The Baseball Digest Archive

June 1978

Garry Templeton pretty much dominated this month’s issue. In addition to being featured on the cover & in his own profile article, he was also one of the players listed as a future star of the 1980’s. That appeared to be a good bet in 1978, but his stardom did not last.

Templeton was exactly the type of player who looked great at the time, but who is done no favors by modern advanced metrics. He rarely drew walks, so his on base percentages were never very good. And once he was traded from St. Louis to San Diego (in the Ozzie Smith trade; it’s fair to say that the Cardinals won that deal) it became clear that he was a player who benefited from playing on artificial turf.

How did the rest of the magazine’s future stars predictions work out? Not bad. There are a handful of names here who faded into obscurity, and seeing Mark Fidrych listed here makes me sad. He was one of my earliest “what could have beens.” But there are several future Hall of Fame players here, as well as others who didn’t quite reach that level but did have significant careers.

Since an issue of Baseball Digest is incomplete without hearing from a grouchy ex-player, this month it’s George Kelly’s turn to vent. He was one of the many Hall of Famers that came out of the Frankie Frisch era of the veteran’s committee, and Kelly himself ranks as one of the more egregious choices from that era. Because of that his particular gripes go in one ear and out the other for me.

There are a handful of interesting features this month. It had a nice look at some of the historically stable teams & units. At the time this was written the famous 1970’s Dodgers infield was already tied for the longest lasting starting infield, and they still had a few years to go. But as much as fans complain about roster volatility in the free agency era, it’s nothing new. As of 1978, the longest standing outfield trios stayed together for 6 years each, and the longest infields for 5 years each. Roster churn has always been a thing.

I’ll probably discuss this further in a future issue, but for now in closing I’ll point out an annual feature that appears in this month’s edition. Each year the magazine would publish the all-time top 10 list for each franchise in various hitting categories. It was one of those features that helped spur my interest in the game’s history. I would see a name such as Wheat or Waner whom I was unfamiliar with, and wanted to learn more about them. It would only be a matter of time until I added the Baseball Encyclopedia to my library.

SNL Recap

It came as little surprise that this week’s episode would have been filled with guest stars. Kristen Wiig was officially welcomed into the Five Timer’s Club (I reiterate my belief that her appearance in one of the At Home episodes that ran during the pandemic should not count. I am not a crackpot.) This time the running gag was that few of the people who welcomed her into the club are not actual Five Timers. There was Paul Rudd, but he was followed by (deep breath) non 5ers Paula Pell, Matt Damon, Fred Armisen, Will Forte, Jon Hamm, Martin Short, and Ryan Gosling. Many of them also appeared in sketches this week, so for the most part the regulars had light workloads this week.

The show was also heavier with recurring sketches than most recent episodes have been, although only 1 featured a Wiig stick character, and it was one of my favorites. Aunt Linda the film critic is far from her best known, but it always held a special place in my heart, because I used to work with someone exactly like that - all the way down to the smirks & the barely articulate phrasing she uses when criticizing movies she hates. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen Aunt Linda and thought to myself “OMG, that is exactly what Name Redacted would say!”

My favorite sketch of the week is another returning bit; a retirement party in which a parade of people take turns grabbing the emcee’s mic to add their unwelcomed thoughts. That was a sketch that used to pop up from time to time, absence made the heart grow fonder. It made me chuckle.

There were many laughs to be had this week; even the cold open was one of the better ones. The crew from the March Madness studio show didn’t have much to say about the tournament, being that their attention had been so focused on the women’s tourney instead. As Devan’s Kenny Smith helpfully pointed out, ratings have been so good they’re drawing Young Sheldon numbers. It also included an appearance from Heidi as Kim Mulkey with what was described as her resting QAnon face. The opening sketch was a good one, too. Here Wiig was meeting her new beau’s friends, who offer to play Ticket To Ride as an icebreaker. She refuses, because she has a phobia over board games, worrying that she will be Jumanji’d into the game. The absurdity steadily increased, and Andrew more than held his own.

I could have probably done without a return of Trudy, Heidi’s efficient yet unhelpful secretary who speaks with an odd 1950’s cadence. In this one Wiig joined in as her sister Toody, and since Jon Hamm was already in the house, he was included in the bit as well. Being that the large number of guests stole the spotlight from the regular crew, selecting an Employee Of the Week was a challenge, but Marcello gets it. He appeared as the earthquake on Update, followed by Kenan as the eclipse. The 2 had a great “can you top this” competition going on.

Next week, Ryan Gosling and his terminal case of the giggles returns for his third gig as host. Try to keep a straight face, Ryan.

The Day The Earth Shook

It’s always a notable reaction when either a weather or a natural phenomenon occurs in an unexpected area. I’ll bet a lot of west coast natives thought to themselves “that’s so adorable” after Friday’s earthquake. People with quake experience would likely not raise an eyebrow over a 4.8. Yet in New York it forced assurances from public officials that there were no major structural damages to worry about.

I certainly felt it and immediately knew what it is - clearly a large truck rumbling by. As it lasted longer than usual, I thought “damn, that’s gotta be a huge truck.” Once it was apparent that the shaking wasn’t stopping, I realized that was no truck. I soon flashed back to an earlier earthquake experience that I had.

There was an even smaller quake in New York back in 1985. It just so happened that it was during my college radio days, and I was on the air when that quake occurred. It was strong enough that the record I was playing began to skip, and a friend of mine was walking past the turntable at that precise moment. I gave him a “what the hell?” look, until we realized it wasn’t his heavy feet, it was an earthquake. Once I was assured that things weren’t terribly serious, I did what no other DJ thought to do. I started spinning tunes such as I Feel the Earth Move, Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On, etc. See how fiendishly clever I was?

Try to picture how primitive cultures would have dealt with an eclipse taking place 3 days after an earthquake. They would have struggled to decide which god would need to be appeased first. Thank goodness we are now an advanced enough society with sufficient scientific knowledge that we no longer rely on superstition. Or not.

Is it possible for a human being to be this stupid? OK, earthquakes are one thing. But an eclipse is just about the most predictable event that there is. Scientists literally know the dates of every eclipse that will occur for the next thousand years. No, today’s eclipse is not caused by God expressing displeasure with us. But if MTG really thinks the quake was a sign, look no further than the fact that the epicenter was located at a golf course that The Former Guy owns. No, it’s not the course where he buried Ivana. That would have been too obvious of an omen.

50 Years Ago - There Was A New Home Run Champion

A slight format break from my looks back at 50 year old pop culture, because it’s also worth noting that today is the half century anniversary of a significant moment in sports history. It was 50 years ago today that Henry Aaron hit home run #714, breaking Babe Ruth’s record. Fortunately, that game was the NBC Monday Night Game Of the Week, so I was able to see the moment live along with the rest of the nation. (The local radio home run calls by Milo Hamilton & Vin Scully have been replayed so many times in the years since, but in actuality Curt Gowdy’s national TV call is the one that the overwhelming majority of people heard at the time.) I clearly remember the buildup in the off-season to that moment, as he ended the 1973 season only 1 home run shy of tying the Babe. As young as I was, at the time I did not understand the cultural significance of the achievement, but I was certainly cognizant of the historical significance.

Looking back from a modern perspective, several points stand out. Knowing what we now know about the vicious threats that he received on his march to the record, I can’t imagine what was going through his mind when he saw those 2 fans rush onto the field to congratulate him. There were also a couple of notable cameos in the footage. Even back then, Bill Buckner - the left fielder futilely attempting to climb the fence - found himself on the other end of a historical moment. And the reporter wearing a rain coat in that scene at home plate was none other than Craig Sager; I’m pretty sure that was the last time in his life he ever dressed that conservatively in public.

Aaron’s record was eventually broken; whether or not one feels if he is still the legitimate home run king is in the eye of the beholder. If nothing else, when Barry Bonds broke the record the run up to the moment reminded everyone just how great of a player - and man - Henry Aaron was. This 50th anniversary celebration is doing the same thing.

The Newest Naismith HOF Class

It’s become crystal clear that the voting process for the Naismith Hall Of Fame is broken. Once again, the Hall recognizes all levels of basketball, so by definition induction classes will always be large. But…

NAISMITH BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2024

North American Committee (in alphabetical order): Chauncey Billups, Vince Carter, Michael Cooper, Walter Davis, Bo Ryan, Charles Smith

Women's Committee: Seimone Augustus

Men’s Veteran Committee: Dick Barnett

Women's Veteran Committee: Harley Redin

 International Committee: Michele Timms

 Contributors Committee: Doug Collins, Herb Simon, Jerry West

I have a laundry list of issues, but I’ll start with a simple one. The finalists were announced on NBA All-Star Weekend; a total of 14 names. 13 of those 14 were elected! Plus, I’m not sure how worthy many of these honorees are. (BTW, the Charles Smith listed here is not THAT Charles Smith; this is a high school coach.) Michael Cooper was an important part of the Showtime Lakers - their sixth man, an outstanding outside shooter, and a one-time defensive player of the year. Yet, he never made an all-star team. Is that Hall worthy? Why not A.C. Green? At least he was once an all-star. And as much as people revere the early 1970’s Knicks, Dick Barnett only made 1 ASG. That’s not the be-all and end-all, and as we know it is quite difficult to narrow it down to 12 stars per conference, it still says a lot that he wasn’t considered among the top stars when he was playing.

If all it takes is to be a rotation player on a championship squad, where will it end? Does that mean the Hall should include Ron Harper? Or Bruce Bowen? Or Shaun Livingston? Or Robert Horry? I don’t like to play the “if A is in, then B should” game too often, but there are so many players that are better than Cooper who don’t have rings. Should someone like Shawn Marion be left out simply because he didn’t have teammates of the same caliber that Cooper had?

I don’t want to sound like I’m blasting Michael Cooper, but his inclusion also makes the omission of several deserving female stars that much more glaring. Where are DeLisha Milton-Jones, or Taj McWilliams-Franklin, or Nykesha Sales, or Cappie Pondexter, or Margo Dydek? Where is Chamique Freakin’ Holdsclaw? When you set the bar too low, this is exactly what happens. It forces us to say “what about?” until we’re all blue in the face.

A Great Catcher Is Gone

That magical season was 55 years ago, so things such as this are sadly inevitable, but it’s still been a brutal past few months for the 1969 Mets. Yesterday we learned that catcher Jerry Grote has died at the age of 81.

Charitably described as fiery, or prickly, he was one of the great defensive catchers of his time. He was never a particularly good hitter, but his skills behind the plate were a major factor in the traditionally strong pitching staffs that the Mets had in those years. Because he was a contemporary of Johnny Bench, he never won a Gold Glove, but Bench once famously said that if they were teammates he (Bench) would have had to move to third base.

One of the last memories I have of Grote is when he returned to New York for the 50th anniversary celebration of the ‘69 team. Famously, or infamously, irascible, he seemed like he was having the greatest time. He drove from his Texas home to New York, and he gave constant humorous updates of his trip north on social media. It’s not uncommon for mean people to get meaner as they age; it looked like he did the opposite and turned into more of an old softie.

There was a great anecdote that I once heard Tim McCarver tell about Grote. If an inning would end with a strikeout instead of rolling the ball directly towards the mound he used to intentionally roll it a few feet away so that the opposing pitcher would have to go a few steps out of his way to retrieve it. He and the pitcher would then get into a staring contest, but nothing beyond that would happen because no one was willing to get into a fight with Jerry Grote. It’s exactly that type of “don’t f*** with me” attitude that made both Grote and that Mets team so special.

Closing Laughs

That’s enough for today. Enjoy the eclipse if you are in its path, and don’t forget - the eyes of the sun might be where the fun is, but be sure sure to heed mama’s advice. Do not stare. See you all again on Wednesday.