and have a 1991 World Series reunion?

When I wrote about this in 2008, I pointed out that interleague play allowed for Ken Griffey Jr. to return to a standing ovation in Seattle... and the cellar dwelling Pirates and Orioles match up brought about a reunions from the 1971 and 1979 World Series.

Yeah, Jason Gay... we had better get rid of moments like THAT in the middle of the season. Instead of bringing back old stars to celebrate and having some possible strange reunions, we should go back to having the leagues stay separate and make the mid season matchups no different than the beginning and end of the season.

I know I've said all of this before. But guess what? As long as the anti Interleague Play lunatics keep writing the same garbage year in and year out, I will have the same response.

I am getting to work on my 2011 post on the same subject.

Sully Baseball Honors THE LATE JIM BIBBY

Jim Bibby passed away yesterday in Virginia.

He was only 65.

He played for several teams over his 12 year career, but none that means as much to me as the 1979 Pirates.

As anyone who has read this blog knows I have a huge spot in my hear for the 1979 We Are Family Pirates as they won the first World Series I have any memory of.

Jim Bibby started Game 7 of that World Series… yes the same game I gushed about this off season.

So in his honor, let’s list a few things about Bibby.


Bibby was originally a Met farm hand but never played in Flushing.

In yet another brilliant move by the Mets in the mid 1970s, Bibby was sent packing along with Art Shamsky and 2 others to St. Louis.

None of the players picked up by the Mets (Jim Beauchamp, Chip Coulter, Harry Parker nor Chuck Taylor) did squat with the Mets.





He threw the first no hitter in Texas Rangers history on July 30th, 1973.

He pitched it against the Oakland A’s, who were in the middle of three straight World Series titles.

A’s regulars like Bert Campaneris, Sal Bando, Reggie Jackson and Gene Tenace all played that day.


The start prior to his no hitter, he threw a complete game 2 hitter against the Angels.

He out pitched Nolan Ryan, who would know a few things throwing no hitters in a Rangers uniform.

So in two starts he pitched 18 innings and let up 2 hits.

Not too shabby.




He didn't exactly wear traditional unis...

He pitched in the burgundy unis of the 1970s Indians… and the all yellow unis that the Pirates wore in the late 70s.

He made those ugly uniforms look good.






Jim was an All Star

Jim played in his lone All Star in 1980 at Dodger Stadium as a member of the Pirates.

He came into the game in the 7th inning with a 1 run led and got future Hall of Famer Robin Yount to fly out.

Willie Randolph then singled but Cecil Cooper grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Bibby was credited with a Hold. Actually he wasn’t. There were no “holds” back in 1980. But Baseball Reference gave him one retroactively.



Jim contended for the 1980 Cy Young Award.

1980 was Bibby’s best season. He won 19 games, tying his career high and finished the season with the best winning percentage based on his 19-6 record.

He finished third in the Cy Young voting behind Steve Carlton and Jerry Reuss





Jim was a Terry Harper single away from perfection

On May 19,1981 he led up a lead off single in the first inning to Atlanta’s Terry Harper.

He went on to retire the next 27 batters for the 5-0 complete game hitter.







The last batter he faced was Greg Walker

Bibby finished his career on May 26th, 1984 doing a mop up relief appearance for the Rangers against the White Sox.

The White Sox loaded the bases on him with one out, but he got Mike Squires and Greg Walker to pop up and he escaped the game (and his career) with no further damage,





He is the uncle of former Sacramento King and current Atlanta Hawk Mike Bibby

Unlike his Uncle Jim, Mike never could get that ring.






Bibby appeared on the 1990 Hall of Fame ballot. He received one vote.

I'm not saying he deserved a Hall of Fame vote... but I wonder who that one voter was.

And if that one voter is still alive, I hope the Bibby family invites him over for dinner.




So rest in peace, Jim Bibby. Know that you will always be part of the Fam-A-Lee of 1979.

Do you know what was awesome about Game 7 of the 1979 World Series? EVERYTHING!!!!

The other day, the MLB Network was showing Game 7 of the 1979 World Series, which is to date the last time the road team won Game 7 of a World Series.

As I wrote in the Pirates Home Grown vs Acquired entry that the 1979 Series was the first one I have any real memory of.

When my brother and I were kids, often we would stay at the home of our neighbors Peggy and Rico Bianchi until my mom and dad got home from work.

And in that great October of 1979, I remember being a 7 year old sitting in their upstairs bedroom with a black and white TV on watching the games and becoming transfixed.

I remember "We Are Family" being played as the Pirates rallied. I remember Willie Stargell getting key hits after key hit and the Orioles having what seemed like 100,000 awesome pitchers.

But watching the game the other day brought back a flood of memories and opened my eyes to things I didn't remember...

And keep in mind I originally watched it without color, and little did I realize just how colorful a World Series this was.

Let's list the cool things, shall we?

THE VERY EXISTENCE OF WILLIE STARGELL

I remember his 2 run come from behind homer off of Scott McGregor and not being surprised by it. That's just what Pops was supposed to do!

Only the most die hard Orioles fan could watch Stargell's 1979 World Series and not have a huge grin on their face.

THE UNIFORMS AND HATS

The last World Series of the 1970s made quite a fashion statement.

The bright yellow unis of Pittsburgh with the flatop caps...
The bright orange duds of the Orioles complete with the smiling bird cap that will always rock.

Both with the pullover double knit tops.

They looked great on color TV. Imagine how they'd look in HD.

We need a bright uniform renaissance.

THE STARGELL STARS

Captain Willie Stargell would hand out stars for great plays and clearly didn't mind giving himself a few either.

Each of the Pirates put the stars on their caps and often there was no uniformity in how they arranged the stars.

Here Kent Tekulve had a few on top of his cap as well as surrounding the crown.

Today this would probably be banned by MLB for not being uniform.

In 1979, it made the team a closer family.

THE AMAZING NERDINESS OF KENT TEKULVE

Has there ever been a more awkward looking closer than Kent Tekulve?

Tom Henke was a GQ model compared to Tekulve.

He clearly wasn't cut from the same intimidating cloth as say Rollie Fingers, Sparky Lyle or Goose Gossage.

The tall skinny frame.

The huge glasses.

The high school science teacher face.


Even how he threw was strange and not exactly pretty.

He had that rubber band arm submarine motion where I am sure the batter just couldn't see the release point at all.

He wasn't glamorous that is for sure, but he could get the job done on the mound.

Now as awkward as he may have looked on the mound, just imagine how out of place he felt at the plate.

Yup, a closer batted.

Here's what I want to know:

How the hell did Tekulve get a run batted in in 1979???

EDDIE MURRAY AT THE PEAK OF HIS BAD ASSNESS

Eddie Murray, who could launch the ball from either side and managed 3,000 hits and election to the Hall of Fame, always was The Man at the plate.

But late 70s Eddie was the coolest Eddie.

The big fro spraying out from his helmet. The sideburns. The stache. The smiling bird cap that contrasted his scowl.

And we can all admit the orange wrist bands were a nice touch.

DON STANHOUSE

I intentionally made this picture bigger.

It's worth a close look.

Heck, it's worth making it the wall paper on your computer.

Remember, he CHOSE this look.

It's wonderful that he has the hair that matches the color of his uniform... and his afro dwarfs Eddie Murray's.

I guess at that point he said "Oh screw it... I'll grow an insane mustache that covers my mouth too."

What I am saying is, it takes some effort to make the smiling bird on the hat the SECOND goofiest face in this picture.

THE UNDERRATED COOLNESS OF DAVE PARKER

We forget now how great a player Dave Parker was in the 1970s. He was the MVP in 1978 and in the discussion for best all around hitter in the game then.

And like Eddie Murray he had a "don't f--- with me" aura that made him even more intimidating.

He didn't have Eddie's scowl... instead he had an expression that read "do you REALLY think you are getting me out? I won back to back batting titles and STILL can crush 20-30 homers!"

Back then 20-30 homers meant something and he was about as physically intimidating a figure at the plate you could imagine in a pre steroids slugger.

Parker wasn't on the juice.

He did manage to smoke a pack or so in the dugout during the game.

THE ROENICKE FAMILY

Didn't there seem to be more than two Roenickes?

It seemed like whenever I opened a pack of cards there was a Roenicke (along with a Toby Harrah, Dick Tidrow and Mike Hargrove.)

I could never get Gary nor Ron straight.

Now there is a NEW Roenicke in the bigs. Gary's son Josh pitched for the Reds and Blue Jays this year.

I wonder if he gets the Roenickes confused.

EARL WEAVER'S INSANE 9TH INNING

Trying to keep the Pirates from blowing the game open, Earl Weaver made about a thousand trips to the mound and made so many pitching changes that I think that if he could have activated McNallay and Cuellar, he would have.

In all 5 pitchers pitched the 9th including eventual Cy Young winner Mike Flanagan and both Dennis and Tippy Martinez.

I had to double check to see if I pitched.

THE BULLPEN CART

When did the bullpen cart become extinct?

Seriously... one minute every pitcher was carted out, the next they are ambling in from the pen.

Did they get a proper send off?
Is there any chance they can come back?

THE LOW TECH LOCKER ROOM

The Pirates in the locker room, including borderline Hall of Famer Bill Madlock, are watching the late innings.

Today they would be in the spacious clubhouse watching on flatscreen TVs.

In 1979, it is a crummy TV (probably a Zenith) sitting on top of a washing machine.

Hey, it did the trick.

THE PIRATES WIN THE WORLD SERIES

Fly ball to Omar Moreno and Kent Tekulve hugs catcher Steve Nicosia and the Pirates are the champs of the baseball world...

Something they haven't been able to say since.

As was the norm of the celebrations in the 1970s, the objective for the winning team was NOT to celebrate on the field.

There was no big elaborate pile and choreographed celebration on the mound.

After Tekulve hugged Nicosia, it became the objective of the Pirates to GET THE HELL OFF OF THE FIELD AS FAST AS POSSIBLE!

In the picture above, Rennie Stennett, Willie Stargell and John Candelaria are sprinting past the mob of people to get into the safety of the clubhouse...

No doubt the mob would want to steal that television on top of the washing machine.

STEVE NICOSIA BEATS THE CRAP OUT OF A FAN

The camera doesn't focus on it.

I know of no accounts of this happening.

But I saw it with my own two eyes in the re broadcast.

Some fan tried to grab Pirates catcher Steve Nicosia. Nicosia gets him to the ground... and throws a punch... or two...

And I am not talking a half hearted punch either.

He gives him a few haymakers and turns around and runs back into the dugout.

The person he punched MUST be out there still.

If you are, e mail info@sullybaseball.com

I would love to interview you.

Can you IMAGINE that happening today? Carlos Ruiz or Jorge Posada clocking a fan on the field?

They'd be forced to go on a public relations tour, apologizing left and right.

Not Nicosia! He gets to beat up a guy and then celebrate with champagne.

I kind of like it the 1979 way better.


I'm sure Pirate fans do too.

I hope reading this post made you hum a little Sister Sledge.