Getting ready for kick off... thinking about the 1986 World Series

OF COURSE I am thinking about the 1986 World Series... what else would I be thinking about as the games deciding the Super Bowl berths are about to be played.

But I am not thinking about it for the reasons that you would think.

In the past, I lamented 1986 as the ultimate "what might have been."
But 2004 and 2007 put that to rest.

Then I lamented the great flop of 1986 when I thought of Jim Rice's candidacy for the Hall of Fame. Had the Red Sox won in 1986, I argued, Rice would have been in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. He didn't have Ted's stats or Yaz's stats... but the Sox would have won when Rice was captain.

Rice's election last year put that to rest.

But today's Jets game got me thinking about that fateful 10th inning.
The Mets and Jets are very similar franchises... and not just because their names rhyme.

They are second banana franchises in their own cities. The Yankees own the baseball scene and the Giants have always had a bigger following.

They both have had their share of heart break and dysfunction over the years.

Both have fan bases that have listened to Yankee fans and Giant fans crow about their more recent titles. The Yankees with their 27 titles and the Giants with Super Bowl titles in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

And of course they each had, over a period of 9 months in 1969, a startling championship that defined their franchise to this very day.

Both seemed beyond the realm of possibility... the AFL was supposed to be inferior to the NFL and the Super Bowl had been a lackluster joke in its first two games.

And of course the Mets averaged a 56-106 record for each of its first seven seasons.

Both teams rode the back of a brash new superstar... Broadway Joe predicting the outcome by the poolside...

Tom Terrific mowing down NL batters left and right heading into the Series.


And oddly, they both beat heavily favored teams that played in Baltimore.

Now there is one huge difference between the franchises:

The Jets have never won since. The Mets have... one other time.

The Mets have that, for them, Amazin' moment of coming back from 2 runs down, 2 outs, nobody on in the 10th that was so beautifully recreated in this video game.

Now just imagine if the Mets never won that game. (And NO, I am not going to say "Imagine if Buckner made that play. The game was already tied. Buckner's error prevented the game from going into the 10th. It neither clinched the World Series for the Met nor would have clinched the World Series for the Red Sox... please tattoo that on your wrist.)

Imagine if Gary Carter made an out... or Kevin Mitchell made an out... or Schraldi got that third strike on Ray Knight... or Mookie Wilson swung and missed on one of his 2 strike foul balls against Bob Stanley.

Trust me, I did every day of my life between October 1986 to October 2004.

But I always thought of the Red Sox side... for the Mets, they would still be pining for 1969.

1986 would have been thrown on the scrap pile of frustrations along with the end of the 1973 World Series, the trade of Seaver, the Scioscia homer in 1988, the bases loaded walk to end the 1999 NLCS, losing to the Yankees in the 2000 World Series, the called third on Beltran, the great collapse of 2007, the almost as great collapse of 2008...

All the while clinging to their lone moment of glory in 1969.

Kind of like the Jets do now, still waiting for that second great highlight to go with Joe Willy Namath running off the field, finger in the air.

Andre Dawson and Eddie Murray... reunited

Andre Dawson is now in the Hall of Fame and he will be forever linked to heroes and legends of Cooperstown… like Eddie Murray.

Now why of all of the Hall of Famers did I pick Steady Eddie?

It’s simple, really.

Andre Dawson was the Rookie of the Year in 1977 for the National League.
Eddie Murray was the American League Rookie of the Year the same year.

So often the Rookie of the Year is given to a flash in the pan (did someone say Joe Charboneau? Marty Cordova? Pat Listach?) or players who start off looking like superstars but flame out (Fred Lynn, Mark Fidrych, Fernando Valenzuela, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Nomar Garciaparra).

But that got me thinking… several Hall of Famers have won the Rookie of the Year… but how often has the Rookie of the Year in both leagues given to a future Hall of Famer.

Now let me preface this by saying I am talking about people CURRENTLY elected to the Hall of Fame. No doubt Derek Jeter, Mike Piazza and Albert Pujols will all get it… but they aren’t in yet, so I’m not bringing them into the discussion.

Now as I type this, I don’t know the answer… so let’s find out!

For the first few seasons there was only one award… but in the 1950s, both leagues awarded a rookie.

And looking up on Baseball Reference, the greatest website in the world, I see it has happened only two times before.


1956
NL - FRANK ROBINSON, Reds... AL – LUIS APARICIO, White Sox

















1967
NL – TOM SEAVER, Mets... AL – ROD CAREW, Twins

















So we’ve had it happen in the 1950s and the 1960s and 1970s.

It won’t happen with players from the 1980s.

The National League winners are filled with players who started off brilliantly but were derailed by injuries or drugs.

The American League Rookie of the Year winners from the 1980s yielded a single Hall of Famer, Cal Ripken, a few flashes in the pan (like Charboneau and Ron Kittle) and of course Canseco and McGwire.

The 1990s have Derek Jeter in the American League winning in 1996… but it is safe to say Todd Hollandsworth, the NL winner that year, doesn’t have a realistic shot.

So when will there be a fourth set of Hall of Fame Rookie of the Years from the same year?

It’s looking like 2001… Ichiro and Pujols both broke in… and as of this writing, they both seem like locks.

(It’s too early to tell for 2009 winners Andrew Bailey and Chris Coghlan!)

Dueling Cy Youngs...

First of all, I got some sleep last night. Thank you those of you who were concerned.

Granted, one of my sons woke me up at 4:45 AM DEMANDING water... but I got some rest.

But I did think about which Cy Young winners match up in the World Seres, as I foreshadowed in my MVPs in the World Series entry.

The Cy Young split into NL and AL awards in 1967, so there wasn't as big a sample to choose from as the MVP.

But pitching wins championships, right?

The Cy Young is given to the best pitcher, right?

So there must have been a TON of Cy Young winners matching up with each other, right?

WRONG!

It's happened 4 out of 41 World Series.

THE WORLD SERIES FEATURING THE EVENTUAL AL CY YOUNG WINNER AND THE EVENTUAL NL CY YOUNG WINNER

1968 - Denny McLain's DETROIT TIGERS defeat Bob Gibson's ST. LOUIS CARDINALS

1969 - Tom Seaver's NEW YORK METS defeat Mike Cuellar's BALTIMORE ORIOLES

1974 - Catfish Hunter's OAKLAND A's defeat Mike Marshall's LOS ANGELES DODGERS

2001 - Randy Johnson's ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS defeat Roger Clemens' NEW YORK YANKEES

And THAT'S IT!

And I should note that Mike Cuellar was Co-Cy Young winner in 1969 with Denny McLain. If one voter put McLain a little higher on their ballot, we'd only have three to talk about!

Fernando and Hershiser never matched up with the AL Counterpart.

Multiple winners like Steve Carlton, Jim Palmer and Bret Saberhagen won multiple Cy Youngs but didn't face the other winner in late October.

None of the great Braves pitchers of the 1990s faced off against the AL Cy Young winner. (Andy Pettitte arguably should have won in 1996... but he didn't.)

So with such a small sample, let's see how many times they faced off head to head.

Because Mike Marshall is a reliever and both Catfish Hunter and Randy Johnson came out the bullpen for surprise relief performances in the World Series, I'll word this list carefully.

WORLD SERIES GAMES THAT FEATURED BOTH LEAGUE'S CY YOUNG WINNERS

Game 1 - 1968 World Series.

CARDINALS 4 - TIGERS 0

NL Cy Young Winner Bob Gibson - (W)

9 IP. 0 ER. 5 Hits. 1 BB. 17 K's. (A World Series record.)

AL Cy Young Winner Denny McLain - (L)

5 IP. 2 ER. 3 Hits. 3 BB. 3 K's

Game 4 - 1968 World Series

CARDINALS 10 - TIGERS 1

NL Cy Young Winner Bob Gibson - (W)

9 IP. 1 ER. 5 Hits. 2 BB. 10 K's.

AL Cy Young Winner Denny McLain - (L)

2 2/3 IP. 3 ER. 6 Hits. 1 BB. 3 K's.

Game 1 - 1969 World Series

ORIOLES 4 - METS 1

AL Cy Young Winner Mike Cuellar - (W)

9 IP. 1 ER. 6 Hits. 4 BB. 8 K's.

NL Cy Young Winner Tom Seaver - (L)

5 IP. 4 ER. 6 Hits. 1 BB. 3 K's.

Game 4 - 1969 World Series

METS 2 - ORIOLES 1 (10 Innings)

NL Cy Young Winner Tom Seaver - (W)

10 IP. 1 ER. 6 Hits. 2 BB. 6 K's.

AL Cy Young Winner Mike Cuellar - (ND)

7 IP. 1 ER. 7 Hits. 0 BB. 5 K's.

Game 1 - 1974 World Series

A'S 3 - DODGERS 2

AL Cy Young Winner Catfish Hunter - (SV)

1/3 IP. 0 ER. 0 Hits. 0 BB. 1 K.

NL Cy Young Winner Mike Marshall - (ND)

1 IP. 0 ER. 1 Hit. 1 BB. 1 K.

Game 3 - 1974 World Series

A'S 3 - DODGERS 2

AL Cy Young Winner Catfish Hunter - (W)

7 1/3 IP. 1 ER. 5 Hits. 2 BB. 4 K's.

NL Cy Young Winner Mike Marshall - (ND)

2 IP. 0 ER. 1 Hit. 0 BB. 1 K.

Game 7 - 2001 World Series

DIAMONDBACKS 3 - YANKEES 2

NL Cy Young Winner Randy Johnson - (W)

1 1/3 IP. 0 ER. 0 Hits. 0 BB. 1 K.

AL Cy Young Winner Roger Clemens - (ND)

6 1/3 IP. 1 ER. 7 Hits. 1 BB. 10 K's.

And THAT'S IT!

It's mindboggling to me that the eventual Cy Young winners haven't started against each other in a World Series game in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and so far through the 2000s. 

I can't believe that.

But why would Baseball Reference lie to me?

Sully Baseball Honors THE HORRIFIC WHITE SOX UNIFORMS OF THE MID 1980s

Man these were horrific.
I would argue they were the ugliest uniforms of all time.

I know some of you will disagree.

Some will say they weren't even the worst White Sox uniforms ever.

Some will bring up the Bermuda Shorts they wore in 1976.





Others will say "What about the lapels?"
And yes, they did have big collars like the one Ralph Garr has in this 3D card.



















But take a look at these duds (both meanings.)
And soak it in.




The SOX across the chest on a top that looks like pajamas.

The white front of the cap that makes it look like one of those cheap hats you'd get at a pizza parlor.

THE NUMBER ON THE LEG!!!








And the batting helmet was a solid blue with the ugly SOX across it.

No uniform screamed out "Short Season Single A Ball!" more.











The worst thing about these unis?
Some great players best known with other teams played in these threads that Gil Gerard would reject on Buck Rogers.






Tom Seaver?

Thanks obscure "Compensation Draft!"


















Carlton Fisk?

Thanks incompetent Red Sox front office who forgot to mail Fisk his contract!
















Steve Carlton?

Well he didn't know when to hang them up.












So while most teams have taken the route of classic looking uniforms, the Staff at Sully Baseball had to tip our hats to a uniform so ugly that they overshadow SHORTS!