Dipping Into The Archives
1971
Digging into that box of old Mets yearbooks that I found really activated my nostalgia chip. I’m glad I found the 1971 edition (only 75 cents, tax included) because that was the year I attended my first game. I don’t remember many details other than the fact that it was a night game and that like many kids the first time I stepped out of the concourse and into the stands seeing that vast expanse of seemingly infinite greenery was somewhat awe inspiring. Keep in mind that as well-deserved a reputation Shea Stadium had for being a dump in its later years, at this time Shea was a state of the art ballpark.
Luckily in my copy of the yearbook my sister “X’d” out entries on the schedule with a “days I went” notation so I was able to find my first game. It was a mid-June game against the Dodgers. A quick look at Baseball Reference showed that I witnessed a strong matchup - Tom Seaver vs. Don Sutton. Alas, the Mets lost that one, preparing me well for a lifetime of ups and downs and downs and downs and downs following this team.
Yearbooks back then were fairly minimalist, this one only ran 64 pages long. There was still a solid amount of information; plenty of photos, stats, and biographical info. The team would also publish a Revised Edition after the all-star break to reflect roster changes that had taken place since Opening Day. 1971 was a relatively high point for the franchise, as most of the members of the 1969 miracle squad were still with the team. Slowly but surely key figures would depart; one in particular was about to spend his final season in a Mets uniform. Is this shot foreshadowing? Running a photo of Nolan Ryan bunting rather than pitching is A Choice.
This was an interesting page placement, as these would be the 3 players traded for Rusty Staub the following spring. Staub was of course a beloved franchise icon, so it’s impossible to criticize that deal, but knowing what a terrific player Ken Singleton turned out to be you have to wonder how differently things would have turned out had a different prospect been included in that deal in his place.
It’s always fun to look at the top prospects page to see how they turned out. John Milner was a key player for the team in their 1973 pennant run. Charlie Williams will forever be known as the player the Mets traded in exchange for Willie Mays. Jim Bibby, an unusually tall pitcher for his era (and a member of a famous basketball family) never pitched for the Mets, but he did go on to have a solid career with a no-hitter to his credit and a championship ring as a key member of the 1979 We Are Family Pirates. Rich Folkers had a fairly nondescript career as a reliever, but I remember him well as the subject of a classic Jerry Coleman malapropism when he was a Padre. “Rich Folkers is throwing up in the bullpen.” Jesse Hudson gained a bit of an unwanted spotlight during the 50th anniversary celebration of the ‘69 champs. Hudson, whose major league career consisted of a 1 game cameo in 1969, was included in the “In Memoriam” even though he is very much alive. I’ve got nothing on Randy Bobb.
I’m planning on making this deep dive into old yearbooks a weekly Monday feature. I’ll be fascinated to see how the team’s PR department handles that dark late70s-early 80s period. How do you put a happy face on that mess? For now, I’ll close this look back at 1971 with a photo of George Bush throwing out a first pitch.
SNL Season 6 Recap
As I’ve mentioned in some of the earlier recaps, the episodes running on Peacock have been edited down from the original running time, mostly due to with avoiding paying music licensing fees. Episode #5, the Christmas episode, was whittled down to a whopping 27 minutes. So if you’re wondering how this week’s host, David Carradine, handled things your guess is as good as mine. He did seem to be an odd choice to host at that point in time. He was coming off of his role in The Long Riders, a film about Jesse James that contained the gimmick of brothers portraying the real life brothers in the story. The Carradine brothers portrayed the Younger brothers. I remember the movie being mildly successful, but at this point Carradine had already begun his post-Kung Fu descent into B movies that made up the bulk of his career before the Kill Bill comeback. It seems like the show didn’t know what to do with him other than cast him as Caine in multiple sketches.
I took a peek at the episode rundown on IMDB, and it certainly appears that the show was music heavy this week, which explains the brevity. But once again, what little remains was terribly underwhelming. Eddie Murphy is growing more prominent in the sketches, but even he was unable to make magic out of ill-conceived premises. His growth and confidence is becoming more obvious, which bodes well for the remaining episodes.
A few weeks back I mentioned that I was a little interested in seeing the work of the cast members who faded into obscurity. Gail Matthius has essentially been a nonentity. But Ann Risley has gotten a lot of screentime, and she has quickly become as tiresome as Charles Rocket. It looks like she’s going for a Jane Curtin vibe, but instead consistently projects an aloof persona. As always any criticism comes with the disclaimer that the poor material does the cast no favors, but it’s also true that a skilled comedian should be able to elevate that material to some extent. No such case here.
For the record, the musical guest edited out of the episode was Linda Ronstadt and the cast of Pirates Of Penzance. And in an unfortunate streaming omission, the show also contained a Mr. Bill short that did not make the Peacock cut. Not sure how much life was left in that premise by this point, but I’ll bet it would have been better than anything else on the show. Next time will bring us the initial episode of 1981, hosted by Ray Sharkey. That name will likely draw a blank from readers of a certain age, but at the time he was an actor seemingly on the brink of a stardom that sadly did not happen.
Andy Rourke 1964-2023
It’s gotta be tough to be in a band with 2 alphas; particularly in the case of The Smiths where the 2 really drew all of the attention. Led by the guitar wizardry of Johnny Marr and the Morrisseyness of Morrissey, it’s inevitable that the rhythm section of Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce would get overshadowed. The artistic success of any band is the result of the sum of its parts, however, and Rourke’s bass work was just as crucial a component to their sound as was that of the big dogs.
The Smiths were arguably the premiere college rock band of all time, and since their peak roughly coincided with my college years, they were such an important part of that time in my life. It saddened me to hear that Rourke passed away last week from pancreatic cancer. They had one of the more acrimonious breakups in history, but it sure sounded as if Marr reconciled with him before the end. RIP to a true unsung hero of the 80s.
Jim Brown 1936-2023
Jim Brown was certainly one of the most complex, complicated public figures in our lifetime. On the playing field, his list of accomplishments is staggering. In a 9 year NFL career, he led the league in rushing 8 times while winning 3 MVP awards and 1 NFL championship. He retired as the league’s all-time leading rusher, an honor he held for more than 20 years, a feat even more impressive considering the season only ran for 12 games during his career. To put it in perspective, he is the only back to average more than 100 rushing yards per game. In addition, he was also the best lacrosse player in the country while playing at Syracuse - there are many who call him the best lacrosse player of all time, but who knows how accurate that claim was; it may be another way to exaggerate his legend.
His legacy has lasted decades after his final rush. When ESPN ran their SportsCentury countdown of the 50 greatest athletes of the 20th century, he came in at #4 as the highest ranked football player. Similarly, The Sporting News’s ranking of the Top 100 NFL players of the 20th century listed him at the top. Newer rankings came out from various sources during last year’s NFL centennial, and although he wasn’t the universal #1 this time around I didn’t see any that ranked him lower than #2 behind either Tom Brady or Jerry Rice.
His post-playing career was even more significant. He moved into acting and was a successful action star. No one accused him of being a great actor - he essentially portrayed Jim Brown - but seeing a black action hero at the time was unusual and it was absolutely unheard of for a black man to share a love scene with a white actress as he did with Raquel Welch in the western 100 Rifles.
His largest legacy came from his years of activism. From the very beginning of his public life he was a very proud “take no s***t from anyone” man, and he always worked to uplift the downtrodden. His most significant work was with the Amer-I-Can organization, as he worked directly with gang members to decrease violence. Since even as he aged he remained the toughest MF on the planet, only he could bring Bloods and Crips together.
But it would be dishonest to not acknowledge his appalling history of violence towards women. It certainly tarnishes his legacy; if someone feels that this history negates the good he has done in other regards I would not tell them they are wrong to feel that way. Following one incident he refused the deal that was offered and chose to serve a 6 month prison sentence rather than undergo counseling. Was that due to stubbornness, or a misguided sense of pride? Hard to say. Remember this is the same man who responded to Franco Harris’s challenge to his rushing record by threatening to make a comeback because he felt that Harris wasn’t worthy of holding the record. Harris rapidly declined as he aged and wound up falling short of the mark; Brown was much more magnanimous when Walter Payton - who he felt was sufficiently tough enough to “deserve” the record - became the man that ultimately took over the top spot on the leaderboard.
Bottom line, Jim Brown demonstrates better than few others that people are complicated. Tremendous professional achievements; significant positive contributions to society; multiple examples of unforgivable personal behavior.
Assorted Notes From The Weekend In Sports
Trevor Bauer made his Nippon Professional Baseball debut, and he has been getting absolutely lit up. He was even demoted to the Japanese equivalent of the minor leagues and he’s gotten rocked there as well. You hate to see it… Yesterday was Brittney Griner’s return in front of her home fans and as expected she was greeted with rapturous applause. Her production looks promising so far, putting up 18 points & 6 boards on opening night, and following up with a 27 & 10 line in the home opener. So far, so good… Indy 500 qualifying saw 34 drivers competing for the 33 spots, and Graham Rahal is the unfortunate driver who put up the slowest speed and will therefore miss the race. That’s gutting, as he’s a full time driver and one of the bigger names in the field, but the process is merciless. On a bright note, one of the qualified drivers is Sting Ray Robb, and yes that is his real name. Will Power might no longer hold the Driver With The Coolest Name honor… The annual NASCAR All-Star race took place last night and returned to one of the oldest of the old school tracks - North Wilkesboro NC, a track that has been quiet since the mid-90s. It’s a shame that the actual race turned out to be dull; Kyle Larson was so dominant that there was little action or excitement. Hopefully the bland race didn’t make it a one-and-done event, I’d like to see the track get a second chance.
And.. In Closing
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