My 82.75-year-old mom gave me $25 for my 43rd birthday last week (thanks, Mom), which was just terrific. I spent one late night at our rental in Orange Beach, Ala., having a blast by sifting through Ebay page after Ebay page of 1975 Topps baseball cards. I ended up making bids on about four items, but I won only one auction: $6 for a lot of 35 smaller versions of the regular cards.
This was an odd product-marketing strategy. Topps simply issued miniature versions of all 660 regular-sized cards they printed in 1975. They're not even that much smaller than the originals (see big Boog Powell and baby Boog Powell in photo below). I don't really see the point. And I'm not sure how they were distributed; I don't remember seeing them on the shelves when I was 7, but then, about five years later, I found listings for them in the old-card ads in the back of The Sporting News.
Anyway, the mail resumed today, and my minis are here, and I'm glad. In their honor, here's a mini update on the 1974 baseball season that will provide me a fresh platform for my commenting with links to 1974 Dolly Parton clips.
Standings through games of Aug. 7, 1974:
OAK 65-47 K.C. 6.5GB CHI 8
TEX 8.5 MIN 12.5 CAL 22
BOS 61-49 CLE 3GB BAL 4.5
N.Y. 7 DET 8.5 MIL 9.5
ST. L 59-53 PHI 1.5 PIT 4.5
MON 6.5 NY 9.5 CHI 11
L.A. 73-38 CIN 6.5 HOU 14.5
ATL 16 S.F. 24 S.D. 29
Here's a clip of Dolly Parton doing "I Will Always Love You" on Hee-Haw in 1974.
ReplyDeleteThis Alpo commercial is just dripping in 1974.
ReplyDelete"Serving Southern New England Since 1925 ..."
ReplyDeleteIf I can find an unopened Hair Wiz on Ebay, I know what I'm spending the rest of Mom's birthday money on.
ReplyDeleteI love the Internet. Haircut report coming next week, and $14 to spare!
ReplyDeleteShockingly, I'm 15 minutes deep into the 43-minute "Hamburger Concerto" by a Dutch prog-rock outfit, Focus.
ReplyDeleteAlways odd to see how big of a man Howard Cosell was.
ReplyDeleteDan Issel on Adolph Rupp: representative of his time and place socially, a progressive competitively.
ReplyDeleteThat Alan Thicke can write a game-show outro.
ReplyDeleteIt's Friday, Aug. 9, 1974, and the division leaders in both leagues open series tonight. It's Boston, up three on Cleveland in the American League East, at Oakland, up 7.5 on Kansas City in the West, and it's Los Angeles, up 5.5 on Cincinnati in the National League West, at St. Louis, up a half-game on Philadelphia in the East.
ReplyDeleteThe Dodgers start Geoffrey Clayton Zahn (2-1), a 27-year-old left-hander from Baltimore who got his first-ever big-league win in the last game of the 1973 regular season, against the Padres. The trivia question on the back of his 1975 card reads, "Whose nickname was 'The Capital Punisher'?"
The Cardinals counter tonight with Alan Benton Foster, a right-hander from Pasadena, Calif., who's only 11 days older than Zahn but came up with the big-league Dodgers as a 20-year-old. In his fourth season with Los Angeles, Foster went 10-13 with a 4.25 earned-run average in 1970. He went to Cleveland and California after that and then arrived in St. Louis last year. In 1973, he was 13-9 with a 3.13 ERA for the Cardinals. "What was the nickname of Odell Hale?"
Boston's starter in Oakland tonight is William Francis Lee, who--like Zahn and Foster--was born in December 1946. He's a Burbank, Calif., native, but lefty Lee is a firmly established on the East Coast now. He came up with the Red Sox in 1969, and he emerged as a team star last year (17-11, 2.75). "A co-winner along with Luis Tiant of the Red Sox Most Valuable Pitcher Award for 1973, Bill became Bosox best lefty since Mel Parnell. ... Who was known as 'The Arkansas Hummingbird'?"
The A's will start 23-year-old right-hander William Glenn Abbott of Little Rock, Ark. "Signed to 1st pro contract by A's Scout Dave Madison, Glenn led P.C.L., in Wins, 1973, and made All-Star Team. ... Who was N.L. Fireman of the Year in 1964?"
I think Frank Howard was the Capital Punisher. I don't know any of the rest of the questions.
ReplyDeleteBill Lee, of course, ended up with the nickname "Moonbeam," which is one of the great nicknames of all time.
Frank Howard (congratulations), "Bad News," Lou Warneke and Al McBean.
ReplyDeleteSorry if I've posted this clip before, but hooray for the Livingstons and Wink Martindale. I hope the Livingstons enjoyed their big trip to the Essex House.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, in Europe, ...
ReplyDeleteAnd in Japan, ...
ReplyDeleteAlso in Europe, ...
ReplyDeleteOf course, the big news in the Aug. 9, 1974, papers is President Nixon's resignation. "Kentuckians Are Sad, Relieved," says The Harlan Daily Enterprise's Page 1 headline on an Associated Press roundup.
ReplyDeleteAug. 9, 1974, weekend-series openers:
ReplyDelete-- Boston 6, Oakland 2
-- St. Louis 5, Los Angeles 3
Obviously, we're headed to a rematch of the 1967 World Series.
Pitching matchups of Saturday, Aug. 10, 1974:
ReplyDelete-- Los Angeles (Doug Rau 11-6) at St. Louis (Bob Gibson 6-9)
-- Boston (Juan Marichal 4-1) at Oakland (Vida Blue 13-9)
Drafted out of Texas A&M in June 1970, Rau put together a dominant rest of the summer for the Dodgers' minor-league team in Bakersfield: 12-2, 1.75 earned-run average, 181 strikeouts and 18 baseses on balls in 113 innings.
Doug Rau and Tommy Lasorda, 1977 World Series ... profanity alert.
ReplyDelete"When was the first telecast of a baseball game?"
ReplyDeleteAdventure in the morning, love in the afternoon on NBC.
ReplyDeleteI think every minister's spouse like me, coach's spouse, etc. would do well to strive to be the affectionate object of affection in "Maybe I'm Amazed."
ReplyDeleteIf Pacers were a "change of taste," why would you have named them, "Pacers"? Shouldn't Pacers set the "pace of taste."
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, this Indiana Pacers jingle is so outstanding it momentarily makes me reconsider my ABA allegiance to the Kentucky Colonels.
ReplyDelete"Maybe I'm Amazed," which is one of the greatest songs ever to hear while you're playing "Extra Innings" (the best tabletop sports game of all time) just came on my Pandora station.
ReplyDelete"Are you still writing, Paul?"
ReplyDelete"I thought I'd try my hand at a little acting, Art."
"Happy Days è una sit-com televisiva statunitense di grande popolarità e successo andata in onda in prima visione negli Stati Uniti dal 1974 al 1984. La serie presenta una visione idealizzata della vita americana a cavallo tra gli anni cinquanta e sessanta.
ReplyDelete"La serie, ambientata a Milwaukee, è imperniata sulle vicende quotidiane della famiglia Cunningham. Anche in Italia la serie ha ottenuto un grande successo, che ha contribuito a rendere questa trasmissione un vero cult."
The Dodgers bounced back on Saturday, Aug. 10, and Sunday, Aug. 11, 1974, to beat the Cardinals, 6-2 and 3-1. Los Angeles's winning pitcher in the series rubber game was Don Sutton, who has recovered from a personal six-game losing streak earlier in the season to improve his record to 10-8. When we were on our way down to the beach a couple of weeks ago, we took U.S. 29 out of Flomaton, Ala., and down to Pensacola, Fla., before cutting west to Orange Beach, Ala. When the road nears Molino, Fla., it is declared the "Don Sutton Highway," as the town is where the player's parents eventually found work before Sutton emerged as a big, multi-sport high-school star. Furthermore, our Holiday Inn Express in Pelham had a "Yeager Conference Room." I figure this whole area must be over the moon for the 1974 Dodgers.
ReplyDeleteThe Red Sox, having steadied in the wake of Carlton Fisk's midseason injury, took two of three games in Oakland. The A's won only Saturday's affair. "Vida Blue was hospitalized with severe chest pains, and it was feared he had suffered a heart attack," Herman Weiskopf wrote in the Aug. 19, 1974, Sports Illustrated. "The anxiety ended when Blue's malady was diagnosed as nothing more than acute indigestion caused by eating greasy pork ribs. Thus, the A's survived another internal disorder and like most that have plagued them this season it had a happy resolution. Four days after being hospitalized, Blue stopped Boston 5-3 for his 14th win."
ReplyDeleteDivision races on the morning of Monday, Aug. 12, 1974:
ReplyDelete-- A's up 5.5 on Royals in American League West,
-- Red Sox up four on Indians in A.L. East,
-- Cardinals up 1.5 on Phillies and 2.5 on Pirates in National League East and
-- Dodgers up 5.5 on Reds in N.L. West.
I'll admit that I'm having a harder and harder time resisting interest in the 1974 football season. The Big Ten Network (BTN) right now is showing an Ohio State-Michigan game from Nov. 23, 1974.
ReplyDeleteThe second half just started, and Michigan is up, 10-9. The Wolverines opened the game with a 10-0 lead, but the home-standing Buckeyes rallied with three field goals. Fourth down for Ohio State from the Michigan 27 ...
Tennessee 13, Kentucky 0, at the half, 1974 Keith Jackson just said.
The 45-yard field goal is good! It's 12-10, Ohio State, with about six minutes to go in the third quarter. The kicker, 6, has made all four of his field-goal tries in the game.
ReplyDeleteNot all of the punters of this day were coffin-cornerists ... Michigan's punter just sent a backwards-spinning, 36-yard pooch to the center of the field that was downed at the Ohip State 7.
ReplyDeleteOhio State's punter, Tom Skladany, has to punt from the back of his own end zone, and he booms it all the way back to the Michigan 34. Wolverine Dave Brown, who will be the Steeler's first-round draft choice, advances the ball only one yard.
ReplyDeletePretty sure the story is that Skladany's dad and uncle both played at Michigan.
Joe Paterno is doing ABC's color commentary on this game.
ReplyDelete"One of the finest punters and placekickers ever to come out of the collegiate ranks, Tom led the NFC in punting last season," says Skladany's All-Pro 1979 card. "He's a 3-time All-America selection and holder of every major kicking record at Ohio State. Had 59-yard field goal. Tom's father and 3 uncles also played in the NFL."
ReplyDeleteSkladany's 1981 football card says Woody Hayes called his punts “beer can” and “non-returnable.”
The Cleveland Browns in 1976 finished 9-5 (third place in the Central Division behind 10-4 Pittsburgh and Cincinnati) in Coach Forrest Gregg’s second season as head coach. The Browns’ 10th-year kicker/punter, Don Cockroft, endured the worst season of his career.
ReplyDeleteSo, in the 1977 draft, the Cleveland Browns used the 46th pick overall, a second-rounder, to select a punter/kicker from Ohio State. Tom Skladany had been the first kicking specialist ever to receive a football scholarship at Ohio State, a three-time All-American and a team co-captain in 1976. Skladany, a third-generation NFL player, averaged 42.1 yards per punt over six NFL seasons and played in the 1982 Pro Bowl.
But he never played a down with Cleveland. Skladany was out of football in 1977, and the Browns’ punter was Greg Coleman, a rookie free agent from Florida A&M. Cockroft stayed around as the kicker. The ’77 Browns opened 5-2 but slumped to 6-8 after Quarterback Brian Sipe was injured. Cleveland fired Gregg and replaced him with Sam Rutigliano.
In 1978, the Browns again drafted a punter in the second round, North Carolina State’s Johnny Evans. Coleman was cut in preseason (but landed in Minnesota and spent the next 10 seasons as the Vikings’ punter). Skladany started his NFL career with the Lions. And Evans stuck around for three seasons in Cleveland.
What the heck was going on here? Why did the Browns not keep Skladany? Why did Cleveland decide to draft punter again the following season?
I love the NFL draft.
Skladany: 54-yard punt into 20-mph wind, says Keith Jackson, returned for no gain. A little better than 11 minutes to go, still 12-10, Ohio State.
ReplyDeletePaterno: "Sometimes Ohio State's fans wonder why their team doesn't put the ball in the air on third-and-10, third-and-12. When you've got a kicker like Skladany, you don't have to."
ReplyDeleteABC just showed Skladany on the sidelines, and No. 1 looks a ood bit like a huskier Barry Manilow.
Third-and-1 coming for Michigan at Ohio State 43 ...
ReplyDeleteFirst down on Rob Lytle sweep left ... 7:40 to play ...
ReplyDelete"I'm going to say it one more time," Keith Jackson advises. "The wind is at Michigan's back."
Fourth-and-9 coming for Michigan at Ohio State 42 ...
ReplyDeleteOh, wow ... Michigan's trying a 59-yard field goal ... Paterno disagrees with Bo Schembechler's call ...
ReplyDelete"And it's short by about 10 yards," Keith Jackson says.
Sideline-reporter Jim Lampley has movie-star good looks and an authoritative, pleasant voice ... this kid can't miss!
ReplyDeleteWhole lot of Archie Griffin ... 25 carries for 111 yards so far ... third-and-3 coming from own 46 ...
ReplyDeleteLeft guard jumps! It'll be third-and-8 from the 41 ...
ReplyDeleteSome kind of convoluted counter to the wingback, Brian Baschnagel, yields only two yards, and here comes Skladany.
ReplyDeleteOh, my, it's a clunker ... 32-yard punt. Michigan's going to have a chance!
Wow ... 30-yarder by Skladany ... Michigan takes over at own 47 with 57 seconds to play ... AND MICHIGAN ZIPS TO THE OHIO STATE 32 with a Dennis Franklin-to-Jim Smith pass. Fifty-five seconds left!
ReplyDeleteLytle weaves through the middle of Ohio State's defense ... 10 more yards, first down at 22, 39 seconds to play!
ReplyDeleteLytle barrels to the 16 ... TIME OUT, MICHIGAN! ...
ReplyDeleteLampley: "Once again, pressure seems to be coming down on the shoulders of Michigan's kicker, Mike Landry. Remember, twice in the last five minutes of last year's game, he missed field-goal attempts."
Senior walk-on, left-footed kicker ...
NO GOOD! WIDE LEFT! Missed from 33 yards.
ReplyDeletePaterno: "I thought he had it from this angle."
ReplyDeleteKeith Jackson: "It's impossible to tell from this angle, but apparently it veered too far to the left. It has to go between the uprights, not just over them."
ReplyDelete"The Chicago Tribune opened its coverage of the game with the line, 'Mike Lantry served in the Viet Nam War and he had reason to believe the worst was over—until Saturday.'"
ReplyDelete