Today is the exact 28 year anniversary of the Dodgers’ game 1 win in the 1988 World series.
On Saturday October 15, 1988, the L.A. team rode the injured Kirk Gibson’s 2 out, 2 run home run to a series key (5-4) victory. They went on to upset the Oakland A’s, winning the title in 5 games.
Last Monday, Bob Costas, who was at the game doing “before and after” work cited the “great calls” by both Vin Scully and Jack Buck as network announcers.
Below listen to a truly great call by Don Drysdale on Dodgers’ radio. I have included one of just “Big D” audio, the second is video of the dramatic Gibson blast with bits of Scully and Buck after Drysdale. I also have included a comment from a “viewer,” with which I truly concur.
Many likened the home run by Gibson to the one in the movie, “The Natural.” Of course it was a different ending in the book.
Click below for audio and video of Gibson’s home run (#1,’88 W.S.)
Don Drysdale’s call of Gibson home run
This is audio of Don Drysdale’s radio broadcast of Kirk Gibson’s historic game winning home run. Vin Scully and Jack Buck both did the TV version for their respective networks. Both got rave reviews for their renditions, but I’m sure the masses never heard Drysdale’s, whose version IMO is as good as Scully’s and Buck’s.
As stated before, I agree with what is written above.
MLB Network’s Christopher Russo, again, someone to a degree, I have accepted, as an often needed, critical, albeit many times irresponsible, “voice” in sports, had just finished excoriating “Wash” pitcher Max Scherzer for not doing his job, when he reeled off three factual mistakes.
The mistakes were more offensive than usual (by the way, John Smoltz and Matt Vasgersian, the Fox Sports “talent” made more factual mistakes, than the Giants used pitchers in their fateful season ending 9th inning. Problem: While the Giants and even their 3 time title winning manager, Bruce Bochy get disproportionate criticism, little or none is leveled at Smoltz and Vasgersian, who are facing no “opposition,” i.e. the other team, save being unprepared or sloppy) as Russo said he would not be paid, if he did not do his job.
I will not comment on money given Scherzer or Russo save to say regarding Russo, and countless others in broadcasting, I paraphrase the great comedian Pat Cooper, and say I can be just as bad (actually far better, at least concerning facts) and would take “far, far” (Dickens again, and seeing/suffering through Russo and his ilk is Dickensian suffering) less money.
Anyway Mr. Russo the Dodgers were 8 to 5 favorites, you said the Nationals were pretty big favorites.
For years on the radio, I “suffered” as Russo reeled off factual mistake after factual mistake. Two more from yesterday, the O’s at Shea Stadium obviously tied game 4 (1969 W.S.) in the TOP, NOT the bottom of the ninth inning.
Additionally, Ron Swoboda’s great catch on which the O’s tied game 4 of the 1969 World Series, actually 47 years ago today, (maybe that is why I waited to point out Russo’s mistakes) was with Orioles’ (the O’s) runners on first and third, NOT the bases loaded, as Russo stated.
I also think Mr.Scherzer is vastly overpaid, but in my wildest dreams, I could not do what he does. That is not the case, concerning Mr. Russo.
I will make a college football prediction this week.
Tomorrow, likely I will have 5 predictions/suggestions coinciding with my “system” of a loser/loser/underdog vs a winner/winner/favorite, which “went” (2-1-1) last week.
Twice I have made college football predictions, both vs the great Alabama and their superb coach Nick Saban(0). Both times Alabama covered the spread, the second time by a fraction of a point.
“Three times a fool,” as “The Tide” (Alabama) are (6-0) (4-2), defending national champions, last year’s title one of four they have won under Saban, who also at least won a share of a 5th title, in the ’03 season title while coaching rival, L.S.U.
2 touchdown favorite, Alabama 36, Tennessee 27. tune in to CBS at 3:30 Eastern Time to watch the tilt.
The great Alabama football coach Nick Saban, pictured above has hoisted the above trophy 5 times, winning it 4 times with Alabama and once with L.S.U.
While Saban and L.S.U. claimed the then B.C.S. title, in ’03, U.S.C. won the Associated Press crown that season.
After stirring finishes in both N.L. division series which totaled 9 of a possible 10 games, game 1 of the American League Championship Series, at least initially, seems anticlimactic. Certainly their 2 division series, each a three game sweep offered little drama, the good news being only the minimum 6 games, for TBS.
Certainly it was no fault of the ALCS opponents, the two seed Cleveland Indians and the wild card, four seed but series over, seven to five favorites, the Toronto Blue Jays.
Victories totaling 5 by the two teams vs the Boston Red Sox, first forced Boston to open in Cleveland and then eliminated them in 3 straight games.
Three wins by the Indians at defending champion K.C. and three wins by the Jays over the top seed Rangers set up this ALCS.
The Indians, opening an ALCS at home for the first time, are (2-2) in previous ALCS and (0-4) in ALCS openers.
Toronto in its second straight ALCS, is (2-4) in previous ALCS, also going (2-4) in series openers.
I probably will not update this ALCS until Monday after two games, and the scheduled third game that night in Toronto.
Speaking of night, (I say) day. This will be the 6th time in the Jays’ 7 championship series appearances, that barring a postponement, game 1 is at night with game 2 beginning less than 24 hours later, during the day. In the previous 5, four times either the Jays or their opponent took a (2-0) series lead.
Conversely in the previous 4 Indians ALCS appearances, only once was there a night/day schedule for “one and two,” that in 1998 vs the Yankees. Additionally, also in contrast to the Jays’ ALCS history, all four previous Indians’ games one and two were split, the opponent winning game 1 and “Cleve” coming back to win game 2.
Of course last night’s advance by L.A. at the expense of “Wash,” marks another bitter end to a Dusty Baker managed season. His managed teams are now (1-11), the same abysmal record the Texas Rangers have in division series home games, in their last 12 games in which they had a chance to clinch a series.
Last season, when the Mets with Daniel Murphy playing a key, if not decisive role, defeated the Dodgers in a Thursday night game 5 of a division series, as I cited then, it ended a streak of 25 times that the game 4 winner of a Dodgers’ series won that series.
That was due to the fact L.A. with Clayton Kershaw pitching on 3 days rest (of course greats like Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, and yes Mickey Lolich pitched 7th game of the World Series wins on 2 days rest) won game 4.
Last night, with Kershaw getting Murphy out with 2 on and 1 out, and L.A. clinging to the one run lead the team eventually held to win, it marked the 9th time, the game 4 winner won the series in the 9 such Dodgers’ series involving Dusty Baker. The previous 8 were with Baker as a Dodgers’ player in 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1983.
For the record, the 25 game streak, lasting over 60 years from October 4, 1955 until October 15, 2015, included 11 World Series (1955, 1956, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1988), 10 NLCS (1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1988, 2008, 2009 and 2013) and 4 division series (1981, 2004, 2013 and 2014).
Before last year’s Mets win vs L.A. ended the streak, the last time the game 4 winner in a Dodgers’ post-season series lost that series was the 1953 World Series when the vaunted New York Yankees made it an incredible 5 straight titles, beating the Brooklyn Dodgers in six games, having lost game four.
The Dodgers’ (4-3) win in game 5 means among other things, the series followed the pattern of the L.A. win vs the Nationals/Expos franchise in the 1981 NLCS, with the Dodgers winning games one, four and five.
The 5th game again resulted in a one run Dodgers’ win on the road.
Also eerily similar, was the fact that the Nationals/Expos had runners at first and second with two outs, when a starting pitcher used in relief got the final out.
In 1981 it was Bob Welch. Last night it was Clayton Kershaw.
I am very interested in tonight’s game 5 of L.A./Wash, but I strongly suggest seeing another great Dick Cavett Show on Decades, airing from (8-9) Eastern Time.
Certainly watch or record it, if you miss it for the game, or any other reason. It also will be shown at 2 a.m. Friday morning.
The guest was Joseh L. Mankiewicz from the 1978 show.
His stories recalling his great career as a director and writer are fascinating.
Among the great performers discussed by Mr. Mankiewicz and Mr. Cavett, are W.C. fields, Marilyn Monroe and Bette Davis.
It was riveting television as Mr. Mankiewicz was not only brilliant, but also very candid.
Mr. Mankiewicz both wrote and directed the film “All About Eve” which was released on this date in 1950.
Thus far, the division series between the original favorite, three seed L.A. Dodgers and second seed Washington Nationals has produced the same winning teams in games, as the 1981 NLCS between the two franchises when the Nationals were the Montreal Expos.
In both series, 35 years apart, the Dodgers won games one and four, the Nationals/Expos won games two and three.
In 1981, the first two games were in Los Angeles with games three and four in Montreal. The opposite was true this year, the first two games in Washington and games three and four in L.A.
Both decisive 5th games are in the Nationals/Expos home, the Dodgers riding Rick Monday’s tie breaking ninth inning home run to victory in 1981, while tonight’s tilt is in Washington D.C.
Dusty Baker was an outfielder on the winning Dodgers in 1981, a team that staved off elimination 5 times en route to Baker’s only title as either a player or manager.
His fine managerial record also includes three horrible post-season losses in which his teams went (0-8) with a chance to clinch the series. Currently Baker’s teams, an impressive four different ones he has guided into the baseball tournament, the ’02 Giants (0-2), the ’03 Cubs (1-4, including 3 straight losses up 3 games to 1 in the NLCS, the 2012 Reds (0-3) and this year’s Nationals (0-1) are (1-10) with a chance to clinch a series.
This week’s other AFC West tilt, we cited Raiders/Chiefs, to be played tonight, matches the (4-1) defending champion, Denver Broncos against the (1-4) San Diego Chargers, in the beautiful California city, which has never housed a current major North American sports league champion. God compensates, I guess.
While the Broncos once (0-4) in Supes, have won three of the last four they have entered, the Chargers were soundly beaten by a great San Francisco 49ers team (the currently (1-4) Niners’ last of 5 Supe wins to this point) in their lone Super Bowl appearance after the 1994 regular season.
Additionally, Denver has picked up 2 NHL titles, the first in the 1996 NHL playoffs, the first year of the Colorado Avalanche after they moved from Quebec, where they were the Nordiques.
The Avs’ other Cup crown (they are (2-0) in NHL finals), was in Ray Bourque’s last season, giving him his only title, in the 2001 playoffs.
Conversely, San Diego’s other current major sorts team, the Padres are (0-2) in World Series play.
In disbanded leagues, at least ones that merged with current bigger, more established ones, San Diego has won a title and certainly fared better than Denver.
While both the Broncos and basketball Nuggets nee Rockets, failed to “title” in the combined 19 AFL (10) and ABA seasons, the 1963 San Diego Chargers led by Keith Lincoln’s brilliant title game won the AFL title.
San Diego is without either a major sports league basketball or hockey team. As with Denver, they once had a team called the Rockets,(they are now the Houston Rockets). “S.D.” also housed the Clippers now in “L.A.” after they moved from Buffalo, where they were known as the Braves.
In the A.B.A. the city was home to the Conquistadors, later called the Sails, with the 1973-1974 Conquistadors’ team coached by the great Wilt Chamberlain, when he decided to show up, which certainly was not for every game.
Terrell Davis, NOT John Elway, led the way when the Broncos and the city of Denver finally won a title in the 1997 season Super Bowl.
Of course with a crown under his belt, after 3 miserable Supe failures, the great but over rated Elway led the Broncos to a repeat crown, beating the Atlanta Falcons in the 1998 season Supe.
Now he has a crown, the current one as an executive and is virtually “bullet proof” to criticism. Perhaps the team’s home loss last week at home to the Atlanta Falcons, is at least an indication the Broncos are not that great.
Oddly perhaps, a flight delay once caused me to spend a night in a Denver hotel and on the shuttle ride back to the airport, I took pride in seeing the “Bronco” statue and the team’s success. More than any one person but certainly with great help, John Elway is to be credited with that success.
Last night, the Chicago Cubs staged a 4 run rally in the top of the ninth inning to (6-5) the S.F. Giants and win just their third postseason series since last winning the World Series 108 years ago.
There is time to talk about the Cubs.
The Giants of this season and certainly this period, while not a great team, are first off, a team with 3 titles in the period (2010-2016) and certainly one of the great clutch teams of any era, in any sport as their 10 consecutive wins facing elimination in postseason play, before last night’s loss, illustrates.
“Check in” tomorrow for some interesting notes in that regard.
The great Oscar Robertson as a Cincinnati Royals player, pictured above. The picture is a clue to tomorrow’s notes.
Andy B Sports 