Fifty years ago today, Sandy Koufax capped one of the greatest pitching seasons ever by hurling a three hit shutout victory at Minnesota, vs the Twins in the seventh and deciding game of the 1965 World Series.
Sandy pitched on two days rest and the Dodgers scored the only runs of the game in the fourth inning.
Lou Johnson, who after the game said “Sandy you are the greatest,” and was an invaluable member of the team, taking over for the great Tommy Davis, when the latter broke his ankle, hit a drive off the foul pole for a home run and a (1-0) lead.
I recall being in the synagogue bathroom, for the purpose of checking the score. A fine broadcaster, Byrum Saam’s call, on that home run, I realized years later when I heard a replay, was “fair or fair” not fair or foul. It was both fair and great, for a nearly ten year old fan.
Back to back doubles by Ron Fairly and Wes Parker produced the game’s final run and it stayed (2-0) Dodgers, largely due to Koufax’s brilliant pitching and a great defensive play by Jim “Junior” Gilliam on a 2 on, 1 out, 5th inning smash by the Twins’ Zoilo Versalles, the American League MVP in that year of 1965.
I was allowed by my parents to use a phony doctor’s appointment to miss the last hour of Hebrew School, and years later Rabbi Harry Goder, the teacher that day, a brilliant man, great teacher and Dodgers’ fan was my eleventh grade mathematics teacher.
He more or less knew I was headed home to watch the end of that 1965 game. It was fine as I “was a good student.”
How long ago it was. So much, far too fast in these 50 years!
There had been race riots in the Watts section of Los Angeles that year.
In the victorious locker room, a black man Johnson, who endured years of play in the minor leagues and surely horrible racist comments, if not worse, praised a Jewish man, Koufax, who had not pitched game one of that World Series in observance of the Jewish high holiday, Yom Kippur. It endures as a stirring moment of what could be!
I know we can not go back. Child actor Ron Howard was the approximate 10 year old, actor Gig Young’s character wanted to return to be on a ‘Twilight Zone” episode.
Howard has memories of Koufax and that game, but no script by director Howard, nor The “Twilight Zone’s” Rod Serling can return us there.
Yet it remains a great memory and a monumental achievement by the Dodgers clinched by a Koufax masterpiece.
Click below for a video from game 7 with the great announcer Ray Scott.
Yesterday’s incredible Kansas City Royals’ comeback win at Houston vs the Astros, is being haled and compared with last year’s Royals’ comeback win vs the Oakland A’s in the wild card game.
While many, especially new baseball commissioner, Rob Manfred are praising the state of baseball and this ridiculous extra round of playoffs, let’s look at the haunting reality of the Houston Astros blowing leads in post season games at home.
Yes, I choose the negative and not the positive, if for no other reason that yesterday’s K.C. fine, “never give up” effort just underscores how dumb their manager Ned Yost/the batter Escobar’s decision to sacrifice in the seventh game of the World Series last year remains.
Now to that history, four previous times the Astros took a lead of two or more runs as late as the eighth inning in Houston, only to lose a post season game.
Three of those losses were with a chance to win the series as was the case yesterday.
In 1980, the Astros led the NLCS two games to one and led the Philadelphia Phillies by two runs heading to the eighth inning of game four in the best of five series. The Phils went ahead in the game in the eighth, were tied by a good Houston club (Terry Puhl, anyone?!), in the ninth but won it in the 10th, forcing a decisive fifth game the next night.
In that fifth game, Houston led (5-2) headed to the 8th inning with the supposedly great Nolan Ryan on the mound. Of course Ryan was not great and in a great example of why he was not, yielded runs as the Phillies scored 5 in the 8th (K.C. did the same yesterday!) to take a (7-5) lead. A gritty Houston team tied the game, but lost in 10 innings and went home, while the Phillies went on to win it all, perhaps coincidentally vs the Royals in the World Series.
1986 NLCS: The Mets lead the Astros 3 games to 2 but trail game 6 at Houston (3-0), going to the top of the ninth inning. Houston would have Mike Scott, who had been dominant in the series, pitching game 7. The Mets rallied for 3 runs to tie the game and eventually win the game, the series and the World Series.
Maybe the Astros can take some stock in the other horrible home post season loss, also on a Monday with the next game on a Wednesday.
That was in 2005 when the Houston team led the Cardinals 3 games to 1 and by two runs with St. Louis having two out nobody on in the top of the ninth. St. Louis won the game, but Houston won Wednesday in St. Louis to take the series. The White Sox then swept the Astros in the World Series.
Yesterday in the N.F.L., all five of the unbeaten teams that played, ( a sixth, the (4-0) Carolina Panthers had a bye), won and remained unbeaten.
Four teams went to (5-0), the New England Patriots ripped the Dallas Cowboys to raise their record to (4-0).
The Green Bay Packers are the lone (5-0), (5-0) team having covered the spread in all 5 victories. Yesterday they beat the St. Louis Rams.
Cincinnati’s Bengals now (5-0), (4-0-1) overcame a (24-7) deficit and won by 3 points in overtime as a 3 point favorite vs the Seattle Seahawks.
The Denver Broncos are (5-0), (4-1) won by six as five point favorites at Oakland vs the Raiders.
Atlanta’s Falcons (5-0), (4-1) won in overtime by six points but still did not cover the 7 point spread vs the Wahington Redskins.
The lone (4-1) team in the N.F.L., (the next best record belongs to the (3-1) New York Jets, who had a bye) ripped the lone N.F.L. team without a win, the Detroit Lions, the latter now (0-5).
New England Patriots’ helmet pictured above
There was another great presentation at the fabulous Bergino Clubhouse (67 East 11th Street in New York City) this past week, when John Malangone talked of his incredible life, which has been recounted in a book called “Pinstripes And Penance,” with Mike Harrison.
The new book is a great companion to the fabulous 2007 documentary by Bruce Gilbert, which was shown the other night before both Malangone and Harrison provided entertaining and heartfelt stories about Mr. Malangone’s incredible life.
John Malangone has overcome a childhood tragedy, that haunted him for most of his life, to accomplish a great deal and thankfully has come to grips with the events of his life.
It was a very revealing evening detailing Malangone’s life which included the fact he was a hard hitting minor league catcher in the Yankees’ organization.
I truly look forward to reading the book which is chock of full of great baseball stories as Malangone met the likes and has stories about such baseball luminaries as Mickey Mantle, Earl Weaver and Billy Martin.
John above, is pictured in the middle of two great catchers, Bill Dickey to his right and Mickey Cochrane to his left.
Click below for information on purchasing this fine book.
Yesterday WFAN Radio’s Mike Francesa (isn’t there a “Great Caesar’s Ghost type thing for the incredible number of factual mistakes by this far from “super”man?!!), with no regard toward getting the facts correct stated Mike Scioscia home run won game 4 of the 1988 NLCS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets. It did not as another of the many big home runs by Kirk Gibson, was the decisive blow.
Francesa says he is (9-3) on his pro football predictions. Speaking of 9, after picking 3 underdogs last week, he is back to telling people to give mucho points, touting the K.C. Chiefs vs the Chicago Bears, giving 9 points.
I have yet to correctly forecast a pro game this season, but will take the Bears.
The New England Patriots will struggle to win (36-31) at Dallas vs the Cowboys.
The Cleveland Browns will at least keep the game close at Baltimore, vs the Ravens.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, a field goal underdog, will win by a field goal at San Diego vs the Chargers on Monday night.
4 pro picks this week after just 2 college picks, my first two wins, last week.
Please if you must bet, do so beyond moderation!! Also please do not take my picks, Francesa’s or any of the talking heads seriously. Never pay a tout. You are better off flipping a coin and saving the fee.
Fictional Perry White said “Great Caesar’s Ghost” so many times, he hallucinated that Caesar appeared. At which point and at what number factual mistake will something be done about Francesa, and for that matter, others’ factual mistakes?!!
Here are some notes and strong opinions in the aftermath of the four divisional round games played yesterday.
The Texas Rangers once lost 9 straight divisional round games, all to eventual World champion Yankees’ teams in 1996, 1998 and 1999.
Since that point, they are (8-3) in such games and very likely, but far from definitely, on their way to squaring their divisional series record at three apiece.
Additionally, at least 4 of those losses to the Yankees were in games in which the still stellar baseball broadcaster, Bob Costas “presided,” on the once great airwaves of NBC.
Yesterday as noted here, Costas was the broadcaster in the Texas 14 inning win in Toronto vs the Blue Jays, which has them headed to the “Lone Star State,” with a (2-0), best of 5 series lead.
“Costas games” have not manifested in good results for the Toronto Blue Jays, who seem headed to be the latest fine regular season team to fall victim to the prostitution that is expanded playoffs and wild card baseball, a horror, even the opposition of by Costas, that seems here to stay
Twice Costas was the broadcaster in games in which the Blue Jays were eliminated with ALCS defeats. The first was in 1985 when Tor. dissipated a (3-1) series lead to the K.C. Royals, losing the last two at home (Jim Sundberg’s wind blown 3 rbi hit and Costas’ fine call on the play, anyone?!).
In 1989 the Oakland A’s eliminated the Jays in 5 games in the ALCS, with Costas behind the microphone.
Costas’ greatness as a broadcaster (it is beyond sad that a) we hear so little of him doing so now b) the announcers who do the games are so bad and c) Costas himself neither touts his greatness to push for more work, nor publicly decries the announcers working now) is amplified in his hard work and dedication.
That was surely evident when he showed up in Detroit to watch games, at least two days before his Saturday assignment for NBC, when a true race for post-season qualification was happening between the Detroit Tigers and the Blue Jays in 1987.
Costas then worked the Jays’ 161 st game of that 1987 season, a Toronto loss, resulting in Toronto needing 2 of 2 to avoid elimination. Yesterday a “Costas game” result left Toronto needing 3 of 3 to avoid a similar, sad fate.
When Bob Costas last was the lead broadcaster on a post season game emanating from Toronto, it was to me, a mandatory “watch the whole game intensely,” situation.
That was game 5 of the 1989 ALCS. This is not the case now.
It is not because Costas is not good, but because the game between the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays is part of the extra playoff games format that makes the baseball regular season so much less important.
This makes baseball so much less important.
Alas if one has to leave late in a tie game between the teams, as I do, the fact the game is not on radio in New York adds to the “abandon hope” credo regarding the once great baseball, I have espoused since they added wild card and extra playoff teams.
Pictured above are Tony Kubek of NBC, A.L. President Dr. Bobby Brown and Rickey Henderson
after the Oakland A’s 5’d the Blue Jays in the ALCS en route to the 1989 title.
Last year, both of major league baseball’s “play in game” winners, the S.F. Giants and K.C. Royals advanced to the World Series with the Giants led by Madison Bumgarner’s amazing post-season performance winning it all by posting a one run 7th game of the World Series win at Kansas City.
This year’s “play in game” winners, the Houston Astros, still weird to say of the American League, and the Chicago Cubs of the National League, each received a great pitching effort from their staff ace, the Astros from Dallas Keuchel and the Cubs from Jake Arrieta, the latter finishing the regular season with the best post August earned run average in baseball history.
As stated here before the “play in” games, I felt either play in game winner, in each league would win the division series.
I will stay with that prediction. Today the series between the Astros and last year’s A.L. play in and eventual pennant winner, the Kansas City Royals, begins. It is a best of five series and I predict the Astros will win it in 4 games.
Starting tomorrow the great rivals, the N.L. top seed, St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs meet in the post-season for the first time. The first ever such clash is in a best of 5 N.L. Division Series.
The Cubs, not likely to be that big an underdog, (neither are the Astros at just 6 to 5), will win the three odd numbered games and prevail in 5 games.
Jake Arrieta
Five of the six (3-0) teams that played in week 4 of the current NFL season won. Another, New England had a bye, before their “Jim Nantz Texas dream doubleheader’ game at Dallas, vs the Cowboys this Sunday. Mr. Nantz also gets to call Indy Colts at his dream city, Houston (Texans) on Thursday night.
The Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers in earlier games and the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos in later tilts, won to raise their records to (4-0).
The St. Louis Rams derailed (“3:10 to Yuma” anyone?) the Arizona Cardinals home game attempt to also go to (4-0).
Three of the four (0-3) teams won and avoided (0-4) starts.
Last Thursday night, the Baltimore Ravens were given a gift win at Pittsburgh vs the Steelers as “Pitts” coach Mike Tomlin was just that (the pits) with some questionable, game and point spread affected, coaching decisions.
A great clutch kicker, Robbie Gould booted the decisive field goal, as the Chicago Bears avoided an (0-4) start with a win vs the Oakland Raiders. The New Orleans Saints also won their first, covering the point spread, on NOT the fastest score in NFL overtime history, as I am told was stated on the NBC broadcast. The Saints won at home vs the Dallas Cowboys.
On Monday night, the Seattle Seahawks, participants in the last two Super Bowls, winning then losing, sent the Detroit Lions to (0-4), surviving for a 3 point win, as a 10 point favorite.
As with the superb comedian, Robert Klein, whose routine included “I Can’t Stop My Leg,” my “can’t help it,” penchant for post-season trivia continues below.
The cities of Houston and New York will be meeting in a “preliminary round”/to be one of 8 remaining teams in a sport’s playoff, for a third time with tonight’s such clash between the Astros and Yankees.
In the two previous such meetings, the nature of the sports, football and basketball, made it extremely unlikely the preliminary round winner would go very far in the playoffs.
That is not the case with baseball. Last year the two “play in game”/preliminary game winners advanced to the World Series, clearly the first time two preliminary round winners (i.e. to become one of eight teams) ever advanced together to their sports’ final round, in baseball’s parlance, the still great but clearly diminished event, known as The World Series.
Houston and New York have also met in a league’s final (the Houston Rockets won in 7 games vs the New York Knicks in 1994) and semi-final (the Mets winning a scintillating 6 game NLCS en route to their last World Series win in 1986).
For the record, the two “prelims” were the Rockets’ best of three, decisive third game win vs the Knicks in 1975 and the Houston Oilers win vs the New York Jets in 1991. Both the ’75 rockets, who lost to the Celtics and the ’91 Oilers, who blew a big lead and lost to the Denver Broncos, were eliminated in the quarterfinal round.
No prediction on tonight’s game but I do predict both play in game winners, no matter which team wins the Astros/Yankees or Cubs/Pirates will upset their league’s Missouri based one seed (The A.L. Kansas City Royals, who pulled the upsets last year before losing to fellow play in game winner, the S.F. Giants in the World Series and the N.L. St. Louis Cardinals).
“Bet” you favorites backers are evoking Missouri and saying “show me” regarding those predictions. Sadly, not as high up on the list as money, it still is one reason they play the games.
Robert Klein, likely still a Yankees’ fan
Andy B Sports 