Milt Pappas/Nolan Ryan May 4, 1971 And Other Notes And Toned Down Comments

Let’s sway away from the Cubs’ “fire sale,” save the link at the end and the fact that both Bryant and Rizzo, 108 years after catcher, Germany Schaeffer caught a pop up, involved in the title clinching play, are GONE. (Cue Hall and Oates and my cryptic link to Eddie Brown of “Wash” scoring a Monday night return touchdown as “She’s Gone played, probably via rewind/play).

It is May 4, 1971 and while the Cubs with Milt Pappas (born on a May 11th, and sadly his wife disappeared on a 9-11) are visiting the Mets, whose starter is Nolan Ryan (Ryan debuted on a 9-11)–the Chi Blackhawks are hosting the Montreal Canadiens in game 1 of the NHL final. (This year, 50 years later and later is operative due to the still around pandemic, as “ignorants/stupids” refuse vaccination, while “Chi” did not qualify for the ‘offs, Montreal as an even bigger upstart than in ’71, when they won the final, went to the final, however, the Lightning for the “barring Bellman,” struck the Habs and me in 5).

Pappas was 18, Ryan 19 when they made their big league debuts in ’57 and ’66 respectively. One or the other hurled in the “bigs” for 36 seasons as one adds, Pappas sans Ryan (9) to Ryan’s modern record 27 year career.

Ryan got the Cubs in a top of the first, which did not have a fair ball. Typical of his career, Nollie, as the great broadcaster Bob Murphy called him once during that frame, struck out Glenn Beckert, a man truly tough to do so “vs,” Ron Santo and John Callison, while walking Don Kessinger and the great player, Billy Williams.

Mr. Ryan hurled 7 no hit games while Pappas pitched one. I doubt Ryan was ever close to a perfect game (I would have to check), while Pappas came, oh so close, on September 2, 1972 (I know it was a Saturday, which nets me nada) when after retiring the first 26 “P-Pad” (Padres) batters, he had a (2-2) count facing Larry Stahl.

Each of the next 2 pitches were close, but called balls. No perfect game, but a no hit game for Pappas.

The Chicago Cubs Are a Baseball Travesty – slate.com