Dipping Into The Archives Vol. 8

1978

Perhaps some of you still have your old copy of the 1978 Mets yearbook. But do any of you have a copy autographed by Lee Lacy? I didn’t think so. One point for me.

1978 was yet another dreary season for the Mets with a last place finish in the NL East. And one more hero from 1969 was traded away, as Bud Harrelson was dealt to Philadelphia late in spring training. There were only 2 left, soon to be 1. 1978 was Jerry Koosman’s final season as a Met. The silver lining is that one of the players the Mets received in that trade with Minnesota turned out to be a vital component of the next great Mets team. But that’s a story for another year.

After completely sitting out the first year of free agency the Mets finally made their first signing, inking long reliever Tom Housman to a contract. Not exactly shooting for the stars. The new Mets are shown here; Kevin Kobel is clearly wondering which life decisions led him to this place.

The true standout from this bunch is clearly Willie Montanez. Not that he was a great player, but he was one of the biggest hot dogs ever to wear the uniform. If you’re suffering through a dismal year the least you can do is provide your fans with some fun. Montanez’s home run trot was a joy to behold. I can only imagine what the reaction would have been had he played say, 10 years ago. Sales of fainting couches would have skyrocketed. Brian McCann might have suffered a rage aneurysm on the field.

Looking at the all-star photo from the previous season it’s a nice bit of serendipity that Montanez was seated next to Tom Seaver. Seaver clearly had psychic abilities; he sensed that Montanez would be Shea-bound in a few months and he was warning him what he was in for. On a side note, there were several future Mets on the 1977 All-Star team, but of course virtually all of them were well past their primes by the time they put on the blue & orange.

One of the high points from the 1977 season took place on Old Timers Day. The 4 great center fielders from New York history entered the field together, creating a memorable visual.

What look back on the previous year would be complete without a photo montage of celebrity Mets fans? There is one name & one name only who stands out - Peter Lemongello! You had to have been around at the time to truly appreciate the odd level of fame that he had as well as the notoriety that would eventually follow. Ah, the 70s.

The 1978 season was also the final year for the original broadcast trio of Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy, and Ralph Kiner. The three handled both TV and radio since the inaugural 1962 season. Nelson left the Mets after the season, but both Murphy and Kiner remained in the Mets broadcast booth for decades to come. It was only this year that Gary, Keith, and Ron broke their longevity record.

Finally, if you’re wondering why it took so long for the Mets to escape from the quagmire they were in, look no further than the page which spotlighted their upcoming minor league talent. Player development was not exactly a strong point. There are a couple of notable names, but none made much of a splash at Shea. Yes, Mike Scott would haunt this club while wearing an opposing uniform. I credit the photographer for being able to snap a photo of John Pacella in which his cap was not flying off.

SNL Season 6 Recap

The Peacock stream of episode 12 ran for a whopping 22 minutes. In other words, roughly 2/3 of material was cut out, which is a shame because Bill Murray made his initial return to host this week. I took a peek on IMDB, to see what we missed out on. Among Murray’s returning bits that are stored somewhere on a server under lock & key are Nick the lounge singer & Bill Murray’s annual Oscar predictions. Oh well.

It’s apropos that Bill Murray was the first alum to host in season 6. He is SNL royalty of the first order, but it’s easy to forget how shaky he was in the beginning. Fans hated him because he was the guy who replaced Chevy Chase, and he didn’t help matters by often flubbing his lines and missing his cues. It took him months to find his footing, but once he did he became the Bill Murray we all know and love. That creates a clear parallel with the feelings viewers had for the then current cast.

This week the cold open was fairly self referential as Murray invited the cast into his dressing room to rally the troops. After getting Gilbert Gottfried’s name wrong and telling Gail Matthius and Ann Risley that he can’t tell which is which, he leads into a replication of his “it just doesn’t matter” speech from Meatballs. Since so much material was cut out this week it’s impossible to gauge the episode’s quality. There was one solid piece. Murray was a writer typing out a new story with actors in the background performing the plot. They constantly turned on a dime as Murray’s writer continued to redraft the plot. The sketch was skillfully staged and it was a rare moment in which the ensemble showed its potential.

In the closing goodbyes Murray promoted the following week’s show to be hosted by Robert Guillaume. ‘Twas not to be; Jean Doumanian was fired days later along with Gilbert Gottfried, Ann Risley, and Charles Rocket. (Gottfried had the honor of doing a Roman Polanski impression in his final episode.) Dick Ebersol took over with the stipulation that he would shut the show down for a few weeks to reboot. So Guillaume would need to wait a couple of years for his hosting shot. I’ll take a week off as well before checking in with Ebersol’s first show which also turned out to be the season finale. Next week I’ll take a final look back at the Doumanian/Rocket debacle. Where did it go so wrong?

My Surefire Way To Improve The All-Star Game

The main reason why baseball’s All-Star Game is the best of the big 4 is that game play most accurately duplicates what one would see in a regular season tilt. Of course the drawback is that it also means that late innings consist of a parade of relief pitchers throwing 95MPH+ stuff with ludicrous movement, resulting in strikeouts galore. If you want to see the game’s top pitchers showing off their skills, you’re like a kid in a candy store. Unfortunately as most kids eventually learn, too much candy makes you feel ill. Too often the game’s premier hitters appear helpless.

Thankfully, Home Run Derby exists. In the actual game someone like Mookie Betts might only get 2 at-bats, and there’s no guarantee that in that brief appearance he’ll have a chance to display just how good he is. But in the Derby he can show not only his immense talent, but his infectious personality as well.

I just wish the game itself could be more exciting. It’s a problem that the desire to get everyone into the game means that most of the starters are pulled by the 5th inning or so. It was absurd that during the “this one counts” era that World Series home field advantage was determined by reps from last place teams facing ace closers in the final innings. No disrespect to someone like Elias Diaz, but he’s not the guy I would want to see batting with the game on the line.

So let me present my Thinking Out Of The Box Solution. Why not start the game with the reserve players and then bring in your Ronald Acunas or Marcus Semiens into the game in the 5th inning, so that they are the guys playing in crunch time? OK, I recognize the prestige that comes with appearing in the starting lineup. So how about this? It’s an exhibition game, why not introduce a reentry rule? Freddie Freeman starts, plays 3 innings, gets an at bat. Then, a reserve first baseman comes in and plays innings 4-6. Finally, Freeman checks back into the game and gets to hit again in the key innings.

One of the ASG a highlights that gets played a lot is Ted Williams’ walkoff home run in 1941. That wouldn’t happen today; Williams would have been pulled from the game by then. But if it’s possible to return? I’d love to see that. Now, if we could only return to the days when the all-stars would wear their regular uniforms….

Nikki McCray-Penson 1971-2023

Terribly sad news came out last weekend with the word that basketball star and coach Nikki McCray-Penson passed away at the much too young age of 51. After an All-American career at Tennessee, she was a member of 2 Olympic gold medal winning USA basketball squads, more specifically as part of the 1996 team which was arguably the most important championship team in the sport’s history.

After a relatively disappointing bronze medal finish in the 1992 Barcelona games, USA basketball took a different tactic and chose to select the team years before the next Olympics so that the team could go into Atlanta as a well-oiled machine. That strategy succeeded beyond everyone’s wildest dreams. The groundwork was laid for what has become arguably the most dominant dynasty in international sports. The United States women have won every Olympic gold since 1996, and they have rarely needed to break out a sweat.

The success of the 1996 team helped make the WNBA possible. McCray-Penson put together some All-Star seasons in both the WNBA and the rival ABL. She went into coaching following her retirement as a player. She falls a bit shy of the Naismith Hall, but she is a member of the Women’s Basketball HOF, and it would be no surprise if the 1996 team eventually gains induction into Springfield. McCray-Penson had suffered from a bout of breast cancer several years ago, a family member confirms that lingering complications from that led to her death. RIP to a hoopster who helped set the stage for today’s ever increasing interest in women’s basketball.

That’s All

I hope all of my fellow baseball fans have been playing Immaculate Grid every day. It’s almost as addictive as Wordle. Thanks as always for reading, and let’s speak again on Wednesday.